Fairy Tail: Igneel's eldest son in Anime Multiverse

Hephaestus stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of her room, and her mood noticeably improved as she watched the sunrise.

She had dumped the issue of the Evilus remnants onto Loki, so she no longer had to worry about any follow-up.

Tsubaki had joined the Loki Familia on their expedition again, so there was no one around to cause random trouble for her.

The rhythmic clanging of metal from the distant workshops, which had begun at dawn, sounded like music to her ears. At this moment, she felt that living a quiet life like this from time to time wasn't so bad.

Boom!

Just as Hephaestus was enjoying this moment of serenity, a rooftop from a distant forge suddenly exploded. A pillar of searing flame shot into the sky, followed by thick smoke billowing out once the flame dissipated.

"Tsubaki again, experimenting with magic swords in the workshop?" Hephaestus scolded instinctively, but immediately remembered that Tsubaki was still in the dungeon.

"Which idiot is it this time?!"

With a frustrated cry, Hephaestus turned to head out and see who had caused such a ruckus.

…

"Cough, cough!"

Charles waved his hand to clear the smoke around him, coughing as he scrambled out of his half-destroyed workshop.

In his hand, he still held a short sword with a blade that gleamed like red crystal.

This wasn't an ordinary weapon—it was a magic sword, a dream artifact for adventurers.

Normally, crafting magic swords required a high-level \[Forge] skill. But with Fal's assistance, that requirement wasn't as strict for Charles.

After crafting several pieces of equipment with the materials on hand, Charles had suddenly decided to try forging a magic sword.

The principle behind a magic sword was actually quite simple: it was about embedding a spell formation—which humans would normally need to chant aloud—directly into the weapon through forging.

The materials used to make such weapons were also highly specialized, often including magic-rich ores or even monster magic stones.

These materials contained high amounts of magical energy and could power the spell formations embedded in the weapon.

However, such materials typically lacked durability, which is why magic swords were known to break after use.

Even so, being able to instantly cast magic at a critical moment was often enough to save an adventurer's life, which made magic swords extremely expensive and in constant demand.

Though Charles's forging skill level was low, with Fal's help he could easily weave spell formations into his weapons.

Adding Fal's magical energy further enhanced the weapon's power dramatically.

Don't ask how Charles knew this—the evidence was all around him. The workshop reinforced by the Gubernu Familia had been blasted open. A normal magic sword wouldn't have caused this kind of explosion.

Charles had underestimated the difficulty of forging a magic sword. The problem occurred at the final step: during the finishing process, he had accidentally triggered the weapon's power. Though he had managed to stabilize it, the resulting explosion had still blown up the workshop.

Fortunately, the blast was focused, so it caused no fire, just destruction.

With such a commotion, people from nearby workshops had come out and gathered to watch the spectacle.

Charles shrank his neck and tried to slip away unnoticed.

But the moment he turned around, he saw Hephaestus standing behind him, her gaze especially stern as she looked at him.

"Uh, Lady Hephaestus, this was an accident—I can explain."

Hephaestus also saw the magic sword in Charles's hand and asked, "You blew up the workshop trying to forge that?"

Charles handed her the sword and explained, "It was my first time forging a magic sword, so I wasn't familiar with the process. That's why the accident happened."

Hephaestus examined the sword. Though the craftsmanship was still a bit rough, it was undeniably a fine piece.

She looked at Charles. By her count, it had only been a month since he started learning forging, and he was already capable of making magic swords. Clearly, she had underestimated this boy's talent and ability.

For some reason, all the scolding she had prepared melted away before she could say a word.

Instead, she said, "I understand. I'll let it go this time—but don't do something this reckless again! You may have talent, but forging magic swords is not easy. You still have a lot to learn!"

Suddenly, Hephaestus seemed to think of something. She glanced at the ruined workshop and then turned to Charles.

"Looks like it's going to take some time to repair this place. So, how about teaming up temporarily with another member of the Familia?

Because of certain reasons, that child doesn't get along well with the others. I'd like to ask you to look after him. And he's pretty good at crafting magic swords—you might even learn a few things from him."

Charles looked at Hephaestus, considering the feasibility of her proposal.

Given her description, the only person that fit was Welf Crozzo—the only one in the forging noble Crozzo family who could still create magic swords.

If Charles remembered correctly, Welf was still Level 1. Teaming up with him would practically be babysitting.

Hephaestus saying Welf had a bad relationship with the rest of the Familia also made sense.

Welf had the ability to forge magic swords, yet refused to do so. For most smiths, forging magic swords was a career goal.

That was like a millionaire complaining to paupers about how annoying it was to carry around so much money.

No one was going to understand Welf's principles—they'd just see him as arrogant. Naturally, that led to strained relationships.

But Charles thought it over and realized that teaming up with Welf had plenty of benefits.

Although Welf hadn't leveled up yet or unlocked the \[Forge] skill, his blacksmithing ability was still solid.

And in terms of magic sword knowledge, he was leagues ahead of Charles.

After weighing the options, Charles said to Hephaestus, "No problem. I don't have anything to do until the workshop's repaired anyway. Since it's a task from you, I'll make sure to fulfill it properly."

Hephaestus instructed a nearby Familia member to fetch Welf, then brought Charles back to headquarters.

Before long, a red-haired young man wearing a Far Eastern kimono and a blue scarf around his neck walked in.

"Lady Hephaestus, you called?"

The youth—Welf Crozzo—greeted her as soon as he entered.

Hephaestus pointed at Charles and said, "This is Charles, the newest member of our Familia. Don't be fooled by how recently he joined—he's a true powerhouse.

Didn't you say you were looking for a party member? He's as reliable as they come."

Welf looked at Charles, seated to the side. He didn't doubt his goddess's words, but Charles looked way too young.

Talents like the Sword Princess were extremely rare. Welf figured Charles was probably around Level 2 at most.

But if even Hephaestus vouched for his strength, then Charles must have something special.

So Welf extended a hand toward him and said, "I'm Welf. Let's look out for each other."

Charles shook his hand and smiled. "We'll look out for each other."

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