Humans in Type-Moon, Path of the Heroic Spirit

Chapter 90 Aphrodite: I'm so curious! (3k)

The Temple of Athena.

Soft sunlight streamed into the temple through the colonnade, creating golden beams that scattered throughout the tranquil air.

"...You left the temple just to buy flowers?"

Sasha was stunned when she saw the bouquet of pure white violets in front of her, her pale golden eyes showing a puzzled expression.

Although she had lived in Athens for decades as a mortal, she still couldn't understand Kamiya Yu's strange behavior.

Even though his body hadn't fully recovered, he dared to leave the safety of the temple to go outside and buy gifts.

Doesn't he realize how attractive his appearance is to others?

Are you really not afraid of being abducted by someone who is lustful or by a deity?

"Yes."

Kamiya Yu nodded gently, then handed the bouquet to Sasha and said earnestly, "Sasha, thank you so much for taking care of me these past few days. If it weren't for you, I probably would have died a violent death long ago."

"So, I wanted to give you a gift. It's not anything expensive, but I hope you'll accept it."

"Woo——"

When Sasha met the silver-haired boy's sincere gaze, her heart skipped a beat, and her originally fair cheeks gradually flushed with a faint blush.

"Thank you, Kratos."

After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and took the bouquet of white violets, which had a special meaning, and whispered, "I really like this gift from you..."

"I'm glad you like it." Kamiya Yu said with a gentle smile.

"Oh, by the way, Kratos, you've been staring at the statue of Athena. Is there some wish you want to pray to her about?"

The intoxicating fragrance of flowers lingered in her nostrils, and Sasha suddenly remembered something important. She looked up at Kamiya Yu and asked curiously.

"If you have any, please feel free to speak up. I believe that Lady Athena will surely bless you."

Gazing at Kamiya Yu's handsome face, the girl, a priestess of Athena, spoke thus.

"Ah? Now?"

Hearing her words, Kamiya Yu was slightly taken aback, then hesitated and said softly, "But I haven't prepared any offerings yet. If we pray to Athena like this, won't she blame us?"

Although the Greek gods looked down on the offerings given by believers, you could not refuse to give them when you prayed.

In Kamiya Yu's memory, those who rashly ask the gods for blessings without offering sacrifices usually do not have a good ending.

"Don't worry, Athena is the most generous of all the gods. She won't care about such trivial matters." As if sensing his worry, Sasha patted her little heart and assured him confidently.

"I see……"

Since even a professional priest had said so, Kamiya Yu had no reason to refuse.

After turning his head and focusing his gaze on the statue not far away, he clasped his hands together and prayed with a devout expression.

"Great goddess Athena, please bless me so that I may find the dwelling place of Hephaestus and have my wish fulfilled."

As the words fell, Kamiya Yu raised his head and looked towards the location of the statue.

However, no unusual phenomena occurred at the Athena statue located in the center of the temple; it simply stood there quietly.

Seeing this, Kamiya Yu was not disappointed, after all, obtaining the blessing of the gods is not an easy thing.

If he could receive Athena's blessing with just a few light prayers, then he would have to worry whether this goddess of wisdom had ulterior motives towards him.

Thinking of this, Kamiya Yu turned his head slightly, letting his gaze fall on the purple-haired girl who seemed to want to say something but hesitated. He spoke first, "Alright, Sasha, the prayer is over. Let's go back."

“Um, don’t worry, Kratos, I think Athena heard your request, but…” Sasha, thinking he was disappointed because he hadn’t received a blessing, quickly comforted him.

However, before she could finish speaking, Kamiya Yu shook her head and said with a smile, "I'm fine, Sasha."

"Alright." Seeing that he said that, Sasha could only temporarily put aside her worries.

Then, as if to divert Kamiya Yu's attention, Sasha asked in a curious manner.

"Speaking of which, Kratos, why is your wish to find the abode of Vulcan?"

"This..."

Upon hearing the girl's question, Kamiya Yu hesitated for a moment before answering frankly, "Because I want to ask the Vulcan to help me forge powerful weapons and armor."

"Eh?"

Faced with this answer that was both reasonable and somewhat unexpected, Sasha couldn't help but utter a small sound of doubt.

"Crafting weapons and armor... Kratos, do you want to become a hero?"

