Forge and Steel

Hephaistos Residence, central area in ruins

"Fiuhh... Alright, with this last one, the workshop's finally clean." Tsubaki dropped a massive chunk of rubble to the ground and let out a tired sigh.

"Thank you so much, Tsubaki-sama." A young dwarf girl smiled kindly as she handed her a towel.

"It's nothing, it's just what I have to do." Wiping away her sweat, Tsubaki returned the girl's smile.

"Even so... there's still quite a bit left, huh?" Tsubaki looked at the massive ruins that once housed the imposing workshops and let out another tired sigh.

Three days have passed since the disaster within the Hephaistos familia. In that time, many things have happened. The day after the tragedy, the Hephaistos familia held the funeral for the seven members who had fallen in the attack. Today, finally, the reconstruction of the damaged areas within the Hephaistos familia residence has begun.

"By the way, Tsubaki-sama, some of the smaller familias have been asking if we have any manpower available to help them rebuild their residences." The young dwarf took advantage of the moment to inform Tsubaki, her tone showing a bit of regret.

"Impossible, we barely have enough personnel to repair our own residence." Hearing the girl's words, Tsubaki firmly shook her head.

"Yes, well... I told them the same thing, Tsubaki-sama, but you know, people are quite desperate." With a bitter smile, the young dwarf felt powerless in the face of the situation.

"Hey... Looks like all of Orario is suffering, huh?" Tsubaki also let her frustration show at the complicated situation.

On the day of the Hephaistos familia attack, the dark faction simultaneously attacked numerous important points in Orario, especially affecting many artisan familias and familias dedicated to medicine.

The number of victims in Orario is enormous, and it's said the death toll reaches into the hundreds; because of this, the current state of Orario is extremely dire.

"Unfortunately, we can't provide help either." Though Tsubaki felt frustrated by the situation, there was nothing she could do to help. The damage inflicted on her familia by the dark faction was substantial, and now they only had the capacity to take care of themselves.

After all, most workshops had been destroyed, meaning that, for the first time in decades, the production of the Hephaistos familia had to stop—after all, there were no workshops to forge in, and there was a shortage of materials as well.

"By the way, where's Pyrion?" Setting aside the issue with the smaller familias, Tsubaki asked, noticing her brother's absence. He had been tirelessly helping with the reconstruction since the funeral ended.

"The captain went down into the dungeon with some of our members to gather basic materials to reopen the forge," the young dwarf replied.

Tsubaki nodded, understanding the urgency behind Pyrion's departure. The supply of materials had drastically decreased since the attack, and with most trade routes closed or unsafe, they depended on the dungeon more than ever.

"I hope they return safely," she murmured, letting a hint of worry slip into her voice.

The young dwarf didn't seem to share the concern and said with full confidence, "With Pyrion-sama leading the group, I'm sure they won't have any problems."

"Hey, normally I wouldn't worry about Pyrion, but you know, he's not in the best state right now," thought Tsubaki, remembering how her brother had been rather downcast since the dark faction's attack. She was concerned that his emotional troubles might affect his performance in the dungeon.

The young dwarf lowered her gaze as if recalling Pyrion's somber expression. "It's true... He seems to be carrying a heavy weight. But he's always been strong, right? He'll surely find a way to overcome it."

Tsubaki sighed, trying to convince herself of the same thing. "Yes, I know. But we all have a limit, and lately, it seems like Pyrion is reaching his."

Memories of the tragic day flooded Tsubaki's mind. That day, both she and Hephaistos had gone to the guild to receive information, so neither of them was in the residence.

It was only after hearing the explosions and the sounds that both rushed back to the Hephaistos familia. Unfortunately, when they arrived, the tragedy had already happened, and they found only the grim scene awaiting them.

She would probably never forget the sight of her brother that day, kneeling among the rubble, his head down and a defeated expression on his face. It was the first time in her life that Tsubaki had seen Pyrion in such a terrible state.

"Alright, let's stop thinking about it. I'm sure Pyrion will return without issues. Now, the most important thing... is Hephaistos-sama showing any signs of improvement?" Shaking her head, Tsubaki realized now wasn't the time to dwell on emotional issues. However, recalling something suddenly, Tsubaki asked with concern.

