Danmachi SI-The Silence's Heir

Part 15

Chapter 15

GODDESS HEPHAESTUS

In a secluded room built on the first floor of the tower of Babel, a forge roared forth in rage and beauty as a red-haired Goddess sat infront of it, hammering away at an ingot, in a small room littered with weapons, ingots and other materials.

The true value of the contents of that room was in billions of valis, for they may be rejects for the Goddess of the Forge but were weapons of such quality that any smith could claim even one of them to be the pinnacle of his life's work.

Hephaestus had been hammering away at the forge for as long as she could remember, forging weapons of all kinds, legendary weapons wielded by heroes and legends throughout history. And even after so many years, she tolled on, her mind fuelled by the desire to make the ultimate weapon.

And yet the years of monotony ate away at her, and after years spent near the forge there came a time when she found it hard to imagine the next step.

And as the door to the forge, opened, she stopped her hammering as a solitary figure entered the forge through the secret door that was known only to a few, as the heart of the Goddess of the Forge warmed in both anticipation and hope.

"I was waiting for you to show up," she said as she took of her gloves and turned to face the adventurer who could get rid of the monotony that she so dreaded.

Hephaestus was rich enough that no amount of money could make her forge a weapon. To make her, a goddess, forge one the customer needed to offer something unorthodox, it could be unique materials as the Freya familia often did, it could be adventurer, it could even be the request from a fellow goddess. However, in this boy's case, it was something else.

It was stories. Stories associated with weapons that were from another land.

"I am afraid my armor needs serious repairs," he said as he placed his armor on the side. The spear he wielded was one she had made herself after getting inspiration from one of his stories.

"You sure you can afford my services," she asked, and he smirked.

"I can," he said, and though she may like the boy nothing was ever just free.

"Hand me that spear," she said, and he passed it to her. Even now, as she felt it in her hands, she was surprised by its craftsmanship and beaming with pride at the work she had done.

"It is as if it has become a part of you," she said, and he shrugged.

"It has been with me for the longest time. One can say it is my most loyal friend," and at those words, she felt the weapon become warm, and even now, after years of use, it glistened in the fire as if just forged.

The materials required to forge this had come from Hera familia's stores, handed to her by none other than Alfia-the Silence herself, who had come carrying a young child in her arms. She had refused the order at first, for as she had mentioned. One did not just get her to make a weapon.

And so the boy had chimed in, offering an exchange unlike any she had heard.

Tales, and with that, she had agreed.

And so, to this day, he was the only adventurer for whom she herself was a personal smith.

"It is good to see you back, Inumaki-kun," and it was. For in a way, she had watched that little child grow up infront of her eyes, had watched the heavy burden of his mother's legacy and mistakes drown him and his joys.

The years away from Orario seemed to have done him much good and allowed him to come into his own. For now, the grey-haired boy who barely came upto her shoulders stood a head taller than herself.