[Winning Through Incitement and Fabrication!]
The drinking session with Hephaestus, which had begun so casually, stretched on for a long time. The honey wine, brewed according to the secret recipe of Thetis—the sea goddess who was, for all intents and purposes, my mother-in-law—was as fragrant and sweet as nectar. As the alcohol quickly went to our heads, I found myself babbling endlessly, seizing the opportunity to spill all the stories from my past life that I had been bottling up for so long.
“Why! On earth! Should a limp be a disability? Your leg is twisted? Then you just have to make another one!”
“Whaaaat...? What are you talking about?”
“In my homeland, there was a story about a hero and a villain in a play—no, a movie. The villain in that story had giant mechanical arms grafted onto his back...”
“Huh? Does that even make sense?”
“Why wouldn’t it? Hephaestus, with your skills, couldn’t you make a prosthetic arm that’s even more functional than a real one?”
“Well, that’s true, but since arms are something any ordinary demigod or human is born with, imitating them isn’t difficult. But creating an entirely different kind of arm...”
“You need to break free from the limitation of thinking it’s just an ‘arm.’ If you could create a form that functions as an arm, a leg, and a tool all at once, wouldn’t that be perfect? Even if it’s a prosthetic attached to a human-standard body, if you can master it completely, why would you be bound by your original form?”
“Hooooooo....?”
I was systematically shattering the fixed ideas Hephaestus had held for thousands of years.
“Think about it. Small things gathered together can defeat the great. Imagine bronze giants or statues of entirely different forms swirling across the battlefield, and when they encounter a powerful enemy, they merge their forms to overcome them!”
“...Wouldn’t it just be easier to make them big from the start?”
“Tsk! That’s not what Rooooooomance is about!”
“Hmm, I suppose that’s... true?”
I was catching a glimpse of a new ideal for a craftsman that even an ancient god had never considered.
“Honestly, nothing has been fun lately. Those damn half-siblings of mine waste arrows pointlessly and just throw the quiver at me, telling me to refill them. I can’t even go to the main house on Olympus, so Aphrodite is probably busy rolling around with my brother...”
“Tsk tsk... Family matters are truly a trial, a real trial.”
“I was already having a massive headache because of Mother on my way here.”
“Even if they are your father and mother, it isn’t right for them to bind and control their children. Even between parents and children, each life belongs to the individual... especially when it comes to major life events like marriage.”
“Exactly! Even if the Goddess of Marriage is my mother and I held the wedding with her blessing, if neither I nor my partner wanted it, shouldn’t we be able to part ways if we both agree!”
I even vented about the marriage life that had been eating me up inside, thanks to my mother, the Goddess of Marriage, and my father, who had acted as the matchmaker.
“Honestly, if it were a god like Hephaestus, in my homeland, both kings and gods would be bowing their heads, begging you to forge them weapons.”
“Hmph... I’m just a blacksmith, after all.”
“Hey. ‘Just a blacksmith’? Is there anything more important to a warrior than a powerful weapon? A god who can forge such weapons deserves to be respected.”
“Ahem, a-ahem! I-is that so?”
“Of course! There was a master craftsman in my homeland named Ou Yezi. Despite his incredible skill, he refused to forge weapons for any king or warrior. But when a hero who would define an era stepped forward and politely requested a sword, only then did he forge three divine blades. This wasn’t arrogance or pride, but the natural behavior of a true artisan. To those who are worthy, the worthy weapon!”
“...Correct. That is a very correct statement!”
I used ancient tales to rebuild Hephaestus’s crumbling self-esteem.
“This is truly the first time in a long while I’ve enjoyed drinking.”
“Same here. Is there anything more enjoyable than sharing a drink with a like-minded companion?”
—*Glug... clink!*
Hephaestus, who had been pouring the wine with a satisfied smile, soon frowned at the empty bottle.
“This... Tenisia? Bring me another bottle.”
“I apologize, Lord Hephaestus, but it seems you have already overindulged...”
“Hey! How long has it been since I’ve been this pleasantly drunk? Bring it out quickly!”
Despite the golden handmaiden’s concern, Hephaestus urged her to bring more wine with a flushed face. Judging by his words, he had spent too long just tinkering with scraps of metal in his workshop, and he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this rare, pleasant drinking session.
“Um, Lord Hephaestus...”
“Besides, you’re not just anyone—you’re the treasure of the sea, the husband of Nesneria, and the hero who is the partner of the Hero Queen of Arcadia. How good is Thetis’s honey wine for a man? Shouldn’t you have at least one more glass?”
“...That is a very correct statement.”
