"Since Hephaestus-sama is willing to help, I would be happy to cooperate."
Bell accepted her proposal without hesitation.
Hephaestus had not mentioned money at all. She was helping simply for the sake of the unknown.
For the current Hestia Familia, that was already the best possible outcome.
"But what exactly do we need to do?"
Bell asked softly.
Judging from what the goddess had said earlier, melting the dagger down and reforging it was definitely not going to be easy.
Hephaestus stood up, and her vivid red dress traced the graceful lines of her figure.
Without the slightest concern for Bell's gaze, she smiled and sat down on the other side of the sofa.
"As long as our hearts are in sync, then..."
Halfway through the sentence, Hephaestus's own cheeks turned red instead.
"Sorry. It seems I am not very good at joking..."
She rose gracefully and sat back down where she had been before.
"Did Artemis tell you something?"
Bell picked up on something from her reaction just now.
Before he saved the Moon Goddess, Artemis had said something similar as well.
Only when their hearts were truly connected could the Arrow of Orion display its full power.
"Huh? I did not expect you to figure it out so quickly..."
Hephaestus let out a small sigh of surprise.
Different from the strength and courage she had sensed from the weapon, the boy's sharp insight surprised the goddess yet again.
No wonder he could win over so many girls...
Hephaestus smiled softly.
"That's right. Thinking about Artemis made me want to play a little prank. Of course, I am not going to tell you what exactly we talked about."
"Hey, I was actually pretty excited for a moment there. Hephaestus-sama, you should compensate me for that."
Bell answered with a teasing smile.
"....."
Hephaestus raised a hand to her lips and coughed lightly twice.
"W, we should talk about the important matter instead."
Unlike her fiery red hair, the faint blush on the goddess's face deepened into several layers of beauty and refused to fade.
"Bell Cranel, before I tell you the specific requirements, you need to answer one question first."
Hephaestus turned the topic back to the dagger.
What she was proposing was the ideal result.
After being completely reforged, the [Hestia Knife] would transform from a divine forged weapon into a divine weapon beyond compare.
It would be bound to Bell Cranel alone. Not even the other members of Hestia Familia would be able to use it.
And that would only be the beginning.
In Hephaestus's vision, the dagger would devour the boy's [Experience Points] and [Excelia], growing alongside him in the truest sense.
Even if Bell were to temporarily die again for some special reason, it would no longer affect the dagger's strength.
Most importantly, through the repeated process of forging and tempering, Hephaestus had seen the boy's potential.
The experience consumed by the dagger would become nourishment for Bell instead, helping him grow in return.
"In simple terms, the dagger will slow your leveling speed, but it will raise your personal upper limit."
Looking at Bell, Hephaestus finally asked her question.
"Bell Cranel, can you accept slowing down your own pace?"
The Argonaut.
That title had already spread throughout the whole world.
If he accepted Hephaestus's proposal, he might lose that praise.
When people are immersed in admiration, it is hard to find the courage to give it up. Once someone has seen the view from the heights, who would willingly return to the abyss?
Hephaestus stared fixedly at the boy, as if she were looking straight at that resolve forged through countless trials.
"If it can raise the limit of my abilities, then of course I accept."
Almost at the same moment the question left her mouth, Bell gave his answer.
"Not even a moment of hesitation..."
Hephaestus murmured softly.
"You are not worried about losing the title of Argonaut?"
"A little, maybe. Reputation can be convenient. If something happens to the girls connected to me, they can also receive some preferential treatment in my name."
Bell answered honestly.
"In that case, why would you still accept it?"
Hephaestus had not expected the boy to avoid acting cool and pretending that fame meant nothing to him.
"Well... then I just have to run even faster, right?"
Bell answered plainly.
For him, being able to climb an even higher mountain was exactly what he wanted.
The environment might be harsher.
The distance might be greater.
But so what?
As long as he kept burning with longing and passion and pushed himself to move even faster, then every problem would naturally be solved.
"......"
Hephaestus was stunned for a moment.
Every Adventurer thought about how to grow faster.
But what the boy wanted was to climb every peak and reach the summit in the truest sense.
"Just like what I felt from the dagger before, you really are a [greedy] person..."
Hephaestus smiled softly.
Perhaps no one in this world understood the boy better than she did...
Whether it was speed or limits, Bell Cranel wanted to seize all of it with his own hands.
"Have I disappointed you, Hephaestus-sama?"
Bell asked jokingly.
"Has my expression not already given you the answer? You really are an interesting human."
Hephaestus could not hide her excitement and delight.
She felt like she finally understood why she had resonated with the boy while trying to repair the dagger.
The two of them were alike in that way.
Both of them were greedy.
Even if flames burned their bodies, they would still carry their convictions through to the end and refuse to let go of anything.
"Bell Cranel, in response to your resolve, I will reforge the dagger for you free of charge."
After thinking for a moment, Hephaestus added,
"You have probably had many encounters with girls, have you not? Bring me one or two strands of hair from them."
"...Hair?"
Caught off guard by the sudden turn in the conversation, Bell repeated her request.
"So you have moments of confusion too..."
Hephaestus smiled gently and explained,
"The original dagger was forged using Hestia's divine blood and hair. So called bonds and feelings are made tangible through things like that."
"So it is not limited to lovers? Any girl I know is fine?"
Bell asked again.
"Yes. Any woman with whom you share a connection can work, as long as there is affection involved. Of course, the deeper the bond, the better the effect."
Hephaestus answered patiently.
When she noticed the puzzled look on Bell's face, she added further,
"Because I influenced the dagger while attempting to reforge it, you need to gather as much women's hair as possible. The more, the better."
"It mainly uses bonds similar to Falna to give the dagger vitality. One strand from each person is enough. More than that would be useless."
"Remember, the most important condition is this. Your encounter with those girls must have happened before the dagger broke."
"Bell Cranel, I look forward to what you bring me."