". . .Is that true?"
"Yes kami-sama its only him and nothing more, they never find any corpse or anything other than that"
"I see. . .then this child is"
"No doubt, if it wasn't him, then no one does"
Zetta who try not to disturbed the voices, never tried to open his eyes and only listening. He just woken up so what he heard is only the last part of their conversation.
Minutes later, the body of his is eager to stand up as his muscle started to get stiff. . .
"Worry not, We're harmless"
As if he's seen through, the lady inside of his tent and the one whose overlooking for him, stated with faint smile.
. . .
. .
.
Time moved forward as Zetta is now finished explaining what happened after the battle and opposite of him is the goddess resides in the area, the goddess Astraea. . .a deity with long straight cyan colored hair and lips, unlike his goddess whose bluer hair, hers is like a transparent water.
Zetta was taking a gasp at first, because he knew that a certain elf is a part of this familia but he didn't flinch nor change of emotion as the two are still conversing.
"To think you're the child of Artemis"
Again, Zetta couldn't believe. They exchange information about the dragon he defeated; the area they devastated and how he arrived in this village according to Astraea but not once did he try to say his affiliation during then.
"Surprise? fufufu, I'm sorry as I tried to peak, I shouldn't let a criminal run wild inside my territory, do I? I'm sure you too would do the same for your and Artemis' safety" Astaea show her light-cutted index finger.
"R-right" Zetta side glanced at his back and agrees as he speaks and return back his gaze towards the said goddess. If he didn't have an appraisal skill, he sure would do the same for Artemis. For the record, she dropped her blood from the back of Zetta to show his current affiliation.
He clearly understood how it works as he himself used it once during his time as proxy captain inside the Casino El Dorado. ..to which it was the blood of the unknwon diety.
'But to think she could smile like that' Zetta close his eye halfway. He knew a story or two about this deity, its past and the trauma she received from certain evil familia. Unlike the aloof elf he knew and her story, this goddess is different. As if...
Thinking deeply, Zetta sighed deeply. . .he doesn't want to pry any more than this as he done the same to his goddess Artemis. If he can, there's no doubt someone could also done the same to Astraea.
"W-what?" unknowingly, never did he realize he is piercing glared the goddess.
Astraea at the same time covers her body with her hands as if Zetta wanted to defile it from his stare.
"ahhh-eh?" Snapped back, Zetta smiled awkwardly, he's thinking deep enough and never realize what kind of face he has towards the goddess. What's more, he closed his eye halfway as if he is indeed looking at her body like a pervert.
First impressions last indeed as the two turned awkward, thereafter. Everytime Zetta tried to look at her, Astraea never try to make an eye contact with him.
With that, he gave up. He doesn't care what others think but one thing is for sure, this is indeed the Goddess of the Gale he knew; Ryuu Lion.
Astraea accompanied Zetta out of her tent and introduced her current companion. This time did Zetta realize that the current people here isn't Astraea's child but a normal villager and falna-less.
Childrens, woman, old people, almost all of them should need someone's protection so Zetta couldn't help but to cover his mouth with scarf out of pity. . .
"What is she thinking? She think she can protect this falna-less and untrained people? Is what's on your mind this whole time, right?"
Arriving at the waterfall infront of them as an endless stream as if gleamed, flowing; Astraea let out a word of Zetta's currently thinking.
Surprised, Zetta shakes his head in defeat. Did his thought written in his face? He asks himself. . .
"I thought so, anyway lets return back to the topic. I'm very surprised Artemis actually accepted a male in her familia, mind to hear your story? Please think of it as a compensation from helping you as I'm reaaaally curious"
Again, Astraea wear a faint smile.
"Why is it surprising to you all when kami-sama had a male member as her child?"
Zetta's ear twitched, almost every deity asks the same questions and approached. Are all gods are like this?--the question is yes. . .Zetta at the same time wanted to smack Astraea at this very moment. But he wanted to know the answer.
"Yup, I'm sure its not just curiosity but jealousy"
"How so?"
"hmmm" She then continued, "unlike you humans, We are truth to our words, once we decided something, we never return it back again. like an oath, taking it back is just like a mortal sin in Gekai. . .because for us, that promise is what makes us a God"
"Gods. . .this very reason why majority descended here, even with hundreds of millions of humans we encountered. Each of them are unique individuals. None of them are the same, maybe there are similarities, but as a whole, you all are different from each other"
"So its surprising that there is a Goddess who is so strict on her own, break her own oath. . .and that is you"
"...anyway, lets return back to the topic. . ." Astaea didn't try to finish her word as if it is troublesome for a human to understand them but Zetta clearly knows it. Although his only source of observation is Artemis and the Godhood, he clearly define how the system of all dieties works. . .
'Childrens'
Is what he concluded. For him, all of the diety is like a child who don't know the reality of the world. . .Uncorrupted. . .so pure. No matter how vile a deity was, in all aspect, all of them is a like-child for not defying their own law, not their individual personality but their ideology. Hence, stupidly pure.
Zetta describes them like a flickering incandescent light inside the monster core. No matter how corrupt they may be, like a monster. Their ideology about the title called diety are all the same.
Still. . ."Don't wanna" Zetta answers thereafter
"Ehhhh???" Astraea frantically surprised from his rejection.
Pffff. . .
Zetta couldn't help as his lips curved to the side and let out a single chuckle.
Honestly speaking, after realizing he is the child of Artemis, Astraea tried her best trying to act cool infront of Zetta but all was shattered by the latter.
Hearing his mocking chuckle accompanied by silent laugh, Astraea depresses as black aura covers her head; frustrated.
"Hmm?" Not minding the goddess' reaction, Zetta discovers someone from below, using its lance by swiftly revolving and hover them in its body. Like a flowing water. As if she herself is calm water.
He is conscious about his appraisal effect as the high level adventurer can feel it but then he realized, only few is above level 3 outside of the Orario so he didn't think it through and appraised the lance user from below. It was then he realize she is a girl; with maroon colored hair. Wearing dark vest and blue long sleeves and a skirt.
"What is it?"
The question came from below made Zetta open his eyes wide in surprised
Not waiting for his answer, the girl jumped up and arrived besides Astraea "Goddess, what happen?" as she saw her sitting from the ground who looks like being bullied.
"What did you do?" she questioned.
Unlike any other person who arrogantly asks the same word, Zetta find her question more like a calm water, its kind of refreshing. He couldn't help but cough from this. But the question is, 'did she feel my skill?'
"Don't mind it Shine, I asks an absurd question so its my fault to begin with. . ."
"Fuuu, I see. . .alright then" Thereafter, she dragged Zetta and Astraea to return back inside their village.