66) There is no forgiveness given
…
{3rd Pov}
‘That is why I wanted to kill myself,’ Athena thought silently as she looked at the unconscious body of Ember Ljos Alf lying before her.
Yes, she too had finally learned Tet’s true identity after Merina brought him back in that heavily injured state.
A part of her wanted to curse herself for never realizing it earlier. Looking back now, she understood that it would probably have taken barely ten minutes of proper deduction for her to uncover the truth.
Yet at the same time, another part of her knew exactly why she had never truly questioned it.
She had fallen in love with the man standing before her as Tet, not because of his status or identity. And since he had never once faked his emotions around her, she never felt the need to investigate him deeply in the first place.
Now, however, as she looked at Ember’s unconscious form, she could only wish she had the power to turn time backward.
Even though she had remained unaware of his real identity until now, Athena still understood his personality extremely well.
The moment he realized that Athena might force him to love her again through divinity after what she had done earlier, she already knew he would never truly feel safe around her anymore.
She had shattered his trust, and Ember was not the kind of person who easily trusted someone again once that trust had been broken.
He would probably spend the rest of his life worrying that she might lose control again one day, attempt to destroy Aurora Familia in order to claim him, or perhaps even slaughter everyone connected to him if they stood in her way.
Even if Athena herself chose never to interfere with his life again, there was still another problem.
Her own children, the members of Athena Familia would never quietly accept seeing their Goddess heartbroken and broken down because of someone else.
Without any surprise, Merina had already acted on those feelings.
Although the elf tried justifying her actions afterward by claiming that she only intended to “beat him,” Athena understood the truth perfectly well.
If Ember resisted, which of course he did, then Merina absolutely would have tortured him first before eventually killing him.
To truly solve this entire situation and ensure that Ember would no longer have to live under constant fear or paranoia, Athena believed the best option was for her to kill herself and return to Heaven.
If she disappeared from the Mortal World, then Merina would immediately lose the falna and confidence that currently allowed her to act so recklessly. More importantly, it would buy Ember enough time to escape safely and distance himself from Athena Familia entirely.
Of course, there would still be consequences.
Foolish Gods like Ares might see her sudden return to Heaven as an opportunity and attempt to target her nation while it was vulnerable.
However, the truly intelligent Gods would react very differently.
Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom and one of the great virgin Goddesses. No sane person among the divine would ever believe that someone like her simply returned to Heaven because a man rejected her love.
Instead, they would immediately begin suspecting something far more serious.
Conspiracies, hidden plots, political schemes, divine conflicts, every intelligent God would start desperately trying to piece together their own explanations for why Athena suddenly vanished from the Mortal World.
They would overanalyze every possibility, work their minds endlessly trying to solve a puzzle that did not actually exist, and in doing so, most of them would become cautious rather than aggressive.
And by extension, that caution would indirectly help protect her kingdom and the people living under her rule from immediate disaster.
Of course, adventurers operating outside the nation or those currently fighting monsters in dangerous regions would likely die during the chaos that followed her return to Heaven with their falna sealed. However, Athena also knew that her country itself would not collapse within a single day.
The nation still possessed an army filled with elite soldiers, and many of her trusted friends lived across the other major cities under her rule. Those individuals would undoubtedly begin stabilizing the situation immediately by granting Falna to capable people and returning the high-level adventurers with their Falna as quickly as possible.
Soon afterward, both Zeus Familia and Hera Familia would almost certainly intervene as well.
Not out of kindness alone, but because they would be panicking internally while desperately trying to understand why Athena suddenly chose to take such an extreme step.
In fact, Athena was certain they would actively help protect her nation while simultaneously investigating the truth behind her disappearance.
And that was precisely the problem.
They were intelligent.
Athena understood something very well about both mortals and Gods alike. Most real problems usually had surprisingly foolish, emotional, or outright pathetic reasons behind them. Yet intelligent people constantly overthought everything, convincing themselves that there had to be some deeper meaning hidden beneath the surface.
As a result, they often created far more complicated conclusions than reality itself.
That was why Athena believed returning to Heaven was still the best solution available to her.
But now Merina had ruined even that option.
In fact, she had made the entire situation far worse than before.
