62) The Radiant Sun
...
{3rd Pov}
“Ughhh! Art! Why again?” Merina complained in frustration as she tried to track Athena down, clearly annoyed at being left behind once more. Normally, for a high-level adventurer like her, someone who had reached Level 5, it would have been an easy and almost effortless task to keep up with them, regardless of how fast they moved.
However, the current situation made things far more complicated than usual.
Because she had to limit herself and avoid exposing her true identity as an adventurer, she could not move at her full speed or rely on her usual abilities.
As a result, what should have been a simple pursuit turned into an unnecessarily difficult chase, and she was unable to catch up with Athena and Ember as quickly as she normally would have.
‘By now, she has probably already started one of her romantic plans again,’ Merina thought with a tired sigh, her frustration only growing as she imagined the situation unfolding without her presence. She was determined to prevent the Goddess and Ember from getting too close, because in her mind, there was no possible outcome where that would end well for Altena.
If Ember had been single, then perhaps she might have at least considered the possibility more seriously. From what she had observed, he was competent, capable, and carried himself well enough to be considered a suitable partner for someone like the Goddess of Wisdom. Under different circumstances, she might not have opposed the idea so strongly.
However, what was the point if he was married?
If he were to be swayed by the Goddess despite that, then it would only prove that his convictions were weak and that his loyalty could not be trusted. On the other hand, if he did not waver at all, then it would mean that all of the Goddess’s efforts would ultimately be wasted, leading nowhere despite her persistence.
Either outcome led to a loss, and that was exactly what troubled Merina the most.
She did not want Athena to become involved with a man who could betray the person he had already claimed to love, nor did she want her to become so deeply entangled in one-sided feelings that it would begin to affect her judgment and mental state over time.
‘I guess it is time to foil her plans again,’ Merina thought with a quiet sigh as she steadied herself.
She closed her eyes briefly, calming her mind before allowing her heightened, almost superhuman senses to take over.
Within moments, the world around her seemed to expand as countless sounds from different directions and layers of faint scents began to reach her all at once.
As she focused, she carefully filtered through the overwhelming noise, isolating what mattered and discarding the rest.
It was a skill she had refined over years, one that allowed her to pick out specific details even in a crowded environment.
However, just as she began narrowing things down, something suddenly broke through her concentration.
A cry.
No, several of them.
They were not ordinary shouts or calls...they were screams filled with pain, with desperation, with a kind of suffering that was difficult to put into words.
There was a rawness to them that made it immediately clear that something was very wrong.
Mixed within those sounds, there was also the distinct noise of flesh striking against flesh, a detail that made her expression harden as realization set in.
A man’s voice followed, low and filled with a twisted sense of satisfaction.
"Fucking slave bitch, take it!"
His words were crude, laced with cruelty and possession, reaching her sensitive elven ears with unsettling clarity. Merina let out another quiet sigh, though this time it was filled with irritation rather than exhaustion.
‘Not again… damn slave traders,’ she thought, her displeasure evident.
She did not need to investigate further to understand what was happening.
The situation was painfully clear.
Some man was forcing himself on a woman, and the degrading way he referred to her made it obvious that she was being treated as nothing more than property.
It was a pattern she had seen before, one that was far too common in places where such practices existed.
While it was not unusual for certain slave traders to exploit those they considered “merchandise,” especially individuals who had already been deflowered before, there were still supposed to be limits. In theory, such slaves were meant to be directed toward regulated environments like the red-light districts, where, at the very least, there were rules in place to prevent excessive physical harm. Even in a flawed system, there were lines that were not meant to be crossed.
However, the City of Morten did not even have a red-light district, and that alone was already a warning sign in itself. Combined with the disgusting sounds she was hearing, it did not take much for her to understand the condition that poor woman must have been in.
Merina let out a slow breath, her expression tightening slightly.
For a brief moment, she considered ignoring it.
Her priority had been clear from the start, to keep an eye on Goddess Athena and make sure she did not stray too far in a direction that could cause greater problems later.
Getting involved in an issue like this, especially one tied to another nation, could easily complicate things far beyond what she intended.
‘Fuck it… I always hated these kinds of moral traps,’ she clicked her tongue in frustration, her thoughts conflicted. Situations like this forced a choice she never liked making, between staying focused on a larger goal or stepping in to deal with something immediate.
