[You have awakened from your unconsciousness.]
[Thanks to the blessing of 'Innate Physique,' your body has successfully adapted to the goddess's blood.]
[Stheno and Euryale have left at some point, leaving only you and Medusa in the forest.]
The clouds parted, revealing a bright full moon.
Moran sat on a high slope, enjoying the sea breeze while the lingering taste of sweet blood remained in his mouth.
"Stheno and Euryale... They've always liked teasing me. I thought I had developed some immunity to it, but in the end, I overestimated myself..."
He hadn't expected his two elder sisters to pull off something like this.
It was both alluring and bizarre.
"Ahem, Big Sister Stheno and Second Sister Euryale... They do enjoy teasing others, but I think they were considering your well-being this time... Probably!"
"Medusa, the way you said that isn't very reassuring. But I know they wouldn't harm me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made it this far. Don't worry—I'm not upset with them. I'm well aware of how unpredictable goddesses can be."
Moran spoke calmly.
Medusa, hearing this, let out a relieved smile.
From an outsider's perspective, though the sisters' actions seemed affectionate, they often expressed their love in the form of teasing.
As a fellow goddess, Medusa could accept this.
But she wasn't sure if a human like Moran could.
Now, it seemed she had been worrying too much.
As someone who had watched Moran grow up, Medusa hoped he could always get along well with her sisters.
"..."
Moran turned to look at Medusa beside him.
She gently tucked her long, purple hair behind her ear, revealing the smooth, luminous skin of her neck.
Faint traces of blood could still be seen there.
His mind involuntarily recalled that intoxicating moment.
"Ugh..."
Medusa, meeting his gaze, turned bright red, clearly remembering the same scene.
Her embarrassment was impossible to conceal.
"S-Sorry... I let you see such an unsightly side of me... I failed... It must have been an unbearable sight... My tall figure..."
Medusa lowered her head, almost burying her face in her chest.
Her cheeks were as red as burning iron.
Having been teased about her height by her sisters for so long, Medusa had grown deeply self-conscious about her appearance.
Moran understood this very well.
"Not at all. If it were truly unbearable to look at, why would I have been so mesmerized? Though Stheno and Euryale often say those things, in my eyes, Medusa, you are beautiful."
Moran's eyes locked onto hers.
To prove his sincerity, his gaze burned with a fiery passion.
"N-No... Don't say that... I'm not someone worthy of such praise... I'm tall and clumsy... Meanwhile, my sisters are petite and adorable, far superior to me in every way..."
Medusa couldn't meet Moran's gaze.
The man who had been by her side for twelve years—
She didn't just see him as family.
But her deep-rooted insecurity made it impossible for her to hope for more.
With two dazzling sisters beside her, how could he ever choose someone as "ugly" as her?
Being the shadow of her sisters—
That was the role she had resigned herself to.
"Stheno and Euryale are indeed beautiful—I won't deny that. But that doesn't mean you are any less so. To me, Medusa, you are just as stunning as they are."
"You don't have to comfort me... I know myself..."
"I'm not comforting you. Earlier, I wasn't captivated by Euryale. Nor was I mesmerized by Stheno. The one who truly entranced me was you, Medusa. In my eyes, you are graceful and kind. Ever since I arrived on this island as a child, you have always taken care of me with gentle devotion. If I need to prove it..."
Moran's feelings held no falsehood.
To be cared for so tenderly by such a beautiful, gentle woman for over a decade—
What man wouldn't fall in love?
He had wanted to confess for a long, long time.
For twelve years, he had suppressed this feeling,
But today, it could no longer be contained.
Every man deserves a romantic moment like this.
His love had taken root, and now it refused to stop growing.
Once he realized he loved her—
It became impossible to hide.
"I love you, Medusa. I don't care about the absurd rumors spread by the gods. What I want is to be with you."
Like an arrow piercing her heart—
A love too powerful to resist.
The dream she dared not hope for surfaced.
"Moran... I love you too."
A single tear slipped down Medusa's cheek.
Despised and scorned by both mortals and gods—
For the first time, she had found love.
Ah, she had fallen for this man.
Tonight, the mother of monsters was not slain by a hero—
She was conquered by love.
"Medusa..."
Moran moved forward, leading her into his embrace.
The silver moon shone like an exquisite glass engraving.
Its light fell upon them, pure as a blessing.
Their silhouettes merged beneath its glow.
The cool sea breeze swept across the land, yet the warmth between them—
Burned hotter than anything else.
Tonight will be a sleepless night.
....
[You have drunk the blood of a goddess.]
[That night, at the age of twelve, you united with Medusa and swore an eternal bond.]
[You were not blinded by momentary desire.]
[Even after your intimate encounter with Medusa, the shadow lingering in your heart remained.]
[Because you knew the tragic fate of the Gorgon sisters.]
[More than anyone, you wanted to change that fate.]
Moran never expected to expose his emotions today.
Whether from his own perspective or that of an observer, he couldn't hide his surprise and joy.
In a way, this could be considered an older woman seducing a younger man, though in Moran's case, it was more like driving a massive truck.
After all, despite being only twelve, his physique stood at a towering 1.85 meters.
With muscles sculpted to perfection and an impossibly handsome face akin to a masterful work of art, no one would doubt him if he claimed to be twenty.
[Looking at Medusa, who was sound asleep with a blissful smile,]
[You could still sense it.]
[Medusa was suppressing the darkness that constantly surged within her.]
[As long as there were those who sought to hunt the three sisters, Medusa would slay any who dared to come.]
[And because of that, she would eventually succumb to her monstrous transformation.]
[She would become the feared creature known as Gorgon.]
[To prevent that, the solution you devised was—]