Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

However, as a pair of fingers gently grasped her cold, soft hand, the warmth and connection seemed to pull her out of the deadly whirlpool of the deep sea.

"You've finished combing your hair, it looks beautiful! We still have some time, how about trying your favorite ear cleaning?"

Samael looked at his work with satisfaction, leaned forward, and pressed his face close to Tina's beautiful face, asking softly.

"Ok!"

The Origin Goddess nodded emphatically and obediently lay down in front of the ancient serpent's lap.

For some reason, Tina's face was turned away from the pool, her eyes fixed on Samael, her ten fingers gripping his clothes tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Meanwhile, in the empty cave, the figures of the two goddesses, separated by a chessboard, intertwined in the shadows.

Themis took a deep look at the little beast baring its teeth and defending its territory, and couldn't help but find it amusing. She raised her hand to stroke its head, which was held high like a fighting rooster.

“I raised your mother, and she has entrusted you to me. It is my responsibility to protect you.”

"Athena, I'm willing to do this adventure for you."

"Furthermore, just as you cannot change his concern for Medusa, some trust cannot be shaken by a few simple provocations."

The goddess of wisdom, whose gloomy memories had been stirred up, pursed her lips, then brushed away the fingers that were stroking her head, sat back down, pushed the knight a step further, and snorted irritably.

"Playing chess with you is no fun, I'm not playing anymore!"

Themis instinctively looked down and was horrified to see that her king was already surrounded, with iron-hoofed chariots in front and a deadly abyss behind.

The Goddess of Justice reviewed the events in her mind several times and couldn't help but admire Athena's ingenious and interconnected plan. As she looked up, she was filled with satisfaction.

“Impressive, I lost. Your chess skills have far surpassed mine.”

But then, Themis seemed to realize something and became somewhat confused.

"Since I'm no match for you, why does Samael say he's still teaching you chess?"

Due to her natural talent, this goddess of justice has completely surpassed her teacher, Samael, in chess games.

Athena stretched and puffed out her chest, but when she saw the astonishing curve opposite her, she lowered her head in frustration, rested her chin on her hand, and answered absentmindedly.

"Him? I could beat him when I was eight, give him a three- to five-step head start when I was nine, and play against him with my eyes closed when I was twelve without any problem..."

"Uh, then why..."

"Do you think I'm stupid? If I beat him, the gap will be too big, and he won't want to play with me anymore..."

The goddess of wisdom smiled, her eyes narrowing, like a little fox who had stolen a chicken. Then she spread her arms wide and swayed towards the quiet night, preparing to welcome her adoptive parents.

Themis stared at the intricate chessboard, stunned into place.

It seems that since she displayed her overwhelming chess skills, such games between her and Samael have become rare.

With a wry smile, the Goddess of Justice placed the chess piece on the board and murmured something to herself.

“Metis, Athena is wiser than you, than me, even than Zeus…”

"I'm afraid that apart from that guy, no one else can control this child."

Chapter 73 Saint Seiya Athena (1/3)

As night fell, Themis and Samael embraced gently and then nodded goodbye.

Before turning to leave, the goddess of justice turned her head slightly and quietly lifted a gap in her black veil, revealing her deep, bright eyes, like those of stars, gazing intently at the faintly lit opening.

As a wisp of mist drifted from the cave's vents into the sky, Themis covered her lips and chuckled, a rare hint of teasing appearing on her usually gentle and elegant face.

At that moment, the little girl who had won the game was triumphantly going out to greet him, wanting to rush into her caregiver's arms for a warm, demonstrative hug to assert her dominance.

Unexpectedly, because Athena reeked of alcohol and her clothes were stained with jam and cream, the person in question shoved her to Tina next to her with a dark expression.

Right now, the child is probably still being held in the wooden tub, getting a thorough cleaning, and feeling "motherly love."

Themis couldn't help but feel pleased at the thought of Athena's haughty demeanor, her resentment and frustration at being rejected and dragged into the bathroom.

This girl is unlike the reserved Metis, who keeps everything to himself and is excessively obsessive.

Although she is confident in her intelligence, she is often repeatedly defeated and her self-esteem is repeatedly trampled due to some uncontrollable human factor.

That haughty little face of hers, if you tease her, you can see an interesting reaction from her, it's so cute, and it's very satisfying.

After a moment's thought, Themis felt an urge to join the evil forces and persecute the goddess of wisdom.

But soon, the goddess of justice realized that this gloating emotion surfacing in the elder's heart seemed a bit unethical, so she secretly restrained her mockery and solemnly reflected on her actions.

Then, Themis paused briefly, turned around, and handed a delicate crystal bottle filled with an amber-like liquid to Samael.

"This is the flower nectar that the nymphs collect and brew. When dropped into water, it can effectively cleanse odors and moisturize the skin."

The ancient snake took the crystal bottle, slightly opened it, and a rich floral fragrance wafted out, instantly making one feel relaxed and comfortable.

God-made perfume? That's amazing...

Themis lifted a sliver of her black veil, glanced at the cave entrance from which the sound of water could be heard, paused, and then smiled slightly.

"However, it takes at least an hour for the essence of the flower's stamens to penetrate the entire body..."

"So, let Tina stay with her for a while longer..."

Samael nodded subconsciously, a smile spreading across his face.

"Okay, I'll keep it for them and deliver it over in a bit."

Athena, silly child, there is not only "maternal love without blood ties" in this world, but also "maternal love from a mother's love." Feel it well.

The goddess of justice, pursing her lips and murmuring, pulled down her blindfold and drifted away.

