'Wait, I'm Supposed to Become a Goddess?! But I'm a Guy!'

"Another thing," Liam said suddenly, eyes snapping toward Mize’s face.

His gaze lingered, brief, starting from the delicate arch of Mize’s brows down to that too-smooth neckline, and then further down along the outline of that unfairly shaped body wrapped in almost translucent fabric.

Mize noticed, of course.

Noticed, but didn’t care.

If anything, he leaned in just a bit more. Their bodies were practically one at this point, the sheer silk of his nightwear doing nothing to stop the warmth of Liam's skin from bleeding into his own.

His chest moved with slow, deliberate breaths, rising and falling in a certain tempo.

Mize made no effort to hide it.

The way his hips shifted subtly under Liam’s hand, the way his lower lip caught beneath his teeth, it was all intentional.

‘Feel me up,’ his eyes seemed to say.

And then Liam spoke again, cutting through the room like a knife grazing skin.

“It’s a huge concern of mine.”

Mize blinked. “What is?”

Liam didn’t immediately answer. His hand, however, stayed on course, gliding down the curve of Mize’s waist, fingers brushing skin and silk with a possessiveness that was almost instinctive.

“Care to explain why the soldiers stationed in your shadow were forcibly expelled today?"

Mize blinked again, slower this time. “Huh?”

“It happened just before midday,” Liam continued, voice calm but unmistakably sharper.

“The tier threes I assigned to your shadow reported being forcibly ejected by some kind of... repelling force. One second they were in position. Next second, they were out.”

He tilted his head just slightly. “They told me it felt like a purification spell.”

Ah.

Mize’s expression shifted, recognition flashing in his eyes. “Oh. That,” he muttered, scratching his cheek lightly, embarrassed.

“Yeah… I think that was me.”

Liam raised a brow, not saying anything, yet.

Mize took a breath, tried to sit up straighter despite still being half-melted into Liam’s chest. “I created a new skill earlier today. Something to help me manage crowds, keep the obsession in check.”

Liam’s gaze narrowed slightly. “Go on.”

“It’s a passive,” Mize continued, fingers drawing soft little circles against Liam’s wrist absentmindedly, “that automatically repels abnormal states. Curses, illusions, things like that. I think… I think the soldiers were categorized under that by mistake.”

"Sorry?"

"I am not too sure, the details are vague"

His hands moved again, gesturing vaguely in the air as if that would help clarify the explanation.

It didn’t.

But the tone in his voice stayed sincere.

Liam hummed low in his throat, fingers tightening just slightly around the generous curve of Mize’s waist as he processed.

“So,” he said, “the path of a goddess lets you create spells... "

“Yeah.”

“But without a catalyst? A medium?”

“Nope.” Mize shook his head. “Just pure imagination... and whatever my mental strength can carry.”

Liam blinked once. “So the only limit is how much your mind can handle.”

“Mhm.” Mize nodded, a small grin tugging at the corners of his lips. “Absurd, isn’t it?”

“Very,” Liam muttered, still not over it. “That kind of freedom... It’s dangerous.”

Then, without warning, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Mize’s lips.

It wasn’t deep, but it was deliberate, slow, warm, and lingering just long enough to leave Mize’s face flaring red by the time he pulled back.

Liam smiled at the reaction. “Your abilities are tempting,” he said quietly. “But they’re also forbidden, Mimi. You shouldn’t tell anyone else about this.”

“I won’t,” Mize answered quickly, nodding with his cheeks beet red. “I-i know how risky it is.”

“Good.” Liam’s voice shifted again, tone lightening ever so slightly as he leaned back, dragging the edge of the blanket further over both of them. “And one last thing.”

Mize tilted his head. “Hm?”

“Tomorrow’s the final day before the first official kill event.” Liam’s gaze turned serious, but the way he brushed his fingers along Mize’s waist stayed gentle. “So we’ll conduct a battle test together.”

Mize blinked. “A battle test?”

Liam’s lips curved. “Think of it as our last dance before the chaos begins.”

"You have zero fighting experienced which is bad"

“Soo…” Mize mumbled, his voice soft as his arms gently pressed against Liam’s chest, hesitant yet undeniably warm.

“Do I... have to take part too?”

Liam chuckled, the sound low and fond.

“Yes,” he said simply, reaching up to pinch Mize’s nose with playful precision.

“Eep!” Mize let out a squeak, face scrunching as Liam continued to pat his long, silky white hair.

Each stroke of his hand was affectionate.

“This test tomorrow?” Liam went on, smile still intact, “It’s mainly for you.”

“Eh…?” Mize blinked, lips parting slightly as he faltered.

His breathing hitched, a moment too sharp, and Liam, caught it instantly.

