Diary of the Improper Monster Girl Transformation.

Chapter 503 The Goddess Bows Her Head (6K views, please subscribe!)
"Meow!!?"

A startled meow rang out in the quiet space.

The Ice and Snow Goddess couldn't hold back any longer and let out a bewildered exclamation.

What did I just see?
Surprisingly, Freya was the first to bow to Herbert.

Meow meow meow?
The kitten didn't understand, but was deeply shocked.

Even if the Ice Goddess isn't usually very bright, she's still a genuine deity and can understand what this means.

As a deity, and the nominal chief deity of the natural pantheon at this moment, He actually took the initiative to bow and pay homage to a mortal.

Although it was just a nod, the implications of it were enough to shake the entire pantheon, and even the gods themselves.

And for Fulingya to bow her head like that must be very embarrassing—I'm doomed, meow!

Put yourself in someone else's shoes. If someone saw you looking foolish, you would definitely want to take it out on them.

Upon realizing this, Hecaias's first reaction was to close her eyes and then sneak away.

Meow meow meow!
I didn't see anything, meow!

Sister Fulingya, please don't cause me any more trouble!
But clearly, this idea is a bit far-fetched.

How could such a big cat, which even transformed into human form, escape so easily?

Just as Hecaias showed a slight sign of slipping away, Freya's gaze happened to sweep over, causing the kitten to immediately withdraw its tentative little paw.

!!!

Just as the Ice Goddess was trying to be friendly by shrinking back with a sheepish smile, she noticed that Herbert beside her was slowly raising his head.

Upon reflection, Hecaias realized that while Freya bowed in greeting, Herbert was not accepting it with a clear conscience, but rather bowing in perfect sync with Him.

call--

Upon discovering this, the Ice Goddess breathed a slight sigh of relief, feeling that the situation wasn't as bad as she thought.

Herbert wasn't so stubborn as to make a goddess, the ruler of a pantheon, bow down to him.

Unlike some people who say they only want attitude but actually want to exploit others, Herbert didn't ask for much; he really just wanted an attitude.

The moment the goddess showed her kindness, he also showed her respect.

Respect is mutual.

If you respect me, then I will respect you.

After Herbert bowed, Freya, though also showing goodwill to a mortal, did so in a way that could be interpreted as her personal approval of Herbert.

"hehe."

Freya was quite satisfied with this, and looking at Herbert's natural smile, she joked, "Are you satisfied now?"

"Ms. Mori is joking."

Herbert smiled and bowed again: "I am grateful that you have shown such respect to an ordinary paladin like me. I have no question of being satisfied or not."

Hearing this, Hecaias, who was about to slip away, wanted to criticize Herbert's hypocrisy.

Hey!
You rascal, that's not what you just said, meow!

However, He wasn't stupid; He knew He couldn't say these words aloud, otherwise the two people present would feel awkward, or even join forces to punish Him for being so talkative.

Not wanting to be beaten, the cat obediently shut its mouth, shrank its neck, and moved to the side, leaving the space to the two of them.

The Ice Goddess transformed back into her beast form, tucked her hands into her pockets, and huddled among the tall flowers and plants, trying her best to conceal her presence and pretending to be just a plush toy.

Okay, you guys chat, I'll shut up.

Well behaved.JPG
Herbert and the other man noticed the adorable antics of the snow kitten, exchanged a glance, and shook their heads with amusement.

You silly cat, if you really want to run away, why don't you just deactivate your disguise? Who can stop you then!

However, since the Ice and Snow Goddess had chosen to stay, the two of them had no intention of driving her away, and let her pretend to be dead while she was lost in thought.

"Ms. Mori, we've finally met."

Herbert spoke first, smiling, "I knew you would summon me, but I really didn't expect you to invite me here directly."

"Oh?"

Freya raised an eyebrow, not expecting Herbert to use this as a starting point to begin the conversation, and asked, "You actually know what kind of place this is?"

"of course."

Herbert nodded, raised his hand and gently touched the flowers in front of him, his movements soft and graceful.

"This is the sacred realm of nature, the only holy place in the hearts of countless druids, and the divine kingdom of the Lord of Nature."

The Sanctuary of Nature holds a very special place in the hearts of druids. Countless druids spend their entire lives striving to establish a connection with the heroic creatures within, summoning them and making them contractual partners.

