43

Roar-!!!

"Eek?!"

While I was resting on the bed, a sudden explosion sounded out of nowhere. The unusual noise caused my whole body to tense up.

'What… what was that?'

Was it a bomb explosion?

Or maybe an earthquake?

Stepping outside to assess the situation, I noticed maids rushing somewhere, clutching towels and water. Cautiously following them, I eventually found a large hole in the wall.

It truly looked as though a bomb had gone off. The gap in one side of the mansion blatantly exposed the view outside.

And standing in the middle of that hole was Athena.

Since her head was lowered, I couldn't see her expression, but she didn't seem to be in a good mood.

There was something ominous in her aura.

I carefully approached her.

"Athena… are you okay…?"

"….Hera."

When I spoke to her, she looked at me with calm eyes.

"That person…? What exactly did you talk about?"

But instead of an answer, there was silence.

"What..? Wait- Athena, wai- Mm?!"

Athena pulled me close and kissed me without hesitation.

Unlike before, when we'd shared light pecks, she forced her tongue into my mouth immediately.

Smooch- Slurp-

"Hya- A-Athena..! Mm, hold on..!"

I tried to push her away, but she wrapped one arm around me, holding me so tightly that I couldn't move.

"Please… c-calm dow-"

The kiss itself was fine.

We'd shared enough of them that I could accept her lips without any resistance.

But now was different.

It would be one thing if it were just the two of us, but right now-

'P-People can see us!!!'

I looked around and noticed a few maids staring at us in shock.

Their faces were flushed with a faint blush as they watched, breathless.

"A-Athena!! People are watching…!"

"Hera, stay still."

"No, but… there are people watching!"

"Hera. Stay still."

"They can see us!!"

"Hah. Annoying."

Snap-

"Huh..?"

With a snap of her fingers, my whole body flushed hot for a moment, then suddenly went weak.

'I… I can't move..!'

No matter how hard I tried, my body wouldn't respond. Looking at Athena with trembling eyes, I saw her staring at me, clearly upset.

"Why won't you listen to your master, Hera?"

Her voice, usually warm, was low and eerily calm.

"A-Athena…"

"A disobedient slave deserves punishment."

With that, she placed her hand on the mark engraved on me – precisely on my lower abdomen – and pressed down firmly.

Push-

"Uh…?"

She pressed down on my lower abdomen with all her strength using her thumb.

At that moment, I felt as if my body was connected to her finger, and the mana gathered in her lower abdomen exploded with a pop.

"Hyaaak?!"

A tingling shock, like an electric current, surged through my entire body.

"If you're a slave, you should act like one. Obey, Hera."

Press, press—

"Hngk?! Hyuk?! No… don't!!"

An unfamiliar sensation, one I'd never felt before in my life, seemed to shake my brain.

I tried to push her away from the chilling feeling, but for some reason, I couldn't muster the strength, and my body merely quivered in response.

"Listen to your master."

Ignoring my resistance, she continued to press on her lower abdomen repeatedly.

"Ungh?! St…stop it!! This is weird! I told you, it feels strange!!!"

"Are you disobeying an order?"

Press, press—

"Hngk?! St…stop!! Stooop!! Don't do this!!!"

"When to stop is up to me, Hera."

Press, press—

"Don't press! Don't press my lower abdomen! This feels strange!! This is so weird!!!"

"Fine. I'll stop, since you insist."

With those words, she clenched her fist and pressed my stomach with all her might.

"?!?!!"

A sensation of something bursting below came over me, and a shock as if my brain was melting left me screaming, robbed of words.

The overwhelming, unidentifiable sensation left my mind blank.

And then, I lost consciousness.

***

She looked down at Hera, unconscious in her arms.

Even though she had fainted, her body continued to twitch—perhaps the shock hadn't fully faded.

"…What have I done?"

In an instant, emotions flared up to the top of my head, provoked by the old man's annoying words.

In a fit of rage, I fired magic at him. But without truly fighting, I couldn't possibly capture him.

In the end, I only managed to destroy my own mansion in frustration.

Then Hera appeared.

I wanted to vent this blazing emotion on Hera, but she refused my kiss.

As the feeling that she was rejecting me settled in, the last thread of my rationality snapped.

In the end, I tormented her until she fainted.

'…It's fine.'

Who cares about karma or consequences?

Since when have I bothered worrying about that?

As long as Hera stays by my side, nothing else matters.

