Chapter 33 – What the Goddess Does (5)
As I was finishing setting up the spoons, hot heat came out from the steamer placed over the fire.
I opened the lid of the steamer, took out the octopus inside, and cut it into bite-size pieces.
And then he put it on the plate he had prepared in advance and immediately placed it in the very center of the table.
The aroma of small side dishes with octopus as the main dish gently enveloped the small and clean inn room.
Smart.
After safely setting up the vodka and glasses, which needed the most attention, I suddenly heard a knock at the front door.
When I heard that sound, I took off the apron I was wearing and immediately ran barefoot and opened the front door.
And, as expected, standing beyond the front door was the person I had been waiting for.
“Am I a little late?”
Athena, dressed in military uniform colored by soft moonlight, looked at me and smiled bitterly as if she had no shame.
“No, it came just in time.”
“Then I’m glad.”
I immediately brought Athena, who was bathed in the night dew, into the inn room.
Athena greeted me with a small smile, sat down on her front door, and took off her long military boots that reached just below her knees.
Then she took off her hat and coat and hung them neatly on her hanger next to her shoe rack.
“I came right after work. Aren’t you tired?”
“At all. “I think seeing you gives me strength, doesn’t it?”
After answering that question, Athena slowly approached me and naturally gave me a soft kiss.
We closed our eyes and shared a reunion kiss, then smiled awkwardly at each other and walked away together.
Perhaps because she was alone with me, Athena was radiating an unfiltered loveliness that was different from her usual image.
A week has already passed since the laughable incident that occurred at that teahouse.
When I met Athena again in an event as unexpected as Nemesis, I was dumbfounded.
We couldn’t hide our bewildered looks from each other, so we came to our senses late and finished cleaning up the mess in the teahouse.
And then the two of us moved to a suitable place and talked lightly.
The appointment for tonight was also made at that time.
“Did you prepare all this, Ion?”
Athena arrived at the kitchen, checked the table, and let out a small exclamation.
“The menu is nothing special.”
As I humbly scratched my head and muttered, Athena praised me and said that this was enough.
When Athena showed signs of liking it, I sighed in relief.
And then we immediately sat down on the chairs at the dining table, facing each other.
First, I poured vodka into the translucent glass in front of Athena.
This blue vodka, which resembles the hair color of the goddess of battle, was Athena’s favorite drink.
“Thank you.”
Athena smiled softly at me, holding her glass filled with vodka in one hand.
Thinking about it, it had been quite a while since I had a drink alone with Athena.
Athena was especially busy among the five goddesses, so she rarely had time to meet with me privately.
Last time, in the Lepothecia Forest, I had to go straight back after only briefly seeing my face, so I couldn’t even imagine how eventful it would be.
Since it was difficult for Athena to take time off, she had no choice but to be content with spending half a day with me at this small inn today.
“It’s been a really long time?”
Athena, who was taking turns tasting the dishes I prepared, pointed to the octopus in the exact center with her fork and said.
This unusual octopus, with only seven legs, was a restricted species that lived only on the southwestern coast of the continent.
“It reminds me of the old days…”
Athena, who was slowly savoring the octopus cut into bite-sized pieces, suddenly muttered with a nostalgic look on her face.
I sympathized with her words as I put a piece of shiny octopus into my mouth.
This octopus was a very special food between Ion and Athena.
My wife and I shared some well-boiled octopus as a side dish for drinks and had a lot of fun chatting.
As the meal with vodka progressed, I noticed Athena’s cheeks slowly turning red.
I sipped my vodka at her and gazed intently at the off-white beauty of the goddess of battle just within reach of her outstretched hand.
Long navy blue hair that goes down to the waist,
A high-quality beauty that is haughty yet has a hint of softness,
A wealthy upper body that reveals contradictory sensuality despite being dressed neatly in military uniform,
Alluring legs hidden under the table.
