What the Goddess Does (3)
What the Goddess Does (3)
About four days had passed since that laughable commotion.
The sudden intrusion of human traffickers during a night market visit, and an unexpected reunion.
It was nothing short of a sudden, impromptu couple reunion event.
'She seemed fine, without any issues.'
Nemesis El Amelia Rayhard, the Goddess of Vengeance and my other wife, who had earned the epithet 'Ghost Princess (Ghost Princess)' for her terrifying swordsmanship.
She maintained her rugged beauty as always.
Nemesis, whom I saw after quite a long time, was still protecting the continent's peace in her own way.
She does not hesitate to get her own hands dirty for the public good.
That is her firm style and values.
There were some wives who viewed such actions negatively, saying it tarnishes the dignity of a goddess.
Nemesis herself, unfazed by such criticism, always quietly carried out her own justice.
'I never thought I'd run into Nemesis in Crezel.'
After wiping out the traffickers and unexpectedly reuniting with me, her husband, Nemesis showed a subtly excited expression.
Nemesis wanted to talk with me at length, but she wasn't in a position to stay long.
Swallowing her faintly visible regret, Nemesis prioritized her duties as a goddess over her selfish desires as a wife.
I will be waiting in Aronshied, Ion.
Just before parting, with that promise, Nemesis gave me a deep hug.
Normally, a kiss would have balanced the books, but there were eyes watching nearby, so she seemed to restrain herself to that extent.
Just as I was flustered by the sensation of her voluptuous chest covered in a tank top,
Nemesis slowly pulled away from me and turned into a dark back alley, with Eren trailing behind her.
The brief, sudden meeting between me and Nemesis thus ended anticlimactically, if not emptily.
"Please call me when you've decided what to order, customer."
The waitress, holding a tray in one hand, flashed me a professional smile and left the table.
I took a sip of the cold water placed on the table and glanced around.
I was currently at a teahouse located in a village on the outskirts of Crezel.
'It's a bit busy...'
At the teahouse past lunchtime, there were quite a few people who seemed to be there for afternoon tea time.
Perhaps because the shop had an open and bright atmosphere, families were also sporadically visible.
Since I wasn't with Thanatos, I hadn't cast perception-blocking magic, but I was disguised, so my identity wasn't exposed.
I tapped the table with my finger and quietly stared at the scenery outside the teahouse.
Just then, a familiar face appearing from around the corner suddenly caught my eye.
"Ah, you're already here~?"
Richard, who came through the door into the shop, approached my table and waved happily.
I had informed him of my disguised appearance beforehand, so he spotted me sitting in the corner of the shop at once.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. It's my first time in the magic city, so I got a bit lost."
Richard, who took the seat opposite me, scratched his head and apologized awkwardly.
"Have you ordered?"
"No, not yet..."
"Well, it's a bit hot, so let's order drinks first."
So saying, Richard immediately raised his hand, called the waitress, and ordered drinks.
Richard, who first ordered lemonade, asked me what I'd like to drink; after a bit of thought, I answered milk tea.
The waitress checked the order slip and left, and soon after, the ordered drinks arrived at the table.
"Thank you for taking the time to come all the way here."
Wrapping both hands around the mug of hot milk tea, I first expressed my gratitude to Richard, who had hurried all the way here.
"Not at all. For a request from the Hero-nim, I'd run anywhere~."
Richard gently stirred the lemonade, adorned with a beautiful lemon slice and floating ice, with his straw, and gave a bright smile.
It was a slick flattery, but depending on how you took it, it somehow sounded like mockery.
"...Nothing unusual happened with Demeter?"
I sipped the milk tea and subtly brought up the name of the Goddess of Abundance.
At that, Richard, who had been tasting the lemonade, took the straw out of his mouth and opened it naturally.
"Hmm, well... That's a rather ambiguous question. Because I'm not sure what you, Ion-nim, consider 'unusual'."
Richard, resting both arms on the table, said that as if to annoy me.
It was a somewhat cheeky answer, but probably not a complete lie.
'After all, we are a couple who've already gone all the way...'
Between two people who have seen everything there is to see and more, what could possibly be defined as 'unusual'?
Even I couldn't define it precisely.
Depending on how you thought about it, everything could be unusual, and nothing could be unusual anymore...