After all, she's my slave.

Even if she wants to escape, she'll never be able to break free from me.

'Let any karma come. I'll face it as I always have—with strength.'

"Ah… Lady Athena…"

The maids cautiously approached me.

Looking at their faces tinged with a faint blush as they glanced at Hera, I had an urge to tear those expressions apart, but I held it in without showing it.

As I pondered it carefully, it seemed that Hera hadn't refused the kiss because she disliked it but because they were watching.

Realizing that she wasn't rejecting me, a calm settled within my chest, and I found myself feeling at ease.

I issued orders to the waiting maids.

"Have the hole repaired by calling a mechanic and leave the remaining cleanup to Roselin."

"Y-yes, lord."

"And tell Bordin to wait for me in my office."

Wasn't he one of the demon kin?

I was already in a foul mood, and he seemed like a perfect target to vent my frustrations on.

***

"Mm…"

"You're awake?"

As I slowly regained consciousness and lifted my heavy eyes, she came into view.

Looking around, I realized I was lying in my bed.

To be precise, I was lying with my head on Athena's lap as she sat on my bed.

"Eek?! Get away from me!!"

As the memories from earlier resurfaced, I instinctively broke free from her arms and curled up in the corner of the room.

Trembling—

Recalling the sensation from before made my body shudder again.

An indescribable feeling.

It wasn't pain, but it was an unbearable shock.

It felt like my mind was melting.

If I hadn't lost consciousness, I couldn't imagine what might have happened.

"Hera…"

"D-don't come any closer!!"

A scream of betrayal escaped me as I faced her.

She was someone I trusted.

Loved.

I believed she would only cherish me.

But she made me feel strange, tormented me.

"I'm sorry, Hera."

She offered a sincere apology.

For a moment, my heart wavered. But I shook my head firmly to regain my composure.

I wasn't ready to accept her apology yet.

What she had done this time… I would remember it for a very long time.

Though I needed her and would ultimately return to her embrace, I decided to treat her coldly for a while.

I swore this to myself.

'Prepare yourself. I won't forgive you easily—'

Thud—

"A-Athena?!"

"I'm truly sorry, Hera. I lost control of my emotions."

Huh?

What am I seeing right now?

The strongest human. Proud yet noble.

She held towering pride, but she also possessed overwhelming power as her foundation.

Yet now…

She was kneeling before me.

"I momentarily lost my senses. I never intended to treat you carelessly; truly, I didn't."

"..."

"I'm sorry, Hera. Will you forgive me just this once?"

Should… should I forgive her?

Barely ten seconds had passed, and my resolve was already crumbling.

Part of me protested, asking why I was being so spineless.

'B-but… she's kneeling…'

And not just anyone, but Athena herself.

I never imagined this.

It was a situation that was just that unbelievable.

When I saw Athena's sincere apology, the grudge I unknowingly held in my heart melted away.

In the end, what remained wasn't resentment toward her, but merely a sense of discomfort over not keeping my own resolve.

'Th… this time, I'll forgive you just this once…'

I believe that everyone deserves one chance.

It shouldn't matter to let it go just once.

Next time, I really won't be as lenient.

Yes.

That's right.

I approached Athena slowly, who was waiting for my response with her head bowed.

Seeing her kneeling respectfully before me, I felt an inexplicable sense of betrayal rising within me.

"…Don't do it again next time."

As I finally forgave her, she suddenly stood up and hugged me tightly.

"H-Huh?"

"Thank you. Next time, I'll press you a bit more gently."

Shouldn't she be saying something like, "I'll make sure this doesn't happen again"?

But before I could say anything, she spoke up.

"But Hera, you know this is partly your fault, don't you?"

"M-My fault?"

"Yes. For not continuously listening to your master's words."

Swish—

Her expression turned cold in an instant.

While I was stunned by the sudden change, she moved over and sat on the bed, looking at me.

"T-That time…"

"Hera. Don't forget. You're the slave, and I'm the master. Didn't I say I'd love you on that condition?"

"Ugh…"

I wanted to argue, but since it was something I had accepted, I couldn't say anything.

"S-Sorry…"

"Just words? I even knelt down."

Who asked her to kneel…

But there was no way I could say that to her.

"S-So what should I do…"

When I asked Athena, she held out her hand to me with a flushed face, her breathing slightly excited.

To be precise, she extended one finger.

"Kneel. And lick."

I'll make it clear in your mind who the master is.