“Hera, what do you think would happen if someone forced themselves on you?”
Kurrok.
The food I was eating got stuck in my throat and I struggled to breathe.
Athena gently handed me water, and I quickly drank it down to ease the pressure in my throat.
What did I just hear?
Someone… is doing what to me?
I must’ve misheard.
There’s no way she would suddenly bring that up.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t hear that. What did you say?”
“I asked what you’d think if someone forced themselves on you.”
Kurrok! Kurrok!
This time, I hadn’t even eaten anything, yet it felt like my throat was choking again.
I took another sip of water to calm my confused heart.
What kind of question is this?
Someone… is going to eat me?
Why would such a topic come up during a meal?
I couldn’t understand her intention at all.
“I… I don’t understand what you mean.”
But Athena was looking at me seriously without a hint of humor.
“I mean it literally.”
Seeing her serious expression, I paused to think about her absurd question for a moment.
What if someone tried to… force themselves on me?
“…Wouldn’t I just kill them?”
After all, those who tried to mess with me at Drax’s Place were all sent to the heavens.
But Athena’s expression didn’t seem satisfied with that answer.
“What if it was someone you couldn’t possibly defeat?”
Is this some kind of psychological test?
Is she asking to know more about me?
If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be weird…
“Well… against someone I can’t defeat…”
I started to imagine.
A man stronger than me overpowers me,
tears my clothes apart,
and…
Yuck…
I felt nauseous.
Even though I had become a woman, I had no desire to embrace a man.
Memories of being a man still vividly remained in my mind, and seeing a man’s thing would trigger strong aversion in my entire being.
…Then I’d probably live my life as a forever-alone.
I had no intention of accepting a man.
And I couldn’t date a woman either.
Moreover, I didn’t particularly want to return to my original world, so I’d likely end up living alone here forever.
No, wait. Athena is here.
She said she would take care of me for life.
Even if she were to marry someone later, she would still be responsible for me. She promised that with her own mouth.
Thinking that made me feel a bit more at ease.
Looking at Athena, who was waiting for my answer, I said,
“I’d bite my tongue and die. And even after death, I’d curse that person for eternity.”
“…”
Her expression darkened at my response.
“What’s wrong…?”
“Nothing.”
After that, all I could hear were the sounds of cutlery clinking.
Mmm…
The food isn’t bad, but…
It had been so long since I had a proper meal that it didn’t go down easily.
Since I usually just took one bite at a time before putting it away, trying to eat more made my stomach rebel.
You yelled for food, didn’t you? Eat up!
Even scolding my stomach didn’t change a thing.
Eventually, I couldn’t eat anymore and started playing with my chopsticks when Athena sat beside me, bringing a bowl filled with meat.
She neatly cut the meat and, using a fork, brought it to my mouth.
“Hera. Ah~ open wide.”
“Uh… uh?”
I was momentarily startled by her sudden kindness, but the way she gestured for me to eat left me no choice but to open my mouth.
“Mmph.”
As soon as I put the food in my mouth, she brought more meat out right away.
“Um, Athena…?”
“You’ve gotten so thin lately. I’ll feed you.”
“…”
In the end, I had no choice but to put more food into my mouth at her insistence.
“Okay. Open.”
There was more food right in front of me.
“I… I’m full now…”
“Open your mouth.”
“Ugh.”
Reluctantly, I opened my mouth at her commanding tone.
As I slowly chewed and swallowed the meat, she immediately offered more.
“I can’t… eat anymore…”
“Hera. Open.”
“I really—Ugh?!”
As I tried to refuse, she forcibly opened my mouth and the food was shoved in.
“Now, say Ah~ again.”
“Wait a… moment…”
For a while…
“Aaa… I can’t swallow yet!! – Ugh!!”
“It’s okay.”
“I said I can’t eat anymore!! Ugh-!”
“Open up, Hera.”
“Wait… did I make a mistake?? Hmph!”
“You should think about that.”
“Just blow up already!! I’m going to burst!!”
“You can’t move until you finish all of this.”
“I refuseee!!”
Until she emptied the entire bowl, Athena committed this atrocious act of food violence.
*
“Ugh….”
“Drink, Hera.”
Athena offered me water.
I shot her a resentful glare, then gulped it all down in one go.
“I only did this because I was worried about you. You’ve gotten too thin.”
Athena said, gently stroking my full stomach.
“….”
Since she said she did it for me, I couldn’t say anything.
After all, when I looked at myself in the mirror, I did look like I could faint at any moment.
She must have been worried about me being like that, forcing me to eat.
Well, thanks to her, I did manage to eat a lot.
“…Please don’t do that again.”
I said somewhat tersely, and she raised an eyebrow at me.
“Oh? Are you commanding me?”
