I was checking my storage one more time when there was a soft knock at the guest room door. When I opened it, Grayfia stood there with that perfect posture of hers—back straight, hands clasped in front, every detail of her maid uniform immaculate.
"Akira-san," she said with a polite bow, her voice carrying that formal tone she always used. "I hope I am not interrupting your preparations."
"Not at all," I replied, genuinely curious. Having the strongest Queen in the underworld at my doorstep did raise some questions in my head "What can I do for you?"
"Sirzechs-sama has requested that I escort you to your destination and provide assistance if necessary" she said, her expression remaining perfectly composed "Given the recent political developments, it would be prudent to ensure your safe arrival and well being"
*Ah. They're worried about Hades making a move while I'm traveling. Having someone like her around, would help me a lot*
"Additionally," she continued, as she summoned a magic circle over the table "I have been entrusted with the materials you requested through Azazel-sama."
My eyebrows shot up "You have them? All of them?"
With a nod, she brings forth the ingredients that i requested. First came a chunk of metal that seemed to glow with its own inner light—blessed orichalcum. Then a crystal container holding what looked like liquid fire that moved like it was alive. Finally, she carefully extracted a lantern that contained phoenix fire that made the air around it shimmer with heat.
*Great*
"Azazel-sama indicated these were of considerable rarity and value," Grayfia said, as if she hadn't just casually produced materials worth more than small countries. "He also mentioned that the phoenix fire required... particular negotiation tactics."
I couldn't help but grin at that. "Knowing Azazel, he probably traded embarrassing stories or research data instead of money."
The faintest hint of what might have been amusement flickered in her eyes. "I believe the exact phrase was 'tactical bartering,' though he declined to elaborate further."
Yoruichi poked her head out from where she'd been lounging on the bed, her golden eyes immediately locking onto the phoenix fire. "Well, well. The maid's got some good curves. Though I have to ask—can you actually keep up if things get messy out there?"
Grayfia simply regarded Yoruichi with that same composed expression. "I believe I am adequately prepared for most contingencies, Yoruichi-san."
There was something in her tone—still perfectly polite, but with just enough emphasis underneath to suggest that questioning her combat capability might not be wise.
"Fair enough," Yoruichi said, and I caught the slight grin on her face. She was testing Grayfia's reactions, probably out of pure curiosity.
"If you're ready to depart," Grayfia continued smoothly, "I have prepared a transportation circle. The journey should take approximately fifteen minutes."
I shouldered my bag and carefully stored the new materials. "Thanks for handling the procurement of items, Grayfia san."
"It is my duty," she replied, though I thought I caught a hint of satisfaction in her voice.
. . .
The transportation circle moved us at the base of what looked like a fortress carved directly into the mountainside. Ice formations jutted out at impossible angles, creating a structure that was equally beautiful and intimidating.
Grayfia observed, her professional eye clearly analyzing the magical defenses. "This level of enchantment would require considerable skill and patience to establish."
"That's Lavinia for you," I said, remembering our previous collaborations. "She doesn't do anything halfway."
Before we could approach the entrance, the massive doors swung open, and Lavinia emerged with that graceful movement she had on ice. She looked exactly as I remembered—long flowing blonde hair that seemed to move with its own breeze, pale skin, and those sharp blue eyes that missed absolutely nothing. She was wearing her usual witch-style outfit—a dark robe with a cloak and that pointed hat that somehow managed to look both practical and elegant.
"Akira!" she called out, genuine warmth in her voice. Despite her innocent appearance, there was an underlying intensity to her movements that suggested someone completely comfortable with dangerous magic. Then her gaze shifted to Grayfia, and I saw her straighten slightly in recognition.
"And Grayfia Lucifuge," she said, inclining her head respectfully. "An honor to have you here. I am Lavinia Reni, a member of Team Slash Dog"
"Thank you for allowing us to use your facilities, Lavinia-san," Grayfia replied with perfect politeness.
"It does carry risks," Lavinia said, her expression becoming more serious. "I've prepared the workshop with every safety measure I could think of. Though I'll be honest—I'm not entirely sure what to expect from divine weapon work."
Yoruichi stretched on my shoulder, clearly sizing up our host. "At least you're honest about not knowing what you're getting into."
"I appreciate the workspace," I said. "Fair warning though—this is going to take about a week, and the magical fluctuations are going to be intense. I'll need help managing the energy overflow" I said, patting my storage where the new materials were secured, "Grayfia brought everything we discussed. We're fully supplied."
