Chapter 93 - Resisting Athena's Seduction

Nathan Evenhart:

After the mission, my aunt left it to the soldiers and the commander of that troop to handle the loose ends. Their task was to deal with the hired workers and those kept in captivity. My aunt’s education program offered orphans the chance to grow up learning a trade and earning a salary, preventing them from becoming criminals out of necessity. Those orphans had been given full-time job offers, which included housing and care on the farm. However, the noble in charge wasn’t treating them according to the minimum requirements. My aunt planned to move them somewhere else, where they would be properly cared for. She also aimed to help the enslaved children find their families, if they had any. There was even the risk that some of them were people from other duchies who had been kidnapped and brought to work in ours.

The other workers would be detained, and if they confessed to their crimes, their sentences might be reduced. When a noble dies, it requires extensive bureaucratic work, and I learned that it’s even worse when it involves a political noble. There was a semiannual report delivered to the grand duke to ensure everything was in order. After all, a superior noble had the power to eliminate all the political nobility below him, who had been chosen by the kingdom in a neutral manner, and could then elect new political nobles at his discretion. For this reason, the kingdom paid close attention to certain incidents and coincidences, in case political nobles started mysteriously dying one after another.

A political noble has great influence over his land, and the kingdom didn’t allow the duke to have full control over them because if an entire duchy worked together, they could plot a rebellion. This conflict of interest among the political nobles was something the kingdom, behind the scenes, appreciated. After all, as long as these nobles fought among themselves, it meant they wouldn’t turn their weapons against the king. This is why the kingdom didn’t intervene when Nikolaus Wolves tried to force my aunt to give Chloe’s hand in marriage. To the kingdom, our conflict was an advantage, but at the same time, we needed to follow the rules of diplomacy. It’s a kind of silent conflict; neither side wants to attract the kingdom’s attention.

Aunt Margie wanted to eliminate the troublesome political nobles, but not with the intention of leading a rebellion. It was more because she simply couldn’t stand what they did, and since they formed that faction in the past to try and usurp my cousin’s marriage, she hadn’t forgotten it.

After the mission, I was subjected to a thorough examination by Martha and my mother to ensure I wasn’t injured. Even the professor came over to check on me. She said I had reached the limit of my mana, which was dangerous. I knew that, but I pushed myself at the end because I was confident I could defeat the other mages.

When I returned to the castle, I went straight to bathe in a large bathhouse with a hot pool. They said it was a reward for my good service to the duchy.

If I didn’t know the true nature of those maids behind their smiles, I surely would have been deceived. I don’t blame you, uncle, or you, Hugo… they are all very beautiful...

I never thought much about these things, but when I grow up, I’ll have to marry... and honestly, I wouldn’t mind if it were with one of those maids.

Wait! What am I thinking!?

I stood up from the hot water, a little perplexed by my own thoughts.

“Am I entering… puberty?”

I looked down at my “little friend.”

Oh, no! This is the worst phase! It’s the phase where teenage hormones go wild!

“Hahaha, want some help?” asked the goddess Athena, with a mischievous smile.

“Damn it!” I shouted, covering myself and sinking back into the water, trying to hide.

Goddess Athena was naked, bathing, and I quickly turned my back to her.

"Damn it! Get out! Disappear..." I shouted, trying to push her out of my mind.

"Are you sure? Don’t you want to see my body? That way, you can test if your little friend is responding to visual stimuli..." she whispered seductively in my ear.

"Go fuck yourself!" I jumped up and ran, quickly wrapping myself in a towel.

"HAHAHAHA!" She started laughing loudly.

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Damn it! Damn her!

I ran to get dressed, far away from the "haunting" presence.

"Icarus, don't be a naughty boy..." she teased, then added in an even more suggestive tone, "or better yet, come and be a naughty boy."

I'm screwed! Am I really going to go through puberty with this lunatic by my side? I'm seriously screwed...

I focused, trying to make Athena vanish.

Please, new body, remember that she is the woman you hate most in your entire life and don’t fall for her carnal temptations.

I kept repeating this mantra in my mind as I approached the mirror to check myself.

In this world, I had been completely reset and restored. My existence as Icarus was now fully influenced by the body of Nathan Evenhart. I felt everything that a person my age would feel; despite having the mind of a former General, I was still affected by the limitations of an eleven-year-old. Although I could bypass some of these limitations with my memories as Icarus, the biology of this body still had a strong hold on me. I would experience fear of losing someone I loved, just like a child, and... I would also go through puberty.

