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Ares still being alive is the best proof.
The official explanation was that an anomaly had occurred in the Water Blue World, causing the Black Demon King to go berserk. To save her companions, the Goddess of War fought the Demon King alone and, giving it everything she had, struck him down.
The truth wasn't like that at all. Ares had explained it many times, yet no one ever believed her.
……
Several days later.
Ares sat inside a quiet coffee shop, and across from her sat the even quieter Wisdom Goddess Saori.
Taking a sip of bitter coffee, Ares said listlessly, "Lord Saori, there's something I'd like to ask you."
Goddess Saori, with her flowing dark blue long hair and a tear mole at the corner of her eye, said, "Ares, you're about to advance to S-rank. Just call me by my name."
Compared to Ares's leather outfit, Saori's long skirt traced a slender, graceful curve from shoulder to foot.
Ares said, "No, Lord Saori, I wasn't the one who killed Demon King Hages. With my strength and experience, I don't deserve S-rank."
Hearing this, Goddess Saori remained just as calm. She didn't say she disbelieved it, nor did she dwell on the details of the battle. Instead, she said, "The God Realm needs S-rank goddesses."
Saori asked her, "You know how many S-rank goddesses we have in total, right?"
Ares answered, "Of course. All twelve of you, including yourself, combine strength and wisdom in one. I'm still far from that."
"Then do you know how many S-rank demon kings the Demon Realm has?"
This was something Ares truly had never looked into.
Wisdom Goddess Saori answered her own question, "Over a hundred."
"That many?!"
Indeed, ignorance is bliss until you hear the truth—it was quite a shock.
A comparison of strength between the God Realm and the Demon Realm.
Her Majesty Mother Goddess Hera of the God Realm corresponds to the Lord of Demon Gods of the Demon Realm.
The three great SS-rank goddesses of the God Realm correspond to the three SS-class demon kings of the Demon Realm.
Of course, generally speaking, the top combat powers of both forces cannot act rashly, so the demon kings the goddesses need to defeat are at most S-rank.
Twelve S-rank goddesses versus a hundred S-rank demon kings—what would the result be?
A hundred percent utter defeat!
Regarding the Demon Race's invasions of different worlds, there must be special rules unknown even to the gods.
Unless absolutely necessary, the Demon Race wouldn't launch a large-scale war either.
But judging purely by strength comparison, the goddesses' side held an absolute disadvantage. If the demon kings' offensive suddenly turned fierce, they simply wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"Lord Saori, I think I roughly understand what you mean, but even if the God Realm's S-rank goddesses increase to thirteen, it wouldn't really change anything."
The quiet Wisdom Goddess Saori said, "That's right, there's no essential difference between twelve and thirteen, but that's not a reason for us to give up out of pessimism, is it?"
"Below S-rank, no one knows the exact number of S-rank demon kings. Every time an S-rank goddess is added, people's attitude toward life becomes a little more optimistic, and the people of different worlds suffering under demon attacks gain more hope. There's not a single downside."
Ares: "But I—!……"
Goddess Saori waved her hand, "Strength can be improved, experience can be accumulated, our goddess corps is entirely a symbol of wisdom. The reason I'm telling you this is because I want you to understand that S-rank isn't just an honor, it's also a responsibility. Goddess of War Ares, please remember this—for countless years, whenever S-rank goddesses have been deployed, there has never been a single defeat!"
Honor, responsibility, defeat……
Ares finally nodded in agreement.
The two goddesses chatted for a while, then the former suddenly said, "I almost forgot, Lord Saori……"
"Just call me by my name."
"Right, Miss Saori, I wanted to ask you—among the people or gods you know, is there anyone who likes to say 'big-chested and brainless'?"
Wisdom Goddess Saori: (⊙)?
She looked across the table, then looked down at her own heavy assets.
Ares immediately explained, "I wasn't talking about you. I mean, right before Hages died, I heard a voice. It was too chaotic at the time, so I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, but I still remember what it said."
Saori tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "He said you were big-chested and brainless?"
Today Ares wasn't wearing a chest binder. Her leather outfit hid it well enough that nothing showed, but when Ares unzipped her leather jacket... it really wasn't small at all.
Saori was called the Wisdom Goddess for a reason—once her mind started to wander, it was hard to reel it back in.
"Tell me about the situation at the time."
Ares zipped her leather jacket back up to the top. "At the time……"
The Wisdom Goddess fell into deep thought.
"You fought Hages alone to protect everyone. To some people, that might indeed seem a little foolish, since not everyone shares our sense of duty to save others."
"Hages said that if you died in the Water Blue World, you wouldn't be able to be revived, but you wouldn't listen, and that's what drove him to say those words."
Goddess Saori leaned in closer, her voice lowering, "You think the owner of that voice saved you, and then killed Hages in your place?"
Ares said yes.
Saori: "Fine, let's tentatively assume that's the truth. But then, how did he know you'd been in disguise all this time?"
Two women discussing a subject that wasn't exactly small was equally awkward.
Unfortunately, there was no way around it.
Although Ares was willing to shoulder the responsibility of S-rank, she still hoped to get to the bottom of the truth.
"Who knows your secret?"
"My father and mother, but they've already passed away."
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright, Miss Saori. They were good people. After going down to the lower realm, they're sure to be living happily."
Only a very small portion of Human Realm residents come to the God Realm after death, while residents of the God Realm return to the Human Realm one hundred percent of the time after death.
Setting that topic aside, Saori continued, "Is there anyone else?"
Ares said, "Yes, Her Majesty Hera knows."
"Anyone else?"
Ares shook her head.
"Are you sure?"
"Unless someone peeked……(`)……"
Saori: "Well, that's not entirely impossible."
Ares: (.)
This time Saori lowered her voice even further, "There's been a perverted thief around lately, one who specializes in stealing goddesses' undergarments."
Ares was utterly shocked, "Don't tell me even you've been?!……"
Saori said, "Yes."
……
After leaving the coffee shop, the words "big-chested and brainless" still echoed in Ares's ears.
Combined with the story Miss Saori had let slip about the "thief," her pretty face flushed red.
"This is too much. Exactly when, exactly who—even if you saved me, I won't let you off the hook!"
Subconsciously, Ares reached for her waist.
Because she'd been meeting with Wisdom Goddess Saori today, she hadn't brought any wine with her.
For certain reasons, she'd already given up drinking for many days.
Suddenly she wanted a drink, and a fire rose in her chest, a determination that she absolutely would not go home to sleep unless she got drunk.
Looking up, she saw the Tavern belonging to the Goddess of Wine. Without thinking much of it, Ares walked straight in.
At the drinking table, she looked even more like Lord Ares, the Goddess of War in battle—bold, dominant. No matter how many enemies there were or how strong, she'd knock them all flat.
"Come on, drink!"
"Drink, drink, drink!"
"At this table, I, Goddess of War Ares, am invincible!"
After getting drunk.
Ares stood before a tree by the roadside, holding an axe in one hand, her eyes carrying an indescribably complicated look—as if, somehow, she felt a little wronged.
The author noticed a big shot posting pictures in the goddess template thread, but it seems the System deleted it outright. The author guesses it was probably a matter of exceeding the limits... I'll find time to work on this book's character designs; posting pictures there should work better, ahem(ω)
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