Chapter 1488

“Wooow! So sweet, so sweeeet.”

“Senior, stop with the nonsense and plug this up. It’s overflowing!” Neltarid chided Willow, clearly annoyed that she was slacking off when she was supposed to be stopping the gigantic surge of mana from spilling over.

“Hey, you think that’s the important thing right now? You have no idea how sweet young love is, do you?”

Unlike Super Ribbon, Red Ribbon, and Blue Ribbon, Willow found the concept of romantic love quite fascinating. “Lately, there’s been an overdose of sweetness all around me.”

That included Seung-Hyun, who spent most of his time bickering with Grace; Si-Woo, who seemed to have great chemistry with Elysia; and now Hyun-Ah and Chris, who seemed to get along pretty well.

At first, Hyun-Ah kept saying she didn’t like him, then, after only a few days, she was unconsciously gravitating toward Chris.

It was almost impressive how she’d been able to hold out so long.

“To be precise, the change happened because he stepped up and made a move. Where there’s a will, there truly is a way, regardless of lesser circumstances.”

Their relationship could have crumbled in an instant, so it was already a good thing that it ended well.

Neltarid finally shouted at Willow, who was dilly dallying instead of doing her job, “Oh come on, Senior!!!”

Only then did she jump with surprise and finally manifest her power. “Fine, I’ll do it! Stop shouting, you jerk!”

“Haah.”

It was hard to imagine the gods of the past needing to have such silly conversations. They wouldn’t have bothered looking down at the world below, nor would they have had much contact with one another.

That was especially true of Neltarid, Thanatos, and Goddess Freyja.

Just then, Willow looked toward Goddess Freyja’s pond in the Saint Sanctuary. The pond, as clear as a fish tank without any debris or moss, gave off a soft blue glow.

She suddenly called out, “Hey, Neltarid.”

“Yes?”

“That fish in the pond. Is it a sinskrit?

“Pardon? Ah, yes. That’s right.”

She saw a god fish, a being often mentioned in holy texts. It was one of the symbols of good fortune, sometimes called a divine messenger. Legends also claimed that just eating one sinskrit would grant one immense vitality.

Of course, the sinskrit remained only a symbol to mortals, so no one had actually seen one.

“Senior,” Neltarid cautiously began. “I hope you’re not going to—”

“Come on. It’s just one out of dozens. They don’t even have separate souls, do they?”

Just as she’d said, sinskrits were essentially living beings formed from Goddess Freyja’s blessings. True to the legends, consuming one really did grant an enormous amount of vitality.

Resolved, Willow lifted the hem of her winged robe, revealing her pale legs. She then excitedly waded into the pond where Goddess Freyja always used to dip her feet, reaching out a hand toward a sinskrit swimming leisurely by.

Whoosh!!

Yet the energy mass, which was merely mimicking a living being, slipped away, seeming to tease Willow.

“Ah... If anyone other than Goddess Freyja dips their foot in that pond...”

“What?”

Willow turned back, and Neltarid shook his head.

According to the memories of his predecessors, anyone other than Goddess Freyja who entered that pond would be torn apart to the point that not even a trace of their existence would remain. Even a goddess couldn’t carelessly enter that giant mass of energy and the fierce current made up of divine blessing.

Yet Willow was splashing around casually in it, driving the sinskrits into a corner.

“Why don’t you just let me catch you already!!!” Finally, she created a net with divine power, and the sinskrits scrambled and gathered to one side as if trying to escape. She shouted behind her, “Hey! You help, too, you bastard!”

“Senior... This is not the time to be slacking off—”

“So you won’t do it?”

Neltarid sighed and brought his hand close to the pond.

Snap!

Once it reached a certain distance, his hand abruptly vanished.

“I figured as much.”

Unlike Willow, who became a goddess by inheriting Goddess Freyja’s high-level authority, he seemed to be affected simply by touching the space.

“Senior, my hand disappeared.”

“Uh. Hmm. Okay. Keep up the good work,” Willow replied awkwardly, as if she was flustered.

Flap Flap!

Finally, she managed to catch a sinskrit with her net. She smiled brightly as it flopped around inside. Looking at its frantic movements, she could already feel how much vitality she would get from it.

She excitedly announced, “I got one!”

“What exactly do you plan to do with it?”

“I’m going to cook it and give it to my aunt,” she proudly declared.

“You plan to feed a human a lump of divine blessing? Do you not realize how serious that is?”