She knew that if she had not heard it directly, if it had remained distant and unseen, she might have been able to ignore it and move on. But now that the sounds had reached her, now that she was fully aware of what was happening, there was no way she could simply walk away as if nothing had happened.
With a low grunt, her decision finally settled, she shifted her focus entirely. Whatever consequences came later, she would deal with them then.
Without wasting another second, she quickly made her way toward the source of the sound.
...
“The meat is quite good,” Athena said honestly, clearly enjoying herself as she kept her arm interlocked with Ember’s in a casual yet natural manner. Ember, on the other hand, took his time tasting the meat, savoring each bite rather than rushing through it.
The old man behind the stall let out a soft chuckle, a warm and satisfied smile forming on his face as he observed their reactions. It was evident that seeing customers genuinely enjoy his food brought him a sense of fulfillment that went beyond simple business.
“You two truly are a pair. I wish you luck for the many years ahead,” the old man said, his tone carrying a hint of nostalgia, as if the sight of them reminded him of something from his own past.
“Hehe! Of course, me and my bro’s friendship is unbreakable!” Athena replied without missing a beat, her expression bright and completely unbothered by the assumption. Ember nodded along, though his expression shifted slightly, showing a faint trace of awkwardness at her wording.
He was well aware that, from an outsider’s perspective, the two of them easily looked like a couple, especially with how comfortably Athena acted around him.
However, because she was a virgin Goddess and often behaved in a way that blurred the lines between familiarity and playfulness, like a strange mix of someone treating him as both close companion and something more, he never took those assumptions too seriously.
Even so, there was one thing he was absolutely certain about.
He loved Aurora, and at least for now, he had no interest in any other woman, Athena included. And even if such thoughts were to ever arise, he would not allow anything to interfere with his relationship with Aurora, no matter the circumstances.
“Say, Tet, where should we go next?” Athena asked with a grin, her tone light as she leaned slightly closer while still holding onto him.
Ember glanced behind them for a brief moment, his expression turning thoughtful.
‘That is strange, by now Merina should have caught up to us,’ he thought, a hint of confusion appearing in his mind.
‘Does she actually know how to hide herself that well?’ he wondered further. As an adventurer, his senses were already far beyond normal, sharpened to a level where picking up on the presence of others was second nature.
Even among those with enhanced abilities, unless someone had specifically trained to conceal themselves or suppress their presence, it was usually not difficult for him to notice them.
“What are you thinking about, bro?” Athena asked, sounding amused as she looked at him, already having a good idea of what was going through his mind.
“I was just wondering where Mary is,” Ember replied, referring to Merina by the alias they were using during this journey.
Even though the question seemed obvious, he felt it was better to ask it out loud, especially considering Athena’s current mood and the way she had been acting.
“Haa… I thought it was something more serious,” Athena said with a small sigh before smiling again.
“Do not worry about her. She should be back within a few hours.”
Her tone was casual, and dismissive, but in reality, she already knew exactly what would happen.
With slave traders operating within the city, she was confident that if Merina came anywhere near the area where those people were being held, she would not be able to ignore it.
It was simply not in her nature to walk away from something like that.
That was precisely why Athena had run off earlier.
She had deliberately taken a path full of turns and unnecessary detours, making sure to move in ways that would confuse anyone trying to follow her.
By constantly changing direction and avoiding a clear path, she had made it difficult for Merina to determine where she had actually gone.
Her goal had been simple.
Either delay Merina long enough so she would not interfere with her time with Ember, or, even better, lead her toward the areas where the slave traders operated, knowing full well what choice Merina would make once she realized what was happening there.
She had not expected the plan to work this smoothly, but it seemed that luck was on her side this time.
“Hehe, Tet, why do not we go check out the lake? I heard it has a really good view,” Athena said, her tone light and inviting, clearly having already gathered some information about the city beforehand.
“Hmmm, then we can go take a look,” Ember replied with a small nod.
Although he had already realized that there was likely some private reason why Merina had not been able to follow them until now, he chose not to dwell on it too much.
Since Athena seemed aware of the situation and was not concerned, he decided to trust her judgment for the time being.
With that, he followed the Goddess as she led the way toward the lake without hesitation.
...
The lake was located near the outskirts of the city, far enough from the main roads and busy areas that very few people bothered to visit it on a regular basis.
