45

"Ah… Athena… Can't you let me go now?"

"Shh, Hera. We're in the middle of a conversation."

"B-but…"

"Keep going, Bordin. What were you saying?"

"Hmm… yes, as I was saying—"

This place is Athena's office.

She brought me here, saying she had something to discuss.

And now, here I am, watching her and Bordin talk about work in real-time.

If there's a problem with this situation, it's that…

I'm not sitting on a chair.

I'm sitting on Athena's lap.

She pulled me onto her chair and wrapped her arms around me tightly.

And that's how the conversation started.

'Doesn't… Athena mind this at all?'

There's someone standing right in front of us, and yet, here we are, in this position…

But she seemed completely unfazed, calmly talking with Bordin.

Come to think of it, she did this before.

Even with maids around, Athena kissed me without hesitation.

It seems like she doesn't care about others' opinions at all.

Well, that's very much like Athena…

'But I'm embarrassed…!!'

Right now, my face is flushed red as I lower my head, staring at the floor.

I couldn't bear to look anyone in the eye in this situation.

"Please don't worry about me, my lady."

Perhaps he pitied me.

Bordin kindly showed consideration for me.

When I glanced at him cautiously,

it seemed he understood my embarrassment and avoided looking directly at me.

"Th-thank you."

Bordin.

A neatly dressed man with a monocle that suits him well.

He embodies the elegance that one would expect from a butler.

Although I had encountered him a few times while living here, we'd only exchanged brief greetings. I'd never been this close to him.

"Hera, you also have a place to go."

"Huh? Uh… where?"

Go? Where are we talking about?

At my question, Athena looked at me with a slightly exasperated expression.

"…What have you been listening to all this time?"

"Weren't you talking about work?"

"Sigh…"

Press—

"Hnn…?!"

She pressed a finger into my lower abdomen.

Recently, whenever something displeased her, she'd press here.

She didn't press as hard as before, so I didn't faint, but…

The tingling sensation spreading through my body was still something I couldn't get used to.

"I'll explain it again, so listen carefully."

She began slowly explaining why she called me to her office.

According to Athena, recently, monster populations have been increasing rapidly in various areas.

But the more concerning issue is that a large number of these monsters are organizing into groups.

She suspects the demons are behind this, and it would be best to deal with the issue before it escalates.

The place she mentioned is a forest located to the east of the empire.

Recently, a large number of monsters have been found there.

"If we go there, we might find traces of the demons."

"I see…"

"Hera, you're coming too."

"Huh? Me too…?"

She looked at me as if it were the most obvious thing, a bit puzzled by my reaction.

"Surely you're not planning to stay here while your master goes?"

"Huh… what?"

"Besides, it'll take about a week. Do you think you can manage alone here without me?"

I flinched.

Her words sent a slight shiver through my body.

The mansion without Athena…

For me, that place would be nothing short of hell.

During the week without her, how much did I cry here?

Rather than being here without even a single ally, it would be better to follow her to the battlefield.

I hugged Athena tightly, feeling an unfounded fear.

"..I want to go with you.."

"..."

Athena looked at me briefly, then clenched her teeth and turned her gaze away from me.

"Anyway, I'll leave the matters here to you while I'm gone."

"Yes. Please enjoy your time slowly."

After finishing her conversation with Bordin, Athena lifted me off her lap.

"Hera. We'll be leaving within an hour, so if there's anything you need to prepare, go and do it."

"Wha.. what?! An hour?"

An hour?

No, who suddenly leaves like this?

If it's a schedule that takes a week, shouldn't there at least be a day to prepare?

But Athena didn't take back her words.

"Roselin will take care of all your spare clothes and essentials. You just need to bring yourself."

"..Still, isn't this a bit too fast?"

Squeeze-

"Hyat?!!"

"If the Master says so, then that's how it is, Hera."

"I.. I get it, so don't press there.."

In the end, I left the office as she instructed and headed to my room to pack what I needed.

But.

No matter how much I thought about it..

"I have nothing to pack..?"

Do I really only need to bring myself?

"Bordin."

"Yes, my lord."

As soon as Hera left, the gentle smile on her face disappeared instantly.

"Rescind the order I gave earlier."

Perhaps surprised by her words, Bordin's eyes widened.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I won't use that method anymore."

The command she had once given to ruin Hera.

She would no longer wound Hera's heart.

It might seem fickle, but—

She no longer wanted to see Hera crying sadly.

"It seems you've had a change of heart."

"...…"

Though he didn't say it aloud, Bordin conveyed his affirmation with a slight bow of his head.

"Is there anything else to deliver?"

"No, that's all."

"Understood, my lord. And I almost forgot to report one thing."

He adjusted his glasses with a finger and continued.

"Not long ago, there was an incident of a massive mana explosion in the eastern forest."

"An explosion?"

"Yes. It's an incident with unknown cause, so the exact details are unclear, but they say it happened in a cave."

"Hmm.. I see. You may leave."

"Understood. Then, I'll take my leave."

With those last words, Bordin quietly exited the room.

As the office grew silent, she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling.

"A week, huh…"

Time to spend with Hera, just the two of them, somewhere other than the mansion.

In a way, it could even be called a trip.

Though most of the time would be spent hunting monsters.

