Adventurers on the street yawned, the drowsiness of early morning not yet fully gone.
The roar of metal rang out from inside the workshop.
"Welf, I brought you breakfast."
Bell walked straight into the forge and set the delicious meal on the table.
Today's outing only included Hestia and the others. Artemis and her former Familia members were not part of it, so Bell had naturally come to invite Welf along.
"Thanks. Sorry for the trouble."
Welf put down his hammer and washed his hands.
"Did you stay up all night? Your health is important, you know."
Bell reminded him in his capacity as Captain.
"Don't worry, I know that. You can tell from my face, right? I only got up a short while ago."
Welf gave him a bright smile and walked over to the lavish breakfast. "I used to just make do with some bread, but now I get to eat this well every day, and you even bring it over for me. I feel a little bad about it."
"It's not far, and I was on my morning run anyway. I only stopped by on the way."
Watching Welf dig in with relish, Bell continued, "Can [Ushiwakamaru] be reforged?"
Welf seemed to be very attached to that broken short sword.
Bell did not beat around the bush. Instead, in the straightforward way of men, he brought up the other man's painful subject directly.
"No. My skills just aren't good enough yet..."
Welf shook his head, a stubborn, frustrated look flashing through his eyes.
For any blacksmith, having a weapon they forged fail before it even reached battle was the kind of knot in the heart that was hard to untangle.
"Welf, I'm not going to tell you to hang in there or work hard."
Bell looked at the crimson flames inside the furnace and added, "I'm going to keep running forward, whether I fall or get hurt. I'll keep running and running until I'm ahead of everyone. Since you're my personal blacksmith, chase after me all the way."
"..."
Welf stared at the boy in astonishment.
What he needed was not comfort. That kind of thing would only soften steel and block the road ahead.
He did not need empty encouragement either. No amount of words could compare to a single swing of the hammer.
Bell had seen through that, which was why he said those words to him.
It was trust between men, and the clash of steel and iron.
Welf was only good at forging magic swords. His other weapons could not compare to those of higher-ranked blacksmiths at all, but Bell had acknowledged his potential.
As they advanced through the floors, weapon materials and required strength were also changing at a fierce pace.
What Bell needed was not a top-class blacksmith who had stopped improving, but a companion who could grow and move forward alongside him.
There was nothing false about that trust.
"Bell... I..."
Welf was so moved for a moment that he did not know what to say.
"I know what you mean. There's no need for polite words between us."
Bell opened his bag and took out the ore he had obtained by chance.
"Is this [Adamantite]? A rare material you can only get from the Lower Floors?"
Welf's eyes widened in surprise.
He had only known the boy for a little over a month, yet he was already seeing material from the Lower Floors.
That absurd rate of growth was probably something no blacksmith could ever keep up with easily.
"Yeah. I want you to refine this material and forge it into a short sword, a little longer than the previous [Ushiwakamaru]. Specifically..."
Bell began describing the finished product he had in mind.
"Wait... Bell, are you really fine with leaving such rare ore to me? The Astraea Familia's blacksmith will be arriving soon. You could ask her..."
Welf had never forged materials from the Lower Floors before, and he was worried that he might not be up to the task.
"As for Cecil, I still need to ask her about the Spirit Armor. Didn't we already agree that you'd even forge Black Dragon Scales? This is just material from the Lower Floors, and you're already thinking of backing down?"
Bell used an obvious provocation.
"..."
Welf froze for a moment, then smiled in relief. "You're right. Like I'd be scared. Leave this little thing to me."
The two discussed the weapon's details for a while longer.
Bell also handed the irregular [Lunatic Light] to Welf, asking him to polish and adjust it so he could string it onto the bracelet Ryuu had given him.
After finishing those topics, Bell finally returned to the main point. "Goddess-sama and the others are planning to go out and have fun. Do you want to come with us?"
"I just got my hands on treasure like this. There's no way I'm in the mood to go out."
Welf studied the [Adamantite], as if already simulating the forging process in his mind.
"Then I'll head out first. Remember to rest properly. I'll have Artemis's former Familia members bring you lunch and dinner."
Bell reminded him again.
"You really don't have to go that far. I can just eat whatever on my own... Thanks, Bell. Have fun out there."
Welf rubbed his hands together, clearly eager to get started.
Bell did not disturb him any further. After a simple farewell, he turned and left the workshop.
...
The sunlight was bright.
Several birds swept across the blue sky, their calls intertwining with the goddess's clear voice to form a pleasant melody.
"Why is Bell alone? Is Welf not coming?"
Hestia asked softly.
Everyone had discussed going out together last night, but since it had been late, they had waited until morning to tell Welf.
"Yeah. He still can't stop thinking about [Ushiwakamaru], and now that he has new weapon material, I expect we'll be hearing the roar of forging before long."
Bell answered honestly.
"That boy hasn't gotten obsessed, has he?"
Hestia asked worriedly.
"There's no need to worry about that. I checked Welf's condition, and he really did take my advice. He hasn't been overworking himself."
Bell gave his own assessment.
Only with plenty of stamina could one have the strength to swing a hammer. Welf had gone through many battles with Bell, so he definitely understood that.
Besides, Bell had thoughtfully arranged all three meals for him. Welf naturally would not force himself and make the boy worry for no reason.
"That's good..."
Hestia nodded thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, when that boy said he liked the goddess Phobos, it really startled me. Isn't that story a little too sad?"
"Is it? Welf did say Goddess Phobos took all the blame and was sent back to Tenkai, but even he, the person directly involved, never saw the moment she was returned."
Bell's reply carried a hint of meaning.
Phobos had deceived everyone and helped Welf escape his family.
Had such a clever Goddess really been sent back to Tenkai by that [idiot Ares]?
Only she herself probably knew the answer.
"Wait, Bell. What did you mean by that just now?"
"I don't know either, Goddess-sama."
"Ugh... Lying to a Goddess? Bell, you big dummy! Wait for me!"
Amid laughter and complaints, the two walked back toward the mansion together.
Before long, the roar of metal echoed into the sky.
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