Chapter 57: Chapter 47: Meeting with the Goddesses (Part I)…

Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 47: Meeting with the Goddesses (Part I)...

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"So sleepy…" I mumbled while dragging myself across the hall in the middle of the night. 

A dim sphere of light was hovering over my index finger, illuminating the way ahead of me.

"I can't believe people used to travel like this too on Earth back in the middle ages… The people from back then and the people of this world are certainly built differently…" My whole body felt heavy and sluggish.

It doesn't matter how strong you are, traveling in this world is definitely pretty difficult if you're not used to it…

All of my accumulated fatigue kicked in a while ago after Alicia, Eliana, the Professor, and Marie finally left for the day a while ago… 

Because of that, we didn't do much after they left. We just had to give a few explanations to everyone about me participating in the tournament and being the champion of the two princesses.

For the most part, everyone took it well. 

Neris for some reason looked completely fired up about my participation in the tournament and told me with sparkling eyes that we would do our best together to win. It was pretty cute to see that, actually.

Elissa was also pretty excited and said that she would make sure that everyone would be cheering on us and that she would organize a party for Neris and me after we obliterate the competition in the tournament.

I truly appreciate the sentiment and I do want to win, but it does feel a bit rushed to say that we are going to win. I mean, for all I know, there could be lots of people stronger than me participating as well, so it wouldn't do me any harm to be a little cautious and not proclaim our victory ahead of time.

Grandpa was a little pissed off at me for wanting to use him to punish Eliana. He forgot about it pretty quickly after we told him about the tournament. He was ecstatic and said that it was a golden opportunity for me to become famous among the ladies of the capital…

Moving on…

Sarana and Laura were definitely looking at me as if I had lost my mind after I asked Alicia to become my friend. You know, because of all the ‘we enslave otherworlders’ business her family has going on. They definitely weren't expecting me to tell them that I am also Marina's best friend. Both of them were left pretty dumbfounded when everyone in my family confirmed that fact.

It took some convincing, but they accepted my friendship with the princesses after I explained what Lia was doing to prevent anyone from looking at my status and dwelling in my memories. 

I told them that as long as I didn't go around yelling "I'm from another world!" like an idiot or trying to introduce advanced stuff from Earth, we would be fine. That made the two of them laugh and the atmosphere of the room less tense.

After all that, I spent the rest of the day playing outside with my sisters and Mia, who I was convinced that they were definitely jealous of Alicia because they were extra clingy after she left…

Neris and Elissa also played with us too, which in turn, made Klein also want to play tag with us for the first time ever… 

For obvious reasons, the fact that Klein wanted to play all of a sudden didn’t really surprise me. He must really like Elissa so much that he would play tag with us instead of sitting under the shade of a tree and reading like he usually does.

Honestly, the guy needs to exercise a little bit… After a few minutes of running, he was already out of breath and sweating like a fountain. I guess I'll have to help him with that.

As for Neris, she spent most of the time we were playing chasing after me… She was only targeting me for some reason… Not that I had a problem with it, but it was kinda scary that she was able to run so unbelievably fast with that heavy plate armor on…

All in all, it was fun. Neris and Elissa eventually had to go back home, so they were escorted by my dad back to the Shtrel Manor in the noble district. 

My mom insisted on them staying the night, but Neris said that she had something important to discuss with her parents, so they left for the day.

Klein was pretty much sulking after his crush left, but he decided to keep playing with us to take his mind off her until she returns tomorrow.

So that would bring us here to the present. I'm currently on my way back to my room from the bathroom.

I don't know when, but at some point, I just suddenly fell asleep while playing a few board games with my sisters, my girlfriend, Sarana, and my brother-in-law… I woke up a few minutes ago to follow the call of nature.

"Damn… I'm so tired… I feel like I trained with Auntie and Dad for three days straight again…" I muttered after letting out a long yawn.

I haven't felt this tired in a very long time… I think I'm gonna skip my morning training tomorrow… I feel in the mood to sleep in.

"Speaking of sleeping… Which one was my room again?" I frowned as I stopped walking and I realized my current predicament.