She chuckled with a mischievous look and waved her hand dismissively. “Ehh. It’ll all work out somehow.”

Neltarid couldn’t help but wonder if it was really okay to leave her be. Watching her laugh like a fool despite wearing a beautiful and elegant winged robe made him question her soundness of mind.

Then, he caught sight of something chilling.

“There... If I do this.” Willow, who had sealed and quieted the flopping sinskrit, walked toward the edge of the pond with a satisfied look, and Neltarid reached out a hand like a broken machine.

She ranted, “Ugh. Goddess Freyja is something else. She should share things like this! Raising them all by herself, she only ever thinks about herself.”

“S-Senior?”

“You don’t think so? A person that old, fawning over someone like my father. What a fool, a complete fool.”

“Senior?” he murmured as he trembled, his face now pale blue.

Only then did Willow realize something was off, and her head tilted in confusion. “Huh? What’s wrong with you?”

At that moment, she sensed a presence, and she also froze solid.

Splash.

The sealed sinskrit in her hand dropped into the pond, and she slowly turned her head like a rusty door.

The new arrival had an emotionless face, but the long stick in her hand made her intentions clear. Goddess Freyja, who had disappeared somewhere, now stood right behind Willow.

“Oh... my god...”

The bizarre sight of a goddess calling out for God unfolded in an instant.

* * *

Willow crouched in the corner, sniffling and sobbing with five cartoonishly round bumps stacked on top of her head.

Ignoring her victim, Goddess Freyja released the sealed sinskrit back into the pond and lightly patted its blue back. The sky blue fish darted away to the far side of the pond as if it had regained its life, but the goddess paid it no mind.

“That selfish...”

Hearing Willow sob and complain, Neltarid thought that she must be the craziest bitch with the most guts among all the gods.

She kept complaining, and called out, “Seriously, it’s not like the world’s going to end if I take just one... Would it kill to share a little?”

Finally, seeing her grumbling angrily, Goddess Freyja quietly approached her.

Neltarid flinched, and Willow backed away with a scared look. “A-are you going to hit me again?! I haven’t even been hit by my own dad!”

That was nonsense, of course.

As the goddess approached, Willow shivered, but didn’t retreat. She closed her eyes, bracing for the pain. Yet, when no pain came, she looked up with a puzzled face.

Her head then tilted, looking at the small vial Goddess Freyja held out in front of her.

“What... is this?”

In response to her question, Goddess Freyja quietly picked up her tablet.

[If a human consumes a sinskrit as-is, their existence won’t be able to bear it. They will be annihilated.]

Willow froze. That information meant she had almost killed two people!

[A small amount of blessing will instead grant the power of agelessness and vast vitality to a living being.]

Only then did she realize that Freyja had given her a small, refined quantity of the sinskrit’s immense blessing.

She immediately reached out to take it. “Are you... giving this to me?”

[As long as you work hard.]

“I will! I’ll work hard!”

Seeing her sparkling eyes, Goddess Freyja quietly stroked her head and handed the vial over.

“I’ll go give this to her and be right back!” She quickly ripped through the air and vanished.

“Goddess.” Neltarid, who remained behind, cautiously called out to Goddess Freyja, “Is it alright to release such a thing carelessly?”

In response to his question, she quietly closed and then opened her eyes.

[It’s fine.]

That was because the effect only lasted for a single generation, and wouldn’t be passed down anyway.

Neltarid felt a sudden surge of greed.

‘It’d be great to give that to my Saintess Agatha...’

However, even he was shocked by his own greed, flinching involuntarily at the thought.

Regardless of what he thought, she handed him the same small vial.

“G-Goddess?”

[Cherish your heart that cares for the child.]

Neltarid felt something akin to emotion from her words. “But... the remaining work...”

Neltarid was worried it would be improper. After all, he had been coordinating something with Willow just a moment before.

Of course, that worry vanished as soon as Goddess Freyja waved her hand.

“I’ll be back! I’ll be back after I give this to her!”

Watching Neltarid disappear with a bright face, the goddess quietly approached the pond and dipped her white feet in.

Then, she created a cluster of light in the air that reflected Davey’s image, and she began singing a beautiful melody to herself.

* * *

Willow looked down at the small vial in her hand and giggled mischievously.

Hyun-Ah was having a meal with Chris, who’d just returned from Japan after working with the region’s Awakened to investigate a high-level gate that had opened up there.

