Chương 22: For Anemus - Athena and Lunnia
In a room strangely decorated with monsters and stuffed animals, Gion showed Athena the state of the armor she had worn so far.
"How did this happen?"
The armor on a table that was too big, was in a sorry state. Originally mithril was not supposed to break so easily. However, mithril also lacked the ability to store as much mana as Athena's armor had absorbed.
"When you fell face first in the sand, you lost control of your mana and the armor absorbed as much of it as it could begin to melt into your body." Gion explained while hitting what was supposed to be a gauntlet.
"If Gion hadn't gotten her out of you in time, she would have melted into her skin and it would have been much more painful to get out of you." Neu said.
"What am I going to do now? The ones I have in the bank are crap compared to this one..."
Gion took a map from his dimensional bag and spread it out on the stone table.
"You're going to Alauri, then you can stop by Juefu town and buy one there."
"Juefu? Since when did the dwarves move to this island?"
"You were out of this world for a long time, Athena. Wars have gone on and on. An exiled group of dwarves founded Juefu about two hundred and fifty years ago." Gion said and crossed the map marking two places.
After putting away the scrap that had become her armor and sword, Athena was starting up the stairs when Gion stopped her.
"I had forgotten. While you were sleeping, someone came looking for you."
"Huh? Who? I don't know anyone but Neu, Eun, Nimo, a waitress named Mila, a receptionist named Iris, and a princess priestess with mermaid's name."
"No, wait! What about me?" Gion asked with a theatrically sad expression.
"I don't know you, Gion." Athena said seriously.
*Poor Charle... He was so nice to her.*
***
In a secluded room of dubious elegance, with red and gold as the dominant colors, a woman sat uneasily on one of the beautiful sofas.
The woman with bluish-blond hair, at the level of the chin, wore a heavy black armor with details of intense green and gold, which resembled dragon scales.
Athena and Gion watched the woman from the corner of the room, unnoticed.
"She is pretty." Athena whispered.
"You think?" Gion whispered back.
"Blind." Athena retorted without taking her eyes off the woman. "Anyway, I don't know her…I think."
"Me neither."
"Athena, Gion, would you like us to announce your presence?" Eun asked in a normal tone of voice.
Hearing Eun's voice, the woman rose from the couch and looking at Athena, she dropped to one knee.
"Are you Athena?"
Athena had a mixture of amazement and surprise on her face, and she approached the woman slowly as she looked back at Gion.
"You're...?"
"Forgive my rudeness. My name is Lunnia."
The moment Lunnia introduced herself, she saw Athena's eyes change from emerald green to lifeless black and then a smile spread across the woman's face.
"Lunnia, that's not your true form is it?"
In Athena's words there was no aggressive emotion, but even so Lunnia felt cornered.
It was like death itself looking at her. Fear ran through her entire body. She felt cold and goose bumps climb her back and icy sweat formed on her forehead. Lunnia felt the air escape her lungs and her heart slow down as it happened.
Gion, seeing how the two of them were behaving, crossed the space between him and Athena in an instant and flung the woman across the room.
At that moment the color in Lunnia's face returned and she began to breathe again.
"What the hell are you doing?" Gion complained. "Or rather. What the hell did you do?"
Athena fell onto several pillows when Gion flung her and when she stood up, her eyes had returned to normal.
"I'm the one who should ask that. I was just having a friendly conversation with her and…" Athena scratched her head, confused.
"Don't you remember? You almost killed her."
"Huh? N-no! I was just asking her name."
"And for that you used a skill that you don't even know what it is?"
"Did I use skill? I didn't use skill." Athena looked at Lunnia. "Used?"
Lunnia had an expression of yerror on her face as she nodded several times. Athena looked at Gion with a lost look.
Athena had unintentionally used the Death Eyes skill and it was as if she went into a deep trance and only remembered asking the name of the woman on the floor.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..." Athena said in an embarrassed voice. "I do not know what happened."
"From now on it's better to be careful with these skills. Death is death for one reason only." Gion advised and then looked at Lunnia. "Now… who and what are you, my dear guest?"
Lunnia inhaled and exhaled deeply twice and stood up, took off her gauntlet and then the ring, revealing her half-demonic appearance.
