71) Kill yourself! (Patreon)

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{3rd Pov}

The process of identifying the slaves and taking care of them was still ongoing.

Lord Optos had already sent messengers to the Empire's higher officials, requesting that someone be dispatched to deal with this rogue adventurer who had slaughtered so many innocent soldiers.

Meanwhile, Masdura was practically a hostage in the presence of the man who refused to leave her side.

Since there was nothing, she could do about it for the moment, she decided to continue inspecting the rescued slaves alongside him.

However, that was when they were about to depart, a bombshell dropped.

“M'Lady! A divine... A Goddess is here!” a soldier reported to Masdura, Ember, and Akari, much to all of their surprise.

The princess had not expected this at all.

After all, none of the Empire's Gods normally left their own cities, and considering the visitor was a Goddess, there could only be one of the three Goddesses affiliated with the Empire.

“Oh? I wonder who it might be?” Masdura asked nonchalantly.

After the initial surprise, there was not much reason for her to be shocked.

After all, when it came to the whims of the Gods, unexpected events were simply a part of life whether people liked them or not.

However, Ember suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

“It's Goddess Athena,” the soldier replied.

The moment the soldier spoke that name, the tray of freshly prepared tea and cookies slipped from Akari's hands.

The plates shattered against the floor, hot tea splashed in every direction, and the cookies scattered across the ground, instantly becoming covered in dust.

Masdura herself thought she had misheard.

She blinked once before looking at the soldier again.

“Are you sure you said that correctly?” she asked with disbelief.

“It should be Goddess Audumla, right?”

“No, M'Lady. It's Goddess Athena, the ruler of Altena,” the soldier confirmed without hesitation.

By now, the fake smile had completely disappeared from Masdura's face.

Ember, on the other hand, immediately realized that the report had to be true.

Athena was indeed in the city.

‘Has she gone mad?! She's exposing herself in enemy territory!’ he thought in disbelief.

He understood better than most what the consequences of Athena revealing her identity could be.

Although no mortal would realistically be able to harm her, since she was still a Goddess, even if her current mortal vessel was physically weaker than an ordinary soldier, that hardly mattered.

While the Gods were forbidden from using their Arcanum, they could still release a small portion of their divine will.

Even the divine will of a minor God was powerful enough to overwhelm the minds of Level 8 or Level 9 adventurers.

Compared to that, ordinary soldiers stood absolutely no chance of resisting it.

But that rule did not apply to other Gods.

Despite the Empire's ideology of human supremacy, it still had Gods presiding over it, and one God could definitely kill another God.

Knowing the consequences did not necessarily mean they would refuse to act.

If the Empire discovered that Athena was alone within its borders, they might very well be tempted to seize such an opportunity.

Not to mention, while mortals were incapable of harming a God directly, the same could not be said for monsters.

Monsters were completely immune to divine will.

If someone simply lured a group of monsters toward Athena, then she would be in serious danger.

It would also be an incredibly clever way to avoid directly breaking one of the greatest taboos.

After all, it would not be a mortal attacking a Goddess.

The monsters would do the killing instead.

It was a risk the Empire might very well be willing to take.

Because if Athena were gone, Altena would be left without its Goddess, making it far easier for the Empire to invade and plunder the nation.

Ember truly could not comprehend just how reckless that Goddess had become just for her obsession towards him.

“Please invite her inside. Do not make her wait outside,” Masdura quickly ordered the soldier.

The soldier immediately nodded and hurried away.

Masdura knew that since the soldiers did not belong directly to her, news of Athena's arrival would inevitably reach Addison and Lord Optos as well.

There was nothing she could do to stop that now.

But at the moment, her mind was spinning with questions.

Why the hell was the Great Goddess of Wisdom, the ruler of the entire nation of Altena, standing inside a foreign country so far away from her own kingdom?

No matter how she looked at it, the situation made absolutely no sense.

Soon, the soldier returned, respectfully escorting the Goddess into the room.

The moment Athena stepped inside, both Masdura and her maid instinctively held their breath.