Not only had Merina restrained Athena tightly to prevent her from killing herself, but she had even gone as far as stuffing cloth into her mouth so she could not attempt something as desperate as biting through her own tongue.
Yes, Athena could have attempted something as simple as stopping her own breathing, but she already knew it would not work in the end.
While Gods in mortal vessels could still experience sensations such as hunger, pain, exhaustion, or even suffocation, none of those things were truly necessary for their existence. They were merely artificial sensations reproduced through the mortal shell they used while living in the lower world.
She did not actually need food and likewise she did not actually need air to survive.
As a result, suffocating herself would never have caused her return to Heaven.
And so, while Athena remained restrained and helpless, tied up by Merina to prevent her from harming herself, the elf had gone out and nearly killed Ember instead.
If not for the fact that the dye in his hair had washed away during the battle, revealing his true appearance, Merina likely would have finished him off completely without hesitation.
Only after realizing that Tet was actually Ember Ljos Alf, the prince of the Royal Alf Family, had she finally stopped herself.
Now, after Merina had brought Ember back alive, Athena was absolutely furious.
In fact, part of her genuinely wanted to slap Merina across the face as hard as possible for what she had done.
But after everything that happened earlier, Athena had finally forced herself to calm down.
Yes, the anger still remained inside her.
However, she was no longer blindly acting upon it.
The last time she allowed her emotions to control her actions, it had already led to disaster. Merina had immediately gone hunting for Ember after seeing Athena’s broken state.
Athena understood something now.
If she acted recklessly out of anger again, then Merina might completely lose control and truly kill Ember next time, regardless of his identity as a royal elf prince or the immense respect elves normally held toward noble bloodlines.
“Goddess…”
A small and hesitant voice came from behind Athena as Merina entered the room carrying a tray of food. On it rested some warm milk, soft bread, and vegetable soup, a simple meal that could easily be found even in the smallest inns.
“It has been two days… You should eat something,” Merina said quietly, unable to completely hide the worry in her voice.
Athena remained seated beside the bed where Ember lay unconscious.
A small stool stood next to the bed, and she had barely moved away from that spot since Merina brought him back. During the first hours after returning, Merina had not even possessed the courage to properly speak to Athena. She had only quietly placed Ember onto the bed before retreating in silence.
Now, two full days had passed.
And throughout all that time, Athena had remained by Ember’s side almost constantly, personally tending to him herself.
She had already used numerous healing potions on him to stabilize his condition and ensure his injuries recovered properly. Thankfully, his body possessed abnormal vitality of an adventurer, allowing him to heal even after suffering such horrifying damage.
However, there was still another issue troubling her.
Athena wanted to feed him properly as well, but she did not know how to safely give food to someone unconscious without risking suffocation.
Potions were different, even if some accidentally entered the lungs instead of being swallowed correctly, the body could still absorb them without much issue.
Food, however, was another matter entirely.
If even a small amount entered his windpipe while unconscious, Ember could easily choke to death without being able to react at all.
‘I really wish something like glucose existed here,’ Athena grumbled inwardly.
This was yet another thing she had never bothered recreating in Genkai because she previously saw no practical need for it while healing potions already existed.
But now, sitting beside Ember’s unconscious body, she genuinely regretted that decision.
The primary reason adventurers could survive horrific injuries while relying almost entirely on potions was because they were no longer ordinary mortals after receiving Falna. Their bodies had become superhuman, far closer to divinity compared to normal people.
Under the exact same conditions, an ordinary mortal would never survive simply by using even the highest quality potions or elixirs alone.
After all, healing potions did not magically create flesh or energy from nothing.
They merely accelerated the body’s natural healing processes to superhuman levels by consuming the body’s own stored nutrients and vitality.
Normal mortals simply lacked enough reserves within their bodies to recover from catastrophic injuries at such speeds. In most cases, they required prolonged care, proper nutrition, and weaker healing potions over extended periods of time just to survive injuries that adventurers could recover from comparatively quickly.
“Goddess? Can you not hear me?” Merina asked once again after noticing Athena had completely drifted into her own thoughts.
Receiving no response, she quietly approached her and carefully placed the tray onto Athena’s lap.
Athena lowered her gaze toward the steaming hot food, her expression remaining completely emotionless.
Meanwhile, Merina genuinely did not know what she was supposed to do anymore to make things right with her Goddess.
