Chapter 67
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: A Time of Silence
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Under the soft glow of chandeliers, in a noble banquet hall where lavish music intertwined with the fragrant aroma of fine wine.
"This wine is truly exquisite. The smooth tannins paired with this rich fruit aroma make it perfect for tonight's feast."
"Hahaha!"
Suddenly, the lights went out, and a black shadow emerged.
"W-What is that?!"
A rattling sound echoed as iron chains dragged across the floor.
"Who goes there?! Show yourself and declare your name!"
Someone was swinging a chain, spinning the dagger attached to its end at high speed.
The misfortune was that no one in the banquet hall noticed it.
Soon, the dagger—painted black to avoid reflecting light—was released in one direction, propelled by centrifugal force.
It streaked through the hall like a fierce beam of light, dyeing everything in crimson blood.
"Gahk!"
All they were granted was a brief death rattle.
When moonlight filtered in, only one woman stood amid the carnage.
Clad in black attire that clung to her body, her black hair melted under the moonlight.
Yet, when it caught the light, it shimmered with a purple hue.
"Well done, Belzaria."
Welcoming Belzaria back to the office was a frail old man.
"You've silenced this kingdom. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call you the greatest assassin in history."
"I have no interest in others' praise or rewards."
Belzaria's face was youthful.
Was it hundreds of years ago? Thousands?
So long ago now that she couldn't even remember when, a lord whose face had faded from memory had said,
"For a better world, I take pride in you who willingly bathed in blood."
...That was the memory of her lord etched in Belzaria's mind.
"I don't know what your old lord was like, but I won't allow it."
Because she'd heard those words.
To suddenly recall old memories while showering...
'That man doesn't think of himself as my lord, does he?'
It was utterly ridiculous. Even back in the days of the old kingdom, the Goddess of Silence had never served anyone.
If she'd had a loyal girl like Nerissa,
she might have fallen in love and married. But Belzaria, who had achieved godhood through her feats, had no ties to such a life.
She first distinguished herself in murder at age six.
After that, she lived as a shadow sword, eliminating rivals and disbanding armies.
Returning unscathed from impossible missions time and again, everyone came to fear Belzaria.
They whispered that meeting her gaze meant wasting away and dying within days,
or that she'd contracted with a demon to kill in dreams.
She paid little mind to the rumors others chewed over, but Belzaria was always lonely.
And she'd never once considered that loneliness a deficiency.
Because everything about her was suited to it.
It fit her nature astonishingly well.
She could slaughter masses without batting an eye.
Even if it was all for the greater good of toppling a corrupt kingdom and ushering in a new era,
she had little interest in such justifications to begin with.
Belzaria had never been understood her entire life. Not by allies, not even by her lord.
And yet...
'...To be treated like this just because I'm pregnant...'
The events in the office today lingered in Belzaria's mind.
She'd thought he'd charge right in, eager to plunge into the Hunting Goddess's pussy if she arranged a meeting with Hipeia.
She'd even prepared contingency plans for refusal.
Always covering every possibility, preparing for even the 'what ifs'—that was her way.
That's why she'd made arrangements tonight to easily meet the elf ladies who'd slipped past the barrier.
But even Belzaria, who didn't flinch at most things, hadn't anticipated those words.
"I don't mind being discarded myself, but I don't want you, Belzaria, to become a traitorous bitch because of me."
"Tch!!"
Belzaria nearly punched the mirror in frustration.
Embarrassing. Cringe-worthy. She had to ponder long and hard what this feeling was. Her conclusion?
...An emotion she'd never experienced before. That's why it was so disorienting.
Because she carried his child, that man's gaze toward her was that of a male toward a female.
And the fact that she didn't instinctively reject it made her skin crawl.
'He... treated me kindly. That man.'
...He treated me preciously.
She didn't want to admit it, but that unfamiliar human warmth was shaking Belzaria's heart.
To refuse because 'Belzaria is precious'—it was laughable.
Not funny at all, but...
"...I like it."
......I like it.
She'd thought it was just a trivial bond between man and woman born of physical relations,
but plenty of men and women had begged her for assassinations for even pettier personal reasons.
Why were they so desperate to be bound to each other? The 14-year-old Belzaria back then couldn't comprehend it.
Now...
For some reason, that man's face wouldn't leave her mind.
The fact that she'd found him a little handsome was something she'd never admit, even if her mouth split open.
'It must be because of his divinity.'
On one hand, she wondered if this was the helplessness of a goddess stripped of her godhood.
To be so bound to a man just from being seeded...
