Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

Early in the morning, Hephaestus sat on her bed in a daze, occasionally letting out a goofy "hehehe" laugh—completely unlike her usual image as a sharp and capable Familia God.

Thankfully, no one had seen her like this, or they'd be shocked by her current state.

"Knock knock knock!"

A sudden knock on the door snapped Hephaestus out of her daze. She quickly patted her cheeks to regain her usual composure.

"Tsubaki?"

"Yes."

Recognizing who it was outside, Hephaestus didn't bother to get up and tidy herself.

"If you're alone, come on in."

The door soon opened, and in came Tsubaki—alone.

Seeing Hephaestus-sama still lounging in bed, Tsubaki paused in surprise. Normally, Hephaestus-sama would have been up long ago.

'Maybe she was just really tired yesterday.'

Tsubaki had already come up with a reasonable explanation in her mind.

Actually, Hephaestus herself was a little confused by Tsubaki's early visit.

"Tsubaki, why are you here so early today?"

"Well, yesterday Finn asked if you could return the space pouches. Today, someone from Loki Familia came by to check if they could pick them up."

'Ah... I forgot.'

Only then did Hephaestus remember what she'd forgotten.

Finn had discussed the request with her in detail yesterday, and she'd even agreed to check with Bell about the space pouches.

But once she saw Bell, she completely forgot about it.

Thinking back on it now, Hephaestus felt a little embarrassed. She'd promised to handle it, yet forgot to even ask. That was definitely careless.

"Tsubaki, tell them to come back at noon to pick them up."

She hadn't asked Bell yet, but knowing him, the space pouches were definitely ready.

Last time, Bell had brought out a whole batch of pouches—Hephaestus didn't believe they were incomplete.

"Got it."

Tsubaki nodded and left the room without question.

Once Tsubaki was gone, Hephaestus quickly got dressed. She needed to hurry over to the upside-down archive.

It was just after 8 a.m. Normally, Hestia and Bell would have been up by now, but today, both were still asleep.

Yesterday, Bell's body had undergone a full restructuring after receiving the concept of "Robust Health." His potential was further enhanced, compensating for past weaknesses in durability and strength—but the process had left his body severely damaged.

Rather than using Rune to accelerate healing, Bell chose to let his body recover naturally through sleep.

As for Hestia, worried about Bell's injuries, she had chosen to sleep with him in her arms.

'As the Familia God, I can't share my child's pain—but I can at least soothe his wounded body.'

That was Hestia's belief.

Of course, she didn't have any special ability to heal Bell. It was simply her presence—offering emotional comfort and ensuring he could rest peacefully.

So how would she wake the two of them?

Actually, it was pretty simple.

"!"

The moment the barrier was breached, Bell, who had set it, instantly woke up.

Sensing the intrusion, he immediately relaxed—it was someone familiar.

Still, Bell couldn't help but wonder:

'Why did Hephaestus-sama come by so early?'

Though he didn't quite get it, Bell decided to get up.

He glanced down at the still-sleeping Goddess-sama, her head resting on his chest, and the unusually warm softness pressed against his face.

His heartbeat suddenly began to race for no apparent reason.

A special Rune activated, instantly shifting Bell's position and placing him at the edge of the bed.

'Phew...'

Once he pulled away, it was much easier to regain control of his emotions.

Honestly, Bell didn't mind sleeping with Goddess-sama. But waking up to find her face pressed so closely to his every time—any normal person would crack under that pressure.

He glanced at Goddess-sama, still sound asleep, then quickly straightened his clothes and moved to the floor.

But not long after Bell left, Hestia stirred awake.

Sitting up in bed, she looked toward the spot where Bell had just been, puffing her cheeks slightly.

"Bell, you dummy."

...

As soon as Bell reached the floor, he spotted Hephaestus-sama entering the room.

At the same time, Hephaestus saw Bell—and the moment she did, a slight smile crept across her face.

Looking him over, she noticed the numerous wrinkles in his clothes and the mess of his hair. He definitely looked like someone who'd just gotten out of bed.

"Bell, it's this late... Did you just wake up?"

Bell looked a little embarrassed. He rarely slept in, always aware of how dangerous this world could be.

"Yeah... something happened yesterday. I ended up training a bit longer than usual."

"Oh? Something happened, huh?"

Hephaestus couldn't help but grow curious. She was very interested in whatever had happened to Bell the day before.

After all, wasn't that the day she kissed him before he went home?

Seeing the amused, expectant look on Hephaestus-sama's face, Bell couldn't help feeling a little helpless.

"It really was just training."

Even if she misunderstood, it wouldn't be a big deal—but Bell didn't want the misunderstanding going in that direction.

"I pushed myself too hard last night and ended up covered in injuries, so I slept in a little."

Hephaestus's expression shifted slightly. She quickly stepped forward, placed a hand on Bell's shoulder, and used her divine power to check him over.

What she found allowed her to breathe a little easier—Bell's body was even healthier than she had expected. At the very least, there was nothing serious to worry about.

Once she relaxed, Hephaestus reached out and gave Bell's cheek a firm pinch.

"If you're fine, then why push yourself so hard?"

"You don't need to rush your growth so much, do you?"

Even as a blacksmith, she knew strength wasn't something gained overnight. Yet this fool was trying to fast-track everything and called it just a bit of effort last night.

"You have the right conditions to improve. So why be in such a hurry?"

"You've got all the chances you need to grow—what you need to focus on is keeping yourself safe while doing it. Got it?"

Bell froze for a second as his cheeks were pinched, then instinctively looked into Hephaestus's eyes.

"I got it."

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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