Inside the church, Luthar sat on a cold metal slab, numerous cables snaking from his head and body. Dimly glowing holoscreens hovered around him, displaying streams of biological data, chemical markers, and neural pathways.
> [EMOTIONAL RESPONSE REGISTERS: SUPPRESSED]
[SYNTH-ADRENALINE: LEVELS NORMALIZED]
[SEROTONIN INHIBITORS: ACTIVE]
[CORTICAL FILTERS: ACTIVE –]
[NOTE: FOREIGN ENVIRONMENT CAUSING UNKNOWN VARIABLES]
Luthar's bionic eye flicked, reviewing the cocktail of neurochemical suppressants, stimulants, machine overrides, and other enhancement protocols embedded in him by his father back in the Forge World.
Now? They were unnecessary for his new life.
He reached to the side, retrieving a dull-gray injector canister labeled in fading binary script:
[EMOTIONAL RESTORATION PROTOCOL 02 – "EMBER"]
A prototype compound, can be considered heresy. Developed by Mechanicus who believed emotions were a part of human essence—not weakness, as for his ending let just say now he don't have a mouth to talk about emotions.
With a soft click, he jammed the injector into a port on his neck.
Hiss.
The fluid surged into his bloodstream, targeting the cortical filter and serotonin inhibitors like a virus keyed to a very specific lock.
His screen flickered.
He sat still, letting the injector clatter to the floor.
> [SENSORY SYNC: 87%]
[EMOTIONAL REGISTERS: MINIMAL – FLUCTUATING]
[STABILITY: WITHIN ACCEPTABLE PARAMETERS]
Luthar narrowed his eye.
So… this is what remains of feeling?
There was no comfort. No relief.
He raised a hand to his chest, fingers brushing over synthetic skin and metal grafts.
> [EMOTIONAL SPIKE DETECTED: 5.6% — UNIDENTIFIED SOURCE]
He exhaled slowly.
"At least now I don't have to worry about becoming a robot."
It would take time to recover and remove some of the implants, but it was a great start.
Just then, a loud voice echoed from outside the church.
"—You can't stop us form arresting her She broke the law!"
Another voice, sharper and female: "I'm not leaving with you! This is ridiculous!"
Luthar's eye narrowed. He disconnected the cables with a hiss and stood, quickly re-donning his robe. He crossed the floor and pushed open the large church doors.
Outside, the late evening sky had dimmed further. Hestia stood between two armored figures—members of the Ganesha Familia, judging by their ornate uniforms and signature elephant insignias. One of them, tall and imposing, was Shakti herself.
Luthar's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Explanation required."
Shakti turned to him. "Are you the owner of this building?"
"I am."
"We're here for her," she said, gesturing to Hestia. "She released divine aura. That's a direct violation of Guild regulations. We're taking her in for questioning and detainment."
Luthar's eye flicked toward Hestia, then back to the group. "What you detected was not divine aura."
Shakti raised a brow. "Excuse me?"
"It was a malfunction in one of my devices—my Void Engine. An unstable energy surge, likely misread by your sensors." He raised a hand calmly. "Understandable mistake."
Shakti looked unconvinced. "Void Engine?"
"Prototype dimensional core, quantum-adjacent," Luthar lied smoothly. "It has since been contained."
Hearing the several terms which she couldn't understand—
"Then why don't you show me that Engine? I want to see how it released a divine energy," Shakti finally said.
"It's broken. But if you want, I could make a new one—you just have to provide the resources," he replied.
Shakti let out a tired sigh. "I will report the incident. If there's something similar, you better make a few extras."
She understood this might be just an excuse, but she didn't care. She already had too much work—it was better to let Lord Ganesha decide. She turned and motioned to her team. "Let's go."
As Shakti and her team turned and disappeared, silence fell over the churchyard.
Hestia let out a shaky breath and glanced up at Luthar. Bell stood beside her, tense, his fists still clenched from the confrontation.
"Why'd you help us?" Hestia asked.
"Because if I don't help a cute girl now, I might regret it later," he said.
