The Goddess Returns, Dripping Wet
The gods were real, and her name was Serian.
The moment word reached him that Serian and the knight order had returned from chasing the mage, Franz bolted toward the stairs of the grand hall. The mage? What happened to that mage? His mind was consumed by that single thought. Please. Please let them have caught him. Let this wretched nightmare finally end.
He had almost reached the bottom of the stairs when—
Creeeeak—
The massive castle gates swung open. Cold night wind rushed in, carrying sheets of rain that scattered across the hall. And beyond that curtain of rain, a group emerged.
At the front stood a line of muscular, completely naked men.
The Black Hammer Knights.
Franz’s eyes widened as he frantically scanned between them. Where is she? Did they catch him? Or did they let him escape? No matter how hard he looked, all he could see were their glistening, oiled muscles.
Before he could find an answer, a lone figure slowly stepped forward from behind them.
“······?”
Serian… milady?
The instant he saw her, Franz’s breath caught in his throat.
A silver-haired woman clad in pitch-black armor. The dark suit clung to her body like a second skin, so tightly that every curve was unmistakably visible. For a moment, Franz had no idea where to look.
Why on earth is she wearing something so… indecent?!
Franz was, after all, a boy who had only recently left puberty behind. His gaze helplessly slid downward.
…It was a body so perfect it stole his breath.
A slender yet firm waist. Voluptuous breasts and soft, flowing hips that stood in perfect contrast. The ideal proportions were almost unreal.
The mage he had been desperately searching for was long forgotten. The way the armor hugged her form created the illusion that she was practically naked, and Franz’s heart hammered wildly in his chest.
…Was she like this on the battlefield too?
The last time he had seen Lady Serian… she hadn’t been this… had she?
He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the overwhelming sight.
No, I must have just been too distracted back then to notice properly.
Franz swallowed hard without realizing it.
Her pale face showed clear signs of exhaustion, yet her deep blue eyes shone above it. Raindrops clung to her skin, giving her an almost sacred appearance.
For the first time, he felt he could understand why they called her a goddess. It wasn’t mere beauty—it was an untouchable, chilling, divine aura that transcended the mortal realm.
While he stood there, completely entranced, Serian walked into the center of the entrance hall. She stopped in the middle, swept her wet hair back, and tied it up to expose the nape of her neck. A single raindrop slowly trickled down the smooth line of her white throat.
That one small movement made Franz’s heart drop with a heavy thud.
“······Lord Franz Schmidt, Margrave?”
Her voice was clear and pure, yet somehow laced with languid drowsiness. In that moment, nothing else mattered to Franz—not the mage, not the territory on the brink of collapse. Only the goddess standing before him, drenched in rainwater, existed in his world.
Hmm… So you’re saying you failed to capture the mage.
“Yes, that is correct.”
At Serian’s answer, Margrave Franz lowered his head with a gloomy expression.
“We searched the forest thoroughly, but we couldn’t find any trace of where he went. He may have used some kind of spell.”
“M-magic? Are you saying he used earth magic?”
When one of the retainers asked in shock, Serian replied calmly.
“I’m not sure. It could have been dark magic, or perhaps plant magic.”
“!”
Everyone in the hall was visibly stunned by her answer. They all already knew she was an exceptionally skilled mage. The mere suggestion that a lightning mage might also wield other types of magic sent ripples of shock through the room.
“Lady Elhardt, what are you saying? How could a lightning mage possibly control earth or plants? Don’t mages devote their entire lives to mastering a single school of magic?”
Franz swallowed dryly. Garen was right. Mages had always been difficult opponents on the battlefield—his late brother Albert had taught him many things about them.
Mages are like swordsmen, Franz. It takes a lifetime to truly master a single blade. Could you suddenly hand a swordsman a brush and demand he become a great painter? Different schools of magic are even more incompatible than sword and brush.
It was common knowledge—even among those who knew nothing of magic—that mages specialized in a single school. And this was a mage powerful enough to call down lightning. He would have already devoted most of his life to studying lightning magic. When would he have found the time to study earth and plants as well?
But Serian simply shrugged, as if it were no big deal.
“Not necessarily. It’s less about being unable to learn it and more about personal preference. Some people simply favor one field over others.”
“······?”
“In my case, I can’t even count how many schools I’ve mastered. I’m not picky, so I’ve learned quite a few.”
For a moment, everyone gathered in the Hall of Glory stared at Serian in utter disbelief. She was speaking of a level of mastery that normally required a lifetime of dedication… as if it were no more significant than choosing clothes at the market based on taste.
....?
…Why is she like this?
Meanwhile, seeing their shocked faces, Serian thought to herself:
Hmm, they’re all knights who focus on physical training, so they probably don’t know much about magic!
But—this was a complete misunderstanding on Serian’s part!
Of course, learning multiple schools wasn’t impossible. But it was like trying to master several foreign languages at the same time before even becoming fluent in one. The odds of ending up with mediocre skill in everything were overwhelmingly high. It was a matter of time and talent efficiency.
That was why, across the entire empire, mages who could skillfully wield two or more schools were incredibly rare.
But Serian didn’t know that.
Hmm, both I and my father can do it. Oh, and Uncle learned both wind and water magic too.
Even her childhood friend Ian Solaris seemed capable of using two types. Among the people she had grown up around and associated with, using multiple schools wasn’t all that uncommon.
