I don't think my eyes had ever widened as much as they did when Equidna told me that. For a moment, I wondered whether this was some kind of sick joke.
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah," she said, her expression unwavering. "Hel, the goddess of the dead, is the one who granted me my blessing."
"That's quite shocking to hear. You don't seem like the kind of person who would receive a blessing from her. You're not… How should I put it…"
"A bad person," she said, as though reading my thoughts.
"I'm sorry, but that's what popped into my head, even after you told me to listen with an open mind."
I was embarrassed that she had read me like an open book. I didn't want to think badly of someone who had helped me so much. But her face showed no disappointment in me.