I had woken up in an empty room with only a bed and some basic furniture. I was told that this place was supposed to be an inn. That's fine and all, but there's a small little detail that is actually a big problem… The rooms aren't numbered at all. All the doors basically look the exact same in this hallway, so I have no way to differentiate the rooms…

Fortunately, I knew that the door by the stairs was the bathroom since I had to use it earlier in the day, but…

"This is troublesome…" I got a little annoyed.

I know that I could just open all the doors until I find my room, but there's the small problem that I could end up intruding on something.

I'm not an idiot… I obviously don't want to go into my parent's room and find them doing a nasty deed like Natalie and Harold back when they moved to the village… That would be traumatizing, to say the least…

I also don't want to go into Saranas's and Laura's room by accident and end up in a situation taken straight out of a Rom-Com anime…

So… Time for some good ol' divine intervention.

"Lia, are you there?" I whispered softly.

(...) 

There was no response, but I could feel her presence…

Hmmm? Did I do something to piss her off? I don't think I did…

Just a while ago she helped me out dealing with Eliana and we were both cracking jokes about her misfortune of falling for the same thing twice…

I really don't remember doing anything that could piss her off…

(Lia? Hello! I know that you're there…) I started talking to her in my mind.

(...)

My words were met with silence…

(Are you angry with me? If so, then I apologize even though I don't know what I did...) I said with confusion.

(....)

Again, more silence…

Before I could say anything, another charming yet familiar voice spoke in my mind…

(She's not angry! She's just a little embarrassed and doesn't want to admit it!) A feminine voice spoke to me in a cheerful tone.

That voice belonged to none other than Catris…  I wasn't exactly thrilled to hear her voice…

(Aww! C'mon, don't say that! I was looking forward to meeting you again!) Catris complained. (Though I'm quite happy that you recognized my voice even though we only spoke to each other once!) Catris immediately returned to acting cheerful again.

(Can you blame me? Do you even remember what you did to me?) I said to Catris with annoyance.

(I got you a wife!) She said enthusiastically.

(By making me confess the feelings for my aunt I didn't know I had!) I argued.

(Okay, okay, maybe the way I did was not the most acceptable one, I'm really sorry, okay?) Catris apologized. (But still, you two will be great together! Your relationship has my seal of approval!) She said with increasing enthusiasm.

(You know, that apology doesn't seem that sincere… You don't seem to feel remorse about what you did…) I was skeptical about her apology.

(I'm being sincere, Julius!) She spoke with conviction. (True, I don't feel remorse for doing my job as the Goddess of Love, but I can guarantee you that I already repented for my past sins, especially after Lia punished me by hanging from the heavens in her Divine Realm while I had dozens of anvils attached to my hands and feet for a few weeks! It was so unbelievably uncomfortable!) She tried to convince me that she was being honest. She also mentioned something a bit outrageous…

Hold up… Lia did that…? 

Wasn't that the punishment that Zeus imposed on Hera after the Olympians rebelled against him? 

I thought she was joking when she told me how she had punished Catris!

(Yeah, let's just say that Zeus got some inspiration from Lia after the war between our worlds... But you know, it's better if we just leave that bloody war and the past aside for a bit and focus on more important things!) Catris spoke with excitement after reading my mind.

(Hold on, what you just said is pretty important in my op…-) I was soon interrupted by the Goddess.

(We'll have the time to talk about the past later! You want to see if my apology is sincere and to give me a piece of your mind, right? That's genuinely more important than something that happened thousands of years ago!) Catris said to me.

"Yes, you can prepare yourself for that." I said out loud as I prepared myself to let out all the things I wanted to tell Catris after her stunt…

(I've been looking forward to seeing you too! You know, ever since Lia and I started talking again, I've been curious about the person Lia wouldn't shut up about… I can see why she just can't stop talking about you~.)  Despite knowing that I was about to scold her severely, she just responded in her seemingly usual happy-go-lucky tone.

(...) I was able to notice that Lia's faint presence was filled with embarrassment. She still didn't say a thing despite actually being present.

"Flattery won't save you from my wrath, Catris." I frowned, quickly reminding myself to not be soft towards the Goddess.