I’ll be exposed to the hormones of a boy at the peak of virility while being around Athena? I’m screwed! That crazy woman is going to torment me!

“I definitely will, handsome,” she teased, flashing her breasts at me.

I tried to ignore her and focused on myself as I looked in the mirror.

Touching my face, I noticed that I was starting to go through some physical changes.

“I’m losing my baby face. At least I know that eventually, when I become an adult again, I won’t be so influenced by hormones,” I murmured.

I examined all the changes in my body, even down to my “little friend” below.

“Oh! What’s this?” I noticed with surprise a few strands of white hair.

“Am I getting old?”

Was this caused by stress?

Looking back, I realized the apparition had disappeared. I went over to my dirty clothes, the ones I had changed out of after removing my assassin’s uniform, and pulled something out of my pocket.

“This red feather… I’m going to have to scold someone.” I sighed.

After getting dressed, I headed to my room. Since it was nearly dawn, I planned to have breakfast and then sleep to rest.

As soon as I entered my room and closed the door, something leaped at me from the darkness, grabbing and throwing me to the floor.

“Stop! You idiot!” I exclaimed, feeling my body enveloped in a tight embrace from the phoenix.

I pointed my finger at the ceiling and generated a light spark to turn on the globe of light.

“Enough… you’re crushing me with this deadly hug!” I complained to Cylla.

‘Naw!’ she responded, continuing to hug me. Cylla licked my face.

“Gross! I just took a bath!” I protested, but the quadruped phoenix ignored me, keeping me trapped in her deadly embrace.

I had to let her get her fill of affection while I was suffocated by her hug. She hated it when I went to dangerous places, and I had to explain everything to her, almost giving a full report, until she was convinced that I would be okay because I had others around to protect me.

“Hold on, don’t think I’m forgetting what you did,” I said, getting up.

Sitting on the bed, I pulled out a feather from my pocket.

"You left the castle and followed me to the mission site. What you did was dangerous," I said to Cylla.

She shook her head in denial.

"You did go there, don’t even think about lying... clever girl. Here’s the proof," I showed her the feather I had found.

Cylla moved closer to the feather and sniffed it.

"You can’t do that. You’re free to leave, but putting yourself in danger like that is unacceptable," I warned.

The phoenix shrugged, seemingly unbothered, and hopped onto the bed.

I guess trying to reason with her is pointless...

Cylla stopped beside me and tugged at my shirt with her beak, trying to get me to lie down.

"I’m not going to sleep now. I want to eat something before I rest," I replied, rejecting her attempt to manipulate me.

She persisted, tugging at my shirt again, trying to make me lie down.

"I’m not falling for that trick. You’ll just trap me in another hug," I said, getting up.

She started making noises, clearly complaining.

As I was about to leave, I turned back and gave her a kiss on the head.

"Thanks for worrying about me."

That seemed to calm her down, and I was able to leave the room peacefully.

As I walked down the hallway towards the area of the castle where we always had our meals, I noticed an animated conversation going on.

Please don’t let it be girl talk...

"My son, I’ve set your plate," my mother said as she saw me.

I looked at the table full of food. I knew I didn’t need that much, but my mother was worried about my first mission and just wanted to make me happy.

"Thanks, Mom," I said, going over to her and sitting at the table.

Aunt Margie and Adrihna were deep in conversation.

"Mom, you don’t have to worry about setting my plate... I’m a warrior," I said after she handed me the plate.

"It doesn’t matter if you’re a warrior, assassin, or soldier. You’ll always be my baby," she replied in that affectionate tone only mothers can pull off.

I guess you can’t argue with that... moms are unbeatable.

I chuckled internally.

"For your information, I’m even getting old," I joked.

"Don’t tell me you’re entering adolescence...?" she asked with a smile. "I’ll make sure the maids knock before entering your room..."

"What!? That’s not what I meant... of course not!" I responded, flustered.

Okay, moms are scarily perceptive.

"I meant that I’m even getting white hairs," I continued, still joking.

My mother laughed.

"You’re way too young to have white hair," she said, ruffling my hair.

"I’m serious, look," I said, pulling a strand of my hair and showing it to her.

My mother took the strand of hair, surprised, and stared at it.

"See? I told you," I said, trying to keep the tone light.

She continued examining my hair with a thoughtful expression.

"My son... this isn’t white hair. This is silver hair..." she said with a seriousness I didn’t expect.

Adrihna suddenly stood up, knocking over her glass.

"Si-si-silver hair!?" she exclaimed, staring at me. "The hair of a high elf!"

A heavy silence fell over the room as everyone stared at me.

Oops...