The Goddess Is Obsessed With Me

"Who did you say...?"

My voice trembled with bewilderment, but I tried to suppress it, demanding the truth from the figure in front of me.

"Ugh... I just told you!"

She sighed heavily in frustration, shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head as if she couldn't understand.

"I've been speaking right in front of you this whole time, why can't you hear me?!"

Her cheeks puffed out as if she was holding her breath in exasperation.

I had been listening to what she was saying, but the surreal situation and her words made it hard for me to understand.

This can't be real... it just can't be...

Who is this girl standing before me? Everything about her, from her appearance to her name, resembled Mir, making her a complete mystery.

My mind spun, trying to grasp the situation.

"Introduce..."

I barely caught her muttering something with her lips, prompting me to ask her to repeat herself.

"What did you say?"

"Introduce myself!"

Her previously soft tone vanished, replaced by a sudden loudness that hurt my ears.

"I introduced myself, now it's your turn! What's your name?"

Looking at this girl, her demeanor felt almost manic, making it hard for me to view her in a positive light.

"Harold... Harold Wicker, that's my name."

Hearing my name, the girl, who called herself Miru, widened her eyes in surprise, but then tried to hide her shock.

It was strange seeing such a reaction from someone I had just met. I couldn't help but feel awkward.

"Uh... Harold, huh? Nice name."

Her tone was now oddly melancholic. I couldn't figure out how to react.

"Are you the black dragon causing trouble around here lately?"

She ambiguously nodded her head, avoiding eye contact and looking distressed. She tried to brush it off with a forced smile, but her mood clearly darkened.

"Maybe... but I haven't harmed anyone..."

She was visibly sweating, guilt clear in her eyes.

I was relieved to learn that this dragon wasn't the formidable enemy I knew. But this didn't resolve the primary issue.

If this child is the opponent, how should I approach this? Perhaps a conversation could help.

"Look, the guards will be here soon because of your rampage. Would it be alright if we moved and talked elsewhere?"

I tried to sound as gentle as possible. The dragon girl, Miru, brightened up instantly.

"Sure! I'll follow wherever you lead!"

I was bursting with questions. If you could imagine a younger version of Mir, she would look exactly like this girl. Their resemblance was uncanny.

An unsettling thought crossed my mind: Could she be... my daughter?

Such a thought sent shivers down my spine. I was desperate to uncover the identity of this Miru look-alike.

"Who's your father?"

"What..?"

She looked taken aback by my direct question, hesitating to answer.

"Well..."

She seemed conflicted, her lips trembling and she struggled to find the right words.

Why is she reacting this way? Does she have something to hide from me?

The longer she took to answer, the more anxious and paranoid I felt. Did Mir actually have a husband? If so, why was she so fixated on me? Could she possibly see me as a potential dark knight for her offspring?

Mir and I had no real connection, just acquaintances at best. But why do I want to deny these absurd thoughts so much?

"Your face looks odd, what's wrong?"

"Huh?!"

I realized just in time that something was off with my own mind.

I quickly cleared my thoughts, took deep breaths to calm down, and felt much better.

"What's going on?"

Her voice was filled with concern, making me feel guilty.

"It's nothing, just a lot on my mind, that's all." I said, trying to change the topic.

"Harold?! The dragon is missing!"

Just then, Erina returned to where we were. Seeing Miru, she looked puzzled and tilted her head.

Her expression was filled with confusion upon seeing this familiar yet different creature. It was as if a question mark had formed above her head.

"Is that you, Mir?"

Like me, Erina called out to the dragon, who looked just like Mir.

"It's Miru, not Mir! Our names might be similar, but don't confuse us!"

Her voice became sulky again. Erina was taken aback, looking utterly bewildered.

She then turned to me, her eyes seeking an explanation, "What's going on?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself. But for now, we should move. The guards will be here soon."

Erina, still trying to grasp the situation, finally agreed, "Alright, I'll follow your lead for now."

