Tsubaki hesitated.
Emiya looked serious. Too serious.
She couldn't tell if he was telling the truth.
Did he really have important information related to the Hephaestus Familia?
Or was this some kind of prank?
After all, he was from the Loki Familia.
It was hard not to think that way.
Loki's reputation had spread throughout Orario long ago.
Starting fights between gods for fun. Treating chaos as entertainment.
The Goddess of Pranks was known to everyone.
After a brief pause, Tsubaki asked, "Do you have any proof that what you're saying is true?"
Emiya thought for a moment, then took a phone from his pocket and handed it to her.
"You can give this to Hephaestus."
"...What is this?"
Tsubaki stared at it, completely baffled.
Emiya took it back, opened the camera, and snapped a picture of her. Then he handed it back.
"What do you think?" he said casually. "Looks good, right?"
Tsubaki froze.
On the screen was her own face.
"This... this..."
"Take it to Goddess Hephaestus," Emiya said with a smile. "She'll understand."
"Please wait a moment."
Tsubaki didn't understand what the object was, but she could vaguely sense its value. She turned and ran, heading straight for her goddess.
Erina watched her disappear and asked quietly, "Is that really going to work?"
"Of course," Emiya said confidently. "A phone or a camera is an unimaginable treasure in this world. Someone like Hephaestus will definitely realize its value."
He added calmly, "Don't forget. She's the goddess of blacksmithing."
As expected, Tsubaki returned not long after.
"The goddess Hephaestus would like to see you."
"Then please lead the way, Miss Tsubaki," Emiya said.
She nodded and turned.
They followed her through the shop's back door, along a wide, winding corridor, and finally stopped in front of an office.
Tsubaki opened the door and stepped inside.
"Goddess, they're here."
"Let them in," a magnetic voice replied.
Emiya, Erina, and Hisako entered.
Emiya's gaze immediately landed on the red-haired goddess seated behind a large desk, casually playing with the phone.
Hephaestus.
The famous goddess of blacksmithing.
Like Loki, she had vivid red hair-but hers burned like flame.
Her sharp, angular features carried an unmistakable will.
The precious metal earring at her ear was almost overshadowed by her presence.
Most striking of all was the black leather patch covering half her face.
It closely resembled Tsubaki's.
Or rather, Tsubaki was clearly imitating her.
"Are you the ones who wanted to see me?" Hephaestus asked.
Emiya nodded. "To be precise, I'm the one who wanted to see you, Goddess Hephaestus. These two aren't here for you. They're here for Hestia."
"Hestia?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Hephaestus's eyes.
"Yes. They want to join the Hestia Familia."
"...Join Hestia's Familia?"
"Yes. But we can talk about that later," Emiya said calmly. "Let's talk about the item in your hand first."
With just a few words, he took control of the conversation.
Hephaestus noticed.
She didn't mind.
Her attention was already on the phone.
"What do you call this?"
"A cell phone."
"And what does it do?"
"It's a convenient tool. Surfing the internet, making calls, recording videos, taking pictures."
"Taking pictures?" Hephaestus tapped the screen and brought up Tsubaki's photo. "Like this?"
"Yes," Emiya replied. "The camera can capture a person's best moments. You can even print them as photos. Years later, you can look back and remember your prime."
Hephaestus paused.
"That's an incredible invention."
"It is."
"And this 'internet'?" she asked.
"I'm sorry. That function can't be used right now, so I can't show it to you," Emiya said honestly. "But I can promise you this-once people use it, they get addicted very easily."
"Is that so?" She didn't comment further. "What about making calls?"
"That also can't be demonstrated," Emiya said. "But people can use it to talk to others over great distances. Potentially across the entire world."
Hephaestus fell silent for a moment.
"If what you're saying is true," she said slowly, "then this 'cell phone' is a priceless treasure."
Emiya shook his head.
"No. The phone itself is valuable, but once you understand its principles, it can be mass-produced. It's far from priceless."
He looked at her directly.
"The truly priceless thing is the technology behind it."
Hephaestus didn't respond immediately.
Then she turned to Tsubaki.
"Tsubaki. Leave us for a moment."
Tsubaki nodded and left without protest.
Once the door closed, Hephaestus let out a quiet sigh.
"You came to me so openly," she said. "Aren't you afraid I'll rob you?"
Her gaze sharpened.
"Person from another world."
Emiya clapped lightly.
"As expected of Goddess Hephaestus. You figured out our identity immediately."
She snorted and raised the phone.
"Don't take gods for idiots. This thing doesn't belong to this world."
She rubbed her temple.
"The gods know there are multiple worlds. But none of us have ever found a way to reach another."
She looked at Emiya again.
"I never thought people from another world would appear so brazenly."
"You're not even trying to hide it."
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