"Ow~!"
The next day, inside the residence of the Goddess of the Hearth, a suppressed scream pierced through the morning mist.
The human-shaped figure lying face down on the bed suddenly bounced up as if electrocuted, letting out a miserable cry.
"Lighter... lighter... that's flesh, not dough..."
"Alright, alright. Bear with it for a moment; it will be over soon."
Sitting at the bedside, Hestia quickly reduced the strength in her hands and applied the medicine more carefully.
At the same time, she looked at the bruises covering her follower's body and could not help but complain.
"Athena really went too far. Bullying someone weaker and hitting so hard!"
"Exactly!"
As the victim, Lorne also complained indignantly.
However, because his reaction was too intense, he accidentally pulled on his wound again.
A needle-like stabbing pain immediately struck him, causing the muscles on his face to twitch uncontrollably as he bared his teeth in pain.
The result of last night's battle was obvious.
He stood up, then was instantly defeated.
There was basically nothing more to say.
After all, if the one he had encountered had been Hermes, who ranked near the bottom, or the reckless brute Ares, he might have been able to struggle a little.
But Athena's strength was obvious to everyone.
Even among the main gods, she ranked near the top, and she was also the Valkyrie who governed battle and victory.
Even if Lorne had made enormous progress, facing Athena, whose combat power was off the charts, he could only be pinned to the ground and beaten.
Moreover, that woman had even activated a full power mode. It was obvious she had been planning for a long time just to beat him up properly.
Thinking of the miserable experience of being seized and violently beaten last night, Lorne, who was lying on the bed like a corpse, felt extremely depressed and could not help turning his head, complaining to Hestia beside him.
"You too. Why did you give her the Sacred Fire?"
"I didn't. Isn't it on you?"
Hestia blinked innocently and patiently explained.
"Earlier, she said she wanted to use the Sacred Fire of Heaven to forge a set of holy armor for you to protect yourself. So I injected a portion of the fire I guard into it."
"What about you? Aren't you afraid of being discovered?"
"It's fine. That flame was originally the one Prometheus stole from Heaven. Because it was later stained with too much human faith, it formed an independent branch and can no longer be reabsorbed by the original flame. That is why Zeus allowed me to descend to the mortal world and manage the fire of humanity, which is used to worship the gods."
"So that's how it is. I thought you people directly overturned the altar of Heaven."
After hearing Hestia explain the whole cause and effect, Lorne finally let out a sigh of relief.
It was not the time to fall out with Zeus yet.
If they really smashed Olympus's entire arrangement, it would be too big of a move and would easily attract unnecessary trouble.
Fortunately, this was Prometheus's mess from before.
Even if the Sacred Fire had undergone some subtle changes during its inheritance, with that old brother Prometheus still hanging on Mount Caucasus, taking the blame, Zeus would not suspect them for the time being.
He certainly would not imagine that his good daughter Athena had already become rebellious to this extent.
But honestly speaking, the steadily growing rebellious streak of the Goddess of Wisdom could not be separated from the instigation of Lorne, the true culprit behind it.
"By the way, where is the Sacred Fire? How is it? Did the fusion succeed?"
At this moment, Hestia, beside the bed, could not help interrupting Lorne's thoughts and asked curiously.
The latter nodded, then slightly raised his hand and silently recited the divine words in his heart.
"The strong and powerful fire of light, the mightiest among all origins, I offer poetry and wine to you!"
In an instant, a golden flame burning and dancing appeared in his palm.
Like a bright lamp, it drove away the cold and illuminated the darkness, bringing warmth to the heart.
All negative emotions were swept away, and endless courage burst forth from within the body.
Looking at the flame dancing in Lorne's hand, Hestia could not help letting out a gentle sigh of relief, revealing a bright smile.
"Mm, it seems it succeeded. With it by your side in the future, I can feel much more at ease."
Feeling the genuine concern from Hestia, Lorne felt warmth rise in his heart.
The Sixth Incarnation, "Flame."
This was the manifestation of Hestia's divinity.
Its function was to remove all negative states and strengthen one's own divinity.
At the same time, it was also the fire of faith that connected human civilization.
