72) Athena's gone (Patreon)

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{3rd Pov}

She was gone...

Athena had left Genkai.

Even now, Ember was still trying to process that fact.

The shattered roof above them stood as undeniable proof of her resolve and the love she had held for him.

She had abandoned everything just to prove that she was worthy of his love.

Regret?

Ember would be lying if he claimed he did not feel any regret.

But he still believed it was for the best.

If that made him a monster, then so be it.

To him, Aurora was far more important than strangers, or even someone who had once tried to brainwash him into loving her and could potentially turn Aurora's life into hell.

When everything was said and done, Athena's gone.

She was not coming back.

That was simply the reality of the situation.

After all, even Gods like Zeus and Hera had been driven out of Orario by Loki Familia and Freya Familia simply because they had lost most of their adventurers.

Despite all of their contributions over the years in protecting the city, and even the world itself, they had not been given the opportunity to rebuild their strength.

Not even after slaying two of the Three Great Quests.

If even Gods of that stature could be forced to leave without being given another chance then there was no reason for Athena's case to be any different.

A strange, cold feeling settled deep within Ember's chest as he looked at Masdura and Akari.

Both of them shivered under his gaze.

The genuinely terrified princess hurriedly spoke, “Wait a minute! I am willing to go along with your story! I will not reveal the truth to anyone!”

Meanwhile, Akari immediately stepped in front of her princess, taking a defensive stance.

Even though fear was evident in her eyes, she was prepared to fight until her very last breath if it came to that.

Ember let out a quiet sigh before speaking.

“I am not going to kill you.”

“I will trust you to keep this matter a secret.”

“And our deal regarding the rescued slaves is still not over.”

He turned around, preparing to leave.

“Princess, if everything turns out exactly as you promised, then we will never see each other again for the rest of our lives.”

He paused for a brief moment before looking back at her.

“But if you break that promise...”

“It does not matter which corner of the world you hide in.”

“I will definitely kill you.”

His warning made Masdura nod repeatedly, too terrified to utter another word.

Without saying anything else, Ember leaped upward.

Since the roof had already been destroyed by Athena's ascent to the Heavens, it only took him two or three jumps to reach the top of the building.

The next moment, he disappeared from sight, leaving the place as swiftly as he had arrived before.

Meanwhile, Masdura's legs gave out beneath her.

She collapsed onto her knees, trembling in fear as she tried to process everything that had just happened.

A simple journey that had begun with the intention of securing a political pawn from her brother and investigating illegal slave trafficking had somehow spiraled into complete chaos.

...

Ember picked up his bag once again, preparing to leave this place behind.

The thought of going to meet Merina did cross his mind.

However, he knew that after having her Status sealed, the chances of her surviving were extremely low.

A sense of guilt settled in his heart.

He could not even bring himself to meet her one last time or attempt to save her.

He already knew that her sickness had been caused because of him.

When he bit her, the poison had most likely seeped into her body through his saliva.

After all, his body had adapted to the poisonous breath of the Behemoth, and even then, he had barely survived that ordeal.

It was most likely that surviving such a poison had transformed his body itself into something poisonous as he had discussed earlier with...Athena.

Thankfully, it seemed that unless there was extremely close contact involving the exchange of bodily fluids, such as saliva or blood, it would not affect anyone else.

Otherwise, everyone who had stayed near him back in Altena would have fallen sick long ago.

But this also meant he could no longer have a physical relationship with any normal woman or mortal.

He had discussed it with Athena earlier but even so he would discuss it with Aurora asking for her suggestion.

As a Goddess, she would most likely be fine as well.

After all, poisons were among the least likely things capable of killing a God.

Besides, it was not as though he planned to be in a close relationship with any other woman anymore.

The trauma from everything that had happened, along with all the decisions he had been forced to make, whether they had been right or wrong, would probably be enough to kill whatever desire he had once held for having a harem.

‘Well... it is time for this childish dream to come to an end,’ he thought.

Of course, he could not speak for every man.

