Chapter 191
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Where I Belong
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‘Whoa...’
I absolutely must not get close to her.
The goddess of beauty and love, Aphrodite.
That was the thought that hit me upon seeing the goddess so breathtakingly beautiful she could dare claim to be the most beautiful of all.
She was beautiful.
Too beautiful, too lovable.
Yet precisely because of that, her presence felt oppressive, as if she were forcing her allure and demonic charm upon me.
Unless one was a god of equal standing or at least at the Transcendent Realm level, they’d surely fall under that enchantment and willingly become her slave, following her every word.
‘Peach Blossom Tribulation or Crimson Flame Fate aren’t things humans can ward off with mere fortune-telling or wisdom.’
A beauty deeper and more potent than even Atalanta’s Peach Blossom Fate, reaching the level of magic or divine authority.
A demonic goddess whose charm surpassed kingdom-toppling beauties, capable of swaying the entire world, the whole mythos.
When she dramatically appeared in response to my offering and flashed that knowing smile, what I saw in it was a paradise of temptation I could never enter without regret.
And she knew it all too well, wielding it with effortless control.
Even while passionately kissing Ares, she’d glance my way with a subtle, playful smile, suggesting her temperament wasn’t exactly the wholesome kind.
A witch who toyed with love itself for her own amusement.
If I called Hera a sorceress or witch for safeguarding ancient wisdom and intellect,
then Aphrodite deserved the title for her cruel, chaotic nature, wielding her demonic charm without hesitation to satisfy it.
Beauty and love indeed.
The goddess whose divinity aligned perfectly with the madness that had spawned countless tragedies and sorrows throughout history.
It wasn’t just about Ares’s friendship—even without that, catching her eye meant risking my life getting tangled up over women again.
As a man, how could one not feel desire for her? Paradoxically, that very irresistibility made her all the more dangerous to me, convincing me to stay far away.
Yet building a complete wall and distancing myself entirely could invite backlash, leaving me in a bind where I couldn’t approach or avoid her.
‘She’s my nemesis, a total nemesis.’
When I averted my eyes from those seductive divine pupils that blatantly tempted me to lust and envy,
the glaring tricolor eyes and the silent pressure from a quiet presence sent chills down my spine.
“Hng...? Can’t keep your eyes off Aphrodite?”
Nesneria pinched my thigh, her face sullen.
“Sh-She’s certainly beautiful, but still...”
Atalanta poked my side, her cheeks flushed prettily.
“Where are you looking?!”
And Eris looped her arms around my neck in a headlock-like hold.
Even from Nemesis, who sat with her eyes closed, I felt some inexplicable pressure.
I was utterly wronged.
“Why are you doing this, Eris?”
Among them, Eris wouldn’t stop flailing endlessly, hanging off my neck like we were old pals. Not that I minded.
But I had to clear up the misunderstanding.
“It’s not like that...”
“Not like that, my ass! Men are all beasts, huh? Can’t even tear your eyes from Aphrodite!”
“This is ridiculous!”
“Soon you’ll be making moves on the other goddesses too! Kyaa! What do we do?!”
True to the goddess of strife, this toxic strawberry milkshake latched onto the chance and screeched excitedly.
For the record, my beloved sisters crashing this banquet was something even I hadn’t anticipated.
The memory of them trying to crack open my skull after hearing my forest-night hypothesis on divine duties, inaction, and enlightenment was still fresh, so I hadn’t dared seek them out until they calmed down.
More than that, I’d been busy preparing for Akis’s duel until the banquet ended, completely forgetting about them.
But somehow they knew, and just as I was bringing Aphrodite in for a face-stamp, they descended before me like angels with trumpets.
I tensed, thinking these crazy ancient gods had finally come to dissect my skull, but for some reason, they’d followed me all the way to the afterparty.
“Get over here!”
“Kyaa! The demigod’s assaulting a goddess! Beast! Pervert!”
“That damn brat!”
I grabbed the endlessly flailing goddess making a scene and pulled her in, only for her to shout that in front of everyone.
I was so embarrassed I couldn’t show my face.
“Ugh! Don’t touch the wings, jerk!”
“Then stop squirming if you don’t want me touching them!”
Her wings, reminiscent of a dragon’s elegant form, only made me enviously jealous...
