“Is this a joke?”
“Uh.. What? What do you mean..?”
“No.. Ha…”
Athena looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
‘Did I say something wrong..?’
I thought she was mad because she pushed aside the chicken she was happily eating.
I was just trying to feed her..
Could it be that she doesn’t like being fed by someone else..?
Thinking of Athena’s fierce pride, it seemed possible.
“..Ah.. you’re not going to eat..?”
When I spoke with a shaky voice and looked at her, she finally squeezed her eyes shut and took a big bite of the chicken I offered.
Slowly chewing and swallowing, Athena said, “….It’s delicious.”
“Hehe..”
I felt inexplicably happy with her evaluation.
It was astonishing.
Just moments ago, I was drowning in self-loathing and emptiness.
I never imagined that just a few words from her could lift my spirits so much.
‘I’m not a manic-depressive or anything…’
But it couldn’t be helped.
When she praised her food as the most delicious in the world, all the negative feelings inside me melted away without me realizing it.
Could it be that I’ve come to rely on her that much?
When I gently looked at Athena, she was still munching on the chicken with a somewhat pouty expression.
For some reason, a small smile escaped onto my face.
As time passed and we finished our meal, Athena stood up to clear the dishes from the bed.
“I’ll ask for new blankets. You just rest.”
She said while taking away the blankets stained with my blood.
“Uh..?”
She’s leaving already..?
Can’t she stay just a bit longer..?
The terrible emotions I had endured before Athena came began to rise back in my mind.
The loneliness and sense of loss that felt like they would crumble my mind.
They seemed ready to pounce on me again if I was left alone.
But when I looked at the clock, it was already past my bedtime.
Asking her to stay longer would be a bother.
“See you tomorrow, Hera.”
Athena kissed my forehead once and started walking out the door.
“…”
No.
I don’t want to be alone.
Please don’t leave me behind.
As her figure started to fade away, my body began to tremble again.
Instinctively, I jumped out of bed, ran towards her, and hugged her from behind.
“…Hera?”
She slowly turned around, holding my trembling hand.
I knew this was bothersome.
But I just hoped she wouldn’t leave my side.
With my trembling voice stifled as much as possible, I earnestly pleaded with her.
“Uh.. just for today.. can we sleep together..?”
Athena’s eyes began to shake as if an earthquake had hit.
“Ha….”
Is it just my imagination?
Has my sighing increased recently?
I glanced at my annoying slave, who was sleeping peacefully beside me.
“….You’re pretty…”
How is it that she looks so beautiful even while sleeping?
It made me even more annoyed.
If only she hadn’t caught my eye like this, I wouldn’t feel so troubled.
Overwhelmed with emotion, I pinched her cheek hard.
“Uuung…”
“…You can’t be doing this on purpose, right?”
If she isn’t, then Hera must have been born with some divine talents from the heavens.
How could she come at me with such destructive allure, completely unconsciously?
When Hera asked to spend the night with me, I questioned her sanity.
I probed her for her intentions behind those words.
“U-Um… It shouldn’t matter since we’re both girls, right?”
Anger bubbled up again.
Girls, that damn phrase.
It was a good excuse when approaching Hera, but it felt like a huge wall was blocking my breath now that the situation was reversed.
How on earth am I supposed to get her to recognize me as her lover?
In that moment, I felt pitiful for being born a girl, but after thinking it through, it seemed Hera didn’t have much interest in men either.
Could it be that she’s not interested in love at all?
“……I’ve changed so much.”
The old me would have done anything and everything to achieve my goals.
If I wanted something, I would have taken it, and I had no mercy even toward my own kind if they obstructed my path.
If it were the old me, I would have already poured out all my desires on Hera without holding back.
Even if she screamed for me to stop, or begged and cried, even if she fainted.
I would have violated her for weeks without rest. Until I was satisfied.
‘And then I would regret it for life.’
The question I had asked her earlier at dinner.
She said she would rather die than be raped.
If Hera were to die because of me, I couldn’t imagine the insanity that would ensue.
No. I didn’t even want to think about it.
I would probably go on a rampage, burning everything in sight and following her into death.
I’ve changed.
I’ve definitely changed.
I once wanted to break Hera completely. Make her a fool who could do nothing but rely on me.
I trampled her down to make her a thorough slave who followed my every command.
But when I saw her earlier, or more specifically, when I saw the blood pouring from her head, in that moment, my reason shattered, and I couldn’t think at all.
The chilling sensation of my heart dropping to the floor was still fresh in my memory.
Names like slave and obedience were completely absent from my thoughts; I only wished for her safety.