But he believed that most men had, at some point, imagined having a harem, whether because of lust or simply because of the desire to be loved by multiple women.

Women were not all that different.

While many genuinely preferred to spend their lives loving a single person, it was not as though none of them would ever pursue multiple men if they were given the chance.

Because of the influence of the Gods, the morality of this world was far more flexible than that of his previous one.

No one considered polygamy or polyandry inherently wrong, so long as the person involved had both a sufficient reason and the resources to properly care for everyone.

But after everything that had happened, Ember understood the problems that came with such relationships far better than before.

As the thought of Athena crossed his mind once again, his heart quietly ached.

But how?!

How was he supposed to trust her again?

How could he believe a single word she said after she had literally tried to mind fuck him?

Perhaps if she had truly kept her promise to stay away from him, then after enough time had passed, there might have been a chance for them to reconcile in the future.

But instead, she had continued pushing herself onto him again and again.

No matter how much she apologized, he could not see any real change in her actions.

And in the end, everything had led to this outcome.

After all, Ember would openly admit that he was selfish.

If he had to choose between his own family and the people he loved, or everyone else he would always choose his own family and the person he loved over others, this was no different.

Thus, with a heavy heart and a lingering sense of guilt toward the people of Altena, he decided to leave the city.

However, before doing so, he wanted to make absolutely sure that no one was following him.

He ran across rooftop after rooftop before dropping down into a narrow alley.

There, he removed the handkerchief covering his face and quickly made his way to a nearby bathhouse.

He rented a private bathing room, washed away the black dye from his hair, then carefully applied white dye instead.

After finishing, he tied his hair back into his usual three ponytails, two low ponytails hanging on either side of his face and one tied behind his head.

He had to admit that the natural ingredients used as hair dye in this world were surprisingly durable.

Ember could not help but mock himself.

‘Just how long do I have to keep this identity a secret, huh?’ he thought to himself.

The recent events involving Athena and Merina continued to weigh heavily on his mind.

He slowly shook his head.

He was fully aware of the mistakes that had been made.

As he finished dyeing his hair, he looked up at the wooden ceiling above him.

‘Why...?’

‘Why did it have to end like this?’ he thought.

He blamed himself for ever coming to Altena.

He blamed himself for displaying too much talent and excellence, enough to draw the attention of the Goddess Athena.

He blamed himself for being too foolish to realize her true feelings much sooner.

There were also many things he could blame Athena for.

But it was already over.

There was no point dwelling on them anymore.

Athena was no longer in the mortal world.

Taking a deep breath, Ember slowly began changing into a fresh set of clothes.

Meanwhile, outside the bathhouse, the city was about to be thrown into yet another state of shock.

...

“Lady Masdura! I respect you! But do you even realize what has just happened here?!” Lord Optos shouted, unable to hide the frustration and anger on his face.

“In our city, a God died!”

“A Goddess was sent back to the Heavens!”

“And according to the reports I have received, it was Goddess Athena!”

“Do you even realize the political fallout this is going to cause?!” he roared, completely disregarding the fact that he was raising his voice at a royal princess.

His son had died!

His soldiers had been slaughtered!

And now? A damn Goddess had died in his city.

If that was not enough! IF THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH!

That Goddess just had to be Athena, the ruler of Altena.

He was not the ruler of the Empire damn it!

He was merely a noble with considerable influence among the lower ranks of the Empire's nobility.

Something of this magnitude was far beyond his ability to handle.

Whatever benefits the Empire might gain from the destruction or usurpation of Altena were not his to claim.

In fact, none of those rewards would ever reach him.

Instead, he would be placed under extreme scrutiny.

There was an overwhelming chance that he would be turned into nothing more than a scapegoat to calm the anger of Altena's citizens and its adventurers.

And if that was not enough there was also the matter of Zeus Familia and Hera Familia from Orario, both of whom had always been on extremely good terms with Athena Familia, if decided to target him personally, then not even the Empire would be able to protect him.

