Is It Wrong to Explore the Dungeon Even Though I’m Overpowered? (Danmachi SI- WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 13: Hephaistos

Turns out Syr’s cooking was not as bad as I had first thought.

Or at least my constitution and protections were enough where I had been able to eat her bentos without any problem.

Unfortunately, that created another problem when the girls found out, mainly Rem and Artemis who had taken to helping me out in the kitchen and had become jealous that Syr was making me bentos.

To remedy the issue, I had agreed to eat their bentos too and would alternate between them since my manners as Reinhard all but screamed at me that I couldn’t waste any food especially from those who had taken the time to cook for me.

I was just thankful that my inventory froze all items in time allowing me to eat the food nice and warm.

Three days had passed since then and today two things were happening.

First was that Hephaestus was finally coming over to the church in order to be healed from her deformity. The second was that I had managed to acquire enough excelia where all my stats were at 1400 and I would be leveling up today. And finally, was a surprise that Artemis had dropped on us.

We had awakened extra early today and Rem and Artemis were helping me in the kitchen cooking up a feast in celebration not only for myself but for when Hephaestus came over and to welcome new Familia members.

Artemis had finally managed to find some people to join her Familia and we would be meeting them later today after they packed their things with the help of Rethusa and Lante.

Artemis had mentioned someone named Emma Flores and her friends which I didn’t recognize at first but then again, I didn’t know everything about this world and that was okay. I liked surprises anyway and much preferred it when there were new things to explore and learn than just knowing everything.

“Rein-kun, are you guys almost done? Hephaistos could be here at any moment.”

“You could help instead of just asking Hestia.” Artemis replied back in a deadpan voice since said petite Goddess hadn’t done anything to help us.

“We’re just finishing up Hestia-sama.” Putting the finishing touches in the last dish I turned to Rem who was working closely beside me on her own dish. “How about you Rem?”

Wiping her hands clean, Rem turned to me with a wide smile on her pretty face. “Mmn, I’m done too Reinhard-kun. Cooking beside you always gives me extra energy so I was able to finish quickly today~”

Flushing slightly at her earnest look I gave her a smile of my own before turning to Artemis on my other side. “And you Artemis-sama?”

To be honest I had really been enjoying these moments with both of them especially Artemis since I hadn’t spent much time with her lately due to being in the dungeon. Artemis seemed pretty happy too that we could spend some time together that I had been seeing her smile more often which brought a smile to my face too.

“I’m done Rein. Thanks for agreeing to teach me how to cook again.” Artemis thanked me looking up at me with a gentle smile on her face.

“I didn’t really do much Artemis-sama. I just shared some of the recipes from my world and you did the rest.” I shook my head not feeling I deserved any thanks since Artemis was only a step behind Rem when it came to cooking which said a lot.

I felt the goddess lean her head on my shoulder a moment later and heard her mumble in my head. “For some reason it makes me sad when I hear you call me in such a respectful manner when you call everyone else by their names. Can you…can you do that for me too Rein?”

Hearing her request, I couldn’t help but gulp suddenly feeling nervous only for that nervousness to disappear when I felt how sad she truly felt coming through our link.

'Has something so simple truly been bothering her?’ A moment later I wanted to hit myself as the answer immediately came to me. ‘Of course, it has. She herself stated that she wanted to treat me as an equal and she has kept to that and yet I kept referring to her in such a manner due to my upbringing making her think I didn’t feel the same.’

‘I’m truly an idiot.’ Looking down at her with a look of regret I put my arm around her and brought her in for a small hug taking her by surprise while speaking telepathically.

“Of course, Artemis.” My words seemed to do the trick as she tightened our hug and I felt a surge of happy feelings coming from the goddess in my arms.

“Hihihi thank you Rein~ For some reason that makes me incredibly happy~” She thanked me in my head with a giggle never pulling away from my embrace.

“I’m just glad that you’re no longer sad.”

“Artemis! Stop hogging Rein-kun and let go already! Using such an opportunity to get close to my Rein-kun, you cheater!”

The jealous and angry voice of Hestia pulled us from the moment making us realize that we were hugging in the middle of the kitchen so we finally let go doing our best to ignore the disappointment we both felt at such a thing.

“H-He’s not yours Hestia!” Embarrassed and annoyed Artemis exclaimed back at the petite goddess with her face flushed red.

Before I could intervene, I was pulled away by another set of arms as I felt someone shorter cuddle up to my side with slight feelings of jealousy.

“Come on Reinhard-kun, we have to get ready for our guests and as your maid it is my responsibility to make sure that you are dressed for the occasion~”

With a strong grip on my arm the blue Oni girl pulled me away from the distracted goddesses and up to my room where much to my embarrassment she helped pick out a suit for me.

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(Hephaistos POV)

Hephaistos had never thought she’d ever be so anxious for a day to arrive as she was now.

Ever since Hestia and Artemis had visited the other day and dropped a bombshell on her, she had been unable to keep her mind off of it. Of course, she had not let that affect her workflow as that would be highly unprofessional and it would only worry her children but it had been constantly on her mind the past week.