Lavinia's eyes lit up with genuine curiosity. "A week? What exactly are you planning to do? Azazel mentioned divine weapon work, but he was rather vague about the specifics."
*Right, she doesn't actually know what I'm going to do here. Azazel probably just told her I needed a secure workspace.*
"You'll know soon enough"
. . .
The workshop was every bit as impressive as I'd expected from Lavinia. The chamber was carved directly into the mountain's heart, with ice formations covering every surface. Each formation pulsed with contained magical energy, creating a network of wards and containment fields that made my senses tingle.
"The magical engineering is remarkable," Grayfia said, examining the ice formations with obvious professional interest. "This level of containment work would be suitable for warding off high levels of mana."
"It took Six months of constant work," Lavinia replied, moving to check various instruments with practiced efficiency. "Each formation is designed to absorb and redirect magical overflow. I built it for my own experiments, but it should handle whatever you're planning."
"Emergency teleportation circles keyed to my magical signature," Lavinia answered seriously. "If the containment fails catastrophically, we have approximately three seconds to evacuate before the mountain ceases to exist."
"Three whole seconds?" I said dryly.
"I believe in adequate safety margins," she replied with what might have been humor.
I pulled Hades' spear from storage, and immediately the chamber's temperature plummeted. The ice formations along the walls flared brighter, working to contain the death energy radiating from the weapon.
"That's... a lot of death magic," Lavinia said, taking an instinctive step back. "What exactly is that thing?"
"One of the spears that belonged to Hades," I said simply. "And I'm going to completely remake it into something better."
Lavinia blinked. "Remake it? As in... destroy and rebuild? A divine weapon?"
"That's the plan," I confirmed, setting the spear on the work surface. "It's going to involve breaking it down to its basic components and rebuilding from scratch. The magical fluctuations during the process are going to be massive—way more than I can handle alone."
I looked at Grayfia. "That's where I'm hoping you can help. Your power level should be enough to help stabilize things when the energy gets out of hand."
I began pulling out the materials Grayfia had brought—the blessed orichalcum that seemed to emit its own gentle light, the phoenix fire that made the air around it shimmer, and finally the Holy Water of Life.
"Those materials..." Lavinia stared at them with wide eyes, as she couldn't think of what would this experiment lead to.
Grayfia studied the setup with her professional eye. "You mentioned requiring assistance with magical stabilization. What specifically would you need?"
"During the reconstruction process, there are going to be moments where the magical energies spike beyond what the containment systems can handle," I explained. "I'll need someone with your level of power to help channel and redirect the overflow. Don't worry we will be doing it for weeks with spaced breaks, not continuously obviously."
"I see." She nodded slowly. "That is... manageable. A week-long commitment for such a project seems reasonable."
Lavinia was staring at everything with fascination, but I could tell she was out of her depth. "I have to ask—how do you even know how to do something like this? Divine weapon crafting isn't exactly common knowledge."
"It's a recent skill I picked up," I said vaguely. "Let's just say I'm good with my hands and leave it at that."
"A week though," she continued, looking around her workshop. "You're welcome to stay here, of course. There are guest quarters, and I can provide meals. This is... honestly, this is the most interesting thing that's happened here in months."
Yoruichi hopped back onto my shoulder. "At least our host is enthusiastic about potentially having her mountain blown up."
"Are you certain you wish to proceed?" Grayfia asked, and I could hear the genuine concern in her formal tone.
I looked around at the three of them—Lavinia vibrating with scientific excitement, Grayfia maintaining professional composure while clearly ready for anything, and Yoruichi watching everything with that knowing look that suggested she was prepared to bail us all out if necessary.
*No pressure at all.*
"Yeah," I said, approaching the forge and feeling that familiar confidence settle over me. "Let's see if we can remake a god's weapon into something even more crazy weapon."
The phoenix fire roared to life with a sound like controlled thunder, immediately filling the chamber with heat that made the air shimmer and dance. Lavinia's cooling systems activated, creating impossible temperature gradients that should have torn the room apart but instead created perfect working conditions.
*Here we go. Time to find out if divine weapon forging is worth all the hype.*
I lifted Hades' spear, feeling the weight of death magic and centuries of divine craftsmanship in my hands.
"Alright, you piece of divine metalwork," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. "Let's see what you're really made of."
. . .
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