Chapter 117 – Goddess of Fortune
“Haha…”
The goddess, wet with sweat in a purple dress, lies on the bed and catches her breath.
I lay down next to him, calming his still pounding heart.
“Now we should go and rescue people.”
“There’s still time before an accident happens, so I’ll stay like this for a while.”
The goddess’ expression looked relaxed.
It’s a completely different look from the time when I was having a hard time saying that it was hard to control my feelings for me.
Thanks to that, my heart was at ease, but it soon became heavy again.
It would be nice if the goddess didn’t feel sad and could just live like now, but it bothered her that intertwining with me was a sin itself.
“…Goddess.”
“Yes?”
“What will I be punished for if I find out you did this with me?”
“I don’t know what to do with me because the Goddess of Destiny decides. However, since I’ve already been punished once, I think I’ll do more than that.”
She spits out her unexpected remarks with a calm expression.
Naturally, I jumped up in surprise and sat up.
“Have you ever been punished?”
The opponent who got up after me answered.
“Yes… Before sharing her powers with him, she once tried to save humans on her own.”
“Then what punishment…?”
“I’m sorry, but it’s a rule to keep quiet about the punishment you received…”
“Ah…”
Thinking about it again, it’s unexpected.
That she, who always seemed diligent, had already committed a sin once.
“It’s unexpected. She didn’t think the goddess-sama would have been punished…”
“At that time, I was surprised by myself. As soon as I saw a human being in danger, my body moved without realizing it. Seeing that I do this again even after being punished once, I really can’t help it.”
The goddess smiles brightly, but it’s hard for her to laugh along.
“It’s okay, Dohyeon-nim, don’t worry. Even if I get punished again, I don’t regret what I did.”
There is nothing I can do for her except to wish her well in the future in her heart.
“Okay. Still, I hope our business won’t be caught.”
“I am of the same mind.”
As if the goddess who answered me like that was trying to reassure me, she smiled again.
—
Even the next night, my expression was dark.
If there was a history already, the punishment would be more severe, but I was nervous because I didn’t know when our relationship would be found out.
However, it is difficult to refuse the goddess’ request to save people, so the situation is complicated in many ways.
My head is so complicated that I can’t even concentrate on writing, and the moment I lie down on the bed, my room is twisted and the surroundings begin to change.
… Who else is at risk?
Trying not to show her worry-filled face to the goddess, she won her heart.
As she prepared to meet her like that, my eyes widened like a meerkat who found her nemesis.
The place they arrived at was a different place than the usual white space.
… Where are you?
The first thing that caught my eye was the stone steps in front.
It was so high that it didn’t even reach the sky, and the top was obscured by clouds.
The walls and floors were also made of stone, and when I saw several large stone pillars standing, it reminded me of a temple that would appear in Greek and Roman mythology.
But there is no one but me in this wide space.
When my heart was pounding at the intimidation coming from an unfamiliar space, someone’s voice resounded throughout the place.
[It’s you.]
Since there was no one else around, I naturally looked at the cloud at the top of the stairs.
“Who, who are you?”
[Human beings are truly fragile beings who cannot see this body even though they have a similar appearance.]
Something came into my bewildered eyes.
A woman who appears through the clouds and slides down the air without even stepping on the stairs.
Suddenly, she came close to me, and instead of stepping on the ground, she spoke while floating in the air.
“Can you see me now?”
“…”
She was wearing a cloth dress adorned with multicolored jewels.
A splendid outfit that was incomparable to that of the goddesses I knew.
Thanks to that, I could see that she was an unusual existence.
“…Are you the goddess of fate?”
“You know well. She told me about it.”
“Is she that kid?”
“I’m talking about the goddess Elia. She won’t say she doesn’t know, right?”
“…”
“I am Moirai. The one who watches over all the fates of the world. I called to see the human beings who had an illicit relationship with the goddess up close.”
… I heard you too
She had a hunch from the moment she revealed that she was the goddess of fate, but when she heard it herself, her heart sank.
The expression on the face of the opponent who slowly looked at me was serious.
“I wondered how he won Elia’s heart, but she’s a normal human no matter how you look at it. She soon realizes that the time has come for her to come, so she should listen to the child.”
