"An Earth Mother Goddess..."
Roy gently traced the golden surface of the Holy Grail before him, lightly pressing his lips together.
"This divine artifact, called the Holy Grail, was forged when the Divine Ancestor Guinevere—still an Earth Mother Goddess—willingly abandoned her divinity and life, transforming her body into this vessel. Its sole purpose is to gather the essence of Earth Mother Goddesses. To them, this object is akin to the foulest filth in existence."
Athena shot another look of revulsion at the Holy Grail, as though she wanted nothing to do with it.
"So, to activate the Holy Grail... an Earth Mother Goddess must be sacrificed?"
Roy was well aware of the Holy Grail's origins, but he never imagined activating it would require the life of an Earth Mother Goddess. Initially, he thought that even though he had severed and retained half of the Grail, its ownership still belonged to Guinevere, which was why he couldn't access the vast reserves of magical power within it.
"If you truly need to utilize the essence of an Earth Mother Goddess stored within it, this one can assist you."
Athena tossed aside the pillow she had been holding, her delicate feet kicking lightly as she spoke with earnestness.
"I have an idea—a way to completely defeat the Last King. This plan requires an enormous amount of magical energy, and the Holy Grail, which contains the combined magical power of over a dozen Campiones, can help me put this idea into practice."
"...But Athena, as an Earth Mother Goddess yourself, I'm genuinely surprised you'd willingly offer up your own kin for sacrifice."
Roy tapped the golden Holy Grail, which rang with a clear metallic chime, then turned his gaze to Athena, raising an eyebrow.
"Not all Earth Mother Goddesses still cling to their pride. There are those like Asherah, who would rather die cursing this world, and those like Guinevere, who sacrificed her own life to forge a weapon meant to slaughter her kin... While this one feels anger toward Guinevere's actions, this one must also praise her resolve to see her mission through, even at the cost of her own life."
"...Of course, this one also has selfish motives. Goddesses have always been seen as capricious in the eyes of mortals. There are Earth Mother Goddesses whose dispositions clash with this one's, whom this one despises. If sacrificing such goddesses means the Last Steel can be broken, this one would still rejoice—even if such joy is hardly commendable."
Athena's flawless features shifted slightly as she spoke with solemnity. The goddess made no attempt to hide her selfishness, openly admitting she was neither selfless nor noble, but a willful deity.
Just as her title of "Wisdom" suggested—while wisdom is a virtue, it also carries connotations of cunning and deceit.
"So, Athena, you're just acting out of selfishness? I thought you were willing to sacrifice your own kin... for my sake."
Roy teased, his smile ambiguous.
His gaze lingered on Athena's petite, enchanting figure—her pristine calves and those delicate feet that seemed made to be cradled in one's palms. The heat in his stare made Athena stiffen, instinctively tucking her feet beneath her skirt as she sat cross-legged on the sofa.
A flicker of panic crossed Athena's face, as if Roy's words had struck a nerve, sending a shiver through her. But the wise goddess quickly composed herself, her voice tinged with flustered irritation.
"...Do you need this one's help or not?! This one will find you an Earth Mother Goddess as easy to slaughter as livestock—one who won't cause you any trouble at all!"
Roy withdrew his aggressive gaze. After all, Athena was a virgin goddess, and such undisguised looks could easily provoke the proud deity. He nodded and said, "...While most Heretic Gods are like livestock I can slaughter at will in my current state, since this is Goddess Athena's kind offer, I shall gratefully accept. Do I need to have the servants prepare anything? Ritual tools or shrine maidens, perhaps?"
"Unnecessary. This ritual shall be conducted by me personally as the shrine maiden. No god can refuse my summons—she will descend from myth into this world as a Heretic God without fail!"
Athena declared haughtily, suppressing her inner excitement as she urged Roy, "...Hurry! I can wait no longer. I cannot wait to see that shameless woman's wretched expression."
Hearing Athena's description, Roy had an inkling of which Earth Mother Goddess she intended to summon. Still, he couldn't resist asking, "...Does the ritual require a specific location?"
"The location is indeed crucial—we must go to Cyprus."
With that, Roy was certain of the Earth Mother's identity.
A man of decisive action, and with the Holy Grail holding significant importance to him, Roy immediately rose and called out, "...Liliana, inform the Seven Sisters to prepare my private jet to Cyprus!"
"Yes, Lord Roy!"
As Roy's personal knight, Liliana served both as his daily attendant and messenger when needed. She didn't question his sudden trip to Cyprus, swiftly notifying the Roman government and the Seven Sisters Alliance instead.
"Oh? Is Master going on a trip to Cyprus? I don't think I've been there before~"
Just then, Aisha entered in her maid outfit, carrying a tray with a freshly brewed pot of coffee.
Seeing her, Roy's expression darkened. He quickly said, "...This isn't a vacation. I have important business to attend to. Lady Aisha, you'll stay here and wait quietly. I'll return soon—this time, I won't even be taking Erica or Liliana."
Without another word, Roy strode over to Athena, crouched down, and—to the flustered goddess's shock—seized her snow-white feet, hastily slipping on her socks and shoes as if fearing Aisha would insist on tagging along. Half-carrying, half-pushing the bewildered goddess, he hurriedly ushered her out.
"Waaah... how could you?!"
As Roy rushed off, Aisha let out a mournful cry before suddenly remembering something and chasing after him. "...Master, you haven't had lunch! Would you like to take the dish I just made? It's England's famous Stargazy Pie~~"
"Hard pass. You can keep that... delicacy to yourself!"
Roy didn't even turn back as he spoke, lightning flickering at his feet as he vanished from the villa at godlike speed.
A Stargazy Pie made by Aisha's own hands? That was something Roy dared not risk eating.
"Quickly let me down, this is utterly improper! How dare you grab my foot, such audacity from the Demon King!"
By the time Roy returned to normal speed from his divine swiftness, Athena had already struggled free from his arms and jumped down. The ancient goddess straightened her chiffon dress with a delicate huff, then quickly walked two steps ahead of Roy, not letting him see the faint blush beneath her silver hair that tinted her crystalline earrings.
She twisted her foot slightly, still feeling the lingering warmth upon it, her body crawling as if with ants, her discomfort growing alongside her quickened heartbeat.
Roy watched with amusement as Athena hurried ahead, his mind already contemplating the goddess they might soon encounter.
Cyprus—this place was associated with only one goddess in Greek mythology: Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty!
***
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