The inconsistency of Fallen Goddess finally confused Amon. He didn't know what to do next. This didn't happen to the sorcerer often! After a second, it dawned on him. He had to speak—anything, in any way.
Too late. The Goddess had already interpreted his silence.
"Nothing to say? Lost your tongue?!" Fallen Goddess angrily tilted her head, tossing her long hair. "What did you find in her? Is she more beautiful than me? Smarter? Better in bed? I'm a thousand times better! I'm a goddess, and she's just a mortal. You can't even compare us!"
The Goddess angrily adjusted her hair and shot Amon a furious glance.
'Here it is, the pause!' the sorcerer quickly thought.
He was in an absurd situation. Fallen Goddess didn't like that he had chosen a female partner. What was the reason for such a violent reaction? Jealousy? Nonsense! But… what if the Goddess was true to her ideology? What if intimacy wasn't a deceptive plan to gain energy, but its essence, just like demons? This would explain a lot.
"Wait," Amon hastily said. "You misunderstood! You're not listening to me. The contract says I can't harm the monsters. And there are plenty of them with you! Think for a moment—how am I supposed to free you if I get raped on the way? You didn't leave me a choice. I need a monster-slayer. It just so happened that the one I found is a woman. But for me, she's just a comrade, a brother in arms, just like a man. Nothing personal, just business."
The Goddess smoothed her hair again, but now much more calmly. Amon realized he was on the right path.
"You have no idea how much her services cost me! If it were up to me, I wouldn't hire her for anything! It's a forced step, and believe me, it brings me no pleasure."
Fallen Goddess descended lower. Now, she was no more than a hand's width above the ground. The clouds overhead thinned slightly, and it became a little brighter in Pandemonium. Amon took the offensive.
"You're the one to blame! You forbid me to fight the monsters. I had to improvise. If not for the contract, I'd be traveling alone. What were you thinking when you wrote it?"
The sorcerer missed his mark. The logical argument had the opposite effect of what he expected.
"No, it's your fault!" Fallen Goddess exclaimed, cutting the silence. "And anyway, why should I think for you? You could have not signed it. A real man solves his own problems, not shift them onto fragile female shoulders!"
"I am solving them," Amon said, gritting his teeth, "With the help of a mercenary. And she's not fragile."
"You could've found a male helper!"
"There were no others in Al-Gord."
"How did you end up there?" Fallen Goddess asked without a hint of embarrassment. "I planned to send you to the Justice Empire."
Amon barely managed to stop himself from lunging forward to strangle the Goddess.
"I don't know what you planned, but I ended up in the Shivan Emirate! Oh, by the way, the wind blew me into the sea. Thanks, I had a nice swim!" Amon said sarcastically.
"Big deal, a little miscalculation! You distracted me when I opened the portal to the outer world," the Goddess retorted, shrugging irritably.
"Really, how?"
"How, how?" Fallen Goddess said vaguely. "I don't remember. But that doesn't change your guilt."
"It was all different," Amon objected. "I stayed silent and didn't move while you were creating the cocoon."
His words enraged the Goddess.
"You're still arguing?!" Fallen Goddess flared up, accompanied by the rumble of thunder. "Ah, if only we were in Pandemonium! I'd punish you so much… so much… I wouldn't let you go until you were completely submissive! Well, you'll submit to my power soon enough!"
"This is an illusion," the sorcerer cried out joyfully. "I was right, I'm not in Pandemonium!"
Amon's outcry interrupted the Goddess's tirade.
"What are you so happy about?" Fallen Goddess asked, confused. "Does it matter? You're still here, just mentally, through the priestess. It's safer than actual transportation. I know my priestesses well! They'll bring a man here, latch onto him like leeches—won't be able to pry him off."
"Of course, it matters," Amon cheerfully confirmed. "It means you can't do anything, right?"
"I can't," Fallen Goddess reluctantly admitted. She realized where the knight was going with this. "But it's temporary," she quickly added. "You'll free me. Or you won't. Either way, we'll meet in reality! And then…"
"That's not happening anytime soon," Amon said with undisguised glee. "I've got a whole six months. A lot will change in that time. You can't even imagine how much. If I were you, I'd be more polite. You're not the only goddess, you know. There's the Supreme One. I can ask her for help. Maybe she knows how to bypass our contract. So, hold yourself together. I'm more needed by you than you are by me. Right now, you're in a weak negotiating position…"
The Goddess's lips trembled. She descended, her feet touching the ground.
"…don't forget that," Amon finished ruthlessly.
Fallen Goddess shrank and sat on the ground. Tears glistened on her long lashes.
"Deceiver…"
The Goddess covered her face with her hands and began to cry. Amon froze. Of course, he suspected that Fallen Goddess was like a woman, but not this much!
"Deceiver," the Goddess gasped through tears. "I thought you were special… but you're just like everyone else… a traitor. You're all traitors…"
Fallen Goddess sobbed loudly.
"Why did I create you all… just misery… why did I save you…"