Astraea immediately covered her luscious lips with her palm and let out a soft laugh, creating an elegant melody of laughter amid the silence of the night.
"We women are indeed born with sharp intuition that sometimes borders on having a sixth sense." She said, a playful yet meaningful glimmer in her eyes. "So, my advice is, never try to lie to or deceive a woman if you don't want everything in your life to end badly."
"..."
Charlie could only smile faintly, taking those words as both a tease and a subtle warning directed at him.
However, he knew their time for relaxation was over. Their lighthearted conversation had gone far enough.
Next, with his expression turning extremely serious, Charlie began repeating the entire conversation and explaining the radical plan he had previously presented to Hera.
He laid out his ambition to purge the Lower World of all divine existence, right down to the details of sealing Heaven.
Throughout the entire lengthy discussion, Astraea did not interrupt him even once.
Although everything coming out of the young man's mouth sounded utterly unreasonable, the Goddess of Justice proved to be a remarkably cooperative listener.
"..."
Ten minutes later, Charlie finally finished explaining every important aspect of his grand plan, to the point that he could feel his throat becoming extremely dry.
Astraea stared intently at him, allowing the silence of the night to linger for a moment before she finally spoke.
"So, what exactly is your purpose in coming here and telling me about this plan?"
"Aren't you at all afraid that I might leave after this and reveal everything to the other gods?"
Hearing the question, Charlie merely shrugged casually, completely unconcerned.
"Even if you went and told the other gods about this entire plan right now, they would never believe you, Goddess Astraea."
"Instead of preparing themselves, they would simply make fun of you, dismiss it as some ridiculous joke, and then burst into laughter."
"..."
Astraea fell silent, unable to deny the truth of his words.
The arrogant and entertainment-hungry nature of the gods would indeed lead them to react that way.
"However, there is still one thing I'm curious about." Charlie leaned forward slightly. "I don't quite understand... why you yourself don't seem to have doubted a single word I've said this entire time?"
A gentle and captivating smile appeared on Astraea's beautiful face as she slowly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her delicate fingers. The graceful gesture immediately revealed the smooth, pristine skin of her neck beneath the moonlight.
"It is true that everything you said earlier sounds like the ramblings of a madman, Charlie."
"In the eyes of the world, you are currently nothing more than a Level 6 adventurer, yet you possess the outrageous ambition of expelling every god from the Lower World and then recklessly sealing Heaven so that we can never return."
"Anyone who heard such an absurd premise would immediately brand you as mentally deficient."
Astraea paused for a moment. The corners of her eyes dimmed, revealing an expression that seemed deeply complicated and full of contradictions.
"But..."
"My logic and reason currently tell me that all of this is nothing more than a fictional lie that is impossible... yet at the same time, the deepest part of my heart completely believes every word you've said."
Charlie was momentarily stunned by Astraea's response. He slowly leaned his back against the chair again as he gazed up at the star-filled night sky.
"A paradox between rationality and emotion, huh..."
"So, Charlie..." Astraea looked at him, her gaze suddenly softening, a faint tremor running through her voice. "Did you tell me all of this... because you wanted to say goodbye?"
There was a faint yet unmistakable sadness in her heart.
Imagining that she might never be able to meet Charlie again in the future, Astraea realized that she did not like a future like that.
Of course, Charlie could sense the sadness of the Goddess of Justice before him.
After all, he was not some dense and oblivious beta male protagonist who was blind to the feelings of the women around him.
"Ah, no, no! Please don't misunderstand, Goddess Astraea."
Charlie hurriedly waved his hands in panic, trying to dispel the suffocating atmosphere that had suddenly enveloped them.
"This isn't a farewell at all, not in the way you're thinking right now."
Astraea raised her head, her beautiful pupils staring intently at Charlie's earnest face.
"Then... if this isn't a farewell, what do you mean by all of this?"
Charlie adjusted his sitting position and looked directly into her eyes with an expression of determination.
"I want to give you a fair choice, Goddess Astraea."
"Do you want to remain in the Lower World until you grow bored? If someday you feel satisfied with playing around and observing the world, I will personally escort you across the seal and into Heaven."
"I made a similar offer to Goddess Hera and Goddess Aphrodite before."
Hearing the names of the two other goddesses, Astraea's curiosity was immediately piqued.
"And what choices did the two of them make?"
"Goddess Hera decided to return to Heaven immediately." Charlie answered honestly. "For her, as long as she could reunite with Zeus, there was no longer any reason for her to remain in the Lower World, especially after all the precious members of her Familia had been destroyed and perished."
Astraea was momentarily stunned by this before a faint, understanding smile appeared on her luscious lips.
"A choice that suits her perfectly."
"That really is consistent with Hera's possessive and stubborn personality whenever it comes to matters concerning her husband."
"And what about Aphrodite?" Astraea asked again, waiting to hear what the Goddess of Beauty had decided.
"Goddess Aphrodite made the exact opposite decision from Goddess Hera."
A trace of awkwardness appeared in Charlie's gaze as he recalled that moment in the Far East.
"She chose to remain in the Lower World. Her reason... was that she said she liked me and wanted to continue being with me."
Hearing this, Astraea furrowed her beautiful brows.
Her mood, which had just begun to improve, suddenly became considerably worse for a reason she could not rationally explain.
"Aphrodite really hasn't changed at all, has she? She always follows her heart without caring about boundaries."
However, a second later, Astraea let out a soft sigh.
"But I have to admit... sometimes I feel a little envious of how brave and straightforward she always is."
After making that comment, Astraea stared straight at Charlie, steeling her resolve before finally saying something that truly shocked the young man.
"I've made my decision, Charlie."
"I'll make exactly the same choice Aphrodite made."
Still not understanding the hidden meaning behind that sudden decision, Charlie nodded innocently with a faint, relieved smile.
"Ah, I see. So Goddess Astraea has chosen to remain in the Lower World to seek entertainment—"
"You're wrong, Charlie."
Astraea interrupted Charlie before he could finish his sentence.
Leaning forward slightly, she looked directly into Charlie's eyes, not a trace of hesitation remaining in her gaze.
"My reason for choosing to remain in the Lower World has absolutely nothing to do with satisfying my boredom or simply seeking entertainment."
"Didn't I just say that I made the same choice as Aphrodite? That means... I like you too, Charlie."
"Huh?"
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