My Goddess is Good at Pretending

Chapter 508: Honest Admission of Guilt

Even though Oceanid got a modified divine body and regained a fragment of his divine power, most of his divinity was still stripped off. He had to start anew like the other Gods helped by Elysium Goddesses.

After Oceanid stated his oath to purify the soil and water of corruption, Rhea cast an additional restriction on Oceanid’s soul and body to prevent accidents.

"Do you need to go that far?" Aether raised his eyebrows. Oceanid already stated the oath with Heaven as a witness and one’s divine soul as the price, similar to Timus. However, Rhea still put a slave mark on Oceanid.

"It will disappear once he completes his task. Unlike the God of Trade’s upgraded immunity, he must absorb the corrupted energy during the purification. This mark will work to protect him from contamination." Rhea explained a little to avoid misunderstandings.

"O-oh, so it’s like that. Good for you, bastard." Timus smacked Oceanid’s back as he was still feeling a bit envious. He also wished to regain a fragment of his divine power, but the favor fell only to Oceanid.

"..." Oceanid stroked his neck, feeling that his life was no longer in his hands.

However, he could trust Elysium Goddesses. It was also his punishment for his past mistakes, and he had to carry out his task without fail, or he would not have been able to imagine what would await him.

He received information about the Polluted Sea God’s dominion after he fell from his old friends. The evil witch was dangerous and scary. Unless his memory got wiped out, he probably could never lay a hand on any woman again in this life. But, it was also a part of his punishment.

Even so, he would never dare to offend Elysium Goddesses. They showed him some leniency and mercy, but behind their beautiful face and kind temperament, they could become something scarier than a nightmare, especially the miracle bringer, Elysia, the unimaginable divinity.

At that moment, everyone’s attention fell onto Elysia as she was performing an in-depth interrogation into the Polluted Sea God’s soul essence.

What everyone could see was that Elysia held the soul orb artifact and kept staring at it with her glowing eyes. However, Elysia’s partial consciousness has already entered the spiritual space where Delora’s soul essence was confined.

In the ethereal realm of the spiritual space, Elysia emerged in a spiritual consciousness form. Her aura radiated a sacred brilliance that illuminated the dark surroundings.

Her eyes, imbued with the power of Sacred Vision, glowed with an intense, unwavering light, penetrating Delora’s soul essence. Delora as the Polluted Sea God, once a figure of fear and malevolence, now appeared frail and exposed, unable to hide any truth under Elysia’s scrutinizing gaze.

"What, what do you want?" Delora stared at Elysia with a profound hatred. She lost and her fate lay in the winner’s hands, so she could do nothing about it. The winner gained everything and could do anything for her.

"That’s it, brave girl. I’m here for you. How about we don’t talk about life?" Elysia faintly smiled. She extended her hand, purging the corrupted energy and influencing the lost soul.

"Do I have a choice?" Delora stared dagger at Elysia, but she gradually looked at the ground as she couldn’t bear to look at those glowing purplish-blue eyes for long. The feeling was a bit unpleasant, and it was like she lay bare with nothing to hide.

Delora admitted. Her eyes reflected the sorrow of her past. "I was once a physician... the noble princess loved and revered by my people. But a terrible plague descended upon us, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t save them. In my desperation, I sought forbidden knowledge, hoping to find a cure."

Delora’s voice grew heavy with regret as she continued. "I found an ancient tome, filled with dark incantations that promised immense power. I used it, and for a moment, it seemed I had succeeded. The plague was eradicated but at a terrible cost. The dark magic took root within me, corrupting my soul. My people, those I had sworn to protect, were terrified of what I had become. They turned on me, and in a blind rage, I destroyed the very village I sought to save."

As the tale unfolded, Elysia remained silent. Her expression was a blend of compassion and determination. The Sacred Vision allowed her to see the truth in Delora’s words, the tragic path that had led the once noble princess to villainy.

"I became what I feared most. Consumed by the darkness, I sought revenge on a world that had forsaken me. I embraced the corrupted power, letting it twist me into a monster. But now, before your presence, I see the folly of my ways. I am trapped in a cycle of my own making." Delora’s voice broke as she recounted the final moments of her downfall.

The spiritual space grew quiet as she finished her story. Her soul lay bare.