(Jeez… Eliana was right, you can be really petty at times… Well, I suppose that's part of your charm and quite frankly, I like it a lot~.) Catris then complimented me again. (Oh well, I know that the two of us have been waiting for this for a while, so let's not delay this any further!) She said with a seemingly serious tone.

"On that, we both agree…" I nodded in agreement.

(Good! Your room is the one on your left. Please go to sleep quickly so we can meet each other at Lia's place, m'kay?) Catris seemed to be ecstatic about our meeting. 

I see… So, my room was actually in front of me the whole time… That's a little embarrassing, not gonna lie…

(Oh! One last thing! I left a small gift on your bed! I'm not trying to buy your forgiveness or anything, but I really would be happy if you'd accept it! You'll fall asleep in an instant after trying it!) Catris' excitement went through the roof as she told me that.

"A gift? I suppose I can accept it as long as it is not something that would get me in trouble, like a porn magazine or something along those lines…" I couldn't help but frown after imagining something like that.

(Do I seem like the type of Goddess that would do that?) Catris seemed genuinely curious.

"Yes, you do." I replied immediately.

(Is that so? To be honest with you, I have never even read one of those… I might check them out later, just out of curiosity of course...) Catris said nervously as well with a little bit of shame on her voice.

Huh? Come again?

(Anyhow, see you on the other side!) Catris suddenly severed between us.

…

…

…

Yep… I'm tired… I guess I'm just gonna go to sleep and scold a goddess in my dreams…

Following Catris' indications, I quickly walked over to the door on my left and went into my room.

As expected, the room was pretty much barren besides a few of my things, some simple furniture, and my bed, which appeared to be increasingly more comfortable to me the more I stared at it…

However, there was nothing here that could be considered a gift… Everything looked the exact same as it did before I went to the bathroom.

"Whatever… I'll look for it in the morning…" I said as I walked over to my bed.

Without wasting any more time, I took off my boots and crawled over to the middle of my bed. I extinguished the spell I was using to generate light and as I laid down, I noticed something weird…

"Huh… Was my bed so soft and fluffy before? Hmm…" I was confused. "But for some reason it is… Making me… Feel… Relaxed… So… Quickly… Zzz…" And so, I fell asleep in the blink of an eye without even realizing it.

---

The moment I opened my eyes, I was welcomed by a familiar sight… I was back in my old childhood bedroom in Gliosis.

I was quickly overtaken by nostalgia as I started looking around for the two deities.

My old bedroom was way bigger than the one in Marenna, at least three times bigger. The black brick walls were decorated with portraits of my parents and me, all the drawings I had made over the years, fake swords and shields, as well as a few toys my mother had made for me with her own hands.

Compared to the almost empty bedroom I had just fallen asleep on, this one was filled to the brim with furniture. Bookshelves full of books about magic and fairy tales, an ample desk where I used to study with my mother, several "treasure" chests that I used to store all of my toys, a huge king-sized bed with an obnoxious amount of pillows, and finally, a small round table to have tea in the afternoons. The floor was covered by a soft blue carpet and the ceiling was decorated with countless tiny stars my father had painted for me.

For the first time in years, I was at home… Or at least a faithful recreation of it.

"It feels strange to be here again… Even though I know it is not the real thing…" I couldn't help but let out a nostalgic smile as several old memories started to flood in.

I walked towards the window and took a look outside. I was welcomed by the views that I loved so much when I was little. There it was, Bassand, the capital city of Gliosis in all of its glory.

It was the middle of the day in this Divine Realm, but I could see in the distance the many active volcanoes to the north of the city, emitting a powerful orange glow making the cityscape look mesmerizing.

The tall obsidian towers and thick walls stretching as far as the eye could see, countless caravels ships anchored at the enormous port of the city, which was twice the size of Mutm's port, the lush greenery on the many parks built in the city, the many statues and temples dedicated to Lia and my ancestors which were standing tall on a hill, and finally the large farms which feed our country… 

Even though I wasn't actually back, it felt good to be able to see my home country again.

"One day, I will go back and I will bring everyone with me to show them this…" I murmured.

