The Goddess's Wholehearted Devotion
"U-um..."
"Pay it no mind. At most, it was only a vagrant who died. More importantly, we've brought the young master, so let us depart at once."
"Yes..."
The maid held her breath and took up the reins. Before boarding, I glanced at the carriage. Its emblem was a grain motif, like an ear of wheat.
"That is the Cornelius family crest. You would do well to remember it."
"Heh..."
Perhaps because so many absurd things had already happened in quick succession, the corpse behind us stirred no particular emotion in me. Had I grown too accustomed to the cold indifference of modern society? Either way, it didn't trouble me. Instead, my eyes were drawn to the carriage itself and the monstrous horse pulling it. A horse that glowed? This really was a fantasy world.
It felt like a fusion of two genres: an isekai story crossed with a broken engagement plot.
"What do you think of that?"
"Of what?"
"A corpse appeared, yet you didn't panic~! Hehe, modern humans really are something else~!"
I simply thought of myself as cold-hearted... and I was used to gore, besides. Whatever the reason for her delight, Perpena guided me into the carriage.
The interior was elegantly appointed, filled with the rich scent of fine wood that put any perfume to shame. Most striking of all was how completely the outside noise was shut out.
"Hmm-huhu... huhu... Thankfully, our identities weren't exposed. Even after I touched you, your appearance as the benefactor is a masterpiece. If even Princess Servilia, who loathes Roman so much, failed to notice, then we needn't worry about being found out later."
"Eh?"
"Hm? Why the surprise?"
"It's just... I thought this was one of those reincarnation or possession stories..."
"Ah, no, it isn't. I repaired your body back then, remember? After that, I reshaped it to match the face of the man named Roman Cornelius exactly. Of course, the original is dead, so rest easy. His remains were cremated and the ashes scattered at sea, so he no longer exists."
She says terrifying things so casually.
While I stood there dumbfounded, the carriage began to move. Perpena let her alluring white hair cascade down and held up a mirror toward me.
............
......A foreigner. A high-bridged nose that East Asians rarely possessed, dark eyes, and slightly wavy brown hair. The faint dark circles under his eyes made him look sinister no matter the angle. The sort of face that seemed made for scheming and doing bad things from the shadows...
"A bit on the plump side. I can tell what kind of diet he kept."
"But miraculously healthy, isn't he?"
"Yes, truly miraculous. No fatigue, no lethargy, and even an appetite."
"Hmm-huhu~! Of course! I restored his body to its state in his twenties! Rejuvenation, pure and simple! I returned you to when the benefactor was at his healthiest and most vigorous, so your fuel efficiency should be excellent~!"
"But if this guy lost weight, he'd probably be incredibly handsome... It's almost intimidating..."
"An unscratched lottery ticket, as they say! Well, personally, I prefer the plump look, so I'd rather you stayed as you are~!"
"You have a thing for fat guys?"
"No, it's that he seems so honest about his desires. Anyone can see he can't restrain himself, and that aura is simply delightful~! As I said before, this body of mine adores people who are honest with their desires more than anything! After all, I am an evil god! Huhihi!"
Perpena's preferences were firm. If that was the case, I considered staying in this body type, but this time she offered a concession first.
"Still, I can't burden my benefactor! I'll adjust your physique for you, so just sit still~♪"
"Oh..."
Pale, slender, and pleasantly cool fingers brushed my cheek. Mm... mmm...!
...It wasn't my imagination. Flesh was being drawn inward through her palm. It felt as though something inside me was being sucked out by a vacuum cleaner.
"There! How is it?!"
"Ooh..."
When I looked in the mirror again, a curly-haired pretty boy sat there—handsome to an almost excessive degree. Even the slightly gloomy air about him seemed like it would appeal to a certain type of woman. And with the weight gone, the sense of heaviness had vanished too, leaving me feeling much lighter.
"Th-this is... my body?"
"Happy~?"
"Of course I am...! No, really, truly! Now I can eat without worry...!! I can binge, drink, and finally do all the exercise I put off—! No, with this clarity of mind, I could even carve out time to study for certifications—"
"Compose yourself. This is not the world you lived in. And that vulgar way of speaking aside, what do you mean by certifications?"
"After I quit my job, I had nowhere to go, so I regretted not doing more while I was young... But when I got home, I was so exhausted I never had the energy to study... My belly grew, I had no time to exercise, my health declined... and then I had no energy left to study again..."
"Stop. Just listening makes me feel unpleasant."
"I'm sorry."
Even as I bowed my head, I couldn't hide the sheepish smile on my face. It was an utterly materialistic smile—the look of a man being swallowed whole by the desires he had accepted. Yet Perpena seemed to like even that part of me; her face flushed as she laughed along.
"Huhu... With just that smile, it was worth all the effort. I wondered if I'd gone too far out of my way for my benefactor, but it seems my choice was correct after all."
She nodded to herself, resting the back of her hand against her chin in satisfaction. I was glad she was pleased, but I wanted an explanation soon.