Thankfully, she noticed my unease and decided to move away from our initial meeting spot. The atmosphere in the distance seemed unaffected by the recent events.

"Wow! What's this food called? It's so delicious!"

To win over the young dragon's affection, I bought her a crepe.

"It's called a crepe. Is it really that good?"

She was ecstatic with every bite, her joy reminding me of the time I first met Mir and her reaction to the very same dessert.

Could their favorite food be this similar? The more I observed, the more curious I became about her identity.

"For now, eat up. I have many questions for you."

Miru seemed to sense my serious demeanor.

"What is it?"

She was surprisingly empathetic, adjusting to my mood quite quickly.

"Your name is Miru, right? Do you know a dragon named Mir? She can take on both dragon and human forms, and she looks a lot like you."

The most pressing question was their relationship.

However...

"I don't know."

"What?"

Her unexpectedly blunt answer turned my anticipation and worry into disappointment.

"I might not know who you're talking about, but I've never heard of a dragon named Mir!"

Her straightforward and innocent reply left me dumbfounded.

She doesn't know? How can that be?

Confusion hit me again.

Is she really not related to Mir? If not, why are there so many similarities? Could it all be just a coincidence?

Accepting it as mere coincidence seemed far-fetched.

Lost in this maze of questions, I felt like I was spiraling again, unable to imagine the truth.

"You really don't know? You look so much like an older version of her."

Even Erina couldn't accept this fact, breaking her silence to chime in. "I really don't know! By the way, this crepe is delicious!"

Her unchanging response only added to the mysterious frustration building within me. Erina and I were struggling to understand the current situation, and the very cause of our confusion was seemingly enjoying a crepe, which felt somewhat cheeky.

Should I keep pressing her? However, she didn't seem to be lying, making it hard to decide.

I had many questions related to Miru, but the first one seemed too off-topic, so I had to withhold it.

Clank!

Suddenly, Erina thrust her sword into the ground, conveying her dissatisfaction to me.

"This kid doesn't seem to want to tell the truth. Let's just finish what we came for and leave."

Erina was speaking to me but was indirectly threatening Miru.

"Yikes?!"

Unlike the black dragon I knew, she was easily intimidated and her eyes began to fill with tears.

"Are... are you going to kill me?"

One major difference between her and Mir might be her apparent lack of confidence. Seeing such a reaction from someone who usually appears dignified like Mir was somewhat amusing.

"Okay, but if you tell us the truth about your identity, we'll spare you."

She then threw away the crepe she was enjoying and began to cry out loud.

"I'm sorry! I'll tell you everything I know, just please spare me!"

Her face crumpled as if she was about to cry bitterly.

"Then tell us, do you have any connection with Mir? Spill everything you know!"

It was hard to tell who the real villain was as the tone felt more like a typical criminal's.

"Please! I really don't know who this Mir is!"

If she's still saying this after such threats, then perhaps she genuinely has no connection to Mir...

"Erina, stop it. What are you doing scaring a kid?"

I intervened, and Erina finally stopped her interrogation, though her expression remained sour.

"It seemed like there was something..."

Mumbling to herself, Erina sheathed her sword and gestured for me to handle it. While I understood her feelings, seeing the child cry and plead like this made it hard not to believe her.

"I'm sorry, my sister is a bit emotional. Calm down, don't cry."

I gently consoled Miru, who managed to stop her tears. As she calmed down, I continued with the next question.

"Today, we came looking for you because we accepted a quest. We heard that a black dragon has been causing trouble lately. Is that you?"

She guiltily nodded in response, looking apprehensive.

"I'm sorry... please don't kill me..."

Seeing her traumatized by Erina's threats, even though I had no intention of harming her, made me feel pity for Miru's situation.

"We won't kill you. We just wanted to know the reason behind it."

Treading carefully, as if consoling a child, I continued without using any harsh words, "Mmm... I see..."

I asked Miru everything we wanted to know.