At most, one might occasionally spot a few locals passing through or a pair of soldiers patrolling the area once or twice a day, but even that was not guaranteed.
At this moment, however, the place was completely silent, carrying a stillness that felt almost unnatural.
The only sounds that broke the quiet were the faint buzzing of insects and the subtle rustling of leaves caused by a gentle breeze.
The lake itself was surrounded by a dense forest on three sides, the thick trees forming a natural barrier that made the area feel isolated from the rest of the city.
The only clear access point was a narrow path that ran along its northern side, providing the single route by which people could approach or leave the area.
Ember calmly gazed at the surface of the lake, the water glittering under the radiant sunlight as if it were made of crystal. The reflection of the sky and the faint movement of the water created a quiet, steady scene that held his attention without effort.
Athena, meanwhile, stayed close to him, her arms still locked with his as they both silently observed their surroundings.
There was a sense of ease in the way she leaned into him, as if she had already grown completely comfortable with the distance between them no longer existing.
They sat at the edge of the lake, their legs hanging over the side while their feet hovered just above the surface of the water. Every now and then, a faint ripple would pass beneath them, but neither of them made any move to disturb it further.
It was the kind of moment that settled into the mind without effort, something that did not need to be acknowledged out loud to be understood.
After a short while, Athena slowly shifted her position and rested her head against Ember’s shoulder. He did not react to the gesture, his gaze still directed toward the lake as if nothing had changed.
Taking that as a sign, she grew a little bolder. Her arm moved slightly, wrapping around him from the side in a gentle embrace. Even then, his reaction was minimal, limited to the faintest acknowledgment as he remained largely unaffected by her closeness.
She smiled, a faint sense of victory appearing on her face, before slowly leaning closer toward him. “Ember…” she muttered softly, her voice lower than before. This time, he finally reacted, turning his head slightly toward her side, his attention shifting to her at last.
That small reaction was all the opening she needed.
Without hesitation and without any visible guilt, she suddenly leaned forward, closing the distance in an instant. Her movement was quick and decisive as her lips brushed against his before pressing firmly against them. Ember’s blue eyes widened immediately in shock, clearly caught off guard by what had just happened.
Athena did not stop there. Her hands moved closer, her fingers lightly grazing against his skin as if trying to hold him in place, attempting to pull him deeper into the moment and prevent him from pulling away.
However, the next second, Ember reacted sharply.
With a sudden jerk, he flinched backward, breaking the contact as his expression shifted rapidly.
The initial shock on his face was quickly replaced by anger, his brows tightening as he stared at her.
“Athena! What are you doing?!” he demanded, his voice firm and filled with disbelief as everything about her behavior began to make sense in that moment, each detail connecting one after another in his mind.
‘She… loves me… as a woman,’ he realized, the thought hitting him heavily as he tried to process it. It was something he had not truly believed until now, and the realization left him stunned.
One of the greatest Goddesses of Virginity, a ruler, the Goddess of Wisdom herself… Athena had developed feelings for him. And it had happened in what, just a few months of interaction between them?
“Hehe? I am only taking what should already be mine,” Athena said with a smile, showing no concern for his anger or the tension in his voice.
“I am not yours,” Ember replied with a deep frown as he stepped back, creating distance between them.
His posture stiffened, and his tone carried clear resistance.
“I am not yours,” he repeated once more, as if reinforcing the boundary he was trying to establish.
“I am yours,” Athena answered without hesitation, her smile returning as if his rejection had not shaken her resolve in the slightest.
“My body, my heart, and my soul all belong to you, Tet. So please, claim me, just as I intend to claim you.”
“Goddess,” his voice turned colder, losing any trace of softness it once held, “I do not want your body, your heart, or your soul.”
Athena slowly stood up, her expression faltering for a brief moment as her smile froze slightly. However, she did not retreat.
“Tet, I can keep you happy, forever,” she said, her tone turning more earnest.
“I promise that when your time comes, I will abandon everything without hesitation, and follow you even to Heaven so that we can spend our lives together for all eternity.”
“I said… I do not love you,” Ember replied, his voice steady but firm, leaving no room for misunderstanding. The words landed heavily, and for a moment, her expression went completely still.
