Meeting With Goddesses

"This should be the place."

It matches Shakti's description. Indeed, seen from far away was an eye-catching big building made of wood and the tall wall that protected Orario from the outside world. The house itself had a triangle-shaped roof; it was rather a big house; it reminded me of the house type that is normally found in the northernmost country.

Just as I walked closer to the front of the house, I could see there was a large backyard on the right side of the house, and many children were playing around. When they saw me, they started to stare in my direction with their curious eyes.

"Hold! Who are you and what business have you had here?"

"Greetings I apologize for coming so suddenly. My name is Oberon, and I am from Loki Familia. I requested an audience with the goddess Iduun. I believe she was here, according to what my goddess Loki told me."

The male guard was a bit confused by how polite my way of speaking was, and then he started to relax a bit because of how recognizable my name was. Just as the guard opened the door, I could hear someone just running.

"Oberon!"

(Thud!)

"*Uhukk*"

It was just like a red missile that just struck my chest. Orstrid knew that she didn't need to stop whoever sprinted from inside the manor because she knew from the start that it was Sera.

"…S- Sera."

I tried to pull some air to my lug after the sudden attack from her. She just rubbed her face on my chest, and I was a bit surprised she was not keeping her distance as before. Then I see goddess Iduun and Artemis on her side.

"Fufufuf Sera, you are hurting him... Good to see you well, Oberon."

"*Grasp* I am glad to see goddess Iduun in good health, and... Sera is energetic as always. Did you forget that I was an elf?"

"Fufu, I know you do not mind it."

"*Sigh* At least please think of the people who are watching us."

Then a goddess with blue hair that I remember called herself Goddess Artemis.

"Oberon, I once again express my gratitude for saving two of my children."

"You welcome goddess Artemis... How is the girl named Argi?"

"Argi, she was still recovered. After days, she started to be back to her normal self again."

Artemis tried to reassure Oberon, but he could see that she was still worried about a child named Argi. After that, Sera and others brought me inside the house, but when I got inside the manor, I started to think it was a big log house. There was the logo of Una Familia right in front of the hall.

"Ah, forgot… I bring something from Wishe Forest, Iduun-sama."

Then Orstrid took out a small box from the bag, and when she opened it, chilly air came out of the box. When goddess Iduun saw what was inside the box, she couldn't stop but smile widely.

It was an apple, but it's not an ordinary apple from the appearance alone. When Iduun saw the apple, she knew that it was a high-quality apple, and she was happy that Oberon still remembered that he promised to give her an apple from Wishe Forrest.

"Oberon, you are really a womanizer, fufufu. Thank you, Oberon; we should enjoy it in the garden."

While Iduun guides us toward the garden, there are still children who stare at me curiously. While I was busy having a chat with the goddess, Iduun Sera went to Orstrid's side and had their chat.

"Orstrid was as silent as ever, but still, you had been leveling up with your master. You must be trained hard behind your master, right?"

"To be able to stay by his side and be useful to him, I need to be strong. Even though I know I wouldn't ever reach the same level as Master, I will never stop because I never wanted Master to always fight alone."

Sera was always amazed by Orstrid's devotion to Oberon; it made her wonder how these two elves met, but she knew that the two met when Oberon was still eleven years old.

"Even if you say it was not 'love' I don't know what it is to be called the other person willingly to devote their soul to a person, Orstrid."

"I-... I had ever dreamed to walk in equal with Master."

"And yet, he always depends on you, so stand proud as his servant; you already serve him greatly."

Sera who rarely sees Orstrid's smile could see that there is indeed a soft smile on her lips.

"Thank you, Sera."

"You welcomed Orstrid."

The garden itself is right behind the house, and there is a beautiful, tall oak tree with white flowers. Just below the tree, one goddess is sitting, drinking her tea, and watching the kids play around. It did not take long before she noticed a group of people heading toward her garden. The person that caught her attention was a young elf with golden hair and an emerald-red-eyed color wearing a green cloak.

"Fufufu, you must be Oberon."

"Oberon, this is one of my close friends; her name was Una. You had heard of her from her children, right?"

I bowed my head a little to show her my respect.

"Nice to meet you, goddess Una. I heard a lot about you from Kara and others. This manor was so beautiful, and the garden reminded me of my home."

"I am glad you like my taste... I did hear you had been unconscious because of the incident. From the look of it, you finally recovered."

"I am glad I did. I came here with a gift, and I hope all of you enjoy it."

