The Goddess and the Readers Were Watching

We were riding the carriage Lord Raking had given us, bound for the royal capital of the Zortia Kingdom. The power of the Holy Sword had been verified, and we had the Lord's official endorsement to boot. All that remained was to receive the title of Hero directly from the King, and then our adventure could truly begin.

Inside the darkened room, we leaned on the dim glow of a few scattered candles while playing cards passed back and forth across the table. Already, over on the chairs by that wall, sat Valerie and Fresia — stripped completely bare, wrapped in nothing but cloth.

Valerie trembled with embarrassment while Fresia looked utterly unbothered. Not that I had the luxury of worrying about those two right now. I stared at the tabletop — or rather, at the hand belonging to the silver-haired girl sitting across from me in my place.

The tension broke as the cards were revealed. The one sitting before the silver-haired girl flipped her hand over and declared:

"And that's four of a kind. Victory is mine. Now then — off with your clothes."

And so, the adventure began veering off in a very strange direction.

Having descended from the Elf Village, we pushed hard along the road and met Lord Raking once more. We were already three full days late with barely a word of explanation, so the Lord received us in a flustered scramble, his face a picture of bewilderment. When he saw the equipment we now wore — noticeably different from what we'd departed in — he seemed to conclude that something serious had occurred.

We reported that we had safely received the power of the Holy Sword, even if the ceremony had gone a little off-script, and presented him with the scroll bearing the signatures of King Bahav and Queen Anaris.

According to what we heard, word had already spread through his domain that something had gone wrong with the Holy Sword ceremony. The merciful part was that the bit about light bursting forth from my cock seems to have been dismissed as more or less exaggerated nonsense. I'd worried about the rumors ever since I anticipated them, but at least my public exposure was being written off as gossip.

Lord Raking expressed his gratitude for our success in the ceremony and for the deepened friendship with the Elf Village. Predictably, he threw another banquet, and I enjoyed it while keeping a close watch on Valerie to make sure she touched not a drop of alcohol.

Thanks to the Lord's consideration, I was given a private room and slept in comfort.

Pweeeee~!

The moment I entered the dream world, that damned Goddess in her pointed party hat blew a garishly rainbow-colored elephant trumpet.

"...What."

"Aww, so cold~ I'm here to congratulate you on your first week since reincarnating into another world!"

"The last thing I want is a congratulations from you."

I clicked my tongue as I settled into my spot.

"My, my, no pouncing on me this time? And yet you always used to throw yourself at me so passionately~"

The Goddess doffed her pointed hat and teased me in a sing-song lilt, but I deliberately refused to give her a reaction.

"How cruel~ Well, I do sincerely want to celebrate, you know. You did safely obtain the power of the Holy Sword, after all!"

"Gah!"

At the mention of that topic, I shot up from where I sat.

"That's so like you! YOU'RE the one who put the Holy Sword's power inside my body! YOU'RE the one who made the power's charging method that?! I've figured it all out, Definie!!"

"YES! I AM!"

That accursed Goddess struck a pose with an impish grin — one fist clenched and arm thrust straight down at the floor, the other thumb raised skyward.

"I am the Goddess of Justice herself, Definie! The mastermind who placed the Holy Sword's power within your body!"

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAAAULT!!"

I clenched my fist and roared. I wanted nothing more than to lunge at her and beat her senseless, but knowing it was pointless only added more futile strength to my knuckles and throat.

"Goddess of Justice, my ass! What kind of justice goddess is a freak pervert like you?!"

"Because that IS my justice!"

"Who the hell loves that kind of justice?!"

"Plenty of people enjoy watching a man get corrupted into a female's plaything by futanari, you know~"

Plenty of people, my ass!

"Who knooows~ maybe someone beyond this very world was watching when you got stuffed full of cock and moaned 'come inside meee~'?"

"Shut up! Shut up shut up!"

Refusing to concede a single word, I shrieked back at her, enraged by her teasing nonsense. I even hit a shrill pitch so high it surprised me.

"Why are you so angry~"

"Why do you THINK?! It's all because of you! And charging the Holy Sword with SEMEN! What kind of ridiculous setting is that — straight out of some ero gag novel?!"

"And why is that a problem?"

"BECAUSE it made me...! It made me..."

When I faltered and dropped my head, Definie began to smirk.

"Getting rutted nice and hard by futanari?"

"YES! THAT, you bastard!!"

Frustrated, I kicked at the empty floor. Definie, thoroughly entertained, clutched her belly laughing as she sprawled into that enormous chair of hers and kicked her legs.

"How am I supposed to go on any adventure like this?! Every single time I use the Holy Sword's power... you're telling me I have to HAVE SEEXXX?!"

