The World's most Overpowered Side-Character
Chapter 50: Goddes of Beasts

"I don't hate Sol, I've never hated him... But Ikaris..." Dina ground her teeth. "If only there was a way to break them apart-"

"Let me stop you, right there." Arla rested her hand on Dina's shoulder. "Regardless of how you feel honey, Sol is still out of your reach, and I do not believe anything will change that, and on that topic, have you not been paying attention?" She asked staring at her depressed student with a sorrowful expression.

"Don't fuck with Ikaris," Dina sighed, remembering clearly how monstrous Sol became after Ikaris was almost taken away from him. "He's never letting her go, is he?" She asked, and Arla responded with a consoling smile.

"Get some rest, Dina, even though your mana has recovered because of that strange increase earlier, your mind has not, sleep it off-"

"It's not even nightfall yet," Dina shrugged off her hand and stood. "I'll go back to the training fields and practice until my mana runs dry. Fighting Sol made me realise that even if I do possess an overwhelming power, I still need to be on my toes, he was too fast to hit, and I was outwitted, I need to be faster at casting than my enemies are at moving!"

"Ah~" Atla went starry-eyed at the sudden motivation her pupil was showing. "Let us be off then!"

"Will they be okay?" Eris asked her mentor, Idria.

"They are fine, probably just a bit exhausted and probably in shock," Idria looked down at Han and Bruce who were sleeping after being fully healed. "There are no abnormalities in their mana, instead it seems they became a bit stronger after that intense session, just give them some time," She patted Eris's head like a little sister and adjusted her glasses.

"Are you well?"

"Disappointed." Eris admitted.

"I had no idea he was that strong, I mean I did, but at the same time I was so shocked; No weapons, no magic, one eyed and one handed, and he still managed to kick our asses without breaking a sweat, Sol is amazing." She sighed and leaned back on her seat, staring up at Idria. "I'm really lacking in comparison."

"Come with me to the city today, I am visiting my husband, but afterwards I will treat you to some delicious meals, and then we can head back and work it off with some intense training of our own!" Idria clapped her hands and started walking, and Eris having nothing else to do in the meantime agreed and left immediately.

"How have you never mentioned that you are married?"

"It never became a topic,"

"Is he an elf like you?"

"No, Bran is human, but he is blessed by the god of time with longevity, I prayed for it, for a century I prayed for a man I could love and he was gifted to me,"

"...Wow... So... Is he hot?"

"He is a blacksmith, he is often hot from being close to the furnace," Idria answered seriously, and Eris chuckled.

"Right."

"Any kids?"

"Yes, seven little ones,"

"Wh-that many?!"

The last conscious member of the heroes' party was the most devastated by their challenge against Sol, she had been shut down and overpowered, schooled, and then she almost killed Bruce, the images of her spear tearing through his side rewound and replayed in her head constantly as she sat on her bed in the Female Heroes quarters hugging her knees, her eyes were puffy from her previous breakdown, and the small bit of makeup she wore had been smeared around on her face.

Sitting on the bed next to hers was Morn, he didn't know how to console this girl, he was almost just as shocked as she was from seeing the progress everyone else had made aside from her, he taught her well, and she had learned with enthusiasm and passion, but she was starting to fall behind both in skill diversity and readiness.

Ikaris was always ahead, and now the worst of them; Dina, was actually the best according to Sol, Han had developed rapidly within a few minutes and even Bruce had shown signs of progress before her spear hit him, while Eris was on a constant and steady path of growth according to her own teacher who never stopped praising her.

Usami in comparison now had the lowest level among the heroes, so she was less confident, her skills had stagnated after she had mastered everything he showed her, and she was trying to be diverse but it just wasn't working, her skills were not bad, but it seemed they were not good enough either, and Morn blamed himself for this.

"Sir," Usami looked at him after several minutes of silence. "Why aren't you saying anything?" She asked, and Morn sighed and rested a hand on her shoulder with a smile.

"My apologies, Usami; I am a failure of a teacher," He addressed his self doubt. "I have passed on the knowledge of my strongest skills to you, and you easily mastered them, but they have proved inadequate in the face of one who was not even wielding a weapon, I can't blame you for this loss, but myself-"

"But you're not a bad teacher though," She rubber her eyes again. "You've been excellent, I just didn't make the right judgements at all, as soon as Han's original plan fell through and he was sent flying, I panicked and started making mistakes," She sobbed.

