Chapter 393: I'm on Your Side

Chapter 393: I'm on Your Side

...The sudden battle between Celeste and Stardus, though it was only a short fight, due to my quick restraint, and it was more of a skirmish than a battle.

Naturally, it was the talk of the town.

[Celeste, who hasn't been seen outside of the U.S...suddenly storms South Korea. Why?]

First of all, the question of why Celeste came to Korea for what reason became a hot topic.

[Shock! Korean S-class hero Stardus faces off against world No. 1 Celeste with a whistle! Overseas experts declare that Stardus is the strongest of the current heroes. There is also talk of her being the hope of the new era...]

In particular, the fact that Stardus fought Celeste with a whistle is the most important issue.

...Up until now, Celeste's battles have always consisted of her overwhelming attacks being quickly blocked by the opposing Hero, so Stardus, who fought on a fairly even playing field, has gotten a lot of attention.

There was talk of her being the number one ranked Hero in the world, and now she's firmly established herself as such.

Of course, Celeste might have cut her some slack, but...they didn't know that now.

Anyway, the result was this.

*

[Stardus <<< It's not just Korea's pride, it's the GOAT of mankind...]

It's not Stardus, it's a real 'star'....

[Recommended] 4471 [Not Recommended] 1

*

Just that the number of people praising Stardus has increased tremendously.

*

[Egotistic <<<< Isn't this guy a real nut job?]

Stardus, the supernova of the rising hero world

Celeste, the strongest villain in the world

<< They're both in the middle of a fight and stop at Mango's words.

What the hell are you, manipulating two of the world's strongest abilities with a few words...?

Thank you GOAT

I worship you GOAT

I praise you GOAT

Great yellow mango

=[Comment]=

[Originally, the foreign media said that Egostic was behind Cathedral, but now everyone thinks it's for sure...It's the first time I've seen Celeste react like that]

[We're still living thanks to you, S-class hero Apple Mango, please stay with us until the end...]

[It seems like there are quite a few saint mangos now...]

[Lol and I saw Celeste for the first time, she's so fucking cute]

[Hmm...That's it? I think Ice is more pretty...]

[Ice Mango surprise praise]

[KinggodGeneralGuac100ProDaemangoAre you again...]

*

...My fans were also singing ignorant praises of me.

In conclusion, the surprise visit to Korea by Celeste, the head of Cathedral...For such an unexpected event, it seemed to have been handled well.

Of course, I didn't think anything of it.

"No, I mean, why did you do that?"

"Hmm. What, can't I just visit your country to see what it's like?"

"No...not that."

~Cathedral, Celeste's office~

There, I looked at Celeste, who was turning her head away, and sighed as if she had no choice.

Well... it worked out for the best, so I guess good is good.

With that thought, I opened my mouth.

My throat was slightly strained from the bloodletting earlier, so I spoke in a low voice.

"Phew... No."

With that, I sat back down and grabbed my papers.

There's less than a week until God's declaration of destruction, so it's time to get to work.

"...."

I glanced up.

Celeste, who had been sitting at the table in front of me with her arms crossed and her head turned away, suddenly glanced to my side with a look of urgency.

What?

*

"Why did you do that?"

Celeste snorted, turning her head away from him at the sheer absurdity of his words, in front of her, sitting there.

"Hmph. What, can't I just visit your country to see what it's like?"

She could only say that.

...You know, because I'd be too embarrassed to say I went to see Stardus because you cared about her...

I let myself go that way.

"No...not that."

He said, sounding slightly annoyed.

Then, as if he was disappointed in her for some reason, he said in a cold voice.

"Phew...No."

He shrugged.

With that, he sat back in his seat without even looking in her direction.

...As if he had lost interest in her.

And then, unexpectedly, his reaction of coldness towards her for the first time.

-Kuung.

For a moment, Celeste was terrified.

...No way, was he disappointed in her, acting on her own accord?