Heck, he would most likely be thrown away without a second thought and forced to shoulder all the blame for Athena's return to the Heavens.

‘Damn it! Damn it!’ he screamed inwardly, barely restraining himself from ordering his soldiers to arrest Masdura and her maid on the spot.

But he knew it would be pointless.

The princess had the backing of a duke, along with many powerful nobles who openly supported her.

If he so much as laid a hand on her, then under the Empire's laws he would immediately be branded a traitor.

“Sir Optos, as I have already said, I know nothing about what happened here,” Masdura replied calmly, continuing to lie straight to his face.

“And no Deity ever appeared in this city.”

“No Deity?!” Optos roared.

“Do you think my soldiers are lying to me?!”

He pointed angrily toward the shattered ceiling above them.

“Then what do you think that hole above us is?!”

“And what the hell was that golden pillar of light?!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing throughout the room.

“Your soldier is definitely lying,” Masdura replied without missing a beat.

“Perhaps he belongs to an enemy faction and is trying to instigate something.”

“As for the hole in the roof and that golden pillar of light... they were caused by the mysterious stranger using some kind of magic. Everything you see here is the result of that.”

She spoke so naturally that there was not the slightest hint of hesitation in her voice.

Optos, who had been about to immediately refute her claim, suddenly fell silent.

A thought flashed through his mind.

‘That's right...’

‘Only we, along with a handful of other people, know that Goddess Athena was ever in this city.’

‘And only we know that she was the one who ascended back to the Heavens.’

‘If none of us reveal the truth... then no one else will ever know what actually happened here,’ he thought, his expression slowly changing as he realized the implications.

After all, the only reason he recognized the appearance of a God's ascent was because he was a noble and possessed the necessary knowledge.

The common people of this city had barely ever seen a God in their entire lives, much less knew what it looked like when one returned to the Heavens.

Not to mention, the story of that mysterious stranger who had rescued the slaves and slaughtered nearly half of the city's forces had already spread throughout the city.

He could simply claim that the golden pillar had been some kind of powerful magic used by that mysterious adventurer.

A spell cast to intimidate everyone present, frighten the illegal slave traders, and ensure the safety of the slaves he had rescued.

“I... I see,” Optos muttered after a long silence.

Akari quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, an exaggerated smile spread across Masdura's face.

“That's right, Lord Optos!” she said cheerfully.

“I am truly happy to have you on my side and even happier that you understand what actually happened here!”

Her smile remained just as exaggerated as before, making it obvious she was determined to stick to that story no matter what.

“Y-Yes! Yes, M'Lady! It was my mistake. Please forgive my earlier rudeness,” Lord Optos said with a faint, forced smile on his face.

Sir Addison watched the sudden change in his lord's attitude, along with the obviously fake polite exchange between him and the princess.

A shiver ran down his spine.

At that moment, he genuinely felt relieved that he was a knight rather than a noble.

Scenes like the one unfolding before him were exactly the reason why it made him feel glad to be not in the shithole known as nobility or Higher-class.

“That also means...” Lord Optos said slowly, exchanging a knowing look with Masdura.

“To prevent any leaks, we need to make sure everything is... perfect.”

Masdura immediately understood what he meant.

A faint smile appeared on her face as she gave him a small but cruel nod.

Optos then shifted his gaze toward Addison.

The knight silently nodded in return.

He understood the assignment without needing another word.

Soon afterward, every soldier and maid who had either been present during the incident or had delivered the news was quietly gathered into one place.

Moments later, their heads rolled across the ground.

It was a cruel but unmistakable display of how those of higher birth dealt with inconvenient witnesses.

Heck, if the mysterious savior, Ember, had not specifically warned them about ensuring the slaves remained safe, Lord Optos would have already vented his rage upon them as well or tried to hold them as hostage to get revenge or do something else which is equally stupid.

...

Merina lay on the bed, her body burning with fever while an overwhelming sense of weakness weighed her down.

She knew that the Goddess had left to meet Ember once again in an attempt to convince him.