Since then, every time she cried sorrowfully, an inexplicable pain would torment me from within.
This unfamiliar pain I felt for the first time.
What could it possibly be?
I would have preferred to be stabbed by a knife.
Even if it hurt, I could just treat it and be done.
But every time I saw her sad expression, the throbbing pain seemed impossible to treat.
I wished she would only look at me. That she would wag her tail only for me.
Yet, I still had the urge to completely isolate her.
But at the same time, I hoped she wouldn’t cry.
My mind, which I couldn’t even understand myself.
It was hard to believe I had fallen into this double agony, equipped with mental power reaching the 8th circle.
“…What have you done to me, Hera?”
Muttering to the sleeping figure beside me, I knew there wouldn’t be a reply.
Right.
If I have changed, I just need to change my plans accordingly.
Instead of breaking her, I just need to make her rely on me in a different way.
If I think about it slowly, there has to be a way.
“I’ve been too swayed by Hera lately.”
How audacious of me—as a slave, I shouldn’t be.
I think it’s time to impress upon her who the real master is starting tomorrow.
‘Prepare yourself, Hera.’
While contemplating the ways I could dominate her,
I slowly closed my eyes and began to drift to sleep.
……
….
…
But.
‘….This is driving me crazy.’
I couldn’t fall asleep at all.
I tried my best to ignore it,
but Hera’s fragrant breath brushing against me continued to provoke me.
My lower abdomen, which had been heated for quite some time because of her, was saying enough.
I stared at the sleeping Hera, utterly oblivious.
She laid there, defenseless, like a piece of art in front of me.
Naturally, my gaze was drawn to her snowy white fingers.
‘….This should be fine.’
I quietly pulled down my pants so as not to wake her.
Then, I took her wrist with one hand and pulled her hand toward me.
After all, she was my slave.
From her head to her toes, she was all mine, so it shouldn’t matter.
“….I’ll just hold your hand while sleeping.”
This is all your fault, Hera.
So please permit me this much.
.
.
.
“Haaah…”
When I woke up, the warm sunlight was the first thing my eyes caught.
It was a refreshing morning.
The sunny weather seemed to lift my spirits.
…Hmm?
“…What is that smell?”
A familiar, lingering aroma wafted into my nose.
It wasn’t a bad smell, but it felt dangerously addictive.
‘I should air this place out.’
As I opened the window, a refreshing breeze flowed across my cheek, cooling down the room.
“…Feels good..”
The cool wind kept brushing against my body, making me feel a bit chilly, so I closed the window again.
Turning around, I spotted Athena sprawled out on the bed, sound asleep.
I carefully approached and examined her face.
A slight blush on her cheeks, her golden hair sticking around her face, and below her eyes…
“She has dark circles..?”
A dark shadow lingered beneath her eyes.
Had she not slept well?
Looking closely, her face was filled with fatigue.
Hmm…
It seemed I should let her sleep a bit longer.
I thought about waking her up for breakfast, but seeing her condition made me feel like I shouldn’t.
The time had passed slightly past breakfast hour.
My stomach was somewhat signaling it was hungry.
Not that I could eat much anyway.
But there was no real reason not to eat, so I decided to go have breakfast.
“I… don’t want to eat alone…”
Even though I was still afraid of being alone, Athena’s company until breakfast had lightened my spirits considerably.
It seemed I could manage to eat alone just this once.
Eventually deciding to have breakfast alone, I made up my mind to quietly leave the room so Athena could rest better.
As I reached for the door, I noticed my fingers looked different from usual. More specifically, the tip of my finger.
‘..Hmm?’
My middle finger was wrinkled as if it had been soaked in hot water for too long.
A slightly sticky liquid was on that finger, which didn’t seem like just plain water.
“What’s this?”
After licking it with my tongue, I tasted a mix of saltiness with a hint of sweetness.
Could I have sweat during my sleep?
It was probably nothing serious.
I thought lightly and stepped out for breakfast, eager to pacify my rumbling stomach.
But life, they say, is full of unexpected turns.
I was about to face something I never imagined that morning.
“Y-You are..”
Why on earth is this man here?
Of all times, early in the afternoon, no less.
“Oh! What a lovely lady.”
With scruffy facial hair, a black ponytail tied behind, a thin, long sword at his waist, and a face marked with small scars, a middle-aged man stood before me.
I recognized him from illustrations in novels.
“Do you happen to know where Athena is?”
This man, who greeted me with a smile reminiscent of a friendly neighborhood uncle,
was a swordsman who came from the East.
And at the same time, the only grandmaster in this empire.
He was the man said to be capable of cutting through space itself.
The Swordsman, Carlos.
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