Diere's words made Shien show a bitter smile.
"Betting it all on me… Is it?"
Truth be told, Shien didn't feel happy about this.
After all, as was already mentioned, from a certain point of view Shien is actually quite objective, which is why he was so adaptable.
And from an objective point of view, Diere's decision really is a bit reckless.
Why? One might ask?
It's quite simple.
"It's only been about two months since we first met, right?"
Shien pointed out that fact.
"You've only known me for probably less than two months, and yet you're betting the 16 years of your life thus far all onto me? Don't you think that's rather reckless?"
That's how it is.
Shien does actually think quite well of Diere.
She might be quiet and somewhat cold, but she's actually quite passionate on the inside.
Why else would she act so caring to Lumia and Melika within Vivian's party?
Why else did she volunteer to teach Shien skills back when he first joined the party, as well as help and cover for Shien's identity?
Adding in the breakthrough and additional developments in their relationship after they came to the Capital, the two of them are already at the point where they bared themselves to each other every day. Given all that, unless Shien isn't human, how could he not end up liking such a cute and pitiful girl?
However, it's exactly because he quite likes her that Shien has to first make some things clear.
"You sure that you're not just tossing out reason in despair or blindly grasping as straws?"
Shien questioned her very directly.
"Have you considered that maybe you're not betting everything on me after properly thinking it through, but that you might be randomly gambling after learning that I'm the Hero?"
Shien had to consider that, and it was even more critical that he reminded Diere of that.
He can understand Diere's obsession for all this time, and he can also understand her efforts and her wish to prove her way of thought.
However, if Diere ended up blindly giving her everything to Shien just because he's the Hero, would that really be a good thing?
Obviously not.
Plus, Diere's explanation also gives him a kind of unreliable feel to it.
What's "I have a feeling" supposed to mean exactly?
To put it in a slightly bad way, isn't that basically just delusional?
She feels like it will work, so she decides to gamble everything?
That really is rather absurd.
Given all that, Shien had to say it…
"That's no good for you. It'll just end up hurting you."
Shien rejected Diere's decision without hesitation.
Diere didn't seem to have imagined that Shien would say something like that, so she fell into a stunned silence.
Seeing Diere show such an expression, Shien felt a bit bad for what he did.
However, if he really did want the best for Diere, then those words had to be said.
"It's better if you considered it a bit more…"
Shien as going to say something along those lines.
Yet, before he had a chance to finish, Diere's action interrupted him.
"Splash."
Before his eyes, Diere suddenly stood up from the water, causing water to splash down from her.
Water flowed down Diere's voluptuous body, creating an extremely alluring scene.
That scene made Shien involuntarily swallow the words that he was about to say.
It can't be helped. Shien's heart would speed up at such an alluring sight no matter how many times he has seen it.
Shien even kind of wanted to yell out.
"Is this really an oni?"
This is obviously a succubus here!
Just as Shien was mentally shaken by this, Diere had moved forward until she was right before him. Then, while Shien still haven't managed to return to his senses, she directly straddled him.
"W-wait! What are you doing!?"
Shien's voice cracked.
With so much skin contact, the originally dangerous situation had turned even more dangerous. This isn't even mentioning the fact that Diere was straddling him. It's enough to kill a man here.
A point of fact, Shien is a very normal man.
And if a normal man were to end up in the baths with a young beauty while baring themselves to each other, what would his reaction be?
At the very least, Shien knew full well just what his reaction is.
(My Dark Flame Dragon has been awakening the entire time here!)
Shien wanted to scream that out.
Yet, Diere just sat down, just like that, and she even reached out without any change in expression and grabbed the back of his neck.
The next second, a soft pair of lips made contact.
"…!"
Shien's eyes widened. He went completely dumb.
By the time that he felt the sensation of Diere's lips, Shien only had a single thought left in his head.
(I got forcibly kissed again!?)
While Shien was thinking that, a message suddenly appeared in his mind.
[Blessing of the Goddess of Fate]
Wielder: Diere Arbin.
Special Skill
Gain the protection of Fate.
When a situation relating to one's fate appears, gain a revelation of fate.
When a fate that matches one's will appears, gain the guidance of fate.
When that kind of information clearly appeared in Shien's mind, Shien was shocked. He looked at the girl in his lap, utterly flabbergasted.
The girl in his lap had also released his lips at that point and calmly watched him.
Then, the girl quietly spoke.
"Be it the people of the Arbin family or that princess. None of them know that, in reality, I also gained the blessing of one of the three great goddesses. Specifically, the goddess of fate."
Only unlike Lucy who shook the divine realm ended up directly drawing the attention of the goddess of fate, who came to grant her blessing of her own accord, Diere had met the goddess of fate when she was brought to the temple to accept her divine blessing.
When one is accepting their blessing at the temple, no one else is allowed to be present.
Add in the fact that there's no method by which to check the level of someone's blessing, Diere decided to hid this matter from everyone.
"If the fact that I received the blessing of one of the three great goddesses got out, then I'll definitely end up the focus of far more attention from the outside. They may even investigate me, and the matter of me being an "oni" might end up getting dug out." Diere stated indifferently.
"Therefore, I never mentioned this to anyone. Not even Vivian."
In other words, Shien is now the only other person who knows of this.
In addition, he also understood what Diere is trying to say.
"I'm throwing away my reason, nor am I blindly grasping at straws. Instead, it's that after I started properly making contact with you that I finally gained a revelation of fate, from which I learned the possibility that you can bring me."
Diere stared straight at Shien and declared with a forceful tone.
"You are someone worthy for me to gamble everything on. This is unquestionable."
As she said that, Diere reached out and, without hesitation, took off the mask that she had covering half her face all this time.
The next moment, a face as beautiful as a work of art appeared before Shien's eyes.
That beautiful face still had a hint of immaturity, as well as a hint of coolness.
However, Shien somewhat drowned in what he's seeing.
It's all because that face was just far too beautiful.
Shien could believe that, in a few more years, after the immaturity had faded from that face, she will be more than capable of rivaling that peerless princess.
"I've worn this mask ever since I was four years old."
Diere opened her lips and started speaking.
"Therefore, you're also the first person to see my true appearance."
Those words constantly echoed throughout Shien's ears.
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