She was a noble beauty with a different kind of beauty than Demeter or Thanatos.
Athena el Ortina Reyhard.
She was a battlefield goddess who ruled the vast seas of the continent, and a beautiful female admiral of the Rayhard fleet, named after her beloved husband.
The Rayhard fleet led by Athena was the strongest invincible fleet that recorded 100 victories in naval battles against the Demon King’s army during the Great War.
Athena’s dazzling performances on the sea were more than enough to earn her the nickname ‘Empress of the Blue Sea.’
“But what happened to Richard…” … ?”
I blurted out Richard’s name to Athena, who was resting her chin on the table.
At that moment, Athena furrowed her eyebrows slightly, but fortunately, she did not show any sign of discomfort and immediately moved her lips.
“I don’t know the details because it’s already out of my hands.”
Athena answered and emptied the vodka in her hand.
Richard was arrested at that teahouse that day, and then taken away somewhere by Athena’s men.
Richard’s cold expression, as if he was whispering to me for help, was still vivid before my eyes.
“If he cleverly destroyed all the evidence against him and ran away, and was not found guilty of escape, the sentence would not be so high.”
Athena didn’t seem to like talking about Richard very much. She deserved it.
Because Richard Prignato was a wanted criminal.
I knew that he had a not-so-clean past when he was chosen to be Demeter’s partner, but I had no idea that Athena would come forward in person.
Since he was suddenly wanted a few days ago, Richard himself was not aware of the situation he was in in advance.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to spend some time in prison.”
Athena poured vodka into an empty glass and said a little harshly.
The reason Athena moved directly to catch Richard was because Richard’s crime was none other than illegal maritime commerce.
That also happened in the waters managed by Athena…
It is said that Richard was so good at running away that he ran away to avoid the loss of his fleet.
And because of Richard, the Rayhard fleet suffered quite a bit.
Therefore, when a customer reported that Richard was leisurely drinking lemonade at a tea shop, it was an opportunity for arrest that could not be missed.
That was why Athena, who happened to be nearby, found Richard and broke his arm without answering questions.
“But how on earth did you become friends with a guy like that?”
Athena, who had a questioning expression while holding her glass, asked a surprise question.
“No, I just happened to…”
I let out a laugh with an ambiguous answer.
I couldn’t honestly tell Athena how I met Richard.
If that happens, there might be a bloody storm at this meal…
“Hmm… I’ll tell you in advance, but don’t expect me to do anything. Even if I am your friend, I have to protect public and private life.”
“Well, of course. “I don’t even want that.”
Athena was afraid that I might ask her to take Richard’s sin into account, so she made sure to nail him down in advance.
She was a just goddess who never let her personal feelings get involved in someone’s sin.
She had nothing more to say since the symbol engraved on the Rayhard Fleet’s flag was a perfectly balanced scale.
Even when I played Pure Love Fantasy, I liked that about Athena.
“Ion, I’m not going to tell you to cut off ties with that guy, so at least keep a little distance from him. “Because he’s not that good of a person.”
Athena, who was elegantly savoring the blue vodka, continued speaking as if she were disapproving.
“No matter how you look at it, it’s hard to say that he has normal social skills. “The illegally traded items were either dangerous drugs or embarrassing adult products.”
After saying that, Athena bowed her head as if she didn’t want to even think about it.
I looked at her disgusted face and put the side dish into her mouth without her saying a word.
It’s hard to say that he has normal social skills, la…
Aside from that, I think his appearance and speech were quite outstanding.
I think my anti-social side definitely stood out when I was holding Demeter…
“By the way, Ion…”
At a time when I was unconsciously reminiscing about Richard’s dandy appearance in my memory, Athena, who had put down her glass, suddenly called my name.
For some reason, there was a rare hint of hesitation in her voice.
“Can you do me a favor… ?”
The goddess of battlefield, who seemed a little intoxicated, looked at my face and gently touched her lips.
