Chapter 7 - Mahiro, Why Do You Smell Like Another Woman
"It's so late today."
By the time he had left the dungeon and returned to the surface, it was already evening.
Then, dealing with the Soma Familia's affairs had consumed even more time.
Now, the sun had fully set, and the sky was cloaked in darkness.
"Hestia must be worried sick," Mahiro thought, quickening his pace toward Hephaestus shop.
On West Street, the road grew dark and desolate after nightfall.
Inside a shop, a petite figure paced anxiously, occasionally darting to the doorway to peer into the distance, as if awaiting something.
She repeated this tirelessly, back and forth.
"Hestia, you're worrying again," Hephaestus said, resting her face in her right hand as she lounged in a chair.
She watched Hestia with a bored expression.
"With Mahiro's strength, as long as he avoids the deep floors, what danger could he possibly face?"
"Besides, given his progress, it's far too early for him to venture that deep. You can rest easy."
"But this is the first time Mahiro's come back so late," Hestia replied, her voice laced with concern.
"What if something happened?"
"You're just fretting over nothing," Hephaestus said with a helpless sigh.
"Mahiro bears your falna, doesn't he?"
"You can still feel the connection through it, right?"
"Yes, I can, but…" Hestia hesitated, her eyes still fixed on the doorway, brimming with worry.
"As long as you can feel it, he's fine," Hephaestus said, rolling her eyes.
A falna was a miracle sparked by a god's blood.
This connection allowed a god to sense whether an adventurer blessed by their falna still lived.
If the adventurer met their end, that bond would sever.
The Guild often relied on this to determine an adventurer's fate—after all, too many met their end in the dungeon for anyone to confirm each case individually.
The presence or absence of a falna served as key evidence of survival.
"I'm back," a voice called from outside, cutting off whatever Hestia had been about to say.
Her worried expression vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of joy and relief.
She rushed toward the door with quick, small steps.
The moment Mahiro stepped into Hephaestus shop, a figure crashed into him.
"Mahiro! Thank goodness you're okay!"
Hestia exclaimed, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, clinging as if she'd never let go.
"You were out so late—I thought something happened to you."
"Sorry," Mahiro said with a smile, gently patting Hestia's head.
"I got held up with something and came back a bit late. I didn't mean to worry you."
"Could you two please stop staging this romantic scene right at my doorstep?"
Hephaestus groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead.
"Have some consideration for others!"
"Hm?" Hestia, still nestled in Mahiro's arms, suddenly stiffened.
She pulled back abruptly, sniffing at him like a curious puppy.
"No way!" she gasped.
"Mahiro, why do you smell like another woman?" Hestia demanded, eyeing him suspiciously.
Mahiro had forgotten that Hestia could be fiercely jealous sometimes.
Then again, he interacted with women daily—Syr and the others at the tavern, for instance—so why was she reacting now?
Had Hestia's nose grown sharp enough to detect a new scent?
"I picked up a supporter from the pallum race today," Mahiro explained.
"It's probably her scent."
"A woman?!" Hestia's voice shot up, her face hardening with seriousness.
"Yes, a woman," Mahiro confirmed with a nod.
"Mahiro, be honest," Hestia said, puffing out her cheeks like a scorned wife confronting a wayward husband.
"Did you come back so late because you were with this female supporter the whole time?"
"I told you—" Mahiro began, reaching out to squish Hestia's cheeks, tugging them until her face contorted.
"I'm sowwy!" Hestia mumbled through her squashed lips.
"While it's partly related to her, the real reason I'm late is the Soma Familia," Mahiro said, releasing her cheeks.
"The Soma Familia?" Hestia froze mid-rub of her sore face, her eyes widening as she stared at Mahiro.
"The Soma Familia?" Hephaestus echoed, her tone growing serious.
"How did you get tangled up with them?"
"That familia has a troublesome reputation," Hestia added, frowning in confusion.
Having spent over three months in the lower world, she'd naturally heard bits and pieces about various familias.
Compared to most, the Soma Familia was practically infamous.
"Maybe I've been earning too much lately, and it's made some people jealous," Mahiro said with a shrug.
"A few unsavory members of the Soma Familia tried setting a trap for me in the dungeon."
"So, after I got out, I paid their place a visit to demand an explanation."
"What?!" Hestia erupted, her anger flaring.
"The Soma Familia dared to do that? Aren't they afraid of the Guild's punishment?"
Hephaestus sighed.
"I've heard they've pulled stunts like this before."
"But without evidence from the dungeon, the Guild can't touch them."
"Still, you actually went to the Soma Familia for an explanation?" Hephaestus asked, her surprise evident.
"Is that a problem?" Mahiro replied.
"I haven't dealt with their members," Hephaestus said with a nod.
"But they're not easy to handle."
"But with your strength, even if you hadn't confronted them, you wouldn't have been at a disadvantage."
"It's fine," Mahiro said with a chuckle. "I reasoned with them, and they fully recognized their mistakes."
"They even handed over the ones who tried to frame me."
"Reasoned?"
"Are you sure the Soma Familia you visited is the same one I'm thinking of?"