Danmachi: Hephaestus is my Wife

I've had problems in my family over the last few days. It involves my grandfather's health. Fortunately, he has recovered! Time to get back to work!

####

I continued exploring the dungeon for a few hours. I went down to the 5th floor again, and as I expected, there was no new boss. I only need to defeat the bosses once.

It works just like New World.

'Did the worlds merge or something?' I wondered as I left the tower. However, I felt someone touch my shoulder before I could walk away. It was a small, delicate hand.

I thought it was Bell, but to my surprise, it was someone else.

"Are you Hephaestus' boyfriend?" The person looking straight into my eyes was Ais. Ais Wallenstein. I don't know much about her, but I do know that she doesn't express herself much.

I could tell just by looking at her.

A dead-fish expression, as if she didn't care about anything.

We stared at each other momentarily, and I pretended not to know her.

"Huh? Who are you?" I asked, putting on a confused expression.

"Hahaha, are you seriously saying you don't know her?" Someone stepped between me and Ais. I don't remember her name, but I know she has a sister. Oh, there she is. Let me think… Tiona and Tione?

"Sorry, but I don't know her. Should I?"

"..." The short girl stared at me briefly and then started laughing. "Hahaha, did you hear that, Tione?"

"Be quiet, Tiona. No one is obligated to know Ais."

"But isn't it weird?"

"..."

"You two, stop saying unnecessary things."

"So, can I know what you want with me?"

"The Goddess Loki said she wants to meet you, so I decided to talk to you when I saw you leaving the dungeon. Oh, my name is Ais Wallenstein. She's Tione, that's Tiona, and over there is Bete."

"Yo," Bete greeted me, eyeing me cautiously.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, but I'm a little busy now."

"Don't worry, I don't want to bother you. Just think about meeting Goddess Loki; she's curious about you."

"I wonder why..."

"Isn't it obvious? You're Hephaestus' boyfriend! Hephaestus' boyfriend!" Tiona said, drawing attention from people nearby. "Everyone is curious about how you won her heart, aren't they?" She looked at her friends.

"No," Tione replied.

"I don't care about any of that," Bete said, looking at me with disdain.

"..." Ais remained silent.

"I didn't do anything special to steal Hephaestus' heart. Things just happened. I was lucky to be chosen by a woman like her."

"Look at that smile! You're completely in love!" Tiona stepped closer and grabbed my hands. "I'm interested in this. Why don't you have dinner with us tonight? Please." Her eyes sparkled.

"Tiona, don't bother him."

"It's fine," I told Ais. "I don't have anything planned tonight, so it's okay. Hephaestus works most of the night, so I'd be alone at home. Isn't it nice to go out for a meal occasionally?"

"I didn't agree to this!" Bete complained.

"..." Tione looked at me suspiciously, but I didn't mind.

"Then it's settled. Ais, you're okay with this, right?"

"Alright."

Ais agreed.

She doesn't seem to care much.

####

Dinner was set for the evening. And where? Of course, at the Hostess of Fertility. That got me excited since I remember seeing that restaurant in the anime. I recall beautiful women working there.

But I'm not going there because of the women—I'm just curious about the place.

'And I can't drink too much. I don't want to get drunk and do something reckless. I've always been known as someone who loses control when drunk. If I drink and screw up, Hephaestus will kill me.'

At home, I took a shower and took advantage of Hephaestus being there to talk to her about my planned dinner.

"A dinner with the members of the Loki Familia?"

"Yeah. Ais Wallenstein, Tiona, Tione, and that guy called Bete."

"I see. That's an interesting group. I don't mind you going, but you need to control yourself."

"Don't worry." I stepped closer and kissed Hephaestus on the lips. Holding her cheeks, I said, "I'll be home early, so don't worry."

"Alright, I trust you." Hephaestus placed her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "But don't forget to bring me something to eat. The food there is excellent ~~"

"Alright."

We kissed passionately.

After our lips parted, Hephaestus left the room, and I sat down.

I stared out the window for a while.

'I wonder what Loki wants… I don't know her well, but I know she's complicated to deal with.'

####

When it was time for dinner, I brushed my teeth again before leaving. It was already night, and the weather was colder than usual. As I walked through the streets, some people were looking at me.

Especially women.

I was well-dressed, wearing pants, a shirt, and expensive-looking shoes. Combined with my above-average looks, I stood out.

I approached the Hostess of Fertility and saw the characteristic sign of the place. 'I remember there being a lot of women here. I hope that hasn't changed.' Then, I entered with a smile on my face.

As soon as I stepped inside, lively voices reached my ears.

"Hey, that was amazing! How did you take down that Orc so easily?"

"Remember that woman I told you about? I finally got her to go out with me."

"Bring me another drink!"

I heard many voices, mostly from men.

I looked around the many tables, searching for Ais and the others. After a few seconds, I spotted Tiona waving her hand. "Over here!" she shouted.

Some people glanced at her but quickly ignored it.

I quickly walked toward the table. Many eyes fell on me.

"Hey, isn't that guy handsome?"

"Who is he? I've never seen him here before."

"Do you think he'd accept a drink if I offered?"

This time, I heard many female voices.

"You're pretty popular~~" Tiona teased.

"Don't say that. I can't even think about looking at another woman."

"I didn't know Goddess Hephaestus was that jealous."

"She's more jealous than you can imagine." I sat between Tiona and Tione. Across from me was Ais, and beside her, Bete was eyeing me with suspicion. He kept staring at me the same way.

He doesn't trust me at all.

"Hey, stop staring at him like that!" Tiona noticed Bete's glare and scolded him.

"Huh?"

"Stop looking at Eryk like that. You're going to scare him."

"If he gets scared over something like this, then he's a coward," Bete said before taking another swig of his drink. "So, what do you do in the Hephaestus Familia? You don't look like an adventurer, let alone a blacksmith. Are you just the Goddess' boyfriend?" Bete smirked maliciously.

"Well, I try to do a bit of everything."

"Hahaha. You're funny," Bete said, finishing his drink. "But seriously, what do you do?"

"I mostly forge swords. I only started going to the dungeon recently. I'm not as strong as you guys—my focus is blacksmithing," I said as Tiona poured me a beer.

"So you forge," Ais said, looking at me. "I'm curious to see what kind of swords you've made."

"I'll show you sometime."

"I want to see too!" Tiona exclaimed excitedly.

"Alright, but for now, let's eat. I'm starving."

"Hmmm~~ While you're eating, I want to hear about your relationship with the Goddess. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

I looked at the curious Tiona and sighed. "I don't mind talking about the two of us, but I don't have much to talk about."

"That doesn't matter! Hey, bring my friend here a plate of food!"

"Right, I'll be right there."

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Next chapters: Chapter 40 - Advertising. / Chapter 41 - You're incredible. Legendary sword. / Chapter 42 - Training with Tsubaki. / Chapter 43 - Practical lessons. / Chapter 44 - Much faster. / Chapter 45 - Did I kill Tsubaki? / Chapter 46 - You learn very quickly. / Chapter 47 - Do you have a lot of ores?