11 A New Journey
"Thanks for the shower." Athena said, while drying Fotiá's hair, not looking at Serien.
After the commotion in the business district, Athena was invited to Serien's home under the pretext of healing her wounds, bathing and dressing in clean clothes. But actually Serien had another reason.
"You're welcome..."
"You said you were the princess of the Kingdom of Basilica... As from an empire, Basilica became a kingdom?"
"Didn't you know about the hundred years' war?"
"I don't know anything that has happened in the last three hundred and twenty years." Athena said and thought. 'Not that I can say that I remember the other twenty-one years too...'
"For the last hundred years, Basilica and Elsna have been at war. As the war progressed, Elsna began to gain more and more military strength and a small kingdom conquered our territories and became an empire." Serien explained briefly.
"Well, not that I care about human wars…" Athena said and looked into Serien's purple eyes. "I see you have more questions..."
Serien got up from her divan, went to a closet and from the top drawer she pulled out a clear crystal, then returned and placed it on the coffee table between Athena and herself.
"What is it?"
"This is a magic crystal that detects lies."
Athena made a complicated expression. 'That would have been useful at game time...'
"Some problem?"
"No... It's just that I've never seen one of those." Athena said and the crystal glowed blue.
"Hm... Can we start?"
"Yes... Let's be brief."
Serien sipped her tea and took a deep breath. "Who are you?"
Athena tilted her head in confusion. "That's a pretty ambiguous question, isn't it?"
"Pardon?"
"I can be whoever I want. Just like anyone else, today I can be a vigilante and tomorrow a terrible villain..."
Serien's face cleared at Athena's response.
"Huhuhu... In fact, it all depends on the person's choice... So allow me to rephrase the question. What's your name?"
"Today I'm called 'Athena'?"
crystal: blue
"Just 'Athena'?"
"Yes."
crystal: blue
"You do not have family?"
"Have." Athena looked at Fotiá and smiled.
crystal: blue
"Are you a servant of the goddess of destruction?" Serien asked and gulped.
"...Not."
crystal: blue
Serien breathed a sigh of relief at the color of the crystal. However, something bothered Athena. Athena faced the princess and seriously she tested.
"But I already did."
Serien widened her eyes at the sound of Athena and then began to laugh.
Crystal: Red
"You almost caught me with that joke."
Athena laughed along with Serien.
'I understood...'
The questions and answers didn't analyze the soul or maybe didn't count the time she was Hades in the game.
Athena and Serien continued talking, asking and answering and having confirmations for over an hour and then, as the sun in the window began to glow red, Athena rose.
"I have to go. There's someone waiting for me."
Hearing this, Serien also rose. "Wait!"
Athena took a deep breath and turned with a smile. "Is there anything else you want to know?"
Serien looked into Athena's eyes with some trepidation. "You..."
"...?"
"Do you consider yourself a Basilicana?"
Athena smiled. "See you never again, princess."
Athena closed the door on her way out, leaving Serien in the room with the crystal glowing red.
"See you soon, Athena." Serien smiled looking at the window.
Outside the gates of the princess's mansion, Charle waited beside a three-horned winged lion, with a saddle on it.
"I took the liberty of buying it for you."
"How did you know I would buy a grimera?" Athena asked while stroking the animal's fur.
"I didn't know. However, all the strong women I know choose grimeras."
Athena laughed. "What if I told you I'm not a woman?"
Charle's eyebrows arched at what he heard.
"So you're doing an amazing job at the cover." Charle said, looking at Athena's breasts.
It was still difficult for Athena to see herself as a woman, even though she had already accepted her body.
"Take your eyes off, old man. I like the same fruit as you." Athena said as she opened her inventory. "Go and get payment for the grimera and new shoes."
"Huh... You have some interesting magic here, huh?"
Inside the inventory, Charle saw a mannequin dressed in armor and shield, three small chests of jewelry and accessories on a shelf, which also contained scrolls of various colors.
On the other side of the place were shelves with food, robes and shoes for adults and children, and four chests with gold and silver coins in the middle.
"I don't know where you're going now, but don't die without leaving an heir registered in your vault, please." Charles said.
"Why?"
"Well, since forgotten times our bank has had an enchantment that the belongings of customers who leave no heirs disappear."
"And what's the problem with that?" Athena asked, confused.
