The Sage and the Goddess
Inanna.
Sunya had never seen her with his own eyes, yet he knew the name well enough. She was a goddess once worshipped across the ancient lands of Mesopotamia. The Immibi she spoke of were the principal figures of Mesopotamian myth — counterparts to the Lokapala of Indian lore, the Dodekatheon of Greece and Rome, the Ennead of Egypt. Judged against the span of human history, they were among the oldest gods of all, and that was no exaggeration.
Even so, meeting a being who called herself a goddess left Sunya entirely unmoved. He had already encountered gods more than once. The first time had been startling, certainly — but once you looked closely, they were only people. They simply did not age, lived across vast stretches of time, and wielded formidable power. That, at least, was how Sunya saw them.
And so he could tell that the girl — Inanna — was speaking the truth. A distinctive divinity radiated from her. Still, coming face to face with a famous divine figure he had only ever known through stories stirred something faintly new in him.
"I see. It is an honor to meet you."
Sunya knelt and offered a measure of courtesy.
"…Is that all?"
Courtesy, and nothing more. No wonder, no worship, no fear, no awe — none of it showed on him.
"Ah… is there something particular I ought to do?"
"I'm Inanna! Direct bloodline of An, the great god of the heavens, and goddess of love and war!!"
"Ah, yes. I am aware. I may live in the mountains, but how could I not know of Lady Inanna?"
"And that's how someone who knows me reacts?"
"Pardon?"
His response had been far duller than she had expected. Explaining her own stature and authority at length would have been too undignified.
"…Forget it. This is boring."
Her energy drained for no good reason, Inanna turned her back. The goddess drifted up into the sky with a listless air and flew off somewhere. Watching her vanish, Sunya scratched the back of his head.
"…Perhaps it really is time I left."
Yes. This world was no mere ancient age. It was a mythic era itself — gods, humans, and every manner of monster coexisting. An age when the whims of great transcendent beings decided the fates of mortals. The attention of powerful gods was blessing and curse alike. If Inanna took an interest in him, troublesome things would follow — that much was as clear as day.
"As expected… dealing with young women is exhausting."
He let out a short sigh and went inside. There were still daily tasks waiting for him.
"My lady changing her mind is quite the surprise. Have you decided to leave Mount Ebih alone after all?"
Ninshubur, Inanna's attendant, greeted her mistress upon her return.
"Drop it. I want to be alone, so don't bother me."
"Yes, my lady."
Ninshubur was obedient. At her mistress's command, the attendant left the bedchamber without a word of protest.
"What is with that guy?"
Once Ninshubur's presence had fully faded, Inanna flopped face-down onto her bed and grumbled. Thoughts of Sunya had been stuck in her head since earlier and refused to leave.
"Weird guy. Insolent guy. Annoying guy…"
And yet, strangely, she did not dislike him. He went around with his eyes half-closed in that odd way, but he was certainly rather handsome. Looks of that caliber were rare even among the gods. And his body was fine, too — broad shoulders and back, a solid chest flowing into well-defined abs, thick arms… The male gods around her tended toward lean, elegant builds, which only made him more striking.
Oddly enough, just thinking of Sunya set a faint tickle stirring in her chest.
"What is this, already…"
Without even realizing it, Inanna's face had gone faintly flushed. Love and war were her divinity — yet she knew nothing of love. She could not even properly tell whether what she felt now was simple curiosity or attraction toward a man. That was how young a goddess Inanna still was.
"Maybe I should go see him again tomorrow?"
While she fretted over it, her eyes grew heavy. It had been an especially tiring day.
The day after Inanna left.
As always, a few people came seeking Sunya. They asked about matters of livelihood, made requests, or simply chattered about trivial things.
"I heard Kubatum said something strange yesterday."
Among them was Enede, older sister of Kubatum — the same Kubatum who had propositioned Sunya the day before. He had built his house on a mountaintop precisely to avoid mixing with people, yet he had failed to account for the fact that the folk of this age far surpassed ordinary people of the future in physical strength and every other capacity. Even a woman who looked so delicate had climbed the mountain without difficulty.
"I'm sorry if she disturbed your peace, Sage."
"It is quite all right."
"No — apologizing with words alone isn't proper manners. So…"
Enede drew her chin in, her face flushed and heated. Sisters, after all — Sunya thought she looked rather like Kubatum in that moment.
"All I have is my body."
"No. Please stop."
Licking her lips, Enede drew closer. Hers was not the face of someone come to beg forgiveness. She looked far more like a predator that had found its prey. The women of this place were remarkably aggressive when it came to courtship.
Compared to Kubatum, whose secondary sexual characteristics were only just beginning to show, Enede was a thoroughly mature woman — long limbs, developed breasts and hips. Her feminine allure was in an entirely different league. A body specialized for seducing men. And the villagers below the mountain went about bare-chested as a matter of course, men and women alike. Enede had no need to undress; she could launch her full physical assault at once. Knowing that men liked her large breasts, she kneaded them with her fingers, trying to stir Sunya's desire.
"Ahem. Miss Enede? I am sorry, but I must decline."
"What?"
"Call it a personal principle, if you will. Something like a rule I set for myself. I have no intention of entering into a sexual relationship with you."
"What do you mean…"
She had never met a man who refused her while she stood this close, shaking her breasts at him. And Sunya was not even particularly on guard against her. From Enede's perspective, it was hard to understand.
"Why?"
"That is…"
Sunya's words went no further. Kubatum, having scrambled up Mount Ebih in a rush, burst into the house and shoved herself between them.
"What are you doing, sister?!"
"Kubatum? What are you doing here…"
"Why are you cutting in line? The Sage is the man I claimed first!"
"Oh, please. First come, first served!"
"Hmph! You already have plenty of lovers!! Just give me this one!!"
"Is there anything this child won't say?!"
"Eugyaaaah!!"
Enede pinched and stretched Kubatum's cheek. Kubatum, who at first seemed to be taking the worst of it, counterattacked by yanking on Enede's nipple.
"Kyaah!! You little—!!"
"You old hag!!"
An unmajestic brawl between sisters erupted. In the ensuing chaos, Sunya managed to usher both of them back down the mountain.
"Whew… somehow got through it again."
He sighed and sat down in his chair. It was a rough thing carved from wood, but after a ruckus like that, it was a good place to rest when the fatigue set in.
"Popular, aren't you."
A familiar voice. Before he knew it, Inanna was perched on the windowsill, looking at him. The young goddess wore a distinctly displeased expression for some reason, though Sunya simply took it as it was and did not think too deeply about it.
"You've come."
"Show some respect, human."
Inanna's tone was cold. He could not say exactly why, but anyone could tell she was sulking.
"I present myself before Lady Inanna, the great goddess of love and war."
Sunya knelt and paid his respects. Yet even then, there was not the slightest hint that he found Inanna herself intimidating.
"Honestly, what an insolent human."
That she did not press the point further, though, likely meant she did not entirely dislike that attitude of his.
"More importantly — why do so many humans keep coming here? You don't seem to be the chief of some large village."
"I simply know a little more than most. People from the nearby villages come seeking answers for everyday matters, or for unexpected situations."
"Hmm. So that's why the humans around here call you a sage?"
"An undeserved title. The problems I have actually solved, the answers I have given — there have not been many."
"But if people keep seeking you out, there must be a reason that fits, no?"
"That is true enough."
Sunya did not bother denying it.
"Still, I'm curious how much you actually know. Tell me something interesting."
"Nothing that would much surprise the great gods, I am sure."
"I'll be the judge of that. You just talk."
Sunya thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.
"Then for a start, I shall tell you a simple tale — the story of Cinderella."