It was then.
There was the sound of a large door opening, and urgent footsteps approaching.
“You’re here.”
“…Meet my destiny.”
When the goddess standing next to me put her hands together and said, Moirai, the goddess of fate, answered.
Unlike when he spoke to me, his voice was not stiff and was full of kindness.
“Elia… Do you know the situation? If you have something you want to say to me, say it.”
“I have nothing to say. I have sinned and I deserve to pay for it, so please punish me.”
The goddess was too calm.
As if her heart was ready to accept her no matter what happens.
However, Moirai’s face, seeing that, was filled with pity and sadness.
“…I’ve been telling you many times. You can’t deal with just one being in the world in particular. In the end, you just don’t understand.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t bear to treat humans and stones together. Unlike stones, humans feel pain.”
“I know it’s all because of your kind nature. You’re just more sensitive than the other goddesses, and you didn’t have the slightest bit of malice. The reason I was especially affectionate to you was because you were such a kind and affectionate child.”
“…”
“So I tried to convince you somehow. Even when the other goddesses expressed their dissatisfaction and concerns, I calmed them down by saying that it would be okay. Even when you first made a mistake, I went over to the lightest possible punishment. But…”
Apparently, Moirai doesn’t hate the goddess.
She’s not a mean child, but she keeps getting into trouble, so I feel like a mother who’s worried about her.
As if treating her aching finger, her words and expression showed nervousness.
On the other hand, the goddess with her head bowed said nothing.
It wasn’t that he stayed silent and waited for this time to pass quickly.
Her attitude was that she would accept everything her opponent said and accept any disposition.
“Elia… I’ve said it before, but the reason I put such an unreasonable limit on the power I gave you was because I didn’t want you to use that power. I didn’t want to use harsh methods against you, and I didn’t want to listen to you, so I had no choice but to choose.”
I finally understood why the Authority always gave only obscene instructions.
It was natural to make the goddess give up.
“No matter how pitiful you are for humans, I never really knew how to use the power.
“…”
“But while I was busy and couldn’t look, it wasn’t enough that you continued to use the authority, and you yourself did vulgar things with humans…”
At Moirai’s voice full of sadness and disappointment, even I bow my head.
The goddess next to me was still silent, and the goddess of fate continued to speak as if the silence was frustrating.
“Say something. Mixing your body with a human is an unforgivable felony. I can no longer protect you. I have to punish you to keep the divine law. Do you still mind?”
“I think it’s right to pay the price if you’ve committed a sin.”
“Ellia…”
Even Moirai shuts her mouth, and silence surrounds her.
But she said again, as if she couldn’t give up.
“I’ll tell you one last time. Promise me you won’t get involved with humans from now on. Then I’ll lighten the punishment a little. If you don’t accept my words now, you can’t avoid the death penalty.”
“…”
“Elia, please…”
Despite Moirai’s pleas, the goddess does not open her mouth.
Should I beg the country too?
Please avoid extreme punishment?
Or should I ask the goddess to listen to the Moirai?
I don’t know which one is correct.
I wanted to accept her offer, but she was hesitant because she didn’t know the goddess’ true intentions.
When she could hardly find an answer to her troubles, she finally opened the mouth of her goddess.
“Mother of Merciful Destiny… As I said, I do not regret my choice.”
“Elia!”
“If, by your mercy, I escape the death penalty, I will save the pitiful human beings as before. But I do not want to cowardly run away from the bondage of my sins. So, I will justly pay the penalty.”
“Why so far…”
Moirai was shocked by the calm yet resolute attitude of the goddess.
She had clearly said it was her last with her own mouth, but she couldn’t seem to let go of her lingering feelings.
“Why did you come to value humans so much? It wasn’t like this before you were punished for the first time. …Did something happen at that time?”
“…”
“Yeah, that’s the only time. Talk about it, Elia. What happened when you became human?”
When you became human
Could it be that the first punishment the goddess received was to live as a human for a while?
At that moment, Moirai’s finger pointed at me and her unexpected words came from her lips.
“Come on, tell me. What happened to that human back then!”
