Turning the Wheel
Naturally, the gods gathered around them did not take it well.
"There she goes again."
"Doing whatever she damn well pleases."
"I thought she'd been quiet lately."
Murmurs rose on every side.
Even though Inanna had recently earned the distinction of returning from the underworld, to the other gods she was still little more than a powerful thug.
They reacted this way because they considered her to have broken their unspoken agreement.
Why else, save for the first creation of humanity, would the gods never teach humans themselves, always working through intermediaries?
Humans learn nothing from the gods.
They only obey.
That is human instinct.
The very existence of a slave class spoke to their nature.
This was not prejudice or stereotype—it was fact.
Just as a child obeys a father, villagers obey a village chief, and even a great king obeys his gods, so too do humans desperately yearn for someone to take responsibility for them—and for that, they do not mind being bound.
It was nothing like the hierarchies among beasts.
They had been created from the beginning as creatures meant to perform hard labor in place of the lesser Igigi gods, so it could hardly be otherwise.
Even so, the gods had sought to treat humans—far weaker and more insignificant than themselves—as beings with a measure of personhood, and had come to respect their society as well.
Of course, the chief intent had been to draw a clear line between divine society and human society and savor the superiority of it; but for whatever reason, the trend had been toward reducing direct interference for the sake of humanity's nominal independence.
If, however, they brought Sunya in as an educator the way Inanna proposed, it would undermine everything they had been working toward.
Even a god of low rank was still a god—humans would choose to obey him rather than learn from him.
Moreover, recommending her own husband as educator looked like nothing more than Inanna's shortsighted bid to harvest a great deal of faith.
And so the gods' gazes naturally settled on Sunya and Inanna.
"Lady Inanna?"
Sunya seemed a little surprised himself.
Meaning they had not discussed this beforehand.
Given Inanna's self-willed nature, it was hardly astonishing.
Ordinarily she would have felt no need to persuade anyone in a situation like this.
She would simply have thrown a tantrum or forced the issue with raw power.
But as the saying goes, couples grow alike—and living with Sunya had changed Inanna a great deal.
"I know Sunya. Of everyone I've ever seen, he has more talent for teaching than anyone. And I'm not saying that just because he's my husband. Besides, he built this city himself—he has every right to teach its people."
"But he is a god, is he not? Excessive divine interference makes humans dull. It would be better to use a proxy…"
Someone raised a valid objection.
In response, Inanna revealed a fact she had never spoken of before.
She had, of course, obtained Sunya's permission beforehand.
Even so, Sunya himself had not expected her to disclose it here and now.
"It's fine—Sunya can conceal his divinity."
The assembly was stunned by the revelation.
Something long held as common knowledge had just been overturned; the reaction was only natural.
"Haha, it's not that impressive. If you know the trick, any of you could do it."
"Like I'm doing right now. Hup!"
As if to prove his words, Inanna's divinity diminished.
Before long, not a trace of it could be sensed from her—enough that one might have mistaken her for an ordinary human.
It was not that the absolute amount had decreased, but that the detectable level had been reduced.
Her face looked strained, as if she were tensing her whole body, though that seemed merely a matter of practice.
"Whoa… I didn't see that coming."
Enki muttered in a complicated tone.
Ninhursag made no effort to hide her unease.
Enlil's face was openly twisted with displeasure.
"But even so, a god teaching humans is a different matter entirely, isn't it?"
"Then make him swear an oath. While Sunya serves as this city's educator, he will not accumulate any faith of his own, and he will use no divine powers whatsoever. He'll rely solely on his capabilities as a human. That should settle any complaints, right?"
"…Why go this far?"
"I'll say it again. I've never met anyone more suited to be an educator than Sunya. And I'm asserting the rightful claim my husband deserves."
"Hmm. The little one's gotten better with her words."
Inanna's and Enki's gazes locked.
After a moment of silent staring, Enki added a condition.
"…I'll accept it on the condition that if your husband is discovered to be a god, he immediately steps down as educator."
"Fine."
And so, on Inanna's recommendation, Sunya was selected as one of the educators of the City of Education.
A few more selections and recommendations followed, and once the city's name had finally been decided, the gods dispersed.
"Why did you do that?"
After returning with Inanna to her palace, Sunya asked.
"Come in. I'll tell you while we bathe."
"…Do we have to?"
Though puzzled, Sunya followed her into the bathroom.
Without the slightest hint of embarrassment, the couple undressed as naturally as breathing.
The bathroom was needlessly large and lavish—so extravagant it was hard to believe it was Inanna's private bath.
It was not particularly to Sunya's taste, but in a situation like this it created a rather romantic atmosphere, so he did not mind.
"Wash me."
Inanna said.
It was both a request and a command.
Ordinarily her handmaidens would bathe her, but this time it was Sunya who would wash her.
Following her words, he wet his hands and began to cleanse the goddess's body.
He started with her slender hands, then her forearms, her shoulders, and went on to wash her face.
A rough man's hands traced the smooth line of her neck, past her collarbone, and into the valley of her breasts.
When he caressed her full breasts, the heavy weight of that soft flesh stirred something in him.
When Sunya looked at her face, she was wearing a provocative smile.
Throb—
The manhood between his legs rose vigorously.
Even so, he did not immediately thrust himself into her like a beast.
Exercising his characteristic transcendent self-control, he carefully stroked down over her belly, swollen like a full moon.
Her elastic thighs, surprisingly, had no more muscle than any ordinary woman's, and her calves were smooth.
For a goddess who possessed formidable strength even among the gods, her flesh was far too soft.
"Aroused?"
Inanna asked in a seductive voice.
"I'm always aroused when I'm before you, Lady Inanna."
Despite the rigid erection, Sunya maintained his composure.
The fruit of long years of self-discipline.
"This time I'll wash you."
"I don't have a sadistic taste for making a pregnant woman wait on me in the bath."
"Then I'll just wash the middle leg."
Crouching down without hesitation, Inanna gazed at the massive member asserting its presence before her.
No matter how many times she saw it, it was formidable.
Its monstrous size meant she could not take it into her mouth, so instead she carefully cleaned it with her tongue, licking along its length.
Her soft tongue caressed the thick, hard shaft.
A god's body produced no filth to begin with, and Sunya kept himself clean as a matter of habit, so fortunately there was nothing of that sort.
Inanna licked diligently and with care, but unfortunately she failed to achieve a particularly satisfying result.
"…The maids say men like this sort of thing, but I guess you're different."
Still, as his wife, Inanna could tell how he was feeling without him saying a word.
The massive member showed not the slightest sign of wilting, but its owner's reaction was distinctly lukewarm.
"Ah… honestly, I don't get particularly aroused unless I'm putting it in a pussy."
"You're such a pervert. Like a beast that only wants to impregnate."
"But I'm your pervert and your beast, Lady Inanna—so isn't that fine?"
"Of course! If you weren't, I'd just—!"
Inanna made a cutting gesture with her fingers toward that particular place.
Sunya seemed to feel a chill run down his spine.
"Haha… more importantly, let's get in the water. I've been holding back for a while now."
"Holding back? Holding back what?"
Inanna pretended not to know.
And as if to provoke him further, she tightly gripped his manhood.
"Putting my cock in your pussy, Lady Inanna."
"…Saying it straight like that takes all the fun out of it."
Inanna rose to her feet.
Then she walked slowly toward the bathtub at the center of the bathroom.
—Splash.
The tub was already filled with hot water.
Inanna felt the warmth of it from her toes as she lowered her legs into the bath.
Sunya also stepped into the tub and sat back against the wall.