Chapter 41 – The Social Church of Self-Condemnation (1)
At an ambiguous time when the sun was slowly setting, a temporary station located on the outskirts of a large city.
In a place where a flag with white scales engraved on a blue background was waving, men wearing uniform uniforms were concentrating on their individual training and missions.
Sweat and fatigue were visible on their faces, but their pride was shining even brighter.
“… This is the damage caused by pirates.”
The adjutants standing at an angle in the barracks located in the center of the garrison slowly put down the reports they were reading.
“The momentum of the pirates has decreased significantly since the last large-scale sweep operation, but I still think we should not let down our guard.”
“In particular, I think it would be best to deal with the Dugal Pirates matter as quickly as possible. “I think we need to firmly root them out before they grow in power again.”
The lieutenants politely expressed their opinions to the woman sitting at her desk, like servants offering a mantra to the king.
However, even though her lieutenants in front of her had finished reporting, for some reason she did not show any reaction upon hearing it.
“Admiral… ?”
One of her lieutenants, sensing something strange about her, cautiously called out to her.
Then, her half-closed eyes widened for a moment as if she was surprised.
“Um, ah, I see…”
Athena, who was lost in thought for a moment, belatedly adjusted her posture and focused on the lieutenants standing in front of her.
“Admiral, are you unwell?”
“You’re looking a bit unwell these days…”
Since Athena always looked perfect during her work, her lieutenants had recently started to become a little worried about her unnatural appearance.
Then Athena lightly waved her hand as if to dismiss the lieutenants’ concerns.
“It’s nothing, so you don’t have to worry. I watched and listened carefully. “I will give this matter some thought, so you can leave now.”
As Athena said this while organizing her papers on her desk, the lieutenants who had been examining her complexion reluctantly turned their backs on the barracks.
And when her lieutenants left, Athena let out a deep sigh in the lone barracks.
This is a really serious problem. Athena self-diagnosed like that.
Now, it was even interfering with her work. No matter how much I repeated to myself, “Forget it, forget it,” It wasn’t so easily forgotten.
“Ha…”
Athena, whose agony did not stop, eventually fell down on her desk, holding her head.
A week had already passed since that day, but the heavy karma she had created was still deeply embedded in her heart.
Athena couldn’t forgive her past self for doing such a thing. And she couldn’t understand.
No matter how drunk she was, she still couldn’t understand how she could mix herself with such a pathetic criminal.
Was she frustrated because she couldn’t have sex with Ion for a while?
Or had the man been drugged by alcohol without him realizing it?
But no matter what happened, everything was now spilled water.
Even though she was the goddess of heaven, she had no means of turning back time.
Athena decided that nothing would improve even if she continued like this, so she raised her head and slowly stood up from where she was sitting.
If she doesn’t get ready soon, she might be late for church.
To be honest, she didn’t want to go to such a high-class gathering in this mood, but she had already made her promise, so it was impossible to refuse.
“Admiral.”
As Athena was putting her coat back on her chair, the guard on guard outside her barracks suddenly called out to her.
“What’s going on?”
“Well, well, the Admiral has a guest…”
“Customer?”
At the guard’s words, Athena stopped preparing to leave and tilted her head.
Are you a guest? No matter how much he thought about it, there was no customer who would come to visit him today, right before the social church.
I don’t even remember making such a schedule.
Just as Athena, thinking it was some kind of mistake, was about to ask the guard who the person was, someone who had not received her permission slowly appeared inside the barracks.
Athena’s eyes widened at the familiar face of her visitor.
“Ion… ?”
Athena couldn’t hide her shocked expression when she saw her husband suddenly appear without her warning.
Ion looked at Athena and scratched the back of her head as if she was embarrassed.
“Hi… ?”
“Hey, Ion, what’s happening, up here?”
Athena stuttered without realizing it at the sudden reunion, which was as sudden as the meeting at the teahouse.
Athena hid her trembling hands behind her back, keeping her demeanor as natural as possible.
