The Hero Reforged in Heavenly Fire

Early in the morning,

inside the God of Fire's palace,

Thaumas was crafting a few little trinkets in a spare forge.

Hephaestus had not taken back her hammer, because she did not actually need its help when forging. Her Authority was already powerful enough.

So Thaumas got to benefit from it, allowing him to forge extremely inferior divine armaments.

But no matter how poor they were, they were still divine armaments. If he became famous someday and they turned into his Noble Phantasms, he would strike it rich.

Since he had nothing better to do, he decided to make some things to arm himself.

The first thing he thought of was his lyre, but Chiron had made this one as an imitation, and Thaumas was not skilled enough to improve something divinely crafted.

Then there were bows and arrows. Since he had previously obtained some Hydra venom from Heracles, he now intended to make a batch of poisoned arrows.

He would also temper the bow in his hands. This old companion had been with him for a long time, and the God of Fire had so many spare materials here. Using a little "trash" should be fine, right?

He got straight to work!

He picked up Hephaestus's hammer and used it to invoke the concepts of "fire" and "forging."

This was a little trick he had discovered himself. It saved him a great deal of effort when forging.

Then he first remelted the Longbow, then pulled the bellows. Under the effects of the God of Fire's secret medicine, he was not afraid of Earth Fire's erosion.

After a long wait, he cleverly fused the molten iron and bronze liquid produced from the original Longbow. Composite metal was hard enough!

Then, after letting it cool slowly, he picked up the God of Fire's hammer and struck the Longbow over and over, gradually shaping it.

With the support of the concept of "forging," this step barely cost him any effort.

Next came quenching. The forging was completed smoothly as well, but it lacked a bowstring now, so he could only substitute ordinary materials.

Maybe the God of Fire had one here?

But he did not dare touch things he did not recognize carelessly.

Thus,

he repeated the process, making a batch of arrows and soaking their arrowheads in Hydra venom.

Strangely enough, the instant those arrowheads touched the venom, they absorbed every last drop.

Perhaps this was the power of the Authority of "forging," because Thaumas remembered that Hydra venom did not have such an effect.

He had another deadly weapon!

As for other equipment, like armor, he did not make any more.

He could sense that not much Authority remained in the hammer, so he hurriedly made one final item.

This was Thaumas's offering to Hephaestus, the God of Fire, as well as a gift of thanks—a delicate music box.

This was something that would not appear until the eighteenth century, yet he had made it now. If it spread someday, it would probably become a legend!

The music box Thaumas made was extremely small and exquisite.

It was a cylindrical music box that played music through a cylinder mechanism and a tuned metal comb, plucking metal strips to produce its melody.

It played a peaceful lullaby, because he had heard from the little maid that Hephaestus often slept poorly at night. He had made it specifically for her.

It was about ten centimeters tall and three centimeters in diameter. A pure gold seal was engraved along its base and sides: a flame and a hammer, representing Hephaestus's two great Authorities.

And at the bottom of its front, he had engraved these words: "For the beautiful girl Hephaestus."

Thaumas had not written "goddess," because in his eyes, the so-called goddess of fire and craftsmanship was just a little girl!

Though she lost her temper from time to time, this goddess was actually quite gentle. She was simply not good at expressing herself.

She was even bullied for being too kind. Even when the gods insulted her so, she remained unmoved. Thaumas sincerely believed that she was a kind goddess.

In Thaumas's impression,

Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, certainly would not truly like the ugly and lame god of craftsmanship, especially since they were both goddesses.

But there was nothing to be done. It was a marriage promised by Zeus, king of the gods, and Hera, the Queen of Heaven, so the goddess of beauty could only submit.

In truth, Aphrodite had always liked Hephaestus's younger brother, Ares, the god of war, and often secretly met with him while Hephaestus was away.

Hephaestus then made an intricate Golden Net and trapped them inside, intending to disgrace them before the gods.

This was Hephaestus venting the anger in her heart.

Yet in the end, all the gods praised the love between Aphrodite and Ares.

They praised them for disregarding worldly judgment for love, even breaking free from the shackles of fate.

After all, quite a few gods had slept with Aphrodite. No one wanted to give up that public bus.

Thus, helplessly, she chose to let them go, and Hephaestus's own reputation became quite terrible as well.

More importantly, from that day onward, Aphrodite hid in her own temple, refusing to leave or see Hephaestus.

Although Hephaestus did not actually have any fondness for the goddess of beauty, considering her own reputation and the gods' dignity, she still chose to take a step back.

Though she herself did not care about it.

So she went to see Athena and asked her for an idea.

Athena thought for a long time before telling her, "As long as you can create an accessory unlike any other in the world, Aphrodite will definitely change her heart."

(In the original Ancient Greek myth, she sought out Hera.)

Thus, Hephaestus used stones from the sacred mountain and Olympus's Sacred Fire to forge an incomparably exquisite ring, naming it Loyalty of the Rose.

Hephaestus carved a rose, representing beauty and love, onto the ring, then added thorns covered in sharp spikes.

It symbolized that love required a price and responsibility.

At the same time, it served as a warning to Aphrodite: "Do not forget the humiliation she once suffered. Be loyal and devoted to Hephaestus."

Hephaestus took the ring to see Aphrodite, but the goddess of love still refused to open her doors.

