Cherreads

Chapter 9 - "The Fire in the Dungeon"

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The girls waved goodbye to Dan with cheerful smiles.

The masked fairy snuck a curious glance back at him but ended up locking eyes with Dan, who was already watching her. Startled, she quickly turned away, pretending nothing happened — though the tips of her ears had clearly turned red.

Before leaving, Alise gave a friendly reminder:

"Dan, we're heading off now, okay? We'll come call you for lunch!"

Just as Astraea was about to walk out the door too, Dan's smile slowly faded, and he suddenly asked:

"Goddess Astraea, can gods watch over and influence the mortal world from the heavens?"

Surprised, Astraea turned around, meeting Dan's eyes full of sincere curiosity. She hesitated a bit, then replied softly:

"Technically, no… it's against the rules."

Which, of course, implied — it is possible.

"Why do you ask that all of a sudden, Dan?"

Dan didn't hide anything. He was trying to confirm his hunch.

"Well, when I was stuck in the dungeon, aside from a few special days, I never had enough food or anything to keep me warm."

Valleta did her best to take care of him, but the Evilus was full of lunatics who didn't follow orders properly.

"I honestly thought I'd freeze to death in there... But every time I was shaking from the cold, the fire in the hearth would always give me warmth."

He paused for a second, then added quietly:

"It felt... just like when you hugged me back then."

Astraea narrowed her eyes with a complicated expression.

"Hmm… Couldn't it just be the warmth of the fire playing tricks on your mind?"

Dan shook his head, his face deadly serious.

"At first, I thought it was just my imagination too. But that fire... aside from the one log I threw in on the first day, I didn't add anything else. Not a single thing. And it kept burning for over ten days."

"It only went out silently... right after Lyra and the others came to rescue me."

Astraea didn't know how to respond to that.

She pressed her forehead with her fingers, looking a little troubled.

"Hmm... So that girl really did that kind of thing? Actually, knowing her homebody personality, I wouldn't be too surprised if she did."

"And here Dan already has me, but still thinking about another goddess... That stings a little, you know."

"You're not telling me this because you want me to smack her with the Sword of Justice for breaking the rules, are you?"

Astraea puffed her cheeks slightly and made a tiny fist, as if getting ready to bonk her divine friend up in heaven.

Dan chuckled and shook his head.

"Of course not. I just wanted to ask — if everything goes by the usual schedule, when would she come down to the lower world?"

Astraea instantly saw through what he was thinking and smiled brightly.

"Ahaha~ Dan really is such a kind and loyal boy... Well, gods can only descend after another god ascends to the heavens."

"She'd definitely be happy to know you're thinking of her. But you're just a mortal with a short life — no need to cling too hard to something like this."

But Dan didn't back down. He kept his eyes locked on hers, his gaze firm and unwavering.

"What if... a god is about to ascend soon? Would it be her turn?"

If it really was that goddess who secretly helped him survive all that time, then no matter what, Dan wanted to repay her.

Waiting for the normal timeline would just take way too long.

Astraea stared deep into Dan's eyes, her blue irises sharp and searching.

"You…"

Dan added seriously:

"I'd never do anything to hurt an innocent person."

They locked eyes in silence for a long while… and in the end, Astraea was the first to give in.

She turned her head and sighed.

"Alright, I'll just pretend I didn't hear that."

Dan was a little disappointed, but then Astraea continued:

"I'll go talk to Hephaestus. She seems to have a way to contact the heavens. If we're lucky, and Hestia manages to swap shifts with someone before the next god ascends, there might be a chance she can come down early."

"Yeah... it's all up to luck."

Dan gave a heartfelt smile of gratitude.

"Thank you, Goddess Astraea!"

"....."

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