She would smile, but inside she was trembling with indescribable anxiety.
Why is Ion here? Could it be that she was aware of her infidelity? In that case, she couldn’t possibly blame herself and break off her marital relationship… ?
When the anxiety of biting one’s tail reached its peak, Ion, who had been standing stiffly, finally opened his mouth.
“I came to go to the social club together.”
“Social church… ?”
“You asked me to go with you last time, right? I do not remember… ?”
After hearing those words, Athena felt a strange feeling as if her mind was going blank for a moment.
And then, belatedly, the black suit that Ion was wearing now caught her eye.
It was rare for Ion, who usually prefers comfortable clothing, to wear her clothes off like this.
“Ah, ah, that’s right… !”
Athena felt like she had asked herself such a favor at some point.
But for some reason she couldn’t remember exactly when it was.
Athena said that she had become incredibly strange lately and was now scared of herself.
“Are you busy right now?”
“Oh, no, I was just about to get ready to go. “I’ll just change my clothes and come out, so please wait a moment.”
“Yea, I got it.”
Ion immediately nodded to Athena’s request.
Athena left Ion in her barracks and hurried to her feet to prepare for her return.
Just looking at his face made her feel an indescribable guilt blooming in her heart.
*
The social gathering was held at a party hall in the mansion of a prominent wealthy person.
After completing preparations, Athena and Ion boarded the carriage prepared by the organizers and arrived at their destination, the mansion, just as the sun was completely setting.
Although the mansion building I saw in front of me was not as good as those owned by Thanatos, it was still a magnificent palace that showed a certain level of wealth.
“The dress suits you very well, Athena…”
Ion, who had been glancing towards Athena earlier, walked down the wide hallway and expressed his honest impressions of her appearance.
“Thank you, Ion…”
Then Athena blushed slightly and pressed her body closer to his arms, which were wrapped around hers.
Athena was now wearing a blue dress that matched her own blue hair.
As the admiral of the Rayhard fleet, she always insisted on neat military uniforms, so it was quite rare to see her in such a skimpy dress.
Her A-line dress, which had a completely open back, emphasized her artistic shoulder blades and back line.
It wasn’t just the dress that made Athena’s beauty stand out.
She had her hair neatly tied up, light makeup that wasn’t too much, and even wore expensive necklaces and bracelets, something she doesn’t usually wear.
If Athena had been to the church alone, she would not have dressed up to this extent.
Because Ion was with her, she took such care in dressing up.
“That looks like a party place.”
After walking around the mansion following the guidance of the person in charge, it wasn’t long before the large party hall beyond came into view.
Perhaps because there were still many people waiting in line at the entrance, the party venue was quite relaxed compared to the number of people invited.
Originally, guests attending today’s social church had to first receive an invitation and identity verification before entering, but Ion and Athena were exempt from this.
This is because there was no one who did not know the face of the hero who defeated the Demon King and the face of the goddess who came down from heaven.
As the two people headed toward the entrance of the mansion side by side, the guide who saw them politely opened the door and allowed entry with a free pass.
It was a natural privilege given to those who saved the world.
Athena and Ion finally arrived at the party after passing through the wide open door and took a look around the wide social gathering place.
There were several round tables covered with white tablecloths on the side of the party room, and a large chandelier hung in the middle of the high ceiling.
And the food table in the center of the venue was lined with a variety of high-quality drinks and refreshments.
It was a luxurious party venue where the host seemed to have put a lot of effort into it.
“Huh?”
When the two people had just finished checking the party venue, the area near the window, not far away, suddenly started to get a little noisy.
“What’s going on?”
“I know…”
Athena and Ion looked at the gathered crowd and tilted their heads.
And we walked side by side to figure out what was going on.
As they got closer and closer to the direction people were looking at, a familiar voice suddenly caught their ears.
At first, I thought it was because of my mood.
But when I looked at the face of the person standing in the center of the crowd, I had no choice but to admit that that wasn’t it.