He knew once his emotions stabilized he might crave companionship—or at least the presence of beauty around him. So, he figured it was better to start treating Hestia kindly. That way, when the time came, he wouldn't be completely clueless about how to talk to a girl like a normal person.
Bell looked confused after hearing this answer. For him, a goddess was a goddess, not a cute girl.
Luthar turned and walked back inside without another word.
The two followed hesitantly. The interior of the church was dimly lit, the glow from still-hovering holoscreens bathing the space in a soft, sterile light. A half-assembled servitor stood in the room, ready to be completed.
Luthar sat back on the metal slab, the faint hum of power returning as a few cables reconnected to his skin. He didn't look at them as he spoke.
Hestia stepped forward. "Is there something we can do to help?"
Bell added, "You covered for Hestia, which stopped her from getting into trouble."
Luthar glanced at the two of them. "I do not think you can do anything for me." He paused. "It's better for you to think about yourselves."
Hestia crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks slightly. "Tch. Don't look down on me."
Luthar tilted his head, silently.
She huffed, then added more seriously, "I do know Hephaestus. She can make equipment—the kind even top Adventurers beg for."
Bell blinked. "Wait, you know her?" Even if he had just arrived in Orario, he had heard about Hephaestus.
Hestia grinned at him. "I used to live with her."
She turned back to Luthar. "There's no one who doesn't like her weapons. Maybe I can arrange for you to meet her."
Luthar didn't answer right away. He simply looked at Hestia, then Bell, his gaze unreadable beneath the faint red glow of his mechanical eye.
Hestia tilted her head, waiting. "Well?"
Finally, he spoke. "I can build my own weapons." His tone was even, but there was something almost amused beneath it.
A Tech-Priest going to a god for tools... it's funny. Of course, if it's about stealing knowledge, that's a different thing.
Hestia raised an eyebrow. "No one can make better weapons than her." She caught herself, momentarily forgetting that Hephaestus rarely crafted weapons for anyone.
"I am a Tech-Priest of the Adeptus Mechanicus," he said simply. "My kind dismantled stars and rebuilt them. We created minds of cold steel, souls of circuitry. Compared to what I've built, a divine weapon is a child's toy. There's no comparison."
The silence hung for a beat.
Hestia blinked. "Okay, wow. I think that's the most arrogant thing I've heard all week."
Bell, still trying to catch up, scratched the back of his head. "I haven't heard about anyone destroying and rebuilding the stars."
Luthar didn't react. After all, once he would be using his weapons to capture some monsters, people would realize the difference between miracle and knowledge.
Hestia continued speaking, "It's okay to brag in front of us, but be careful outside or they might think you're crazy."
She started to once again look around, then said, "Well, since we are going to share this place, at least try not to let your scary robots just stare at people when they walk in."
"It's better for you to get used to it—or you might find a place to rent for yourself," Luthar said, turning slightly, his voice as flat as ever. "You should return to your tent. I imagine you have much to do in the morning."
Hestia huffed, planting her hands on her hips. "I would've been asleep already if not for those Ganesha Familia jerks stomping around out there!"
She muttered something under her breath, then looked back up at him. "Where are you going to sleep, anyway?"
"I don't have time to sleep," Luthar replied, adjusting one of the cables on his forearm. "Once the materials arrive, I need everything ready to begin reconstruction immediately."
He pulled out a metallic tube filled with a swirling, iridescent fluid.
"With this, I can stay active without rest."
Hestia squinted at the strange container, leaning back warily. "That… doesn't look like any potion I've seen. I mean—I'm no alchemist, but even I can feel whatever's inside that thing is no good."
Luthar's mechanical eye narrowed slightly, the red lens reflecting the glow of the fluid.
"It was made for soldiers when they need to stay awake for weeks," he said calmly. "As for the side effects—I already have medicine for that."
Hestia looked at him for a long moment, then sighed and turned toward the church's hallway.
"Fine, fine. Just don't die from overwork, alright?"
Bell gave a quick bow. "Good night, Mr Luthar."
Luthar didn't respond. He simply stared at the swirling fluid in his hand,calculating the time he would needed to fix this place .
As the footsteps faded and the door creaked shut behind them, silence returned to the church.