154. Because It's Not Right
154. Because It's Not Right
Honestly, I had a slight suspicion.
From the start, Merk's job was a righteous thief (self-proclaimed thief), so how bad could the Main God's sticky fingers be?
She had already snatched and swallowed the Queen's essence at the very beginning, so I shouldn't have thought she would spit it back out now.
'Am I...a goddamn pushover...?'
To be honest, it was something I had to do anyway from the start,
and I accepted it partly because it seemed simple—just bring Merk along during the process.
But no matter what, the reality was that getting treated like a pushover in succession left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.
"Come to think of it, Chrono uses a dagger, right. I use a dagger too. But if you're better at hiding, better at stealing, and even better at using a dagger than me...."
"....Haah."
I couldn't help but glance sideways at Merk and let out a small sigh.
Right. It was Hermes who was the damn thief, so Merk wasn't bad.
You know the saying, hate the sin but not the sinner?
Hate Hermes who ate and ran, but there's no reason to dislike innocent Merk—well, maybe that's not entirely true, but I slowly took a deep breath and calmed my thoughts.
'Still, it's better than the other gods.'
I had no intention of viewing theft favorably, but the comparison was just too awful.
The Hermes effect—seeing her again made her look like a goddess in comparison.
The effect where a needle thief can be forgiven in front of a cattle thief; even though they're both thieves, you become a little more lenient.
...Anyway, enough nonsense.
"Shall we head back soon?"
All the important materials were snuck out.
If so, there was no more reason to remain here.
On top of that, I couldn't use time-stop all day, and it was about time to return.
'Because it would be troublesome if my face gets caught on camera by mistake.'
You might have forgotten, but currently, I was supposedly kidnapped and confined.
If I were to wander around outside perfectly fine, I would lose my justification.
For the finishing blow, I hurried back toward the house.
"....I actually like it. Because if my husband is skilled, he can steal even more!"
"???"
"So I love you, Chrono!"
"Wake up."
A confession from Merk on the way back.
Merk was still dizzying.
"First...we should expose it, right?"
"Leave that part to me, your genius wife Merk!"
".............."
"....Are you acknowledging me?"
"I don't even know where to start picking apart what you're saying."
After returning home, I looked over the Athena Guild's double ledger, shady transaction records, and deal documents that would cause all sorts of headaches if spread through society, and I pondered how to use them.
....Well, there was nothing to ponder over—expose, expose, and expose everything—but I decided to leave that part to the self-proclaimed specialist.
"Heua~~~~am....ugh."
Since I had done everything I could for the day.
I closed my eyes without hesitation and fell asleep.
So the next day came, and
[Those people...are all sinners....!]
[The hero of that day, the true hero....!]
[....Yes. It is all the truth without falsehood.]
"...Merk. Did you already spread the bait?"
"Not yet, though...."
The plan hadn't even started, but people had begun to run wild.
And, the main player who likely led this situation was....
[You said she is the close friend of Chrono, the true hero of the subjugation battle...what kind of person was Chrono at the academy?]
[Chrono is....my precious friend!]
"Why are you out there?"
...Yuno, just what the hell did you do yesterday?
********************
One day before
Yuno planned to spend her day like usual.
Wake up, wash up, eat breakfast, and watch Neotube.
[It's here again today! Nas's Love☆Counseling]
".........Hmm hmm."
Watching Neotube,
watching Neotube,
and after wasting time with all her might—
[─Next will be 'Ur's 'Truth.' Everyone, please greet her with applause.]
"Huh...?"
That person. That person.
Yuno knew her.
She definitely knew her.
Someone that Mars had shown her once, so she knew...
[...It's been quite a while since I've been at a place like this.]
"Goddess...?"
Hair that was veiled but couldn't be hidden in the end.
Mysterious water-colored hair. And above all, a 'presence' that couldn't be concealed.
Just by standing there, she drew everyone's attention—
[────♬]
"────Ah."
A sound.
A voice.
Ur Goddess's voice came through.
It didn't enter through the ears; it felt like whispering directly inside her brain.
Her mind grew hazy, and gradually a blurry illusion seemed to appear before her eyes.
'This...is......'
A song. Music. Performance. Illusion.
A single story painted inside her head.
"Eut....aah....!"
She tried. She achieved.
She gave her all to be acknowledged by everyone.
But what returned in the end was neglect and contempt.
Even the little she had was taken away,
and all that remained in her hand was a wretched emptiness.
Even her existence was denied, and she fell into an endless abyss—
"—Chrono."
A man's face.
It was blurry and smudged all over, so it wasn't clear, but Yuno sensed it intuitively.
Ur Goddess was singing about Chrono right now.
What kind of thing had happened to him.
What kind of situation he was in.
She appealed how sorrowful and resentful was the heart of the woman who could only watch it all...
[───↗↗↗♪]
"Heueut....!"
The climax. A scream. She shouted with all her strength.
It was your fault.
It was divine punishment upon you.
A voice that seemed like a declaration from an absolute being.
At the end, she came down from the stage, but Ultimately, she wasn't seen at the awards ceremony.
".......Chrono."
I hadn't known.
I didn't know that Chrono was in such a difficult situation.
I just thought that since we took on missions together, finished missions together, and I knew his skills, he would have done better than me at least.
But the result was the complete opposite.
Even the achievements he made were stolen, and now he was in a situation where he was practically half a fugitive.
'But despite that, Chrono....'
When danger arose, when a crisis struck.
He must be struggling himself, yet he stepped up first and saved us.
"............Yeah."
Even though I never asked for help, Chrono put everything aside and came running.
From the Athena Guild to the Ares Guild. He crossed that long distance in an instant and rushed over to save us, giving his all.
──If so, then.
"I also...there must be something I can do to help!"