Then I created a beautiful plate made of earth magic and cut the apple with wind magic into eight pieces.

"Chantless magic. I never knew that elves were able to have that ability; even Valda never mentioned it."

"Well, it's my specialty. Now please enjoy the apple from my homeland."

The apple itself was not something that could be found in the market outside of the Elven Kingdom because of the restriction. The only reason Oberon was able to bring it to Outside was because of the permission of King Larfal, with the excuse that it was for the god that would protect Oberon because of his reckless take on killing God Apophis.

'I know it was a success because I have not been arrested.'

"*Inhale* It smells almost like honey, and it was a bit cold."

"To make sure it was fresh, I kept it in cold condition. Please take a bite, everyone."

Just as Iduun put the apple in her mouth, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate all her sense of taste. Oberon was not nervous because he had already tasted the fruit since he was still a child.

((!!))

((Hmmm))

'I know they will like it.'

The apple has a distinctive look from a normal apple on the inside and outside. The inside itself had the purest white color, and the taste was as sweaty as honey. When you chew, it is so soft that you don't need teeth to dissolve it. More importantly, there are no seeds in it, and with one apple alone, you could fill up your hunger thanks to the fact that the hunters in the forest always bring it in their bags.

"Thank you, Oberon. I love it."

"You welcome Iduun-sama."

It was a fun time spent with three beautiful goddesses. We talked about many things, especially about the goddess Loki. The story that caught attention was the main reason the goddess of mischief, who knows evil, changed completely because of the incident that happened.

"There is one incident where Loki plays a prank on a god. The god was so angry that Odin must lend a hand; if not, Loki would likely get killed by the gods. Odin then does, the unthinkable able to surprise all the gods, including Loki, of course. As apologies for his daughter's behavior, Odin sacrifices the right eyes to ask for forgiveness. After that, she chanted to the goddess that we know right now."

'Now I know why she was so different from the Loki that I know from RPG games that I play.'

"Thank you for sharing the story of the goddess Una."

"Just put this in mind, Oberon; her character was still the same; she was just more concerned with the consequences it brings to the people that are close to her, so be more vigilant, okay?"

"I will put that in my goddess, Iduun."

"So, Oberon, can you tell me more about your childhood? How did you become so strong at such an early age?"

"I spent most of my time in a library reading a book that is available in my home and the forest; let's say there is plenty of it. I am doing so until I hit the age of nine, when my mother starts teaching me the magic of Wishe. Mother and Father were worried there was something wrong with me because normally a child loves to go outside, yet I spend most of my time at home reading a book..."

Hearing how I spent my childhood; they all start giggling at how handful his parents are for taking care of him.

"I met Orstrid for the first time when I was eleven years old; she has been beside me since then. My homeland is peaceful and beautiful, as are the people, which is why my family has fought for hundreds of years to protect the Wishe Forest."

"If so, why did you leave the forest, Oberon?"

Artemis never had the chance to explore the Elven Forest because it was forbidden for gods and other races to enter. With such a beautiful and well-maintained forest, there should be plenty of wildlife to hunt, which Artemis loves to do in her free time.

"My home was indeed a beautiful place; still, I want to see the outside world like Riveria-san, but I know that after learning my people's history and the country on our border, I did realize that it does not take long before our hostile neighbors could overrun our defenses, thanks to the power the gods give."

Oberon had the conversation with Iduun and Sera about the reason the elven people despise the god and the other races because they had been attacked by their neighbors, but Oberon did not deny that some elves despise other races because they think they are far superior to other races.

"I do not blame you all, gods, for what will happen in the past and the future because it was the very nature of mortals to hurt each other; the power you gave is just another tool they use to do so, and... I know that not all gods are the same from my experience talking with you all, so I believe if my people see and feel what I feel, they will know that their hate was unjustified."

'Still, I am always vigilant to approach any god and never trust any god that appears in my dream.'

"So, Oberon, let's say you manage to achieve all of your goals. What next?"

'What next? ... With elves' long-life expectations, I can finish many of my projects, but that is not what I genuinely wanted if I think more about it.'

"Probably building my own family."

"You don't have any plans to become an Elven King, Oberon? I believe that with the power and influence you had, the Elven races should support you in becoming the Elven king; after all, you are a High Elf."

"*sigh* Sera You forgot Princess Riveria in the equation, and I am sorry, but I will not talk about the politics of the Elven Kingdom openly. Please understand this, Sera. 'A king or queen that leads their people with power will become a tyrant; it takes power and great wisdom to lead the people to be great kings or queens,' that my father always taught."

