Chapter 21: The Goddess of War
「If I remember well, this kid can perform fire magic like me. 」
Seiya talked to me as if he had a plan in mind for Elle.
「Lista, is there a god in the heavenly world that specializes in fire? 」
「A god who can evoke fire. I do have one in mind, but…」
「Nice. Guide us the way. 」
「Hmm. Okay. 」
When I tried to walk out, Elle grasped the hem of my dress and looked quite anxious.
「What's wrong, Elle? 」
「Sorry, Lisutan. But…Is that god of fire kind like you? 」
She must have imagined a tough and rude god when she heard the name "God of Fire". I smiled at Elle.
「It will be okay! Unlike the mad Celseus, Hestica is a lovely and gentle goddess who can beautifully perform fire! So rest assured! 」
「Is that so! I'm glad! 」
Elle showed a bright smile as usual.
—
I took them with me and we headed for the water-mirror pond, which was located near the courtyard. Despite being located within the temple grounds, the pond of the divinity resembled a small lake with beautiful crystal-clear water on its surface. Hestica usually practices her fire abilities near that place…
As we got close to the pond, I thought to myself "I hope she's there". Then, I saw birds made out of fire magic dancing in the sky. There was no mistake. It's Hestica.
Near the shoreline of the water-mirror pond, Hestica was standing with a huge firebird on her arm. Because she was a Goddess of Fire, her favorite color seemed to be only red and, besides that, she was wearing a crimson dress. Her hair was a long wavy red hair, so when I first saw her, it looked like she was immersed in bright red.
Hestica recognized me when she heard my voice.
「Listarte. It’s been a long time since I've seen you. 」
「Lady Hestica. Yes, it's been a very long time. 」
Hestica noticed my companions and gazed at both Seiya and Elle.
「Look at what we have here. Are you the heroes that are under Lista's care? 」
「Yes! In fact, we came here because I had a favor to ask you, Lady Hestica… 」
When I asked if she could teach Elle to improve her fire skills, she answered like this.
「It is the duty of all the gods in the God's realm to support the people who try to save a world. I will gladly help you. 」
Hestica gave me two compassionate replies.
Elle bowed her head to Hestica.
「My…my name is Elle!! I'll be in your guidance!! 」
Hestica gently stroked Elle's head who seemed to be too tense and stiff.
「You have a beautiful red hair. *laughs lightly* Am I that frightening? Don't be nervous, I won't be strict. 」
「Yes! 」
「Well, then, let's get started. Show me your fire magic skills… 」
—
As Elle kept shooting fire arrows into the sky, Seiya and I left the water-mirror pond area. I was relieved to entrust Elle to Hestica. However, I was worried at Celseus state of mind, so I needed to check on Mash later on…
As I walked down the corridor, Seiya spoke with conviction.
「Okay. Let's find someone I can practice with. 」
I looked at Seiya and his eyes were sparkling.
…I felt like I'm the only one mature enough in this group full of children that are under my care…
Even so, I wondered if there is a god stronger than Celseus out there. The God's realm is a very large place; even if we searched, we would take a very long time to find someone suitable. Maybe I should go back to the temple and ask Aria for help…
I was walking emerged in my thoughts that I didn't notice a goddess ahead of me.
*knocking sound* Suddenly, our shoulders collided.
「What? Ah, I'm so sorry! 」
I kept apologizing with my head down, but when I looked up at the goddess that I collided with…
「Ah!? Hey you, can you even walk properly!? 」
She spoke aggressively to me while urgently I stepped away from her.
*nervously sound*
My heart was beating fast when I realized whom I came to face with.
A boyish but beautiful goddess with a short silver hair was approaching me. She was only wearing chains wrapped around her chest and lower body areas. This person was the Goddess of Destruction, Valkyrie. She looked rudely at me.
「Listarte!! A third-rate goddess!! I thought they no longer existed huh!? 」
「I'm, I'm so sorry!! Please forgive me, Lady Valkyrie!! 」
I kept apologizing nervously. Then, after scratching her nose, Valkyrie grinned sarcastically.
「By the way, Listarte. I heard that you got a world with an S-rank salvation difficulty, isn't that right? How's it going? 」
「Well, about that, I guess it's going okay. I'm doing my best though… 」
「*sounds mockingly* It's impossible for you! You're just a lowly third-rate thing! 」
「*laughs hesitantly* That's…that's probable. 」
I was apparently laughing, however, I felt very uncomfortable about this situation.
「Eh… 」
Suddenly, Valkyrie touched my breast with both her hands.