Her eyes widened slightly at the realization.

Then she turned her head back towards him and asked cautiously.

"...Hmph. Hmm. Are you angry...?"

At her words, he coldly replied without looking in her direction.

"What? No. My boss says she's going to do as he pleases, and she doesn't care what I say."

...In truth, Egostic said that because he truly thought so. He didn't raise his head, though, because he was in the middle of something.

To Celeste, already paralyzed with a sense of victimization, it sounded different.

It was as if he was sarcastically dismissing her relationship with him as nothing more than a simple boss-subordinate relationship...

Of course, this was all a big mistake on her part, caused by the fact that Egostic was a bit slow to speak up in the first place...Which was quite a big deal, considering she already thought she had offended him.

Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined that she would fall out with him.

'Eh, Egostic...Is he disappointed in me?'

As she pondered that thought with an uneasy expression, she heard his voice in her ear.

Hmph. Celeste. I don't need someone like you who just wants to get their own way, I guess I'll just have to be Stardus' associate after all. I'm disappointed, don't pretend to know me in the future, then bye.

'Oh... No!'

...and it was the first time I'd experienced this since I was abandoned as a very young child.

Unknowingly flipping her own trauma switch, Celeste suddenly went off the deep end and began to shake with terror.

Maybe it was the fact that lately, she'd been accompanied everywhere by Egostic.

Or maybe it's because he's never been this close to her before.

...Or maybe it was because she had other ideas about him.

She was already deeply dependent on him.

The coldness of his presence for the first time had made her imagine a life without him.

Only then, she finally realized that even though she was on top, she had always been alone, unable to trust anyone.

In her lonely life of chasing after an invisible god, the presence of a like-minded Egostic had been so comforting.

...Now, she doesn't want to go back to that lonely life without him.

'First things first, I need to apologize...'

Worry finally overtook her mind, and she began to apologize to him, her voice trembling.

"Mi, I'm sorry, Egostic..."

"What?"

"...That, ahaha, you were angry, right, I won't do that again, okay?"

Perhaps, it was Celeste's first apology.

***

'...What's wrong?'

...I looked at Celeste, who started to apologize with a slight tremor in her body, and felt puzzled.

What the hell is going on here? Is this why they say a woman's heart is a reed...? No, I think this is a different story.

'...She thinks I'm angry.'

I'm not angry. It's not that big of a deal.

As I scratched my cheeks, she blushed.

Maybe we should clear up the misunderstanding first...

Wait.

It was only then that I realized something.

"Is she apologizing to me like this, with such an urgent look on her face, because she thinks I'm mad?

...No. This.

'...I guess you could say she's been relying on me.'

That's what I concluded.

Maybe she saw me upset and thought I might leave her, and she was so scared. Something like that.

It was a good story, because the more dependent she was on me, the more likely she was to abandon him and choose me when God declared the destruction of the world.

A good story, in a way...

'....'

Still, I didn't want to see her this upset.

...First, I'll have to reassure her.

With that in mind, I smiled and took her trembling hand in mine.

"...I'm not angry."

"You're lying..."

"No, really, I'm not. Why would I be angry over something like that?"

With a kind smile, I lifted my remaining hand and grasped her right hand with both of mine as I continued.

"...And you, Celeste. Didn't I tell you the other day that I will always stand by your side?

I'll say it again right here and now: I'll never be angry with you, because I'll always be on your side. The whole world could throw stones at you, and I wouldn't be angry with you because I'll always be on your side, no matter what.

Haha, that's actually kind of blasphemous, but...I follow you more than the Sun God. I'd go toe-to-toe with God if he told me to get rid of you. I just want to see you happy, Celeste....So...Don't give me that look. Okay?"

Just like that.

I smiled, wiping away the water droplets from her eyes.

Seeing Celeste looking up at me with an impressed expression, I thought to myself, "Oh."

That's it.

This happened three days before the Sun God's declaration of destruction.