"I- I am sorry."

"To be honest, I don't like to get into politics, but I was born into a noble family, and I had the same responsibility to my people as you, Sera. Right now, I am just an adventurer the same as Riveria, but when the moment calls for us to fulfill our responsibility, I will do just that."

'This world is weird from whatever perspective I try to look at, and it makes it hard to predict exactly what will happen in the future because of the god, but I know that to prevent anything worse from happening, I have to have many strong allies.'

"Sera, did you plan to stay in Orario for much longer?"

"Yes, I need to gather more material and up my stats before going back to Tein."

"Then how about next time we go to the dungeon, we both have a party? It should be fun."

"Sure!"

"I am sorry, Master, to interrupt, but did Lady Loki tell Master to take a four-day vacation?"

"It's okay, Orstrid; after all, we had weeks to spend here in Orario, and Oberon must take a rest."

"I was just used to too much magic last night. I think two days of sleep fix everything. Now I had to meet Hephaestus. Sera, be more vigilant. That woman that attacked you will probably try it once again."

Oberon then laid his gaze seriously on Sera because he wanted her to realize that what happened last night was a narrow escape for her.

"I know, Oberon, that will never happen again."

"Good. When we meet again, I will teach you some magic to counter those kinds of tricks."

Then I left the Una Familia Manor and went to the Hephaestus workshop; it should have taken less than twenty minutes to arrive because of the close distance.

'I wonder if Hephaestus found a way to melt those metals.'

----

Hephaestus Familia workplace was not so far from the Una Familia base that it took less than an hour's walk if the road was not crowded with people. It always amazes me when I arrive at the Hephaestus Familia-owned area you know you arrive at their vicinity when you can hear the blacksmith hammering their steel and the adventurer checking the weapon that is being displayed.

'Hm, I have not met any Evilus yet maybe those scum avoid walking in daylight when I was around.''

Hephaestus's workshop was much bigger than the other workshops around and it was surrounded by a wall and guard from Hephaestus Familia. just as I arrive at the gate the guard instantly recognizes me and starts to open the gate.

"Did I not need to wait first?"

"Hephaestus-sama already granted you a free entrance days ago. Just knock her room."

"I see."

After passing the gate and going inside her workshop I head straight to the room where we first meet with each other. Just as I arrived at the front of her room, I knocked on the door first to avoid an awkward thing happening.

"*Knock* *knock*…"

"Who is it?"

'That a rather quick.'

"It's me, Oberon."

(Thud!)

When I shouted my name I heard a loud crash-like sound from the room. Just before I forced myself to inside her room she continued.

"W-Wait, a minute."

"Take your time Hephaestus."

'She must be busy with something… I hope she was not upset with my sudden visit.'

"Please come in Oberon."

Just as I opened the door, the first thing I noticed was a flower-like smell engulfing the room. I knew it was an expensive one because of the pleasant smell. Hephaestus is wearing her white blouse and sitting on her table while warping her hand, not covering her prodigious-sized chest.

'She never failed to catch my eye. Hmm, for some reason, she looks more attractive, and those breasts compare to Er-... Inhale… Exhale Why did every time I saw a red-haired woman Eris always cross my mind... Maybe I just miss her a lot.'

To Hephaestu's puzzlement, Oberon shook his head and tried to regain his straight and calm demeanor.

"It looks like your eyes are fully healed. Is there any uncomfortable feeling in your eyes?"

"Everything was okay; I'm still getting used to having two functional eyes, but in a short time I will get used to it."

"Good to hear that. To be honest, at first, I was not sure it would work."

Hephaestus then touched her right eye with a smile on her lips and gazed with great affection toward Oberon who stood in front of her.

"I don't know how to thank you, Oberon; you did something I consider an impossible task."

"I am glad to hear that. That night, when I cast that magic, something in me was healed. *sigh* I don't like this atmosphere. The reason I came here is to hand you a gift, Hephaestus."

"A gift?"

Then Orstrid received another gift from the bag that was being prepared for this occasion. It was a bottle of drink that had the same color as the drink in Oberon Underground Mansion.

"That drink is from your mansion, right?"

"Yes, I give it as a token of gratitude to help goddess Iduun and Loki clear my name in Denatus."

Hephaestus eyed Brown's flinch and then had a cold gaze toward Oberon.

"So, you are indeed the one who killed Apophis."

