"Excuse me, does Lady Athena mean... she intends to stay here?"
Though nothing had been certain before, now that they'd met face to face, combined with the information woven into her words, even Erica—gifted though she wasn't in the art of Spirit Vision—could clearly see which deity stood before them.
"Indeed. Since my other half and my child are both here, this one sees no reason to leave."
Only then did Athena grace Erica with a glance, stating it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Moreover, the fool who pursues this one, hungering for my divine Authority—our destined adversary—will surely come knocking."
"Slaying him here, together with my child, would serve as a fitting judgment and punishment for that fool."
"Athena."
Melusine frowned.
"This one is not your child. Though born of the dragonkind, this one is a fragment of an existence connected to the planet's ley lines, originating from the very dawn of things."
She understood that communication with a Heretic God was difficult, and attempting to correct a Heretic God's delusions was frankly laughable.
After all, they were gods who had rebelled against their own myths, their so-called reason long since crowded out to some unfathomable corner.
But she also couldn't just accept getting herself a new mother out of nowhere.
It wasn't like she was playing some game, hoarding parents for herself.
"I see. Then how shall this one address you?"
Athena nodded in understanding, but her expression, smooth and unruffled, made it clear she hadn't been convinced.
Still, getting her to rephrase counted as a win.
"This one wishes to hear, not a title like Lancelot, but your true name."
Being the goddess of wisdom, she was curious why this child wore the skin of Lancelot, clinging to the concept of Steel.
But Athena didn't press.
This consideration wasn't born from fear, simply a mother's thoughtfulness toward her child.
Yet, thoughtful as she was, calling her own child by the name of a Steel God, a male deity, was truly something Athena couldn't stomach.
Nearby, Erica's eyes widened, her gaze fixed on Melusine with undisguised curiosity.
Come to think of it, she herself had always addressed her as 'Lady Lancelot,' even though she knew full well this woman wasn't the true Lancelot, and the woman had never claimed to be.
When introducing the name Lancelot, she'd said it was 'bestowed by His Majesty'—meaning it wasn't her original name.
Unfortunately, despite scouring countless books, Erica had never found a mythical figure who was female, a knight, and dragonkind, all while being granted the name Lancelot.
Just now, hearing Melusine claim to be part of a dragon connected to the planet's ley lines had already shocked Erica.
She'd been planning to continue her investigation into the goddess's true identity, but never imagined it might be revealed right here, right now!
Meeting both their gazes, Melusine's expression flickered with complex emotions for a moment before she finally spoke.
"Melusine... you may address this one as such."
"Melusine..." Athena repeated the name slowly, her expression shifting to one of slight bewilderment.
Erica, too, looked stunned.
Melusine.
The name wasn't unfamiliar to them.
In legend, she was a beautiful half-human, half-demon maiden with a serpent's lower body and dragon's wings, born of a human father and fairy mother.
But due to the sin of imprisoning her father in a cave, she was cursed to have her lower body transformed into a serpent every Saturday.
It was said that if her lover ever saw her serpentine form, the curse would strengthen and transform Melusine herself into a terrible snake.
And Melusine's fate in the legend, unsurprisingly, met with an accident.
In fact, while searching through material, Erica had indeed come across and considered 'Melusine.'
After all, there were only so many goddesses combining the elements of 'dragon' and 'female.' Thinking of her was only natural.
But... in what way was the Melusine before her actually 'Melusine'?
No... to be fair, 'dragon-serpent' and 'beautiful maiden' did match, yes... they did! But Erica's stronger impressions of Melusine were always 'knight' and 'powerful'!
Besides, Lancelot... no, Lady Melusine, didn't seem like the type to fall in love at all!
Erica simply couldn't picture this cool yet languid maiden becoming bashful and lovey-dovey.
Athena was also a bit surprised and puzzled, but she didn't dwell on it long.
Melusine's legend didn't align with 'dragon connected to planetary ley lines' at all, but that was par for the course with them.
Besides, Melusine herself had said she was only a part of that dragon. Surprising, but not worth being too shocked over.
"I see. Then this one shall call you Melusine." Athena nodded, accepting it readily.
Seeing Athena's reaction, Erica couldn't help but wonder if her own experience was just too limited.
Heretic Gods, by nature, rebelled against their myths. Maybe this was just how Heretic Gods were!
With that thought, Erica completed her self-hypnosis. Not wanting to embarrass Melusine, she silently tucked away her surprise.
Melusine hadn't expected to completely twist Athena's thought process anyway.
As long as she didn't cause trouble or do anything to spike her blood pressure, then, based on Amber's initial favorable impression towards her from watching the show, she could tolerate this degree of her 'rebelliousness.'
And since Athena had decided to stay by Melusine's side, she naturally wanted to foster a good relationship with her child.
Dragonkind weren't rare, but those who could take human form and possessed such power were exceedingly so.
A child so excellent and praiseworthy, even with a bit of rebelliousness, Athena would be biased in her favor.
Sensing their unfamiliarity, Athena decided to bridge the gap with conversation.
Observing Melusine's appearance and attire, Athena offered a gentle smile.
"As expected of Melusine (my child). You possess an unparalleled ability to adapt to your environment at all times. Even among all dragon-serpents, your intellect undoubtedly stands at the pinnacle."
Melusine followed her gaze to her own clothes.
They were everyday outfits Erica had picked out and matched for her recently, and Melusine rather liked them.
Then she looked at Athena's modern clothing, so different from other Heretic Gods, and understanding dawned.
Athena was, after all, a goddess close to humanity, representing wisdom, teaching skills, and bringing prosperity and flourishing.
Even as a Heretic God, seemingly indifferent to humanity and the world, a certain recognition of human civilization remained.
In Athena's eyes, her own clothing and behavior mirrored that sentiment.
As the goddess of wisdom, she equated Melusine's choice to wear modern human clothes with... wisdom. That must be it.
After attempting to fathom the mental workings of a Heretic God, Melusine promptly gave up.
Unsure how to respond, she simply brushed past the topic with a perfunctory reply:
"These are clothes specially chosen for this one by my attendant knight. Since there's no need for conflict between us, this one can permit you to stay here."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.