Because even Mize knew, beneath the surface of his divine abilities and rare class titles, he was more like a dainty princess gripping a divine blade she could barely lift.

“Don’t worry,” Liam reassured, his hand trailing along Mize’s back in comforting sweeps. “I’ll make it easy for you.”

A pause.

“Let’s not think about it now. Sleep,” Liam added, pulling him in a little closer. “You’ve had quite the… unforgettable night.”

“I-I guess so…” Mize mumbled, offering a sheepish smile, equal parts awkward and guilty.

Of course, Liam’s words weren’t referring to the angel at the gate, or even the sudden burst of believers forming a new sect under Mize’s name.

No.

He was thinking of something else.

The silence stretched. Mize curled into Liam’s chest, face gently nestled against him, the faintest smile tugging at his lips.

He exhaled softly, body finally relaxing after a long, chaotic day.

Liam didn’t stop caressing his back.

He stayed still, half-lidded eyes watching the soft, rhythmic rise and fall of the sleeping figure in his arms.

His fingers moved absentmindedly, brushing strands of snowy white hair behind Mize’s ear.

Tonight had been a whirlwind. Emotions had ricocheted off every wall in Mize’s heart.

From sneaking in late, to being caught red-handed... or red-finned, technically.

And now here he was, peaceful, breathing softly in Liam’s arms.

But for Liam, the stillness brought reflection.

And with it… unease.

He hadn’t shown it earlier, but that moment, when he noticed the breach in the abyss, his heart had stopped.

He’d felt the formation stir.

Something was pressing on the castle’s protective barriers.

But when he searched, there was nothing. Just a single, flickering presence... small and almost laughably weak.

A fish.

A ridiculous, medium-sized fish that Liam immediately recognized for what it was.

Mize.

He had entered through the main canal, an entrance that should’ve been inaccessible, that led to a place no one in the territory should’ve known about.

That abyss.

Liam’s jaw tensed.

He deliberately created it that way, for something...

And within it, monsters lived there. For what reason exactly? He wouldn't dare to share his secret to the world, no one.

If Mize had swum just a bit deeper… a bit slower… if Liam hadn’t sensed him.

'What a headache, if I was a step slower, she would've died there'

'I need to barricade that whole place after this'

'and if she ever ask, I won't tell anything'

He might’ve lost her.

The one person who mattered most.

A soft sigh slipped through his nose.

By now, the room had fallen into a muted quiet. Mize’s soft breaths were steady, almost melodic. Liam looked down. His gaze lingered.

That face…

So peaceful now, yet capable of sending countries into madness.

The kind of beauty that didn’t seem to belong in this world. He found himself watching her with a quiet reverence, brushing a thumb along the curve of Mize’s cheek.

A trophy, or a partner?

He mused silently.

Fingers moved again, lightly pressing against the bridge of Mize’s nose, down to his lips, and eventually pinching his cheek just enough to feel the softness.

No response. Mize didn’t stir.

‘She’s resolved the madness effect huh, not bad' Liam thought, recalling the report from Elias.

'But it seems to work only on the same tier and those weaker than her'

'for me, it's useless... '

Then came the believers.

A manifestation of Mize's new project, an angelic presence at the gate, a spontaneous creation of faith.

It took an hour only.

There was a small congregation already wearing loose white robes adorned with golden flower insignias wandering around the town.

Each of them carried staffs that glowed faintly with light magic.

Liam’s thoughts raced.

‘Harapan huh?… According to Mize words, he was supposed to be a cheap copy her. A diluted version of Mize. Yet…’

He stopped stroking Mize’s face.

He remembered the report, the way how a building suddenly appeared, how quickly the church was raised.

'he inherited her abilities too?'

As if the believers themselves created it out of sheer will.

‘Is Harapan really just a lesser reflection? Or does he also carry a portion of that power?’

Mize hadn’t mentioned it. Probably didn’t even know.

The innate creation ability must’ve been inherited, albeit in a weakened, resource-hungry form.

And yet it worked. Just like hers.

Liam concluded.

'I would let them run free for now'

'As long as they doesn't interfere too much'

He exhaled, quietly.

Still, he’d let it be. For now, at least. If this was the path Mize wanted to walk, Liam would guard it to the end.

Even if the world twisted itself trying to interfere.

A faint smile pulled at the corners of his lips.

Leaning forward, he kissed her gently on the forehead, barely a touch, feather-light.

Then, finally, Liam let himself rest.

Wrapped in warmth, wrapped in her. His arms didn’t let go. His heart didn’t either.

Tomorrow would come.

But tonight, she was safe.

And he would make damn sure it stayed that way.

'I am afraid... '

'she is slowly becoming detached... And I am afraid I can't hold her anymore '