Yeah. They Were Always Like This (6)
From a distance, I hadn’t noticed. Was the water always this clear? The river was so perfectly transparent that I could make out every shape of the pebbles scattered across the bottom. Simply looking at it eased my heart.
I watched the fish gliding through the water until my leaking divine power drew them upward. They broke the surface, mouths opening and closing as though hunting for food. I had only come to the river to fetch water and wipe away some sweat, yet after fooling around with my divine power in such a pathetic way, I suddenly understood what Elian had meant. So the rumor that the elves manage this entire region is true…
It would be far easier to let the elves guide us in rather than barging into their village unannounced. That approach would help the story progress more naturally. Though there’s no chance they’ll willingly appear before us.
I withdrew the divine power I had been scattering like feed to tease the fish and shaped it into a hand that gripped the canteens. I submerged all four, tilted them to release the trapped air, and filled them in moments.
Just like the brimming canteens, the distracting thoughts in my head kept multiplying. The strange behavior the others had shown today. The tasks that lay ahead. How I should speak when we finally met the elves. Yet what puzzled me most was the odd conduct of those three in particular.
“Why did they act like that?”
No matter how I turned it over, it made no sense. Selba’s always been weird, so that’s one thing, but for even Yujin and Elian to behave similarly…
I lifted the full canteens from the river, sealing their lids one by one, and as I stared into the crystal-clear water the answer finally revealed itself.
The lady I had first faced in the mirror after waking in the saintess’s room. That same lady now stood at the riverside in complete disarray, eyes locked with mine. She hadn’t realized that her panties were fully visible beneath the crudely shortened hem of her nun’s habit, cut that way for easier movement in battle. Squatting there while clutching the canteen, she wore a utterly dazed expression.
Her rose-pink hair clung to her skin, soaked with sweat. The white saintess uniform was drenched, faintly revealing everything beneath.
This was it. This was the reason… Yeah. They were always like this.
It’s a good thing you got rid of it. I nearly had to witness an unsightly sight.
“Haa…”
Don’t worry. You can still have children, after all.
What kind of nonsense is that!? Do babies make themselves? That would make me a goddess, not a saintess—!
Could you please stop saying such creepy things?
That’s a relief… You didn’t say you’d rather die.
What is she even talking about? There’s no real difference.
Anyway, Rayna. Your baby won’t starve to death.
What kind of absurd statement is that all of a sudden?
Those breasts… You’re using them like prayer cushions, but their original purpose is to provide nourishment for a child, you know? And if they’re that big! Wow—! Whoever your child ends up being, I’m so jealous! No need to worry about milk!
This is sexual harassment. First Ailin, now the Earth Mother. Why are they so obsessed with harassing me?
I told you I have no intention of having a child! They’re useless to me! Why did you make them so big and troublesome!?
I told you before. I have a preference for women with generous, bouncy curves…
I see no reason why I should cater to your tastes—.
Just how many people have to suffer because of the Earth Mother’s excessive desires? These milk tanks for a baby—.
Damn it all. Every time I talk with the Earth Mother I end up repeating her nonsense as if possessed!
Because the “prayer cushions” were so large, the sweat-soaked upper part of my saintess uniform had sagged, revealing my cleavage. When I grabbed the fabric and yanked it upward, the mounds that had been caught underneath proudly displayed themselves.
At this size, there really would be plenty…
Right? Aah! I’m so proud…
No, I mean the protruding parts are overly emphasized!!
An exhibitionist saintess? I never raised you to be like that! Put on a bra right now!!
“When did you ever raise me!”
Haa. To keep you from straying down the wrong path… I’ll have to prepare a few things.
With that rather ominous remark, the Earth Mother fell silent. What scheme was she plotting now—? I wondered if the people of the Holy Order even knew their goddess was like this. What would happen if they found out?
The lady who had been staring blankly at her reflection in the river glanced down at her own cleavage. The two mounds, slick with sweat, pressed together so tightly they looked like one. She looked at the river again. A faint blush rose on her slightly furrowed cheeks.
