Humans in Type-Moon, Path of the Heroic Spirit

Chapter 109 Hephaestus's Surprise
"Hello, may I ask who you are?"

“Uh… I am Kratos, and this is Miss Sasha, a priestess of the goddess Athena. We have something to ask of Lord Hephaestus.”

"Kratos and Sasha, yes, I know. Lord Hephaestus mentioned you. Please come with me."

To be honest, Kamiya Yu was a little nervous the moment he knocked on the temple door, but fortunately Hephaestus did not hold a grudge against them for what had just happened.

Led by a girl who looked like a maid, Kamiya Yu and Sasha walked into the palace.

Along the way, apart from many maids who looked exactly like the girl in front of her, the entire palace had no other decorations and appeared very quiet and solemn.

Such a simple and unadorned dwelling is quite in line with Hephaestus's character; he exists quietly without revealing anything.

As for the maids who looked exactly alike, Kamiya Yu guessed that they must be the golden maidens created by the god of fire in mythology.

"We've arrived. Lord Hephaestus is waiting for you inside."

A moment later, the maid led the two to a closed bronze door. She turned around and looked at Kamiya Yu.

"Well, thank you."

Kamiya Yuu offered a polite thank you, then nodded slightly to Sasha, indicating that she should come inside with him.

"I'm sorry, Lord Hephaestus only allows you to enter alone."

However, just as Kamiya Yu and Sasha took a step, they were stopped by the maid. She remained calm and polite, saying, "As for Miss Sasha, please wait here for a moment."

"This……"

Kamiya Yu hesitated for a moment, looking at the purple-haired girl beside him, unable to understand what Hephaestus was trying to tell him.

Without Athena by his side, would this still-angry Vulcan kill himself with his hammer?
Although Hephaestus is not as good at fighting as other gods, he is still a high-ranking god.

I'm too small to beat her right now.

"..."

On the other side, Sasha glanced at the maid, a thoughtful look appearing on her lovely face, as if she knew her true identity.

Then, she tilted her head slightly, met Kamiya Yu's gaze, and said with a gentle smile, "Since Lord Hephaestus has said so, I will wait for you here, Kratos."

"Okay, I'll go in first then."

Seeing that Sasha had said so, Kamiya Yu no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath, then took a few steps forward and came to the bronze gate.

"Kratos, remember our promise! I'll be waiting for you in Athens..."

However, just as he was about to push open the door, Sasha suddenly spoke, her soft voice carrying a hint of reluctance.

"Well, I won't forget it."

Kamiya Yu didn't turn around, but made a serious promise.

After saying that, he placed his hands on the bronze door and pushed it forward with force, and the heavy door opened inward immediately.

The next moment, a dazzling white light suddenly shone from the widening gap in the door, obscuring the vision of everyone present.

After a while, the light faded, and the silver-haired boy had vanished, leaving only the maid and Sasha behind. "...Hephaestus, why didn't you let me go in with him to see you?"

After Kamiya Yu left, Sasha turned her head to look at the maid standing next to her and asked in a low voice with some dissatisfaction.

"It seems Aphrodite wasn't lying to me; the lost wreckage really can be brought back..."

Staring at the purple-haired girl before her, who was completely different from before, the maid paused for a moment, then murmured to herself.

"What do you think, Athena?"

Slightly suppressing his complicated thoughts, the maid... no, Hephaestus, who was controlling this puppet body, asked in a blank tone.

"Haven't you been hiding your identity from him all along? What, aren't you worried about being exposed now?"

"Woo——"

Faced with Hephaestus's merciless words, Sasha's momentum instantly weakened, but thinking of something important, she frowned slightly and asked with some irritation.

"How did you know?"

“I heard it from Artemis.” Hephaestus raised his eyelids slightly and revealed the instigator without the slightest hesitation.

I knew it! That unreliable Artemis would never keep a secret for me!
Recalling the white-haired goddess's confident assurances to her, Sasha couldn't help but laugh in exasperation, but thankfully, Hephaestus's next words eased her mind somewhat.

"Don't worry, Artemis mentioned it when she came to me last time. There shouldn't be many people who know about it yet."

“That’s not necessarily true,” Sasha muttered softly.

"I said, that child is gone, are you still going to keep things like this?"

Ignoring the purple-haired girl's rambling, Hephaestus looked her up and down for a moment before speaking calmly.

Upon hearing her words, Sasha smiled slightly, and then a soft light shone, completely enveloping the girl's body.

Upon seeing this, Hephaestus's gaze turned serious as she silently observed the changes in light and shadow.

In that bright light, the originally delicate and immature outline gradually matured and became full, and a noble and mysterious aura spread around it.

A moment later, light scattered, and a stunningly beautiful goddess wearing a pure white dress and with long silver-white hair appeared in the air.

Looking at this silver-haired goddess who was completely different from before except for her appearance, a look of surprise flashed across Hephaestus's expressionless face, and at the same time, a question arose in his mind.

After recovering the lost core, will not only his personality change, but also his appearance?

As someone who knew about that plan back then, Hephaestus naturally knew about Athena's situation, but he never expected that she would undergo such a big change after completing the core.

Then I still need...

Thinking of this, Hephaestus hesitated for a moment, but then decided to wait until he had sought his "father's" opinion before making any plans.

So, suppressing her distracting thoughts, she looked up at Athena and extended an invitation.

"Athena, will you come with me to the Council of the Gods today?"

(End of this chapter)