Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: A Princess's Proposal
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"Grant us a safe day today, O Seraphim."
"O our Seraphim in heaven, give us this day our daily bread. Forgive our wrongs as we forgive those who wrong us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
"O Seraphim, grant me permission to become a righteous thief."
"O Seraphim in heaven, guide me... Watch over me so I do not stray from the righteous path... I offer my body to your will... I felt it! Seraphim is coming!"
[Hmm...] Countless prayers directed toward me from my devotees.
As one of an angel's abilities, even from the distant heavens, I could hear the voices of those who offered up 'earnest prayers' to me.
For the record, ordinary prayers wouldn't cut it.
Only prayers infused with genuine, heartfelt desperation could reach my ears.
On top of that, they had to come from someone with at least +20 karma...
In other words, from someone who'd lived a 'virtuous life.' That was just an added condition.
The higher the karma, the clearer the voice became. It was a perfect illustration of how the righteous are more likely to receive blessings.
Yet despite these stringent conditions, I still received hundreds to thousands of such prayers every single day.
A normal human's head would explode just from hearing that many voices at once.
But I was now the transcendent being known as the Great Seraph Seraphim.
Compared to my human days, the difference in processing power was like upgrading from a Windows 95 with a Voodoo graphics card to Windows 11 with a GeForce RTX 4090 and 24GB of VRAM.
I could handle information processing that would have been unimaginable in my previous life. I could simultaneously listen to countless voices, discern their needs, and even cast minor divine spells to offer them small aids.
Like boosting their defense enough to turn a sword wound into a mere scratch.
Or nudging their luck so two sixes showed up on the dice.
The voices reaching me carried all sorts of hopes and purposes.
As the fruits of earnest prayer, they held no lies or pretense—just the pure, unfiltered thoughts of those who offered them.
Since they were addressing a divine, transcendent being unlike themselves, they laid bare their innermost feelings without restraint.
There was considerable entertainment value in legally eavesdropping on people's secrets like this.
But on the flip side, such unfiltered prayers often left a truly filthy taste in my mouth.
"O Seraphim, I love the neighbor's Anastasia. But she's a married woman with a husband and child... What must I do to be with her?"
"O Seraphim, I like lolis. What should I do?"
Even in this world, adultery and lolicon were taboo.
A surprising number of people who lived virtuous lives harbored twisted desires in odd places.
These were easy enough to handle—I'd give them a slight stinging sensation to convey a clear 'Don't commit crimes' message.
No matter how virtuous the person, it was only natural to block prayers that led to evil deeds.
And surprisingly, it worked. Most gave up after receiving that 'divine warning.'
The real problem was prayers like these, similar yet disturbingly different.
"Today, I saw her selling wares by the city gates again. Amid the potion bottles, her ears twitching, her plump hindquarters wiggling as she called out 'Come and see!' in that beastly voice... I can't live a day without seeing her now. O Seraphim, will she... will that cat beastkin girl, covered in such soft fur, accept my heart?"
"I'm smitten with Argon, who works at the maid tea house. She's a lizardman, but... every night, I think of her and my body burns. O Seraphim, make my love come true! Help her love the bread I bake!"
Furries and reptile lovers who triggered a 404 error in my brain just from their stories.
Hearing dozens of these every day was a genuine ordeal for me.
Of course, from their perspective, these were secrets too embarrassing to share and deeply serious dilemmas. As their god, I'd offer some comforting response...
But these tales from genuine deviants inevitably left me feeling utterly grossed out.
Anyway, as I handled these like routine paperwork, one voice suddenly caught my attention.
"O Seraphim... I have something urgent to discuss with you. Please, appear before me."
[This is...] Cases like this popped up occasionally.
Requests to appear before them in person.
I usually ignored those.
Not out of laziness... but because every time I did show up, people fainted left and right.
I'd cast [Fear Not] afterward, but they were already out cold by then, so it was pointless.
But this time, I couldn't just brush off the request.
Because the one praying was....
'Princess Solomon?... Why is she suddenly calling for me?'
The princess of Kanan Kingdom—the first human to volunteer as my sacrifice.
My personal opinion of her hadn't changed: a four-dimensional airhead missing a few screws.
Still, I couldn't ignore her prayer.
Someone praying this earnestly had to have a good reason.
And more importantly, I couldn't disregard her status as a princess.
Plus, she'd already seen me once, so she wouldn't faint at my sudden appearance.
With my decision made, I slowly flapped my wings and prepared to descend.
That's when.
