Got Engaged to the Man They Call Ugly - Chapter 15

…This seemed really good?

Especially the part about never losing to almost any male opponent was incredibly appealing.

Seeing her eyes sparkle brightly, Nerva smiled.

“And this is the Belt of Deception. When you wear it, anyone trying to look directly at your face will find their vision blurred.”

Nerva rose from her seat and placed something carefully onto the table. It was a thin belt, beautifully decorated with tiny, rice-sized gemstones.

“In addition, I grant you partial access to the powers of my kin, Arachne, Goddess of Spiders. You only need to awaken your divine power to use it effectively, so practice well.”

“Thank you so much!”

Holding tightly to the belt, she beamed happily.

Nerva was giving her all these amazing things so generously. Giving Nerva the Golden Apple had truly been a good decision.

* * *

Sometimes she wished she could become a god herself.

“Today’s winner is Elinne!”

How astounding was it that merely a few powerful words from a god could transform an ordinary, fragile mortal like her into an unbeatable monster?

It made her realize, once again, how remarkable gods were.

“Elinne won again?”

Everything Nerva had promised had turned out to be absolutely true.

“What on earth is going on? She doesn’t even seem to fight that well, so why can’t anyone beat her?”

“I-I don’t know! Every time I try to fight her, my feet slip, I lose my balance and keep making mistakes…”

It’s because of the Goddess of War’s blessing! As long as you’re men, you’ll never beat me!

Holding back the smug words she couldn’t actually say aloud, Elinne secretly rejoiced.

Thanks to Nerva’s blessing, she truly never lost against men. Even opponents with vastly superior skills always somehow ended up losing to her, as long as they were men.

Her opponents had the misfortune of accidentally dropping their swords, tripping over their own feet, or even knocking themselves unconscious by hitting their heads on their sword hilts.

‘At this rate, I really am invincible!’

Elinne was thrilled.

“I surrender!”

However, divine blessings were mercilessly strict.

Against female opponents, she immediately reverted to her original tofu-like weakness.

“Atalante, stop! Huff, huff, I surrender!”

“Already?”

The tall woman sparring with her tilted her head curiously and stepped back.

Elinne’s original opponent today was supposed to have been a male hero, but since he fell ill, Atalante had taken his place.

【Atalante: Goddess of Swiftness. Runs as fast as the wind. As a member of the Alv tribe, she is even swifter in forests.】

Ugh. Had she known about the switch beforehand, she would’ve just withdrawn. Her intel had come too late.

Elinne tossed aside her weapon and lay flat on the ground to indicate defeat.

The spectators dispersed quickly with disappointed murmurs after the short and dull sparring match.

“They’ve all left.”

A shadow fell over her panting face.

Hands resting on her knees, Atalante looked down at her.

“Now, be honest. You went easy on me because I’m a woman, right?”

…No, it’s because you’re a woman that I couldn’t beat you. Lady Nerva’s blessing doesn’t work against females!

Swallowing those words, Elinne simply struggled to catch her breath.

Atalante, however, took her silence as agreement.

“You really are as kind as they say, Elinne.”

A mischievous grin appeared suddenly in Elinne’s upside-down view.

“With a face like yours, being kind-natured too is practically cheating.”

“Ugh, it’s not like that!”

Laughing teasingly, Atalante pulled her upright.

With beautifully bronzed skin, sharply pointed ears, and an elegant, slender build perfectly suited for speed, Atalante reminded her of a graceful deer.

The casual clothes she wore, rather than the usual heavy Metisian armor, only enhanced this impression.

“By the way, Atalante, why don’t you wear armor when you fight? Isn’t it dangerous?”

“I never wear armor. Not even on the battlefield.”

“Why? Can’t you find armor that fits?”

That couldn’t be right. Metis had excellent support for female heroes.

Although she hadn’t visited other countries outside Metis, providing custom-made weapons and armor tailored specifically for each individual soldier certainly seemed like exceptionally generous welfare.

“Haha. No, there’s plenty of armor that fits my body. To be more precise, it’s that there’s none that suits my powers.”

Seemingly guessing her thoughts, Atalante shook her head lightly with a gentle smile.

“My divine power is swift speed. On the battlefield, my role is to dash forward quickly, disrupt the enemy, and swiftly retreat. Heavy, cumbersome armor just slows me down. And light armor doesn’t protect well enough, plus it rattles too loudly.”

Oh, that made sense. Atalante was the Goddess of Swiftness, after all.

Creating armor that was both protective and flexible enough not to hinder swift movements would indeed be challenging.

That reminded her, one of the blessings Nerva had given her was the power of the Spider Goddess, Arachne.

Could she perhaps use that power to create clothing?