"You'd be doing that anyway, wouldn't you~?"

"Huh?"

"Even without this, you were going to do it, weren't you?"

"Wh... wha...?"

"Even though I haven't appeared in your dreams lately, I've been watching you very, veeery closely~"

"Ugh..."

As I backed away, Definie stalked after me, closing in while fixing me with those eyes of hers — impossibly clear and bright to the point of being unbearable.

"I know you blamed everything on my passive at first, but I'll have you know there's no brainwashing effect or anything of the sort in the passive I gave you. Passive!"

The moment Definie called it out, the passive's information unfolded in my mind, even without me willing it.

Dammit! You could just pull that up whenever you wanted?!

"Higher levels take longer and longer to grind, and yet you so admirably managed a level-up in the meantime! Might I credit that enthusiastic fellatio you performed with that lovely mouth of yours?"

"AAAAARGH! Don't say it!"

I flopped onto the floor and thrashed around.

"You even took it up your backdoor, all nice and slo~ppy, so who knows — that next level might not be far off~ Hohoho~"

I'll kill her! Someday, I swear I'll kill her!

I trembled from head to toe, enduring the humiliation with every fiber of my being.

"But look here, carefully."

"Huh?"

"There's no brainwashing anywhere in here, is there?"

"H... but... the desire resonance...!"

"The desire resonance merely stimulates desire, that's all. Just because your appetite overflows doesn't mean you go around chewing on rocks, does it?"

"Grrrgh...!"

"No matter how intensely someone feels desire, very few people actually act on impulse."

"Nnngh..."

"Furthermore! No one harbors desire for a target that clashes with their own sexual orientation, do they?"

"Ugh...!"

"In fact, it should be thoroughly unpleasant... and yet, you weren't, were you, dear Hero!"

"Stop it..."

"Which means! Sucking cock! Drinking down semen! And on top of that—!"

"I KNOW! FINE! Yes! It was my own decision, all right?! AAAARGH!!"

I'd already come to terms with it back when Fresia had her way with me. I'd more or less admitted it, to some degree, to Valerie and Fresia.

But I at least didn't want to say it out loud in front of this one. I didn't want to confess it to the one person who did nothing but tease me.

But it seemed I'd already screwed the pooch...

My scream rippled out through this infinite, wall-less expanse. Afterward, the only sound that reached my ears was my own sniffling as I lay face-down on the floor.

"*Sob*... *hic*..."

"Why the tears, when you had such a ~wonderful~ experience~"

Definie clacked over step by step, bent down, and began to speak as though whispering.

"There's no need to be ashamed. I enjoyed myself immensely, you know? Watching you savor that cock so eagerly all on your own. That blissful expression when you received his seed."

Just kill me...

"The way you moaned so cutely — 'ahn, ahn~' — while the two of them had their way with you."

Just kill me...! If I can't kill this damned Goddess, then at least let someone kill ME!!

"*Hic*... *sob*...!"

I had no strength left even to clench my fist; all I could do was whimper. Once I'd calmed myself a little and lifted my head, Definie was wearing a smile of pure satisfaction.

"What the hell... so the reason you showed up today was just to mess with me? Useless goddess."

"How heartless~ This was simply a 'catching-up session.'"

More like an exposé on my private life.

"Well then, enough catching up. Let's get to business."

"Hm? But I haven't heard your review of the anal experience yet~"

"Who asked for a review?!"

"Hoho~ Well, I assume you enjoyed it, so I won't pry~"

Don't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just decide that on your own!

...

Not that I did enjoy it, of course...

Definie rose from her seat and headed toward her enormous chair, then turned to face me and spread both arms wide. Just like last time, a brilliant halo appeared and lit her up as she struck ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her pose.

Definie's voice, amplified as if through a megaphone or echo effect, drilled into my ears, and moments later I was shoved out of the dream world — waking up as though flung from it.

"Hwaah...!"

With the odd sensation of my soul being ejected from somewhere, I opened my eyes on the bed. It was the same dark room where I'd gone to sleep.

A Saintess...? I'm supposed to meet a new companion...?

Don't tell me that Saintess isn't... going to be yet another futanari...?

"Ah, you're awake..." "Didn't I TELL you this was a bad ideaaaa...!"

At the strange whispering, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looked toward the foot of the bed, facing the door. There stood two futanari — not new at all, only all too familiar.

Valerie had grabbed Fresia from behind, her arm slipped through the girl's armpits, holding her back like someone restraining a criminal.

"...What are you doing?"

"Y-! Hero!" "I have no face to show you, Hero!"

"I said, what are you DOING?"

"We figured tonight we'd... skip it~"

"NO!! WAY!!"

I bellowed loud enough to shake the whole manor off its foundations.