My stomach feels sour.
No matter how much I struggled, my whole body was drained of energy.
My underwear was thoroughly wet, leaving me feeling uncomfortably sticky.
But more than anything, it was this unbearable reality that I didn’t want to believe.
“Ugh…”
Tears welled up in my eyes from embarrassment.
If only there were a mouse hole, I’d want to stick my head in it right away, it was that humiliating.
There was no way I could openly admit it; my room’s bed was soaked with an intensely aromatic liquid that I couldn’t speak of in my right mind.
And on that bed, Mari was petting my head with a bright smile.
“It’s okay, Mommy. I heard that pee is a human physiological phenomenon.”
“M-Mari…! It’s not pee!”
“Huh? Then what is it?”
Mari tilted her head in genuine confusion.
Her reaction made me realize what a huge mistake I’d made.
“Wh-What the hell, Hera? Mari is still a kid…!”
I could never, ever tell innocent little Mari what this liquid really was.
In the end, I could only stammer with my head bowed, speaking in a tiny voice.
“…It’s pee.”
I wanted to die from embarrassment.
Upon hearing that, Mari gently stroked my head as if understanding, but it only intensified my shame.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. Mari understands everything.”
“U-ugh…!”
How did it come to this…!!
I had learned all the secret techniques from my Teacher to woo the Demon King.
I had mastered how to charm people in a short time, and I wanted to try it out on Athena and Mari to see if it really worked.
I thought it had worked on Mari, but the problem was with Athena.
I had followed the Teacher’s instructions exactly to provoke Athena, but perhaps I had crossed a line. Athena lunged at me with a look of pure insanity.
And now, here I am.
I had unintentionally shown my daughter an irreparable disgrace.
“So then. What exactly was it, Hera?”
Athena leaned against the wall, crossing her arms and glaring at me sharply.
In that moment, I felt a surge of resentment toward her for putting me in this situation, but recalling Athena’s earlier imposing presence humbled me almost instantly.
In the end, I couldn’t say a word and had to mumble my explanation, stumbling over my words.
“Th-That is… I needed to charm someone…”
My timid comment froze both Athena and Mari in place, as if my words had a massive impact.
The sudden chill of silence enveloped us.
After what felt like an eternity of quiet, it was Mari, trembling, who tugged at my clothes and spoke first.
“Um… Mommy? Who do you need to charm…?”
Mari looked at me with disbelief in her eyes.
“What on earth are you saying, Hera? Why would you charm anyone? No way…”
Athena, with eyes wide in shock, spoke with the same disbelief. She bit her lip and stared at me intensely.
“You… You’ve fallen for someone, haven’t you?”
“Ah… No, it’s not like that.”
It seemed they both had completely misunderstood.
Well, I suppose saying I needed to charm someone out of the blue could easily lead to a misunderstanding.
Before they could dive into an even bigger misconception, I cleared my throat a few times and clearly relayed my purpose.
“I need to charm the Demon King.”
With that statement, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
Though it felt similar to before, an entirely different, chilling air began to surround us, almost suffocating.
“Huh…?”
When I instinctively looked at Athena due to a sudden chill, her eyes burned with a ferocity that seemed ready to devour me whole.
“The Demon King? Why? You…?”
“Hic.”
Athena’s face contorted with confusion, as if she couldn’t comprehend it.
Driven by an instinctive pressure, I found myself hiccuping.
“Tell me right now, Hera. Why the Demon King—”
“NO!!”
Mari suddenly yelled as she hugged me tightly, interrupting Athena.
I lost my balance and toppled onto the bed because of her sudden movement.
With a panicked expression, Mari was now sitting on top of me, proclaiming desperately.
“You can’t charm the Demon King, Mommy!! Absolutely! Never!!”
Mari looked at me with a worried gaze, and her heartfelt emotion made my chest tighten.
“Mari…”
Indeed… My daughter Mari was the one for me.
Such a wonderful, devoted daughter.
She must have been worried about me, which is why she spoke frantically like that.
The Demon King is a terrifying being who brings blood and slaughter. She must have thought that being near him would eventually harm me.
Suz, it was truly heartwarming to see such devotion.
“Mari, it’s okay Mommy—”
“The Demon King lives a long time!! You absolutely can’t do it!!”
I took a moment to calm down, touched by Mari’s heartfelt worry, giving her a bright smile as I tried to ease her fears…
…Huh?
Momentarily doubting I had misheard, I looked up at Mari, who was fuming outrageously.
…Mari?
What on earth did she just say?
*
After a brief storm passed.
I explained my situation to them.
Of course, I didn’t mention that this world was a second chance or that I was possessed.
I simply relayed how I learned about the existence of a drink from the Goddess and how to prevent it.
To do that, I needed to charm the Demon King.
But their response was an unequivocal NO.
“No.”
With stern faces, Athena and Mari rejected me.
Feeling disappointed, I looked at them, and Athena, with an angry expression, said to me.