Today however the day had finally arrived where she would get to meet this precious child of Hestia and get to see for herself if his power could do what countless others had tried and failed.

Some part of her was hopeful since no matter how lazy and scatterbrained Hestia was, nobody could deny that Hestia was an honest and fair Goddess not to mention one of her good friends. Her words had even been backed up by Artemis, another one of her good friends and someone that was known for her no-nonsense attitude even if she was still somewhat shocked by Artemis standing up for a boy.

Another tiny part of her though was fearful that this would also end in failure just as it had many times before but she did her best to push that voice to the back of her mind.

Today after seeing her Familia off after they had set off on another expedition, she had made sure that her schedule was still clear for the rest of the day before heading out.

Hephaistos had to sneak off and head out on her own as she felt that this was better if it was handled privately as it only concerned her. That and she didn’t want any of her children to see her if her hopes were dashed and she couldn’t be healed.

It took a bit but Hephaistos could finally see the previously dilapidated church that she had given to Hestia so she could at least have somewhere to sleep. Looks like Hestia was indeed correct on stating that she no longer needed to borrow money from her based on the mostly renovated church she could see now.

Repairs like that would cost up to a few hundred thousand valis at most plus paying the workers. Now the church was actually standing out due to being the only building in a few blocks that didn’t look old and was decaying.

With a bit of nervousness returning Hephaistos hesitated for a bit before finally knocking on the doors to the entrance and waiting. After a few moments she could hear footsteps approaching the door and took a deep breath to settle her remaining nerves.

‘Well here goes nothing.’ Just as she finished with that thought the door was opened by a maid with pink hair and red eyes that immediately greeted her with a bow. ‘A maid? Hestia has a maid now?’

“Greetings Hephaistos-sama. Hestia-sama and Artemis-sama have been waiting for your arrival, if you would please follow me.” The girl opened the door wider and patiently waited for her.

“Thank you.” Dismissing her previous thoughts, Hephaistos stepped inside being greeted by a comfortable sitting area/kitchen that was fully furnished with parts sectioned off at the back that led to different rooms and a set of stairs to the side.

The maid led her to a sofa where she was asked to make herself comfortable and declined the offer for tea. While waiting for everyone to arrive the smith turned to the maid again and decided to chat with the girl for a bit.

“What’s your name miss and are you Hestia’s child or Artemis’s?” She asked curiously.

“This one is called Ram and I’m Reinhard-sama’s maid while Hestia-sama is my goddess.” The maid named Ram responded respectfully with a peaceful look on her face oddly putting the boy first instead of Hestia.

“I see. Thank-”

“Hephaistos! You’re finally here~”

They were interrupted by a cheerful yell coming from the side causing Hephaistos to turn that direction being met with her two friends who looked the happiest she had ever seen them.

“Welcome Hephaistos. I see that you’ve already met Ram-san.” Artemis welcomed her with her smile practically radiating off her face making Hephaistos blink finding it strange seeing her that happy.

“Yes, I have. I must say Hestia, this place actually looks like a proper home now and not just a broken-down building. I’m impressed.”

“Who would’ve thought that someone lazy as you could pull this off but then again, I wonder if this more because of Artemis than yourself?” Hephaistos couldn’t help but tease her friend a little even if she felt genuinely proud that her lazy friend was finally taking things seriously.

“Hey! That’s rude Hephaistos. I’ll have you know that I was the one directing where everything needed to go.” Hestia unsurprisingly didn’t deny her words and only mentioned having contributed to the repairs which knowing Hestia was already a huge improvement.

“Wow your actually acting like a proper Goddess more and more nowadays and taking responsibility. I must thank this Rein-kun of yours for no doubt this is due to his influence.” Hestia only pouted at her and called her a meanie.

“Before anything else, would you like to have lunch with us Hephaistos? Rein cooked a feast and we would be delighted if you could join us.” Artemis moved along the conversation causing Hephaistos to think for a moment.

‘While I could use something to eat, I don’t think I could eat anything right now with how nervous I am.’

“I would love to but-”

She was interrupted yet again as she heard a door open and the sound of footsteps approaching unconsciously causing her to turn to see who it was.

‘Welf!?’ That was the first thought that crossed her mind before immediately dismissing it once she had a proper look.

While the teen walking towards them also had red hair and blue eyes, that was where the similarities ended. The teen who she assumed could be none other than Reinhard was taller than her child, had a lighter skin tone and even if it embarrassed her to admit it, was extraordinarily handsome with those fierce eyes of his.

The thing that caught her attention the most though was the aura he unconsciously exuded, as if he was someone who was above the norm.

Walking to his sides were two girls, one of whom was almost identical to the maid who greeted her just with blue hair and eyes. The other girl was the same height as the blue maid, having silky white hair and violet eyes with a face so perfect one might mistake her for a doll.

As Hephaistos stared at Reinhard, she couldn’t help but think that he had the looks of a warrior despite how elegantly he was dressed in his white and black outfit due to his posture and the way he walked.