“I will take a divine oath of marriage right now if that is what it takes to prove my devotion,” Athena continued, pressing forward despite his clear rejection.
“I will not interfere with your choices, even if you choose to be with other women in the future,” she added, emphasizing that she had no intention of restricting him in any way.
Even she was aware that what she was offering might come across as contradictory to her own nature, but in her mind, it was the most practical approach.
She was essentially presenting him with everything, unconditional love, unwavering support, a binding commitment as his wife, and even the freedom to pursue others without consequence.
That was exactly why she said it so directly, because from a purely logical standpoint, it was an offer that very few would ever consider refusing.
“Goddess,” Ember let out another slow sigh, but this time his blue eyes were no longer calm, they were filled with a restrained fury that he was barely keeping in check.
“I will not betray Aurora for any reason.”
Her smile disappeared completely at those words, breaking apart as if it had never truly been stable to begin with. In its place, a mix of bafflement, confusion, and faint nervousness took over her expression.
For the first time, there was a visible crack in her confidence, something uncertain and unsettled.
“I do not understand…” Athena said, her voice no longer as steady as before.
“I know the kind of man you are, someone who would desire having more than one woman. I know I am your type, and I am certain I am even more desirable than that no name goddess,” she added, her hands slowly clenching into fists as frustration began to surface.
“You are right about everything except for one thing,” Ember replied, his tone calmer now.
“My heart belongs to Aurora.” He paused for a brief moment before continuing, choosing his words carefully.
“Please, try to forget about me, even if it hurts.”
He softened his expression slightly as he spoke, making a clear effort to sound less harsh and avoid causing unnecessary damage to her feelings.
Even though he had rejected her, he did not want to do so in a way that would completely break her.
“What is it that Goddess even has?!” she burst out, her composure finally breaking as her anger surged to the surface without restraint.
“She is nothing more than a no name, minor virgin goddess, while I am Athena. I am the greatest Goddess of Wisdom, the Divine Spear and Shield of the Heavens. If you choose me, you will gain immortality. No god would dare to touch you or even think of disrespecting you!” she continued, her voice rising as if she could not comprehend his decision no matter how she tried to reason through it.
“Love?! She is just someone who took you away from m...” Athena stopped abruptly the moment she noticed his expression turning cold once again.
The shift in his demeanor was immediate and unmistakable, and for a brief second, she realized that if he wanted to, he could have responded in kind, throwing equally harsh words back at her.
But he did not.
Instead, he simply turned his back on her and spoke in a controlled voice.
“Please clear your head, Goddess.” He did not say anything further, but the meaning behind his words was clear enough.
It was not just a request, it was a final warning.
“Haa…” she exhaled, unable to fully process how the situation had unfolded into something this frustrating.
In her mind, this had been something she could resolve logically.
She had believed that with enough reasoning, enough advantages laid out clearly, she would be able to win Tet’s heart without much difficulty.
But he was not acting logically at all.
And yet, there was one thing she could not deny, no matter how much it irritated her.
The depth of the feelings he held for that seemingly insignificant goddess was real, and it was strong enough to make him reject everything she had offered without hesitation.
That was exactly what she wanted.
All of it.
Every bit of that unwavering affection, that loyalty, that devotion… she wanted it for herself.
Tet could be only hers.
So she stood there, staring at Tet as he walked away, her gaze fixed on his back.
In that moment, something within her snapped as her Arcanum began to flare uncontrollably, the seal on her divinity cracking and then breaking apart entirely.
In an instant, the weight of her divinity was unleashed without restraint.
“Tet.”
Ember froze in place the moment he heard her voice. It was not because he was surprised or caught off guard, but because he was forced to stop. His body refused to respond, locked in place by something far beyond ordinary influence.
Her voice had changed completely. It no longer sounded human.
It carried an ethereal, enchanting, and overwhelming divine authority that pressed down on everything around her.
“Love me.”
The command fell, and in the next instant, Ember dropped to the ground.
His mind screamed in agony as the force behind her words dug into his very being, attempting to overwrite his will and impose itself directly onto his soul.
‘Athena, what are you doing?! Stop this immediately or return to Heaven!’ a voice thundered within her mind. It was the voice of Ouranos, filled with authority and alarm.
What she was doing was a direct violation of the rules that governed gods within the mortal plane, especially in how they were allowed to interact with mortals.