Even if I had issues with my family and their heavy expectations, ever since I was able to reason, I have loved my country and this city. Obviously, not because of patriotism since I was too young to understand such a thing, but simply because this was the only place I knew for the first six years of my second life.

I'd like to show Mom, Dad, Mia, Liliana, Luna, Leaf, and Auntie… I want to bring them here just so they can feel what I feel when I look at this city.

"What about Sarana and Laura? Don't you want to bring them too?" A feminine voice asked while I was lost in thought.

"I mean, I just met them today, but sure. I think they would love Gliosis." I replied absentmindedly.

Though it might be a little difficult… Those two are extremely beautiful, so maybe by the time I'm old enough to make the trip, they might already have their own families to worry about and all… I'd still try to bring them, but I don't know if they would be willing to make the dangerous journey across the seas…

"Aww! That's so cute!" The owner of the feminine voice said happily. "I'm sure that they would be dying to visit the home country of their future husband!" Her enthusiasm grew as she said something strange.

Say what now?

As soon as the voice said that I felt something pinching my cheek, making me snap out of my thoughts…

As soon as I laid my eyes upon the one responsible for that, I was left speechless and dumbfounded…

There she stood, a woman of divine beauty who was just as tall as Lia, who had long pink silky hair which reached her lower back and whose eyes were the same unusual color as her hair… Those eyes were simply mesmerizing…

The woman's hair was adorned with multiple roses of different colors, which only made her beauty stand out more…

She was wearing a classic maid outfit that looked like it came straight out of an anime… A black shirt alongside a white skirt/apron, white tights, excessive frills, ribbons, and heart-shaped accessories, the whole shebang…

I couldn't utter a single word while looking at the unbelievably beautiful woman in front of me… It almost felt like a déjà vu since something similar had happened with Lia.

"Hehehe! Lia was right, you're a real cutie, you know? You're going to make me blush!" She smiled warmly. " Well, I guess it is to finally introduce ourselves! Nice to meet you, Julius! I'm Catris! As you know, I am the Goddess of Love and one of Lia's besties!" Catris introduced herself to me very enthusiastically.

"Umm… Right… I'm Julius…" I struggled to introduce myself. No matter how hard I tried, my words simply got stuck in my throat.

"Jeez! No need to be so shy now! I don't bite, you know?" Catris said before giggling. "Now that self-introductions are out of the way, how about we have some tea~? Please take a seat and make yourself at home! It is your old room after all!" Catris winked at me before walking away humming happily.

I was still pretty much speechless after meeting Catris in person… In all the books I had read, Catris was often described as a beautiful and gentle woman, but I couldn't help but think of that as an understatement now…

I suppose I should have expected as much from the Goddess of Love…

Just as Catris had told me, I quickly took a seat at the table and tried to recover from my befuddlement.

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I thought I would have a little bit more time to compose myself, but…

"C'mon! Get in there! It's just like we practiced!" Catris said some encouraging words.

"Wearing this outfit is more embarrassing than I thought… Do I really need to wear it?" I heard Lia's voice, which was filled with nervousness and embarrassment.

"You want to get all of his trust back, right? Then you need to fulfill the conditions he imposed on you!" Catris kept trying to encourage Lia. "You look super pretty! I'm sure that you will mesmerize him with this!" Catris said with excitement.

"I hope so… I'm not trying to mesmerize him though…" Lia was unusually shy today.

"Yeah, sure, and I definitely believe that." Catris said sarcastically. "Now, let's get in there! There's nothing to fear!" Catris encouraged her once again before coming into the room with a wide smile on her face.

Catris quickly waltzed into the room while pushing a tray with pastries and tea. She only stopped when she was right in front of me.

"Greetings Master, we came to bring you your afternoon tea." Her whole demeanor changed completely. She was acting serious and professional. "AHEM! I said WE came to bring you your afternoon tea." Catris was looking very intently at the person hiding behind the door.

"..." 

Catris' words were met with silence, however, soon after another woman of divine beauty stepped into the room wearing a maid uniform as well…

It was Lia…

"..." As she stopped when she reached the table, she started twiddling her thumbs and nervously shooting a few glances at me. "H-H-How do I look…?" She asked shyly.