"Usami there is no point to crying over this-"

"I almost killed Bruce, if Lady Idria wasn't there, or if we were facing an actual enemy, nobody would have been able to help him, he'd have died," She looked at him again.

"It was a hard lesson, I admit, but a necessary one," The former general fell backwards on the bed and sighed at the ceiling.

"I will not allow you to fall behind, Usami, you are the most brilliant spearman I have ever witnessed, I cannot allow you to fall behind the others, as the Former general of the Demon subjugation army, I have many failures, and many regrets, but you are my one true pride, every moment spent with you is a joy, every time you learn something new that smile of yours makes my heart flutter with happiness."

Morn declared while he reached for the back of her corset and loosened the cord that held it firmly. "Assume position." He undid his belt.

"Sir," Usami turned next to him and went on her hands and knees as her dress loosely hung onto her, exposing her back. "I'm sorry for failing so badly,"

"I will properly punish you for this failure, and then we will start training anew," Morn stood and stared at her, resting his hand on her dress and lifting it while simultaneously grabbing a fist-full of her hair and pressing her face into the bed. "You will work twice as hard, understood?"

"Y-Yesshir." Usami covered her mouth and raised her hips jolting from the sudden painful sting across her ass.

"Sir?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Forgive me, Master, please punish me to your delight!" Usami groaned quietly upon rough intrusion.

Several hours passed by, and the heroes had all converged in the dinner hall with the Queen and her daughter, unlike other times where some nobility joined them to discuss something or another, it was only the heroes and Sol who accompanied Misty and Darla Vermon.

"Did something happen to you all today, I heard rumour of large explosions on the grounds," Queen Vermon regarded them all, and Han looked across the table at Sol with a troubled frown.

"Your majesty, it was my carelessness," Dina answered before anyone else could. "I have been learning stronger magic, and I got carried away," She admitted, and looked across at Sol as well, but he never even raised his eyes from his food as he and Ikaris ate with small smiles on their faces.

"Be careful of your magic from now on then," the Queen huffed. "If you require more space, there are vast lands outside of the walls that are unoccupied by any living beings; that kind of destruction is too dangerous to use near the castle.

"Understood." Dina nodded.

"At the very least, you all seem quite refreshed," Darla smiled at the heroes and then at Ikaris whom she still gave special treatment as the strongest. "Especially you, miss Ikaris."

"Well," Ikaris stopped eating and looked at the princess with a humble smile.

"I spent the entire day allowing master to use me as he pleases, it was a delight and I am rather exhausted, but inversely I have never felt so refreshed in all my life, he is truly a man among men." Ikaris answered with the most innocent stare at the princess, while the girl stared with her eyes slowly losing focus and her face turning beet red as she was forced to imagine the image of Ikaris being ravaged by Sol all day.

"In the beginning I-"

"Ahem!" Queen Vermon cleared her throat loudly. "I-Ikaris, my daughter is sixteen, please refrain from having adult conversations with her, I pray this is the first and last time!" She blushed brightly while she spoke while steam arose from Darla's head.

"He won't even say a word," Bruce snickered at Sol's nonchalance to everything that was happening around him.

"Aren't you mad that he beat us like that?" Han asked, and Usami in response lowered her gaze to avoid looking in Bruce's face when lingering guilt poked at her, but Bruce scoffed at the question.

"Of course not, I can't be mad, I only have more training, and more fights ahead of me, I hope he can accept my challenge again someday, I want to test how much stronger I'll be at the end of all this."

"Hm, good attitude." Sol hummed quietly in approval, staring at the yellow window before him.

[The Goddess of Beasts is challenging you to a Duel of physical strength]

"Goddess of Beasts," Sol thought. "Diablos was a dragon, he was a beast, so he answered to her as well, isn't this supposed to be one of the Seven, including Dr'ul and Renia, then there's Destruction, Time, Love and Creation?"

[The goddess of war awaits your response]

[The goddess of chaos is interested in this interaction]

"This is the first time one of them has challenged me,"

[The god of goats is distraught and reflects his life so far]

[The goddess of Beasts is the only challenger today, will you accept this challenge?]

"Hm..."