“Whew.”
It wasn’t as if I was getting aroused by my own body. Why was I blushing like this?
At this rate, I’m less a saintess and more…
I can understand simply meeting the person you love, but that doesn’t mean you should sell your body.
I jump every time the Earth Mother appears. This goddess has a broken brain. I’m not even sure she has one, but it’s definitely abnormal!
“What are you saying now!? Why would I ever do something like that?!”
I had thought of people in similar professions, but I had never once considered doing such a thing. Not with anyone. It was true that after sparring with the Pope I had experimented a little while bathing, touching a few places as I dried myself. But it had only been innocent curiosity. The idea of actually inserting anything terrified me too much to try. How could anyone think of putting something inside their body? I had stopped at merely stroking the protruding parts. The shiver I felt then was more than I could handle, so I had hurriedly cleaned up and stopped.
Someone like me—with that kind of personality—where on earth would I find the nerve to do such things—!
You know how people who pretend otherwise are usually the ones doing it the most in secret, right? The hero seemed modest, yet this time he made a rather shameful wish.
—And you were the one who granted it.
She spoke as if the hero had made a wrong wish, but if he had wished for world domination, would she have granted that too? She granted it because it sounded reasonable enough to her, and now she acts like this. There’s no logic to it.
Stop having such blasphemous thoughts. Before I show you how long my grudges can last.
There she goes again, throwing a tantrum.
“Mother. Please turn this water into something safe to drink.”
Tsk.
After the sound of the Earth Mother clicking her tongue, a small light flickered from the canteens. As expected, people who say they’ll show their petty side always have the worst grudges. Or maybe not? Perhaps it’s different because she’s a goddess.
Thank you.
Will you be this grateful to me on a regular basis?
It was fortunate that the Earth Mother was not the stiff, impartial, benevolent being described in murals, myths, or scriptures. Whether I was favored by her or simply tormented, the fact that I was one of the few beings able to converse with the creator of the world could certainly become a tremendous advantage.
Yet whether because she was naturally talkative or simply had no one else to speak with, the Earth Mother kept talking to me alone, spouting nonsense that was becoming more than I could handle.
I’ll consider it carefully.
That was the best I could manage. I stopped short of declaring I could never do it or that I would never respect her again. That line was my limit—.
How about a gentleman lady? Ahahaha!
“Haa…”
Calling that a joke—.
The Earth Mother, who seemed incapable of reading my actual thoughts, once again rang through my head with a joke that only amused her. When I simply sighed and offered no reply, she urgently rang through my mind again.
That was a joke. The more you believe in me, the stronger the divine power you can use. Understand?
Since threats no longer worked, she was trying persuasion now. I should have just asked to be reborn as a handsome man again. Magic hadn’t been so bad when I tried it—.
Of course magic couldn’t purify water like this, but the price being my own happiness was truly depressing.
Still, I should use whatever I can to its fullest.
Clinging to what had already happened wouldn’t help me deal with the Demon King. The Demon King threatening us was currently focused entirely on restoring his forces and power after his resurrection. The longer we delayed, the more danger we faced.
So this was the impatience Yujin had lived with. Now I understood why he had acted with such urgency. Was I truly the sage I remembered being? Or had I simply been an ordinary person who happened to have a good head on his shoulders?
No matter how foolish I might be, at least the goal before us was correct. That alone was a relief.
This time too, I must end things as quickly as possible.
Is that really necessary? Or not? Ah! Finish quickly and then have a child…
“Ugh!? How many times must I tell you no!?”
I understand. So what name will you give it?
“…Haa.”
How many times must I tell you there will be no such thing and no need to name anything?
At least if I submerged myself the nonsense might stop. To escape the Earth Mother and her endless stream of absurdities that made my head burn, I roughly stripped off the sweat-soaked saintess uniform and dove into the water.