Now this boring arc finally ended
####
I was lying in the center of the training field, struggling to catch my breath. I hadn't managed to land a single hit on Tsubaki.
"How many times do I have to be humiliated before I can hit you even once?"
Tsubaki looked at me with her hands on her hips.
"You weren't humiliated. You almost hit me a few times."
"Of course, I was humiliated." I got up with difficulty. "Tomorrow, I swear I'll beat you."
"I highly doubt that. Even if I go easy on you, I don't think you'd be able to hit me."
"You're right… haha." I let out a weak laugh and walked over to the bench to sit down. As I sat, Tsubaki went to get some water for both of us. After handing me a bottle, she sat down beside me.
After a moment of silence, Tsubaki decided to break it.
"How did your talk with the Goddess go?"
"To be honest, I was a bit nervous."
"I can imagine."
"But I had to tell her to stop acting like that. She's being way too jealous, and it's frustrating."
"That's so strange…"
"Hm?"
"I never imagined the Goddess would be the jealous type. Well, I've never seen her with a boyfriend before, so… What did she say?" Tsubaki asked, practically bursting with curiosity.
So, I told her about our conversation.
I even told her about Nina.
"Nina… isn't she that maid?"
"Yeah, that's her."
"She likes you!? Hahahaha!"
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, it's just… I wasn't expecting that. It's obvious the Goddess would get jealous, you idiot. That maid is with you every single day!"
"But she asked Nina to stay away from me. Isn't that a bit much?"
"Is it? I'd do the same." Tsubaki's tone was serious. "If I had a boyfriend and he was really close to a woman who admitted to liking him, I'd be jealous too."
"..."
"Canceling our training and being jealous of me was a bit excessive, but in Nina's case, the Goddess wasn't overreacting."
Thinking about it… that makes sense.
If a man who liked Hephaestus started getting close to her, wouldn't I get jealous? I definitely would! To the point of wanting to kill him.
Now I get it…
In the end, Hephaestus agreed to let me remain friends with Nina.
'But I have to be careful. I can't act too friendly. Now that I know Nina has feelings for me, I can't give her any openings.'
"Why do you look so deep in thought?"
"I was thinking about what you said, and I think you're right. If a man who liked Hephaestus started getting close to her, I'd be insanely jealous."
"And there are plenty of them, you know? Even in our Familia."
"Hm? I've never met any of them."
"Why do you think you're so hated?"
"Isn't it because I used to be useless?"
"That's one of the reasons too. Hahaha." Tsubaki laughed. "But a lot of the members are jealous. You won over their Goddess—of course they're going to be jealous."
"Even the women?"
"Even them. A lot of them think you're not good enough for the Goddess, including me."
"..."
"But don't think that every man in the Familia is in love with her—just some."
"Like I said, I've never met a Familia member who was in love with the Goddess and hated me for dating her. Maybe Luck?"
"You won't meet them, don't worry."
"What do you mean by that?"
"No idea~~" Tsubaki grinned mischievously.
What did she mean by that?
Does that mean the men who liked Hephaestus and hated me… left the Familia or something? All of them?
####
*Hephaestus's POV*
*Sometime earlier*
I left the room and returned to the dining hall, but Nina was no longer there. She had cleared the table and was probably in the kitchen washing the dishes. Nina does most of the work around here.
And she has been for almost two years.
'I shouldn't doubt her. She was honest with me and admitted she likes Eryk, so I should trust that she won't do anything.' But honestly, I'm only having this conversation because of Eryk.
He got mad at me for what I did.
But isn't it normal to feel jealous?
I don't understand why he was so upset.
When I arrived in the kitchen, I found the cook and Nina. The cook was helping Nina wash the dishes. They were the only two who worked to take care of Eryk. Both cooked, and Nina handled cleaning our room and other tasks.
Essentially, they took care of both me and Eryk.
When he noticed me, the cook lowered his head.
"What brings you here? Was there something wrong with the food I made?"
"It was delicious, don't worry. I'm here to talk to Nina."
"Oh, then I'll take my leave for now." The man, Rodolf—a kind old man—left the kitchen, leaving only me and Nina. Nina kept washing the dishes, her back turned to me.
Is she pretending I'm not here?
"Nina."
I called her, but she didn't respond.
"Nina, we need to talk. I need to speak with you about Eryk."
"Nothing happened!" Nina suddenly turned around, her face red and eyes filled with tears. "Nothing happened between me and Eryk! Please don't fire me!"
"I'm not going to fire you."
Hearing my words, Nina stopped crying and widened her eyes. "Then why are you here?"
"I came to apologize. I'm sorry for the orders I gave earlier."
"Apologize? No, of course not! It's normal! You're his girlfriend, and besides, you're my boss. Of course, I'd respect your orders!"
"You don't have to stay away from Eryk. I should trust you."
"Goddess…" Nina's eyes filled with tears again. "Don't worry, I would never try anything. I would never betray you. Besides… Eryk would never accept me… Whenever he talks about you, he speaks so passionately… He loves you so much."
Nina had a sad expression, but then she suddenly smiled.
"Thank you, Goddess. For not taking away the man I love."
I was left speechless by her words. Tears began streaming down her cheeks.
I didn't expect that.
####
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Next chapters: Chapter 57 - Kicked out. / Chapter 58 - I want to reach the next boss. / Chapter 59 - Fight with the giant frog. / Chapter 60 - Simple Plan / Chapter 61 - Danger. / Chapter 62 - My leg! / Chapter 63 - Freya Familia.