The adorable little girl raised her head and announced in a clear, crisp, childish voice as sweet as a skylark's. She then took dainty steps into the doorway and casually closed the door behind her.
The howling wind and snow outside stopped. The cold wind was drowned out by the flames burning inside the house, and the clamorous sounds vanished. The surroundings fell quiet again. Yet this overly silent atmosphere made Liliana and Erica feel increasingly uneasy. Being so close to a Disobedient God in this cramped house gave them a faint sense of fear, as if they had been locked in a dark room and deprived of their freedom.
Erica and Liliana tightened their grips on their beloved swords. Their palms were damp with sweat, but even so, they dared not make a move. They merely watched the adorable little girl, whose appearance made it impossible to look away, as she walked on her excessively slender legs and sat down across from Roy.
"I am not currently Athena. I have already lost my position as the Trinity Queen. Now, all that remains in my memories is a mother's sigh, a queen's humiliation, and an old woman's wisdom."
"...My glory is incomplete, leaving me with only this small remnant of resistance against the thunder and sun governed by the King of Heaven. Therefore, all I desire is the Gorgon Stone. Campione, can you give that stone to me?"
She was clearly asking for something, and once she obtained the Gorgon Stone, all her power would be restored. Yet this dignified act of asking an enemy for something she desperately needed did not make Athena seem foolish. Instead, hearing it from her mouth only highlighted her profound wisdom and fearless courage.
"Lord Roy, you cannot give her the Gorgon Stone! The current Disobedient Athena is at her weakest. You should kill her now and seize her authorities!"
Erica and Liliana hurriedly called out.
"Speaking such blasphemous words about killing a god in front of a deity will bring down the god's curse."
The petite Athena cast a sidelong glance at the two young knights. Although her power was extremely weak at present, she was still a Disobedient God. Even in her weakened state, she was not someone mortals could defy or resist.
Under Athena's casual glance, Erica and Liliana both held their breath, their faces turning pale. Fortunately, the two girls were geniuses of this era. Magic Power surged through their bodies, suppressing the instinctive fear within them.
Roy rose and walked over to Athena, blocking her view and helping his two knights out of their predicament. Then he bent down and brushed the snow from Athena's clothes.
Athena wore a white long-sleeved shirt beneath a beige knitted sweater. A girlish bow was tied at her collar. On her lower half was a black pleated skirt reaching to her knees, with a delicate expanse of skin like evening snow between it and her blue stockings.
Overall, the colors of her outfit were quite strange. If another woman had worn it, she would probably have looked terribly unfashionable. Yet on Athena, the same outfit instead revealed a sense of nobility and elegance.
People said clothes made the person, but with gods, even the ugliest clothes would appear superior when worn by a deity.
"When snow gets on a knitted sweater like this, it will soak you through once it melts. In this cold weather, you could easily catch a chill. It is better to clean it off. Of course, warming yourself by the fire would be even better."
Roy's voice was gentle, and his movements even gentler. After clearing the snow from Athena, he returned to his seat.
Athena had not expected Roy's actions at all. She stared at him with jewel-like amber eyes, and only after a long while did she laugh. "...I am a Disobedient God. I cannot catch a cold."
"Ah, sorry. Seeing how cute and beautiful you are, Goddess Athena, made me forget that you are a Disobedient God. I even felt an urge to take you home and raise you."
Roy sat across from Athena and shrugged.
Athena's sharp yet beautiful brows furrowed slightly. "...I feel that your words are insulting me, yet I am not particularly angry."
"Because those words were praise to begin with. As a Goddess, you should be able to hear the sincerity in them. There was no insult or sarcasm, only praise for you, Goddess."
Roy's expression was sincere.
Athena gave a faint nod, somewhat reservedly. "...I did indeed sense praise in your words. In that case, as the Goddess of Wisdom who governs the heavens, I shall graciously accept it."
Erica and Liliana stood dumbfounded nearby. Listening to the two of them, they could not help feeling that Roy, this Campione, and Athena, this Disobedient God, had minds that worked differently from those of ordinary people.
"Don't just stand there, Lily! The Goddess's arrival has brought honor to our humble villa. The way you're standing now is no way to treat a guest. Go and bring our Goddess a cup of Italian cappuccino!"
"...Compared with coffee that is too rich and bitter, cappuccino with milk and milk foam is more suitable for a girl to taste."
At Roy's order, Liliana came back to herself. She answered and hurried off to prepare the coffee.
Athena, seated across from Roy, spoke in a raised voice. "...Do not treat me like a little girl. It displeases me."
Her angry expression was exceptionally cute. Her little face had flushed red, and the thing that angered her was also rather strange.
