61

Back in my room after leaving the study.

Lying on the bed, I hummed a little tune, glancing suspiciously at Mari as she read her book.

For some reason, an uneasy feeling kept creeping in.

'Do dragons… usually take interest in things like that?'

The three books Mari had brought with her.

One was a wholesome book about the love between parents and children.

But the other two were certainly not the type of content a child like Mari should be interested in.

I had tried several times to persuade her to read something else, but her determination was unyielding.

In the end, I surrendered to her slightly unsettling resolve, and since then, she had been absorbed in the books.

'Could it be… that I'm a terrible mother?'

Allowing my daughter to read those kinds of books… I felt a strange sense of self-reproach.

'…Maybe it's because she's a dragon?'

A species that follows a different path from ordinary creatures.

Maybe Mari wasn't strange; perhaps it was just that dragons as a species were unique.

With her extraordinary existence, her common sense might also be different.

This was probably a realm that an ordinary person like me couldn't begin to understand.

So maybe, just maybe, this situation wasn't strange at all.

It wasn't me; Mari was just unique because she was a dragon.

Yes, exactly.

I'm definitely not a terrible mother.

Even with this mental victory, a feeling of self-reproach lingered, and a slight sense of self-loathing seemed to seep in.

Still, I was beginning to understand a bit of Mari's unconventional tastes.

"Mom."

"Hmm…?"

It seemed she was curious about something as she came over and opened the part she was reading.

"What does 'maternal love' mean?"

She must've been curious about the meaning of that word.

Looking at the part Mari showed me, it was about the love between a mother and her child.

"Maternal love is… the love a mother feels for her child."

Mari looked at me with her eyes wide open.

"So, do you… love Mari too, Mom?"

I chuckled and patted her head.

"Of course. You're my precious daughter."

Hearing my positive answer, Mari's face lit up with a joyful smile.

"Hehe, I love you too, Mom!"

Seeing Mari's adorable expression, all the self-reproach and doubt vanished into thin air.

Yes.

Who cares if I'm flawed?

As long as Mari's this happy.

With her curiosity satisfied, Mari dove back into her book.

Knock, knock.

Someone was knocking at the door.

'Who could it be?'

It couldn't be Athena, as she had mentioned she'd return in the evening or night.

Could it be one of the house staff?

I didn't really want to face anyone else, but I didn't want to leave them waiting either.

Leaving Mari reading her book, I went to open the door.

And there, standing before me—

"Miss…"

Someone who had once been very close to me.

The one who had taught me so many things and had helped me often.

It was Alina.

With a somewhat sorrowful expression, she looked at me.

—If possible, I think doing nothing might actually be more helpful!

—Honestly… you're not very good at this kind of work, are you?

—If you weren't someone Athena cherished, I wouldn't even acknowledge you!

Upon seeing her…

Suddenly, my body started trembling.

My breathing became gradually constricted, and my stomach churned violently.

"Ugh…"

"Miss..! Are you okay?"

As I gagged, covering my mouth, Alina supported me with a worried expression.

But as soon as her hand touched me, I pushed her away.

"D-Don't… come near…"

"Miss…"

Her face looked genuinely concerned, her complexion pale.

But I knew.

It's a lie.

Inside, she's looking down on me pitifully.

Someone like me… she's just forcing herself to help…

The words she's already thrown at me.

The more I thought of her as a friend, the deeper those words cut into my heart, leaving scars.

"Please… just… leave me alone…"

When I looked at her desperately with a trembling voice, her gaze began to waver intensely.

For a moment, as she looked at me with a face that seemed on the verge of tears, Alina.

She soon closed her eyes tightly as if she had made a decision.

"I'm… truly sorry, Miss…"

Then, turning her back, Alina walked away.

I could only stand there, staring blankly at her retreating figure.

"Alina…"

After standing still for a while, I held back the tears that were threatening to escape.

…If only I weren't such a helpless person.

Could we have continued to laugh together…?

'…It's already too late.'

Sighing inwardly, I brushed aside my futile hopes and went back into the room. Mari was there, looking at me with a worried expression.

"Mom, are you crying…?"

Noticing my poor complexion, her face was filled with concern.

I quickly hugged Mari.

"No… it's just that my eyes are stinging from the sunlight."