They immediately felt the same divine presence that every God naturally possessed.

Their instincts screamed that the being standing before them was a higher existence.

Someone whose very existence stood above mortals.

Someone whose will should never be defied.

However, a God's divine presence merely confirmed that they were truly divine.

It did not influence the minds of mortals, nor did it automatically fill them with fear unless they themselves desired it so.

Masdura stared at the Goddess standing before her.

Snow white hair and deep blue eyes.

There was no mistaking her.

She was indeed the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena herself.

Her appearance perfectly matched every portrait Masdura had ever seen of her.

The moment the Goddess stepped into the room, the soldier respectfully bowed before swiftly taking his leave, knowing it was no longer his place to remain inside.

A good soldier knew when to leave.

More importantly, a good soldier also knew when to keep his mouth shut and avoid exposing anything related to his lords or their guests.

Athena, meanwhile, paid no attention to anyone else present.

From the moment she entered, her gaze remained fixed on a single person.

Ember.

He stared back at her in complete disbelief, mixed with growing fear as he wondered what exactly she was planning this time.

Athena simply smiled.

Her face lit up with a radiant expression as her beautiful cherry pink lips slowly parted.

“I love you!”

Masdura, who had been about to respectfully greet the Goddess, suddenly felt her mind short-circuit.

Did she hear that correctly?

Did such a beautiful Goddess really just say, “I love you!”?

For a single, glorious moment, Masdura's imagination ran wild.

Don't tell her? Were her dreams of a forbidden romance with a Goddess actually about to come true?!

Unfortunately, those hopes were crushed almost immediately.

Athena walked straight past her.

Without sparing Masdura so much as another glance, the Goddess headed directly toward the man standing behind her.

The mysterious savior of the slaves.

“Are you out of your mind?” Ember said as he face palmed himself, anger bubbling up inside him.

“Yes.”

“I am completely out of my mind.”

“I am totally insane for you!” Athena replied without missing a single beat.

There was not even a hint of embarrassment on her face.

At that moment, Masdura and her ever silent maid, Akari, found themselves reduced to nothing more than spectators in someone else's romantic story.

“I did... I was being so selfish, so arrogant, and so self-conceited that I became blinded by my own feelings. I never stopped to truly respect yours. But I know what I need to do now. From this moment onward, I will respect all of your wishes and your feelings,” Athena said, her blue eyes filled with unmistakable infatuation.

Meanwhile, Ember frowned before letting out a dry snicker.

“Respect my feelings?!” he shot back.

“Do you even realize what you're doing right now?”

“You just exposed yourself in front of the damn royal princess of this nation!”

“And by now, the news of your appearance has probably already reached that bastard's ears!”

Masdura's lips twitched involuntarily.

Although she understood why Ember was reacting like this, people of high status normally never spoke to one another so directly.

The nobility always hid their true thoughts behind pleasant smiles, soft spoken words, and carefully crafted agreements.

Even when they hated someone, they maintained the appearance of virtue while avoiding needless damage to each other's pride or creating unnecessary enemies.

Yet this bastard, he genuinely did not give a single damn about her identity or status!

“So what?” Athena replied as she calmly spread her arms, a golden glint appearing within her eyes.

“I am the Goddess of Wisdom.”

“But I am also the Goddess of War and the ruler of the domain of Victory.”

She looked directly at Ember before continuing in a calm yet unwavering voice.

“I make you this promise, my love.”

“If they so much as try to harm you by taking advantage of either my identity or yours...”

“I will lay this entire nation to waste.”

“Regardless of the consequences.”

The moment those words left Athena's lips, both Masdura and Akari felt a chill run down their spines.

“G-Goddess, we haven't done anything!” Masdura hurriedly said.

“And as long as I am here, I swear that no harm will come to either you... or him during your stay in this place!”

She spoke as quickly as she could, trying to calm the increasingly dangerous atmosphere.

Masdura knew that Gods were eccentric by nature but even the evil Gods generally followed the most basic rule of all.

