[384] : A Feeling Goddesses Never Knew—Hope Is Dangerous!

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In the cramped and spartan bathroom, Mika leaned against the stone wall, his eyes half-closed in enjoyment—though his body had long since transcended the limits of a human, he still cherished the simple pleasure of a hot bath.

"It might be crude, but it has everything you need," Athena said, her relaxed voice echoing slightly in the small space.

She was submerged in the pool across from him, completely at ease. "The people here seem quite dedicated to their bathing rituals."

"Well, like Couronne said earlier, anyone returning from an 'expedition' needs a long soak," Mika mused, his eyes opening to gaze at the steam-filled room.

"Compared to them, the ones who live their whole lives in this cave are the safe ones. Whether out of gratitude or guilt, I imagine this is one of the few comforts they can offer their warriors."

It was an educated guess.

Different environments bred different customs—but one could always make a few logical deductions.

"Yes, I think so too," Athena agreed with a soft nod.

After this brief consensus, a comfortable silence fell over the bathroom.

Though both had acted nonchalantly before, the reality of the moment—sharing a bath, unadorned and vulnerable—brought a quiet weight to the air. It was an unspoken shift in their relationship.

Truth be told, while Mika had a great appreciation for beautiful women and was surrounded by stunning goddesses, he had never made a move on any of them.

The reason? He was worried he'd be the one getting played.

Good heavens, how old was he? And how old were they?

Their life experience wasn't even in the same league. What's more, they were all terrifyingly powerful. If anything went wrong, he wouldn't even be able to run.

Considering all the factors, Mika had never taken the initiative.

But in reality, his relationship with the goddesses was… special. Though they were more powerful, their moral compass, in Mika's opinion, wasn't as developed as an ordinary person's.

They were, after all, natural-born mythological beings. Their way of thinking was not human. As a result, when it came to relationships, they were far more direct.

Take Hestia and Bell, for example. In the original story, the moment Hestia set her sights on Bell, she went on an all-out offensive. Though she was a bit shy in front of him, she made no effort to hide her intentions from anyone else.

Most of the other goddesses were the same.

Mika's unique ability to traverse worlds, combined with the backing of a powerful goddess like Yahweh, had effectively made him their superior—their master, even. His ability was a temptation none of them could resist, and so they followed his lead with near-absolute obedience.

It was a feeling of being led they had never experienced before. Even if they had superiors in their own pantheons, the nature of that authority was completely different—more like a leader chosen from among partners.

With Mika, it was something else entirely.

As his power grew, this invisible authority only became stronger.

The world of the gods had always been one where the strong preyed on the weak.

Thus, it was his strength that allowed them to submit to him wholeheartedly. So, even though Mika never made a move, their relationships continued to evolve, especially with so many "exceptionally close" beautiful girls around him. Following Mika's own nature, he and the goddesses had only grown closer.

Just like now...

It was the first time they had been so exposed to one another, yet there was no shyness. The atmosphere was quiet, but neither of them felt the need to break the silence.

Time trickled by until they finally finished their bath and left the room.

"Ah, that was great. A good soak is always the most relaxing," Mika sighed contentedly.

Now dressed in fresh clothes, he and Athena followed Couronne through the settlement's corridors.

"Do you enjoy bathing that much, Mr. Mika?" Couronne asked, turning her head to look at him with curiosity after hearing his sigh.

"I do," Mika replied with a small smile. He enjoyed many things, and bathing was one of them. In a world like this, it was one of the few simple pleasures available to him.

"But Couronne, you don't need to be so formal with us. Just call us by our names, it's more natural," Mika said gently.

"You know our names, don't you? Relax, we're not the types to put on airs."

Though both he and Athena held supreme positions in other worlds, neither of them had ever let it define them. Mika didn't know Athena's thoughts on the matter, but for him, the identity he most resonated with was that of a warrior.

