Chapter 732: My Date with an Elven Goddess

Luke opened his eyes after a peaceful night’s sleep and immediately knew something was wrong.

A voice whispered close to his ear. “Good morning, honey.”

Luke’s eyes snapped fully open. Artemis was there. In his bed.

The entire day before had been a silent war against Artemis and her endless provocations. She had hunted him down before dawn, at breakfast, through the afternoon, into the night, and had still tried to turn his bath into some kind of elaborate trap. In the end, after far too much effort and a kind of patience Luke hadn’t known he possessed, he had managed to convince her to accept another trial so he could enter her Divine Order without crossing certain lines.

And yet, for some reason, part of him was still thinking about the kiss on the cheek the goddess had given him.

“Good morning, Artemis,” he said, staring at her without blinking. “And why are you in my room? In my bed?”

She smiled. “We sleep cuddled up together every night when I’m your necklace. I’m just sticking to the routine.”

“I know I locked my bedroom door.” Luke narrowed his eyes. “How did you get in?”

Artemis lifted a key between her fingers and proudly waved it.

“Luke, the first thing I did when I got here was ask for extra copies of the room keys, sweetheart.”

He sat up the second he realized she was already shifting on top of him.

“I also ordered breakfast,” she went on, as if nothing had happened. “They should be bringing it up soon.”

Luke took a deep breath, went to the wardrobe, and grabbed fresh clothes. Today was the Masquerade Ball and the auction.

“Samael already left, Luke,” Artemis announced, stretching across the sheets. “It’ll just be you and me for the next few days, until you get sent to New Earth.”

“Right. Part of me wants to get back soon too, but not until I’m done here.”

“Yesterday was amazing. And the way you touched me...”

“Stop talking like that. We didn’t do anything.”

“You saw me naked in the bath and couldn’t resist me.”

“First of all, I didn’t see anything because I wanted to. You turned my room into a bathroom, waited in the tub, and tried to trap me in some shady goddess nonsense.”

“So? How did it feel to admire the body of such a beautiful elf?”

“I didn’t admire your body. I barely saw anything. And I felt nothing, because I only see you as a necklace.”

Artemis tilted her head. Her eyes glinted with mischief. “I don’t know, Luke. Does this sound familiar? ‘Damn it... why did this horny goddess have to be so damn hot?’”

Luke froze. “You bastard. How do you know I thought that?”

“You and I share a very intimate connection, my dear Apostle.”

“I didn’t do anything. I’m a faithful man. Charlie has my heart.”

“You don’t have to betray Charlie just because you make a little room for me in that heart of yours.”

Artemis appeared far too close, speaking into his ear in that sweet, poisonous voice. “I’m not trying to steal you from anyone. I just want an official spot in the party. That’s all.”

Luke stepped away from her. “We have a packed day. I need to get ready.”

“Don’t you want me to bathe you?”

“No. Obviously not.”

“I promise I’ll keep my clothes on.”

“That is so not the problem.”

“But I’ll only... wash you.”

“Not happening. Knowing you, even a handshake could turn sexual.”

She crossed her arms, offended. “You’re being a terrible believer. I’m your goddess, Luke. I’m ordering you to let me bathe you.”

Luke ignored her and went into the bathroom, locking the door very thoroughly behind him.

When he finished and came out, he headed for the kitchen. The table was covered in sweets, bread, wine, cheese, cakes, and basically everything else you’d find in a fancy bakery. Honestly, it looked less like breakfast and more like the entire inventory of a luxury pastry shop.

“What the hell is this? I don’t eat all this.”

“I do!” Artemis answered, stuffing a piece of cake into her mouth and letting out a satisfied sound.

“Was this expensive?”

“Don’t be so cheap, Luke. I boosted all your points by twenty percent. That’s basically billions. This was barely five thousand points.”

“And who burned through all his points buying items at the shop?”

“The hotel stay is fully covered by the event sponsors. So even someone broke on points still gets access to basic meals,” she said, dragging her finger through the whipped cream and licking it.

Artemis ate with almost theatrical pleasure, attacking one sweet after another, while Luke settled for waffles and caramel.

Through the window, snow-covered mountains rose beneath a clear sky, Alps that looked like they had been pulled straight from Earth. The hotel had probably emulated the scenery, but the scale was far too insane to feel like simple decoration.

Luke went out onto the balcony and stared at the view.

“It’s real. Fuck me.” He looked around, trying to understand the logic of the place. “Are the rooms, like, pocket dimensions or something?”

“Who knows,” Artemis answered from the table, far too busy with cake to care.

A sound came from the entrance. Luke opened the door and found an employee pushing in another cart.

“We brought the rest of your order. Sorry for the delay, sir.” The employee entered and started placing even more food on the table. “I added it to your hotel account, sir. No need to worry.”

“Sure...” Luke said, looking at Artemis.

The employee arranged the last few plates. “Anything else? We still have plenty of desserts.”

“No, I’m good. Artemis?”

“I want...” Artemis looked at Luke, winked, and smiled. “Cream pie.”

The employee wrote down the order without the slightest reaction and left, closing the door behind him.

Luke just stared at Artemis. “You and that joke.”

“What? I only ordered dessert.”

“Right. Dessert.”

The two of them talked through their next steps while Artemis continued demolishing the table. After devouring practically everything on it, including the dessert the employee brought a little later, she finally decided to take a bath.

For a few minutes, Luke was alone, leaning back in his chair and staring at the chaos of empty plates, cutlery, and crumbs she had left behind.