His eyes widened when he saw Willow, who’d taken Hyun-Ah’s place after she briefly stepped away.

“You’re...”

“Nice to meet you, Chris.”

“Oh. Goddess,” he greeted Willow comfortably. “What brings the esteemed Goddess all the way here?”

She smirked. “Seeing you two made my heart flutter, so I thought I’d give you a present.”

“A present?!”

His eyes gleamed—a goddess was directly giving him a gift!

Seeing a goddess descend like that was already unimaginable, but Willow seemed to be a rather unusual case.

He curiously asked, “What is this?”

“Sprinkle it in the food you’re eating now. It will grant vast vitality and the blessing of agelessness.”

His eyes grew wide. “Really?!”

“What, you think it’s kapp?”

“Ahahahaha! I’m very grateful to—”

“But promise me one thing.” Willow waved her hand, and the colors around them vanished. It looked as though time had stopped.

“Huh?”

“If my aunt sheds even a single tear, I’ll have you bleeding from your eyes.”

“Oh. Ummmm.”

‘She’s saying the same kind of thing as her father...’

It was strange that a saint had a goddess for a daughter.

“I promise. Even if my feelings of love fade with time, I will always consider her my other half,” he swore.

“That’s all I need to hear.” Willow snapped her fingers again, restoring the world to normal.

Watching her then vanish in an instant, Chris broke out in a cold sweat.

“She’s a goddess, alright...” Saying that, he unreservedly sprinkled the vial in his hand over his and Hyun-Ah’s food.

She came up behind him, asking, “Why are you just standing there?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing. Let’s eat.”

The substance had already soaked into her favorite fried rice and his steak, leaving no trace.

“Ooh. It tastes strangely better! It’s really whetting my appetite.” Hyun-Ah ate it ravenously, unaware of what he had done.

However, the two of them were completely ignorant of the side effect the goddess hadn’t mentioned. That effect showed itself late at night.

Chris admired the night view outside Hyun-Ah’s office window, alone with her just as he’d wanted. Hyun-Ah started swaying sleepily, so he reached out for her, asking, “Are you sleepy?”

“Ah. I’m a little tired...”

‘Didn’t she say it’ll give us immense vitality? Then why is my princess tired?’

Chris was puzzled, but he was more worried about Hyun-Ah. “Let’s get going first. I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”

“Chris...” Hyun-Ah, looking up at him with half-lidded eyes, quietly muttered, “You’re handsome...”

Hearing her casually saying something she wouldn’t say normally, his eyes widened.

“Nice body... and a nice personality, too,” she said while smiling sweetly.

As she looked up at him, he spoke awkwardly, even forgetting his usual mischievous charm. “H-Hyun-Ah?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, just like that.

“Hehe. Your lips taste good, too.”

His mind was thrown into chaos by her impulsive advance.

However, Hyun-Ah also flinched and backed away, surprised at what she had done. “What... What in the—”

She backed away, unable to comprehend what she had just said. “You... What did you feed me?”

“Ah. No. I didn’t do anything...” Then he suddenly remembered Willow’s blessing, and his eyes went wide.

‘No way, was it that stuff? Even so, this is too much.’

All he wanted was a genuine relationship, not this kind of impulsive, intoxicating charm.

“Tell me, you idiot! Why are all my thoughts coming right out of my mouth?!”

“Huh?”

Only then did Chris realize what was happening, and he felt a sense of strangeness from what she had just done. Before he realized, his arms were around her waist, and he kissed her on the lips.

‘Why is my body moving? I’m just thinking about it.’

Flustered, he pulled away and shouted, “W-wait! I didn’t mean to do that...”

“Stop! Don’t think about anything for a second. Your body is moving according to your thoughts!”

Humans were incapable of controlling their subconscious freely. Hearing that from her, Chris unconsciously imagined kissing her again. He immediately pulled her arm and kissed her once more.

“You taste good. You’re so pretty, Hyun-Ah.”

The words he thought came straight out of his mouth. He was moving as his impulses told him.

In a similar bind, Hyun-Ah also wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him. “T-this... My body is just moving on its own...”

Just as the two flustered people didn’t know what to do, the air tore open, and Willow appeared. She told them, “I forgot to mention, but the goddess pulled some pranks on the thing from earlier... Apparently, it gives the inability to hide your feelings from the one you deeply love...”