"I am indeed the one responsible for the killing of Apophis, and I do not regret my decision in the matter."

"That's reckless of you, Oberon. You did know what the consequences were if a mortal killed a god, right?"

Oberon just nodded firmly, which made Hephaestus worried about how reckless his behavior was and why Loki was so worried about him.

"You are lucky and can get away this time, but next time I am not sure the same luck will help you again. But put that aside; please follow me."

Hephaestus then went to her secret workshop. There was a fire in the furnace that was still burning. I could feel the instant heat just by stepping inside the workshop. When I tried to look closer again into the flame, there was a dark, ingot-like material inside the burning fire.

"I had tried a normal way of melting the material by putting it in intense heat for more than a day, and yet it still did not melt. So, Oberon, how did you manage to create that big armor and weapon that you have shown in your workshop?"

"I am not melting it, Hephaestus; I just used magic and tried to shape it at my will, but it cost a lot of mana to do so. It was indeed impossible to melt the metal after all, right, Hephaestus?"

"With a normal method, yes, it was impossible, but..."

Hephaestus then put some kind of gray rock into the furnace, into the aurorium, and then it started to melt on the top of the aurorium. To my astonishment, the metal that I thought was impossible to melt started to melt into a molten substance like lava, but at the same time, a weird phenomenon was happening in the burning furnace.

"It turned blue?"

'Wait, if it does turn blue, why does the furnace still manage to contain the heat?'

Then Oberon grasped the reason, when he could feel for himself, there was no change in the temperature, and he guessed there was something to do with the gray rock that Hephaestus threw inside.

"It was true to the nature of any solid object to melt or disintegrate. The only difference is how resistant the material is to changing from a solid form to other forms. In this case, because it was created by magic, it had high resistance toward fire, so I just need a material that reduces its ability to resist heat."

Then Hephaestus glances toward Laguz and Logi at my waist.

"Your weapon, Oberon, had the same material; it was called 'Hihiirokane' It came from a country in the Far East. In legend, that sword made of that steel was able to banish any evil spirit, but in truth, it had the property to weaken any magic in its melted form..."

Hephaestus then sighs a bit while rubbing her head.

"But that country right now, from what I heard, was on the brink of civil war, so I was not expecting the merchants to be able to lay their firsthand that rare material."

"… That… I see, because of the situation there, the material is not being sold anymore."

'Just when everything looks good.'

"I would like to make a weapon for you, Oberon, as my gratitude for healing my right eye, but I need the sword you carried."

Oberon was not sure whether to let the weapon that his parents gave him be dissolved and changed into a new weapon.

'If it could help me fight much better against the monsters, it's not a bad choice... I will send an apology letter to Mother and Father later.'

"I understand, but how about the magic crystal? It needs the mages from Altena to put it together."

"For that, no worries; I had the connection. So, we had an agreement?"

Then grab two of the blades from my wrist and hand them to Hephaestus's hand.

"I will leave it to you. How much do I need to pay?"

"It's free, but I- *ahem* wanted you to answer this question because it was more personal…"

Hephaestus was hesitant to continue, but seeing Oberon wait for her next word without saying anything somehow made her calm down and regain her normal demeanor.

"Did you have a woman you love or like?"

'I see; that's how it goes.'

"There is indeed a woman catching my attention, but the one I love... I think there is none. For now, at least."

When Hephaestus heard the answer, it was like all the burden on her shoulders and her mind just washed away. After hearing Oberon answer, Hephaestus went toward the sword he displayed on the wall. Just from the look of it, Oberon knew it was not a cheap one-hand sword.

"This sword is one of my proudest creations. Use it while I am forging your new weapon."

The sword itself was not heavy, and it was pleasant to swing it because of the grip that was made of leather and the light weight of the sword.

"Thank you, Hephaestus; I will take good care of it."

"The sword's name was 'Uldster' The main metal I used was mithril; it had high magic conductivity, so it would suit those who use magic and swords. Ah, you're training to become a blacksmith will start a week from now, and Tsubaki will be your teacher for learning a blacksmith skill and schematics. I am sorry, but I will concentrate my goal on making you a new sword."

"Take your time, and if you need me for anything, just send me a message, Hephaestus."

"I will, and Oberon, please be more careful when you are walking around. There is a high chance they will attack you again."

Oberon just nodded at Hephaestus's warning and put the sword on his right wrist.

"Then Hephaestus, I will take my leave; there is someone I need to meet next."