“Of course not.” Kamiya Yu denied without the slightest hesitation. “Heroes are too far removed from my life.”

"I pursue these things only to solve the disaster in my hometown."

From beginning to end, Yu Kamiya had only one goal: to gain the power to protect himself and his family, and then live a peaceful life.

Listening to the boy's explanation, a strange look appeared in Sasha's beautiful eyes. It was the first time she had ever met someone who said they didn't want to be a hero. In this era that idolizes heroes, whether for power, the opposite sex, wealth, or glory, people yearn to become world-renowned heroes.

Therefore, a special existence like Kamiya Yuu undoubtedly aroused Sasha's interest.

"So when do you plan to leave here?" she suddenly asked.

"Three days later."

Kamiya Yu thought for a moment, and then gave his reply.

"what?"

Sasha was taken aback, not expecting him to leave so soon.

Coming to her senses, she glanced cautiously at Kamiya Yu and asked, "Can I come with you?"

Upon hearing this, Kamiya Yu frowned slightly and politely declined.

"The outside world is not as safe as Athens. Even if you come with me, you will still encounter a lot of dangers."

"Besides, you are a priestess of the goddess Athena, so you shouldn't be allowed to leave the temple at will, right?"

"—!"

But the next moment, the statue of Athena not far away suddenly stirred.

Under the watchful eyes of Kamiya Yu and Sasha, a golden oracle slowly appeared in mid-air.

…………

at the same time.

Inside a luxurious palace on Mount Olympus.

After the divine decree was issued, the image disappeared from sight, leaving a purple-haired goddess in a pure white dress standing in place, seemingly deep in thought.

After a while, she suddenly raised her head and spoke indifferently.

"Aphrodite, what brings you here?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a stunningly beautiful figure appeared in the previously empty palace.

She had long orange hair, a face that perfectly embodied the meaning of "beauty," and a delicate figure clad only in a thin white gauze dress that subtly revealed her rosy and smooth skin. While she inspired many fantasies, her aura also compelled one to unconsciously restrain oneself.

With her crimson wings fluttering gently, Aphrodite, a charming smile on her face, strode over to Athena's side.

"It's nothing, I just had nothing to do and wanted to come and see you."

"But unexpectedly, I saw something quite interesting~"

"Something that's interesting?"

Hearing this flippant voice, Athena couldn't help but feel a little flustered, but she still kept a blank expression and repeated in confusion.

"Yeah~"

With her bare feet on the floor, Aphrodite circled around Athena, looking around as if observing something. "I'm very curious about that boy named Kratos."

"He's just an ordinary human being, yet our lovely goddess of wisdom cares about him so much, even going so far as to send a priest to guide him—is this the first time you've given such guidance?"

As she spoke, Aphrodite licked her pink lips, her eyes showing a hint of curiosity and surprise.

As a former large-scale terminal used for intellectual education, Aphrodite possessed the strongest information processing and emotional perception abilities among the Olympian gods.

Even though they were both gods, she could still sense some unknown changes happening to Athena, as if a purely rational "machine" had begun to develop emotions.

It seems our lovely little Athena has found her lost core...

Gazing at the exquisite and perfect face of the purple-haired goddess, Aphrodite's lips curled up slightly, revealing a delighted smile.

Her woman's intuition told her that something interesting was bound to happen to Athena soon.

'But if Little Athena can return to normal, then she should be able to too, right?' A fiery red figure flashed through her mind, and Aphrodite's little thoughts immediately began to stir.

"He... Kratos is my follower, I simply chose the best way to guide him."

Facing Aphrodite's seemingly piercing gaze, Athena's tone carried a barely perceptible hint of guilt.

"Oh, is that so?"

Pulled back to reality by the gentle voice, Aphrodite smiled noncommittally, but did not press the matter further.

After all, there's no need to delve into every little detail. If you make Athena angry and embarrassed now, you won't have any fun later.

"By the way, Athena, if you really like that child, then keep a close eye on him."

Before leaving the palace, Aphrodite looked at the expressionless Athena and said meaningfully, "With his beauty, he is quite popular, especially among some gods."

After saying that, she left with a light laugh.

In the spacious palace, only the purple-haired goddess remained, looking lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)