Chapter 307: Interlude - The Goddess’s Indulgence (2)

A soft, cozy sensation like fluffy cotton candy enveloped Kwon Oh-Jin, and a sugary sweet happiness flowed through him. Was this what it felt like to be in a mother’s arms? Of course, he never had a mother. Such a figure would only feel foreign to him. Still, he could vaguely imagine it to feel like this.

“

Mmm

.” He opened his eyes with a hazy sense of ease.

The exhaustion that had weighed on him disappeared, and his mind felt clearer.

He could see the tent’s familiar ceiling and silky, silver hair.

“Vega?”

“Are you awake now?”

Seated by his head, Vega gently caressed his forehead like a precious treasure.

“How are you feeling?” Vega asked.

“Much better, thanks to you.”

“

Hm?

I haven’t used any healing magic, you know.”

“Well, you know what they say, ‘A mother’s hand cures all.’”

“Oh? Are you saying you see me as a mother?” Vega smiled softly and continued to stroke his forehead.

It felt nice when Isabella patted him too, but even more comforting when Vega did it.

At this rate, I might really regress into a toddler.

Come to think of it, Song Ha-Eun and Isabella lately kept treating him more and more like a child.

Not that I dislike it.

If anything, he kind of liked it. He wasn’t the macho type to flip out over being babied.

“Where’s Ha-Eun and Isabella?”

“They seemed tired and fell asleep early.”

That made sense. They probably fought demonic beasts nonstop to find him and spent the whole night taking care of him.

“Are you sure it’s okay not to return to the Sanctum?”

“I still have a few hours left.”

That was a relief. After sleeping all day, he didn’t feel tired anymore. He wasn’t in any shape for training either. Without Vega, he would’ve just been bored.

As he wondered what to talk about with Vega, her face turned red as she hesitantly said, “

Ahem!

T-There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”

“What is it?”

“Well... I’ve done many things wrong recently, haven’t I?”

“

Huh?

What do you mean?”

Nothing came to mind. Sure, she hadn’t been able to help much during the fight against Behemoth, but that was due to the restrictions of the Law. She could’ve done anything.

“N-No! I’ve committed too many wrongdoings!” Vega shouted urgently.

Kwon Oh-Jin blinked at her in confusion. “S-So...”

She stumbled over her words, clearly struggling to come up with what exactly she meant by wrongdoings. Her golden eyes darted around as if searching for a good excuse.

“

Ah!

” she exclaimed as if she had thought of a good excuse. “Do you remember how I got overly angry at the Celestial of Felis when she said she would make you her apostle?”

“Oh, that?”

Sure, she had overreacted a bit.

“Well, that wasn’t a big deal—”

“If I hadn’t provoked her, maybe we could’ve settled things more peacefully!”

“Come on, you saw her personality.”

A wild cat like Felis wouldn’t change her mind with a mere conversation.

“B-But at least it might’ve bought you more time to think!”

“Well... maybe.”

He had to admit that was true. If Vega hadn’t provoked her, it would’ve given him more time to resolve the issue more peacefully.

“Then, it was my fault, was it not?”

“I mean, everything still turned out okay, didn’t it?”

With everything he owed Vega already, it felt wrong to criticize her over something so small.

“No! If one commits a wrong, one must receive appropriate punishment!” Vega leaned in.

He could feel her hot breath as her face grew closer. A strange eagerness filled her eyes.

“Punishment...?”

This is starting to feel sketchy.

“Y-You remember... something like this happened before, right?” Vega asked.

No way.

“Your butt?” he asked.

A memory he had suppressed began creeping back into his mind.

“A-Ahem!

T-That’s correct!”

Kwon Oh-Jin squinted at Vega, who was clearing her throat repeatedly and blushing. Her waist twitched like someone who needed to pee, and a strange anticipation filled her eyes as her breath grew hot and heavy.

No way...

Was she doing this because she wanted to get spanked?

N-No, come on. That’s too much.

Sure, Vega did have a strangely flustered expression the last time he spanked her. Still, Vega was a North Star Celestial who ruled over hundreds of others.

“Do you actually like getting spanked...?” The shocking truth slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

“I-I don’t like it! You’re mistaken! I-I am not such a shameless woman!” Her desperate denial only made her seem more suspicious.