I couldn't even respond… I was completely mouth agape by how beautiful she looked…

She was wearing white tights, long white gloves which reached her elbows, and most of the few accessories she was wearing were inspired by her holy symbol, so they had the shape of twin crescent moons. Contrary to Catris', her uniform didn't have as many frills or ribbons, it looked more practical and simplistic, which truly matched Lia's nature.

However, there was one thing that made me unable to stop staring at her… Her hair. Her long black hair that she usually liked to wear loose, was now arranged into two twin tails which made her look cuter than ever and her crimson eyes even more gorgeous than usual…

Of course, I didn't need to tell them what I thought since both goddesses could read my mind…

"That's…" Lia averted her gaze and blushed a little. I was barely able to notice the soft smile that had appeared on her face.

I was now faced with a particular problem… The condition I had imposed on Lia that I intended to use in the future was currently backfiring on me…

I wanted to make her wear a very embarrassing outfit as a little revenge for lying and hiding things from me, but… I think I'm feeling a tad bit more embarrassed than her…

"See? I told you he was going to like it!" Catris said with pride as she dropped the serious attitude from moments ago. "We are still missing one maid, though… Hey Leif! Are you coming in or not?" Catris shouted in the direction of the door.

After the two goddesses came into the room, it was time for an angel to follow…

"Why do I need to wear this too…? I feel like I'm staying in Olympus again…" A young woman said before letting out a reluctant sight as walked into the room.

A pale young woman with a pair of pure white wings, platinum blonde hair, and deep blue eyes. A woman who looked like a genuine angel, but she was actually a Valkyrie. Compared to the two goddesses who were taller than my dad, she was fairly petite, around 1.58 meters tall I’d say. 

Just like Lia and Catris, she was wearing a maid uniform. Her uniform was similar to Catris, as she was wearing black tights, and had an excessive amount of frills and ribbons, but instead of heart-shaped accessories, all of the accessories in her uniform were shaped like crosses, for the sake of maintaining her angelic aesthetic.

The name of the young girl was Reginleif and I had met her when the Gods of Earth came to visit.

"It is not like you haven't done it before, right? At least this time around you don't have to endure Zeus's lecherous gaze." Catris said to Reginleif.

"You have a point there…" Reginleif nodded in agreement. "At the very least, I get to see Julius' embarrassed expression instead of that old man's..." Reginleif let out a heavy sigh.

Unlike our first meeting where she was acting all shy and nervous, Reginleif was actually not shy at all. In fact, she was quite friendly and outgoing. She's also quite childish when I'm around…

What happened back then is that she was deadly afraid of Lia thanks to the Gods of Earth telling her exaggerated stories about the things Lia did to them during their war.

But after Reginleif spent some time staying here with Lia in her Divine Realm, she was able to get over that fear as she realized that Lia was not the monster they told her she would be.

Ahh, that would be another thing I should mention... As she stated during our first meeting, Reginleif came to stay in Lia's Divine Realm indefinitely.

The reason for that? She's the one who was tasked with making Claire and my sisters believe that I am still alive. In other words, she's the one who replies to their messages when my family is trying to contact me.

"Claire sent some hilarious memes just now. Wanna see?" Reginleif pulled out a smartphone from her pocket and immediately took a seat by my side.

"Leif… We are here today to discuss something serious, you know?" Catris frowned a little.

"Yeah, I am aware of that, but I'm sure that the serious talk can wait for a bit. I want to spend some time and talk with Julius." Reginleif replied as she leaned on me and rested her head on my shoulder.

Ahh… That's another thing I might have forgotten to mention… 

After a few weeks of Reginleif being in Lia's Divine Realm, I discovered why her face seemed so familiar to me… It turns out that we actually know each other. The problem is that I don't remember where I met her and she also refuses to tell me…

The two of us were apparently quite close, but I can't for the life of me remember her and it makes me feel so awful…

The only thing that she would tell me is that she doesn't care how long it takes for me to remember her and find out about her identity, but only as long as I managed to remember her on my own without anyone's intervention. 