Even though Chrono didn't ask for help, I can go and help first, right.
Yuno got up from her spot and prepared to go to the Athena Guild.
'The location──Athena Guild, where Chrono was.'
...
..
.
Recently, the Athena Guild's stock had been hitting its daily lower limit.
Not just Minerva, but the Athena Guild's shameful secrets kept being exposed.
Under such a hopeless situation, what would happen if a goddess personally appeared and even shouted 'Athena Guild is a trash guild!'?
"Apologize! Apologize!"
""""Apologize! Apologize!!""""
"Release the hero of the subjugation battle, release Chrono!"
""""Release him! Release him!!""""
Naturally, protests erupted.
The guild's front gate was already smeared with eggs and flour, and the walls were even graffitied with markers and spray paint.
The Athena Guild members came out and tried to manage the situation, but they alone were no match for stopping the frenzied mob. So.
—Jjaenggeurang!
"What bullshit is that about wisdom! If screwing people over counts as wisdom, then it's wisdom!"
""""Waaaaah!!!!""""
The protest had grown so rough it was nearly a riot.
As it became a frenzy that had crossed the line far beyond it by breaking windows, Yuno felt her passion cooling down instead.
'No matter how bad they are....'
Did it have to go this far?
Thinking it would be hard to do anything in the current situation, Yuno stepped back.
While walking away from the mad scene a bit and pondering what to do next
[Eu.....eueu, euk....!]
"Hm...?"
A person's voice.
A voice groaning in pain.
At the sound coming from beyond that alley, Yuno quietly entered the alley.
"Excuse me...."
"Eut....?!"
A man leaning against the wall, grimacing.
His head and clothes were dirty beyond words with flour, eggs, banana peels, and all sorts of things.
One eye was bruised and swollen, and his body was full of torn wounds and bruises.
He was in a state where it wouldn't be strange if he collapsed at any moment.
Yuno immediately pulled out her phone.
"I'll call 119—give it up—...Pardon?"
But the man dissuaded Yuno.
"They won't...take us anyway."
".....No way."
Come to think of it, the guild's front gate was filthy with flour, egg liquid, and various food waste.
People were throwing whatever they held indiscriminately, breaking even the windows.
In front of such a mob, a frenzied mob...
"Athena Guild."
"......Keueuk..!"
What would happen if someone connected to the Athena Guild appeared?
What would happen, what else. They would probably be caught, blamed, and beaten to a pulp.
'Athena Guild person'
That was only natural, because even I was angry.
I was disappointed in the Athena Guild, and I hated the people of the Athena Guild.
The person who hurt Chrono.
The person who made Chrono hide.
The person who stole Chrono's achievements and denied what was Chrono's.
The ungrateful guild that ultimately tried to hide even Chrono's very existence—such people shouldn't exist.
And hating the members of such a guild was natural....but.
"[Heal][Heal][Cure][Recovery]"
"......??"
"[Purifying Flame]"
"....Why are..."
Yuno raised her hand.
She raised her hand and healed the man.
"...Young lady, don't you hate the Athena Guild?"
"I do. I probably hate them more than other people."
"Then why...."
"..........."
Yuno looked down at the man and pressed her lips tightly together.
I hated them.
But even so.
"Because an unjust thing...is an unjust thing."
"..........."
If I ignored him here,
if I ignored a person who was hurt and in pain, just because he was an 'Athena Guild' person.
"Because I...am not like the Athena Guild people."
"......Ha!"
The man was dumbfounded by Yuno's answer.
At the same time, it seemed he was pleased with the answer, as he calmly echoed Yuno's words.
"Then...what should I have done? You think I knew everything? I didn't know either! I didn't know that sort of fucking shitty thing was going on!"
"...You really didn't know?"
".........."
"Truly, you didn't know anything at all?"
Yuno's question.
The man bowed his head and muttered.
"Even if I knew, it was a place where you weren't supposed to let on you knew. That's how the higher-ups' talk always goes."
"Were you threatened?"
"Not threatened, but that's just how society works, isn't it? And the Athena Guild was originally that kind of place."
"May I hear more about it?"
"Huh?"
Somehow the conversation had grown long.
Dialogue going back and forth.
Gradually realizing the truth about the Athena Guild, the guild's policies, and the guild's reality, Yuno spoke to the man.
"Tell me honestly."
"The moment I...speak honestly, I'm done for."
"But if you keep lying, if you keep turning away....
...even if you want to go back, you might not be able to return anymore."
"............."
Yuno's persuasion.
Ordinarily, it was something he would have brushed off as nonsense.
'An unjust thing...huh.'
You can't go back.
But now, if it's now, since it's just erupted...
".....Fine. I was feeling stifled anyway, so it works out."
"Then...."
The man spoke.
"I should go back, even now."
Let's speak the truth together with our comrades.
And let's atone with all our hearts.
He was sick of pretending not to know, pretending he didn't know, pretending not to see even though he knew.
"It's a bit, scary, but....!"
If they say in this world that lies are human wisdom
"Athena would surely wish for that too!"
Speaking the truth is the wisdom of the gods.
The process would be hard, but later it would be peaceful.
As a side note
"Excuse me... uh, miss? Could I possibly get your phone number?"
"Pardon?"
"I think I'll have a lot of things to call you about going forward...."
"Ah....."
A look seeking help.
If it were her old self, she might have said it was fine and given her phone number.
"....I'm sorry. I don't think I can give you my phone number...!"
"Is that so? Then that's that, I guess...."
Tch.
The man smacked his lips.
Yuno felt sorry for the man yet at the same time felt relieved in another way.
'If I talk on the phone with another man in front of Chrono....'
He would probably push me away, saying I had found another man.
...It was Chrono, inadvertently preventing NTR.