Any druid who is summoned by the Sanctuary of Nature and enters it will be regarded as a gifted prodigy by the Druid Order and will be given a lot of resources to cultivate.

Herbert chuckled as he sensed the shyness emanating from the flower, released his lewd hand, and shook his head with a sigh.

"It's a pity I'm a paladin and not a druid, otherwise I'm afraid I would have been moved to tears."

“Herbert, it’s not impossible for you to become a druid if you want to.”

"Oh?"

Herbert blinked at Freya's sudden words, waiting for her explanation.

"Don't be surprised. I can see that you have a great talent for the way of nature. Compared to your affinity with plants, you have an even greater talent for getting close to animals."

The Goddess of the Forest looked at the young man who had reached the pinnacle of legend at such a young age and felt a sense of emotion.

This guy's talent, even just the surface and the part that was discovered, was enough to make even the goddess sigh.

The qualities of a vessel of the gods, an innate and extraordinary resistance to all kinds of magic, a physical talent comparable to that of a dragon, and a dazzling array of blessings upon his body...

Even the most outstanding descendants of the gods might not be able to match half of him. It is estimated that only the true sons of the gods, who are placed on high hopes, can barely keep up with him thanks to their fathers' doting love.

No wonder Herbert was chosen by the sun god to be the new saint; no god could resist such an extraordinary talent.

If it weren't for the fact that she didn't sense any favoritism from the world in Herbert, Freya would have suspected that he was the chosen one of this generation.

The chosen ones, also known as the "chosen ones" or "chosen ones of the world," are the true trendsetters of their time, beloved by the world and regarded as the most dazzling beings of their era.

The chosen one of the previous plane was the biggest winner of the chaotic era of war between the ancient gods and the new gods. He rose from a mortal to become one of the most powerful beings in the pantheon in just three hundred years of chaos.

Freya was eager to know just how amazing the chosen one of this generation would be if even a genius like Herbert couldn't become the chosen one of the plane.

"Or perhaps, it's just not the right time yet..."

However, not every era produces a chosen one; such unique beings only emerge in the most turbulent and chaotic times.

Even without the title of Chosen One, this young god-slayer is dazzling enough to have attracted the attention and bets of many gods.

As far as Freya knew, there were two powerful ancient gods, the Sun and the Moon, the former who chose him as a saint and the latter who gave him a prophecy.

Not to mention, Herbert was also under the watchful eye of that Lord of Lust.

Although that person's attention was no less than a malicious curse, Herbert's ability to ignore it was enough to prove his worth.

If possible, Freya also hopes to place her bet on Herbert and make him a member of her camp.

Therefore, He tolerated the little tricks of a certain cat who was turning its elbow to outsiders, allowing Herbert, an outsider, to enter the Forest of Enlightenment as an exception.

Even though she noticed Herbert's abstract handling of the two hounds, she suppressed the urge to complain, turning a blind eye and pretending she hadn't noticed anything.

Herbert did not disappoint Freya, and actually awakened the [Heart of Nature], the most top-tier talent for the Way of Nature.

If only he were a druid.

After sensing the changes in Herbert, Freya couldn't help but hope for this, and at this moment she couldn't hold back and directly revealed her own bargaining chip.

"If you become a druid, the natural pantheon will be your support and fulfill all your needs."

In an attempt to win over Herbert, Freya simply stopped acting and began speaking ill of the Sun God.

"Compared to Ebersta, which is currently in a special state, the nature pantheon can offer you greater assistance."

Although the nature pantheon has declined somewhat, the sun god is also in a bad state, so he wouldn't be afraid if they faced off.

After witnessing Herbert's extraordinary abilities firsthand, his value in Freya's eyes was greatly increased, even surpassing the potential conflict between the two pantheons.

"..."

Since the other party's goodwill was so direct, Herbert certainly couldn't pretend not to know, so he suppressed his smile and thought about it seriously for a moment.

"Madam, please allow me to decline your kind offer."

Herbert didn't deliberately give an ambiguous answer to drag things out, giving up the benefit he could have gotten for free, and smiled:

"I think that right now, you need a paladin who is good at destruction more than a druid who is good at creation, right?"

Although Freya was disappointed by Herbert's direct rejection, she wasn't too disappointed since it was just a try without much hope.

"...As expected, it's not so easy to win over a genius like you."

He gave Herbert a deep look, nodded, and acknowledged his statement: "It seems you know very well why I found you."

