Chapter 250: Athena’s Confusion
Qin Chu leaned back in his chair, enjoying Ekaterina’s ministrations. The Crimson Valkyrie was becoming increasingly… attentive.
But his mind was elsewhere, focused on another problem.
Athena.
She had gone to assist Muse the Mad, and there was a piece of Jie Luo’s soul fragment there.
Athena, completely under his control, would undoubtedly try to obtain the fragment without Muse noticing and bring it to him.
That was her plan, anyway. But things rarely went according to plan.
Knowing Athena, she would definitely try to awaken Jie Luo’s remnant soul within the fragment and communicate with him.
And then she would discover that it was empty, which would arouse her suspicion and lead her to investigate, to probe…
Until she uncovered the truth.
Qin Chu believed that no matter how well he concealed himself, Athena, with her sharp mind, would eventually see through his deception.
And then, she would become a liability, a dangerous obstacle.
He would have to eliminate her.
Honestly, he didn’t want to get rid of Athena so soon. She was still useful, a valuable tool.
Losing her would complicate things. After all, she wasn’t just a former member of the Hero Squad, but also had connections to the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess. Her position was important.
Her conversation with Anthony had already aroused her suspicion, but he had managed to deflect it. Now, a new problem had arisen.
Smart women were truly troublesome.
If only he had the ability to directly manipulate, or even alter, souls.
Unfortunately, the power of souls was too mysterious, even he hadn’t mastered it.
Although he had the Dark Witch, the Storm Witch, the Flame Witch, and even a bit of the Earth Witch around him, each with their own unique abilities, none of them specialized in soul magic.
Wait, Ireta, the Daughter of Death?
She dealt with souls, didn’t she? Perhaps…
And Heloise and Iyeta!
Their master-servant rings… were they an option?
But he didn’t know how to create them, and he wasn’t sure if those two Demon Beasts knew either.
A smile appeared on Qin Chu’s lips. There were always solutions, if he looked hard enough.
“Ekaterina, where is Muse now?”
Ekaterina’s muffled voice came from below, “At the border between the Auville Empire and the Ice Duchy, a place called the Snow Chain Mountains.”
“It’s said that one side of the mountain is covered in lush greenery, while the other is covered in snow and ice. The towering peaks block the cold air from the Ice Duchy. Muse found a hidden chamber there, sealed by a magic barrier, filled with strange and eerie objects, seemingly used to worship some Evil God. Muse can’t break the barrier, so she needs Athena’s help.”
…
Meanwhile, Athena had returned to the Imperial City.
She had to pass through here on her way to the border of the Ice Duchy, and she needed to replenish her supplies. Even with her strength and speed, the journey was long.
She knew it would be arduous.
Not to mention the freezing temperatures at the border, just that hidden chamber… To create a hidden chamber within a mountain and seal it with magic…
And although Muse couldn’t break magic barriers, her strength was great enough to shatter most of them with a single swing of her axe. The fact that she couldn’t break this one meant that the person who created it was very powerful.
Most importantly, the chamber was filled with eerie objects used to worship an Evil God.
Those associated with Evil Gods were all mad, violent, and powerful. She might accidentally alert the chamber’s owner while trying to break the seal.
But to store Lord Jie Luo’s soul fragment together with objects used to worship an Evil God… how preposterous!
Lord Jie Luo’s soul fragment was so pure, did they really think it was on the same level as those evil objects?
Those fools had no sense of propriety.
The thought angered Athena.
She shook her head, suppressing her anger, and glanced at the supplies she had gathered. It wasn’t enough. She was meticulous. Since this might be related to Evil God worshippers, the enemy could be incredibly strange and dangerous, unlike ordinary Demon Beasts.
Although her magic was powerful, it might not be effective against such beings. She would go to the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess later and ask Saint Monique for some holy water.
As she calculated, a smile appeared on her face.
This time, if she successfully retrieved Lord Jie Luo’s soul fragment, he would be so happy, right? His soul would definitely recover a bit.
She imagined him holding her, kissing her…
Becoming one with him.
Before leaving, she had wanted to… be with him… After all, it had been a long time.
Although it was unlikely that Jie Luo himself would appear, Qin Chu was… acceptable… After all, it was for Lord Jie Luo’s recovery. She could endure it.
Unfortunately, Qin Chu had been staying in his tent these past few days, not leaving at all.
Even Violet couldn’t help her. That tall woman’s strength was as formidable as her stature.
It seemed that Qin Chu had been indulging himself with Angelica, Anastasia, and Norma, which made Athena feel a strange pang of jealousy. After all, compared to Jie Luo’s gentleness, Qin Chu’s roughness had its own… appeal.
This thought startled her, and she shook her head, disgusted by her own feelings.
Qin Chu wasn’t Jie Luo. What he did with other women had nothing to do with her. Why would she be jealous?
Was she actually comparing Qin Chu to Lord Jie Luo?
Even concluding that Qin Chu was better?
This strange thought filled her with shame, as if she had become a shameless, wicked woman. She loved Jie Luo, so why were Qin Chu’s images sometimes even clearer in her mind?
Jie Luo, Qin Chu.
The images of the two men alternated in her mind.
The more she tried not to compare them, the more she couldn’t help but do so.
Both of them were Heroes.
Talent… No matter how unwilling she was to admit it, Qin Chu’s talent was superior to Jie Luo’s. With his two Super-tier abilities, his cultivation had skyrocketed. Compared to him, Jie Luo’s talent, although good, was far inferior.
Appearance? Qin Chu’s appearance was decent, not particularly handsome, but not bad either. Compared to him, Jie Luo was the type who would be lost in a crowd. His features were unremarkable, their combination… well, he was just a person, nothing more.
He had no particular charm, so why did she find him so captivating?
Before meeting Qin Chu, no other man had ever occupied her thoughts. No matter how outstanding they were, they seemed like flies and cockroaches to her, even talking to them made her want to vomit.
Was it because Lord Jie Luo had saved her?
Yes, a life-saving grace was immense.
It wasn’t strange for her to fall in love with him because he had saved her.
But what she couldn’t understand was, had this love blinded her, muddled her mind, making her unable to see Jie Luo for who he truly was? He didn’t have the looks or the charm to captivate all women… Honestly, he wasn’t that attractive.
But why did every woman who met him fall madly in love with him?
Herself, Ekaterina, Loseweisse, Sylph, Eileen, Airi, and many others.
Even after his death, their love hadn’t diminished.
Was it simply because of his title as the Hero?
But also as a Hero, why did she, Ekaterina, and Loseweisse feel such an aversion to Qin Chu? It didn’t make sense.
Qin Chu was indeed not a good person, he had even used Lord Jie Luo’s soul fragment to threaten her… But Athena knew clearly that this aversion had existed before he threatened her, even before he was summoned to this world.
Was this normal?
Now that she thought about it, she had willingly offered her pure body to Qin Chu, becoming the Second Hero’s plaything, just to resurrect Lord Jie Luo.
Wasn’t this love… twisted?
Her head ached.
Athena clutched her head. No… this wasn’t right. Her love for Lord Jie Luo hadn’t changed.
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