Anyway, after barely restraining my immature big sis, Atalanta and Nesneria snapped out of their daze at the spectacle.
“Um, uh, excuse me. Dianes?”
“What did you just say? Eris...?”
“Yeah, that Eris. The goddess of strife or whatever. Unbelievable, right?”
“Squeee! Blasphemy! You’re cursed!”
“Yes, yes. Curse me already~”
Payback for all the times I’d taunted her during magic practice to make the impossible happen.
As I meticulously bound the relentlessly wriggling goddess and shot Nemesis a glance, the eye-closed goddess offered only a faint smile.
‘Sis is so mature like that...’
With a sigh, I finally gagged her noisy mouth and stood up.
Nesneria and Atalanta stared at me in horror, as if they’d seen a ghost.
“So, you’re saying... Eris?”
“Th-The guardian of rivals... Eris?”
Oh, right.
Eris was a pretty famous goddess in her own right.
Gazing at me binding a goddess and the perfect specimen of display bondage she’d become, the two paled, on the verge of fainting.
“Nah, it’s fine. No need to worry.”
“It’s not fine! Untie her quick!”
“Even if she is a goddess, tying her up like that is...”
“Mmph!”
We’d bickered like this countless times; it was fine since her dedicated restraint device had approved.
Besides, she was still thrashing wildly, far from settled.
“Hmm... Brings back bad memories...”
“Eh, but it felt even better back then, didn’t it? Baby wild boar’s surprisingly shy~”
“Puhahaha! The goddess of strife’s met her match!”
The Olympians watched, chuckling and sharing their takes, finding it amusing.
Eris had earned her achievement by sacrificing herself for everyone’s laughter.
“...Brother.”
“Ah, Sis.”
As I basked in quiet pride, Nemesis approached softly and spoke.
Atalanta and Nesneria, hit by the shock of the flailing goddess being Eris and linking it to the eye-closed one, huddled together pitifully.
‘No need to be that scared...’
I smiled reassuringly at them and turned to find Nemesis gazing at me.
“Seeing my young brother with the Olympians and Greek heroes as dear friends puts my mind at ease.”
Her gentle smile was the epitome of an eldest sister.
Like she’d been fretting over her younger siblings, only to feel proud seeing the baby of the family all grown up.
This was a goddess, this was maturity.
Not some flapping wild bird getting bound.
Though this goddess had once drawn her sword to peer into my skull too.
In a way, she might be even more dangerous than Eris.
“...Sigh.”
“Mmph!”
Ignoring Eris’s pleading eyes begging for rescue, Nemesis turned to the statue-stiff Nesneria and Atalanta.
“Hehe, such lovely girls. So these are my young brother’s lovers?”
“Hek!?”
“Eh?!”
Had Nemesis openly called me “brother,” they wouldn’t have believed she’d be close enough for that.
I could feel Atalanta and even Nesneria staring at me with wide bunny eyes in shock.
“F-Forgive us for not recognizing the Goddess of Retribution, Nemesis! I’m Atalanta of the Hero’s Forest!”
“Daughter of Okeanos, N-Nesneria!”
Atalanta had already been half-dazed just sharing space with gods she’d only heard of in tales.
With Nemesis prompting introductions, her soul nearly fled her body.
Even Nesneria, who’d smiled casually at Aphrodite and Ares like family, had eyes bulging like saucers.
I was surprised too—were Nemesis and Eris held in such high regard?
“He’s still young, but please take care of him. Warrior of Aura, White Wave.”
“N-No, we’re the ones always in your debt!”
“You’re always such reliable lovers!”
They spoke thanks but bowed rigidly, as if facing a predator, minding every etiquette.
“Hehe, with his lovers and the gods watching over him like this, as leader of Nyx’s bloodline, I’m deeply grateful.”
“Sis?!”
Nemesis boldly declared my lineage to all present.
It was a public secret, but I hadn’t expected her to announce it so openly—I startled and tried to stop her.
“Kekeke, already like this? Interesting.”
“Eh~ No matter the origins, the future’s uncertain, Sis.”
“Agree with Ares~”
No matter my ties to Greece and Olympus, I was Nyx’s blood through and through, not Olympus’s—that was Nemesis’s declaration.
The Olympians showed natural interest, while Nemesis spread her wings protectively over me at the center, facing them down.