"Don't get worked up, Goddess Athena! The East has a saying: courtesy before force. Is it not an even better demonstration of your generosity as a Goddess that a Campione can sit here and chat amiably with a Disobedient God?"
Roy smiled as he stopped Athena from rising and gestured for her to sit back down.
Athena's brows knitted together, but she slowly sat down again.
Chapter Seventy-Six: Stay with Me Tonight
"Your coffee!"
Liliana gently placed a cup of coffee topped with milk foam on the table before Athena. She then quickly retreated behind Roy, standing shoulder to shoulder with Erica as she gripped the hilt at her waist once more.
Even though she knew that vigilance and caution were meaningless before a Disobedient God, this was a knight's duty. Even if Roy ordered her to charge at the Goddess and fight to the death, she would oppose the Goddess without the slightest hesitation.
Athena cupped the warm coffee in both hands, raised it to her moist cherry lips, and took a small sip. White milk foam remained at the corner of her mouth. She stuck out her little tongue and licked it clean. Her amber eyes narrowed slightly, revealing an adorable, kitten-like expression.
"Let us introduce ourselves. You are a Campione entirely unlike those I have seen before. I am the Disobedient God bearing the name Athena. Before our confrontation, it is only proper that we first learn each other's names."
Athena held the coffee cup in both hands and spoke in a serious, elevated tone.
"My name is Roy Crowley. Remember it, Goddess Athena! It may be a name you can never forget for the rest of your life!"
Roy also put away his smile and spoke with the same solemnity as Athena, like two generals announcing their names before a battlefield clash. However, he soon relaxed and smiled. "...From what you said, it seems you have met other Campiones. Yet in the known three hundred years, no Campione has ever fought Athena."
Roy's tone was strange as he said this. The word "Goddess" was usually reserved for the use of sycophantic lapdogs, so saying it himself made him feel indescribably awkward. Still, he had to admit that the girl before him truly was a "Goddess."
Before Athena could reply, Roy closed his left eye. It seemed as if he were using that eye to retrace the past. Then he suddenly understood. "...So that is how it is. Goddess Athena was not a newly descended Disobedient God, but a Goddess who was born thousands of years ago and had simply remained asleep."
Roy's words displeased Athena again. The dignified and wise Goddess spoke, "...From which deity did you steal that authority? I sensed the Spark of Wisdom. What an irritating ability. To retrace the past and see other people's secrets— even I find it unpleasant."
After exhaling, Athena continued, "...As Roy Crowley said, I am a Goddess who descended upon the earth thousands of years ago. I once fought a Campione. Although I slew that Campione, one of his authorities stole the Gorgon Stone from me, causing me to lose most of my power and fall into slumber. I only awoke recently after smelling the Gorgon Stone."
After learning that Roy could see through the past, Goddess Athena no longer concealed anything. She told Roy, in meticulous detail, what had happened thousands of years ago.
Human Civilization had still been ignorant in those days, naturally lacking records as detailed as those of the present. Back then, Campiones and Disobedient Gods were objects of human fear and worship, so no record of Athena's battle had been left behind.
"So I will ask once again: where is the Gorgon Stone?"
"Look. Isn't it right here?"
As soon as Athena finished speaking, Roy turned his wrist, and an ancient stone badge appeared in his palm. When the Goddess saw it, her amber pupils contracted. Joy appeared in her eyes, but then she looked up at Roy, and a murderous aura emerged upon her beautiful, delicate face.
"Athena's Wisdom tells me that you are an extremely dangerous Campione. With my current power, I am certainly no match for you. Yet all I seek is the Gorgon Stone. Even knowing that this is a trap, I must step forward fearlessly and bravely!"
"...I am the Goddess who governs battle and wisdom. Forgive me! We shall fight. Either I will execute you and reclaim the Gorgon Stone, or you will kill me and seize my authority. There is no third path! Of course, if you are willing to submit to my command, that would be a happy ending for all. Yet with a Campione's nature, that is clearly impossible."
Goddess Athena's sharp gaze pierced Roy. Her amber pupils gradually became cold, vertically slit serpent eyes, while Roy's Double Pupils each displayed their own mystery and eeriness.
Erica and Liliana both became as vigilant as if facing a great enemy. Although they believed Roy's power was enough to defeat Athena in her current weakened state, battles between a Disobedient God and a Campione were always full of potential accidents. They absolutely could not relax their guard.
"Let us fight, 'Child of the Fool' Roy Crowley. My fighting spirit is already burning. It is the instinctive enmity of a Disobedient God toward a Campione. Let me see what color the cursed blood of those who slay my kind truly is. This is our destiny!"
