44 Does That Include Putting a Collar on You, Goddess?

Chapter 44 - Does That Include Putting a Collar on You, Goddess?

In a luxurious room, the graceful and noble goddess was reclining on a luxurious throne.

Beside the goddess, a man with an indifferent expression massaged her enticing feet.

This peculiar scene filled the room with tension, especially for the goddess, whose growing dissatisfaction was almost palpable.

Slowly opening her eyes, Freya looked at Ethan, who was bowing his head and serving her in silence.

"Alright, no need to massage anymore."

After a few minutes, Freya, already bored, directly spoke up.

Hearing Freya's words, Ethan released the goddess's beautiful feet, knowing well that his attitude was problematic, but he was not one to hide things by nature.

He didn't clarify directly, partly because he was under someone else's roof and had received too much help from Freya.

The goddess sat up, pulling back her lustrous, beautiful legs. Her gaze then settled on Ethan.

She was inherently a 'queen'-type goddess, with arrogance engraved in her soul.

"Ethan, you've changed a lot these past few days," Freya said straightforwardly.

"I'm just a bit tired, after all, I am still too weak," Ethan replied.

"The contrast between before and now is so great, I'm very curious, what exactly is the reason for your change? Did someone talk to you, or did you come up with something on your own?"

With one sentence, Freya directly increased the tension.

Although not directly stated, the intention to clarify things was now apparent.

Ethan was also taken aback by Freya's words, confused about what she meant.

Was she trying to make things clear or to reprimand him?

What should he do? Step back and let things remain as they were, or speak out clearly?

"Previously, on the seventeenth floor of the dungeon, I first encountered a 'Monster Party', followed by a 'Monster Riot', and I almost lost my life there," Ethan started explaining.

"I've heard about this from Ottar," Freya interrupted him.

"What I want to say is, Freya-sama, this might not be a coincidence, but rather someone intended to kill me, someone plotted against me." Ethan was silent for a while after finally deciding to speak out.

"Intend to kill you? Scheme against you? How can you be so sure?" Freya was surprised and asked back.

"That day's riot in the dungeon was strange... perhaps something I did, or maybe the will of some god caused it, and I was merely caught in the crossfire."

When mentioning 'god', Ethan raised his head, his gaze meeting Freya's.

A man and a god, now only separated by a thin layer of paper, needing only a slight push to break through everything.

"The Dungeon has a will of its own, and it loathes the gods. It riots at the slightest hint of divine presence, even spawning those irregular black monsters!"

Freya directly stated this, causing Ethan to frown.

"So, you're admitting it?"

Ethan also threw a straight ball, speaking without beating around the bush.

"No, unfortunately," Freya admitted without hesitation. "That day's incident wasn't my doing."

"Is that so?" Ethan breathed a sigh of relief, though a hint of doubt lingered.

"But, I had previously ordered Ottar to try and cause a riot in the dungeon, thereby putting you in a 'desperate situation'."

"Why!"

Ethan stood up, his tone intensifying.

He didn't understand why the other party let him go outside freely and didn't treat him the same way as any other member of her familia, and now she was scheming behind his back, which was incomprehensible to him.

"Because I dislike your 'laziness' and 'lack of motivation'. Your potential is enough to amaze Orario, but this process requires blood and tears, not 'indolence'."

"Just for that reason?"

"Is that reason not sufficient?"

A rhetorical question left Ethan silent.

'Is that reason not sufficient?'

That was not even the issue. As the goddess in charge of his familia, her mark was branded on him.

Most importantly, she is a divine being, and he is a mortal.

"Enough."

What else could Ethan say at this point?

And Freya could see that now, Ethan harbored dislike and rejection towards her, a stark contrast to his previous attitude.

This highlights the biggest difference between Ethan and the original inhabitants of this world.

As a visitor from another world, never having encountered the so-called 'gods', Ethan does not have the inherent awe of gods that the people of this world do.

Especially after having watched a large amount of 'anime' and 'novels', Ethan's perception of gods is quite peculiar.

His previous liking was because she was the most beautiful goddess.

His current rejection is because she almost made him lose his life.

Unlike other members of his Familia, he's not a devoted follower of Freya.

He isn't driven by the desire to sacrifice everything for her. On the contrary, he is always lusting after the goddess's body.

Freya watched Ethan, her expression unchanged, but what she thought inside, no one knew.

"I know your heart must be filled with resentment, dissatisfaction, and indignation."

"..."

Silence, no response, but it seemed more like an 'acknowledgment'.

To have gone through such an ordeal, it would be impossible not to have any negative emotions.

"But the world is like this, without strength, you can't even decide how you die, right?"

A slightly mocking statement, but undeniably irrefutable; the main theme of the world has never changed, that is, the law of the jungle, respect for the strong.

Especially in Orario, this is even more the case; powerful adventurers can do whatever they wish, while the weaker ones can only swallow their grievances.

Watching the silent Ethan, Freya also leisurely stood up and approached him.

For a moment, Ethan was somewhat perplexed, as the atmosphere between them had become so stiff, why would Freya still act this way towards him?

Ethan could even smell the pleasant fragrance emanating from Freya, though now was not the right time, he still had some restless thoughts.

"My actions, you find unsatisfactory, but against me, you are powerless, because you are too weak."

"However, I can give you a chance."

"Ottar is the strongest member of my familia, as long as you can defeat him, you can do whatever you want to me."

The power of "Charm", as Freya's words fell, quietly began to spread.

"Whatever I want?"

"Yes, whatever you want, even if you want to possess me, it's not impossible."

"Does that include putting a collar on you, forever tied to my side?"

At these words, Freya was slightly stunned, her gaze full of astonishment at Ethan.

Although she wanted to use her 'charm' to influence Ethan, she did not expect him to say such a thing, truly an 'unexpected surprise'.

She had thought of countless possibilities, but never this one.

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