"Yes, I know very well."

Herbert nodded and said softly, "It's not hard to guess. Anyone with a certain understanding of the nature pantheon can easily guess your situation, plus what you've been through before... Heh."

"If I were to make an irresponsible guess, this is the most likely scenario right now."

"The pantheon of nature is not of one mind. You, as the acting pantheon lord, cannot win the hearts of the people. There is a group of ambitious people within the pantheon who are about to be suppressed and may attack you at any time."

"The solution is quite simple: if you don't want to watch the pantheon descend into chaos, you must find a way to take the initiative and resolve the problem before everything becomes completely irreversible."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips, and murmured in a playful voice, "Or perhaps... the one who created the problem."

"Ms. Freya, are any of my guesses correct?" Although Herbert seemed to be asking a question, he didn't think there was anything wrong with his guesses.

In fact, my guess might have been a bit conservative.

If things weren't so bad, Freya probably wouldn't have been so eager to extend an olive branch to herself, a promising talent with a bright future but currently lacking sufficient combat power.

The situation is not optimistic.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Fulingya sighed softly, without feigning profundity, and began to express her feelings.

“Young god-slayer, you are more outstanding than I thought.”

Looking at the boy whose expression remained largely unchanged, Fulingya slowly said, "You are very smart, you know your strengths, and... you are full of ambition."

Finally, the lord of the pantheon, who had always presented a gentle image, put away his smile and revealed a sharp edge beneath his outward appearance.

The Goddess of the Forest had a calm expression, without making any extra gestures, yet she exuded a striking and domineering aura.

He looked at Herbert quietly, trying to see a change in his eyes, but could only see appreciation... Hmm?

appreciate?

Wait, what are you admiring?
Didn't you see it?
I displayed the majesty of a god!
What kind of reaction is that?
Freya really wanted to complain about Herbert's gaze, but seeing that he didn't try to look away, her lips twitched almost imperceptibly. She abandoned her plan to make him submit on the spot and instead said:

"...Fortunately, you're not as stupid as some idiotic stone who actually thinks I need to bow down to Him, ha."

Oh?
Herbert listened to the goddess's obvious veiled complaints, thought for a moment, tilted his head slightly, and smiled, "Then isn't this... exactly what you wanted? Did you want to find a servant who is completely obedient and has no opinions of his own?"

He said earnestly, "Madam, I think you need a qualified helper, a sharp enough blade, rather than a puppet that only obeys orders."

"I think my qualifications are barely enough to meet your requirements for this candidate. What do you think?"

Seeing that Herbert was not confronting her but instead offering her a way out, Freya hesitated for a moment before taking the bait and nodding, "What you said does make some sense. Although I hate arrogant and foolish people, I don't dislike mortals who have the right to be proud."

"You certainly have every right to be proud of yourself, well, cough cough."

Oh?
Herbert was quite surprised by Freya's ability to be so pragmatic and know when to advance and retreat. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Madam, you are more... well, more peaceful than any other goddess I have ever met."

To be honest, Herbert had met quite a few goddesses before, and most of them were very individualistic.

Proud, indifferent, brutal, depraved... not a single one of them was kind.

The god in front of them, although of a very high status, was quite easygoing. Apart from the “majesty” he could display, he was really not pretentious at all.

They are very easy to talk to.

I have a feeling she's the type who's easily fooled...

"Um……"

"Well……"

The two's first "confrontation" ended inexplicably, without any tension whatsoever. The lost-in-the-day ice kitten didn't even notice that Herbert and his companion had already clashed once in secret.

In Hecaias's view, the conversation between the two was quite friendly, as if they had hit it off immediately, which made her envious... Herbert was very fierce to me at first, showing no respect whatsoever!

He's a bad person!

But this is actually a very normal situation. Herbert and the other person invited him and accepted the invitation with the intention of cooperation. They came for cooperation in the first place, so there was no conflict that could not be avoided.

Even though there is a struggle for dominance, their cooperation is still in its infancy, so there's no way they can compete for it.

Even if they really wanted to fight for it, Herbert didn't actually have enough strength. He would be lucky to get a superficially equal status, and that was only possible because Freya was kind-hearted.

Herbert did ask what the Goddess of the Forest wanted him to do, but she shook her head and didn't answer.

"No, this matter is not in a hurry. I just want to meet you formally this time and I don't intend to put too much pressure on you."

