I first stopped Lady Hestia, who had startledly tried to jump out the window, and explained the whole situation.
"...So, you want my help in making a weapon... is that it?"
"Yes. The original owner of the greatsword I wish to make was the very incarnation of the bonfire itself. If it is Lady Hestia, the goddess of the hearth and the one who has tended flames longer than anyone..."
Smith slowly chose his words as he continued.
"...I thought you would be able to contain fire most 'perfectly.' No—you 'can' contain it."
What showed in Smith's eyes as he said that was not faith. What was slowly being kindled there was not anything so mild as faith. It was madness.
It was the madness of a craftsman who would accept no outcome but success—who, if such an outcome did not emerge, would shatter the very word impossible and place before her nothing but the result he had forged with his own hands.
Hestia had lived for ages unthinkable to mortals, born as the eldest daughter of the Silver Age among the Olympian gods. Yet this was the first time she had ever seen madness like this.
Even Hephaestus, whom she had known for so long, had shown only a craftsman's passion. She had never displayed such thick, clinging madness.
And Hestia understood why, in the age of heroes long ago, mortals alone had driven the Dungeon to the brink of being sealed without the gods' assistance.
This obsession—this madness—was their strength. Mortals, whose lives were infinitely short, who considered a hundred years a long life and could live no more than five hundred even among the long-lived races, would burn every last moment of those brief lives while fixing their gaze upon one single goal.
The heroes of a thousand years ago had been like that, and so was the child before her.
It was a trait unique to mortals, one that they—the [Deus Dea], who lived lives promised immortality—could never understand.
So this was what it meant to say that, because an end was promised, one could burn all the more brilliantly.
Hestia continued her thoughts, recalling a passage from a book she had read recently.
The lower world truly was amazing, to have both a child capable of burning with such devotion and another capable of seeing through it and putting it into words.
However, Hestia's pensive expression apparently looked to Smith as though she were considering compensation, because he finally began making offers first.
"What do you want?"
"Hm?"
"If you want money, I can arrange a certain amount for you."
"Ah, no, that isn't—"
"If accepting money directly makes you uncomfortable, I can find you a suitable building to prepare for when you become independent later."
"U-um..."
"Or would you rather just put it on a tab?"
"Hmm, that sounds good!"
"Then, whenever you purchase something under Lady Hestia's name in the future, I will cover fifty percent of any debt, no matter what it is, exactly [once]."
"...Is that really all right? Wouldn't that be too much of a loss for you?"
"A loss? Not at all! Earning money, living in Orario, being a member of the Hephaestus Familia—ultimately, every last bit of it is for one thing alone. My goal of creating [Phantasm Myth]. I have built everything I have until now for that one goal alone. And you think I would begrudge the money spent to create that phantasm? Ha. If I did, then I would no longer be myself. I would be something else wearing my skin."
"...Hephaestus would be sad if she heard that."
"Hahaha, no way! She would probably laugh, smack me across the back with a hammer, and tell me to strive even harder!"
"The fact that you mean that sincerely only makes me feel worse..."
"Anyway, will you cooperate in the forging under those conditions?"
Hestia had actually intended to help him for free, but Smith had misunderstood on his own and made an offer first. Still, good was good, so she simply let it pass.
"Mm! Let's do that, then!"
"Then let's go to Lady Hephaestus, draw up the contract, and get to work."
"...Huh?"
"Isn't that obvious? Have you never seen a contract drawn up in a commercial Familia?"
"N-no, it's just that this is between the two of us. Couldn't we simply make a verbal agreement...?"
"What are you talking about? As a High Smith of the Hephaestus Familia, I am entering into a forging-related contract with the goddess Hestia. Naturally, I need to discuss a matter like this with my goddess."
"Uh... um... right..."
Hestia's current feelings: ...I'm so screeeewed!
In truth, it was an extremely, extremely uncomfortable situation for Hestia.
Just as Hestia had known Hephaestus for a long time, Hephaestus had known her for a long time. Hephaestus would naturally know that Hestia would never have proposed a contract on such terms, so she was bound to get scolded somehow...!
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The middle-aged man and the goddess, on their way to the office.
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"So... you two want to enter into a contract with me as its witness?"
"I've learned over the past ten years in Orario that it is best to be thorough with these sorts of things."
"...All right. Then let's first go over the terms of the contract.
Basically, Smith is the first party, and Hestia is the second party, correct?
As for the terms written here, the highest-priority clause is that Hestia will cooperate 'to the utmost' in forging any weapon Smith requests, and in return, Smith will repay fifty percent of any debt Hestia incurs, for an unlimited duration and with no limit on the amount, exactly [once]. Is that right?
Anything else you want to add?"
"Not on my end. Is there anything else you would like, Lady Hestia?"
"Hmm... Nothing in particular from me, either. But... um... Hephie, are you really all right with this?"
"Mm, I don't see a problem. It wasn't my place to interfere in the first place. This is a contract between the two of you, not mine. I'm only here as a witness. Or is there..."
"...Gulp"
"Something bothering your conscience?"
"No, no, no! There's no way I could have anything to hide!"
"Well..."
In truth, Hephaestus had known from the beginning that Hestia would never have offered such terms first. After all, why would Hestia, the kindhearted goddess who was also called a gullible goddess, ever take the initiative to offer conditions like that?
But as she had said before, this was their contract, not Hephaestus's. Therefore, she did not particularly interfere. As long as Hestia had any sense, she would never incur enough debt to empty the bank account of a renowned High Smith in Orario. (The Hephaestus of the future would recall wanting to strangle her past self to death over this.)
However, she did feel that Hestia deserved some punishment for spending all that time eating, sleeping, and acting like a NEET, so she had deliberately included the phrase 'to the utmost' in the contract.
Normally, if a clause contained wording like that, there would also be a clause limiting it... but she did not mention that, as punishment.
To put it bluntly, if Smith told Hestia she had to tend the fire for seventy-two hours without sleeping, then according to the contract, Hestia would have to do all of it!
...Not that he would do that.
"Ah, Lady Hephaestus?"
"Yeah? What is it?"
"...While we work, you may sense a tiiiiny bit of Arcanum, but there is no need to worry about it..."
"...Hee."
"W-whaaat?! What are you talking about? You never said anything about using Arcanum!"
"Look at the contract. It says you will cooperate 'to the utmost,' doesn't it?"
"...Hephie!"
"As long as it doesn't reach the level of getting you sent back to Heaven, there's no problem. Use it however you like!"
"...Hephie?!"
"Come on, let's get to work! You may be the goddess of the hearth, but your skill at handling fire must be superb!"
"Hephiiiiie!"
"Work hard."
Hephaestus later recalled that Hestia's eyes at that moment had been exactly like those of Caesar, whom she had seen long ago while wandering the lower world.
And they all lived happily ever after~