"This person is definitely humoring us."
Erica muttered to herself, looking at Ares, who was clearly not effeminate and full of masculine charm, yet insisted on feigning shyness like a maiden.
However, this time, Ares was indeed not lying. Due to Zeus, the family situation of the Gods of Olympus had always been complicated, and he truly wanted to kill his father, Zeus. Now, it seemed his half-sister Athena had indeed taken a commission from The Fates, intending to eliminate him within two hundred years.
Anyway, he was telling the truth; whether Erica and Liliyana believed him was none of his concern.
"Alright, your curiosity has been satisfied. Shouldn't you give me the item now?"
Ares spread his hands and said,
"Don't worry, I won't let you give it for nothing. Since that item belongs to you, I will naturally compensate you later."
"Actually…" Erica blinked, a cunning smile like a fox appearing on her face. She pointed to Kusanagi Godou beside her and said to Ares, "The true owner of this grimoire is this young man beside me. As you can see, he is not from our magic world. I think Mr. Ares should want to ask for his opinion, right?"
It has begun.
Ares looked at the blonde girl, knowing that she was finally starting to play her little tricks on him. Some in the magic world called this girl a "vixen," referring to her cunning, and Erica herself seemed quite proud of it.
Unlike Liliyana, Erica had no experience facing God Slayers in her childhood, nor had she encountered a complete God of Disobedience like the God King Melqart. For her, God Slayers and Gods of Disobedience were merely legends existing in the words of elders and in ancient texts.
Coupled with the fact that she had recently encountered and fought against divine beasts transformed from the incarnation of the Persian God of War, Veleslana, in Cagliari and several other counties, she probably felt that the so-called Gods of Disobedience and God Slayers were "nothing special" after their battles.
Although she couldn't defeat him, this still gave her the confidence to play tricks and try to scheme in front of Ares.
After discovering Erica's intentions, Ares did not immediately fall out with her. He smiled slightly and continued to guide Erica to speak further:
"Then you ask him, ask him if he agrees or not?"
"As you wish."
Upon hearing this, Erica showed a confident smile. She turned her head and pretended to converse with Kusanagi Godou beside her. At this moment, Liliyana, sitting next to Ares, also immediately said to Ares with some nervousness:
"Mr. Ares, Erica means no harm. Please be magnanimous and don't…"
"Don't worry, I know what she wants to do, and I know the limits." Ares waved his hand, interrupting the silver-haired girl with a single ponytail, and said in a low voice, "But she still needs a lesson, otherwise she'll truly think that God Slayers are figures she can ride roughshod over and scheme against. This is just because she met someone like me with a good temper. If it were other God Slayers on your side, I estimate she wouldn't even know how she died."
Liliyana held back her words. Her eyes flickered, likely recalling the old man who had cast a huge shadow over her childhood.
Meanwhile, after a feigned conversation with Kusanagi Godou, Erica looked at Ares with a feigned expression of regret, saying to him with difficulty, "Mr. Ares, I have asked him for you. He said that this grimoire can be given to you, but he has one condition."
"What condition again?" Ares asked, following suit.
"The Prometheus Scripture can be given to you, but he must go with you, even if it's just to watch from afar," Erica said. "Mr. Ares, I think it would be good for him to see it, and it can also display your divine power before mortals…"
"You keep making demands, do you think I won't get angry?" Ares looked at Erica Brantelli with a playful expression and asked.
As he spoke, he also deliberately released a bit of his divine aura, carefully controlling it to be slightly more than that of a divine beast, but still within Erica's tolerance.
Indeed, after feeling the powerful but not unimaginable aura emanating from Ares, Erica's expression became more confident. She simply stood up, placed one hand over her heart, and extended the other, displaying her courage to Ares in a manner akin to a lady giving a speech:
"O King, it is our honor that you are willing to actively crusade against the Gods of Disobedience who bring disaster upon us. However, I, Erica Brantelli, am also a Great Knight from the Red Copper Black Cross, and this seemingly ordinary young man beside me also possesses a knight's heart. Protecting the safety of the people is a knight's glory and mission, great King, please grant us an opportunity to prove ourselves."
"Oh, you are quite brave. I am impressed with you." Ares first feigned interest, nodding up and down at Erica. Then, the moment Erica showed a successful smile, his expression suddenly changed, and he said with a grim face, "You thought I would say that, didn't you?"
A pressure several times greater than before erupted from his body, making Erica and Kusanagi Godou across from him turn pale, sweat profusely, and gasp for breath. At the same time, Ares continued coldly,
"Erica Brantelli, don't think that just because others have flattered you so highly, you can scheme against God Slayers. If Marquis Voban were here, you would already be dead. You refuse a toast and choose a forfeit. Since you won't listen when I speak to you nicely, I will directly use the methods of God Slayers. Will you hand it over? If not, I will go directly to your Red Copper Black Cross headquarters and have a good chat with your uncle Paul."
After speaking, Ares withdrew his imposing aura, and the two people opposite him gasped for breath as if they had just been rescued from drowning. At this moment, Erica, a Great Knight, and Kusanagi Godou, still an ordinary person, seemed no different.
"I'll ask again." Ares extended his hand once more and asked, "The Prometheus Scripture, will you give it or not?"
Erica Brantelli and Kusanagi Godou exchanged a grim look. The blonde girl ultimately dared not harbor any further thoughts against Ares. She shook her head at Kusanagi Godou, saying something to persuade him, and after gritting his teeth, the latter finally reluctantly opened a satchel he carried, took out the slab-shaped grimoire inside, and handed it to Ares.