Divine power surged around Athena. Though she was dazzling, the light around her seemed to be absorbed and transformed into darkness. Even the light of the firewood burning in the middle of the villa dimmed.
"I hate the word destiny! It makes it seem as though, no matter what I do, I can never escape its judgment and must live forever in miserable bondage."
Roy interrupted Athena. Magic Power far surpassing Athena's surged around him and suppressed her divine power.
"Stop pretending, Athena! Is your Disobedient nature truly generating fighting spirit toward my existence?"
The instinctive desire of a Campione to fight a Disobedient God was powerful, like blood rushing to the brain. As long as a Disobedient God was nearby, a Campione became the best possible radar.
Conversely, Disobedient Gods experienced the same impulse toward Campiones. Thus, every battle between a Disobedient God and a Campione ended with one side's death.
But Roy did not like this fixed destiny. After obtaining the authority Face of God, he had studied and utilized it in depth. This authority could become a curse-like power that altered how others perceived him, sanctifying or distorting him within their minds.
However, this outwardly directed curse easily aroused the hostility of Disobedient Gods. Therefore, after making deeper use of the authority, Roy used it to alter himself rather than the perceptions of others, eliminating as much of the instinctive hostility between Campiones and Disobedient Gods as possible. Otherwise, when he had been in Jerusalem, he could never have lived in such close and intimate contact with King Solomon after the latter became a Disobedient God.
This was the effect brought by Face of God. He used this ability to preserve his rationality when facing Disobedient Gods and to allow them to communicate with him rationally.
Sure enough, after Roy finished speaking, the divine power around Athena withdrew. She nodded in confusion. "...You truly are entirely different from the Campiones I have seen. I cannot feel that hostility of destiny toward you. Even the battles I govern are wavering."
"...I can only act according to my own will. I cannot summon hostility based on the identities of Campione and Disobedient God."
Roy's expression was impassive. He tossed the Gorgon Stone onto the table. "...Our compatibility is truly poor. Killing you would not benefit me much. Here is the Gorgon Stone. If you want it, take it. However, you must fulfill a promise and enter into an agreement with me."
Roy raised a hand to stop Erica and Liliana's anxious objections and simply looked straight at Athena.
Athena's gaze fell upon the Gorgon Stone on the table. After a moment's thought, she said, "...Wisdom tells me this may be a good proposal. First, tell me what promise and agreement you want. If they serve my interests, I will agree to anything. If they do not, then we shall determine victory and defeat here."
Roy looked out the window and tapped his fingers against the table. "...The snowstorm is quite fierce today, making it unsuitable for battle. Therefore, the promise I want from you is that we will not fight today. Even if we must fight, it will wait until tomorrow. And you, Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War, will stay here with me tonight."
Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Goddess's "Love"
"Lord Roy!"
Hearing Roy's words, Erica and Liliana both cried out anxiously.
To mortals, Disobedient Gods were natural disasters, calamities that could not be resisted. To Campiones, Disobedient Gods were enemies destined to be opposed— either you died, or I did.
Throughout the countless years of history, no Campione had ever dared to declare to a Disobedient God that they should "stay together."
To Erica and Liliana, letting a Disobedient God reside in their home was an absolute terror.
At that moment, they were completely stunned by Roy's words.
Even Athena had not expected Roy to say such a thing. She widened her amber eyes, which resembled those of a serpent or an owl. Her slightly parted lips exhaled a fragrant breath, and her whole body froze.
"Such an absurd and audacious statement—I have never heard anything like it. Roy Crowley, I shall declare this now: you possess the bearing of a hero and the power of a demon king. Had you lived in ancient times, someone like you would certainly have been a great hero and champion, an unrivaled overlord."
"...As a Campione, you dare invite a Disobedient God to remain in the same room. Should I call you bold or foolish? Or perhaps, like Zeus, who commands the sun and thunder, have your lust stirred, giving rise to some improper desire toward me?"
A hint of mockery and derision flashed through Athena's deep, wise eyes. "...The male Steel Hero defeated us female Earth Mother Goddesses, degrading us into Dragon-Serpents, making us their wives or children. After all these years, nothing has changed."
Hearing Athena's words, Erica also showed a doubtful expression. During the past year or so, she had come to understand that Roy was not an ascetic leading a celibate life. He was a demon king loyal to his own desires, and in certain aspects, he was quite perverse. For example, he could tell her and Liliana to attend him at the same time without hesitation, leaving them no room to object.
Using such desires against a Disobedient God, however, was somewhat terrifying. A Campione should not be capable of developing desires toward a Disobedient God other than the desire to "defeat" them. That was a Campione's instinct, as well as the destiny shared by Campiones and Disobedient Gods.
"Goddess Athena, aren't you a little too narcissistic? Look at my two knights. In terms of figure, can you really compare with them?"