An equally worried expression appeared on the young dwarf's face. "Hephaistos-sama is still in her room; she hasn't come out all day. According to Julan, it seems she hasn't eaten anything since yesterday."

"This..." Tsubaki's face darkened upon hearing the young dwarf's words. If there was anyone who had suffered more than anyone else due to the attack, that person was likely her goddess. Losing seven of her children and seeing her home completely destroyed had made Hephaistos lock herself in her room since the day after the funeral.

"It's truly worrying." Tsubaki held her head in frustration; her goddess's condition was definitely not an easy thing to deal with. After all, losing so much in a single day is not something one recovers from easily.

"If only Pyrion would go talk to her." In Tsubaki's opinion, only Pyrion had the ability to bring Hephaistos out of that dark state; however, the problem was that Pyrion wasn't well himself, so Tsubaki didn't know how to address the situation.

Tsubaki sighed, feeling the weight on her shoulders. Not only was the reconstruction a monumental task, but she also had to handle the emotional state of everyone in the familia, especially Hephaistos and Pyrion.

"It feels like we're all at our limit..." she murmured to herself, looking at the rubble still left to clean.

Noticing the worry in her face, the young dwarf spoke softly, "Don't worry too much, Tsubaki-sama; Hephaistos-sama is a strong person. I'm sure it won't be long before she finds a way to deal with her pain and comes out of her room."

"Hehe, what you say is true, Mei. The goddess won't break down over this." The encouraging words of the young dwarf Mei made Tsubaki's heart feel slightly lighter.

Giving one last look at Hephaistos' residence, Tsubaki smiled and said energetically with a determined look, "Come on, there's a lot to do. We can't just stay here. The familia needs our help."

...

Hephaistos Familia Residence, supply room.

"Hephaistos!" Tsubaki, who was doing the routine inventory in the supply hall, was surprised to see Hephaistos appear behind her after several days of not leaving her room.

"Hehe, Tsubaki, you'll have to forgive me for leaving the heavy burden of the familia on your shoulders these days." With an embarrassed smile, Hephaistos walked over to Tsubaki and affectionately patted her head.

"Hehe, that doesn't matter at all, as long as you can recover," Tsubaki replied, happy with her goddess's warm gesture. She moved closer and gave her a comforting hug.

"It's alright; your goddess is fine now. I just needed some time to reflect." Returning the warm hug, Hephaistos rested her face against Tsubaki's shoulder, speaking in a somewhat nostalgic tone.

After a moment of silent embrace, they pulled away and looked at each other with a smile.

"By the way, you've done an incredible job. Julan told me how you handled the whole situation, and let me say that I'm very proud of you." With a proud smile, Hephaistos praised Tsubaki, who had been working tirelessly during her absence.

"It's simply my duty as vice-captain." With an embarrassed smile, Tsubaki felt satisfied at receiving praise from her goddess.

"Hehe, an amazing vice-captain, without a doubt," Hephaistos added playfully, looking at Tsubaki with affection.

"By the way... where is Pyr? Since I left my room, I haven't seen him." After praising Tsubaki for a while, Hephaistos voiced a concern that had been bothering her since she woke up.

"Pyrion is currently in the dungeon," Tsubaki responded with a somewhat uncomfortable tone.

Hephaistos frowned upon hearing Tsubaki's response. "In the dungeon? Why?"

"It seems he decided to descend to gather materials. The situation in the city is complicated, and with trade routes blocked, we don't have many options," Tsubaki explained, looking down for a moment before adding.

"I see. By the way, what time did he leave? Do you know when he'll be back?" Nodding, Hephaistos understood the importance of the materials Pyrion was gathering.

Hephaistos waited for Tsubaki's answer, but when none came, she looked at Tsubaki, puzzled. "Tsubaki, is there a problem with Pyr?"

"Well, Hephaistos, the truth is... Pyrion has been in the dungeon for four days without leaving." Lowering her head with a bit of guilt, Tsubaki couldn't bring herself to look at her goddess.

