Hephaestus looked at her friend with a peculiar expression. "Hestia, you've started acting like a child of the lower world."
"Is it because of... that boy?"
Hestia didn't deny it, nodding frankly. "Although it hasn't been long since I descended, I'm certain that Levi is the 'unknown' I've been searching for."
"I see." Hephaestus wore a wistful expression. She had been in the lower world for much longer but had yet to have her own significant encounter. "Sometimes, I really envy your luck."
"Hehe~" Hestia scratched her cheek.
As the two were talking, the workshop's main door was suddenly pushed open.
The next moment, what entered the two goddesses' sight were the captains of their two Familias, returning from the Dungeon.
"Levi!"
Seeing the person she loved return safely, Hestia couldn't hold back at all. She cried out his name as she threw herself at the pale golden-haired boy.
Levi caught his goddess smoothly, then bowed to Hephaestus with an apologetic look.
Hephaestus waved her hand dismissively.
A teasing chuckle escaped her lips. "I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about, so I won't keep you."
"Thank you for your understanding, Lady Hephaestus," Levi replied, while also remembering to unhook the Vision and the Sky-Piercing Sword from his waist and hand them to Tsubaki, who was staring at them with longing eyes. "Here you go. Remember to return them in two days."
Tsubaki patted her ample chest, which was bound by a sarashi, and said, "No problem!"
"Then, please allow us to take our leave," Levi said with another bow.
Hestia, still clinging to him, didn't forget to say goodbye. "Hephaestus, Tsubaki, I'll come see you again later."
As she spoke, her cheeks inexplicably began to blush.
"Go on, go on."
Seeing this, Hephaestus's lips twitched into a smile. Having once been in a yuri relationship with Aphrodite in Tenkai, she knew all too well what her friend's current state implied.
Although she had long anticipated this day would come, at this very moment, Hephaestus couldn't help but feel a strong sense of envy for her friend.
Hestia has already met her [Unknown], so when will it be my turn?
Watching the two leave the workshop clinging to each other, Hephaestus let out a soft sigh, then turned her gaze upon the captain of her own Familia.
"Tsubaki, tell me the details about the boy, Levi Bright."
"Yes." Tsubaki nodded.
Even a production-type Familia needs to gather intelligence.
In fact, it's precisely because they are a production-type Familia that they need a deeper understanding of Orario's rising powerhouses and promising newcomers.
Hephaestus's reason for having Tsubaki act as Levi's guard for a day, besides being friends with Hestia, was to give her own Familia captain a chance to observe him up close.
And Levi and Hestia were actually aware of this.
It was simply something neither party had explicitly stated.
"Hestia's captain, Levi Bright, based on my observations, seems to be the same type of adventurer as the 'Sword Princess' of the Loki Familia," Tsubaki said in a calm tone. "To be more precise, he's like an evolved version of her."
"Oh?" Seeing her own captain give Hestia's child such a high evaluation, Hephaestus couldn't help but show a surprised expression. "You think that highly of him?"
Tsubaki didn't deny it: "The 'Sword Princess' is certainly strong, but she's too impulsive. During the previous expedition with the Loki Familia, there were several times when they failed to achieve their set objectives because of her."
"But Levi... well, let's just say that even without me today, he most likely wouldn't have been in any danger. He has mastered both close-quarters and long-range combat methods, and he also seems to have awakened a spatial magic for storing items. He can switch between the roles of a front-line guard and a back-row attacker at any time."
Hephaestus nodded. "That is indeed impressive."
The vast majority of adventurers specialize in one area, requiring other team members to cover their weaknesses. But if a single person can excel in all aspects simultaneously, then as long as he is careful and has a bit of luck, he can grow smoothly within the Dungeon.
And it was clear that Levi Bright was just such a person—powerful, yet exceptionally cautious.
Hephaestus had no doubt that within a few years, another First-Class Adventurer would emerge in Orario.
No, considering the information Hestia had previously revealed, that timeframe might be even shorter than she anticipated!
"That's enough about Levi for now. Next..." Hephaestus paused slightly, her gaze slowly moving down to focus on the orb-like accessory and the sword-shaped armament that Tsubaki was hugging tightly. "Tell me about these two items. You must have promised him quite a bit to get temporary ownership of them, didn't you?"
"Ahaha~ I knew I couldn't hide it from you, Lady Hephaestus." Tsubaki scratched her cheek, her gaze shifting away slightly. "I waived today's mission fee and also promised to act as his guardian for his level-ups to Lv.3 and Lv.4 when he needs it in the future."
"You're quite generous," Hephaestus remarked dryly.
The fee for hiring a Lv.5 adventurer as a guard couldn't possibly be a mere two million.
In fact, if Tsubaki wanted to, she could easily earn nearly a million Valis a day just by grinding in the Dungeon, thanks to her skills as a First-Class Adventurer, instead of staying in her workshop.
Not to mention, as one of Orario's most renowned blacksmiths, any weapon forged by her hands was priced in the tens of millions.
For such a high-value individual to be willing to set aside several more days for Levi was proof enough of her curiosity and interest in the armaments he used.
"But this time, you're the one who profited."
In Orario, although Tsubaki bore the title of 'One-Eyed Master Smith', because she hadn't acquired the 'Mystery' development ability, her talent in forging hadn't actually surpassed the limits of the lower world.
Therefore, even though she could perceive the special nature of Levi's two armaments, that was the extent of it.
Hephaestus, on the other hand, as the goddess who presides over forging, needed only a simple glance to sense the immense [Unknown] hidden within the two armaments, especially the orb-like accessory.
—Whether it was their materials or the philosophy behind their forging, they were undoubtedly not products of this world, but most likely came from another!
And that made things very interesting.
Where on earth did Hestia's child get these two armaments?
Or perhaps...
Connecting this with the information she had previously obtained, Hephaestus thought of a certain possibility, and her lips curled into a smile.
She admitted that, in this moment, she had become slightly curious about the boy named Levi Bright.
And the moment this feeling appeared, it was detected and captured by a certain magic called 'The Goddesses' Loving Protection', finally manifesting on Levi's Falna and status panel, which was currently being updated by Hestia.
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