Roy pointed at Erica and Liliana. He carefully measured them, especially around their full chests, then looked at Athena with a mocking gaze.
"Mm... This body is not my true form. If you saw my true form, you would never dare entertain such thoughts again."
Athena's lovely, crystalline face twisted with embarrassment and even a hint of anger.
She was a noble Goddess and, in Greek Mythology, one of the few virgin goddesses. Even if Roy was the demon king of earth and the king who slew gods, teasing an ancient Goddess in this manner was still an offense against her.
"Enough. I am only asking whether you will agree to this promise."
Roy spoke with some impatience.
Athena regained her composure and looked at Roy with wise eyes. She parted her cherry lips and said, "...If you live with me under the same roof, are you not afraid that I will suddenly attack you?"
"Look at the snow-covered Alps, with their beautiful scenery. As I said before, today we will not discuss fighting and killing, only romance and scenery. But that is limited to today."
Roy gestured for Liliana to warm another cup of coffee for him.
Athena neither rejected nor accepted his words, only continuing to ask, "...Aside from this promise, what is the agreement you mentioned?"
"It is simple. Once you fulfill the promise, I will give you the Gorgon Stone and let you restore your true form as Athena. Then we will have a great battle as Campione and Disobedient God. If I kill you, I will seize your authority. If I defeat and capture you, you will become my prisoner and belong to me for the rest of my life!"
"...Likewise, if you kill me, we will end things according to the inevitable fate of Campione and Disobedient God. If you defeat and capture me, I will belong to you for the rest of my life. What do you think, Athena? This is fair, is it not?"
Roy leaned forward toward Athena's small, beautiful face. The elegant floral fragrance from her body filled his nose as he spoke each word.
Athena did not shy away. She met Roy's Double Pupils directly and said sharply, "...You truly have developed an improper desire toward me."
"I do not deny it. Just like your father Zeus in Greek Mythology, I also aspire to become the master of the sky and command thunder and the sun! Besides, everything depends on defeating and capturing the other party. That is far more difficult than killing them. What is it, Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War? Are you afraid to make this wager with me?"
Roy raised his brows and challenged her arrogantly.
"Do not try to provoke me. I am the Goddess of Wisdom who possesses heavenly insight. It is impossible for me not to see through your intentions. I also know that your words contain traps and schemes. However, wisdom tells me that this is the easiest way for me to reclaim the Gorgon Stone. After that, it will merely be a battle between a Campione and a Disobedient God..."
"...Yet I am Athena, the Disobedient Goddess, and the ancient Queen of the Mediterranean. In a distant age, I personally beheaded the Child of the Fool. Since you are willing to compete with me through force, as the Goddess of War, how could I possibly refuse?"
Athena's voice was childish, yet dignified and proud, carrying an ancient, heavy majesty that formed a sharp contrast with her petite body and appearance.
Athena's decision left Roy deeply impressed. He smiled and asked, "...Goddess Athena, are you not afraid that I will break my word?"
"It does not matter. If you break your word, I will kill you. The outcome will be the same... Besides, I have said many times that I am the Goddess of Wisdom. I can easily see through a person's character!"
"...Roy Crowley, I can see through your nature. You possess a demon king's ambition and immense desires, yet you are a man who does not easily break his promises. Like the heroes of ancient epics, even when facing death, you will not betray your word. Forgive me. I shall grant you the glorious death befitting a hero."
Athena spoke sincerely, with a trace of regret. Although she hated the Steel Heroes, as a Goddess, she would not deny the heroic virtues of those Steel Heroes. Instead, she praised them highly.
"Ha, to receive such praise from Goddess Athena is actually a little embarrassing."
Roy rubbed his nose as if shy. "...I also acknowledge your character, Goddess. I believe you will not break your word."
"That is only natural. I am Athena, not one of those ugly evil gods who fill the world with lies and know nothing of honor. I will naturally keep my promise. Otherwise, Athena's divinity will fall!"
Goddess Athena declared this decisively, her words resolute as she lightly parted her lips.
"Rest assured, Goddess Athena. Although I am a Campione, I am still only a mortal. My life will last at most a few hundred years. Once I die a few centuries from now, you will naturally regain your freedom."
Roy's arrogant words made Athena laugh in anger. The Goddess retorted in a childish voice, "...You seem to think that you have already defeated me. That arrogance is an insult to me. But rest assured as well: if I truly lose to you, I will not continue living after the day you die. As a Goddess who possesses authority over the underworld, I will also go to the underworld and continue accompanying you!"
"That declaration of love is a little too much for me, Goddess!"
Faced with Athena's bold statement, Roy leaned back.
Before you continue