Hephaestus looked at the people kneeling across the floor and reined in her aura.
In an instant, she seemed like an ordinary person again.
Still, no one dared to relax.
They all maintained a respectful posture.
"You may rise," she said calmly.
Everyone nodded and, under Kagaya Ubuyashiki's lead, slowly stood up.
Even the hot-tempered Wind Pillar didn't dare stir.
By now, they understood clearly.
The red-haired woman before them was a genuine goddess.
"Kagaya Ubuyashiki has already explained your situation to me," Hephaestus said. "I won't make things difficult for you."
"If you're willing to join my familia, you're welcome."
"If you're not, I won't force you."
"The choice is yours. Take your time."
The moment she finished, Sanemi Shinazugawa stepped forward.
"God-sama, I am willing to join your familia."
Right after him, Kyojuro Rengoku nodded vigorously.
"It would be our honor for the God-sama to give us this opportunity. Please allow me to join as well."
One by one, the remaining Pillars followed.
They all expressed their willingness to join the Hephaestus Familia.
Only two remained silent.
One was Shinobu Kocho.
She had already accepted Hephaestus's arrangement.
After entering Orario, she would join the Miach Familia to study medicine.
The other was Gyomei Himejima.
He was different from the rest.
The other Pillars didn't hold strong religious beliefs.
Serving a god posed no problem.
But Gyomei was a true monk.
Everyone knew this and didn't pressure him.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke gently. "You may choose freely. No matter what, the God-sama won't blame you."
Gyomei nodded slowly.
"God-sama," he asked, "can you introduce me to the Buddha?"
Hephaestus shook her head.
"No. Those who focus solely on cultivation are still in Heaven."
"They haven't descended to establish familias."
There were Buddhas in Heaven.
But they weren't attached to the mortal world.
So there were no Buddha familias in Orario.
"I can recommend Takemikazuchi instead," she added. "You may consider it."
Gyomei shook his head.
He wanted to join a Buddha's familia.
Since none existed, Hephaestus's familia was acceptable.
As for Takemikazuchi, he wasn't particularly drawn to him.
In the end, aside from Shinobu Kocho, the other eight Pillars chose to join the Hephaestus Familia.
Hephaestus didn't hesitate.
She bestowed her blessing upon them.
"Congratulations," Emiya said with a smile.
These Pillars stood at the peak of human strength.
Each was no weaker than a level 2 adventurer.
In Orario, that was already a considerable force.
If they activated their birthmarks, they'd grow even stronger.
The strongest among them, the Stone Pillar, could rival a level 3 adventurer if he activated his mark and entered the Transparent World.
Hephaestus had struck gold.
She rolled her eyes and ignored Emiya.
Then she turned to Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
"Have the swordsmiths arrived yet?"
She was far more interested in them than the Pillars.
"I've already contacted the village," Kagaya replied. "They'll arrive in a few days."
Hephaestus nodded.
"Before they arrive, all of you should learn Nen."
"Nen?"
Kagaya froze and instinctively looked at Emiya.
If he remembered correctly, Emiya also used Nen.
Not long ago, children from the Final Selection had returned and told him about a strange man at Mount Fujikasane.
A man who could kill demons without a Nichirin blade.
That power was called Nen.
The man had even proposed trading this power with the Demon Slayer Corps-for a price.
When Kagaya first heard this, he couldn't sleep for days.
He kept thinking about Nen.
If the Corps mastered it, could they defeat the Twelve Kizuki?
Even Muzan Kibutsuji?
So he investigated.
That was how he learned Emiya's name.
And that he had gone to Mount Sagiri with a boy named Kamado Tanjiro.
Before Kagaya could contact Sakonji Urokodaki, a letter arrived.
It described Tanjiro's encounter.
A god.
A divine blessing.
The letter strongly advised joining a familia.
At that point, Kagaya forgot about Nen entirely.
Compared to a god, Nen seemed insignificant.
Yet now, after receiving a blessing, Nen was mentioned again.
By the goddess herself.
So he looked at Emiya.
Emiya sighed.
"You're lucky. You get to learn Nen without paying anything."
Kagaya was puzzled.
"Don't underestimate Nen," Hephaestus said evenly.
"It's an excellent power Emiya taught me."
"When combined with a blessing, it makes you even stronger."
"Even in Orario, very few familias know Nen."
"And every one of them has a close relationship with Emiya."
She paused.
"When you reach Orario, you're not allowed to teach Nen to outsiders without my permission."
"Do you understand?"
Kagaya glanced at Shinobu Kocho.
She would join the Miach Familia later.
For now, she was still a comrade.
If everyone learned Nen, excluding her felt unfair.
Hephaestus understood his thoughts and shook her head.
"The Nen training method is extremely valuable."
"I promised Emiya I wouldn't teach it to anyone outside the familia."
Shinobu smiled softly.
"Please don't worry, Master."
"I'm already honored to be recommended to the Miach Familia."
Kagaya lowered his head in thought.
If Nen was so valuable, he wanted Shinobu to have it.
Maybe she should join Hephaestus's familia instead.
But that would waste her talent.
And she clearly wished to join the Healing God.
Then an idea struck him.
He looked up.
"God-sama," he asked, "is Emiya-sama also a member of your familia?"
Hephaestus shook her head.
"He's not."
"He belongs to the Loki Familia."
"But he's my business partner."
Kagaya laughed and turned to Emiya.
"My children told me you offered to trade Nen with the Demon Slayer Corps at Mount Fujikasane."
Emiya raised an eyebrow.
"You remember well. Yes, I did."
"Then are you still willing?"
"More precisely," Kagaya added, "to trade with Shinobu Kocho?"
"Master-" Shinobu started, but Kagaya stopped her with a smile.
Emiya replied, "Yes."
"If you can offer something that interests me, I'll give the Nen training method to the Insect Pillar."
Kagaya bowed deeply.
"I offer the Ubuyashiki family's thousand-year collection."
"Master!" Shinobu couldn't hold back.
She knew what that meant.
Everything they had.
Kagaya continued calmly.
"You may look down on it."
"But I guarantee it won't disappoint you."
To be honest, Emiya did look down on it.
There wasn't much value in the Demon Slayer world.
Only Sun Breathing.
And the potion that turned Muzan into a demon.
The Ubuyashiki family had neither.
Still, he saw Kagaya's sincerity.
"Alright," Emiya said. "I accept."
Kagaya exhaled in relief.
"Thank you, Emiya-sama."
With Emiya's consent, Hephaestus immediately taught everyone the Nen training method.
And Kagaya kept his promise.
He handed over the Ubuyashiki family's thousand-year collection.
What surprised Emiya was what it contained.
No divine weapons.
No treasures.
Only books.
Countless books.
Breathing styles.
Sword techniques.
Training methods.
And a vast number of medical texts.
Because of Muzan Kibutsuji, Ubuyashiki children-especially the males-were sickly and short-lived.
To preserve their bloodline, they married into shrine maiden families for generations.
It extended their lives.
But none lived past thirty.
So many descendants, desperate to survive, turned to medicine.
Over time, they amassed an enormous medical library.
It was no coincidence.
Shinobu Kocho's talent in medicine and poison.
Had roots stretching back a thousand years.
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