I, the former Heavenly Demon. Although I am the master of vitality who has never fallen first in the bedroom, how could I refuse something that is said to be good for a man? Just last night, Neri was singing songs about ‘our child, our child,’ and Atalanta was begging for an heir to the kingdom. As a male, as a man, I had to do my best in every way to answer those calls.
Eventually, Hephaestus, who had received another bottle of honey wine from the golden handmaiden, smiled broadly as he refilled our glasses.
“Besides... now that my tongue is loosened, we should talk properly.”
“Yes? About what...?”
Could it be that he wants me to tell him more stories about the future? Even with the pleasant buzz of alcohol, I started to think, ‘Is this really okay?’ You want me to spill more of my secrets here?
Then, a picture flashed through my mind.
‘Greek technology is the best in the world!!’
It was a picture of Hephaestus, laughing maniacally, armed with a three-part combined bronze colossus, golden mechanical arms, and laser cannons, leading a golden battleship to march on Olympus.
‘Oh... damn it.’
“...*Hiccup!*”
At that image, which instantly sobered me up, a hiccup escaped my lips.
“What do you mean, ‘what’! It’s about the weapon you’re going to use!”
“...*Phew.*”
My spine had gone cold for a moment, but at Hephaestus’s words, I let out a sigh of relief. And then, I had to look up in surprise.
“....What?! The weapon I’m going to use?”
“Of course! The stories I heard today are so precious they couldn’t be traded for a thousand pieces of gold. I can’t just let you leave empty-handed!”
As Hephaestus laughed loudly and made his grand promise, the golden handmaiden intervened with a worried look.
“However, Lord Hephaestus, Lady Artemis recently placed a large order for moonlight arrows...”
“*Pfft!* Leave it! Even if she uses them, it’ll just be for hunting animals or hunting men! Didn’t Dianes say it! I! Too! Have the right to choose my customers! When has the hammer of this god, Hephaestus, ever been so light!!”
Hephaestus, filled with unprecedented confidence, snapped at the golden handmaiden.
‘...It seems the Soul-Seizing Technique I cast on Artemis is working properly.’
Refilling arrows in the meantime...
Artemis must be confused right now by the inexplicable anger and hatred toward her father and brother, contrasted with the affection and lust toward me. Given her fierce temperament, it was natural for that confusion to manifest as aggression.
‘I should call her again soon.’
Although there was the nominal limitation of the full moon, it wasn’t difficult to use the seal I had placed on her to suggest a path that would coincidentally overlap with mine.
Above all else.
Artemis had to play a very important role in the game that was about to begin.
It was all the more reason to drive a wedge into the Soul-Seizing Technique.
“...Lord Hephaestus.”
“Hmm? Why? Do you have a weapon you desire? For you, a sword would be good, but for a Greek man, surely a spear and shield...”
“Forgive my rudeness. Instead of the honor of holding a weapon forged by a god, may I ask for a different wish from you, Lord Hephaestus?”
“....What did you say?”
As soon as I spoke, Hephaestus’s energy flared violently in an instant.
[Right now, you’re saying that you want something else more than the opportunity for me, Hephaestus, to forge you a weapon...?]
Hephaestus was a god who, while he had been a bit depressed, took immense pride in his own skills. And I, too, had been diligently pumping up that pride, telling him he deserved it. But for me to suddenly say I wanted something other than his weapon—flames began to spark in Hephaestus’s eyes.
—*Gulp...!*
[Speak again... Are you trying to insult my skills just because I’m in a slightly good mood right now?]
People who don’t usually get angry are the scariest when they catch fire. The anger of Hephaestus, who was said to have sent even Ares flying in one blow, was incredibly intense.
‘...Now!’
—*Bang!*
[Who is it! How dare you intrude when the gods of Olympus have not permitted it!]
As soon as I signaled, the door opened, and Hephaestus’s anger was directed at the sudden intruder. But upon seeing the intruders, Hephaestus’s anger instantly turned into astonishment.
“Lord Hephaestus! Please forgive our rudeness!”
“*Ugh...* B-brother...”
“Antaios.... And, by any chance?”
Antaios, who threw down what he was holding as if he felt responsible and knelt, and Apollo, who had been tossed onto the ground like a piece of luggage by Antaios.
From Hephaestus’s perspective, it was a situation that would leave him stunned.
“D, Dianes. What is the meaning of this...?”
“...This is the reason I dared to refuse the great god’s offer.”
To Hephaestus, who was clearly flustered, I also dropped my head heavily, turning the atmosphere around.
Overturning Olympus through incitement and fabrication.
It was the moment the curtain rose on the grand finale.