Exactly! As expected of someone from one of the Five Great Magic Houses! Her sample size had been completely skewed from the start. When your reference points were abnormal, it was only natural for your conclusions to be abnormal too!
Hehe, I’m actually totally bluffing.
Besides! Serian had no idea whether that mage could actually use any magic besides lightning! The claim that they couldn’t find him was a complete lie from the beginning.
With her innate mana detection ability, Serian had easily spotted the mage hiding in the underbrush! But she had deliberately pretended not to notice! She had even lied to the other knights, telling them he wasn’t there!
Because!!
That was the real reason she had come all the way here!
Despite the alchemist team, the prince, and even Marquis Edan trying to stop her, she had stubbornly insisted to the prince:
I need to personally verify the potion’s effectiveness.
If there are side effects, I have to be there to handle them.
—and had ridden all the way here on her white horse.
So she had intentionally let the mage go!
Since her original Rubber Human Creation Project had failed(?), she had now decided to step forward personally and sabotage the entire operation!
If, through her own critical mistake, the West’s vast territory fell into Astra’s hands—the Second Prince, or perhaps even the Emperor himself, would have no choice but to severely punish her!
Therefore, the most crucial part of her plan to ruin this operation was to keep the enemy lightning mage alive until the very end!
Hmm… Did everyone fall for it?
Judging by their shocked expressions, it seemed no one had seen through her lie.
At that moment, the silence was broken by the booming voice of the Black Hammer Knights.
“Uhyo! Goddess, do not worry about a thing! We shall protect you!”
“Jehehehehe! That’s right! What does it matter anyway! His lightning couldn’t even scratch us!”
Once again, the Hall of Glory was filled with an overwhelmingly cheerful atmosphere of Serian worship. They cheerfully clinked their cups together—still completely naked.
Just what is wrong with these people?
Serian sighed inwardly as she watched the scene.
Why are they still not wearing any clothes?
It was true. Serian, whose memories had only recently returned, didn’t particularly mind male bodies. But even she found this a bit much.
Their bodies were excessively perfect. To the point of being overwhelming. And the fact that they were completely naked down there was just…!
It was too awkward. No matter how you looked at it.
Serian was straining her neck so hard trying not to look down that she was on the verge of getting a cramp.
When the prince had said he would assign her a skilled knight order, she had assumed they were an elite unit. But they all seemed to be missing a few screws.
At first, she had simply thought their bodies were exceptionally well-developed because they handled heavy equipment. But after she fed them the rubber potion and zapped them with electricity to help them get used to it, they had gone completely wild staring at their transformed muscles.
Iyoooooot! What is this?! My pectorals are twice as big as before!
“Huh? My biceps that hadn’t grown in five years are suddenly this huge.”
“Wait… why are there tears in my eyes…”
Indeed. They were medieval gym bros who worshipped muscle.
After being hit by Serian’s steroid beam, they had instantly fallen for her. Then they began showering her with muscle worship. And relentless surprise devotion!
They kept spouting things she couldn’t understand—goddess this, trial that. Serian had no idea what they were talking about.
Are their brains made of muscle too?
They even seemed to enjoy being electrocuted. Ew, gross. Could the rubber potion’s side effects have turned their brains into muscle as well?
For a moment, Serian genuinely wondered if that was possible.
When she turned her head while thinking that, her eyes met Franz’s.
The boy was still staring at her with a completely dazed expression. The moment their eyes met, he flinched violently and bowed his head.
His gaze seemed to drift downward for a second before he hurriedly jerked it back up. His face had turned as red as a ripe tomato.
…What’s with him?
Serian tilted her head at his strange behavior. Those sneaky, stolen glances. That flustered, helpless attitude.
Why is he acting like that?
What was with that suspicious behavior? He looked exactly like someone who had been caught stealing a peek at something he shouldn’t.
Serian’s gaze naturally fell to her own body—clad in the black combat suit.
“······!”
Could that kid possibly be…?
. . .
He keeps staring because he thinks my newly made suit looks cool!
Serian reached that conclusion.
She too had needed lightweight combat gear for the battlefield—something that wouldn’t burn under electricity and could support aerial maneuvers. So she had quickly thrown together this specially made combat suit!
With this, she wouldn’t get burned by electric attacks, and it stretched naturally to accommodate the extra muscle mass from the potion. She hadn’t had time to make versions for the other uncles, but when she politely asked, they all said they were fine.
Kuhahaha! Goddess! We have these bio-suits, so there’s no need!
—they had said.
Hehe, even I have to admit I made it look pretty sleek.
Ugh, but maybe I took too much electricity earlier?
Serian tugged at the neckline, stretching it. It felt like the chest area was fitting even tighter now. As expected, since she was a woman, she couldn’t bulk up like those guys.
But while Serian remained completely oblivious—
Franz, watching her, grew even more flustered. When she pulled at her neckline, a flash of her pure white skin beneath the suit had been briefly revealed.
Hehe. I know that look. He’s definitely fallen for my suit.
It was obvious he would come find her later and beg her to make him one just like it. Hehe, it’s my new special material, after all. If you like it that much, I could even let you touch it(?).
She felt proud of the suit she had created, seeing how intently he stared at it.
At that moment, Braum shouted while flexing his massive bare chest muscles.
“Don’t worry! With our sacred muscles, we’ll drive out every last one of those barbarian bastards!”
Serian frowned involuntarily as she looked at his enormous naked body.
…Seriously, when are these worshippers going to put on some clothes?