Well, everyone has their preferences, I guess.

Even he had been caught off guard by odd feelings when he saw Song Ha-Eun and Isabella wearing animal ears and tails. Despite being a North Star Celestial, Vega was still a woman deep down. He respected her unique tastes.

“I said you’re mistaken! Do not look at me like you understand everything!” Vega shouted and smacked Kwon Oh-Jin on the back. “In any case, I must accept my punishment since I have sinned, or my heart will remain unsettled!”

“So, you want me to spank you again?”

“Y-Yes, that is correct...” Vega trailed off and slightly turned.

The curve of her hips, visible beneath her dress, made his heart race.

This is driving me insane.

He never expected Vega to make a request like this.

Still, I can’t just say no.

She was already blushing like her face would explode. If he outright refused now, it’d be like awkwardly running into an ex at a classmate’s wedding.

“A-Are you not going to?” Vega nervously asked.

Kwon Oh-Jin sat up as if it couldn’t be helped.

Smack!

In the late hours of the night, when even the insects were sleeping, a sharp sound and a quiet cry echoed faintly through the misty forest.

***

Riarc softly sighed, “

Haaa

.”

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he shifted into his wolf form.

“As expected, moving outside the Sanctum isn’t easy.”

Even if the restrictions of the Law had loosened slightly, he still couldn’t fully unleash his full power. This left him feeling frustrated.

Still, I can move much better now.

Thanks to his fight against Horus, the wall that had blocked him for so long had shattered. Finally, he felt a real sense of improvement.

“

Ugh

.”

However, he hadn’t broken through that wall purely by his own strength or willpower. He hated to admit it, but he would’ve never been able to destroy that wall or free himself from the guilt of his past without Kwon Oh-Jin.

“Come to think of it, I heard he’s awake now.”

Supposedly, Kwon Oh-Jin had fallen right back asleep from exhaustion.

“

Tsk

, what a weakling.”

To collapse after fighting a single oversized cat, how pathetic.

Saying things he didn’t really mean, Riarc grumbled under his breath.

“I guess I should at least go take a look at his pitiful state.”

He had already cleared out the nearby demonic beasts around the tent, but didn’t feel comfortable returning to the Sanctum. Complaining under his breath about the trouble this kid caused him, Riarc made his way toward Kwon Oh-Jin’s tent.

As he got closer, he heard an odd sound like a wet leather strap slapping something.

Smack!

“

Hmm?

”

It didn’t sound too loud or aggressive.

Did a bug get in or something?

Riarc cocked his head and looked at the waterproof tarp covering the entrance. Isabella had torn a hole in the entrance, so he peeked in slightly through the tarp. There, he saw Kwon Oh-Jin spanking Vega’s butt.

“

Ugh!

I-I’m sorry!” Vega apologized.

“Didn’t you say anyone who committed a wrong must be punished?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

Riarc’s eyes widened. “W-What the...?!”

He went into pure shock as if lightning had struck him. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Rather, he didn’t want to believe it.

W-What the hell is going on?!

Riarc held his breath and listened to their conversation.

“F-Forgive me, my child!”

“No.”

Forgive her? What crime could Vega have possibly committed against Kwon Oh-Jin? Even if she had done something wrong, how could a mere human dare to lay hands on a Celestial and punish her?

W-Why is Lady Vega...?

Riarc couldn’t understand Vega’s behavior even more. More than anyone, she should know that Kwon Oh-Jin’s actions were incredibly disrespectful and worthy of being severely punished. Why was she just lying there and accepting this spanking?

D-Don’t tell me...!

Riarc’s eyes widened once more.

Could Vega have some kind of weakness that Kwon Oh-Jin discovered? He had no idea what her weakness could be, but her behavior made no sense without such a reason.

“T-This monstrous scum...!”

He had once been grateful to Kwon Oh-Jin for helping during the Horus incident, but to think Kwon Oh-Jin would be doing this kind of wicked thing behind the scenes.

“

Grrr

.” Riarc felt enraged.

Seeing Vega, who had saved his life and made him her Star Spirit, crying out like that caused a wildfire in his heart.

Riarc fully transformed into a werewolf and tore open the tent with his claws. “You bastard! What do you think you’re doing to Lady Vega?!”

Vega and Kwon Oh-Jin both turned toward him with stunned expressions.