Chapter 675: Horrifying Truth

The Goddess noticed Joy’s struggle and she let out a deep sigh, a wry smile forming on her lips.

"It’s alright, my dear."

Her voice was gentle, accepting.

"There’s no need to force yourself. I’ve given you a ridiculous task—one that doesn’t befit me at all."

She chuckled softly, though there was no humor in it.

"It seems more like something my sister would come up with. I feel no honor in asking it of you."

A flicker of sadness crossed her radiant eyes.

"I guess I’ve let my desperation get the better of me. I’m sorry for even suggesting it."

She waved her hand dismissively.

"So, don’t worry about it. You don’t have to do it. I’ll just accept this round as a loss to my sister. Consider this conversation never happened."

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

And Joy saw it.

Behind that smile, beneath those gentle words, was disappointment. Resignation. The pain of defeat accepted before the battle was even fought.

The Goddess was giving up.

For her sake.

So she wouldn’t have to struggle with this impossible task.

And something in Joy shattered.

This woman—this divine being—had saved her life.

Had saved her mother. Had given Joy purpose when she had none, strength when she was weak, direction when she was lost.

Without the Goddess, Joy would be nothing.

A broken soul wandering without aim, without faith, without the fire that had driven her for so many years.

Everything she was, everything she had become, everything she had achieved—it all traced back to this moment, to this Goddess who had reached down and lifted her from the darkness.

And now that Goddess was accepting defeat.

For her.

Joy couldn’t allow it.

All the reluctance, all the protests, all the disgust at the task before her—it all melted away in an instant.

She didn’t care anymore.

Didn’t care how much she hated it. Didn’t care how much it went against her principles.

Didn’t care that it was Cassius, of all people, that she would have to pursue.

She would do it.

For the Goddess.

A new light entered Joy’s eyes—profound, unwavering, absolute.

She stepped forward.

"I’ll do it, Mother."

The Goddess’s head snapped up. "Joy, no. There’s no need to force—"

Joy shook her head slowly, a small smile forming on her lips.

"I’m not forcing myself, Mother."

The Goddess stared at her.

"I’m doing this because I want to serve you. Because I choose to."

She took another step closer.

"I’ve always been looking for a way to repay you. For everything. After all, you saved my mother. You gave me purpose. You set me free."

Her voice grew stronger.

"I also don’t like owing favors—whether to mortals or Goddesses. So for all you’ve given me, I will repay you from the bottom of my heart."

She met the Goddess’s eyes directly.

"That’s why I don’t mind doing what you ask."

She paused, then added with a slight smirk,

"Not to mention, Cassius has become something of an inner demon to me. Someone I just can’t seem to overcome. Every time I face him, I feel like I’m falling short."

Her eyes hardened with determination.

"I can use this task of yours to destroy the image I have of him. To overcome my limits. To break through this trial and become a better servant for you."

She placed her hand over her heart.

"So please, Mother. Don’t deny me this. Allow me to fulfill your request."

The Goddess of Light stared at her daughter, utterly moved.

She had expected refusal.

Had braced for disappointment. Had already resigned herself to accepting this loss.

But Joy—her fierce, proud, unwavering daughter had accepted.

Not out of obligation. Not out of force.

Out of love.

Out of devotion.

Out of a desire to become more.

Emotions swelled in the Goddess’s chest.

Gratitude. Pride. Love so profound it threatened to overflow.

She didn’t speak.

Instead, she reached out and pulled Joy into a warm, tight embrace.

"Thank you, Joy." She whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you for what you’re about to do. For being willing to sacrifice your comfort, your pride, your principles—for me."

She held her closer.

"I am truly grateful to have a daughter like you."

Joy’s eyes widened at the embrace.

Then, slowly, a genuine smile spread across her face.

Warmth flooded her chest—not the burning heat of battle or the cold satisfaction of judgment, but something softer. Something deeper.

She was being held by her Goddess.

Being loved by her Goddess.

It was more than she had ever hoped for.

But then, as the embrace ended and Joy pulled back, a thought occurred to her.

A rather important thought.

"Mother." She said hesitantly. "Even though I’ve accepted this request...how exactly am I supposed to go through with it?"

The Goddess raised an eyebrow.

Joy spread her hands helplessly.

"When it comes to any other task—hunting down criminals, judging them for their crimes, carrying out executions—I can do all of that easily."

"I’ve trained my whole life for those things. But this?"

She shook her head.

"Seducing a man? Especially a man like Cassius, who can probably see through every lie and deception I attempt?"

She thought about his knowing eyes, his infuriating smirk, the way he always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone around her.

"If I try to seduce him, I feel like I’ll be the one who ends up seduced. He’ll turn everything around on me before I even know what’s happening."

She looked at the Goddess with genuine confusion.

"How am I supposed to seduce a man like that?"

The Goddess of Light slowly looked at her daughter, a teasing glint sparkling in her divine eyes.

"Oh, that’s true, isn’t it?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "My daughter may be capable in many things—hunting, judging, executing, all the violent arts."

"But when it comes to dealing with men? When it comes to the art of love and lust?"

She shook her head with exaggerated pity.

"She’s no better than a ten-year-old."

Joy’s mouth opened in protest, but the Goddess wasn’t finished.

