Chapter 82

The combat training with Ares was an extension of a quite familiar battle for me.

Since martial arts were among my specialties, the Godly Demonic Qi, which demonstrated near-universal utility, allowed me to regain my original martial prowess almost perfectly.

So, I confidently thought that performing miracles or magic, which were called secret arts using divine power, wouldn’t be that difficult.

But…

“Why can’t you do it? Just do it like this, like this?”

“What the hell do you mean by ‘like this, like this,’ you otaku?!”

As you can see.

The magic class with the two sisters, to be precise, one sister and one nemesis, was experiencing difficulties.

Flapping her bat wings excitedly, Eris was scolding me, and on her hand was a red apple created with her divine power, rolling around.

Following her example, I tried infusing energy into my hands to create something similar, but all I managed was an ordinary (?) energy ball.

Even when I put all my effort into causing a transformation, the best I could do was change the round energy ball into something vaguely resembling an apple.

Seeing this, Eris seemed to seize the moment and started teasing me, circling around me with glee.

“Dummy~ Blockhead~ Crazy dog who only knows how to fight!”

“…Wouldn’t it hurt if that crazy dog bit you? Huh?”

“Oh? Are you baring your teeth at your master now? Want to die?”

“I’m really curious how you’ll kill me, with that apple?”

Indeed, the apple creation Eris demonstrated was nothing short of miraculous.

Drawing on the mystical power that mirrored her temper, she quickly transformed the formless energy into an apple.

No matter how many times I saw it, while the classes with Ares yielded results equivalent to decades of progress, the divine power lessons with my sisters were unproductive.

-Whirrr!

“Wah!”

“Eek?!”

As expected of the Goddess of Discord, Eris was exceptionally good at drawing attention to her. When I pointed a qi bullet at her, she screamed and jumped back.

Just because she moved back didn’t mean she couldn’t be hit.

“It’s not like this is the first time; why do you always freak out and charge at me?”

The qi bullet I casually tossed into the sky soared up in an instant, shining brighter than the full moon, and then violently dissipated.

Eris’s so-called miracle lessons have been like this lately.

Born a god and performing all sorts of miracles as easily as breathing, Eris found it difficult to explain the mechanism to me.

Born as a human, living three lives in total, and reaching the pinnacle of humanity with martial arts in my previous life, I still couldn’t understand how intangible qi could be sublimated into a tangible substance.

“But my ability to transform qi has certainly improved.”

The efforts and time spent have not been in vain.

Without using fire or ice techniques, I could purely change the properties of qi itself to create flames or freeze water.

However, the problem was that I was originally quite good at that.

During my wandering days, when I had no flint, I would ignite a fire to make a campfire, or

cook meat with fire qi without needing to light a fire.

When the weather was too hot, and inns charged extra for just a few pieces of ice, I would freeze well water and distribute it for free.

Looking back, it seemed like I was quite old and had nothing better to do.

Anyway, when it came to the physical transformation of qi, even without Godly Demonic Qi, it was something I used to do quite often.

“Damn… I even postponed going to the battlefield to come and teach you like this…”

“If you’re going to teach, just teach. Why whine and act scared after inviting trouble?”

Eris grumbled again as she sidled up to me.

Yet, despite that, I couldn’t just beat her to death because the skill Eris showed me was a realm of power I’d never seen before.

In my past life, I even created demonic spirits with qi, so if I learned that power…

Maybe then I could go beyond merely creating demonic spirits and truly create something with a physical body.

“…What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“Oh, damn, you scared me.”

The fear that had caused her to whine seemed forgotten as Eris suddenly popped out from above my head and stared at me.

“Is it because it’s hard? Do you want to eat an apple?”

“…Sigh.“

The Goddess of Discord, the Maiden of Conflict, Eris.

Her displayed powers and enchanting beauty certainly made one think that a goddess is indeed a goddess for a reason.

But if you delve a layer deeper, she was like a thunderbolt, unpredictable in her reactions.

In some ways, she was one of the most Greek-mythology-like gods I’ve seen, along with Artemis.

The difference from that crescent moon maiden was that this goddess seemed to want to get close to me in her own way.