「Wait…what are you doing, Lady Valkyrie!? 」
「*smirks wickedly* I wonder if these are good to grab some milk!! You look better than me, so it should be possible!! 」
「Please…Please, stop it!! 」
Yet, she didn't stop harassing me. She kept rubbing me. Please, if she kept touching me like this, I'll…!
「Don't do it! Stop it…No…Please, stop it…! 」
After I begged tearfully, Valkyrie finally stopped pestering me.
「Okay! I'll leave you alone for now! Listarte, listen carefully; you better be watchful of your surroundings the next time we meet! 」
She walked away looking amused.
Whoa, it was sexual harassment!! That perverted goddess!! What's wrong with her!! Even though, we are in a celestial world, there are still bad goddesses around here!?
I noticed that my dress' upper part was messy and I started to shed some tears. Meanwhile, Seiya stared at me with pity.
「Are you…being bullied? 」
「Of course not!! Lady Valkyrie acts like that in front everyone else!! 」
Actually, since I am a fairly new goddess, I have a low rank. Therefore, I'm always being ridiculed by the others! But, I'm not being bullied…No…I don't want to accept that!
「Anyways, I felt some power coming from that overly exposed woman, am I wrong? 」
「Overly exposed woman you say…Seiya, do you really understand? Listen. She is called as Goddess of Destruction and she is probably the strongest goddess in the God's realm. In the godly rank, she is right next to the powerful Great Goddess Isister. Well, I can't do anything to someone like her. Ah…Seiya, training with her is useless, got it? She's unbelievably strong, but she's a stubborn goddess who won't train anyone but herself. Lady Valkyrie is very fearless. Even gods and goddesses could be erased from this world if they disobey her. One day, there was a god who licked his mouth in front of her, and he was immediately erased. 」
While I fixed my unkempt dress, I looked around and I didn't see Seiya anywhere.
What…?
…All of a sudden, I saw that Seiya was talking to Valkyrie a couple of meters ahead of me.
「Hey, you overly exposed woman. Practice with me. 」
*screams* Oh no!! What is he doing over there!?
「Who's the overly exposed woman, you bastard. 」
Valkyrie's eyes looked at Seiya as if she was looking at an enemy.
「You bastard, don't you dare think that you, summoned heroes, are allies with every god in this place, got that? I'm going to blow your brains, you brat. 」
「Oh. I want to see you try. 」
I jumped in the middle of their furiously clash.
「Stop, stop it please!! Se…Seiya!! Apologize!! Apologize to her now!! 」
No matter how strong you are, you can't have her as your enemy! Valkyrie is the strongest goddess in the God's realm!! But she is clearly different from Isister!! You'll get killed if she's in a bad mood!!
Valkyrie felt a tremendous anger throughout her body while she stared at Seiya.
「It's useless, Listarte. I won't forgive him even if he apologized to me at this precise moment! I'm going to crush this human to pieces! 」
「Oh my god!! 」
*starts panicking* I can't believe I going to retire before saving Geabrande!! Please, someone, help us!!
On that moment.
「Stop it right there. 」
I heard a familiar voice and I saw Aria hurriedly coming at us without catching a breath.
「Lady…Lady Valkyrie!! Please refrain yourself!! 」
「No. This human has an arrogant attitude. He deserves to die. 」
「But this human is the special hero who was summoned to save the world with an S-rank salvation difficulty! Please, calm down your anger!! I'm asking you as your fellow senior goddess Ariadoa, so please, stop!! 」
Valkyrie was thinking for a while after hearing Aria's plead.
「Well, if Aria says so, then I'll forgive him. 」
I stood closer to Aria.
「Instead, I should get a reward and rub the bigger breasts next time, don't you all agree? 」
「Ye…yes… 」
A teasingly Valkyrie walked away with a cunning smile, leaving Aria and I totally embarrassed by her senseless remarks.
—
Has I gave a big sigh of relief, Aria stood up to Seiya.
「Your actions were unreasonable, Seiya! You can’t talk to Valkyrie like that! What do you think it would have happened if I wasn't passing through this corridor? You really are one of a kind! 」
What? Somehow Aria…Aria was mad at Seiya just now? She usually only talks freely with me, so this felt a bit strange…
However, Seiya didn't change his expression and spoke coolly.
「You and Lista are too dramatic. That goddess was just enjoying herself, she wanted to see what kind of reaction I'll make. I didn’t feel any murderous intent from her. 」
Aria and I looked stunned at each other.
