The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Willow sighed. “I kind of expected that.”

“I apologize for not being able to help.”

“Have you received this kind of offer many times?”

Elysia fell silent for a moment before giving a wry smile.

“Well, I don't think I've ever had this happen at least. The sect I belong to forbids marriage, so nobody would even try.”

Willow could see many things about her.

With the pheromone that instinctively repelled men who looked at her romantically, in addition to her membership in a celibate sect, no one would’ve tried to set her up with someone else.

“Gosh! This must be so hard for you.” However, Willow also saw something fundamentally different.

“What... are you talking about?” Elysia asked with her head tilted.

Willow quietly smiled, lightly brushed off her skirt, and stood up. “I'm going now. Thanks for talking with me.”

“Ah? Ah, yes. Go safely.” Elysia looked at Willow in confusion after she left her with a cryptic remark.

* * *

Willow's initial concern about Elysia being a succubus turned out to be unnecessary. She was nothing like the usual succubus.

The church in the small village was managed by a single cleric.

Willow approached the side of the old priest who was alone in bed, coughing up a storm in a dingy room.

His eyes lit up at the sight of her. “Ah! Are you an angel? Have you finally come to take me?!”

Sporting a complicated expression, Willow responded, “Not exactly, but I suppose you could say that's close enough.”

The reason she was there was simple. Willow rushed over to intercept Jeo-Seung, who had come to take the old priest's soul and bring him to the afterlife.

He hadn't been very happy at the inconvenience.

- No! Postponing the retrieval will...

Of course, she wouldn't be dissuaded.

- I'll guide his soul myself.

Willow brought a chair to the bedside and sat down.

He feebly stared into her eyes with hope and asked, “Am I... going to God’s side now?”

“Yes. You'll be there soon, but I would like to have a talk with you before you go.” Faint divine power gently emanated from Willow.

“You... you aren’t an angel.” He was sure of it.

“Why do you think that?”

“You're too holy. I haven't properly seen an angel, but... the power you emit feels different.”

“That's right,” she admitted. “I'm Willow, the Goddess of Harmony. I'm a lesser goddess who inherited power from Goddess Freyja.”

“Oh. How could I be so honored... I should get up and serve you some tea!”

“It's fine, you can just lie there. That’s already enough. I simply want to talk briefly before guiding your soul today.”

The old priest smiled faintly at her words. “I shall listen carefully.”

Willow decided to cut to the chase. “It’s about that woman Elysia. You know she's a succubus, right?”

“Yes, of course. How could I not know? I knew it from the first moment I first met her.”

“It hasn’t been long since the demon race and humans signed an armistice and began interacting on this continent. It’s so fresh that they've only just started living together in the unified cities. As a result, most kingdoms still don't think kindly of the demon race,” Willow said in a calm voice.

Instead of answering, the priest let out a painful cough, and she lightly waved her hand.

He could immediately feel an improvement in his health. “Amazing! My body feels as light as a new person!”

Willow just waved the praise away. “It was a simple fix. It's still hard to talk though, right?”

The priest was beside himself with gratitude. “How can I possibly repay this grace...”

“It’s fine. Your soul's karma is so pure that just this much is no problem at all, truly just a wave of the hand.”

Speaking calmly, Willow began fishing for information. “This kingdom, in particular, is hostile toward the demon race. You took Elysia in years ago, even before the war between humans and the demon race. It was a time when humanity as a whole only felt fear and hatred toward even the idea of demons. Yet, were you not afraid or resentful of her?”

His eyes quietly closed in contemplation. After a brief thought, he finally answered, “Goddess of Harmony, books are just books, and oral legends are just fairy tales.”

Willow realized she’d been worried for nothing, and gave a sigh, “Haaaahh.”

“The Elysia I met back then was just a small, frail girl who was hurt and crying. Haha. Then again, given her unique constitution, she might actually be older than I am.”

Willow’s eyes quietly closed, listening intently.

“That girl had so many wounds,” the old priest continued. “Still does, even. Wounds in the heart are deeper and more long-lasting than physical ones, after all. I took her in and tried many things for a long time, hoping she could finally realize she wasn't some horrible monster child undeserving of love. I wanted her to be happy.”

Eventually, his efforts finally bore fruit. Elysia slowly opened her heart to him and gradually concealed her true identity, blending in with the village folk.

“But there’s one thing I regret,” he admitted.

“Making the girl a priestess?”

“Goddess knows everything, indeed,” he remarked with a bright smile.

