16 Aphrodite (2)

Author Note

Heya everyone! Sorry for the long wait, I wasn't motivated to write since my job was wearing me down much. But now I'm back and I will continue with the active updates like before, next chapter will be the last one before a small time skip so stay tuned for the story will yet to truly start.

--- (Niall's POV) ---

"It's been a couple of hours of our little city tour; we managed to visit some popular places like Cafe Wishe or the famous Cathedral of Saint Fulland.

"Well, goddess Aphrodite, it is getting kinda late. Do you want to go back, or maybe explore a little bit further?" Aphrodite tightened her grip on my hand and went silent momentarily before she spoke.

"My goal wasn't to explore the entire city, but to learn more about you, Niall. Orario isn't very attractive to me, but my children need to get stronger, so that's a reason why I am here... but that's not important now since you're here with me."

She smiled before lifting my chin, even though she was a bit shorter than me. "I would've invited you to my familia, but I plan to leave Orario soon, only of course if you don't plan to become my husband, that is, and to spend the rest of your life with me."

She smirked before closing her face inches away from mine. I felt her warm breath up close, which made me question why I had decided to go with her in the first place. She's pretty and all, but I am just a mortal, a plaything for her beauty to have fun with and toss aside once she's bored.

"There isn't much to tell about me. Even so, why would I tell you anything since I am just a mere toy for you, a goddess of beauty, to toss aside when you get bored of me?" Her eye twitched for a moment before she backed away, which I didn't expect.

"Hah, I may be a goddess of beauty, but I for sure am not like that damn Ishtar or Freya!" She stomped on the ground while crossing her arms in protest.

"Yet, you charm your children just to force them into joining your familia. Because of that, you're so unlikable. Don't get me wrong, Aphrodite... I do not hate you, but I do not love you either, since you brainwash your children into following you like mindless slaves. You're just surprised that you couldn't charm me. If it weren't for my strong mind, I would be long gone by now."

She leaned closer again, her lips inches away from mine. "You're right... but as the most beautiful goddess in this world, I'm giving you an offer that I've not given any other mortal. And that is to become my husband. You would do quite well as a house husband, ohohoho!" She laughed, totally ignoring my previously proven facts.

"I refus—" My negative answer was interrupted by her kissing me once again, a third or fourth time today if the kisses on the cheek don't count. This time she grabbed me by the waist and held me like that for fifteen seconds.

"Bwah... That was great! So do you accept my offer now? You get the most beautiful woman in this universe, and I get a cute boy to call my husband." She held my cheeks with her soft hands, and her green eyes preyed over me.

"How many times do you plan on kissing me, you crazy goddess? And even if the idea of being a house husband sounds good to me, I do not accept it since I'm not into women or any romantic, sexual things anyways."

Aphrodite made a shocked face, similar to Hestia's, which was quite funny since both of the goddesses knew each other very well. "BWEH! A mortal that rejected me! I cannot believe my ears, OUCH!"

She wriggled around, acting all dramatic like she usually does. However, her act stopped once she grabbed both of my hands and held them close behind my back. Of course, I could break free, but I wanted to see what she was aiming to do now since I'd given her enough rejections until now.

"Then how about I take you to the bed and change your mind? What do you say? I will give you a whole new insight into love, a love you can never forget." She hugged me tighter, pressing her chest against my stomach.

"Please, Aphrodite, release your hold on me." She turned her head back to me quickly, appearing as determined as ever.

"Not before you answer me. Speaking of, we're all alone in this ruined area of the town. A perfect place for the two of us to be alone, if you get what I mean, hehe..." I rolled my eyes, not understanding her possessiveness.

I was doubting. I never really cared about sexual stuff that much. Of course, I couldn't go completely against my nature, but I could resist enough not to have any experiences. However, this time I lacked emotions, so no such thing as an urge could control me.

"My answer is no." She pouted but looked at me disappointingly at the same time, which was quite unlikely for her character.

"Hmph! Fine, but you shall still let me kiss you whenever I like as compensation!" She crossed her arms, and I only nodded with my head, not like I minded her kisses anyway.

---

The night fell, and Aphrodite and I were at the fountain near the dungeon entrance, waiting for her children to return from the dungeon. Meanwhile, I told her about my encounter with her children.

"Honestly, Niall, I am quite surprised," she blinked as she stared at the nightly sky filled with stars, further away. The night sky in a world without light pollution is truly beautiful in itself, something that wasn't possible on Earth.

"And why's that, Aphrodite?" I asked a simple question. She picked up my hand and held it tightly before looking at me directly in the eyes.

"I am surprised that the girls haven't taken you right then and there. They can be quite feisty when they see a cute, innocent, and good-looking boy like you all alone," she sounded serious for a moment before giggling.

"Wouldn't that be rape? Plus, what levels are your girls anyway? Are any of them above level two or three?" I tried changing topics since I lacked knowledge of how to proceed in these types of situations.

"Yeah... but they would take good care of you, and all of them are level two. They're strong enough to toss you around and make you shake," she smirked before placing a hand on my thigh.

As she said that, a group of five girls approached us from the distance. The same two Amazons, one human, and two elves like the last time, and they were all drenched in sweat, most likely from a hard session of dungeon grinding.

"Oh, handsome, I see that you found our goddess inside the inn just like I told you, you would," the crimson-eyed Amazon approached me close and held me by the shoulder.

"Oh hey, girls, as you can see I found this cutie today and decided to bring him with me around the town! His name is Niall, by the way, so be sure to accept him properly," Aphrodite smiled as she presented me like some sort of present in front of these gals.

Two Amazons looked at me with lust while the human girl had a neutral face, and the elves were both embarrassed for some odd elvish reason.

"Let's go back before Mia locks the door on us. As for you, Niall... if you want, you can join us in a bath before we depart from Orario tomorrow," another Amazoness, who had more of a tomboyish look, smiled at me.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. I have a lot of work to do too," I said before Aphrodite held me by the hand and stopped me from leaving.

"Before we depart, I want to let you know that you can find us in the city of Preblica if you ever wish to join us. And the other thing is..." I waited for the answer, but instead of words, she grabbed me by the chin and kissed me like never before.

"That's how you do it, Goddess Aphrodite!"

"Hell yeah!"

Both of the Amazons cheered for their goddess, while two elven girls covered their eyes and a human girl smiled.

"Bwah! That is my goodbye message to you. Just so you remember that the offer to become my husband still stands. If you ever wish to accept it, then search for me through that sly god Hermes, since he has eyes all around the Genkai."

I looked stunned for a moment while they departed. In the end, I was left alone in the middle of a fountain with people looking at me with wry smiles.

"What a lucky boy, to be loved by such a goddess!"

"That kiss looked too damn nice. Why don't you try that on me, Selena?"

"Haah? How bold of you to ask. Sure, but not in front of people, you dumbass!"

A small crowd echoed behind me. I began moving my way toward the ruined part of the city to take over that abandoned church.

---

Chlang!

A loud noise of a heavy lock dropping on the ground echoed outside of an abandoned church where Meteria once used to reside frequently.

Honestly, it always surprised me how one day you can have the largest familia in the world with all kinds of adventurers with their unique powers, and then the next moment each one of them is gone and all you have left is memories.

Same with this place, it once used to be a place where Bell's mother resided, and now it's just an abandoned ruin.

"Well, time to see what this place looks like inside," I quietly spoke as I entered the dark, abandoned church.