"Almost four hundred years ago, when the immortals disappeared, our bank nearly went out of business. Their coffers were empty one after the other and so we confirmed that they died, but thanks to their safe, we were able to revive."
"Like?" Athena asked even more confused.
"Why, you didn't expect us to store your belongings for free, did you?" Charle replied in a playful tone.
Charle exited Athena's inventory and the door closed. "Makes sense. Is that all?"
"Yes."
"Well then, Mr. Banker. Hasta la vista." Athena said and mounted the lion.
"A-asta lha...? Huh?"
Athena laughed happily at Charle's confusion, held Fotiá tightly and also took flight.
***
When Anemus woke up, the house was dark and silent as it had never been in three hundred years and the anguish of loneliness was starting to shake the girl when she heard a roar and laughter from Fotiá and ran out of the hut.
"ATHENA!"
Athena had just climbed off the grimera and turned when she heard Anemus call. The girl ran to Athena with her eyes filled with tears and longing as if they hadn't seen them in a long time.
"I said I'd come back for you." Athena said as she hugged her. "Let's go in, we have to talk."
Later, after showering together and having dinner. Athena and Anemus began to talk lying on the bed together with a sleeping Fotiá.
"...And that's why we're leaving this forest." Athena said when she finished telling what had happened that day.
"Why do you think this country will want you to take sides in the war? But wouldn't it be simpler to say you don't want anything to do with this country?" Anemus asked, still hugging Athena.
"I think they would be insistent until I join them or they might even kidnap one of you…I don't want that."
"Hm..."
"You don't want to leave this shack, do you?"
Anemus curled into Athena's chest, silently.
"I'm with you. You don't need to guard this place anymore."
"... But I'm afraid."
"Fear?"
"Afraid you aren't you and that one day I might find him and he doesn't want me."
Athena stroked the tip of Anemus' ear and stroked his hair. "You don't need that fear. I destroyed myself with Hades and was reborn as Athena. I am your one and only master."
That night they talked for long hours, hours worth three hundred years of loneliness and longing, and when the sun rose majestically again, Anemus and Athena were closer than they had ever been.
"So... Goodbye east forest and thank you so much for sheltering us all these centuries." Athena said wistfully.
"What are you talking about? This forest was the cursed swamp of the dark kobolds." Anemus said from above the grimera.
"Huh? Is this where I left you for three hundred years? How did this place turn into a forest?"
"Well, you couldn't get close to town when you built the shack, so the place obviously no one would come would be the swamp."
"What about the kobolds?"
"After some time of struggle, they gave up for some reason. So I revitalized this place. Ah! I was forgetting, take it." Anemus threw a purple parchment to Athena.
"Have you opened it?"
"Yes and by the goddess... You're really hopeless."
"What's up? I didn't look in the mirror, I just infused mana into the parchment, what's it written?" Athena asked as she mounted the grimera and took flight.
"Open so you'll know. But first, where are we going?"
"Athena, Athena, Fotiá can use magic!" Fotiá said excitedly.
"What?" Athena and Anemus asked in chorus.
"Look! {Shield of Flames}"
From Fotiá's hands flared red and fierce fire, making the grimera startle and Athena drop the parchment.
"N-no!" Athena said as the parchment flew away. "Whatever... Anemus, what was it written? Ah! We're going to see the old druid, is he alive?"
"Eurgh! I don't want to go to the desert."
"Huh? Sigma turned into a desert?"
With a shield of fire around them, the grimera flew Athena and her nymphs away with an annoyed expression on its face.
***
A lone knight was riding across the plains of Reiden when a scroll covered it's face. The horse, seeing what had happened, whinnied as if laughing at his master.
"Because you laugh at me, you're going to run out of apples for a week." Said the knight as took the parchment from it's face. "High-Human?"
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Name • Athena
Race • High-Human
Class • Tormentor
Gender • Female
Age • 341 years old
•Spells•
Transform; Gangrene; Prison of Darkness; Mockery; Hellfire; Slowness; Paralysis; Invocation; Whip of Darkness; Shield of Darkness; Judgment; ...
•Skills•
Hew
Inventory
Dimensional Bag
•Features•
Incarnation of Evil • As a saint who has touched the darkness of demonic power, you are closer to the abyss and on your way to becoming the next demon lord. As such, your magical power and martial energy have been digested back into your mana that will maintain your body and mind.
###### • ##################
Immortal • Time no longer matters to an immortal, but an immortal can still die.
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