"Four days?!" Upon hearing the explosive information, Hephaistos raised her voice in surprise. "Tsubaki, are you telling me that Pyrion has been in the dungeon for four days without coming out?"

"Well, that's how it is." Tsubaki sighed, looking at the ground with worry. "Pyrion left the morning after the day of the funeral. Originally, I thought he'd return that same night, but only the dwarves who accompanied him came back. According to them, Pyrion thought he could gather more materials while his group rested and returned the next day… But that same situation repeated itself the following day, and the day after that… and well, Pyrion has now been almost five days without coming out."

Tsubaki raised her head, showing guilt on her face. "Forgive me, Hephaistos. I couldn't do anything to stop him. Even when I gave him the order, he didn't obey and stayed in the dungeon. There's so much to do here, and it was impossible for me to go looking for him… I made a mistake."

Seeing her daughter's aggrieved look, Hephaistos immediately embraced her. "It's not your fault, dear. If anything, it's your irresponsible brother's fault… That idiot, when he returns, he's definitely going to have to listen to me!"

Hephaistos's words were filled with worry and anxiety. After all, staying in the dungeon for more than four days without the necessary preparation, working without rest, was undoubtedly a huge strain on anyone.

Thinking of her beloved son suffering alone in the dungeon, Hephaistos's heart felt incredibly heavy.

"That idiot… remember that when Pyrion is depressed, he doesn't usually show it like others. Once he feels bad, he tries to deal with those feelings by working even harder." Knowing her son deeply, Hephaistos immediately guessed what her son was going through at that moment.

Tsubaki's eyes widened slightly, recalling that detail she had forgotten, and a memory from the past flashed through her mind.

When Pyrion was just 10 years old, he faced a major challenge in his growth as a blacksmith. At that time, young Pyrion was quite depressed. However, instead of complaining, that fool began to overwork himself in his forge, spending entire nights without sleep, constantly. Young Pyrion was close to breaking down at that time. Fortunately, his goddess noticed in time and quickly corrected him.

"That idiot… it seems he still has that horrible habit." Frowning, it became clear to Tsubaki what Pyrion's behavior was.

That guy must have been so depressed over the death of his comrades that he could only drown his sorrows by working tirelessly in the dungeon.

"Tsubaki, what time will the rest of my children return from the dungeon?" With a worried expression, Hephaistos asked anxiously.

"They usually arrive at midnight."

"I see." Hephaistos nodded, with a firm tone in her voice. "As soon as they return, bring them to my office immediately. I need to send direct orders to that idiot, or he might truly stay in there for weeks."

"Understood, Hephaistos."

(I originally thought about making Pyrion console Hephaistos, but after thinking it over, I realized it didn't make much sense. After all, how could a goddess with millions of years have a worse mental state than a guy barely in his 40s, combining his two lives?)

...

"GRROOOAAAAAAARRRRRR!!"

The powerful roar of a massive dragon echoed throughout the 58th floor of the dungeon.

*SLASH*

*SPLASH*

"Shut your mouth, you stinking lizard!" A disgruntled growl responded to the dragon's roar, and then a figure in a tattered cloak swung a massive sword, cutting off the head of the huge dragon.

"Tsk, this damn sulfur smell is driving me crazy." Beneath the cloak, the face of a man with long black hair and silver eyes turned unpleasant as he smelled the deep sulfur stench from the dragon's remains.

*SWOOSH*

The recurring flames on the 58th floor blew fiercely, pushing back the hood of the man's cloak, clearly revealing his face.

It was Pyrion, who looked quite disheveled, his clothes torn in several places, his face covered with dark circles and soot.

"A few more dragons, and I'll meet up with my comrades on the 18th floor." Looking around, a large number of dragon corpses covered the vast 58th floor.

"With these magic stones and the bodies of these dragons, the familia won't have trouble paying for the repairs." In a tired tone, Pyrion walked over to the dragon and dismembered its important parts, then carefully packed them into a massive backpack.

"On to the next one." Without lingering, Pyrion headed toward the next dragon in sight.