"Ah, my apologies. I've been speaking only in one-sided fragments. Very well, I shall explain now. Listen closely and with anticipation."
"Yes."
"First, the reason I took on Roman's body was to fulfill your request. You remember the conversation we had back then, don't you?"
"Of course. How could I forget?"
How could I forget that shameful wish?
『In this world, your desires could never be fulfilled. But there, they will be. After all, the women in works of fiction will do anything for the man they love. Even the most excessive, even the cruelest content becomes possible in a male-supremacist world steeped in convenience~♡』
How could I forget her sweet temptation?
『This body shall assist you. You are my one and only benefactor—the one who saved a god. Spending a century with you is no trouble at all, so I shall personally see to your convenience♡』
How could I forget those devoted words?
『You want it, don't you? A comfortable life obtained without effort, people who revere you, voluptuous beauties who rejoice at your every action, events to keep you entertained, those indebted to you groveling whenever they see you—such a convenient story......』
『...Speak. You may speak. My dear benefactor. Tell me your desires.』
How could I forget the self that had affirmed such temptation?
『I-I'll do it... No, please let me do it... Please...!!』
──It had been the most disgraceful display of my life, and my greatest resolve. It was truly embarrassing. And I was proud of it. Because I had pleased the goddess, I was here now.
"Mmmmmm~♡ Mmmmmm~♡ Truly, my benefactor is simply~♡ Simply the best~♡"
Once I finished recalling and reaffirming my resolve, Perpena twisted her body like a serpent, clearly delighted. Was she still reading my memories? At first it had felt invasive, but I was growing used to it.
"That isn't quite right. Right now the connection is severed, so I can't hear everything. Even I respect my benefactor's privacy to some degree. However, your strong yearning was powerful enough to forcibly reconnect the link~♡ Huhu, huhuhu, you really are someone worth repaying~♡"
I didn't fully understand, but I stayed quiet and let her continue.
"In any case, that is how it is. To grant your wish, I arranged for you to 'return to the world you originally came from.' A household filled with the very events that would satisfy you, just like in the stories. That household was the Cornelius family. Ah, did you enjoy the first event?"
The first event... She meant the incident where I nearly died at the hands of Princess Servilia.
"I never dreamed I'd personally experience a broken engagement, once all the rage back then."
"Didn't it make your heart race?!"
"It raced so hard I thought my heart would burst. Physically."
"Khehehe... When you think about how you'll repay this event later, you'll naturally come to enjoy it~! After all, I designed it in that genre!"
Event... Repay... Enjoy... I vaguely understood what she meant. The princess trying to kill me, and repaying that attempt, had all been prepared as an "enjoyable event" for my sake.
"Mm-hm! You understand! To that end, I killed Roman and swapped you in~! It was that good a household! Plenty of external events, crawling with women—perfect for a libertine to enjoy~! It had authority, a favorable location, and was ripe for the taking! Truly, there was no better household than this~!"
"Then... was the reason you became a maid also...?"
"Mm-hm-hm-hm! Sharp question! You may think you woke up right after the incident, but this body has been working as a maid for about five years! Thanks to that, I became head maid of the Cornelius household and stirred things up quite thoroughly inside!"
"Five years...?! Did you use that mysterious power to brainwash people or something...!"
"I worried that using such a cheat would interfere with the events my benefactor was meant to enjoy, so I refrained! Well, after working as a maid in various places and being recognized for my diligence and ability, I naturally drifted into the Cornelius household! It was truly a fateful encounter~!!"
Uwah... It was heavier than I'd imagined...! I never dreamed she would lay five years of groundwork just to repay me! I'd thought the heavy love of gods in myths was only something in stories, but this was really...?!
"──You like it, don't you?"
"Guh?!"
"You do like it, don't you? A devoted beauty like this~!"
"Perpena... ma'am..."
"Kihihi~! It's adorable how everything you're thinking shows on your face! Truly, truly~! Your face when you reveal your desires is the best~!"
With that, she pulled me into a tight embrace, rubbing her ample breasts against me. Her skin was cool and felt wonderful. My already heated face cooled down, and my eyes threatened to close. I found myself wanting to act spoiled and just fall asleep in her arms.
"Oho, that would be nice too, but are you sure? There are still many amusing stories and explanations left to hear."
"For example?"
"The princess who tried to kill you and her weaknesses we can exploit later, the four nations surrounding this country and the royal pussies living in them—well, to put it plainly, your future Dutch wives♡ And I'd also like to tell you about the beautiful widow who lost her husband~♡ Whichever way you look at it, it's a feast prepared for our benefactor♡ But if you'd rather not hear it......"
Matching Perpena's lecherous grin, I found myself wearing a similarly depraved smile. How did she understand a man's heart so well?
"Huhuhuhu~♡ That face, so steeped in desire, is truly the best♡"
Along with my second kiss in this life, I took in yet another new setting.