When the user shared the same thoughts as believers and the people, powerful resonance could be achieved through strong emotional influence, allowing the gathering of the people's spiritual power and life force into powerful magic.
The purer the faith of the people around him and the stronger their emotions, the greater the magical power they could provide.
In theory, this incarnation possessed both the highest upper limit and the highest lower limit.
It held countless possibilities.
If it were fully developed and utilized, it might even surpass Athena.
Feeling that both his bones and muscles seemed to ache faintly again, Lorne bared his teeth while clenching his fist.
"When I get the chance, I will definitely make her taste what it feels like to get beaten!"
"No problem. When the time comes, I will help you hold down her hands and feet!"
Beside him, Hestia also swore confidently in agreement, looking ready to support her follower and help him vent his anger.
"Are you there? I'm coming in..."
A faint murmur came from outside the door.
That familiar voice made both master and follower in the bedroom shiver simultaneously, and they quickly forced bright smiles as they looked toward the figure entering the room.
Athena looked at the slightly distorted expressions of the two and asked casually.
"What are you talking about? You seem so happy."
"The weather is really nice today!"
"It's perfect for sunbathing!"
Hestia and Lorne instantly stiffened and answered without thinking.
Then they glanced outside the window at the sun that had not even risen yet, and both quickly looked away, feeling extremely guilty.
To avoid further embarrassment, Lorne let out an awkward laugh and took the initiative to change the topic.
"By the way, why did you come here?"
"I came to check on you and bring you a few letters."
Athena smiled slightly and beckoned outside.
Immediately, several snow-white owls flew into the room and landed on her shoulders, calmly grooming their feathers.
Looking at those little creatures' obedient and gentle appearance, Lorne's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly had a bad premonition.
"Hoo hoo~~"
Sure enough, accompanied by cheerful calls, the white owls used their beaks to untie the small letter tubes tied to their claws and delivered them into Athena's hands.
Judging from their skilled movements, this was clearly not the first time they had done such a thing.
Traitors!
Seeing this, Lorne cursed bitterly in his heart and then looked resentfully at the Goddess of Wisdom standing by the bed.
At this point, how could he not understand that the owl messengers wandering around the courtyard were all spies sent by Athena to keep watch?
Meanwhile, the goddess of wisdom slowly rotated the small letter tubes in her hand.
Her gaze swept over the familiar engravings on them as a bright smile appeared on her face.
"The Nine Muses, the Goddess of the Hunt Artemis, the Goddess of Memory Mnemosyne, and the Sea Goddess Thetis. You seem quite popular. So many people are concerned about you?"
"Th... that's all because of Lady Hestia's reputation..."
Lorne laughed awkwardly while explaining, beads of cold sweat appearing on the back of his neck.
"That's not true! I'm not even familiar with most of them!"
Hestia shook her head and snorted in rebuttal.
Then she looked gloomily at the patient lying on the bed, her silver teeth grinding with a creaking sound.
"So, shouldn't you explain what exactly is going on with them?"
"Just say it. It's only normal interactions. Aunt won't blame you. It's not a big deal."
Athena beside her also spoke gently, persuading him with an unusually reasonable tone.
Looking at the two goddesses standing before and behind him, Lorne swallowed and immediately straightened his neck, accusing them resentfully.
"Wasn't all of this done for you?"
"For me?"
Hearing the question, Athena could not help but freeze for a moment.
Taking advantage of Athena's moment of distraction, Lorne began counting on his fingers with a resentful expression.
"The Nine Muses and the Goddess of Memory, Mnemosyne, are important helpers for compiling books and legal codes. They must be won over. It concerns the future construction of Athens. Artemis was introduced by you people, and she isn't only familiar with me. In the beginning we gathered together because of the matter of Crete. As for Thetis, that time doesn't even need to be explained. You were the one who insisted that I go pull her feathers. There was no grudge or hatred, so I had to repair the relationship and make up for it, right?"
Listening to Lorne's explanation, Hestia nodded repeatedly.
It seemed that was indeed the case.
Without realizing it, this guy had secretly done so much for Athena.
'Clearly, I am his main goddess...'
Thinking this, the Goddess of the Hearth suddenly felt a little sour inside.
The way she looked at her niece beside her also carried a hint of vigilance.
(The End of This Chapter)