"I understand, Mika and Athena," Couronne replied, immediately changing her form of address, her sincerity evident. "Although you already know my name, please allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Couronne, Riku's older sister."

As someone who would one day rebuild a nation from ashes, her social graces were already impeccable.

————

Soon, Couronne led them to Riku's room, where they would continue their conversation.

The settlement had no diplomatic chambers, so this was the most suitable place.

The room wasn't large—it was, after all, carved out of a cave wall—but it was filled with all sorts of books and strange contraptions. Mika had told Riku he wanted to learn more about this world, which was likely why Riku had chosen this location.

"Nice, it's very clean. You haven't been tidying up just for us, have you?" Mika teased with a grin.

"Of course not," Riku shot back with a playful smile of his own.

"Couronne did the cleaning. Not that there was much to do—I'm a very neat person. Just like when you two were bathing, I found a spot to clean myself up. I couldn't possibly greet our honored guests smelling like I just crawled out of a scrap heap."

After the past two days of interaction, Riku had sensed that Mika didn't enjoy conversing with the cold, calculating persona he was forced to adopt.

So, he gradually began to revert to his true self.

Facing what was perhaps the only glimmer of hope he would ever see in his lifetime, Riku wasn't going to sit back and wait. He would seize that hope with his own two hands.

————

"Wait, Mika and Athena are from another world?" Couronne exclaimed, having listened in on their conversation.

Since Riku had told her they were important figures who could change their circumstances, she had been trying to guess their identities.

She had imagined they were from a larger, human settlement, one that had found a place far from the war to survive and was now seeking out other enclaves to join forces.

The idea that they were from another world, or that they could end the Great War, was something she hadn't dared to even consider.

To think such thoughts was to invite hope.

And hope only gave birth to greater despair.

"That's right. Surprising, isn't it?" Athena said with a light laugh.

As a goddess who favored humanity, she had taken a great liking to these people who continued to survive in such a hopeless world, especially Riku and Couronne, who led them.

"It's really true?" Couronne was still in shock. "Then, can you tell me what other worlds are like?"

"Of course." Athena smiled and began to tell her stories of other worlds. Beside them, Riku, having finished his own conversation, was listening intently.

As for Mika, he was engrossed in a book.

This settlement possessed a collection of all known human literature. Through these books, Mika's understanding of this world was gradually becoming more complete.

Although he had seen the movie No Game No Life: Zero in his past life and had received some intelligence from the starry expanse, that information was one-sided.

Mika wanted a deeper, more profound understanding of this world.

Only then could he act with greater ease.

Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.

He was a warrior now, but he was no simple brute.

Through these books, Mika gained a deeper understanding of this world's humanity. Before the Great War, humans had their own civilizations, their own nations.

But as the war began and various new races were created, humanity's living space was continuously squeezed until they had no land left to call their own. They could only hide in the places the other races didn't want, eking out a desperate existence.

"So that's how it was." After reading through the history of humanity, Mika had an epiphany.

This world wasn't particularly special. If there was one thing that stood out, it was that the gods born here were far too powerful at a fundamental level.

It was as if every last one of them was a creator god. In any other mythology, a God with the power to create life was always a supreme being. But in this world, it seemed all gods had this ability.

And the races they created were superior to humans in every way.

This was the true reason for humanity's plight.

In a world where gods and mortals coexisted, there might be gods who hated humans, but there would always be those who loved them. The former would send their minions to destroy humanity, while the latter would send their own to protect them, even bestowing power upon them.

This was the general dynamic of most worlds where gods and mortals lived together.

Of course, there were special worlds where humans themselves had the power to fight gods, but those were exceptions.

Compared to those "normal" worlds, the biggest anomaly here was that the gods were too strong.

They could create their own races.

Would a god who had created their own people still love humanity? Perhaps a few would.

But as the Great War began, would they have the spare energy to protect humans while also protecting their own creations? Probably not.

And so, over time, humanity was forgotten...

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