Chapter 12: First Member
Cytherea was stunned, swallowing. "You give me the creeps, old man. Unfortunately, until now, humans all over the world have been unable to subdue either gods or demons." The goddess tried to remain calm even though the village leader's face held no doubt.
"Hahaha, you've lived in this world longer than me. Then you don't hesitate to say something that exalts the position of the gods." Emil smiled then decided to stop the conversation. As a worshipper of the gods, he deserved to be punished for uttering something inappropriate.
After the villagers' desires were fulfilled, they again formed two lines facing each other, heading towards the village gate. Xavier thought that this should not be done because he would return to this village if the mission for heaven was successfully completed. It was like a final goodbye and he never thought this would actually happen.
At the end of the village, Emil and Cytherea stood by as they watched him walk away. The village leader couldn't stop smiling gently at her even though there wasn't a hint of a smile on the hero's face. It was a quick turnaround and it had to be done or they would not be happy with the plans that had been set in motion by the various parties.
Xavier looked at them quickly one by one, then turned around to head for the forest. He could hear his name being cheered and the cries of children who were very grateful to him.
"Are you sure it will end like this?" The goddess caught up with her to make sure the scenario was as expected.
"Don't worry. For the time being, I'd better not see them for too long because I promised myself to come back and die here."
"You can't become a god if you stay here." Cytherea reminded but there was no response from the other person.
They travelled through the forest at a leisurely but fast pace. Cytherea repeatedly engaged him in conversation and tried to cheer him up, but Xavier seemed to be in deep thought and there was no sign of calmness after leaving the village. The goddess was at a loss as to what to do to restore calm to his face. Meanwhile, she felt no guilt and was convinced that the human in front of him was destined to become an army in the struggle for heaven.
After an hour of travelling, Xavier could see that the vast land was a little barren. At that moment, his face slowly calmed down and he took a deep breath. He had lived under the trees for a long time and had hardly ever seen empty land. Followed by Cytherea who slightly stuck out her tongue because she was very tired and did not bring any provisions from the village.
"At least give me a drink or you'll accidentally kill me."
"Oh, I thought gods couldn't get thirsty. Then do gods hesitate to ask other gods for things? Even begging a human?"
"We were born very noble and have never begged anyone."
"Your answer goes a long way to explaining how long you've lived in this world to the point where human nature has become ingrained in your identity." Xavier replied while throwing one of the bottles he had hidden from the goddess.
If Emil saw this, he would probably get a little warning for making one of the goddesses look so miserable and destroying her dignity as a noble being. But Xavier didn't think it was real and believed the similarities between humans and gods were only in physical form.
"Are we going to rest here?" Cytherea asked after finishing a bottle of mineral water.
"I don't know... Wait, how did you finish that in less than 7 seconds? Is that also another ability or miracle that goddesses have?"
"That's not important. You have to answer my question first."
"You can still see the sun, right? As long as it's there we'll keep going."
"Why are you deciding our journey?!"
"Then what are you asking for? Show your pride as the Goddess of Beauty, liar."
Cytherea realised she couldn't answer anything. After all, her body still needed water to calm her mind and relieve dehydration after travelling through the complicated maze-like forest. After 500 years, this was the first time the goddess was accompanied by the human she had long sought. Despite meeting various humans before Xavier, not a single sane human accepted the order to overthrow the Demon Lord on the throne of the gods.
At least he needed the adjustment of getting to know Xavier for a strong bond to convince other reinforcements. Of course at the end of the war whatever they asked for would be honoured even giving up her status as a Goddess of Beauty. It was risky but no other offer could benefit the reinforcements.
Xavier remained unmoved until the goddess decided where they were going. "You're the leader of this party. Make sure you use your 500 years of experience so we don't get off on the wrong foot."
"Shut up. I currently know more about this world than all of humanity." Her face took on a smug look with a smile. "I think we'll go north first. Even the village behind us was the first one I visited because it was so hidden. We have to be sensitive to the surroundings to keep an eye out for villages that I might not have visited."
"Can't you use the ability to see things you've never seen?" Xavier pretends dumb.
"I didn't expect you to ask such a silly question. In that case, did you ever think demons were capable of using god-borne miracles?"
He chuckled. "No one knows."
"But we know everything." Cytherea asserted that she was not the Goddess of Lies.
"Alright, alright, have it your way. Now, decide when we will walk."
***
Night had fallen, Cytherea decided to rest close to a large rock-like wall. At least they were safe enough when attacked from the opposite direction. Xavier prepared everything so quickly and precisely that the goddess gaped and could not keep up with his tempo.
"Do you always move fast?"
"Not really. Only during certain situations." His stomach churned after answering. He was a little embarrassed and finished the rest.
Cytherea didn't understand why this human before her always acted so cool and authoritative. Did he take great care of his dignity as a former soldier? Or was it because he had multiple personalities and wasn't completely trustworthy? It was interesting to explore that but there was no courage to be sure.
They sat around the campfire while filling their stomachs with food given to them by the villagers. It wouldn't be much fun if the group remained silent until Cytherea asked,
"Hey, have you ever thought about having a lover?"
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