Not as haughty as a pure-blooded goddess, but this change in her heart was bewildering, something she'd never imagined.
'It felt good... to be treated kindly.'
That,
was even better than the kiss from today...
Looking in the mirror, Belzaria clutched her breast. Her hand didn't just cup it—it sank right into the flesh with a squish.
"This body... felt joy...?"
Squish. Squish.
The breasts she'd only seen as hindrances suddenly felt a bit appealing to Belzaria.
"Hm."
She struck a pose for no reason.
If she immersed herself in her figure...
The door burst open.
"Ah. Goddess...!?"
It was Captain Nerissa of the guard.
"Kn-Knock before entering."
Belza hurriedly wrapped the towel around herself, pretending nothing was amiss, and cleared her throat.
"What is it?"
"The Master hasn't returned. I thought you might know what's going on, Goddess."
"So you came to grill me? Nerissa, you've grown bold."
"......"
Nerissa fixed her with a serious gaze, devoid of playfulness.
"I serve the Master now. Even you, Goddess, I won't forgive if you harm him."
"Don't worry. This is what your Master wants too."
......Look at her. So commendably loyal.
If her past self had been this endearing, would she have had one or two men in her life?
She envied Nerissa, starting romance at just the right age.
"...I see. I'm sorry. Because of me, you lost your divinity, and here I am acting so rudely."
"Don't flatter yourself. It wasn't so flimsy that losing it was your fault alone. Though virginity loss might claim some share."
"......"
"......"
Nerissa recalled that vulgar day,
the moment the goddess was vigorously raped.
The instant her prejudices—of the goddess as pure, eternal, absolute—shattered.
After that, the two spoke more casually.
Belza hadn't punished her guard either.
And that struck Nerissa as odd.
"Don't you hate me for... openly betraying you and declaring I'll serve a new master?"
"Not at all. I don't wonder what I'd do in your shoes."
"Pardon? If you were like me, Goddess...?"
"I'd get along nicely with that man."
Nerissa blushed, smiling broadly as if she understood.
"Ah... So even you, Goddess, recognize the Master's charm♥"
"Don't get ahead of yourself. Old memories just surfaced."
"Says the one secretly flirting with the Master behind the scenes?"
"......"
Belza felt she'd said too much. Reading info from words or atmosphere was Assassination 101.
To think the techniques she'd taught Nerissa would boomerang.
"Hmmm, and noticing your own figure too."
"......Enough. Stop there."
"You want the Master's love too."
"I'm jealous of your passion, fixated only on your Master. You don't hesitate to err."
"...Th-That's something I want to fix too. When I like someone too much, my vision narrows..."
Her recent actions were pure black history for Nerissa.
"What if the guy who made you parade naked suddenly treats his woman kindly—what would you think?"
"The Master has always been kind to his women!"
"......To all of them?"
"As far as I know? He indulges whining well... and gives lots of rewards."
'......No. That kind of kindness must've started with me.'
Wait.
Why this urge to monopolize...?
Belza felt a slight dizziness in her thought process.
She'd thought having a kid changes nothing major,
yet her life, her values from the roots, were flipping.
Not a change the prideful Belzaria could accept.
"Goddess, try whining cutely when he treats you kindly. He'll love it."
"......Maybe. You could pull off being lovable, but for me, it's too late to change. I've aged; it'd be unseemly."
"Coming from the eternally youthful Goddess, that sounds like a boast."
"What's the point of looking twenty? Human emotions have faded."
Nerissa shook her head firmly, disagreeing.
"Chatting like this casually feels new. You might've been like that back then. But now..."
"......Now?"
"You feel more human."
"......You're not saying you're glad I lost my divinity."
Belzaria was surprised to see Nerissa, once trembling at her words, speak so freely.
Was it because she'd changed?
Or because the situation had?
"I don't know. But... I loved your perfect self too."
"...I'll reclaim it."
Putting aside girlish sentiments, Belzaria steeled her resolve.
First, regain her divinity. Then, figure out life with that man slowly.
Her divinity meant more than mere 'power'—it was the blood she'd spilled, her reason for being...
"Keep watch properly. His cooperation is essential for things to go smoothly."
"Hm, Goddess?"
"Yes?"
"I only follow my Master's orders now! I won't obey yours."
"......Good girl. Very good."
Nerissa smiled innocently.
Belzaria didn't dislike the familiarity.
Was this how a mother felt sending her daughter off to marry...?
The process had veered wildly off normal tracks into vulgarity, but
for a moment, the two women shared empathy thinking of the same man.