Mari looked at me with a slightly displeased expression.

"Another lie…"

She muttered in a voice so soft I almost didn't hear, then soon smiled and took my hand, pulling me into the room.

"Mom, there's something I want."

Her face looked expectant, as if hoping for something.

"Hmm?… And what might that be…?"

Mari skipped over to grab the book she had been reading, bringing it over to me.

Pointing to a page with her finger, she said, "I want this!"

"Hmm… let's see…"

On the page Mari pointed to, there was a picture of a mother hugging her baby.

But…

"Yikes?!!"

The moment I saw the picture, I gasped and took a step back in surprise.

Mari looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Mom?"

Trying to calm my racing heart, I spoke to Mari with a wavering voice.

"M-Mari…? That… that's…"

Seeing me move away, Mari seemed displeased and quickly ran up close to me.

"It's something a mom gives her child!"

Mari looked up at me with a face full of expectation.

I had no choice but to avoid her burdensome gaze.

No, it wasn't incorrect, but…

Still, this…

'I… I'm not going to come out…'

The picture that Mari showed me.

It was a perfectly normal, pure image between a mother and child.

But for some reason, it didn't feel that way right now.

It was a picture of a child being breastfed by their mother.

***

Here, deep in the mountains.

"Mm… As expected, the Demon Lord is…"

Sword Saint Carlos was stroking his beard with a troubled expression.

"Yes, that guy wants war again."

After taking a sip from the cup in front of him, he placed it back on the table.

And immediately, the Sword Saint refilled his drink.

It had been hours since leaving the mansion.

Currently, I was sitting in a cabin, sharing drinks with the Sword Saint.

"To think we've come to a time of peace."

"The demons enjoy slaughter. It must have been a good time for them."

In the era of the Great War, when all races fought.

It is said that there was never a day when the demons didn't have smiles on their faces.

"It seems we'll need a countermeasure."

"We'll just have to block the Demon King's plans one by one."

"Do you have a good idea?"

"First of all…"

I began to share with him the plan I had in mind.

As we discussed the Sword Saint and the demons, time slipped by.

Quite a bit of time had passed.

Before I knew it, the sun was sinking towards the horizon.

"Sounds good. Let's do that."

The Sword Saint emptied his cup as he spoke.

Following his lead, I emptied my cup, stood up, dusted off my clothes a few times, and looked around.

"Come to think of it, you said you were training a disciple, didn't you? I don't see anyone around."

The Sword Saint chuckled at his own words and answered.

"Today is her sister's birthday, so she went to spend time with her."

"Hm… I see?"

"Too bad. I was hoping to show her to you."

When he mentioned her sister, a woman came to mind.

A woman I found unpleasant every time I saw her.

A woman whom Hera relied on heavily.

Surely she was a trivial, insignificant human.

But for some reason, every time I saw her, I felt a strange sense of inferiority.

'…Well, it doesn't matter. Hera is mine now.'

Hera, who had already opened her heart to me.

I planned to train her body gradually, every night.

Having conquered her heart, it was now time to claim her body.

I intended to make her come to me, panting with excitement whenever she was in my presence.

Recalling Hera obediently licking my feet under me last night, some dangerous thoughts began to take shape in my mind.

'Once Hera's body has fully adapted… I'll try it later…'

As he indulged in such a blissful delusion, just as he was about to return to the mansion where she awaited—

"Come to think of it, how have you been doing lately?"

It was the Sword Saint, stopping her in her tracks.

"What do you mean, 'how have I been doing'?"

"With that child, I mean."

His words instantly dampened her mood.

The memory of what he had said last time still lingered.

"Don't you think this is unnecessary meddling?"

The Sword Saint wore a somewhat conflicted expression at her remark.

"I'm saying this all for your sake."

He walked briskly up to the Sword Saint, looking him straight in the eye as he began to speak.

"Listen carefully, Carlos."

"….."

"You said you could see the way of the world to some extent, didn't you?"

The endlessly calm gaze looked down at him.

"The path I walk is the true answer and the way."

This is how she had lived her entire life.

Achieving whatever she desired, obtaining whatever she wanted, no matter what.

"Sins? Karma? Let it come, however much it may."

Nothing would be able to bring her to her knees. Not even that esteemed goddess, if it came to that.

"Not a single thing bothers me."