Danmachi: Hephaestus is my Wife

I stared at Tsubaki for a few seconds, thinking carefully about whether I should do this. Attacking an unarmed woman—isn't that wrong? Well, but Tsubaki is strong, much stronger than me… So, screw it.

I dashed toward her and swung my sword. This time, Tsubaki actually moved to avoid my attack.

Just making her move was satisfying enough.

But while I was celebrating internally, I was suddenly struck by Tsubaki's hand. She moved swiftly, hitting me on the head. The impact was strong, leaving me dizzy.

I held my head as Tsubaki laughed.

"Hahaha. The way you reacted was hilarious. Come on, don't stop. Try to hit me." Tsubaki gestured with her hand, provoking me. I clicked my tongue again and charged toward her.

Just like before, I started moving around Tsubaki, trying to land a hit.

Her legs, stomach, even her neck—I attacked as if I intended to kill her.

However, Tsubaki moved as if she were dancing, effortlessly dodging all my attacks. I started getting tired again, and then Tsubaki finally struck back, this time kicking my hand and sending my sword flying.

I looked at my sword on the ground, breathing heavily, while Tsubaki flashed a wide grin.

"Don't even think about picking up your sword. Pick up mine instead."

Tsubaki positioned herself between me and my sword. If I grabbed my sword, I was sure I could land a hit on her. But I wouldn't be able to reach it…

So, I went over and picked up Tsubaki's sword.

If this sword had some kind of special ability, I might be able to hit her.

'That skill that lets me turn anything into a weapon… Does it work in this situation?' I thought I could modify the sword into something new, but nothing happened.

There was nothing I could do.

I'd have to hit her using this ordinary sword.

"What's wrong? Thinking too much? Getting tired?"

"I'm fine. But this is impossible, and you know it."

"Yes, it's impossible for you to hit me. But this will help you improve. Now, keep going. Keep doing this until you collapse. Don't worry, I'll carry you out of the dungeon~~"

"Don't worry, I won't collapse over something like this!" I shouted and rushed at Tsubaki again. Once more, she easily dodged all my attacks and occasionally struck me, causing me a lot of pain.

This woman is strong—insanely strong.

Will this really help me?

I wanted to stop, but since Tsubaki said this would make me stronger, I decided to keep going.

'And to be honest… I don't want to stop until I hit her. This is really frustrating.'

"What is it? Are you getting mad again?"

"Of course not. I'm excited."

"That's good. Come at me."

####

Minutes passed—many minutes… I tried, I really tried, but I couldn't land a single hit on Tsubaki. I was so frustrated that I wanted to leave, but I tried to act like everything was fine.

I sat down on the ground, breathing heavily.

"You're already tired? It hasn't even been half an hour."

"Are you kidding me? It's been almost an hour."

"It hasn't been that long…" Tsubaki stared at me for a few seconds before saying, "Alright, you can rest for a bit. But we're continuing soon."

"Are you sure this will help? I keep attacking you the same way—I'm never going to hit you. Shouldn't you be teaching me some moves or something?"

"I should… But I don't feel like doing that right now. Let's take it one step at a time. Today, I just want to see how strong you are. The real training starts tomorrow. And it won't be here—it'll be somewhere more suitable."

"Is there a training ground for our Familia?"

"Of course there is. We'll be training there starting tomorrow."

Tsubaki sat down next to me and handed me some water. I took a sip and felt a little refreshed.

"Can I use my sword now?"

"I'll let you use it soon. Let's keep going like this for a little longer."

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"Of course not. I'm trying to build up your endurance."

"That's not how it works. If you want me to increase my stats, I should be killing monsters…"

"..."

"Alright, fine, let's continue. But later, I want to do this using my sword."

Tsubaki stood up and crossed her arms.

Once again, she said, "Attack me."

This time, I attacked with even more determination, as if I really wanted to kill her. But even after a long while, I couldn't land a single hit. Once again, frustration consumed me.

After more than twenty minutes, Tsubaki finally told me to stop.

"I can feel your killing intent. Are you seriously trying to kill me?"

"I wouldn't be able to even if I tried."

"Hahaha, you're right. Here…" Tsubaki picked up my sword. "Now you can use your sword. Since you usually fight with your weapons, you need to train with them too. But remember, we'll also train with ordinary swords."

"Alright, I get it. I can't rely too much on my weapons."

"Exactly. You understand well. Of course, this time, I'll also use a sword."

"What's wrong? Are you scared?"

"I'm not scared… But I feel like fighting without a weapon was a bad idea."

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," I said, grinning.

Tsubaki stared at me and then—

"Pfft!" She suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha, are you serious? You're trying to act tough, but you were on the verge of crying just a little while ago."

A sharp wave of irritation hit me.

"Alright, let's go." This time, I felt my body surge with energy.

In an instant, I closed the distance between us.

I saw Tsubaki's eyes widen as my sword neared her neck in a split second.

But—

Tsubaki blocked my sword. Sparks flew through the air, and a loud metallic clang echoed in my ears.

"Oh! You're a lot faster now. This sword is incredible!"

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Read more chapters on my patr eon: patr eon.com/parodygirl

Next chapters: Chapter 45 - Did I kill Tsubaki? / Chapter 46 - You learn very quickly. / Chapter 47 - Do you have a lot of ores? / Chapter 48 - Leveling up. / Chapter 49 - Freya's curiosity. / Chapter 50 - What are you two doing? (Hephaestus's POV) / Chapter 51 - Ex-girlfriend.