After all, no matter how she tried to justify her actions, she understood deep down that much of the current situation was ultimately her fault as well.
Athena held the tray in silence, yet she still showed absolutely no intention of eating any of the food.
Merina silently observed her Goddess, only to notice that Athena’s eyes continuously drifted back toward the unconscious High Elf lying on the bed nearby.
“Merina, leave,” Athena finally spoke first.
Her voice was calm but emotionally exhausted.
“If Ember wakes up, then I will let him eat this food. Otherwise, I will eat it myself after a few hours.”
Her reasoning was perfectly logical.
If Ember regained consciousness, then he would almost certainly be hungry after remaining unconscious for two entire days. Soft bread, warm soup, and milk would be gentle enough for him to eat without putting too much strain on his recovering body.
However, if several more hours passed and he still failed to wake up, the food would naturally become cold by then anyway.
At that point, Merina would likely bring another freshly prepared tray for her.
And only then would Athena force herself to eat the older portion in order to suppress her own hunger while saving the newly prepared warm meal for Ember in case he finally woke up.
But Merina could not accept that answer so easily.
She had brought the food specifically for Athena, not for it to remain untouched while the Goddess neglected herself again.
Yet despite wanting to argue back, Merina found herself unable to say anything.
The woman who was famously known within Athena Familia for being one of the very few people capable of keeping the seemingly omnipotent Goddess in check now found herself completely lost.
She could no longer even raise her voice properly against Athena in her current state.
After all, even though Ember remained unconscious, his life was no longer truly in danger. Athena refusing to eat and trying to punish herself through hunger felt completely pointless from her point of view after all if Ember woke up and needed food later, Merina could simply fetch another fresh meal for him immediately.
That was what she wanted to say.
She wanted to speak her mind and stop Athena from behaving this way.
But in the end, no words came out, so she remained silent.
The room gradually fell into complete quietness once more.
One hour passed.
Both women remained trapped within the suffocating silence created by guilt, regret, and exhaustion.
Then suddenly, Ember coughed harshly.
The sound instantly shattered the silence of the room.
His breathing became uneven for a brief moment before he suddenly jolted awake. His blue eyes rapidly darted around the room with the alertness and wariness of a frightened animal prepared to react to danger at any second.
Only after a few tense moments did he finally begin calming down slightly.
“Ember!”
Athena immediately called out to him as she stood up too quickly, nearly spilling the tray of food resting on her lap. Thankfully, she managed to steady it in time before quickly placing it beside the bed.
Ember’s gaze shifted toward Athena first.
His expression was completely unreadable.
Then his eyes moved toward Merina and instantly, his expression changed into one filled with pure disgust and hatred.
Merina visibly flinched under that gaze.
She could only bite her lip softly before lowering her head in shame, almost like a child who fully understood they had done something terribly wrong but no longer knew how to fix it.
“Y… Your Highness…” she spoke hesitantly.
The moment that title left her mouth, Ember paused briefly.
His hand immediately moved toward his hair.
Just as always, his long hair remained tied into its usual three buns, but now the green color of his real hair was fully visible.
The dye had completely worn off.
For a brief moment, surprise flickered across his face before it quickly disappeared again as he pieced everything together.
He understood now that they knew his real identity.
However, Ember still remained completely silent.
He merely continued observing both Athena and Merina warily, his body tense despite his weakened condition.
Merina quickly dropped to her knees on the floor, lowering her head deeply as shame filled her expression.
“I know what I did was inexcusable,” she admitted quietly. “I tried to kill Your Highness out of spite and anger.”
Her voice trembled slightly before she continued.
“Other than my life and my servitude, which already belong to Lady Athena, I am willing to accept any punishment that Your Highness considers appropriate.”
Ember gave no response, he remained completely silent.
Instead, his eyes slowly shifted away from Merina and turned toward Athena, more specifically toward the tray of food resting beside the bed.
The moment Athena noticed where his gaze had landed, her eyes brightened slightly.
She immediately picked up the tray again before carefully moving it closer toward him.
“I know you must be hungry,” she said softly. “Please eat this. And if you want anything else, you can simply ask us.”
Did Ember forgive them?
Of course not.
He was not some saintly isekai protagonist or an overly forgiving shonen hero who would instantly pardon people simply because they apologized after hurting him or attempting to kill him.