"When the weapons are ready, I will inform you, Oberon."

After leaving the Hephaestus workshop, Orstrid, who watches his master's interaction, knows there is something that her master tried to avoid.

"Master, you did realize what Lady Hephaestus felt right?"

Oberon went silent for a moment before answering Orstrid's question.

"Yes, I am not that dumb MC who does not read the sign on the wall. It was obvious why she felt that way because of what I did, but I kept pretending not to notice it. I am the worst, isn't I?"

Orstrid can't deny nor accept his words because she understands the reason why her master tried to avoid getting into that conversation. Just as they were leaving the Hephaestus Familia complex, Oberon heard a bird-like sound from above, but it was not a normal bird; it was familiar in form as a dark-feathered owl.

(Krowl… *Flap**Flap*)

When Oberon took the letter from the owl's mouth, the familiar started to disappear into the thin air.

"Nora."

Nora was one of the servants Oberon summoned to become his eyes and ears to gather any information about the world, so there is a small chance he was caught off guard while he was in Orario.

"Master?"

When Orstrid looked at her master's expression, she knew the letter did not have good news.

"It was indeed the Empire prompting Rakia's weaponry... Those bastards never learn."

Oberon has been following the rumor that Rakia has been building up a large stash of magic weapons. Because of that, Oberon sends Yami and Kuro to spy on Rakia's kingdom and Nora to follow the one selling the magic sword material because Rakia was being blocked from receiving any material from Orario, so there must be another seller.

"I will have to send a warning letter to Father."

"Should we go back to Twilight Manor to discuss this with Lady Riveria?"

"We need to wait until Kuro and Yami share their findings, Rakia has not yet shown any sign of building up an army on the north-west border of the Elven Kingdom, so there is no need to rush for now, at least."

'I need to make my move to stop those supplies, but I need to hide any involvement of the elf and they are using a ship instead of land it adds to the difficulty of how to steal the material without shanking the ship.'

"I think I need to be a pirate."

----

(Third POV)

Somewhere in the hidden underground, where the light couldn't reach it the same as any law on the surface, one of the shadowing figures walked into the dark hall that laminated only my dim purple light. There was a guard in every corridor, but none tried to inspect a cloaked person who walked alone in the hall.

Then the person arrives at the front of the reinforced door, which is more like a gate made of material that is impossible to force open.

(Knock, Knock)

Then a small gap at the front of the door was opened to inspect the person who knocked. Then he showed his face clearly to the guard, and when he recognized his face, he hastily opened the door for the man with black hair, two cadet gray locks, and gray eyes.

(Thud!)

He was not a mortal; instead, he was one of the evil gods who had known his existence as one of the gods that were part of Evilus.

"Welcome back, Erebus-sama."

"Is he here?"

The guard shook his head and continued.

"Only Rudra-sama was in the vicinity."

Then Erebus followed one of the guards that led them toward the god. Rudra was not far away; he was drinking while lying his back on the sofa, and close to him was a human with a large exe on his back.

"Yo, Rudra."

"Hmm, oh, is that you, um... Who are you again?"

"Stop fooling around."

"Hahaha, my apology. I am just so bored right now. Is it okay to play a game a little bit?"

"I don't care if you are bored or whatever. I came here to meet him."

Then the god woke up, poured another glass of alcohol, and handed the glass toward Erebus.

"How about you stay a while and become my drink buddy?"

"I declined; I had much more important things to do."

"*sigh* as always so cold of you *gulp*, *gulp* ahh. If you were looking for him, he was not here now, at least for an unknown period."

"Ho, where did he go?"

"I don't know, but I know he was probably trying to recruit a new member or maybe try to find a good assassin."

"If that is so, then I will leave Orario for a long time. I did hear a rumor of the surviving powerful Familia member."

"I believe he doesn't mind you living to find a good recruit, but I must ask, who is this Familia you are talking about?"

Erebus just chuckled and continued.

"It will not be a surprise if I tell you whom."

"Is that so? I will drink for that, but there is one message from him that we must follow, at least for now."

"Hm, what he said?"

"Never confront the high elf named Oberon in front under any circumstances."

Erebus has already heard the name repeatedly lately because of his achievements that were considered impossible for anyone to manage to do the same, and his servant is named Orstrid. That High Elf is probably the main culprit for the defeat after defeat that was suffered by the Evilus.

"I will put that in mind, then I will take my leave."

"Good luck to you, my friend."

"Oberon… I would like to see him in person."