Chapter 170

Chapter 170: Interlude – Goddess’s Atonement (2)

“What do you mean?”

[I mean exactly what I said.]

Vega clenched her fists with determination

[A foolish deed ought to be followed up with atonement.]

Ohjin could feel the heat in her gaze.

[This lady must be punished by you.]

“Uhh, what kind of punish—”

When Ohjin was taken aback by the unforeseen development—

“H-Hey!”

—Spica carefully approached him with her microphone lowered.

She stuck close to Ohjin’s body and held his hands tightly with sparkles in her eyes.

“Would you like to pay a visit to my sanctuary later?!”

“Eh?”

‘What is it this time?’

“Well, there really aren’t any hidden intentions~ Should I say that I’ve gained a little interest in you after seeing you fight?”

Spica twirled her foot as her cheeks reddened.

Although she said that there weren’t any hidden intentions, the way her heated eyes looked like they were staring at a scrumptious feast seemed to say the plete opposite.

She wasn’t the only one who was interested in Ohjin.

“Uhm… if it’s possible, could you pay a visit to my sanctuary as well?”

“Kuhaha! I’ve fallen for your guts! I shall permit you to enter my sanctuary!”

In an instant, the celestials ing down from the stands crowded around and started to request countless handshakes from Ohjin.

“Ahh! I called dibs!” Spica shouted while stomping her foot.

“…”

Ohjin couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked at the celestials gathering around.

‘I didn’t expect them to react with this much enthusiasm.’

It appeared that the celestials were quite impressed with the show he’d put on during the match.

Ohjin didn’t realize it back then in the heat of the moment, but thinking about it again, he knew what he’d done was a rather insane act.

‘Still, I’m surprised that the celestials are reacting this way.’

He thought that they’d think of him as a maniac and keep their distance from him or look at him with unpleasant gazes, but unexpectedly, they received it well.

[It’s noisy.]

Vega frowned and looked at the gathering of celestials.

The exciting atmosphere cooled down in an instant with her cold voice.

[Speak to me directly if you wish to invite my child to your sanctuary.]

“Th-That’s…”

The celestials started to panic and stuttered.

It was easy to understand how significant the rank of ‘North Star’ was amongst celestials with what occurred.

[Is there no one?]

Vega glared at them like she would destroy anyone who dared to speak up.

The celestials that once showed interest in Ohjin started to step back with awkward smiles.

[If there is no one, we shall take our leave.]

She turned away and pulled Ohjin’s arm.

“Vega, wait…”

[Hurry up.]

With there being no signs of her stopping, Ohjin had no option but to follow Vega.

“Grrr. You’ve left a proper mark on those celestials, rookie.”

“It turned out well.”

He thought that he’d made a mistake when he got too excited in the middle of the match, but their reactions weren’t all that bad.

“Things will be tiresome from now on.”

“I know.”

Regardless of good or bad, it was certain that he would get caught up in a lot of business with the large amount of attention he’d drawn, but it was better than being forced into laying low and hiding his strength.

“By the way, Vega…”

[What is it?]

“Regarding what you mentioned about being sorry for suspecting me, could you tell me about that in detail?”

[…Let us speak about that matter once we’re at the sanctuary.]

Ohjin nodded and hastened his steps.

He was still fatigued and various areas around his body throbbed with his internal injuries not being pletely healed yet—

‘I need to figure this out.’

—but there was a need to confirm where he’d slipped up.

* * *

“…So that’s what happened.”

Once they arrived at the sanctuary, he heard the story about the fragment stained with the energy of the ‘Black Heaven’ being left in her room.

It was only natural to suspect him because nobody other than Ohjin and Riak had been there.

‘Damn it.’

Cold sweat ran down his back.

Ohjin recalled the sound he’d heard while using Heaven Unfolding.

‘I did hear something break back then, but I couldn’t have imagined it being a fragment with the Black Heaven’s energy.’

[Do you understand how things came to be?]

“…”

Ohjin slowly closed his eyes.

Somehow, he needed to cover up his vital mistake.

There was only one method that came to mind.

“Adam’s Apple.”

[By Adam’s Apple… do you mean the star relic you used to release the Commandment’s Restriction?]

“Yeah. It seems that the Heavenly Demon… no, the ‘Snakes’ to be exact, had already put their hands on it.”

Like forcefully matching disproportionate puzzle pieces, he fabricated a story.

“I obtained this during the battle with the Hippocampus faction.”

Ohjin took out a medallion that had the shape of a snake engraved on it.

[It’s what you showed back then.]

“Yeah. An Executor of the Black Star Organization possessing this must mean that the ‘Snakes’ had already spread their influence to Japan.”

