I left the training grounds, thinking about what Tsubaki had said earlier. Her smile was very suspicious—I'm sure she's hiding something. But is this something I should worry about?
'You won't meet them…' That's what she said. That means all the men who hated me and were jealous are no longer in the Familia. And she knows what happened to them. Does Hephaestus have something to do with this?
Probably, since it's her Familia.
I just hope she didn't kill them or anything like that.
Honestly, that would be a bit…
"Well, whatever."
When I got to my room, it was empty. I went to the bathroom and took off my clothes. After cleaning my body, I got into the bathtub. Once I settled in and let my body relax, I stayed there for a long time.
All the exhaustion from my training disappeared.
Again, I started thinking about my conversation with Tsubaki.
"Should I ask Hephaestus about this?"
"Ask about what?" Then, the door opened. Hephaestus entered the room, already naked, and started washing herself. "What do you want to ask me? Is it about Nina? I already talked to her, everything's fine now." Hephaestus sighed.
"It's not about that. I had a conversation with Tsubaki earlier."
"Oh? So, you're training with her again?"
"Yes, we fought for almost an hour. I got beaten up again."
"Tsubaki is strong. But I'm sure that, with time, you'll be able to defeat her."
"You have that much faith in me? Hahaha." I chuckled. "I don't think I'll ever be able to beat her."
As long as the system doesn't give me combat skills, it's impossible. Maybe if I forge an even stronger sword, I could stand a chance…
I want a sword that enhances my strength, agility, endurance, and also has powerful attack abilities. Am I asking for too much?
"Have you been forging a lot lately?"
"I've only forged a few swords, but nothing interesting enough to show you. I've been spending most of my free time in the dungeon."
"..."
"Don't make that face—it's not your fault. I volunteered to help the Familia, didn't I? It's fine."
"Even so, I feel guilty for making you work so much."
"In the end, this is helping me grow, so it's okay."
"..."
"..."
We both stayed silent for a while, and then Hephaestus got into the bathtub with me. That's when I decided to ask her about what Tsubaki had told me. When she heard my question, Hephaestus didn't show any emotion.
She just said:
"There were a lot of them, but I removed them from the Familia."
That was very direct. At least she was honest.
"You removed them because of that? What if some of them were blacksmiths with great potential? Wasn't that a bit rash?"
"Don't worry, they were trash. Most of them were Level 2 blacksmiths with no prospects for growth. When you started improving, their hatred toward you only grew, so I decided to expel them."
"That makes sense… but I still feel bad for them."
"Don't." Hephaestus gave me a big smile, her cheeks turning red. "The important thing is that no one will get in our way. I hated hearing people badmouth you. Honestly, I took too long to do something about it…"
"Well, if you think it's fine and that the expelled members won't be missed, I guess I have nothing to say about it."
####
The next day arrived, and I went to the dining room with Hephaestus. When we arrived, Nina looked a bit nervous but quickly relaxed. The three of us talked for over half an hour.
After breakfast, Hephaestus left the room first, leaving just me and Nina inside.
I felt a bit nervous, but in the end, nothing happened. Nina cleaned the table, and I left the dining room, heading to the training room.
When I got there, Hephaestus was inside the storage area, analyzing the swords and armor I had forged.
"There are a few swords here that look good," she said when she noticed I had entered the room.
"I've upgraded some of those swords."
"What do you mean?"
"My skill allows me to combine two swords to create a stronger one. Of course, I need to choose the right swords for it to work."
Hearing my explanation, Hephaestus let out a long sigh.
"I wish I had a skill like that too," she said with a small laugh. "Are you getting ready to go to the dungeon?" She put away the sword she was analyzing and turned to me.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and looked into my eyes.
"I need to go there to gather more ores."
"I wish I could go with you~~"
"Don't you have work to do today?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Hephaestus let go of me and walked out of the storage room. "I need to manage the distribution of ores and also deal with an issue at one of the shops in Babel."
"What happened?"
"Nothing major. Someone was causing a scene there yesterday while looking for me."
"I see."
I kept talking while grabbing my armor and sword.
I felt Hephaestus's gaze on my back.
"I think I'll head out now. Good luck, and be careful."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful."
I heard the door close behind me and left the storage room to put on my armor.
I should have asked Hephaestus for help…
Even with some difficulty, I managed to put on my armor and got ready to leave.
But just as I was about to walk out, someone else appeared.
"There you are!"
It was Mikari—I hadn't seen her in a while.
"..."
But since I was in a hurry, I ignored her and walked past.
Mikari called out to me, clearly seeking attention, but I didn't respond.
In the end, Mikari gave up.
####
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Next chapters: Chapter 58 - I want to reach the next boss. / Chapter 59 - Fight with the giant frog. / Chapter 60 - Simple Plan / Chapter 61 - Danger. / Chapter 62 - My leg! / Chapter 63 - Freya Familia. / Chapter 64 - I'll worry about you many times in the future. / Chapter 65 - New skill. / Chapter 66 - Items.