“Hey..!”
She smirked at my meek irritation.
“Alright, Hera. Just make sure to eat well.”
“…..Okay.”
Still, I didn’t feel bad.
It felt like I had a bountiful meal for the first time in ages.
Since I entered this mansion, it was the first time I could eat in the dining room without worry.
I hoped meals would be like this going forward.
I never knew being with someone could feel this empowering.
This too, must be thanks to Athena.
As I felt grateful towards her, I wanted to give something back.
Something that would make her happy.
What could I possibly do for her? I began to ponder.
I feel like I’ve expressed my affection too much lately…
Actually, I’ve been kissing her so much that my mouth hasn’t dried of her saliva!
I wanted to do something a little different.
I subtly gazed at the dining table where we had eaten.
A feast of many dishes.
…Would she like it if I made her a dish?
I’ve got five years of experience cooking for myself, and I did have an interest in cooking. I’d tried nearly all kinds of food.
With that accumulated cooking skill,
I was quite confident in my abilities.
But would she even like my cooking, having eaten delicious food from a skilled chef every day?
Stop thinking negatively.
I caught my mind drifting to sad thoughts.
No way.
Cooking is about sincerity and heart.
If I put my utmost effort into it, she would surely enjoy it.
Finally, I made a firm decision to cook and subtly asked her,
“Athena, do you have a favorite food?”
“Huh?”
She tilted her head at my question.
“Just! Out of curiosity…”
“Well, I’m not exactly a food enthusiast.”
“Oh… okay?”
So it’s apparently not about food.
As my heart sank a bit, she continued.
“But if I had to choose, I like spicy food and meat.”
“Really?!”
My sudden exclamation made her widen her eyes, as if saying, ‘Why is he like this?’
Feeling a bit embarrassed by her reaction, but that wasn’t what mattered.
“Hmm… Athena, do you have anything planned for dinner?”
“…No, not really.”
She looked at me with some wariness.
“Then… let’s have dinner together.”
“I was thinking of doing that anyway.”
She answered as if it were obvious.
Great.
All the groundwork was laid.
Now, I just had to decide what to make for her.
In this luxurious mansion, the kitchen must be great too.
Since Athena said I was free to do whatever I wanted here, using the kitchen shouldn’t be a problem.
“Are you okay, Hera?”
Athena looked at me suspiciously, seeming to think something was off.
Did I show it?
Since I wanted to surprise her with a cooking reveal, I decided to change the subject.
“By the way, why did you suddenly ask that strange question earlier?”
Athena flinched slightly at my question.
She covered her mouth with one hand and muttered softly—
“I’ve been losing patience lately.”
So quietly, I couldn’t hear.
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Just saying you should be cautious with your behavior. You never know if someone might have weird thoughts.”
Well…
Honestly, I guess I could come across as a bit arrogant.
This body is ridiculously beautiful.
Having lived in this body, I always thought I looked pretty every time I looked in the mirror.
Someone could definitely have dangerous thoughts about me.
But still, I thought I could fend off most of them.
Unless they were a main boss villain from the original story, they shouldn’t easily overpower me. And even if they were, I wouldn’t let myself go down without a fight.
And if, as Athena said, someone appeared who I couldn’t handle…
I quietly looked at Athena.
And then I smiled gently at her.
“In that case, you just need to protect me.”
Since she promised to cherish me for life, she ought to guarantee my safety.
Otherwise, it just wouldn’t add up.
Bam—
Hiiik?!
A sudden bizarre noise rang out.
As I opened my eyes fully, I saw that the table where we had dined peacefully had shattered into pieces.
And on top of it,
Athena’s fist, surrounded by golden mana, was raised.
Looking at her, her burning eyes pierced through me.
Hiiik.
“I told you to be careful with your conduct, didn’t I?”
She snarled at me like a beast, her low growl resonating.
I was frozen, unable to move under her overwhelming gaze.
“U-uh…?”
This is strange…?
Did I say something wrong…?
*
Somewhere in the empire, away from Einheart.
There stood a mountain with a beautiful view.
And in the middle of that mountain, there was a cottage.
A middle-aged man with an air of mystique emerged from the cottage.
“Disciple, let’s call it a day. You should head back down now.”
“I… I’ll train a bit longer.”
“Haha… What makes you so determined?”
The man had rugged hair and small scars on his face.
He resembled some eastern swordsman from some far-off land. His name was…
The empire’s only Grandmaster.
Swordsman Carlos.
He brushed off the dust from his straw hat lying on the ground and put it on his head.
“But where are you going?”
“I’m off to meet a friend.”
“You’re bringing your sword too?”
At the girl’s question, Carlos smiled gently.
“He’s a bit of a rough character.”
Though he looked rather delicate himself.
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.