But at the same time, he was not stupid either.
Refusing food out of pride or anger would ultimately hurt him far more than it would hurt either of them and right now, his body desperately needed nourishment.
Ember slowly took the tray from Athena’s hands, an action that immediately filled her with visible happiness.
Without saying a word, he quietly began eating.
Using one hand, he grabbed a piece of bread, dipped it into the warm milk, and then took a bite.
Athena remained seated nearby, silently watching him eat with a faint smile on her face, almost as though seeing him awake and eating properly had completely erased her own hunger.
Meanwhile, Merina continued kneeling on the floor without moving.
After around a dozen minutes, Ember finally finished eating.
Athena had already prepared a handkerchief beforehand, and Ember silently took it before carefully cleaning the crumbs from his hands.
Once finished, he slowly placed the tray back to the side.
Then his gaze shifted across the room.
Soon, he spotted his sword resting near the wall on the opposite side.
Without speaking, Ember slowly stood up from the bed and began walking toward the weapon.
The moment Merina noticed this, her heartbeat instinctively sped up.
Although she remained kneeling, her muscles subconsciously tensed, ready to move and defend herself if necessary.
At the same time, Athena’s divinity subtly flared for just a brief instant.
The intent behind it was obvious.
If Ember truly decided to take revenge and attack Merina right now, Athena would immediately use her Arcanum to immobilize the elf completely, allowing Ember to kill her without resistance.
And if he wished for it afterward, she would even allow him to kill her as well.
But Ember did nothing like that.
Instead, he simply picked up the sword and calmly returned to the bed.
Afterward, he grabbed the blanket, turned around, and laid back down while loosely keeping one hand around the handle of the sheathed weapon.
Then he quietly went back to sleep.
Silence filled the room once again as both Athena and Merina stared at him.
He had not taken the sword to attack them.
He had taken it purely to defend himself in case either of them tried to attack him again while he was vulnerable.
Athena immediately understood Ember’s intentions.
He was still not in proper condition to fight, so rather than wasting energy or acting recklessly, he had chosen to rest while remaining vigilant and most likely, the moment he fully recovered, he intended to leave them behind entirely.
Athena also understood something else very clearly.
If they attempted to attack him again, Ember would not hesitate anymore.
He would most likely target Athena first in order to seal Merina’s Falna before killing the elf afterward.
The only reason he was sparing them right now was because necessity forced him to do so.
If their positions had been reversed and Ember had been the stronger person in the room, then he would almost certainly have killed Merina already while leaving Athena to deal with the consequences of her own actions alone.
The most important thing proven by Ember’s actions was simple.
He had not forgiven either of them.
Athena quietly sighed before shifting her gaze toward Merina, who still remained kneeling on the floor.
Her eyes had turned cold once again.
“Bring me another portion of food,” Athena said softly. “And from now on, make sure Ember receives food and water on time.”
Her voice was calm and gentle.
But there was no doubt it was still a command.
“Y… Yes, Goddess,” Merina replied quietly.
Only then did she finally rise from the floor.
However, her eyes had already dimmed noticeably.
The Goddess had not forgiven her and neither had Ember.
Some things, once broken, could never truly be repaired again.
Not every wound could be healed.
And not every sin received forgiveness.
To be continued…
(A/N: Today's chap, also I fixed the first four chaps of this fanfic with a soft reboot. The soft reboot will last till 50th chap, after which the chaps have sufficient quality anyway.
I also just realized I forgot to give images of Alf's Royal Forest, Argon Town, Altena... Will do with the edits, already added some Alf's Royal Forest image, the image website seemed to have butchered the Royal Palace image though, it is so pixelated as if it is in 360p.
Also I am removing the older images which were made like 2-3 years ago and replacing them with much better ones. So yeah wait a few more days and you can re-read entire fanfic, with more illustrations.
Should I add more in newer ones? Tell me your thoughts!
I am poor anyway, so it's not like I can get an artist hired. It might be just me but the one I know earns 20k dollars a month, and takes 300 for a single commission. I have another friend who is in Japan, he should do it for a cheaper if my what-shall-not-be-named recovers.
We got from 172-> 70-80. If we reach 250 for three consecutive months, I will commission one fr, fr)