She muttered awkwardly, looking at the two people who were holding and kissing each other, “Oh. I’m already too late, aren’t I?”

She smiled mischievously, looking at the two who were acting on their thoughts. “I’ll leave you alone now.”

When she tried to leave, Chris and Hyun-Ah desperately tried to grab her. They didn’t know what was happening, but they couldn’t hide their true feelings.

“W-wait, Willow! Stop!”

“Holy shit. Goddess! Come back!”

Ignoring their shouts, she vanished, and once again, it was just the two of them.

Hyun-Ah and Chris looked at each other with pale faces. They were in a huge mess.

Thud.

To make matters worse, the box Davey had given them fell to the floor, and the moment they looked at it, the things they’d secretly wished for began turning into bold actions.

“No! Willow, you crazy bitch!!! Come back!” Hyun-Ah frantically shouted and started unbuttoning her blouse, and Chris violently ripped off his suit jacket as if tearing it apart.

“Kyaaak!”

“Damn it! This is not what I wanted!”

The two, flustered and unsure what to do, moved toward each other. The moment they embraced, they explored each other as if intoxicated by the atmosphere.

Crackle!

Tremendous vitality surged through both of them, and the side effect seemed to have worn off. Then, the words and voices that had followed their thoughts just moments before abruptly vanished.

“Uh... Um...”

“...”

The two, who’d been embracing and kissing, looked each other in the eye before stepping back once or twice.

“Let’s keep today a secret... Please.”

“I will too... Damn it.”

The duo stood in self-loathing, realizing they’d been played by the prank-loving Willow.

They wanted to just pass out and leave their bodies, but, thanks to the tremendous vitality, their bodies were overflowing with energy.

“What exactly... did Willow do?” Hyun-Ah asked him.

Chris recalled the blessed elixir Willow had brought him earlier in the day and told her its effects. Then, he covered her with his half-ripped suit jacket. “I like you, but this isn’t what I wanted.”

Hyun-Ah didn’t know what to say, staying silent.

Chris averted his gaze and backed away. “I’ll go back first.”

“Chris.”

It was then.

Hyun-Ah reached out and pulled Chris closer. She kissed him forcefully, then her gaze lowered. “T-thank you. I don’t dislike you, but...”

“Oh... Damn it. This situation is driving me crazy...”

“Still, I think we should get to know each other more first...”

Chris hugged her without hesitation. His hands twitched, wanting to explore Hyun-Ah once again, but he held them back and resisted. She was too precious to treat like that.

“I’ll go home today. If I stay any longer, I might not be able to stop myself.”

“Go safely...”

At the same time, Willow was on her knees with her hands raised, sobbing.

“Were you good, or did you do something wrong?”

She cried, “I did something wroooong...”

She was being scolded by Davey, trying to tell him, “B-But... I skipped all the frustrating parts...”

“That kind of thrilling situationship is part of the process, you jerk.”

“Ugh. How was I supposed to know Goddess Freyja put that kind of effect in there...”

Seeing her stick out her tongue and grumble, Davey nodded. “Now that I think about it, the main culprit in all this was that goddess.”

Of course, he couldn’t take revenge. No matter what, challenging Goddess Freyja was out of the question.

“Haah.”

A few days later, Hyun-Ah officially started dating Chris.

The romance between Hyun-Ah, the leading candidate to become the Sacred Group’s next chairman; and Chris, the most talented American Awakened, naturally drew plenty of attention, so the two tried to keep their relationship a secret. Still, the romantic atmosphere between them became obvious enough that their acquaintances couldn’t help but notice.

Willow, who had been thoroughly scolded by Davey, sulked and secluded herself in Evangeline’s lair. “Ugh! Why did you eat that?! Argh! I died!”

Through the voice chat, she could hear Grace and Seung-Hyun screaming, along with Si-Woo and Elysia’s voices.

- Waaah! The zombies are coming!!!

- Damned Seung-Hyun! Get my food back now!

Willow watched Evangeline fume at Moderation as they played a co-op survival game, then spoke with a listless expression. “Why are they dying like that? What a bunch of noobs.”

Yet, it seemed like they had heard Willow and her taunt.

Seung-Hyun shouted on the other end of the voice call.

- Oh, you think you can do better? Go on, give it a shot.

“No, thanks. You guys suck.”

Hearing those words from her, who hadn’t even played the game once, dealt a blow to everyone’s pride.