Kapitel 97: Puppet, daughter?

As she was about to agree with a smile, Hephaestus noticed something odd about Eucleia.

The latter looked at Hephaestus and then at Promise, her gaze shifting between the two, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.

And when her confused eyes met Hephaestus's questioning gaze, she quickly looked away, pretending she knew nothing.

Hephaestus looked at her in confusion but soon seemed to realize something and stared intently at Eucleia.

Eucleia was a puppet crafted by Hephaestus, a sculpted creation...

And now, she was going to carve a gift with Promise, an offering for herself.

The emphasis was not on the offering but on carving it together with Promise...

What?!

Hephaestus finally understood and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Teacher?" Promise asked, confused by her reaction, stepping closer to ask, "Are you alright?"

Seeing him approach, Hephaestus, who had fully grasped the situation, instinctively leaned back.

Due to her immobile legs, she had to push herself back with her hands, moving further onto the bed.

How to describe the scene?

It almost made Eucleia burst into laughter!

A moment later, realizing her loss of composure, the goddess sat up again, placing a hand over her mouth to cough, her face slightly flushed.

Then she glared fiercely at Eucleia.

The latter, thinking she couldn't stay there any longer, was about to leave but then saw Hephaestus giving her a 'you'll be dead if you leave' look, so she lowered her head and stood still.

"Actually... you don't need to be in such a hurry to offer me a gift."

Hephaestus hesitated for a moment, then looked away and answered softly,

"After all, I'm not in a hurry.

You can come back and give me the offering anytime."

Promise looked at the suddenly hesitant Hephaestus, then at Eucleia, who seemed like an ostrich, wanting to bury her head in the ground, not wanting to hear anything.

He didn't know what was going on.

Because who would have thought that these puppets were actually sculpted and made!

So after thinking for a while, he smiled and replied to Hephaestus, "Yes, I know, my goddess teacher is a gentle goddess.

Even though I am a follower of the person you hate, you have never done anything excessive to me until now."

It wasn't that she didn't plan to, but rather she didn't have the chance.

"And you even crafted that precious artifact for me upon our first meeting."

'Both of us are in the arts, and in this regard, when inspiration comes, nothing else matters.'

'Just like you, Goddess Hephaestus almost killed me, but when inspiration hit, you couldn't stop and had to finish that painting.'

"And when it comes to the offering, you, who always strive for perfection, are willing to accept my flaws..."

Let alone flaws, even if you plucked a flower by the roadside and presented it, she would be thrilled and carefully preserve it.

"Therefore, my goddess teacher is truly a gentle and beautiful goddess."

Eucleia lifted her head and took a deep breath.

As she looked up, she saw the Goddess Hephaestus, sitting with her face covered, her ears already bright red.

Hephaestus felt she could no longer face anyone.

At the same time, Eucleia also felt she was on the verge of losing it.

She pressed her trembling hand against the nearby door, her face contorted, and she even cracked the wall due to the force.

'Hold it in, you must hold it in.

You absolutely cannot laugh; if you do, you'll be half-dead even if you survive!

Oh, the agony, she thought it would have been better to be dismantled from the start!'

"But because of this, I want to present you with a better gift... Indeed, if I take more time to refine my skills, I could offer you such a gift by myself, but..."

Promise hesitated at this point and didn't continue.

But Hephaestus, who was covering her face, already understood his thoughts.

Because once Promise left the temple, he had to fulfill an agreement with a goddess who had been waiting for him until now.

Promise had agreed to paint Hera using the brush he had obtained, making Hera the first goddess he would paint in a meaningful way.

"...Actually, in this regard, I am indeed a bit surprised."

Gradually regaining her composure, Hephaestus removed her hands from her face and looked at the black-haired, green-eyed boy in front of her, saying,

"Because up until now, you haven't mentioned a word about me and Hera."

"I won't bring it up, although... this might be considered a form of avoidance."

The boy spoke somewhat helplessly.

By now, Hephaestus had completely calmed down.

Although her face was still a bit red, she looked at Promise and smiled, saying, "It seems my initial impression wasn't wrong. That painting... you must have seen it when you painted me that day."

Promise remained silent for a while, then gently nodded.

Back then, even the wise goddess Athena was fully revealed to Promise.

So that day, while sketching Hephaestus, Promise indeed saw it.

He saw the deepest part of her memory, how Hera abandoned her and her despair when she returned to Olympus.

If it had been anyone else, it would have been a matter of life and death by now.

But looking at Promise, Hephaestus, who was still smiling, finally said, "Thank you... and I'm glad it was you."

So, Hephaestus helped Promise forge that statue.

A gift for herself.

It only took a day.

There was only one disagreement during the process.

Hephaestus wanted to remove the flame-like birthmark on her face to make it perfect, but Promise refused, as he didn't see it as a sign of imperfection.

After they completed the statue together, Promise left the next day.

The silver Pegasus spread its wings, flying into the dawn sky under the watchful eyes of the goddess and the puppets.

After a short rest, he would continue his journey.

Hephaestus watched him until he was out of sight, then had Eucleia push her back into the temple.

They went inside to where the gift was placed.

Hephaestus looked at the statue she had completed with Promise.

"Respected Hephaestus, when... will she awaken?"

Though Eucleia felt she might get beaten to death, she couldn't resist asking Hephaestus due to the itch in her heart, as if being scratched by a cat.

"I don't know." Hephaestus shook her head slightly, moving the wheelchair forward and gently touching it, answering with a smile, "But... it won't be long."

Eucleia nodded gently.

At the same time, she even began to wonder what expression Promise would have when he saw her come to life.

Yes... He would definitely be very happy!