God of Tricksters

Since he didn't want to bother the dwarves anymore, Theo decided to move at least twenty miles away from the mountain range.

They didn't eat anything for a day, so they were pretty hungry and thirsty. Ava immediately hunted some monsters to make a little feast.

Agata went to search for more water while Theo set up their tents.

After that, they had a feast, celebrating the fact they could survive after being attacked by a Mythical Rank Expert and leave with so much stuff.

After eating, Agata suddenly called his name. "Theo…"

Theo turned to her as usual and asked what happened, but he soon found the hesitation in her eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"

Agata looked down while contemplating whether it was alright to do this or not. She remembered the advice from her Goddess and clenched her fists.

After grumbling for a few minutes, Agata finally released everything. "I have confirmed that my feelings haven't changed. I have never said this because I'm afraid that you will hate me, but I would like to say it now, and I won't beat around the bush anymore."

Her face looked nervous as she clutched her chest. She said, "I love you. You said back then that I might have confused my feelings because you were the only one who treated me differently…

"I have been thinking about it and I know that I didn't mistake this feeling. After meeting you, I have learned that it's fine to become an average person.

"When they talked to me with my original appearance, they would always treat me better. And when I used this Mimicry Skill, they didn't treat me as someone special.

"Only you who didn't treat me differently. I admitted that I felt something that wasn't love when I realized this feeling, but these past few months were real.

"I have come to realize that my feelings have grown and it's not something shallow like a comfort zone." She suddenly looked down and sighed. "I know that I should choose a better date and mood to say all this…

"After all, our lives are still in danger and our teamwork will be disrupted because of the awkwardness… And I should have set the mood first before saying all this…

"But I don't regret this decision. I just want to tell you that I love you." She smiled, trying not to show her apologetic expression to guilt trip Theo. She didn't want Theo to be under pressure because of her feelings.

Theo was shocked, never expecting Agata to confess at this time.

He put the best smile he could offer, looked her in the eyes, and said with a gentle tone. "I'm sorry."

"…" When she heard those words, her heart felt tightened. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Agata ultimately looked down and said, "It's fine. I expected this. It's me who needs to apologize for putting you in the spot."

Theo shook his head. "I'm sorry… I can't reply to your feelings yet. Even though I'm like this, I am a bit traditional.

"I don't want to keep blaming my upbringing for my trust issue for this, but I truly can't see myself committing to a relationship yet."

"It's okay." Agata waved her hands hurriedly. "I know what you have experienced. I can understand that, so no need to feel bad. I just want you to know how I feel right now.

"In the past, I was admired by many and they confessed their love to me. As innocent as I was, I often watched dramas about love confession to learn how to reject them without hurting them.

"The popular character would always reject other people and they would keep pushing his feelings onto another person. I truly believed it was very hypocritical. So, I don't wish to do something like that.

"I want you to know my feelings, but I don't want to force my feelings on you. That's why you don't need to answer this.

"Instead, I want to thank you for listening to my rumbling and doing all this thing for me." She lowered her head before smiling at him. "Thank you."

Theo scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to say.

Agata, on the other hand, rose from the ground and took their bottles and plates. "Since the river is nearby, I'm going to get some water and wash the dishes."

Without hesitation, she immediately ran away.

She soon disappeared into the woods, leaving Theo alone. Ava had disappeared during this time as if she understood what was going on.

Theo took a few deep breaths to calm his heart down before looking at the sky. He muttered in his heart. "Maybe… I should have moved on from all this…"

Meanwhile, Agata kept washing the dishes after getting enough water from the river. After a while, Ava suddenly appeared next to her with a worried expression.

"Ava?" Agata turned to her with a surprised expression. Soon, she forced a smile and said, "Sorry for making things awkward."

Ava shook her head with a serious expression. "Theo might need a catalyst to solve his problem. I just want to make sure you don't do anything foolish."

"It's fine, it's fine. I will just take my time to calm down while doing the dishes." She waved her hand and said, "Besides, you should be on his side, not me."

"He will be fine." Ava denied her and said, "Mother told me that trust is built with time. If you force someone to trust you, it's not going to last for very long."

"Thank you." Agata smiled.

Ava nodded her head and returned to the woods.

Agata sighed, thinking, 'I might have done something unnecessary. Even Ava came to comfort me…'

She looked at the sky and remembered the words of her Goddess. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and muttered, "It's fine… Everything is going to be fine."

Although she wasn't unaware of it, her confession indeed changed Theo a little bit.. Whether it was for the better or worse, she would find it soon.