As she continued lying there, a loud boom suddenly echoed through the surroundings.

Through the old, dust covered window, she saw a brilliant golden pillar rising into the sky.

Fear instantly gripped her heart.

Ignoring the weakness in her body, she hurriedly forced herself to her feet and staggered toward the window, leaning against it as she stared at the pillar of light signifying a God's return back to Tenkai, as it vanished.

Merina closed her eyes in fear, already expecting the worst to happen.

She expected an overwhelming wave of weakness to suddenly wash over her body.

One second passed, ten seconds, thirty seconds but nothing happened.

Although her body remained feverish and weak, she could still clearly feel the Falna engraved upon her back.

A long breath of relief escaped her lips.

She knew that if it had really been Athena who had ascended to the Heavens, then by now the Falna engraved upon her back would have disappeared.

She would have become even weaker, losing all of the superhuman abilities granted by her Falna.

But nothing like that had happened.

That proved that whoever had returned to the Heavens today was not Athena.

Even so, she could not stop herself from worrying about her Goddess, who was still somewhere outside.

A troubling thought crossed her mind.

Had Athena encountered another God she was on bad terms with? Could that God have been the one whom she sent back to the Heavens?

After all, within the confines of a city, only another God truly had the ability to target a fellow deity.

Merina bit her lip anxiously.

She knew very well that if she went out searching for her Goddess in her current condition, she would only become a liability rather than any real help.

Suppressed or not, Athena was still a Goddess.

No mortal would dare trespass against her, much less attempt to harm her.

Trying to kill, or actually succeeding in killing, a God was considered the greatest taboo in the entire world.

No one wished to incur the wrath of the very beings who governed the entire cycle of mankind's reincarnation and were regarded as the creators of the world and every race within it.

But Merina's situation was different.

If she went out in her current weakened state, with only the strength of a Level 1 adventurer, she could easily be taken hostage or even killed without offering much resistance.

Right now, Athena was inside the territory of the Empire.

If other Gods were present, even she could potentially be taken hostage.

Heck maybe that was exactly what had happened!

‘They probably tried to use one of their own deities to hold Athena hostage... but she killed that deity, and that golden pillar was most likely the result of that,’ she concluded.

Despite all of her worries, she could not help but feel a sense of warmth welling up inside her.

‘It finally seems that my body is finishing its adaptation to the Behemoth's poison, just as His Highness and Athena had discussed,’ she thought.

She was still weak, and the fever had not completely subsided.

However, she estimated that it would probably take only another day, or at worst two, before she fully recovered and regained her strength once again.

To be continued...

(A/N: I really didn't wanted to include the Merina's view point here, her not losing Falna was a surprise for later but it is what it is.

It should also show you the path that this fanfic is taking.

First Athena is really gone, that was not a lie, but everything between her and Ember is not over, that's all I can say.

Secondly this will be the last most emotional heavy arc for a while, I have not planned any extremely heavy emotional arc for the next 100 chaps at least for this fanfic. There will be definitely very big twists in future, whether you like it or not will be upto you but I can promise this fanfic will have an happy ending.

And I have mentioned from beginning it will have harem and incst so there's that.

This Arc was to show growth of Ember Ljos Alf as a character, I don't think everyone felt that way because they were too much into Athena, well it was about her character growth as well. But I didn't wanted the harem to be, just because Ember wished and everyone went alongside. I am giving it a strong reason for it to be harem, and also making it impossible for weak characters who are not strong adventurers or Goddess to be in harem.

Will there be more goddess in harem? I have already exposed one back in chapter 11.5 or something, and then there will be other maybe, not sure about that. Only Riveria as love interest is confirmed, and I hope you won't ask about Aurora(They are already married bruh).

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. It took longer than expected because today was my monitor delivery and I again had to deal with PS5 seller to change my order to PS5 pro so It took 4-5 hours in that.

I still have some time, will try writing the next chap. You may get it in a few hours or at worst tmrw)