Son of the Hero King

Sol had expected many things during this meeting but meeting three goddesses at the same time was certainly not what he had been expecting. Still, he was grateful. This way of acting showed that the goddesses were looking at him less like a bug or an ant they could casually step on and more like an equal or someone who could potentially become their equal.

This was both something he appreciated and something that worried him as well. Sol had not let hubris cloud his mind and he understood that one of the reasons he could still live so peacefully, or as peacefully as it was possible to live with an ongoing war, was that the goddesses did not see him as a threat yet.

They were underestimating him and because they were doing so, he could fly under their radars. But the moment they stopped doing so, things could get quite dicey.

I will have to take this into account.

Temperantia answered his question quite simply, “This was the plan. Until I realize that my idiot sister would most likely end up eating with you without speaking of anything important until the end of the limited time we have.” Her voice had a distinct and mature feel to it as well as a certain edge.

“As for me? I simply joined because I did have not much to say. I am just curious.” Superbia seemed like some tomboy who was simply having fun while looking at the chaos. Sol could feel that she was very dangerous and if Tiamat’s power was any indication, chances were high that Superbia was part of the top 3 or top 5 strongest goddesses. Which made her undoubtedly he had to have on his side.

Furthermore, if the information Skuld had given him were any indication, Goddesses may have a way to directly control divine beasts and the last thing Sol wanted was to be hunted down by Tiamat.

Doing his best to hide his thoughts, Sol looked around before asking, “I gather, Goddess Ira will not join us?”

“She told us that she had already shared everything she wanted to tell you and that any more discussions would be unnecessary.”

Sol grinned at those words. Temperantia’s answer was within his expectations. His discussion with Ira after he signed a contract with Setsuna and Lilin had been quite the enlightening one and he had formed a certain respect for the goddess who openly admitted her fear but was also steadfast in her way.

He might not like all the goddesses, but this proved to him that he could not look down on them and that some of them were worthy of respect even if they sometimes acted like spoiled children with too much money.

“Very well, dear goddesses, may I ask now why I was called?”

The three of them looked at each other before Temperatia finally took the floor, “I have three demands, and if you respect them. I believe my sister and I would be willing to support you when Invidia inevitably snaps and tries to attack you again…”

Gula gently wiped the crumble from her mouth with a napkin as she continued, “Echidna must live. We have invested too much divine power in her and having her die would be a waste of our investment. Furthermore, she is our cute little daughter…”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Sol wondered if someone like Echidna could really be called cute but he did not speak.

“...Nuwa or Echidna must become your wife and bear your child. Once you become a god. Ideally, it should be your first but we care not about such a thing…” Temperatia continued once again. Her choice of words irritated Sol. It was even more so since he did particularly have such a feeling for Nuwa at the moment. Even if he had such feelings, he hated having the goddesses try to meddle in his life in such a way.

“I can feel your displeasure but we are simply stating the terms that will make us believe in you…”

“...You have shown that unlike some of your ancestors you attach great importance to those you care about…”

“So your solution for us to work together is to try and blackmail me emotionally?” He asked quietly incredulously. The way the two goddesses bounced off each other sentence didn’t help in making him calmer.

“Blackmail?...”

“...Why would we blackmail you?”

“Is alliance by marriage not something common in the mortal world?...”

“...Is it not the way you used to convince Invidia’s blessed to fall under your flag?”

Sol closed his mouth for he knew that he had no retort to this. The actions he had undertaken to control Pandora were things he was not particularly proud of even to this day.

This was one of the reasons he had been slightly avoiding her and not spending time with her. It was truly horrible for him and he understood that. But he did not know how to talk to her.

This was undoubtedly his most awkward relationship to date.

“It seems like you still feel shame.” Superbia who had been silent all this while snickered which caused Sol to take control of his emotions and release a sigh.

“I withhold any judgments until I hear about the last demand.”

The goddesses once again looked at each other and Gula took Temperatia’s hands in hers.

“Young hero, you might not understand this but us sisters only had each other as support for eons and this truth will be the same for eons to come...”

“...At the moment, we are divided simply because we struggle between our desire to see the birth of a new god or the desire to support our dear little sister. But…”

“...Make no mistake.”

“We are forever bonded to each other.”

“We will always protect each other.”

“If you become mortal enemy with Invidia in the truest sense—”

“ —We will protect her.”

“So what are our last demands you ask?”

“Use your wits.”

“Use your legendary charms.”

““And make Invidia fall for you.””

Sol waited for a moment, the words slowly making sense in his mind as he processed them,

“...I beg your pardon?”

He had received many requests until now but this was undoubtedly the most nonsensical one to date. The boisterous laugh that came from Superbia was the proof that might have had quite the comical expression at the moment.

“We said our pieces. The choice is yours. In the end, everything will only matter if you become a god. So…Do not disappoint us.”

Sol was not able to answer as he was sent away from the Divine Territory.