Chapter 26 /// Goddess Athena ///

The phenomenon of people turning into demons is one that Shion knows all too well.

There have been such human experiments among the demon tribes under the demon king, and such traps have been set up in dungeons.

However, he had never heard of an ogre that could take on the size of an entire town, let alone a beastman.

So, he talked to the woman and the guard, and it seemed that the first victims were only about two months ago, and at least a dozen people had been affected so far.

Tolerance varies from person to person, and the elderly and weakened are more prone to augmentation, and the man who had just been sick was on his way to the healing hospital, his girlfriend explained.

“Is there any way to turn them back?”

“The king is working on this problem, but there is nothing he can do about it. There is a goddess at a spring near this city, but even she can’t help”

“Hypothetically, what if we kill the person who turned into an ogre?”

“The person can be restored to its original state, but …… unfortunately…”

At this point, one of the guards moves the woman to a safer place as she begins to wail in grief.

When Shion was about to leave, the soldiers asked him about his residence and personal information.

It seems that the king may be organizing a strike force with Hero in the near future, and he is gathering skilled men for the task.

“You seem to be an excellent swordsman. The way you carry yourself, your physical skills, and most of all, your calmness, makes me admire you. The King may ask you to join us if you are interested in joining”

“I’ll give it some thought”

After parting from them, Sion looked out the gate and activated his Dark Magic Detection. It was something that could only be used at night when the sun was out, and he had used it when he was a hero with the divine eye.

Confirming the existence of a being fleeing at a tremendous speed a few hundred meters away, and at the same time remembering the size and quality of the magic power.

After returning to the inn and taking a rest, he decided to talk to Haku the next day about what happened last night.

‘…… Beastmen into demons, huh? I’ve heard of a village that was turned into a demon about 200 years ago, now that you mention it’

“I’m curious about that”

‘I heard that there was also some kind of miasma. Tonight, I’ll go out and smell it myself. If it is a demon, it might have a special smell’

Haku can sense several things that humans can’t, so they’ll try to move with his plan.

If the enemy is demon tribe, or worse, the demon king’s executives, were the one needs to be dealt with, their current power would be insufficient, so Shion decided to retrieve the today.

They will leave in the morning and travel to the vicinity of the before noon.

Shion’s senses sharpened near the large spring, and he was a little troubled. There was a hint of magic coming from a very high place.

‘What’s that? There’s a lot of people near the spring’

“They don’t look like adventurers or mercenaries either”

Sion couldn’t help but go to the strange sight of people who looked like ordinary people lining up in front of the fountain. There were not many demons here, but it was still a risk to come from Rotra.

He tried to talk to the people at the end of the line to see what the gathering is about.

“Today is the day the Goddess comes to visit. On Wednesday afternoons, she listens to your worries. She is the most beautiful woman in the world”

At this point, Shion remembered. He remembered that the guards had also told him that there was a goddess in the Flora Spring.

“Haku, this looks like fun, let’s get in line too”

‘Ufufu, you were attracted by the beauty, weren’t you?’

“Nope, nothing like that! See, that’s the thing. I was just wondering what kind of being is the goddess!”

‘Well, then, let’s just leave it at that’

Kufufu, Haku smirked happily, and Shion felt a slight heat in his cheeks. To be frank, it was not hard for him to be attracted by beauty. Any healthy man would have done the same.

The goddess appeared from an unexpected place.

It had no wings, but it slowly descended from a great height to the center of the spring. It moved quickly as if it was gliding on the water, but its feet were still floating.

She was clad in a feathered robe like a heavenly maiden, so Shion guessed it was where she got that power. It’s no wonder she’s called the most beautiful woman in the world when you get close to her.

She has beautiful hair that looks like it’s spun from gold thread, smooth, translucent white skin, and clear eyes framed by long eyelashes.

She is slender and has an impeccable sense of divinity.

Crowds suddenly got silent

Every single person in the queue kneeled down on the spot and hung their heads.

Shion and Haku, who were late to the party, tried to follow suit, but to their surprise, they were approached from the other side.

[ You don’t have to be so hard. It’s your first time here, isn’t it? I don’t like to be too formal ]

“Thank you very much. ……!?”

[ What’s the matter? You seem surprised ]

“N…no, it’s nothing”

[ Then it’s fine. My name is Athena, and I look forward to talking to you later. And your demon fox, too. Fufufu ]

Athena smiled, somewhat happily. She is beautiful even when she smiles, and the people let out a hot sigh.

The first one immediately began to consult, but Shion didn’t move from there and continued to stare at Athena.

‘You can’t Shion, you can’t fall in love with her!’

“That’s not It, Haku. I was just…a little troubled”

‘Speaking of which, you were surprised just now to see her… don’t tell me, you felt the from her?’

“Exactly that… what the hell…”

Basically, anything that fell belongs to the person who picked it up.

I wonder if they would return it to me if I asked them to return it to me because it is mine.

If it could be bought with money like last time it’s fine, but the opponent this time is the Goddess.

How can I take it from her?… Shion’s head is full of troubles.