Excitedly teasing and tormenting me, then running away when I growled, only to sneak back and cling to me again and again.

Even as I gave her some space, little by little, she would get excited and start hugging me and beaming during every lesson.

“Ah, get off me, will you?”

“Why~? Are you embarrassed? Your sister is just hugging you to comfort you. What’s there to be embarrassed about~?”

…I couldn’t deny it.

It didn’t help that Eris was dressed so lightly.

No matter what she did, her appearance alone was that of a goddess, capable of taking one’s breath away.

The voluptuous fruit I could clearly feel behind my head and the soft, pale arms encircling my neck.

And the fragrant scent tickling my nose was like poison to a young body that had just been fighting fiercely.

“Huh? That’s strange? Why have you gone so quiet, little brother?”

“…”

“Do you like it here, here? Well, all men go crazy for breasts, don’t they?”

Something soft and squishy was touching the back of my head.

Even without seeing it and without saying it, any man would instinctively know what those two fruits are.

I quietly closed my mouth.

Honestly, I couldn’t deny it.

When I thought about the women who had gotten close to me in this life…

Neri, no matter her inner thoughts or intentions, was too young, and no matter how much she clung to or leaned on me, it felt like a cousin asking to play.

Atalanta, with a body honed by hunting and martial arts, and raised as the daughter of a bear, had a wild charm that writhed beneath her physique.

But Eris, every scent and gesture was irresistibly alluring.

Yet, her voice and the sparkle of interest and affection in her eyes were pure beyond words, an antithetical allure that tested my patience.

She smiled and clung to me like an innocent maiden, yet each action was that of a temptress seducing a man.

It was understandable why her divine duty was discord and conflict.

How many people had she pushed into chaos with that smile and gesture?

Even I, who had enjoyed countless pleasures and let go of precious relationships, felt my heart stir just from being embraced.

Who else but her could willingly embody the enticing divine duty of discord and conflict?

Anyway, Eris, a considerable capricious thunderbolt, changed her mood every second.

Seeing her wriggling with excitement now, today’s class seemed to be over.

‘Another wasted day…’

But what could I do? No matter how hard I tried, some things just wouldn’t work.

Even so, it didn’t suit my nature to completely give up, so I carefully picked up the apple Eris had shown me today and began to ponder over it.

“Hmm…? Sibling?”

When I remained still under her touch, Eris began to slowly stroke my hair and play with my cheeks.

She started to toy with me.

“Don’t be so down~ Nemesis and Ares both said that. It’s because you’re still young, and you’ve only recently awakened your divine power. Ares even said it’s amazing how you handle divine power despite having memories of another life.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m always amazed at how you show power comparable to Ares’s combat abilities. Even that cunning Athena can’t match you in a fair fight. Be proud of yourself.”

“Mmm…”

Eris, who was kneading my head and face like dough, suddenly stopped when I remained still.

“…? What’s wrong? Why did you stop?”

“Aren’t you uncomfortable with me?”

“What? Haven’t we come too far to feel awkward around each other?”

It was definitely crossing the line, provoking with Neri, but it was far beyond that.

I used to push the Justice Faction guys with insults, so I could let it slide, especially since she hadn’t gone too far.

“Still, don’t even think about messing with Atalanta or Neri. I’ll really turn everything upside down.”

“No, it’s not like that…”

No, seriously.

I’m starting to get a feeling, but why does she keep interrupting out of guilt?

Is it a manifestation of her will to put an end to conflict and discord here?

“If you have something to say, just spit it out! Did you cause any trouble?”

“Eek!”

Isn’t it infuriating when someone interrupts your deep thoughts?

Like there was no gravity, Eris, who was hanging onto me in a prone position from the air behind me, was caught by me in an instant and was now facing me.

“O-o-o-oh…?”

“…?”

Eris’s face, which always gleamed with a mischievous smile, was somehow bright red today.

Gods can’t catch a cold…?

“O-o-o-oh. Hiyaaa!”

When I looked at her strangely, Eris suddenly thrashed around like a cat grabbed by the scruff of its neck.

In an instant, she spread her wings and flew away, disappearing into the distance.

“…What the heck?”