Danmachi: Hephaestus is my Wife

After I finished eating, Nina prepared to clear the table, but I stopped her. We talked for a long time, but there was one thing Nina refused to discuss: Hephaestus.

For some reason, she didn't want to talk about the goddess. Every time I mentioned Hephaestus's name, Nina became a little uneasy and distanced herself from me.

Considering what Hephaestus did—canceling my training with Tsubaki out of jealousy—I wouldn't be surprised if she said something unnecessary to Nina. And I want to know what she said.

Depending on what it was, I might need to have a serious conversation with her.

I like her, but this jealousy of hers bothers me a little.

"Before you clean the table, I have a few questions to ask you about the goddess."

"Urgh..." Nina groaned and took a step back. "Can we talk about this later? I think it's better if I clean the table first..." Nina was trying to escape this conversation, but I didn't let her.

"It'll only take a few minutes. It's fine."

"Listen, Luan... I think it's better if we don't talk about this. The goddess might get angry!"

"Angry about what? What did she tell you?" I already had an idea of what happened, but I asked anyway. Nina, looking even more restless, lowered her head and took a deep breath before speaking.

"She told me not to get too close to you, that's all. She seemed irritated, so I didn't question her. I think it's best to obey her. Please, don't talk to me too much."

There was a sadness in Nina's voice.

"But haven't we already talked a lot today?"

"That's because you kept talking to me!"

"Pfft..."

"Why are you laughing?"

"It's nothing. I just thought it was cute." Nina stomped her foot on the ground, acting like a shy teenager. With her youthful appearance, she really does remind me of one. Speaking of which, I don't even know how old she is.

"C-Cute!?" Nina's face turned even redder. "Please, don't say things like that... I'm not cute..." Her last words were almost inaudible, but I heard them.

"You are cute. Very cute. Listen..." I put on a serious expression. "Don't worry about what Hephaestus said. She had a little jealousy episode recently. I'll talk to her about it."

"No, please! Don't fight with her because of me!" Nina suddenly stepped forward, kneeling in front of me. "If you fight with her because of me, I'm sure I'll get fired. So, please!"

I was surprised. I placed my hand on her shoulder and said, "Stand up, don't do that. I'm not going to fight with her, just talk. And it's not because of you… I just don't like overly jealous women."

"But..."

"Don't worry, it's fine. Come on, get up." I helped Nina to her feet, and she lowered her head, embarrassed.

What a strange and uncomfortable situation.

"You're my friend, Nina. I can't stop talking to you just because of my girlfriend. I will never betray Hephaestus, and she needs to have confidence in me. It bothers me that she's trying to push you away out of jealousy."

"But isn't it normal? To feel jealous?"

"Of course it is. But what she's doing is way too much."

Well… Maybe if I had been more jealous, my ex-girlfriend wouldn't have cheated on me. If I had been watching her all the time, she wouldn't have had the chance to betray me.

But a relationship like that isn't healthy. Those kinds of relationships always end in tragedy.

I've seen so many cases like that.

As I prepared to leave the room, Nina called out to me one last time. "Eryk! You promise you won't tell the goddess about our conversation, right?" Nina still looked worried, but I assured her I wouldn't tell Hephaestus.

"Don't worry." I smiled at her and left the dining room.

But to my surprise, Hephaestus was heading toward the room just as I opened the door. When she saw me, a huge smile appeared on her face. But as she got closer and looked inside, she saw Nina's red face, and her expression changed.

"What happened?"

Nina heard Hephaestus's voice, and her face turned pale.

I smacked my forehead and said, "Nothing happened." Then, I closed the door and grabbed Hephaestus's hand. "Come on, we need to talk."

"Hey, what happened? I'm sure something happened between you and Nina! Hey!"

####

Hephaestus kept questioning me about what happened between me and Nina, but I remained silent. When we reached our bedroom door, I let out a long sigh and opened it.

As soon as I stepped inside, Hephaestus shut the door behind us.

"You're not going to tell me?" She stared at me with sharp eyes. I felt like she was looking straight into my soul. But since I hadn't done anything wrong, I managed to stay calm.

"Nothing happened between me and Nina. We just talked."

"..."

"She told me about the conversation you had with her."

"That..."

"Why did you do that? Why did you tell Nina to stay away from me? Don't you think you're overreacting? You canceled my training without consulting me, and now you're trying to push a friend away from me."

"..."

"Nina works for you. Don't you trust her? Or rather… don't you trust me? I told you before that I would never betray you, didn't I? You know I meant it. So why are you acting like this?"

Hephaestus stared at me for a few seconds before looking away. "I'm sorry…" she said. "Yes, I overreacted a little."

"A little? You overreacted a lot! The way you're acting is extremely uncomfortable."

'She was a little jealous before, but now her jealousy is getting out of hand!'

"I already apologized, okay!?" Hephaestus said firmly. "It's just… I lost my mind after what I saw at the training grounds."

"I already told you that nothing happened, didn't I?"

"I know! But I can't get the image of you resting on Tsubaki's lap out of my head! You looked like you were enjoying it so much!"

"I was unconscious!"

"I know!" Hephaestus looked like she was about to cry. "I'm sorry, okay? I know I'm overreacting. I'll stop acting like this. Please, don't hate me."

"I could never hate you."

As I stepped closer to her, Hephaestus suddenly said:

"Nina likes you."

"...What?"

"I had a conversation with Nina today. That's why I asked her not to get too close to you."

What the hell did I hear? Does Nina like me? Why!?

####

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Next chapters: Chapter 54 - Excessive jealousy. / Chapter 55 - Does Nina like me? / Chapter 56 - What did she mean by that? / Chapter 57 - Kicked out. / Chapter 58 - I want to reach the next boss. / Chapter 59 - Fight with the giant frog. / Chapter 60 - Simple Plan / Chapter 61 - Danger. / Chapter 62 - My leg!