After several dozen breaths, Athena, whose skin was flushed red from the steam and rubbing, looked at the crystal-clear bottle in her foster mother's clutches and the well-intentioned offer of "soak for another hour" outside the door, and her lips twitched violently.

Why are all these adults so troublesome?

Even Athena could not escape the monstrous power of the Origin Goddess.

Therefore, the goddess of wisdom, who was being marinated in the bath, could only resignedly lie on the edge of the stone, rolling her eyes in frustration.

Tina, who now has more time to be close to her child, is having a great time, enthusiastically applying floral dew to her still somewhat immature body.

Seriously, when will they stop treating me like a child?

As Athena grumbled in frustration, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of two towering, unapproachable peaks through the misty fog, and her mood soured.

Looking at Tina's innocent and pure face, like a baby's, well, my mood got even worse.

When she looked down and saw the barely visible curve of her chest, Athena released her fingers that had been pushing and squeezing under her ribs, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Don't be afraid, at least I'm better than...

More snake mother... uh...

Bethemis…cough cough…

Compared to Medusa... pshaw...

As names and figures flashed through her mind, the goddess of wisdom's face darkened, and her pearly teeth pressed against her cherry lips.

Well, at least it's more like an adult than those nymphal tablets like Euryale, Visteno, and Daphne!

However, despite this, a nameless sadness began to brew and simmer in Athena's heart.

Am I only able to regain my confidence in growth by looking at those two stunted growth freaks and the underdeveloped nymphs in the swamp?

Ugh, it's all excess fat that hinders exercise! None of that matters!

As for development, being tall and fit is normal; if you're going to grow, you should grow muscles!

Athena pinched the sleek, graceful muscles on her arm that contained explosive power. Thinking of the divine strength within her that crushed several of her peers, she nodded in satisfaction, feeling slightly comforted.

However, at that moment, a towering shadow descended from above.

Tina crouched down slightly and started a hugging and affectionate game with that little head.

hum!

The pressure from both sides made the goddess of wisdom feel suffocated, and her barely constructed psychological defenses completely collapsed.

Disgrace! Utter disgrace!

Athena, who had barely managed to break free from her bonds, gritted her teeth in hatred, filled with inexplicable grief and indignation.

With a sinister glint in her eyes, the goddess lashed out with her hands, unleashing a flurry of attacks.

“Aa…aa…”

Tina, harassed by her adopted daughter, made intermittent babbling sounds. Because she was ticklish, she hugged her arms and broke free from Athena's clutches.

"Don't run away! Let me touch it! Let me touch it again! I don't believe it's real!"

The goddess of wisdom immediately leaped out of the bath, striding across her two strong, rounded legs, and began chasing the escaped criminal through the bathroom.

Inside the hall, Samael, who was clearing away the dishes, heard the commotion coming from the bathroom and faint giggles, and shook his head slightly.

Tina and this girl are having so much fun taking a bath together; I wonder how long they'll be taking it.

Half an hour after the agreed time, the magic circle outside the bathroom went out, and two figures wrapped in bath towels, their skin flushed with rose, emerged from it.

However, what Samael didn't know was that there was a fundamental difference between the two.

One of them was kneaded, and the other was soaked.

After tormenting her magnanimous foster mother for so long, Athena was rather uninterested in the lullaby service from another caregiver tonight.

After the goddess of wisdom burrowed into bed, she yawned and urged someone to sit on the bed quickly so she could tell tonight's bedtime story.

Since we've already won, we should naturally take the spoils; that's a matter of principle.

Samael got into bed fully clothed, sat between Tina and Athena, and pretended to take a clay tablet from the bookshelf, asking a casual question.

"What do you want to hear? Little Red Riding Hood Werewolf?"

"boring!"

"Princess Belle beats up the Beast Prince?"

"So cliché!"

Frozen?

"I've heard it before, it's boring!"

"Never mind, I'll just say it myself."

Faced with this as difficult little girl as ever, Samael rubbed his temples and handed the initiative over to Athena.

"I want to hear about Saint Seiya Saori..."

"Ahem, I remember it was Saint Seiya..."

The ancient snake coughed violently and felt a dull ache in its brain.

"Tch, the goddess of wisdom and war needs a bunch of little brats to protect her? All she does is stand behind and whine? Hilarious!"

"I, cough cough, Saori alone can clear the Holy Mountain!"

You might as well just say you want to hear "Saint Seiya Athena".

Okay, I knew it, they're going to drastically change the plot again.

Samael rolled his eyes, looked at Athena who was speaking eloquently and had an air of "I can do it myself," and sighed helplessly.

Chapter 74 Inferiority Complex from the Heart (2/3)

As night deepened, sparse starlight streamed through the skylight carved into the top floor of the cave, spilling onto the spacious bed.

Samael exhaled a breath of stale air, smiled slightly, placed the clay tablet in his hand on the bed, and then pulled his arms out from Athena's embrace and behind Tina's head, one after the other.

good night.

After glancing briefly at the starlight, the man gently kissed the foreheads of the two peaceful sleeping faces, then carefully got up, quietly got out of bed, and walked out of the cave entrance.

As Samael parted the branches and walked into the bushes, his graceful figure, with his back to her, heard the noise and turned around slowly.

Under the serene moonlight, the tall, aloof goddess with a serpentine blood-red divine mark on her forehead revealed a hint of joy in her eyes when her gaze met that of the newcomer.

But then, an ever-present sense of inferiority made her unconsciously lower her head, her fingertips gently brushing the purple strands of hair, ruffled by the breeze, behind her ears.

However, it is precisely that gentle lowering of the head that reveals the shyness and sensuality beneath the cold beauty, like a fine wine that has been fermented and aged for a long time.