"Let Loki co next ti," Hestia smiled at Finn and Riveria as they walked away.
Finn and Riveria exchanged glances, looking a bit amused.
Hestia was a perfect foil for their own mischievous Loki.
At the mansion's entrance, Hestia watched them fade into the distance, ready to head inside.
But a gentle voice stopped her.
"Hestia-sama?"
"Who're you?" Hestia turned, eyeing a girl with long curly hair, hands clasped behind her back.
"I'm Aerith Gainsborough, a friend of Orsted's," the girl said.
"I just arrived in Orario and heard he's with your Familia. May I join, Hestia-sama?"
"Orsted's friend?" Hestia's eyes lit up.
"Absolutely, co in! I'll engrave your Falna right away." She grabbed Aerith's hand, excitedly pulling her inside.
anwhile, in Orsted's forge within Hephaestus Familia territory, he was deep into studying the Durandal Magic Sword.
His hands paused as a new mory surfaced.
"Aerith?"
Orsted had ant to use yesterday's Random Summoning Card after returning to the surface.
Hestia's date request sidetracked him, and Tifa's rank-up and crafting kept him busy.
This morning, he'd rembered and used it after leaving Hearth Mansion, but nothing happened.
Senie's delayed appearance had prepared him for this, so he stayed calm.
He hadn't expected the summoned character to erge now—Aerith.
The new mory was jarring.
When he summoned Tifa, Orsted gained mories of growing up with her.
In those, he vanished from her sight, summoned to this world, or so Tifa believed.
But this new mory added a sequel: after disappearing, Orsted didn't arrive in Danmachi directly.
Instead, he appeared elsewhere in Final Fantasy, eting Aerith and forging a close bond.
Only after that did the system bring him here.
The vivid mories made Orsted rub his forehead.
"Feels too real, like I lived it."
He shook it off. "If I have these mories, Aerith's likely here, probably with Hestia."
"The summoning card would've drawn her to otherwise."
"Still, if she doesn't show up by the ti I finish this sword, I'll look for her."
Muttering, Orsted resud forging the Durandal Magic Sword—his second attempt after rethinking his approach.
Not long after, two figures entered the forge.
"This one's more refined than the last, distinct from a standard magic sword," Tsubaki said, picking up Orsted's first attempt and running her palm over it.
"Orsted, are you working on a Durandal Magic Sword?"
"Yeah, I've got so ti today, so I'm experinting," Orsted replied.
"Tsubaki, give a mont. I'll hand over your magic items after this sword's done."
"Orsted, with forging skills like yours, why not join my Familia?" Hephaestus, who'd arrived with Tsubaki, teased as she watched him work.
Orsted froze mid-hamr, looking up at Hephaestus with an odd expression.
His sudden pause startled Hephaestus and Tsubaki.
Tsubaki had spoken earlier, and Orsted hadn't even glanced up.
Why react to Hephaestus?
"Orsted, you're not actually considering it, are you?" Tsubaki exclaid.
"No, no," Hephaestus said quickly, flustered.
"I adore you, but you're Hestia's child. I can't take you into my Familia."
"That was a joke—don't take it seriously."
Orsted snapped out of it, shaking his head with a grin.
"You're overthinking it. I just rembered sothing funny."
'Funny, alright,' he thought.
'The mont Hephaestus spoke, the system triggered a sign-in."
'Third ti now. Does the system have a crush on her or what?'
---
Read advance chapters at:
patreon/verse7
Powerstones:
200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter
Reviews
All reviews (0)