In the most childish manner, she told me that she would hate me forever if I 'decided to be a cheater and asked Lady Lia'...

So, until now I have respected her wishes, despite wanting to do anything I can to remember her…

"I became a Valkyrie for the sole purpose of finally meeting Julius again, we need to recover all the time we lost. You have several hours to have that talk, so you can wait." Reginleif suddenly pulled me into a tight hug…

All the time we lost huh… Yeah, that still doesn't narrow it down at all… 

"Leif… If we have this serious talk now, you can spend the remaining time hanging out, okay?" Catris tried to convince her.

"Hmph!" Reginleif didn't even reply, she just hugged me even tighter than before and ignored Catris.

This was just a little example of her childishness.

"Leif, be nice please." I said to Reginleif after tugging her sleeve. "It will just be for a bit, okay?" I tried to reassure her.

"I suppose if you are the one asking, then I'm fine with that." Reginleif quickly yielded.

"Thank you, Leif." I smiled at her.

Reginleif immediately smiled back as her pure white wings started fluttering happily…

Reginleif really reminds me of Marina at times. They both can be pretty childish, but they are also pretty adorable.

"Jeez! What's up with the difference in treatment!? I am a Goddess and I asked Leif nicely too!" Catris was pouting.

"You can consider that your punishment for potentially making my genealogical tree look like a fucking square." I said in a joking manner.

"Jeez! You're actually not related to Tiria! Your genealogical tree will obviously be fine!" My joke seemed to have flown over Catris' head…

The devilish side of me wanted to tease her about not getting the joke, but I decided not to since it would have been mean.

"So? Are you going to finally explain what's the deal with Sarana and Laura? What was the thing you needed to pick up from the material plane that took you an entire day to make contact with me?" I asked Catris, trying to get the serious talk going.

"Of course! I'm getting there!" Catris was still pouting.

"She went to Earth to buy these maid uniforms. That's what took her so long." Reginleif answered one of my questions with a flat tone.

Seriously…?

I couldn't help but stare at Catris with a blank expression.

"Hey! It was worth it! You wanted to see the cute Lia wearing one of these, right? You got that as well as two more beautiful women to act as maids!" Catris complained before taking a seat.

"Yeah, I suppose it was worth it. Though, I wasn't going to ask Lia to wear that outfit just yet…" I nodded to myself.

Speaking of Lia, she was still standing nearby with her eyes closed and a wide smile on her face. 

She definitely looked cuter than usual with her new hairstyle and outfit… 

Thanks to her twintails, she also reminded me of another goddess who lived in a certain dungeon city…

As soon as she read my mind, I saw Lia blushing a little again. It was such a rare sight to see her getting all embarrassed and shy, but I was happy to be able to see that side of her.

"Jeez! Stop trying to flirt with Lia! You're too young for that!" Catris pinched my cheek after reading my mind. "Pay some attention to Leif and me too!" She got a little annoyed.

I don't think I was really flirting with her…

"Oh? But I'm not too young to ask for my adoptive Auntie's hand in marriage out of my own volition, aren't I?" I said to Catris with a judgemental look on my face.

"Ugh… You definitely won't be letting that go any time soon, are you…?" Catris asked in a dejected manner. 

"Take a wild guess." I smiled at her.

"Fine, I suppose I deserve it… But as I have told you before, I am sincere about my apology." Catris suddenly spoke with a serious tone. "I don't regret in the slightest getting you and Tiria engaged, as I believe that union will bring a lot of happiness to the two of you, however, I do regret that I didn't think things through and forced everything, not even giving you a chance to be the one to act on those feelings. For that, I apologize from the bottom of my heart…" Catris soon bowed her head to me, her voice was filled with genuine regret.

I simply stared at Catris for what felt like an eternity… Even though I was still angry at her for taking over my body and making me ask my aunt for marriage, I couldn't just brush off her sincere apology just for the sake of holding a grudge.

Of course, I also obviously don't regret getting engaged to Tiria, so…

"I'll accept your apology, Catris. I'll accept it only if you promise that you won't do anything like that again." I said to Catris. I was willing to get over what happened if she agreed.