「Are you sure? If that's the case then…well, if Seiya says so, it might be true… 」
I felt some strangeness coming from Aria's words before. I think Seiya noticed that too.
「Hey you, did you spoke with me with a too intimate tone before? 」
Aria felt self-conscious as she put her hand on her mouth.
「I'm…I'm sorry. 」
Aria coughed to clear her throat and she spoke the following.
「More importantly, you're looking for someone else to train with except Celseus, right? I'll introduce you to someone, so follow me… 」
Aria took us to the crypt of the temple. After going down the long stoned stairs, we arrived to a narrow passageway illuminated by flaming torches.
I didn't know…there was such a place below the temple grounds.
I felt overwhelmed by the vastness of the temple. On that moment, Aria stopped by the door at the end of the passageway. Apparently, it seemed that we arrived at the intended place.
The rusty door opened while making a cracking sound. Inside, the stoned room looked like a prison and I spotted a woman in the background sharpening a sword.
In the darkness of the room, Aria introduced us to this woman.
「This person is the Goddess of War, Adenela. With respect to swordsmanship, she is a goddess with a much higher power than Celseus.」
Like the wide temple, the God's realm is also a vast place. Gods and goddesses alike live in this vast place; all of them combined, I would roughly say that more than ten thousand live here. Therefore, there are gods that I didn't meet yet, and Adenela, the Goddess of War, was one of them.
「Adenela. Will you practice with this hero? 」
The moment Aria spoke to Adenela, she turned her gloomy gaze to both Seiya and I. She had two big dark circles under her eyes.
「Pra…Practice? To practice with a human being. *sounds weirdly flabbergasted* 」
She spoke with a very low and unpleasant voice through the teeth. She has an unkempt long black hair and her clothes are a bit messy and tattered, they look like prisoner's clothes. Honestly, she doesn't look like a goddess at all. I mean, I just have a bad vibe coming from her.
As soon as I had those thoughts, Seiya, who was next to me, suddenly spoke.
「That's repulsive. She is a disgusting goddess. Ah, I feel sick. 」
*looks amazed* That was what he had on his mind!? Well, I also had the same thoughts, right!? But normally, that's something one keeps inside and not spill it outside, am I correct!?
I'm a bit worried that she might get upset at Seiya just like Valkyrie was before.
「*sounds weirdly okay* It's…It's okay, Aria. I…I like to…to teach. Well then, shall…shall we start? 」
In an instant, Adenela disappeared from our sight. In the next moment, I shuddered. Adenela was standing behind Seiya before I even realized it!
I was dumbfounded, while Adenela laughed weirdly as she stared closely at Seiya.
「You…you managed to follow me with your…eyes, correct? Since Aria recommended you to me, you…you are probably talented. I…I hope you will…will remember my words. Listen, no one in the past managed to learn my "gunshot sword" technique. It…It is a technique that exceeds the range of human senses, because…because it possesses godly speed and surpasses…surpasses common reality. It…It is a technique that pushes the body to its limits. *laughs weirdly* 」
Whoa…This person doesn't look that dangerous compared to Valkyrie, does she? Seiya, what will you do? Even if it was Aria who introduced that person to us, maybe he'll need to think carefully before deciding.
「Okay. Let’s do it. 」
「An instantaneous decision!? 」
This hero…Why aren’t you careful about situations like these!? A while ago, he also went face to face against Valkyrie, without thinking about the consequences at all. He is overly cautious and sometimes he is reckless, I can't figure what he has on his mind!!
「Your "broken sword" technique that pushes the body to its limits. Tell me more about it. 」
「You're…You're wrong. *sounds weirdly* It's…It's "gunshot sword". 」
「Who cares. Anyway, follow me. I'm going to the summoning chamber. 」
「*laughs weirdly* He…He has audacity. I…I understand… 」
Then, Seiya took Adenela and they left the room.
I was left behind with Aria and I asked her…
「I wonder if it will be okay with those two…? 」
「Adenela's power is strong you know. If it's Seiya, then I'm sure he will acquire a lot from Adenela's skills. 」
When Aria professed those words, my mind became lighter. I lowered my head to Aria.
「Aria. Thank you for always helping me. 」
「It's okay. I didn't do that much. I want to help whenever it's possible. That's the least I could do… 」
「…Aria? 」
Aria spoke with a very serious expression and she bit her lips before answering.
「No. It's nothing. 」
And she replied me with a gentle smile like always.
Last chapter of Feb, O_O! More to come in March 😉
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