Willow snorted at the sight. “It’s not that I just ‘know’ it—I can see it. Want me to take a guess?”

“How dare I judge Goddess's insight...”

“Well. I'm not omniscient like Goddess Freyja, at least. Anyway, the church you belong to makes you dedicate your whole life to others. You can't even get married.”

The priest revealed a rare, bitter smile for the first time.

“I’m guessing you didn’t want your adopted daughter Elysia to be the same, no?”

After a moment of silence, he quietly looked at the ceiling in affirmation. “Yes, Goddess. You are right. Though I'm a priest devoted to Goddess Freyja, I don't want Elysia to live her whole life just for others and be alone.”

She found the irony amusing. “Fufu. Is it okay for a priest to say that kind of thing?”

“Perhaps. I guess that’s just a parent's love for their daughter.”

He was a devout person within the sect, but even he wished for Elysia, whom he accepted as a daughter, to live a normal life.

“Goddess, Elysia has almost no courage facing men. Because of that fear, she unknowingly constantly scatters pheromones that repel men who look at her romantically.”

That was the reason why no man tried to flirt with her despite being a beauty hard to find even in the royal capital, let alone such a small village.

“Furthermore, the doctrine of celibacy in this sect has prevented any new encounters from coming her way.”

He confided everything to Willow even though she was a stranger to him. That was because she was a goddess, just like the one he served.

“But she is a succubus. If she continues to live like this, she will eventually die prematurely.”

She needed affection—love and vitality.

She wouldn't die if she didn't consume it, but it wouldn't be good for her.

It would've been one thing if she'd found a lifelong partner, but Elysia was so innocent she'd never even held a man's hand.

Davey would describe her as a NBSB.[1]

It was a funny phrase.

The man went on, “Deep in her instincts, she definitely has a desire to shed her immunity and have a wonderful relationship.”

Willow was surprised to hear such an accurate analysis. “Elysia wouldn't have told you that directly, surely.”

“Even though we're not related by blood, I'm her father, Goddess.”

Willow gave a wry smile at his words. “Cleric, can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes. Please do.” He was thrilled to answer any questions she may have.

“Do you want Elysia to be happy?”

“Yes.”

She argued, “But if she stays a priestess, that won't ever change.”

“I can't say I disagree. She will live a long time, so at least it might be okay for now. But... if time passes and another ten or more years go by and she stays the way she is now? If her instincts then start to consume her reason?”

Unless this kingdom miraculously took a peaceful stance with the demon race, Elysia was bound to become a target for a witch hunt.

“I'm so frustrated. It'll be fine for now, but the hardship that’ll eventually befall her is too much...” He quietly shed hot tears.

Cough! Cough!!

His final hour was approaching.

“Ah. The end is coming now...”

“Is this all you’re going to do?”

He flinched at her question, unsure how to respond.

“Is this how you’re going to end things? With only complaints? Hey! You've served Goddess Freyja for such a long time already. Can't you at least throw a proper tantrum at her in the very end?”

Considering her urging, he offered a sorrowful smile. “God watched over me all the way to this moment, and that's why I came so far. I lived a happy life, and I even met my precious daughter. How could I ask for more?”

The light in his eyes slowly started to fade.

“This is your last chance to tell me the truth and make a request. I'm commanding you as a goddess, I won't forgive any more lies.”

He fell silent at her words, then began to tremble. “Please... help Elysia so she won't suffer and can live happily. Goddess of Harmony, please. Although she followed me and found her own sense of fulfillment, Elysia should have the freedom to find happiness elsewhere, too.”

Willow gave a broad smile at his heartfelt request, comforting, “Have sweet dreams.”

With those last words, his old body went limp, and she placed his soul in her hand to hold it close.

At the same time, a small soul stone hidden in her embrace reacted, encapsulating his soul.

She remarked, “It's a soul stone. A saintess’s soul stone, no less. It can keep your soul stable for a little while. I can't keep you alive until she eventually finds her other happiness, but I'll give the father and daughter time for one last conversation.”

Her eyes reddening, she quietly stood up.

Unaware that her foster father had passed away, Elysia was fast asleep in a happy dream.

Time quietly flowed, and the next day, she went to her father’s room to wake him up for his meal. Once she arrived, she couldn’t find a single word to say.

Even if it was only natural, and even if being welcomed into God’s embrace was a blessing for a cleric, it was still a sudden and cruel goodbye for Elysia.

1. No Boyfriend Since Birth. It’s my first time ever hearing it, too. ☜

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