Chapter 29: The Goddess Has No Idea What to Do

The arena was silent. Completely, utterly, impossibly silent.

The strongest warriors in the world, the mightiest mages, the noblest of nobles, all stared in complete disbelief.

A Goddess had just unleashed a divine smite upon a mere mortal. And yet… Haruto was still standing.

Vellaria, the Goddess of Order, kept her gaze fixed on the so-called anomaly before her. In all her eternal existence, she had never been this confused.

That should have worked.

No mortal, not even a hero blessed by the gods, could withstand a divine smite. And yet, Haruto, a man with no fate, no recorded destiny, no divine blessing, had not only survived—he looked mildly inconvenienced at best.

Haruto scratched the back of his head. "Sooo… was that it? Because, not gonna lie, I was expecting something a little more, you know… smite-y?"

Lilia, from the VIP section, giggled. "Oh my, my dear husband is truly exceptional~!"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, LILIA, I AM NOT YOUR HUSBAND!" Haruto screamed.

Emilia, the ever-loyal knight, stepped protectively in front of him, her sword still drawn. "If a divine attack didn't work, then doesn't that prove he belongs here?"

Sylphiel, the elven archmage, nodded. "Indeed. Even the heavens themselves cannot reject him. That is proof enough."

Haruto sighed. "Oh, great, more proof that my life is a cosmic joke. Fantastic."

Vellaria took a deep breath. No. There had to be an explanation.

Perhaps… the smite had been weakened. Yes, that must be it. Perhaps the barrier between the celestial and mortal realms had dampened its effects.

She raised her hand again. This time, she poured even more divine power into it.

Haruto's eyes narrowed. "Oh, come on. Really? You're gonna try again?"

A second golden blast of light erupted from her palm.

The stadium shook. The air cracked. The very laws of reality bent as the smite descended upon Haruto.

And then—

Nothing.

The smoke cleared. The divine energy dissipated.

Haruto stood in the exact same spot, staring at his sleeve. "...You singed my shirt."

Vellaria froze.

The crowd froze.

Haruto groaned. "I liked this shirt! Do you know how hard it is to find comfortable casual wear when you're an accidental Demon King?!"

Vellaria's eye twitched. She clenched her fist.

No. No, this was not possible.

"Haruto." Her voice was tight with controlled divine fury. "Explain yourself."

Haruto threw up his hands. "LADY, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S HAPPENING EITHER!"

Sylphiel stepped forward. "My beloved is beyond divine comprehension."

"I AM NOT YOUR BELOVED!"

Lilia giggled again. "Oh my~! To even withstand divine judgment… my husband truly is the most remarkable man in the world!"

"SHUT UP, LILIA!"

Vellaria pinched the bridge of her nose. "Enough."

She hated this. This was not how things were supposed to go.

She was a Goddess. She maintained the fundamental order of this world. There was no precedent for something like Haruto.

A mortal with no fate.

A man who could not be erased.

A being who broke every law of reality—

—and yet refused to acknowledge it.

Vellaria took a long, deep breath. "Fine."

Haruto perked up. "Wait, really? I can go home now?"

"No," she said.

"OF COURSE NOT."

The Goddess exhaled, then looked directly at Haruto. "Since erasure is impossible, I will simply have to monitor you."

Haruto blinked. "...Excuse me?"

"You are a threat to the world's balance," Vellaria declared. "If I cannot remove you, then I must ensure that you do not cause further disruption."

Haruto frowned. "You're saying—"

"—I am staying here," Vellaria finished.

The entire stadium collectively lost their minds.

A Goddess. The Goddess of Order. Was going to descend to the mortal realm—just to babysit a single man.

The nobles gasped.

The warriors screamed.

The mages tried (and failed) to process what had just been said.

Haruto, meanwhile, was just about ready to give up on life entirely.

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT," he waved his hands frantically. "You're staying here?! As in, here here?! Like, following me around?! Like some divine chaperone?!"

"Correct," Vellaria said. "You will be under my direct observation."

Haruto buried his face in his hands. "I cannot believe this. This is the worst outcome imaginable."

Lilia clapped her hands in delight. "My~! Another powerful woman has entered my dear husband's harem!"

"THIS IS NOT A HAREM!"

Vellaria, now visibly irritated, crossed her arms. "This is not a harem."

"Thank you!" Haruto shouted.

"This is divine surveillance."

Haruto groaned. "IT'S LITERALLY THE SAME THING!"

The crowd was still too stunned to react properly.

Emilia sheathed her sword. "...If a Goddess is personally overseeing Haruto, then that means…"

Sylphiel "...The heavens truly cannot handle him."

Vellaria ignored them, stepping closer to Haruto. "Until I determine why you defy fate itself, I will remain here."

Haruto rubbed his temples. "Fantastic. Wonderful. Just what I needed. A divine overseer."

Lilia giggled. "Don't worry, dear~! I'm sure you'll find a way to accidentally make the Goddess fall for you as well!"

"STOP SAYING THINGS LIKE THAT!"

Vellaria's eyebrow twitched. "That will not happen."

Lilia merely smiled knowingly.

Haruto knew he was doomed.

The strongest warriors in the world? Falling for him.

The Demon King's throne? Accidentally his.

A Goddess herself? Now personally keeping an eye on him.

He should have seen this coming.

Haruto let out a long, suffering sigh. "I hate my life."

Vellaria simply crossed her arms. "Get used to it. Because as of today—"

A golden aura surrounded her.

"I am staying by your side. Indefinitely."

Haruto, upon hearing this, promptly collapsed to the ground.

The crowd erupted into chaos.