“I’ll take care of the Demon King myself, Hera. You must NEVER think about charming him.”
“But it doesn’t matter; he’ll just come back!”
“Then I’ll just kill him again.”
Athena spoke coolly as if it were no big deal.
Did she even realize how absurd her words were?
Human life is finite. No matter how healthy a person is, their lifespan tops out around a hundred years at best.
I could never stop the continually resurfacing Demon King within that brief lifespan.
But Athena simply shook her head firmly, refusing to listen to my words.
“Absolutely not.”
Frustration bubbled up inside me.
Do they think I want to charm the Demon King for fun?
“This is all for you!”
As I raised my voice in desperation, Athena grabbed my arm and stared at me with blazing eyes.
“For me? Hera, you want me to just stand by and watch you flirt with other women?”
“Ah… No…”
“Besides, what if the Demon King has bad intentions and something happens to you? What then?”
“Can’t you… can’t you protect me from the sidelines?”
I looked up at her as innocently as possible, but she flinched, her face reddening as she turned away from me.
“No. Don’t even think about it.”
“Mom! I don’t like it either!”
Mari chimed in from the side, taking Athena’s side. I felt somewhat betrayed by my daughter’s stance.
The conversation was slowly wrapping up in an increasingly unfavorable atmosphere.
My heart was gradually weakening against their staunch refusals.
But I shook my head vigorously to rectify my diminishing resolve.
“…I will do it.”
“What?”
Athena arched an eyebrow, her voice calm but questioning.
I met her intimidating gaze head-on without backing down.
‘I can’t give up.’
I had finally found a path to peace, so I couldn’t just throw in the towel like this.
Unless there was a better way, I would find a way to make it work.
To protect those I love.
And perhaps even the child they might one day bear, having them live in a peaceful world.
For that, this one life was worth sacrificing.
“I’m going to charm the Demon King! If you won’t help, then don’t stop me…!”
I shouted, closing my eyes tight.
Maybe it sounded like a child throwing a tantrum.
But I succeeded in conveying my unwavering determination.
“Hera. Are you asking for trouble?”
Athena glared at me, her fierce energy swirling around her.
I began to shrink under her imposing presence.
But before she could say anything, I mustered my resolve and cried out.
“Get on your knees, Athena!”
“…You!”
In an instant, her spirit within me trembled, and the fallen Athena in front of me distorted her face before kneeling on the ground.
“…Hera.”
Athena’s voice grew low and rumbling. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes in fear, but I remained steady, locking my gaze onto hers.
“You’re my slave..! Listen to your Master! I’m going to charm the Demon King and create a peaceful world…!”
Athena’s eyes began to shake.
Perhaps she was taken aback that I would come at her with such strength, confusion rapidly colored her face.
Mari, perhaps intimidated by my forcefulness, timidly held my hand and looked up at me with a pitiful expression reminiscent of a wet puppy.
“Mom… Can’t you please think about it again?”
“Ugh.”
At her charming plea, my resolve wavered momentarily, but I shook my head repeatedly and fortified my will.
“No, Mari. This time, I hope you’ll go with what Mommy wants.”
“….Huh.”
Finally, Mari softly murmured in discontent and bowed her head.
As I looked at her, my heart ached, but I had no choice.
The reason I longed for eternal peace was largely due to Mari.
A dragon that isn’t bound by a set lifespan. A being that dies only when it wishes to, living perhaps millions of years.
She could live without any issues if she so desired.
I didn’t want my long-living daughter to endure a tragic age of war.
“…I’m sorry, Mari. Please understand Mommy.”
After the storm passed, what remained was a quiet silence between Athena and me.
We stared fiercely at each other, a battle of wills ensued.
“Let this go, Hera.”
Feeling an overwhelming surge of emotions, I pressed my case.
“Do you… do you have any idea how much you’ve hurt me?!”
“…What?”
“Why must you be so difficult? Why must you hurt me so much?!”
“What are you talking about, Hera?”
Athena trembled in confusion.
To her, it might have felt like a fire in a drought.
I was talking about the past Athena. How many had suffered because of her?
The pain of seeing someone I loved act like that was unbearable.
But I had decided to forgive her.
Or perhaps it wouldn’t be right to call it forgiveness. In the end, I chose to let it go.
The Athena I loved now was distinctly different from the one back then.
I was sure that the Athena I cherish today would never repeat her past actions.
I had no intention of pushing Athena away based on a past that I hadn’t even personally witnessed.
I had firmly resolved in my heart.
I was certain of that…
Only to think…
‘But treating me this way…!’
Pouting and glaring incredulously at Athena, I saw deep confusion wash over her face.
The taut atmosphere that had lasted for so long began to waver.
Eventually, surrender came from the one I had never anticipated.
“Hah. If the little one heard this, she’d throw a real tantrum.”
Athena grimaced lightly, letting out a shallow sigh.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.