A boisterous drinking party always comes to an end eventually. Starting with Ais, who was rubbing her eyes sleepily and looking worn out, one person after another left the banquet hall, and in the end even the main guest, Meteria, returned home, leaving the banquet to fall completely quiet.
I was left alone in that banquet hall, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Honestly, I was so exhausted that I didn't even have the energy to move.
With Aphrodite's involvement, the argument had flared up even more fiercely. It had gotten so heated that even first-class adventurers were being knocked flat. My body was already in terrible shape, and after going through that ordeal on top of it, I felt utterly drained.
"I really have gotten weaker."
I couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't just my abilities that had declined, but my whole body. Was this the price of history being altered? Or was it simply because I'd grown old?
As I mulled over those pointless thoughts, I pushed myself to my feet. If I kept sitting here, I'd be inconveniencing the shop too. For now, I should head back down to the church basement and get some proper rest until tomorrow.
"So if you have something to say, could you please get it over with quickly?"
As I said that and turned my head toward the corner, a figure hidden among the shadows stepped into view.
"Lady Hera."
I spoke in an even voice to the owner of the gaze I'd been feeling so openly since the middle of the banquet.
"That guy's going to die soon."
Aphrodite said that to the goddess before her.
The goddess who had invited her to the banquet... or rather, summoned her.
Aphrodite had said she simply attended the banquet, but she had never denied that someone had called her there. If the being before her had not summoned her, Aphrodite would not have come to this banquet.
...Probably.
"Explain properly."
"I don't know. It's the first time I've ever seen something like that too. His soul is extraordinary, but the soul itself is incredibly faint. It's hard to believe something so worn down is still alive."
Seeing souls is not Freya's exclusive privilege. Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, could do something similar.
Of course, it wasn't exactly the same ability as Freya's, but by the same token, Aphrodite could also see things Freya could not.
Freya could see the radiance of a soul with perfect precision. Aphrodite, on the other hand, could see the size of a soul.
It was a crude way of putting it, but in simple terms, that meant things directly tied to life itself—lifespan, vitality, and the like.
It was an ability Aphrodite possessed as a goddess of life as well.
And that wasn't all.
"But that child. What on earth is he?"
She wasn't talking about the deformed state of his soul. Rather, Aphrodite didn't even have time to worry about that.
"Why is there still a remnant of Hestia left in that child?"
The face of the goddess who had been the only one in the divine realm to treat her kindly flashed through her mind.
The warmth she felt from that faint soul was unmistakably hers. Why had a mere mortal been able to hold a god's flame within his body?
And beyond that, why had that flame gone out completely?
Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, was promised an immortality that would never vanish. It was a warm flame that did not burn fiercely, but would never go out.
And yet the flame contained in his soul was not the fire of a cozy hearth.
It was embers. The remnants left after burning away. Why had the aura of a goddess who had not even descended yet appeared before her in such a form?
"I'd like an answer, Hera."
Aphrodite narrowed her eyes at the one who had called her here: Hera.
"How unexpected. Was that kind of face your type?"
"Don't be ridiculous. That guy belongs to Artemis."
"Hmm, Artemis's..."
That was information she hadn't known. Come to think of it, she had heard he had been involved with a goddess during the Harvest Festival. So that had been Artemis?
"That Artemis, huh..."
Artemis, the ultimate anti-romance goddess, taking an interest in a man... What could the reason be?
Had she unconsciously sensed the aura of her close friend Hestia? Or had she come down to the mortal world and changed as well?
"That's surprising. I thought you and Artemis didn't get along."
At Hera's words, which sounded almost like a question of whether Aphrodite would try to take him away, Aphrodite snorted.
"Don't be ridiculous. What is the mistress of Olympus even saying?"
Zeus was the king of Olympus, but the one who truly held power was its mistress, Hera. There was no way she wouldn't know about the subtle relationship between Artemis and Aphrodite.
"I don't hate Artemis. I just thought it was a waste for a woman like her to live without knowing men."
And that feeling disappeared completely once she saw how Artemis acted toward the rabbit. Of course, the shy goddess would never say that honestly...
"I don't want the change Artemis finally managed to embrace to end in vain."
That said, she wasn't about to pretend not to see the situation before her.
A fleeting spark. A love that would never be fulfilled. Those were the things Aphrodite hated most.
"That's funny. Did you forget Artemis is a virgin goddess?"
"That's something that happened in the divine realm. Who knows? Maybe she's already become a former virgin goddess."
"...Did she?"
"I don't know. But she might have."
Even while exchanging such pointless banter, Aphrodite's eyes never softened. If anything, they only sharpened further.
"At this rate, I might hit you."
"What, you want to try it?"
It was bluster. In terms of force and influence alike, Aphrodite was far below Hera.
And yet she faced her so boldly because of her pride as a woman. Unfortunately, that one thing was enough to make her, if not the best in the divine realm, then certainly one of the most unyielding.
And Hera did not think poorly of that side of Aphrodite. She didn't particularly like her, but she was still one of the Twelve Gods. Hera had her own measure of respect for her.
...Of course, if she thought about the disgraceful mess in the divine realm, she felt like laughing, but that was that and this was this.
"Don't even think about brushing this off halfway. I'm not going anywhere until I hear everything."
"Shut up, you old rag."
"You rotten hag!"
"What did you say, brat?!"
They bickered back and forth. The conversation between the two of them, different yet alike, was always like this.
But in a few ways, they were also the beings who understood each other best.
Just as Hera acknowledged Aphrodite, Aphrodite understood Hera too.
She knew that the one suffering most because of that man was not herself, nor Artemis, but Hera.
And yet. No, because of that, she had to hear it.
"What is that thing? What is he planning to do... no, wait."
She dragged out her words, but they didn't really land. The question she truly wanted to ask, the thing she really needed to know, was this.
"What do you want to happen to that rabbit?"
"...!"
"If you leave him as he is, he'll die one hundred percent. I guarantee it."
Her voice was indifferent, and unlike usual, it held none of her cheer.
"If there's something you want, make it clear. Whether you want him to die or want him to live."
Aphrodite didn't know what result that choice would bring.
"So you won't regret it."
All she could do was pray that, even after seeing the outcome, Hera would not come to regret it.
Remembering that conversation with Aphrodite, Hera looked at the man before her.
At first glance, he looked no more than a boy. Aside from his blurred eye and empty right arm, his appearance was so innocent that it suited the word perfectly, and black emotion burned in Hera's heart.
It was frustration. Because she knew what fate awaited the being before her. And because she was powerless to do anything about it.
"How cruel."
Why had mother and child alike been born under such a harsh fate? For Hera, seeing the people she cherished suffer was always painful.
If only he didn't have to struggle. If only he could be happy. If only he could live a long, ordinary life like that. How happy she would be. And yet she could do nothing, and that made her feel unbearably wronged.
It was different from Meteria's case. Meteria was someone she wanted to save but could not reach, but the person before her was one she was pushing toward that fate with her own hands.
Even knowing there was no other choice, Hera still found herself wavering in this very moment.
Was this really all right? What was she thinking about? Everything she had done so far? Or what she would do from here on?
She didn't know the answer. But one thing was certain.
"Bell Cranel."
The die had already been cast.
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