Of course, it will be the same situation as Lia's. I will forgive Catris, but I won't forget what she did until she earns my full trust.

"Of course! We are going to be allies from now on! The last thing I want is having you hating me…" Catris raised her head and agreed with me.

"Hey, and if she does try something like that again, I could just attach a hundred more anvils to her hands and feet for her next punishment. Maybe I could bury her beneath a pyramid of gravel too!" Lia suddenly spoke in a very cheerful manner before taking the remaining seat by my side. 

Her cheerful tone was a bit scary…

"I'm definitely not trying something like that again… I've definitely learned my lesson…" Catris started sweating bullets as soon as she heard Lia's threat.

"That's good!" Lia smiled from ear to ear.

"Are you done with the serious talk? I'm getting bored…" Leif whined a little.

"Not quite. Catris still hasn't explained a thing about why she's our ally now and what Sarana and Laura have to do with all of this." I said to Reginleif while looking at Catris with expectation.

She explicitly stated that we are going to be allies from now on and Lia said that Laura and Sarana were going to be our allies too…

The implications for something like this are huge considering that Catris is part of the Neutral Faction amongst the gods… 

Why would she suddenly decide to abandon her neutrality after thousands of years?

Yes, she used to be on Lia's and Melius's side during the Schism, but after Melius was sealed and Lia became the Dark Goddess, she decided to take a step back and become neutral since she didn't want to fight in another war between gods, much less in a civil war with her brethren. 

So why now? Why does she want to be our ally all of a sudden while knowing that we are going to fight Agmos and his faction?

"Julius, before we let Catris explain herself, there's something more important I would like to say." Lia suddenly stood up from her seat and smiled at me. "Catris, Leif, are you ready?" She looked at the other two women in the room and nodded.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Catris smiled from ear to ear.

"Finally!" Leif spoke with excitement.

I couldn't help but look at the three of them with confusion…

"3… 2… 1…" Lia suddenly started a countdown while looking me straight into my eyes with a gleeful smile.

"Happy Birthday Julius!" The three of them shouted with excitement.

Immediately after the three of them shouted, I heard a few popping sounds around the room before waves of confetti started pouring down on us…

Wait… Is it today…? Ah… I actually forgot about my own birthday…

"With all the things that have happened in the last few weeks, I was certain that you were going to forget about it." Lia was smiling from ear to ear while patting my head. "Congratulations on turning ten years old!" Lia pulled me into a warm hug after putting a party hat on top of my head.

"Congratulations!" Catris clapped and cheered.

"Congrats!" Reginleif was patting my back with excitement.

Both Catris and Leif then started playing around with some party blowers as a huge strawberry cake suddenly appeared in the middle of the table…

But that wasn't the only thing that had changed… The whole room was fully decorated with balloons, banners, wall decorations, and centerpieces… 

There were also trays with all of my favorite foods and drinks as well as a few bowls of ice cream and sweets… There was enough food to feed a hundred people here…

"Jeez… You shouldn't have bothered…" I tried to seem serious and cool in front of the three of them, however, my childish hormones made that an impossible task…

Like any child my age, I was obviously ecstatic about having a birthday party. I had a huge smile on my face that wouldn't disappear any time soon…

"Thank you, Lia." I mumbled as I hugged her tightly.

"No need to thank me!" Lia said happily while the two of us hugged each other.

"Hey! How come you only thank her!? I was the one who went to Earth and got all the supplies for the party as well as your favorite cake!" Catris argued.

"I also helped… I spent the whole day decorating everything…" Reginleif was really dejected.

"And what is preventing you from joining in? C'mon!" Lia invited the two of them to hug me as well.

In the blink of an eye, I was embraced by the two goddesses and the Valkyrie.

"Thank you all… For everything." I thanked all three of them and hugged them tightly.

This was one of those moments you wish that they'd last forever… I was not expecting this sort of thing to happen when Lia told me that I'd meet Catris today…

It was an unexpected event, but I was grateful to all three of them for throwing a party for me, and despite my original intentions, I was happy and very excited.

I am definitely going to enjoy this birthday party!

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Chapter 47: Meeting with the Goddesses (Part I)...

END

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