Elysia, moved by the revelation, understood the depth of the tragedy that had befallen Delora. Though Delora’s sins and crimes were grave, they were born from a place of desperation and sorrow.

With a gentle yet firm voice, Elysia spoke. "Your path was darkened by tragedy and external force, but redemption is not beyond reach. The light of truth has been revealed, and now, we shall seek to mend what has been broken."

"?!" Delora widened her eyes in surprise. She couldn’t believe it. She had a clear mind before she gained the power that led her to great corruption. She also received mercy from the Goddess of Magic.

"We shall grant you a new life and wipe your memory. Your sole purpose is to restore the damage you caused and protect world peace. Are you willing to take this path?" Elysia stated her offer. She felt her sisters might disagree, but she decided this punishment would benefit the world more than Lifa’s initial intentions.

The information Lifa got from the soul search was mixed due to the corrupted soul, but during this interrogation of Delora’s truest self, the purest state with no evil influence, the truth came to light.

"It’s like I have no other choice." Delora sighed with a self-deprecating smile.

"We will grant you a new modified body to withstand the curse and corruption. You will consume the curse and corruption, any evil energies, to purify the world until the end of your life. Because of your sins, the Aquatic Continent and many regions throughout the world fell into ruins. You need to take responsibility, the restoration, and this is your punishment." Elysia shook her head as she knew Delora had no other choice but to obey her decision.

If not, the only outcome that Delora was waiting for was only one, namely becoming the subject of Lifa’s research, and that could be worse and death.

"You’re too kind. If it’s the other Goddesses, they can’t wait to purge me. Aren’t you afraid that your kindness and trust will be rewarded by a betrayal one day, Goddess Elysia?" Delora looked up. She was still unable to believe the one she wished to destroy and kill would provide a way out for her.

"That doesn’t mean we let you go, right? Also, that question is meaningless. It’s a term for the weak. I’ve changed my mindset as a transcendence. It’s always give and take. The good will be rewarded, the bad shall be punished."

"I see..."

"Then, now tell me more about you. I also want to know how the Sea God could fall into your hands. You were still mortal with unstable corruption-type berserk-like ability at that time, right?"

"Can I skip the latter? I became a seductress to seduce the powerful figures to fulfill my corrupted desires and greed. Somehow, I managed to capture the Almighty Sea God, but that’s very embarrassing to tell..."

"Don’t be shy. Tell me everything, spare no detail behind."

Delora couldn’t refuse or lie before Elysia. Thus she spilled everything. They then had a deeper conversation.

Half an hour later, the interrogation was concluded. Elysia gained all the information she needed. After that, she wiped Delora’s memory and purified Delora’s soul essence fully. Delora died and would be reborn as a new water purifier soon.

Delora’s body of corruption could be used with some modification, but Delora’s soul would remain pure to ensure the task would be done without being influenced by the devoured evil energy.

"Welcome back. What’s the situation?" Elena welcomed. Her arms still hugged Elysia’s waist.

"I got it, and it’s a bit different from what we get from the soul search." Elysia sighed.

"So, what are we going to do next? I feel like you’ve made another decision, contrary to what I have in mind." Lifa crossed her arms and stood before Elysia, feeling somewhat dissatisfied.

"Will you hear me out and honor my decision?" Elysia confronted Lifa, knowing Lifa might oppose her decision regarding Delora.

"I didn’t dare to oppose you, but I need to listen to your reasons." Lifa was flustered. Even if she had a hundred of herself, she would never dare to oppose Elysia, but Elysia was still young and needed a lot of guidance regarding how the world worked.

"So, it’s like this." Elysia summarized Delora’s past.

After that, she shared a little about how Oceanid could fall into the hands of a mortal seductress. Even though it came from the power of corruption, Oceanid’s flirtatious personality led him to that kind of situation.

The most important thing was the tombs and ruins of corruption, the cursed forbidden place that was hard to detect contained the Ruvoid’s aura and seed remnants.

"Let’s put the thing aside for now." Elysia glanced at Oceanid as she didn’t want him to know about Delora’s new life. She then hugged Lifa and looked up like a sweet, sunny girl. "We need to focus more on dealing with the buried remnants, mommy~ It’s not just the remnants of old friends, but the old enemies as well."

"Uhm, it can’t be helped then. We shall do as you say." Lifa felt a bit embarrassed, but she truly couldn’t help it.