Aside from all the harassment, she’s actually pretty cool.

As absurd as it was to admit, Artemis really had talked to him. She had listened to his worries, soothed his insecurities, and, in her own crooked and completely invasive way, helped.

And then there was the blessing.

The ridiculous, terrifyingly valuable blessing she had dropped on him.

[Blessing of Artemis (Divine)]: The bond between Artemis and her Believer has long since surpassed the limits of ordinary faith. Between you, there are no longer only prayers, rituals, and distant reverence, but trust, a deep friendship capable of narrowing the distance between divinity and mortality. Through this connection, Artemis grants not only a blessing of her Legacy, but a genuine fraction of her own divine grace.

The [Blessing of Artemis] deepens your attunement with mana and the natural world. You can now perceive Spirits, sense their presence, and communicate with these manifestations of Reality. Your knowledge of mana has expanded. Within your Legacy, the potential to walk the Spiritual Arts has awakened, a rare and dangerous branch of power capable of wounding even Gods.

May your friendship with your Goddess continue to bloom... though, for Artemis, perhaps mere friendship was never the true destiny of this bond.

Luke stared at the last line longer than the others.

Wounding even Gods.

The two of them wandered through the resort. The place was gigantic. Luke asked for a map and still couldn’t figure out where the hell he was going. Luke had expected a hotel. Maybe a fancy one. Not a pocket universe with room service. Nothing in that place felt built for comfort alone. Every luxury seemed designed to distract people from the fact that monsters, gods, killers, and lunatics were all sharing the same roof.

They passed by a coliseum where a battle was taking place. In the main arena, a figure wielding a hammer and wearing a helmet shaped like a snake skull fought with brutal force. Every hit sounded illegal, and the crowd loved it. There were bettors, distant viewing areas with massive screens showing different angles of the fight, and smaller arenas scattered across the lower levels.

Luke watched for a few seconds longer than he meant to. Everyone here was rich, powerful, insane, or all three. The coliseum wasn’t just for formal duels. Down below, several kinds of combat were happening at the same time, each with its own rules, crowds, and wagers. Farther on, Luke found a training area with private rooms and shared spaces for group exercises. His eyes lit up.

“Seriously? We have this amazing resort hotel to enjoy, and you want to train?” Artemis asked, crossing her arms.

“This is the only place in the hotel where I can use my powers freely, okay? I want to test my Golem and your blessing.” He glanced at her. “Actually, mostly your blessing.”

“Don’t try to brute-force it right now, Luke. All I did was open a door for you. Like a magical third eye or something.” Artemis pointed lightly at him. “You can now perceive a layer of magic most people never even notice.”

They sat in an outdoor area with a small table and even a parasol. The setting was absurdly comfortable for a place where people could test powers capable of destroying buildings.

“By the way, Luke,” Artemis continued, resting her chin on her hand. “Spiritual Arts are usually only common around Rank A. Yours truly poured a lot into you, you know?”

“Well...” Luke felt a little awkward. “Thanks for that, Artemis. I don’t know how I’m supposed to repay you.”

“I have a few ideas. Start by treating me better, praising me, and pampering me.”

“Okay. What do you want to do now?”

She blinked, surprised. “Oh. Seriously? I was joking.”

“There’s nothing else to do until the Masquerade Ball and the auction.”

Artemis thought for a few seconds. Then she smiled.

“Hmm... your Goddess wants to explore.”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room, racing through the hotel like a child set loose in an absurd amusement park.

Over the next few hours, the two of them passed through several areas of the resort. There were indoor parks, gardens, hallways with impossible ceilings, and a flooded region where they had to leap between rocks to cross. Artemis laughed almost everywhere, dragging Luke from one setting to the next as if this were the best day of her life.

They even passed a spa. Luke kept a safe distance before she got any ideas. At lunchtime, they went to a restaurant. Sitting at the table, Luke read through an explanatory manual that Artemis, as his Advisor, had received about the Masquerade Ball and the auction.

“Hey, Luke,” she said, excited, setting a pamphlet on the table. “Did you know there’s a beach area here? But I guess after Sunken Realms, you’re definitely sick of the ocean.”

“Definitely. I don’t want anything to do with beaches for a while.”

“Too bad. You could’ve seen me in a bikini.”

“I’m not interested in that.”

“Bad boy...” she murmured, sipping her drink through a straw.

The food arrived soon after: huge, juicy steaks served with sides that looked far too expensive to be just lunch. Artemis ate happily.

“Try it, Luke. This is really good,” she said, holding her fork out to him.

Luke took a bite. Artemis smiled with way too much satisfaction.

Weird... why does this feel like a date?

“Because this is our date.”

Luke narrowed his eyes. “Why are you reading my thoughts and answering them? I’m sure I blocked the necklace connection.”

“Because I’m your Goddess now, and you’re my adorable Apostle. We’re basically husband and wife.”

We’re putting limits on that new mind power of yours, okay?

“I can also show up in your dreams now,” she said with a wink.

Luke chose not to answer right away. As he ate, he watched Artemis for a few seconds. She usually wore a crown of leaves, but she took it off whenever she wasn’t in her usual Goddess attire. Even so, one thing never disappeared. The golden mark on her forehead. Even back when they went hunting and she disguised herself as a mortal, the mark had still been there.

“Tell me something,” Luke said. “Why does that mark never disappear?”

Artemis touched her own forehead. “Oh, this?”

For the first time that day, Artemis didn’t tease him.

She went back to sipping her drink, still smiling.

“Because I’m a slave, Luke.”