"Heh..."
Inside Hephaestus' store located atop the Babel, she let out a long sigh while leaning on the counter.
"Well, it's better to rip the band-aid off quickly. I can't let her be kept in the dark forever."
Ever since discovering the situation between Altair and Saeko, Hephaestus had been contemplating in her shop for an entire day, so much so that dark circles had appeared under her eyes from overthinking.
After a day of careful consideration, Hephaestus made a decision, she would go to Hestia and tell her about what happened between Altair and Saeko. Although it might hurt Hestia, it was better to let her know early before she fell too deeply for Altair, that scumbag.
Even if Hestia Familia might dissolve as a result, gods have an abundance of time. Worst-case scenario, Hephaestus could take care of Hestia again, just like before, until she recovered and reformed her Familia.
With her decision made, Hephaestus pulled open the door to her shop and stepped out. She was going to find Hestia and tell her the truth!
Leaving the Babel, Hephaestus went directly to the church where Hestia lived. To her surprise, however, the church had turned into a charred ruin. The door was gone, the roof was damaged, and the interior looked as if it had been scorched by fire. In the center of the room was a large crater.
"What in the world happened here?"
Puzzled, Hephaestus hurriedly ran to the entrance of the basement, opened the door, and rushed down. Inside, she found that the once cluttered basement, set up by Altair, had been completely emptied, leaving nothing behind.
It was so clean that even a rat would starve down there.
"What's going on? Where are they, and where's all their stuff?"
Furrowing her brows, Hephaestus scanned the room with her one uncovered eye, hoping to find some clues. But she found nothing.
"Were they robbed?"
The crater outside and the hole in the roof suggested there had been a battle. It seemed likely they were attacked. But even if they were robbed, surely the furniture and even the food wouldn't have been taken too, right?
Could the thieves have been so desperate as to steal every last item? Given the ability needed to attack someone like Altair, a Level 2, they wouldn't be so down-and-out as to steal furniture, right?
What exactly happened here?
Hephaestus was left utterly confused, unable to make sense of the situation.
"Whatever, there's no blood, so they're probably fine. I'll go look for them."
While a Familia might be in danger, gods were untouchable in Orario. No one could threaten a god, not even one who had their Arcanum sealed.
Hephaestus believed Hestia was safe, so she set off to find her.
"Maybe I should check with Takemikazuchi. Hestia might have gone to him."
Takemikazuchi was the closest god Hestia knew, and his Familia was nearby. They also used to work together at the potato puff shop, so she might have gone there to find him.
With that in mind, Hephaestus left the church and headed towards Takemikazuchi Familia. But she didn't have to go far before she spotted Hestia.
From a distance, Hephaestus saw Altair carrying Hestia on his back. His hand was even holding her up by her butt. But what really caught her off guard was that Altair, while carrying Hestia, was also secretly holding hands with Saeko Busujima.
Unbelievable. This guy was brazen enough to pull this off right in front of Hestia.
Hephaestus couldn't believe what she was seeing. For a moment, she even found herself somewhat impressed. She never thought Altair would have the guts to be this bold, doing such things in broad daylight.
But after a brief moment of bewildered admiration, Hephaestus' expression shifted into pure rage. How dare he act this way right in front of Hestia? It was infuriating.
Unable to hold back, Hephaestus stormed over, grabbing Altair's shoulder and spinning him around with force.
Altair was yanked around, and Hestia, who was on his back, was also spun along with him.
"Oh! Hephaestus!"
Upon seeing her friend, Hestia happily raised her hand to greet her.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning."
Hephaestus returned the greeting, but her gaze quickly shifted downward to where Altair was still holding Saeko's hand. Unbelievable. Even now, he refused to let go!?
Once again, Hephaestus felt a strange sense of admiration. This guy had guts, that was for sure.
"Hestia, could you come down for a moment?"
"Nope, I want to stay on Altair's back."
Hestia clinging tightly to Altair's neck, clearly unwilling to budge. Seeing this, Hephaestus swallowed the words she had been about to say.
Hestia was clearly deeply in love with Altair.
This left Hephaestus conflicted once more. Should she really say something? If she revealed the truth, would it hurt Hestia too much? As a virgin goddess, Hestia had no experience with love. Now that she had fallen for someone, her feelings were bound to run deep.
"Alright, you can stay on Altair-kun's back."
Hephaestus sighed and held back her words, deciding to keep the secret for now.
"I went by the church earlier. What happened there?"
"Oh, last night some people tried to rob us, but Altair took care of them. Unfortunately, the church was completely destroyed, so today Altair-kun is taking us out to find a new Familia base."
Even though she was talking about her home being destroyed, Hestia was brimming with excitement. It was clear that the idea of finding a new Familia base had made her very happy.
The happier Hestia was, the more reluctant Hephaestus became to tell the truth. For now, all she could do was force a smile.
"I see. Well, make sure this time you don't pick another rundown place."
"Of course! Altair-kun will find us a perfect new place for our Familia!"
Hestia shouted joyfully as she hugged Altair tightly.
Watching this, Hephaestus made a final decision, she would keep this secret to herself.
___
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