Danmachi: Hephaestus is my Wife

I kept attacking Tsubaki, but she easily blocked every strike. However, she could no longer remain still. I was pushing her a little more.

We moved around the room as we exchanged blows. Well, I was the only one attacking—Tsubaki was only blocking.

Her lips curved into a smile. "This is great. Your movements are still awful, but your speed has improved significantly. You could fight a strong monster using that sword."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"But even if you can fight a monster, humans are different."

"What?!" Tsubaki finally decided to attack! She moved quickly, swinging her sword toward my neck at high speed. I managed to react, but just in the nick of time.

If I had been even a second slower, her sword would have sliced my neck.

I looked at her sword, which I had barely blocked, then met her gaze. Her eyes sparkled. "See how different it is? Even with your speed, you couldn't keep up with my movements. You lack experience."

"I already knew that. But seriously, you almost killed me." I pushed Tsubaki's sword away and sighed. "I think I should rest a bit." My legs and arms were trembling for some reason.

Was I afraid of dying or something?

No, I don't think that's it.

"Don't worry, of course, I won't kill you. And no, we're not resting yet." Tsubaki said, swinging her sword like a child. Then, her lips curled into a sinister smile.

"I'm going to attack now. Try to block this." Tsubaki attacked me. This time, I could follow her movements. My eyes tracked every motion she made.

She didn't do anything overly complex, but every movement was graceful.

I watched her sword, mesmerized.

Clang!

I swung my sword to block hers.

But even after I blocked it, she didn't stop attacking. She swung her sword again. I focused on her movements. Tsubaki had told me before that I didn't pay enough attention to my opponent's actions, and that was a big mistake.

So now, I was concentrating on following her movements.

And it really made things easier.

If I weren't using this sword, I wouldn't be able to keep up with her movements, no matter how hard I tried. But since I was using it, I could block all her attacks, though with difficulty.

As Tsubaki's strikes became faster and stronger, my hand started going numb, and my body began begging for relief. I was getting exhausted!

I didn't even dare try to attack her. I only focused on blocking her relentless strikes.

Tsubaki kept smiling the entire time, attacking me without pause. She was having way too much fun…

After a few minutes, I was on the verge of giving up, but Tsubaki didn't stop. That's when I lost my patience and decided to counterattack. I followed the movement of her sword—a clean slash toward my neck, just like her first attack.

This time, I didn't block it. Instead, I ducked.

And as I did, I swung my sword toward her stomach.

My sword moved so fast that it created a flash of light, like something out of an animation. Tsubaki stopped attacking and looked down. I looked up, and our eyes met.

Her expression was pure terror.

The look of someone who knew they were about to die.

Her sword slipped from her hands and hit the ground, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Noticing her expression and remembering the attack I had just made, my heart stopped for a moment. I had struck her directly in the stomach—with a legendary-rank sword.

Cold sweat ran down my back as I gathered the courage to look at Tsubaki's stomach.

My body trembled uncontrollably.

Then, I looked down at her stomach.

Her stomach, which should have been cut, was completely intact.

"Pfft!"

That was when Tsubaki finally gave up on her act. "Hahahaha, your face is priceless! Hahahaha, you really fell for it, I can't believe it! Hahaha!" Tsubaki burst into laughter, wiping her tears.

I fell on my butt, silent, watching her as she kept laughing.

'What a bitch.'

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*Tsubaki's POV*

After tricking Eryk, we left the dungeon, and I bought us a drink. We sat at a table outside a bar, and I asked, "So? Did you have fun?" I was expecting a negative answer, but to my surprise…

"Yes, it was pretty fun. Though you were a bit over the top."

I couldn't believe his words. He actually enjoyed it?

"What? Did you think I was mad? I only got irritated when you treated me like a kid—I felt challenged… But in the end, it was fun. We should do this more often."

"I didn't expect to hear that from someone who tried to kill me."

"I already told you—I only tried because I knew I wouldn't succeed."

"But you did try to kill me."

"..."

"Pfft! I'm just kidding, hahaha. Now, finish your drink. I need to talk to the goddess about your training. She was curious about your skills."

"She already knows my skills. She's well aware that I have zero talent with a sword."

"Either way, I have to report to her. You can come along if you want."

"No, it's fine. I'll head back to the training room and practice a bit more."

"It's going to be dark soon. You should rest—you looked exhausted."

"It's fine." Eryk replied confidently. I sighed, then stood up. I paid for the drinks and left him at the bar. I headed back to the tower and climbed up to the goddess's private room.

I knocked a few times, and she greeted me.

"So, how did it go?" The goddess asked, clearly excited.

"Your boyfriend is interesting."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He's hardworking and confident, which makes him interesting. He also learns quickly, so teaching him won't be too difficult."

"So you'll train him?"

"Yes, I'll do it. But of course, it comes at a price."

"Fine, I'll let you keep that hammer. Now, tell me—how was it? I want all the details!" The goddess's eyes sparkled. She completely forgot about her work, eager to hear what had happened in the dungeon.

I told her everything in detail.

By the time I finished, she looked quite satisfied.

"I knew he'd get irritated, hahaha. And as for his learning ability, I had the pleasure of teaching him before. He really picks things up fast. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun."

"Yes, it'll be fun."

"But be careful with your pranks. You went a little overboard."

"Are you going to tell me it wasn't funny?"

The goddess stared at me for a few seconds before smiling.

"I would've loved to see his face at that moment…"

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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. / Chapter 52 - Hephaestus is so cute.