Cult of Self-Blame (2)
Cult of Self-Blame (2)
"What's going on?"
"I wonder......"
Athena and I tilted our heads while looking at the gathered crowd. And to figure out what was happening, we moved our steps side by side.
As we got closer to where the people's gazes were directed, a familiar voice suddenly caught both our ears.
'That's.......'
At first, I thought it was just my imagination. But when I confirmed the face of the figure standing at the center of the crowd, I had no choice but to realize that wasn't the case.
Jjaenggeurang!
"You dare bring me this kind of cheap liquor to drink?!"
A man shouted furiously, flinging the wine glass he was holding to the floor. As the glass shattered on the ground, not only the waiter standing right in front of him but also the other guests didn't know what to do.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"If you're going to spout that kind of nonsense now, don't do something you'll be sorry for in the first place!"
The waiter repeatedly apologized, bowing deeply. But the man, his face deeply furrowed, didn't seem to have any intention of accepting it.
I carefully scrutinized the face of the man who was getting angry over something trivial. Rough hair, sharp eyes, and a clear scar on his face.
"Kratos-nim......?"
The moment I called the man's name in a low voice. As if responding to that, the man who had been pointing at the waiter turned his head. As expected, that man was Kratos El Frey, called the God of Power.
"What."
After confirming our faces, Kratos twitched his eyebrows as if not very pleased.
"You guys were here too?"
Despite meeting after a long time, Kratos snorted with an unpleasant expression. But I didn't show any displeased reaction to his blatant contempt. After all, it was an open secret known to everyone who knew him that Kratos El Frey had a bad personality.
"To dare give such trashy liquor to a god who has descended from the heavens and think you'll get away with it......"
"Why don't you stop."
Just as Kratos, who had taken his eyes off us, tried to harass the waiter again, Athena stopped him with a short but powerful voice. Then Kratos, his eyes wide open, glared at Athena without hiding his hostility.
"What?"
"I said maintain your dignity. There are many eyes watching."
From the war goddess's gaze, an indescribable pressure was felt. Only then did Kratos turn his head and belatedly notice the gazes directed at him. As the God of Power looked at them with an unpleasant glare, the social gathering attendees, frightened, hurriedly averted their eyes.
"......Tch."
Judging that causing more trouble would not benefit him, Kratos clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and spat out profanities, then soon disappeared to a place beyond our sight.
"That lowly personality still hasn't been fixed, it seems......"
Athena, who had been staring at the spot where Kratos disappeared, couldn't help but lament. As soon as Kratos had completely left the scene, Athena moved her steps and approached the waiter who had been getting scolded by him until just now.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah, I-I'm fine! Thank you so much for helping me—no, it's an honor to my family......!"
The waiter, bowing at a right angle toward Athena, expressed intense gratitude. Having not only seen the war goddess with his own eyes but also received her help, the waiter was at a loss for what to do with himself.
After confirming that the waiter had no major issues, Athena gave him some appropriate words of encouragement, then moved her legs again, this time to go find the organizer of the social gathering.
"Ooh, Athena-nim!"
In such high-class gatherings, it was basic lady-like etiquette to greet the host first. Around the time Athena and the host were exchanging pleasantries warmly, the party hall gradually began to bustle with people. It seemed that most of the guests who had been checked at the entrance had completed their entry. As the spacious party hall grew more and more noisy, the attention in the room naturally focused on Athena and me. The participants of the social gathering, without exception, competed to find some way to start a conversation with us.
'There are many people whose target is Athena rather than me.......'
The popularity of the war goddess, who combined beauty and status, was truly sky-high. Among the women present here, there was absolutely no one who could match Athena.
"You are truly beautiful, Athena-nim."
"To meet you like this is an honor for my family."
Everyone at this place did not spare praise for the unapproachable beauty of the swordswoman. Although the attention from those people might have been bothersome, Athena, wearing a generous smile, treated them as gently and politely as possible. I was slightly taken aback by her appearance, which was quite different from when she wore a uniform and commanded the army.
"Huh?"
Right around the time when Athena and I were giving appropriate reactions to the handshakes and flattery of various people, suddenly a gentle sound of music from somewhere softly enveloped the hall. It was the music signaling the start of dance time. I looked around, and one by one, the men and women who had been chatting formed pairs and naturally began to twirl in the center of the hall. It seemed like a very ordinary event for those who regularly attended such social gatherings.
"Um, Athena."
As the surroundings gradually filled with rhythmic dancing, I was swept up by the atmosphere and gathered my courage, hesitantly extending my hand to Athena.
"Would you dance one song with me......?"
My voice grew quieter and quieter as I spoke. Even I thought it was a pathetic dance invitation. But despite that, Athena, with a blush on her cheeks, took my hand without hesitation.
"Gladly."
With a charming eye smile, Athena pressed close to me without delay. Her voluptuous chest was at a distance that seemed to touch me but didn't. I carefully wrapped my arm around her slender waist, somehow hiding my nervousness. Then we naturally moved our bodies in time with the next piece of music.
To me, who was born and raised in modern society, such social dancing was unfamiliar. But thanks to the knowledge and senses remaining in Ion's body, I was fortunately able to imitate it to some extent. As the rare dance of the hero and goddess unfolded, the attendees in the party hall stopped their own dancing and all focused their gazes on us. Athena and I, not minding those people's stares, only looked at each other's faces and immersed ourselves completely in this moment.
"Your dancing skills have improved while we were apart, Ion?"
The goddess in front of me overflowed with such dignity that it was hard to believe she was a body that had been defiled in her sleep.
*
Until the dance time ended, the hero and the goddess unintentionally monopolized the attention of the social gathering. The couple headed to the reception room outside the party hall to take a short break. The reception room, prepared exclusively for Athena and Ion, boasted spaciousness and comfort that rivaled most luxury houses.
"It's a bit tiring."
Athena, sitting on the sofa placed in the center of the reception room, let out a sigh mixed with fatigue.
"I'd rather be swinging a sword on the battlefield......"
Athena, whose white shoes she was currently wearing were quite uncomfortable, occasionally let her hand drop toward her ankle. Ion, sitting next to her, handed her a cup of warm tea placed on the table in front of the sofa.
"Wouldn't it be okay to ease up a bit? Since you're a goddess, even if you speak informally, I don't think anyone would be too offended......"
"I can't do that."
Athena immediately shook her head at Ion's cautious opinion.
"The people gathered at today's party are all the top power players of the continent. In order to smoothly handle the piled-up issues, I must plant a good impression in them as much as possible."
Athena added calmly that only then could the peace of this continent become more solid. She firmly believed without doubt that this too was one of the important duties she, as a goddess, had to perform for the happiness of all.
"Athena, you really are a righteous and just goddess."
Ion stared at her face and said that as if muttering. Then Athena stopped the teacup she was about to bring to her lips and quietly closed her mouth.
"......."
If it had been a week ago, she would have been able to exchange appropriate words and express joy at Ion's compliment. But now she couldn't dare do that. Because she hadn't yet forgotten the great sin she had committed.
'I am a sinner.......'
Athena wrapped both hands around the teacup she was holding. For a moment, she considered confessing her sin to Ion right here, but that consideration could only end as consideration. After having so fiercely pressed Ion's walls last time, she herself had ended up spending a night with another man.
"......I'm not to that extent."
Overwhelmed by the heavy guilt that rose again, Athena lowered her head.