"After leaving the Great Forest, I haven't met her secretly behind your back, Ion-nim, so you can rest assured."
Richard seemed to think I was worried about some unlikely scenario.
With a nice, friendly voice, he made a very warm expression.
The dizzying relationship between Demeter and Richard had temporarily ended as of yesterday.
Since it was a special adulterous relationship originally set with a deadline of yesterday, no irreparable discord had arisen between them.
"Thank you for keeping your promise..."
I looked at Richard right in front of me and said that sincerely.
Richard didn't break his promise to me; as soon as the prearranged period ended, he left the Lepodesia Great Forest without delay.
Even though it must have been hard to let go of a goddess's body he had indulged in so many times to the point of addiction.
I couldn't help but respect him for prioritizing reason over carnal desires.
"Well, promises are meant to be kept."
Richard, who had already emptied half his lemonade, proudly shrugged his broad shoulders.
"But, is that all the business you wanted to see me about?"
Around the time a droplet of water on the surface of the transparent glass cup fell downward.
Suddenly, Richard uttered those words.
"Isn't it that you called me because you have something to say to me besides matters regarding Demeter-nim?"
Richard spoke with a confident voice, as if he had seen through my heart.
Feeling an inexplicable pressure from that peculiar smile, I brought the milk tea to my mouth to wet my throat.
"You want to make your other wives perform the same play as Demeter-nim, don't you?"
At that remark that softly struck my very core, I nearly spilled the milk tea.
Having had my hidden true feelings revealed in an instant, I hastily set down the cup and roughly wiped the milk tea off my lips with the back of my hand.
Richard silently stared at me with a face that held a hint of pity.
I didn't affirm Richard's words, but at the same time, I couldn't deny them.
And at that point, it was the same as nodding in agreement that his deduction was true.
'I'm the worst husband...'
I repeated that to myself several times.
Let's stop now, haven't you already satisfied enough, don't make your beloved wives do anything worse...
But despite such self-hypnosis, the dark desire once unleashed showed no sign of ending.
Recently, even the erectile dysfunction I thought had improved seemed to be worsening again.
Even after making not only Demeter but also Thanatos fall into the arms of another man, my despicable sexual appetite simply didn't know the word satisfaction.
To be honest about my true feelings, I wanted to make my remaining wives all get involved in this absurd act as well.
However, that was nearly impossible.
Because unlike Demeter and Thanatos, the other two goddesses were quite strong in their pride.
"Don't think about it so seriously."
Just as I was unconsciously sighing while thinking of that near-hopeless possibility,
Richard comforted me with a friendly voice.
"It's not a boast, but I've encountered many types of spouses while working in this line of work. Among them, there were quite a few who suffered from serious anguish due to their sexual desires, just like Ion-nim."
Richard pushed aside the lemonade in front of him and continued.
"To be honest, there's no surefire cure for this Neto desire. Especially for a severe case like yours, Ion-nim. All one can do is earnestly hope that the lean season of sexual desire will pass."
"The lean season of sexual desire...?"
At that extremely peculiar expression, I tilted my head involuntarily.
"All stimuli have a beginning and an end. No matter how delicious and impactful a food is, if you put it in your mouth every day, it will eventually disgust you. In my opinion, Ion-nim, you have no choice but to aim for that."
"So you're saying it's better to do it until I get sick of it?"
At that question, Richard immediately nodded.
'Until I get sick of it...'
Perhaps that too could be one path to a solution.
Because you don't necessarily have to pour water to put out a forest fire.
Leaving the flames to spread as much as they will, and then letting them die down on their own, would also be one method of extinguishment.
But what would remain on the land that has turned to ashes is questionable...
"Well, this is just my personal opinion, so you don't have to take it too seriously."
Richard, as if seeing the shadow on my face, belatedly added that.
But I couldn't shake off the bad feeling of a heavy lead weight settling in my chest.
Soon, an ambiguous silence hung between us.
"Hmm, I've brought the mood down with unnecessary talk... How about I tell you an interesting story as an apology?"
"An interesting story?"
As if to ventilate the heavy air, Richard suddenly changed the subject.
"This is a story about a wife I know."
He subtly raised the corners of his mouth and began like that.