Chapter 75: Ch 75: Think about it Carefully

"I am sorry. I promise I won’t be bad anymore. So don’t abandon me."

Sasha was too good of a liar. Moreover, in such a situation, people were inclined to follow the kid’s words rather than adults. So it was clear that people were looking at Aiden like he was scum.

Aiden was trying to come up with a way to clear his name when his Goddess decided to grab Sasha from the back and pull her away from Aiden.

"What is a brat like you doing with my Aiden? If you keep lying and pestering him like this, then I will have no choice but to deal with you. Do you understand?"

Goddess Apophis’s aura flared, and it instantly made it hard for everyone to breathe. She was not shying away from showing that she was not human.

Sasha might be a half-phoenix, but she had neither the power nor essence of one without awakening. In this regard, she was all but human, and his goddess’s power made her flinch and shiver as well.

"I-I understand! I made a mistake. Please forgive me. I promise I won’t lie like this again."

Sasha promised as she lowered her eyes, and she was not the only one.

No matter what others thought about what happened, it was clear that they had no intention of saying anything in front of his Goddess’s supreme power.

The only ones who kept their heads up barely through this were Aiden and the person in charge of recording names for this tournament. And he could instantly recognize the divine essence in both Aiden and his Goddess.

"I apologize for what just happened. This kid had been bugging me for hours now about letting her into the tournament, and I kept denying her. I even threatened to call the cops, and this happened."

The registration person gave Aiden a small bow to show that he was sorry for what was happening. But Aiden did not fault the registration person.

Rather, there was only one culprit behind all this, and that was Sasha, who was still being held in Goddess Apophis’s arms.

"W-What is going to happen to me now?"

Sasha asked in a worried voice, and Aiden had no answers for her.

Even if he did want to help her, it was not up to him now. The one whom she had offended was his Goddess.

"Aiden, register Caelion for the competition. I will go and have a talk with this child and then decide on her fate."

It felt dangerous to send his goddess alone with the kid, but Aiden had no intention of going against her for the sake of a child.

Sasha looked at Aiden with huge eyes, begging him to save her. But Aiden had no intention of doing anything. That child was on her own now.

"A-Aiden-"

"You are coming with me. Do not take my Apostle’s name out of your lips if you want to keep them."

And just like that, Sasha was pulled away by Goddess Apophis, and Aiden was left behind to follow her orders.

"S-Sir, what do you..."

The registrar asked, and Aiden quickly turned his attention toward him instead.

"Ah yes, I would like to register someone."

Aiden ended up registering Caelion before waiting for his Goddess to come back. He did wonder what his goddess wanted to talk to the kid about, but his senses told him that it would be better if he did not know.

So he decided to close his eyes and wait.

...

"I-I apologize! I did not realize Aiden was your Apostle. If I knew..."

"Tsk, so you can see through my disguise? Phoenix’s eyes were not to be underestimated, even as a half-ling."

Sasha felt fear engulfing her being as she faced the terrifying presence in front of her.

She had looked at God Pyraeth once, but even his presence was not this intimidating for her. But this goddess in front of Sasha...she felt ancient.

Her power did not feel strong, but there was something about her presence in this world that warned Sasha not to go against her.

"I don’t care about what you knew or did not know. All I want to know is what you planned to do with Aiden. Consider your answer carefully."

Goddess Apophis told Sasha, and she nodded before she bit her lip.

"I...I will..."

She took a deep breath to brace herself before she told the goddess the truth.

"I wanted to use Aiden to get into the competition and then use his name further to gain some more sympathy. I apologize for trying to use him."

Sasha bowed her head low and waited for a verdict. This was the point where people’s heads often flew off when dealing with God Pyraeth.

But this ancient goddess just hummed at her words.

"That was all you wanted to do? Use Aiden?"

"That’s right! I just want to gain enough power to protect myself in case my life is in danger. That’s why I started participating in these competitions. But I...and incredibly weak."

The child looked ready to cry, and this time, the frustration was real.

Sasha felt pathetic, but something about her confession must have amused the goddess in front of her because she chuckled, causing Sasha to look up.

"Child, would you like to become my vessel and gain power that way? I am sure you noticed that I am one of the original gods of this world. And I might have lost my power, but I am rapidly gaining it back. Doesn’t that sound exciting?"

Sasha froze at that offer, not believing her ears for a moment.

This offer felt too good to be true.

Well, it was not the first time she had gotten the same offer. Aiden had told her to come over to their side as well.

But compared to his offer, a goddess’s words held more weight for her. However...

"I serve God Pyraeth. As a phoenix..."

"Well, it is up to you whom you want to serve. But make sure to make a choice you won’t regret. And also, unlike Aiden, I won’t ask twice."