Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> Patreon/NegativeTranslations
─────
"Lady Hephaestus, you have guests." As soon as the two returned to the Familia compound, the gatekeeper hurriedly spoke up.
"Who is it?" Hephaestus paused, asking despite already knowing the answer.
"It's..." The gatekeeper hesitated for a mont before answering nervously. "It's the Goddess Hera and Alfia, the Witch of Silence."
This was a Level 7 big shot. One only needed to look at Ottar's future status in Orario to understand her weight. Not to ntion, Alfia didn't just represent herself; she was an executive of the world's strongest Familia. The Zeus Familia exclusively recruited n, while the Hera Familia recruited won. For a millennium, they had monopolized the vast majority of top-tier talent in the city.
"I understand. Thank you for your hard work," Hephaestus nodded slightly, walking into the compound with Lucian.
"They're looking for you," Hephaestus noted. "Hera has a bad temper. Don't hold back on my account. I don't want to beco a burden to you."
Lucian frowned slightly. He wanted to say sothing, but they arrived at their destination before he could formulate his thoughts. In the Hephaestus Familia's guest parlor, the mont the two walked through the door, Hera's crisp voice rang out.
"You're finally back, Hephaestus."
The petite, red-haired goddess stood with her hands on her hips, staring at Hephaestus and Lucian with eyes full of arrogance. Lucian rembered Zeus as a kindly old grandpa. Imagining the two of them together looking like a grandfather and his granddaughter made his mouth twitch.
"Are you the one who sealed my child's skill?" Hera looked at Lucian, nodding in satisfaction. "You did well, brat. Seal my other child's skill as well. Do a good job, and you'll be handsoly rewarded."
"Is this how you ask for a favor?" Lucian furrowed his brows.
What the hell kind of attitude is that?
Hephaestus's earlier warning surfaced in his mind, souring his expression. He did need the Sea of Illusions, but it wasn't strictly necessary. Given enough ti to develop, the results would be the sa. Yet she was acting as if he was the one begging for help.
"Being able to offer glory to the great Goddess Hera is your honor," Hera stated as if it were a universal truth.
"You're as arrogant as ever, Hera," Hephaestus said in displeasure.
Lucian, anwhile, fell silent. He had thought that, being the strongest heroic Familia in the world, they wouldn't bungle sothing as simple as asking for help. He hadn't expected to be proven wrong so quickly.
What a bratty little girl.
"Lady Hera!!" teria hastily called out from the side. She turned to Lucian and apologized, "Lady Hera just has this kind of personality. I am truly sorry."
Even though she knew Hera's temperant, she hadn't expected her to treat her savior this way. But teria clearly didn't understand the severity of the situation. She might have an imnse capacity for tolerance, and she was used to Hera's behavior in her everyday life. Habit was a terrifying thing; it made people blind to certain realities.
"If this is your attitude, you can leave," Lucian said coldly, entirely unswayed. "It's true that the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia are the world's hope for salvation, but I have no obligation or responsibility to provide aid to your mbers. I can choose to help you, or I can choose to refuse. The decision isn't up to you."
"Are you saying you're rejecting ?" Hera's gaze turned dangerous.
"What of it? Are you going to kill ?" Lucian retorted. Then, with an indifferent shrug, he added, "I've already decided to stop compromising. If you had co here politely, I would have treated this as an act of goodwill, or perhaps a commission. If you want to use force, feel free to try threatening my life and see if I'll accept it."
Lucian's gaze remained glacial. He wouldn't bow to tyranny. What a joke. So what if they were the strongest Familia in the world? They couldn't do anything to him anyway. When one lacked power, enduring humiliation was called biding one's ti, swallowing grievances in silence, only able to seethe in impotent rage. But when he actually had the power, why on earth should he bend over backwards to help while acting like he was the one who should be grateful?
You don't know how to ask nicely without throwing your weight around?
"You're a tough nut to crack... I underestimated you." Hera stared at Lucian for a long ti. Finally, with clear reluctance, she muttered, "I apologize. I was too arrogant."
She was a goddess, after all; she could naturally tell that Lucian ant every word. His stance was ironclad, and threats were useless against him. The proud goddess had apologized for the sake of her beloved children. But at the end of the day, she was the one who had created this problem out of thin air. Lucian had no intention of indulging her.
"I don't accept your apology. You may leave," Lucian said, his tone entirely unchanged.
"Wow, aren't you being way too petty!?"
Hera completely lost her composure. She bore no real malice; she just had the personality of a child who refused to grow up, coupled with the lingering side effects of being used to acting however she pleased. But it was still infuriating. Other gods might just feel helpless against her temperant and brush it off, but unfortunately for her—
"I am but a re mortal. My capacity for tolerance cannot compare to the gods. My mind is indeed narrow," Lucian sneered in disgust. "I won't see you out."
"You're really not going to help?" Hera pressed.
"No," Lucian flatly refused.
"I already apologized! What else do you want from !?" Hera gritted her teeth.
"Whether you apologize is up to you. Whether I forgive you is up to ," Lucian replied calmly. "What's done is done. An apology doesn't magically fix everything."
Hearing this, Hera felt utterly helpless.
This is just my personality! Can't you be a little more understanding?
Although she grumbled internally, a deeper panic set in. If Lucian truly refused to help no matter what, she would be the villain here. She would never be able to forgive herself. She had finally found soone who could cure the sisters' terminal illnesses, only to offend him with her careless words. Her regret was a bitter pill to swallow. Had it just been about her, Hera would never have apologized, no matter how much she regretted her actions. But for the sake of teria and Alfia, she had swallowed her pride and apologized—only to be rejected. Her divine dignity had been trampled underfoot.
The reason Hera felt this way was because in this world, divine authority reigned supre. Even with their powers sealed, the gods remained exalted. If it had been anyone else, they would have backed down once Hera apologized. But not Lucian. He ca from a world built on relative equality—a world without gods. He didn't view deities as beings inherently superior to himself, at least not in terms of personhood. Thus, granting forgiveness was dictated by his own moral compass. After deliberately antagonizing soone, a flimsy, half-hearted apology was far from enough to earn a pardon. So, Lucian chose to refuse.
After that, Hera threw a tantrum, clinging and pestering him relentlessly. She felt a bit like Aqua from Konosuba. As amusing as it was, Lucian's stance did soften sowhat, though he remained adamant about not helping. Noticing that while his attitude had thawed, his verbal refusal held firm, the other two correctly deduced that Lucian operated by a unique set of principles. They decided not to waste any more ti.
"I apologize. Our goddess is just like this." Alfia, who had been standing to the side, stepped forward and offered an apology. She then grabbed Hera by the scruff of her neck. "I will prepare a proper apology gift and visit again."
With that, Alfia dragged Hera out by the collar. teria bowed deeply to express her own apologies before following them out. Only Hera looked thoroughly deflated, finally realizing that her rotten personality had cost them dearly.
─────
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comnts, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon/NegativeTranslations
User Comments
0 comments from readers