"Pfft. I'm looking forward to it."

Whether it was monsters or demons, it didn't matter.

Wherever they went—

As long as Hera was by her side, nothing else mattered.

***

As she stepped outside, she saw an elegant carriage waiting, with Hera standing beside it.

Leaning against the carriage with her arms crossed, Athena looked me up and down before speaking.

"So, you really just came with yourself?"

"Ugh… but I had nothing to pack."

I didn't even have a small bag in hand.

For a week-long departure, my hands felt oddly empty, but I truly had nothing to bring.

Roselin said she would pack all the clothes and essentials.

Since I wasn't handling things myself, there was no need to bring tools like makeup.

Ah.

Maybe I should've packed a few snacks.

Although I felt a slight regret, it was fine.

'I'll just ask Athena to buy some for me.'

With a hero by my side, there was nothing I couldn't get.

"Come on, get in. We'll leave right away."

When she opened the carriage door, a cozy interior came into view.

A sofa looked comfortable enough for a long journey without any discomfort.

The size was just right—not too cramped.

Looking at the carriage, a question arose.

Last time, Athena transported me instantly from Drax to here.

Wouldn't it be possible to move by spatial transfer again?

That would be really convenient, but probably impossible.

To cross a long distance through spatial transfer requires mastery of legendary-level magic that manipulates space and time.

And in the novel, only one person could use space-time magic—the Great Sage.

Athena's ability to transport me from Drax to here in one go was likely due to a coordinate stone hidden somewhere in this mansion.

An advanced magic tool that registers the user's mana and stores the location.

Although it costs a fortune and requires a lot of mana to set up, once configured, it allows for instant movement to that location.

In the Empire, facilities like temples, the royal palace, and the imperial court all had coordinate stones installed, enabling swift movement. However, for other locations, you had to go on foot.

Even for major facilities, the number of coordinate stones was limited, so only those of at least Marquis rank could register their mana.

'When Robin drew the holy sword and became a hero, he got priority access to the coordinate stones.'

Come to think of it, the demons began their activities in earnest around the time Robin drew the holy sword.

Traces of their presence probably started to appear around then.

According to the novel's plot, from two years on, all sorts of monsters and demons would wreak havoc across the Empire.

Wait…

Suddenly, an ominous thought crossed my mind.

'Is the original story going to be okay?'

Since entering Athena's service, I had stopped worrying about the original plot.

I couldn't say for sure what would happen, but it didn't seem like things would proceed as they originally did.

In stories, the butterfly effect can have a huge impact.

I've read countless novels where even a single greeting from a possessed extra to the protagonist could spiral into countless events, destroying the original plot.

Especially since I'm in such a close relationship with the final villain of this novel…

Perhaps, somehow, I might end up bridging the gap and influencing the story.

Expecting the plot to follow the original seemed difficult at this point.

So, understanding the influence my actions would have on the original story was crucial.

If it had a positive impact, it wouldn't be a concern.

But if it had a negative impact, I might have to step up and help the protagonist.

'Hmm… my connections to the original story…'

Just two people: Lily and Athena.

Lily has already advanced far beyond her original self. It'd be hard to say she was causing any negative impact.

The problem was Athena.

'To be honest, she doesn't seem like a villain…'

During the time I spent with her, I never thought of her as a bad person.

She may be a bit self-centered, but one thing is clear:

She doesn't have an evil nature.

'She's somewhat considerate… takes good care of me… though she does play some mischievous pranks sometimes…'

How did she end up walking down the path of darkness?

Was there some deep story behind it?

'…..'

Alright.

I've made up my mind.

I hadn't given it much thought before, but now I'm someone completely immersed in this place.

I don't want to see this world destroyed by demons.

I will stop Athena's descent into darkness.

Even though I disliked her at first, she's now someone precious to me—a person I can't live without. The only one in this mansion who stands by me and takes care of me in her own way.

I don't know what happened to her in the novel, but as long as I'm here by her side, I won't let her fall into corruption.

If I prevent her from turning to darkness… the rest should be up to Robin.

Help out a companion's power-up, stop the villain's descent into darkness.

This would be a favor equivalent to risking my life, wouldn't it?

At this rate, it wouldn't be strange for Robin to bow down before me.

'You owe me big time, Robin.'

As for the incidents Athena stirs up, I'll handle them all…-

Squeeze-

"Huh?!!"

Squeeze, squeeze-

"Hyaa?! Haang?!"

"What are you thinking about so deeply without even answering your master, Hera?"

"Th-that's…"

Squeeze-

"Ahh..! Stop it!!"

"Giving me orders again, huh?"

Squeeze-

"Hiyah?! Fine…!! I get it!!"

…I needed to deal with this situation in my lower abdomen first.

***

"A week, huh…"

Bordin walked slowly down the hallway.

Although he hid it meticulously so no one could notice, his emotions were raging like a storm.

Five years since he began serving Athena.

Finally, the time had come.

Bordin had never forgotten for even a single moment.

That burning resentment from back then.

The helpless sense of self-loathing.

In those days long past.

Only the bone-grinding pain accompanied him.

The bloody tears he shed then had fueled his unrelenting thirst for revenge until now.

A week. That would be enough.

In that time, he would finish the vengeance he had harbored, decaying within him to the core.