Chapter 307
Chapter 307
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 307
Chapter Title: A Goddess's Deviation (2)
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He felt a gentle, warm touch.
It was the sensation of being enveloped in fluffy cotton candy.
A sugary-sweet bliss spread through his entire body.
*Is this what a child feels in their mother's embrace?*
Of course, the concept of a 'mother' was more foreign to him than a complete stranger.
Still, he could vaguely surmise that this must be what it felt like to be held in a mother's arms.
“Umm.”
He opened his eyes, a languid feeling washing over him.
The fatigue that had been weighing down his body was gone, and his mind felt remarkably clear.
He saw the familiar ceiling of the tent and silky, silver hair.
“…Vega?”
[You are awake?]
Vega, sitting by his head, had her hand on Oh-jin’s forehead, stroking it as gently as if caressing a treasure.
[How is your body?]
“Much better, thanks to you.”
[Hmm? I did not use any particular healing magic.]
“Well, you know that old saying.”
Mom’s hands are healing hands.
[Hehe. Do you think of me as a mother?]
Vega smiled faintly, continuing to stroke his forehead as he lay there.
It had felt quite nice when Isabella stroked his head, too.
But having Vega do it brought the most comforting feeling.
*Am I going to actually regress into a child at this rate?*
It seemed that lately, both Ha-eun and Isabella had been treating him more and more like a child.
*Well, it’s not a bad feeling, though.*
If anything, it was closer to being a good thing.
It wasn't like he was some macho type who threw a fit at being treated like a kid.
“Where are Ha-eun and Isabella?”
[They seemed tired and went to sleep early.]
That made sense.
They must have pushed themselves without rest right after fighting the horde of monsters to find him.
And after finding him, they would have stayed up all night tending to him.
“Is it okay for you to not return to the Sanctuary?”
[It should be fine for a few more hours.]
That was welcome news.
Having lazed around all day, he didn't feel sleepy anymore.
He wasn't in any condition to train, so without Vega, he would have spent a lonely time with no one to talk to.
As he was thinking about what to talk about with Vega…
[Ahem! Th-There is one thing. I wish to ask a favor of you.]
Vega began to speak, her face flushing red as she stammered.
“What is it?”
[Well… I have made many mistakes this time, have I not?]
“Huh? What mistakes?”
Racking his brain, he couldn't recall anything Vega had done that could be considered a mistake.
Sure, she couldn't provide direct help in the battle against Behemoth.
But that was because of the constraints of the Precepts.
[N-No! I have committed a great many transgressions!]
Vega exclaimed, her face flushed and her voice urgent.
Oh-jin simply stared at her, unable to understand.
[S-So.]
Vega stammered in a flustered voice.
From the way her golden eyes darted back and forth, she seemed to be desperately trying to think of these so-called ‘transgressions.’
[Ah!]
She let out a short gasp, as if a good idea had struck her.
[At first, when the Cat Constellation said they would make you their Apostle, I became overly angry, did I not!]
“Oh, that?”
Vega had certainly overreacted to Felis’s words, but…
“Still, that’s hardly…”
[If I had not provoked the Cat Constellation, we might have been able to resolve things more amicably through dialogue, no?]
“Come on, you saw its personality.”
Would Felis, with a personality as whimsical as a cat, really change its mind with just a conversation?
[A-At the very least, you would have had more time to prepare a response, would you not?]
“Well… I guess so.”
It was true that if Vega hadn't stepped in and provoked Felis, he might have been able to think of a different way to handle the situation.
[Then it is my transgression, is it not?]
“It’s not a big deal. Besides, everything worked out in the end, didn’t it?”
He had received far too much from Vega to scold her over something so trivial.
[No! If a transgression has been committed, it is only right to receive due punishment!]
Vega leaned forward with a firm attitude.
As her face drew closer, he could see her expression was filled with a sort of anticipation, her breath coming out in hot puffs.
“…Punishment?”
This felt ominous.
[Why, th-there was an incident like this before, was there not?]
No way.
“…My butt?”
A memory he had forgotten—no, a memory he had been actively trying to forget—slowly resurfaced in his mind.
[C-Cough! Y-Yes!]
“……”
Oh-jin narrowed his eyes, observing Vega, who was coughing and blushing profusely.
Her hips fidgeted as if she desperately needed to use the restroom.
Her eyes were filled with a strange anticipation, her breath hot.
*…Don’t tell me.*
Does she want me to spank her?
*N-No, that’s a bit much.*
He did remember Vega looking strangely aroused when he’d spanked her before, but…
Surely not.
Vega.
The Polaris, who reigns over hundreds of Constellations.
“To think she enjoys being spanked…”
[I-I do not enjoy it!]
The truth was so shocking that the words slipped out of his mouth.