[Seraphim, where are you going?] Arcroyal voiced her curiosity.
I replied casually.
[I've got business on the surface. Heading down.] [Oh, then I'll come—] [No need. It's not like I'm going to fight. Stay here and behave.] [...Yes. Understood...] Arcroyal replied with a hint of disappointment.
Unlike me, she was probably bored out of her mind, just reading books here. But I had no time to worry about that right now.
Responding to the princess's call came first.
Descending to the surface after so long,
at the open-air altar,
the princess's words upon seeing me were...
"Seraphim, will you marry me?"
[...] "If marriage is not your wish, then at least bestow your holy seed upon me. As royalty, let me bear the child of a great being!"
'Furries and lizards... and this one's got an eye fetish?'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [Haa...] Seraphim departed for the surface.
Watching him go, a deep sigh escaped Arcroyal's lips.
She, the Archangel who had sworn to serve the great Seraph Seraphim.
Yet Seraphim had rarely given her any specific tasks.
He'd bestowed teachings here and there and ordered her to learn divine magic, but that was it.
He handled almost everything alone, leaving her no room to step in.
Having such a perfect master was a blessing, but it also left his servant feeling unfulfilled.
Desperate to be of use to him somehow, Arcroyal began pondering the issue seriously.
'This won't do... I need to find a way... A way for Seraphim to use me to his heart's content...'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Girga Kingdom.
This nation, one of the three great powers on the central continent, had one defining trait.
The God of War, Anumashi, ruled it directly as king.
Unlike other gods who governed through priests or human monarchs, Anumashi inhabited a body he had personally crafted—an incarnation—and ruled hands-on.
This went far beyond mere divine possession; it was an avatar living among humans.
Of course, even as an incarnation, it couldn't match his full power—about two-thirds at best.
Still, that power was beyond any mortal's reach, allowing Anumashi to bend the kingdom entirely to his will.
True to its war god ruler, Girga boasted immense military might, reaping tribute from countless conquered vassal states and enjoying boundless wealth.
However,
the lives of its people, amid the apparent prosperity and decadence, were far from happy.
This stemmed from the tyrannical, greedy laws Anumashi had enacted to sate his desires.
By one such law,
a group of women trembled as they made their way to the depths of the royal palace, toward the sovereign's bedchamber.
Each wore a ring symbolizing her engagement.
In just days, they were set to marry the men they truly loved.
But at this moment,
they stood before a golden-haired, brown-skinned man lounging arrogantly on the bed.
Before Anumashi the God, they began undressing with shaking hands.
Bodies of utmost purity, never yielded to any man.
They had wanted to give them to the men they loved most, but...
This kingdom forbade it.
Beautiful brides-to-be 'chosen' by decree had to share the bed of the kingdom's king—and god—Anumashi first.
The so-called 'right of the first night.'
Defy it, and not only they but their fiancés would be slain. Thus, they submitted tearfully to the ordeal.
"G-God..."
"P-Please, with our bodies..."
💥 DIVINE DECREE 💥 [Heh heh... Yes, I shall accept you. Anticipate it—I'll show you pleasures no pathetic husband of yours could ever provide!]
Anumashi had crafted this 'right of the first night' to indulge his fetish for claiming taken women.
Wearing a smile brimming with lust, he slowly rose from his seat today as well.
"Ugh..."
"Hngh..."
The women began to have their bodies thoroughly ravaged by the irresistible touch of a god.
No matter that he was divine—the fact that they were embracing a man other than their fiancés etched despair and agony onto their faces.
Yet amid it all, their bodies quivered from the undeniable, intense pleasure he forced upon them.
Watching this filled Anumashi's heart with profound thrill and excitement, sensations impossible in ordinary trysts.
'Come to think of it... That Seraphim guy mentioned having a woman, right?'
He didn't recall the details, but rumor had it Seraphim shared a deep bond with some human woman—a knight, a princess, or perhaps a princess knight.
Reports even placed Seraphim appearing before a princess-like figure at a temple on the palace outskirts not long ago.
Anumashi knew the rumors well.
Of the world's most stunning beauties—that princess.
A wicked grin spread across his face.
The same dark desire stirred within Anumashi as always.
'Heh heh... Yes. This time, I'll ravage that guy's woman. I need bait to lure him out anyway...'
A beloved woman defiled before her man's eyes.
A man weeping in humiliation as his woman is stolen.
The prospect of witnessing his favorite scene against a 'god' filled Anumashi with uncontainable excitement.