‘Ouranos, I want nothing but him,’ her reply came cold and unwavering. ‘But let me be clear. If you dare try to stop me, I will purge the mortal world from existence.’
Even the great god seated upon his throne felt a chill at the weight of her intent.
‘You have lost your mind!’ Ouranos responded, disbelief evident even through his authority.
‘Yes, I have lost my mind!’ she snapped back without restraint. ‘For him, for his love, for his touch. And if I cannot have it, then there is no reason for the mortal world to exist at all!’
Her voice echoed with intensity as her form began to change.
Her previously calm blue eyes now shone with a radiant golden light, burning with divine power.
Her white hair flowed as if it had turned into liquid gold, moving like streams of light around her as her unleashed divinity continued to surge outward.
Ouranos paused, carefully weighing the consequences of offending one of the major goddesses of Olympus, and not just any goddess, but one of the most dangerous among them. His thoughts did not move lightly, as he understood very well what kind of being he was dealing with.
He knew that Athena was not an ordinary goddess.
Despite not holding the title of a Great God, she was still more than capable of stirring chaos across the heavens in a way similar to Loki.
However, unlike Loki, who thrived on mischief and unpredictability, Athena possessed something far more troubling in this context, her wisdom.
Her knowledge was vast, and her analytical ability was sharp enough to dissect even the most complex situations with terrifying precision.
Even if she lacked the raw power to completely destroy Tenkai, there was little doubt that she could at the very least bring ruin to Genkai if pushed far enough.
‘Fine… only this once,’ he finally responded after reaching a decision. From his perspective, it was far better to allow her this small transgression and keep her somewhat restrained, rather than provoke her into something far worse.
In addition, she was currently far from the dungeon, and the scale of her actions, while dangerous, would not immediately lead to catastrophic damage on a larger level.
Meanwhile, Ember had already turned around.
His movements were slow but deliberate as he began to walk toward her, each step steady as if guided by an unseen force. His face, which had previously held anger and resistance, was now filled with a soft smile, one that did not reflect his earlier emotions at all.
Seeing this, Athena’s expression changed instantly, all traces of tension and frustration disappearing as pure happiness took over.
Her arms spread open without hesitation, her entire being focused on the moment she had been waiting for, ready to embrace him and experience what she believed would be the ultimate bliss, becoming one with the person she loved.
Ember stood directly in front of her now, close enough that she could feel his presence without anything between them. For a brief moment, it seemed as if everything had gone exactly as she wanted.
Then, without warning, his hand snapped forward like a coiled spring, and with a sharp, resounding crack, a slap landed across her face.
“… ”
The impact broke more than just the moment.
Her divinity faltered almost instantly, her Arcanum destabilizing before she allowed it to seal itself again.
The golden glow vanished, and her appearance returned to what it had been before, her hair turning back to white, her eyes losing that overwhelming radiance and settling into their usual blue.
Ember’s smile, which had been forced upon his face moments earlier, fractured as if it had shattered into countless pieces.
He tried to twist his expression into something harsher, something that could properly reflect what he felt, but he could not. The lingering effects of the Arcanum still clung to him, restricting his control, yet even so, the emotion in his eyes made everything clear.
“I hate… you,” he said, the same broken smile still present on his face, making the words feel even heavier.
Without waiting for a response, he turned around and immediately rushed away, moving quickly toward the city as if he feared that staying any longer would give her another chance to use her power against him again.
But she did not move.
She simply stood there, watching him disappear with an empty, unfocused gaze, her body refusing to react as the reality of what had just happened began to settle in her mind.
The weight of it all came crashing down on her at once.
What she had just attempted… there was no way to soften it or justify it.
She had tried to rape him.
Her legs gave out beneath her, and she fell to the ground with a dull thud. A single tear slipped from her eye, followed by another, and then another, until she could no longer hold them back.
“What have I done…?” she whispered between quiet sobs, her voice trembling as the realization sank deeper with each passing second.
The area returned to its earlier stillness, but now it felt different.
The only sounds that remained were her quiet sobbing and the faint buzzing of insects around her, the same environment as before yet completely changed by what had occurred.
The radiant sun continued to shine down on her, bright and unchanging.
But now, instead of offering warmth, it felt almost as if it were mocking her rather than illuminating her.
To be continued…