"I am Lunnia, a wandering knight who seeks a master." She turned to Athena and with a hand on her chest. "And I think that master is you, Miss Athena."
"But she just tried to kill you." Gion said.
"He! Are you jealous that she wants to serve me and not an old man like you?" Athena laughed derisively.
In fact, even Athena was surprised by what Lunnia said. She was beginning to wonder if the demon in front of her was a masochist or something
"Why do you want to serve me? Thank you Neu." Athena took the cup offered by Neu as if nothing was happening.
"As you can see, I'm a hybrid between human and devil. I'm unique in this world, just like you. Ah! Thank you."
Athena tilted her head as she sipped the tea with a taste of fish and green apple. She wondered what was unique about herself, until a light popped into her mind.
"Yeah, my class is really quite unique..." Athena said.
"Your class?" Lunnia asked.
"Yeah, huh? Isn't that why you came to me?"
"She's talking about your race, you moron!" Gion said.
After that they talked for the rest of the afternoon. They introduced themselves and cleared up the misunderstandings.
Lunnia told of her journey to get there briefly and Athena hers, omitting everything about reincarnation and all the lies and half-truths she told Gion.
"So... Will you accept my sword?" Lunnia asked.
Athena looked at Gion and then at Lunnia again and sighed lightly.
"Can't we be friends instead?"
"Friends?"
"Yes. This master and knight thing for me doesn't work. I can fight my battles, but I won't stop you if you help me, in fact I'd even thank and defend you."
Lunnia listened carefully to Athena's every word. It felt like a dream, over three hundred years alone and then suddenly, after two months, she had two friends.
"As your friend, can I travel with you?"
Lunnia's eyes were full of anticipation for Athena, but then those eyes turned sad.
"Not."
"Why?"
"Because as my friend, you can do whatever you want. You don't need my permission. Do you want to come with me? So do it in your own strength." Athena said and another smile spread across their faces.
That night, Lunnia could barely sleep a wink at the elation she felt. Maybe this was one of the happiest few days of her life.
The next morning, Athena and Lunnia prepared to leave. In fact, the preparations were being made by Lunnia, Neu and Eun. Athena wanted to spend as much time with Anemus and Fotiá as possible before having to separate from the nymphs.
Since she arrived in this world, Athena has been with her nymphs and having to stay away from them was as painful for her as being beaten by the chief kania, if not more.
"Athena will come back, won't she?" Fotiá asked as Athena brushed her hair.
"Yes I will! And after that, we'll never be apart again."
"Be careful not to make unnecessary enemies." Anemus advised without looking up from his book.
"I know that. I'll go to the dwarf city, buy my new armor and sword and then go get the harpy blood and after that, I'll come straight back here."
Athena kissed Fotiá's hair after she finished combing it and hugged Anemus from behind to comb her hair.
"It's like having daughters. I've always wanted a daughter." Athena commented with a goofy smile.
"I'm not your daughter and I don't even want to be." Anemus complained.
"Fotiá wants to be Athena's daughter!"
"Serious?"
"Hm!" Fotiá gave a big nod with a bright smile, making her rosy cheeks swell.
Athena hugged Fotiá again and kissed her neck several times, making the girl giggle when she felt the tickle.
"So now you are my daughter and you have to call me mother. Understand?" Athena said.
That was a comfortable feeling. Athena felt elation at suddenly gaining a daughter and an abundant happiness filled her chest.
Fotiá and Anemus never had parents. Nymphs are pseudo-fairies that are born from someone's mana or from nature itself. Saying that Athena and Hades were her parents, wasn't wrong since they were born from the mana of the two people. Or at least that's how the world saw it.
Anyway, Fotiá was happy. She already saw Athena as a mother figure, but being allowed to call her master 'mother' and being recognized as a 'daughter' gave her a happiness she couldn't keep to herself.
So she ran out of the room, jumping up and down, to tell everyone that she had a mother. She told to golems of empty armor that were scattered around the castle, the stuffed monsters and stuffed animals, she told to Neu and Eun, Gion and Lunnia, and even Kima. Fotiá was happy and couldn't stop smiling.
"Why don't you want to be my daughter?" Athena asked Anemus, but didn't receive an answer.
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