[Are you saying that they might have had some kind of influence on the star relic you obtained?]

“That’s right.”

It was a rather imperfect excuse, but it wasn’t strange for there to be the energy of the Black Heaven on the Queen of Snakes since it was already revealed that she radically followed the being suspected to be the ‘Heavenly Demon’.

[I see… so that’s what happened.]

Vega exhaled a breath of relief as she pressed down on her chest.

It seemed that there were some parts she still had her doubts about, but the suspicions she held against him were solved to an extent.

‘I slid past the subject somehow.’

It felt like he was barely grasping onto a branch on the edge of a cliff where he could fall with a minor slip.

* * *

Translator – Maccas

Proofreader – ilafy

* * *

[I am sorry. The first thing I should have done was to talk things out with you.]

Vega looked at herself with guilt.

Moments later, she held Ohjin’s hands with firm determination.

[Indeed! This lady requires punishment!]

“What are you talking about?”

[Did I not distrust and suspect my child?]

Vega looked at Ohjin with intense eyes.

[Hand down your punishment so that I can atone for my sins.]

The way her golden eyes glittered seemed to say that she wouldn’t let go of the matter easily.

Ohjin looked at her with a perplexed expression.

“…What do you need me to do?”

Punish a celestial? There was simply nothing that came to mind.

[First, why don’t you firmly slap my cheek?!]

“I think that’s a bit…”

Slap her cheek? Well, he wouldn’t leave a scratch even if he used all of his might, but…

‘I don’t want to.’

It felt like every cell in his body was intensely rejecting the act when he imagined himself carrying it through.

“The cheek is a bit much.”

[Hmm. Is that so?]

Vega started to contemplate.

When she was walking around the sanctuary in deep thought, her eyes suddenly opened wide like she thought of a good idea.

[Then what about the b…]

“B…?”

[N-No. Wait a moment.]

Vega cleared her throat and calmed down her breathing.

[R-Riak.]

“Yes, Lady Vega.”

[Stay outside.]

“Eh?”

[D-Did you not hear me the first time!]

Vega urgently chased Riak out of the sanctuary.

Clueless as to why, Riak whimpered while he left the sanctuary.

‘What’s she planning?’

Ohjin tilted his head and looked at Vega, who had a grim expression.

Vega swept the sanctuary’s floor with the tip of her foot and opened her mouth.

[Uhm… d-don’t you know that kind of thing? You know when you hit the… b-butt of a child who’s done something wrong.]

‘Vega?’

[Uh… Since this foolish lady has been unable to fulfill her duty as a celestial… is-isn’t she basically the same as a child?]

‘Doesn’t the logic behind that sound a bit off?’

“So are you…?”

[A-Ahem!]

Vega’s cheeks reddened and she avoided his gaze.

It wasn’t hard to imagine what ‘punishment’ she had in mind.

‘So, to put things simply…’

A transcendent born from a star, and one that was a North Star at that, was requesting that he slap her butt with the palm of his hand?

‘Ooh.’

‘Fuck, ‘ooh’ my ass!!!’

“Yeah, I don’t think I can…”

[…So this won’t work either?]

Vega looked at herself with sorrowful eyes.

[You won’t even give an opportunity for this lady to atone… do you plan on making her suffer from this guilt for eternity?]

‘Uh…’

[If that is your will… I shall accept it with pleasure.]

Vega gathered her hands in front of her chest and her eyes glistened with sadness.

Ohjin pulled out his hair and twisted his body.

‘What the hell does this goddess want me to do!!’

Slap her butt? The act that he had never imagined before caused the inside of his head to heat up.

If it was Ha-eun instead, he could at least slide over the matter and treat it as a playful joke like usual.

The fact that she insisted so sincerely put him in an awkward spot to refuse.

‘If I knew things would turn out like this, I would’ve just stuck with the cheek!!’

He thought about changing his mind, but it also didn’t seem right to slap her cheek when she looked like she was on the verge of crying.

[My… child?]

Ohjin’s reason and instinct clashed, going after each other’s throats and messing with his train of thought.

When he stood still in deep thought for a long time…

[So… you won’t hit me?]

Vega carefully shook her butt with her body leaning against a wall.

“…”

Snap—

The sound of something snapping rang out in his head.

He could feel that his instinct had won with a victorious smile as it choked his reason by the neck.

‘Ah, fuck it!!!’

Ohjin raised his hand up high with firm determination.

Putting strength into his palm, he looked at her butt and widened his eyes.

‘I guess it’s the silver-haired goddess’s butt-slapping time!!!’

He swung his hand while thinking of words that were too vulgar to be called human language.

____