Looking at her companion who was likely her greatest reliance, Fulingya was in no hurry to have him draw his sword and get stained with blood.

Although the situation of the natural pantheon looks bad, it's not going to explode any second away. There's still some time to thoroughly observe Herbert.

Thinking about these things, Freya brought up another matter and thanked Herbert: "By the way, thank you for your help earlier. You rescued those poor beastmen and made them feel like they had been abandoned by nature."

"It's nothing. I wouldn't stand by and watch innocent people be harmed by evil. It's what I, as a paladin, should do," Herbert said modestly, spouting nonsense he didn't believe at all.

Furthermore, since the beast-eared clans had been mentioned, Herbert thought for a moment and then added, "By the way, would you like to meet them? They should still be considered part of the natural order, right?"

Want to meet them?

Fulingya was silent for a moment, then shook her head: "...No need for now. I will not abandon them. Since they have chosen to follow you after you saved them, I will not interfere with them."

"I hope they can achieve the happiness and stability they desire. Moreover, if I were to appear at this time, it would probably put you in a difficult position."

Is it difficult?
No, do you think that after going through all that, they'll still want to go back with you?
Herbert found it somewhat amusing, gave the goddess a playful look, and said quietly, "Really? You really think so?"

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Freya frowned when she saw Herbert's gaze, feeling as if she were being mocked.

But after reflecting on it, He didn't think He had said anything wrong.

His words just now were not out of malice or arrogance, but were simply a matter of course.

No matter how you look at it, following the ruler of the pantheon is definitely a better future than following a legendary paladin.

"It's nothing, thank you for your kindness, ma'am."

Herbert didn't offer an explanation, but smiled and only mentioned at the end, "However, if there's an opportunity later, I'll invite you to witness it for yourself. Perhaps then you'll have a different opinion."

Ok?
Freya immediately realized the problem, her brows furrowed, and she wanted to refute Herbert's naive idea.

In the end, He didn't argue, but simply nodded: "Is that so... Then I'll look forward to it, and hope you can give me some surprises."

Both sides felt there was no need to argue, and both believed that the facts would prove everything.

In time, He will realize how foolish his ideas were.

Herbert didn't dwell on this unpleasant topic. Since the other party didn't need his help, there was no need to be eager to do it. Instead, he asked:
"By the way, do we need to secretly forge a pact to prove that I am now an ally of the nature pantheon?"

"No, it's not necessary."

Fulingya shook her head, a gentle smile on her face, and said softly, "From the moment you first took the initiative to help nature, you have been an ally of nature."

"My invitation is to ask that you become my personal companion."

He winked at Herbert, bowed slightly once more, lifted the hem of his skirt, and said earnestly:
"Welcome once again, Herbert Albert, young godslayer, ally of nature, my companion."

"I hope you can always stand on the side of nature."

thump.

Herbert, also with a serious expression, raised his hand and pounded his chest in return, saying, "It is my honor, Ms. Freya."

"I will always stand on the side of justice."

As for how I define "justice," that's none of anyone else's business.

All I know is that I will always be a partner of justice.

So, the answer is quite clear.

That's right.

I am justice.

……

……

"What an interesting mortal, an impressive little guy."

"Beneath the facade, what kind of person is he really?"

After watching Herbert leave, Freya stroked the kitten lying on her lap with a sigh.

Yes, the snow kitten ultimately couldn't escape and was left behind to be bullied, unable to leave with Herbert.

"Well--"

Hecaias didn't reply, but just let out a lazy call and slowly closed his eyes.

Fulingya didn't need anyone's response; she was lost in thought, reminiscing about the boy she had first met.

"Proud, excellent, determined... indeed a promising collaborator."

"Most importantly, he has a very special aura about him."

The aura was so faint that even Herbert himself probably wouldn't have noticed it.

But ironically, that faint aura reminded Fulingya of her...father.

Why does he have his father's aura about him?

He naturally did not consider Herbert to be the reincarnation of the Lord of Nature, but rather doubted whether he was its chosen successor.

Is it because he awakened his natural heart?

A new tree shepherd?

Or will he be a guardian of nature?
……

……

the other side.

What do you think?

Upon hearing the question, the boy, whom Freya considered an excellent collaborator, calmly replied without hesitation: "Inexperienced, naive, and lacking in experience..."

"They should be pretty easy to fool."

(End of this chapter)