"Hehe... I'm sorry... I won't do it again... please forgive me..."

The truth behind the rumors of a black dragon wreaking havoc in the city was this:

It was all due to a childish revenge act by a young dragon named Miru. For some reason, she was wronged by humans and retaliated by causing minor damages to buildings. It was a surprisingly anticlimactic story. Whenever guards approached, she'd flee and disguise herself as a human to evade capture.

"Ha..."

Even Erina sighed at this unexpected truth, looking up at the sky in disbelief. The event felt so trivial that my shoulders sagged unconsciously, doubting whether this was really the truth.

"Why, of all things, was the perpetrator of our quest this girl? And why does she have so much in common with Miru?"

Such questions lingered, but revisiting a concluded matter would yield no gains. It was indeed a case that left several unresolved feelings.

What do we do now?

The matter with Miru seemed settled, but we had no evidence to prove we'd passed the trial. Ideally, if the dragon was unrelated to me, we would've dealt with it swiftly, taken a trophy, and left. But having resolved things verbally with the actual culprit, it felt wrong to become hostile again. And I certainly had no twisted hobby of harming a child.

"As an apology, please accept this!"

Perhaps sensing my thoughts or maybe by coincidence, Miru handed over an object from her pouch, smiling brightly.

"Is this... a horn?"

"It's my horn that broke off in a previous incident! I've heard in human society, a dragon's horn holds great value, so I'm giving it to you as a special gift!"

With this, we might be able to prove we passed the trial. Miru promised never to reveal her dragon form to humans again. If we submitted this horn as evidence that we caught the problematic dragon, all issues might be amicably resolved.

Erina seemed to agree, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Shall we head back, Harold?"

Seeing no reason to decline Erina's suggestion, I bid Miru a final farewell and took my leave.

"Take care in the future, Miru."

"Goodbye! If fate allows, let's meet again!"

She waved cheerfully as we departed. But for some reason, the last glimpse I caught of Miru's face seemed tinged with sadness.

The grand doors opened with a majestic sound befitting their size. It was sunset, and a visitor approached the temple of Morione. Morione, the Goddess of Fate, seated atop a tall, white marble altar, greeted the visitor with a disingenuous smile.

"Welcome, byproduct of time."

The young girl in her view, radiating a dark aura, seemed out of place in the glowing white surroundings.

"I told you not to call me that..."

The girl, not looking fondly at Morione, responded with a threatening tone.

"My name is Miru, remember...!"

Their exchange was thick with unsaid history, rife with mystery.

"So, after all this time, you met him. Despite my warnings, you twisted fate."

Ignoring or not acknowledging her introduction, Morione continued with a cryptic smile. Miru remained silent.

"You really wish for Harold's downfall, don't you? Even without your interference, he's halfway there."

Miru scowled at the accusatory tone but quickly responded.

"Why should I care? Thanks to you, my plan has taken a significant leap. Should I be thankful?"

Morione's laughter wasn't genuine; it was mocking.

"How does it feel to reunite with your father after all this time?"

Upon hearing Morione's words, Miru's body shuddered momentarily, and she shot a glare filled with endless hatred, which she quickly suppressed.

"It's not bad..."

She responded indifferently and continued with what sounded like a confession.

"I knew about the fate you mentioned... I knew all along! I wasn't supposed to meet my father..."

In truth, everything Miru had told Harold was a lie. Everything about the dragon named Miru, the desire to vent her anger on humans – all of it was a lie.

In truth, she knew the girl named Miru better than anyone. The reason she caused a commotion in the kingdom was the hope that if she drew enough attention, he might eventually appear before her.

"But... to be able to meet my departed father again..."

She bared her genuine feelings about all the tragedies stemming from her petty desires.

"The allure was irresistible... I knew I could potentially drive my father to ruin, but still, it fascinated me..."

Why Miru spoke these words, and why she referred to him as her father...

Only time would know the truth.