"No, no." The Goddess continued, waving her hand dismissively. "A ten-year-old would definitely be much better than her. At least a child knows how to bat their eyelashes and act cute."

Joy’s face flushed deep crimson.

"I-I’m not that bad, Mother!" She sputtered, but the Goddess cut her off with a raised hand.

"No, Joy. You definitely are."

Her expression softened into something more sincere.

"And I know for certain that if I were to let you go on this mission alone, with your current skills—or lack thereof—there’s no chance you’d be able to do anything against him."

She leaned forward, her eyes serious.

"Honestly? I’m scared that you’ll be the one who gets converted to his side instead."

Joy’s mouth opened to protest, to declare that such a thing would never happen—

But before she could utter a single word, the Goddess lifted her hand and gently pressed a finger to Joy’s forehead.

Joy gasped.

Something entered her.

She couldn’t describe it—a warmth, a knowledge, a shift in the very fabric of her being.

It wasn’t painful, but it was overwhelming, like drinking an ocean in a single gulp.

She stumbled back, clutching her head.

"M-Mother? What did you do?"

The Goddess’s smirk returned, proud and mischievous.

"I gave you an advantage." She folded her arms with satisfaction. "There is a race in your world that highly excels at the very task you’re about to undertake."

"I’ve gifted you their attributes—their instincts, their allure, their understanding of desire and seduction."

She winked.

"With this, making Cassius fall for you will be much, much easier."

Joy stared at her, mouth agape. She wanted to ask what race, what attributes, what any of this meant—

But suddenly, her vision blurred.

Her body felt weak. Faint. Hazy.

The Goddess noticed immediately, her expression shifting to gentle concern.

"Your soul has grown weak from staying here too long." She said softly. "It’s time for you to return to your world, my dear daughter."

She snapped her fingers.

Golden light enveloped Joy, warm and pulling, and she felt herself fading from this divine realm.

But before she disappeared completely, the Goddess held up a hand.

"You have time for one more question." She said gently. "Ask whatever doubt you have right now. I’ll even give you extra information—a bonus, for the favor you’re about to do for me."

Joy’s fading eyes lit up.

Her mind raced through the countless questions she had, all of them centered on Cassius.

He was the most mysterious person she had ever encountered, an enigma she couldn’t solve no matter how hard she tried.

But one question rose above the rest.

One thing she had learned recently that haunted her.

She looked at the Goddess, her form already half-vanished, and spoke with what little time she had left.

"Mother...this might be a difficult question to answer, but..." She hesitated. "Can you tell me why Cassius is so important to the Goddess of Nature? To Lady Gaia herself?"

The Goddess of Light’s eyes trembled slightly.

"Earlier, I saw it—not just in her words, but in her entire being. If anything were to happen to Cassius, she would be..."

Joy shivered at the memory.

"She would be angry. Truly, terrifyingly angry. Even the Goddess of Debauchery seemed afraid for a moment."

She met the Goddess’s gaze.

"What exactly is their relationship?"

The Goddess of Light stared at her for a long moment.

Then she let out a reluctant chuckle.

"You really put me in a tough spot, my daughter."

She shook her head, a wry smile on her lips.

"I said you could ask any question, but I didn’t expect you to ask something so...taboo."

Joy’s face fell. "I’m sorry, Mother, I didn’t mean to—"

"No, no." The Goddess held up a hand. "It’s alright. I made a promise, and as a Goddess, I must keep it. So I’ll tell you the truth."

Joy leaned forward eagerly, her fading form momentarily forgotten.

The Goddess began.

"Cassius himself is truly an extraordinary mortal. The responsibilities he has wielded in the past, the deeds he has accomplished—they put him above almost anyone else in the world of mortals."

"He is definitely someone worth noticing."

Joy nodded, absorbing this.

"But..." The Goddess continued, her tone shifting to something more serious. "...that is only in the world of mortals. When it comes to the heavens above, he doesn’t really matter."

"In the eyes of a God, he is simply like any other mortal who walks the earth."

She gestured to herself.

"Even to me, he is merely a soldier—a tool my sister is using to infiltrate my territory. And to my other sister, the Goddess of Debauchery, he is simply an amusing mortal. A toy for her entertainment."

Joy blinked, surprised.

She had assumed the Goddess of Debauchery cared deeply for Cassius.

The way she spoke of him, the way she protected his soul—it had seemed so personal.

But according to the Goddess of Light, their relationships with him were shallow. Transactional.

"But my older sister—"

The Goddess’s voice dropped, becoming grave.

"The one who rules over all of us. Gaia herself."

Joy’s breath caught.

"She, for some reason, cherishes Cassius very much. Holds him dear to her heart in a way that neither I nor my other sister can understand."

The Goddess’s expression grew complicated.

"Honestly? Neither of us knows why she gives him so much attention. Why, for so long, she has been watching that boy."

"It’s a mystery to us, a puzzle we cannot solve."

She paused, her voice dropping to barely a whisper.

"But the evidence is clear. She values him. Immensely."

She then hesitated like she was wondering if it was okay to say the next part before finally giving in and saying,

"I can even say—reluctantly—that she holds him in a higher position than both of us. Than me and my other sister. Than the rest of the gods entirely."

"Basically if it came to choosing between me and my sister—she’ll still choose Cassius no matter what."