They did not use their Arcanum.

But this Goddess? She was different, Masdura can tell!

She had not come here seeking amusement.

She had come here because of love and Masdura understood one terrifying truth about the Gods.

If they truly decided to do something, whether it was good or evil, they would carry it through regardless of the consequences.

If for a God something outweighed amusement, then there is nothing holding them back.

“I have already rejected you,” Ember spoke up.

Even though a part of him still felt hurt, he was no longer willing to be with this crazy Goddess.

After everything that had happened, he no longer knew how much of what she was showing was truly genuine.

He doubted her now and once doubt took root in a person's heart, it was not something that disappeared easily.

“It is fine,” Athena replied with a gentle smile, even as a few tears slowly slipped from the corners of her eyes.

“You do not have to love me.”

“You can love another woman if that is what your heart desires.”

“I know I have broken your trust.”

“And I know that I cannot expect you to forgive me.”

She took a slow breath before continuing.

“But I cannot give up on my feelings.”

“No matter what happens... I truly cannot.”

“I could simply say that it is a God's nature...”

“But listen to me, my love.”

“I will love you, and only you, for all eternity.”

“That is my oath.”

The moment those final words left her lips, ripples of her Arcanum spread throughout the entire world, crossing all realms and reaching Heavens itself.

The Supreme God of Authority and Sky, Ouranos, instantly sensed the oath that had just been etched into the Heavens for all eternity.

It was similar to the Oath of Virginity, which granted every virgin Goddess sacred power that erased depraved thoughts from the world as long as they upheld their vows.

However, this was not a simple oath that could be broken.

Just like the Divine Oath of Marriage, it was absolute.

If Athena were ever to break it, her divine form would shatter for all eternity.

Although she would not truly die because of her immortality, she would either continue dying over and over again or remain trapped in unbearable pain for eternity, cursed by her own divine nature for violating such an oath.

Only a handful of Gods throughout history had ever sworn vows of this magnitude.

Most of them had eventually turned into yanderes or goudere because of the overwhelming weight of those eternal oaths.

Among them, only Parvati could be considered somewhat sane even after taking such a vow, considering her husband had the card to have harem openly unlike other poor gods.

The Sky God could only sigh in defeat.

Although he did not particularly like this development, he could not deny that he found it somewhat amusing.

‘The Lower World is truly wonderful... to think it could change a virgin Goddess like this,’ he thought to himself.

Even if he could imagine minor Virgin Goddesses such as Aurora or Astrea falling in love and eventually breaking their Oaths of Virginity, he had never once expected someone like Athena to end up in such a state.

She was one of the Three Great Virgin Goddesses.

Not only among the Gods of Olympus, but among the entirety of the Heavens.

She was also one of only three Goddesses capable of nullifying Freya's Divine Charm, rendering the Goddess of Beauty's authority completely useless in her presence.

Even among the Three Virgin Goddesses, Athena had always been the most unique.

One was notoriously lazy.

Another openly despised men.

Athena, on the other hand, had always been pragmatic.

Out of the three, she should have been the one least likely to ever fall in love with anyone, because she was God of Logic and Wisdom, and love is one of the most illogical things in the world.

“You... Do you really think that...?” Ember muttered, no longer knowing what he was supposed to do.

He had always believed in giving people a second chance.

He believed that, if possible, a person deserved to be forgiven at least once.

But this situation was not just about him anymore.

It was also about Aurora.

If he chose to forgive Athena, then what if she remained the same woman she had been before?

What if she continued going as far as she possibly could just to make him hers?

He did not want his decision to end up hurting Aurora.

At the same time, he could not help but feel pathetic.

Back then, when it came to protecting his own freedom, he had been willing to hurt even his parents and his sister.

Yet now, he found himself hesitating simply because he had fallen in love with someone.

He was fully aware of the inconsistency in his own logic.

He recognized the contradiction within himself.

But sadly, mankind had never been known for being perfectly rational creatures.