So she had no choice but to leave the ring on the temple steps. When Aphrodite saw it, she understood the god of craftsmanship's feelings and only then forgave her.

However, Aphrodite continued to do as she pleased, utterly unconcerned with Hephaestus's dignity.

And Hephaestus no longer cared either. She did not mind in the first place; she had only done it to leave everyone with a shred of face.

After all, someone had to make concessions. The gods could not lower their pride, so they could only bully this honest person.

Looking at it that way, the God of Fire really was a simple and kind person!

She would definitely like this gift, right?

This was the first work a student had given to her teacher!

Thinking that, Thaumas packed up his things and happily walked out of the forge.

However, after he stepped outside,

"Why are you here?" Hephaestus asked with a puzzled expression. Then she saw the bow and arrows on Thaumas's back and said disdainfully,

"You have not even learned to walk properly, yet you are already trying to run! Do not say I taught you to make those. It would damage the honor of the god of forging.

"And if you wanted something forged, you actually did it yourself instead of seeking help from the god of forging. You truly are ignorant, though do as you please.

"Now come with me. The Heavenly Fire is ready. Whether you can survive in that environment depends on you."

At some point, Hephaestus, who had already completed the ritual refinement, had appeared before him. Behind her stood the little maid, wearing a deeply aggrieved expression.

It looked like she had been scolded.

Thus,

Thaumas cast aside the embarrassment of having his shoddy work discovered by his teacher and answered seriously,

"No problem, Goddess Hephaestus. I am ready at any time."

"Then there is no need to go outside. It is the same here," Hephaestus immediately said.

Then, ignoring Thaumas, she took a box from the mechanism on her wheelchair and tossed it to him.

"This is Divine Ointment. It can help you reshape your body, but you must apply it first. Otherwise, the Heavenly Fire will instantly burn you into ash," Hephaestus said unusually.

It seemed that this goddess's attitude toward him had changed greatly after the forge?

However,

"Um, Goddess, right here?" Thaumas asked timidly.

"Where else?"

"Th-then, Goddess, you do not mind?"

"Mind what?"

"Leaving aside applying the ointment, even while the Heavenly Fire tempers me, I probably will not have any clothes to wear, right? That is important!"

"It does not matter. I do not care."

Hephaestus shook her head and spoke slowly.

After all, humans and gods were fundamentally different when it came to such things. Other gods would not feel embarrassed either.

After all, they had seen plenty.

And Hephaestus was simply uninterested, with no sexual interest whatsoever.

At the end of the day, Greek gods were merely machines. Hephaestus herself had made quite a few dolls and was very familiar with the structure of human bodies.

She was neither the goddess of love nor a human. She could not understand the emotional fluctuations of human shame; it was beyond the scope of her calculations.

Thus,

filled with shame, Thaumas applied the ointment to every corner of his body beneath the little maid's astonished gaze. After all, if he missed a spot and something failed to grow back, that would be disastrous.

The little maid covered her mouth, her face flushed red. Then she covered her eyes too, but driven by curiosity, she still could not resist leaving a narrow gap to peek through.

It truly surprised her.

So this was a male human!

It seemed somewhat different from the structure of her own doll body!

The maid had discovered a new continent!

Gradually, Thaumas nearly became numb to it. Aside from the little maid, there was no "feedback," and in his eyes, the little maid was not even human, merely a doll.

So he gradually overcame his shame.

After he finished applying it,

Hephaestus stepped forward and took out the box that stored the Heavenly Fire. Hestia, the goddess of the Sacred Fire, had given it to her long ago.

She slowly opened the box and began guiding the Heavenly Fire.

"Oh, right. If you feel that you cannot endure it, you can call for help. I will stop, but you must also be prepared to fail."

Then she flung the Heavenly Fire at Thaumas.

"Ah—!"

A familiar scream rang through the room, even echoing throughout the entire temple.

This was the remaking of his body. To become impervious to blades and weapons, he had to pay a tremendous price.

It was equivalent to tearing apart his original human body and shaping a "demigod" body.

No, one even stronger than a "demigod"!

But the process of becoming stronger was so agonizingly painful. The legends were all lies.

Where was all that casual ease, damn it!

Tearing, burning, growth, itching—Thaumas experienced every sensation at once!

Pain!

Pain that sank into his bones, even tempering his soul.

And the process would be long.

Within the room, there was no sound beyond his screams and the crackling burn of the Heavenly Fire.

At this moment, Thaumas could have given up voluntarily. If he did, Hephaestus would save his life, though he might be left horribly disfigured afterward.

But at least he would survive.

Yet Thaumas did not. He only screamed.

Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he used his screams to share the burden of his pain.

After all, when people shut off one sense, their other senses became especially sharp.

For example, when one closed one's eyes, one's hearing improved.

Likewise, activating one more thing would divide one's attention a little further.

He used his cries to overcome fear and share the burden of his agony.

"Then let me see once again! Are you truly as Athena said?

"Can you create a Miracle!"

Hephaestus said.

P.S. I originally wanted to post an extra chapter today to ask for votes, since it is Monday, but I really was too busy. If I posted it late, though, it would create a sense of disconnect. I personally prefer posting a day's content together, so the extra chapter will be saved for tomorrow.