Coming to a stop in front of them Reinhard greeted her with the most perfect knightly bow she had ever seen. “Greetings Hephaistos-sama. My name is Reinhard van Astrea and it is a pleasure meeting someone that both Hestia-sama and Artemis-sama hold in such high regard.”

“This one’s name is Rem, Reinhard-kun’s maid and fellow Familia member.” The blue maid went next greeting her with a similar greeting to her twin before.

“I’m Est, Reinhard’s partner, contracted spirit and future wife.” The white-haired girl went last saying something so outrageous that it broke the serious atmosphere around the former church turning everything into chaos.

“WHAAAT!?”

“EST-CHAN! HOW COULD YOU JUST SAY THAT!? I THOUGHT WE AGREED TO WAIT!”

“I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT REIN-KUN IS MINE!”

“I WON’T FALL BEHIND!”

While all of this chaos was happening Hephaistos only stood back in shock digesting everything happening around her as Reinhard tried in vain to calm everyone down.

‘Astrea? Spirit? Just what is going on here?’

Thankfully everything settled down minutes later and now they found themselves sitting around the living area after everyone apologized for causing a scene.

Even with questions burning in her mind Hephaistos couldn’t help but notice how everyone seemed to get along really well and felt a smile grow on her lips.

Coughing politely into his fist, Reinhard brought all attention to himself as he directed his gaze at her. “Well with that out of the way, shall we get to the matter at hand? Hephaistos-sama would you rather we do this in private or here?”

At such a question Hephaistos couldn’t help but fidget slightly in her seat. “In private, please.”

Only getting a nod in response, the teen got to his feet instructing the others to get the table ready while Hestia and Artemis gently ushered her into the hidden basement with Reinhard trailing behind them.

Hephaistos felt thankful for the privacy as she didn’t really want to get treated in front of an audience hence the reason she had come here alone.

They finally reached the basement a few moments later which had been converted to a sitting area and was asked to take a seat unfortunately missing the beautiful white sword curiously resting to the side of her.

Now that the moment had come her nerves were starting to get the better of her again something that the others no doubt noticed as she saw them smile reassuringly at her.

“Please relax Hephaistos-sama…I promise it’s painless and it will be over before you know it.” She found herself relaxing a bit at his honest words and at the presence of her two friends by her side.

“Now before we start do you have any questions for me? Oh, and if it’s not too much trouble I do have a request from you as well.”

Hephaistos looked at the young man curiously and she wasn’t the only one as Hestia and Artemis also turned to look at the child with the same look. Apparently, Reinhard had not informed them either about this request of his.

Her curiosity only increased as Reinhard just smiled again but didn’t say anything but it was apparently enough for her friends as they seemed satisfied for some reason. Knowing a response wasn’t coming and that she’ll find out in a moment anyway, Hephaistos focused and decided to get on with it. 

“Very well I see no problem with it as long as it’s not unreasonable. I don’t really have any questions. Let’s just get this done before my nerves get the better of me.” Hephaistos just wanted to get this over with. If it worked, it worked. If it didn’t work… Well, let’s not think about that right now.

“Thank you. Would you please be kind enough to let me see what’s underneath your eyepatch?” Out of all the things he could have requested, looking at her deformity was the last thing Hephaistos expected to be asked. That was the reason why she remained frozen for a moment before fully facing the child in front of her with a serious face.

“Are you sure?” Reinhard only responded with a nod of his head, looking at her with kind and understanding eyes.

“Very well then.” With a little trepidation at seeing what was likely another person run away in horror, Hephaistos slowly and carefully removed the eyepatch from her face. With a hand covering the right part of her face after the eyepatch was removed, Hephaistos took one last look at Reinhard and seeing his expression not changing lowered her hand after taking a deep breath.

Hephaistos paid close attention to Reinhard’s face and waited for the inevitable response that she always receives. The person’s face distorting in horror before looking away from her or in the worst cases even running away.

Only this time none of this happened and instead of a disgusted face, the face and especially eyes looking back at her only showed kindness and compassion. No revulsion, no screaming, no flinching, not even a frown was shown, in fact the opposite happened as Reinhard’s smile got gentler as if trying to reassure her.

“Thank you for showing me, I know it must’ve not been easy. Now let’s take care of that scar alright? I hear girls don’t enjoy them much as we men do. We can’t have such a beautiful woman only showing part of her face now, can we? It will be an injustice to all men everywhere if I don’t do everything in my power so everyone can enjoy your lovely visage.”

Hephaistos found herself nodding unconsciously as she slowly processed what had just happened.

When her brain finally decided to start functioning again, she was almost positive that steam was coming out of her head due to embarrassment. In fact, her entire face was probably red at this point based on how warm it felt and the fact she had detected no lies at all in his words.

“Mou Rein-kun! Stop flirting with Hephaistos when I’m right here.”

“Yes Rein, I must also ask that you stop doing that.”

And of course, Hestia and Artemis only made her situation worse with their comments.