Most people were ultimately guided not by cold rational logic, but by mix of their emotions, trust, and beliefs and somewhat logic if they were smart.

After all of this, it felt as though he was simply going back and forth with Athena without ever reaching any conclusion.

“Hate me... if that makes you feel better,” Athena said softly.

“In fact, never trust me again.”

“I will be happy as long as I get to see you happy.”

“But there is one thing I simply cannot do.”

“Forgive me.”

“But a selfish bitch like me cannot stop herself from forcing her love on you.”

The entire room fell silent.

Masdura had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to do anymore.

Watching a romantic drama unfold between a Goddess and an elf was already shocking enough.

But that Goddess just had to be Athena?!

She suddenly felt that there was a very real possibility she would be silenced simply because she had witnessed this entire conversation.

Her brain worked overtime as she desperately tried to think of something to do other than stand there like a statue.

Unfortunately, no good idea came to mind.

Of course, Akari remained a perfectly silent statue as well.

At least, in her case, it was the professional thing to do.

A maid of her standing was never supposed to interfere in political matters.

Those decisions belonged to her lady alone.

Her only duty was to protect Masdura, and nothing more, nothing less.

“Please... just let me love you. Hate me as much as you want. If you want my sincerity...”

Athena paused as Ember suddenly raised his hand, signaling for her to stop.

She immediately fell silent and looked at him.

Then Ember stared directly into her eyes.

“If you really do love me... then I will let you love me for the rest of eternity.”

He paused for a brief moment before continuing in a cold, emotionless voice.

“But I cannot trust you.”

“So... please kill yourself.”

The moment those words left his mouth, both Masdura and Akari were horrified by the request.

“Wait a minute!” Masdura blurted out before she could stop herself.

“Do you even realize what the fuck you're asking?!”

“Leaving aside how great of a taboo this is, your actions could cause the destruction of an entire nation and the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people!”

She could not stay silent anymore.

Did this bastard truly not realize the political consequences that could follow from something like this?

Or did he simply not care?

“Maid... give me something sharp,” Athena ordered without the slightest hesitation, her divinity surging through the room.

Both Masdura's and Akari's bodies instantly froze under the overwhelming pressure.

Despite the horror on her face, Akari's hand moved against her own will.

She slowly pulled out the deadly dagger strapped to her thigh beneath her clothes and placed it into Athena's waiting hand.

The Goddess calmly accepted it.

Then, without the slightest tremble, she slowly positioned the blade against her own throat while looking directly at Ember.

“Kill Merina after I leave, though I doubt she will survive with the poison still running through her blood.”

She spoke as though she were merely discussing tomorrow's weather.

“After that, make up an excuse that someone betrayed me, and a group of unknown high-level adventurers joined forces, killed Merina, and then threw me to the monsters.”

“You only managed to escape because of luck.”

“To support that story even further, I will ask Ouranos to release an official notice from the Heavens stating the same.”

“And finally... you can kill these two as well.”

She briefly glanced toward Masdura and Akari.

“That will cut off any loose ends.”

Athena spoke calmly, sending chills down everyone's spine.

By now, even Ember had realized she meant every single word she was saying, and even now as she was going to die, she was doing her best to ensure that the fallout doesn't effects Ember, even going as far as to asking him kill Merina, someone who probably she considered one of her most precious children just because of him.

Masdura and Akari were utterly terrified.

The moment they heard Athena calmly suggest killing them to erase all witnesses, they understood that the chances of this man actually doing it had just risen dramatically.

Neither of them could move or speak under the weight of her divine authority.

Athena then looked at Ember's face, still partially concealed beneath the handkerchief covering it.

A gentle smile appeared on her lips.

Without another word...

She plunged the dagger into her own throat.

A brilliant golden pillar of light instantly erupted upward, piercing straight toward the Heavens.

To be continued...

(A/N: Totally didn't expect that right? Neither did me lmao! Although I know some people are going to get outraged, I will just say wait for 5-10 chaps. Again, this arc will feel pointless without any consequences after all that buildup. Anyway, let's see you in next chap)