[It is a misunderstanding! I-I am not such a shameless woman!]
Her desperate denial only made her seem more suspicious.
*Well, it takes all sorts to make a world.*
Hadn't he himself felt a strange emotion seeing Ha-eun and Isabella with animal ears and tails?
No matter if Vega was the Polaris, deep down she was still a woman, so he should try to understand such a unique preference…
[Did I not say that is not it! Do not look at me with such an understanding expression!]
Vega shouted, lightly slapping Oh-jin on the back.
[Anyway! Since I have committed a sin, my heart will not be at ease unless I receive punishment!]
“So you want me to spank you like last time?”
[Y-Yes.]
Vega’s voice trailed off as she slowly turned around.
The curve of her bottom, faintly visible through her dress, made his heart race.
*This is insane.*
He had never expected Vega to make such a request.
*But I can’t exactly refuse.*
Her face was already red enough to explode. If he flatly refused now, the atmosphere would become as awkward as two ex-lovers running into each other at a mutual friend’s wedding.
[W-Will you not do it?]
Vega’s eyes trembled with anxiety.
Oh-jin sat up, as if he had no other choice.
*Slap!*
In the late dawn, when even the insects were asleep.
A clear sound and a soft cry echoed through the fog-covered forest.
***
“Hoo.”
A low sigh escaped Lyra’s lips.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and transformed into his wolf form.
“Moving my body outside the Sanctuary is certainly not easy.”
Although the constraints of the Precepts had weakened to some extent.
He still couldn't use his full power, and the feeling of being held back was inevitably frustrating.
*Still, my movements have gotten much better.*
The ‘wall’ that had been holding him back for so long.
By breaking through the wall he had built himself while fighting Horus, he could keenly feel that he had reached a new level.
“Keung.”
Even though he had broken the wall and ascended, it wasn't achieved through his own effort and will alone.
He hated to admit it.
But without Oh-jin, he would never have been able to break through the ‘wall’ and shake off the guilt that had plagued him since the past.
“Come to think of it, I heard he regained consciousness.”
He had also heard that Oh-jin had immediately fallen back asleep, claiming to be tired.
“Hmph, the weakling.”
To think he’d be laid out after dealing with a single oversized cat.
Lyra grumbled, muttering words he didn't mean.
“I suppose I should go check on his pathetic state.”
He had already cleared out the monsters around the tent once.
But an unsettling feeling kept him from returning to the Sanctuary.
Grumbling about how much trouble he was going through for one brat, Lyra approached the tent where Oh-jin was resting.
*Slap!*
“Hm?”
As he neared the tent, he heard a strange sound.
It sounded like a palm striking water-soaked leather.
The sound wasn't very loud, suggesting not much force was behind it.
*Did a bug get in?*
He tilted his head and looked at the tent entrance, which was covered with a waterproof sheet.
Because Isabella had torn the entrance, he could peek inside through a small gap in the sheet.
What he saw there was…
[Ugh! I-I was wrong!]
“Weren’t you the one who said you have to be punished if you do something wrong, Vega?”
The sight of Oh-jin spanking the turned-away Vega’s bottom.
“Wh-What the…!”
Lyra’s eyes shot wide open.
*Krrrrrrumble!*
A shock like a lightning bolt struck his mind.
His mind went white at the sight, a sight he couldn't believe—no, a sight he didn't want to believe.
*Wh-What in the world is happening!*
Lyra held his breath and listened intently to Vega and Oh-jin’s conversation.
[F-Forgive me, my child!]
“No.”
Forgiveness?
What sin had Vega committed against Oh-jin to be begging for forgiveness?
No, even if she had done something wrong.
How could a mere human dare to lay a hand on a Constellation’s sacred body and punish her?
*Why is Lady Vega…?*
What was even more incomprehensible was Vega's behavior.
Vega, more than anyone, should know that Oh-jin’s actions were beyond disrespectful and deserved divine punishment.
So why was she so meekly accepting his spanking without even a hint of resistance?
*D-Don’t tell me!*
Lyra’s eyes widened.
Could it be that Oh-jin had some kind of leverage over Vega?
He couldn't imagine what kind of weakness Vega might have.
But without some leverage, Vega’s current behavior was utterly incomprehensible.
“Th-This unforgivable…!”
He had even started to think of him as a benefactor for his help with Horus.
To think he was committing such a vile act behind the scenes.
“Grrrr.”
Rage boiled up to the top of his head.
Seeing Vega, the one who had saved his dying life and made him her Divine Spirit, crying out so pitifully, a hot flame ignited in his chest.
*Crack, creak!*
Transforming into his werewolf form, Lyra tore through the tent with his sharp claws.
“You baaastard! What do you think you're doing to Lady Vega!”
The shocked eyes of Vega and Oh-jin turned towards Lyra.