Sculpting (1)
The short gathering ended, and Dohoyo's family headed home. Evril bawled her eyes out, not wanting to part from me.
"Daddy. Can't Daddy live with us too?"
"Sorry, but no. Instead, if Evril listens well to Mommy and stays a good girl, I'll come visit."
"Really? For real? Promise?"
Only after we hooked pinkies and stamped the seal did Evril finally calm down and leave.
"Come to think of it, why not simply have Master and Lady Dohoyo visit the primordial village at the same time—or invite each other over?"
"Oh, right."
"Uh... yeah?"
Sophia admitted it only after the fact. Had she kept quiet on purpose just to watch Evril cry?
Our goddess was a bit dim and probably never even thought of it... but sharp Dohoyo couldn't have missed the idea.
Crying Evril was so adorable I wanted to photograph her and keep the picture forever. I understood why Dohoyo stayed silent.
"So what now?"
"What else? There's another battle tomorrow, so we rest. Haaawn..."
Sophia yawned so hard her jaw nearly unhinged. She was so worn out that tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
"Too many people, too much work—my energy got completely drained... I'm going to sleep a bit..."
"Go on in."
"Want a massage?"
Sophia glared at me. I felt wronged.
"It was pure concern for the goddess."
"Your massages only make me more tired. Don't even think about coming in."
"No way? When I get a massage from Gwangma, it feels amazing!"
Lan-lan-i, who had never even received a massage from me, stepped up as my advocate.
Lan-lan-i... thanks, but Daddy's massages do leave people exhausted. Once I start kneading Sophia's body, I just can't hold back.
"Gwangma. Today this lady shall look after the children with—"
Cheonsol's gaze drifted to the fountain. In the middle of it stood Lirota, set up as a temporary statue and looking pitiful as water poured over him.
Why are you staring...
"Did we not agree to craft a statue of Master? We have plenty of good materials on hand, so why not start small and practice? This lady shall assist."
"You know how to sculpt too?"
"I learned sculpture as training to control blood. It hones the sense for shaping forms. Looking at Lan-lan-i, it seems the time has come for her training as well."
"Lan-lan-i gets to sculpt?"
"Indeed. This mother shall teach you well."
"Daddy..."
"Our Evni can sculpt with us too."
I took Evni's hand, Evni took Lan-lan-i's, and Lan-lan-i took Cheonsol's.
We were about to head home as one harmonious family of four.
Clack-clack!
"Forgive me."
We went inside as one harmonious family of four-plus-one-egg. The unhappy slave trailed after us, grumbling.
I could move the rocks myself...
"A slave talking back?"
This is truly unfair. I'm not the kind of spirit who deserves this treatment.
Lirota grumbled as he lined up stones in the workshop. They looked softer than ordinary rock, easy for beginners to work.
This workshop level is nothing special...
"Oh? Planning to upgrade it for us?"
I apologize.
I shook my fist at the insolent spirit.
"Watch yourself. I still haven't forgotten the grudge from that rock seal."
"Yeah! Watch yourself!"
"Watch..."
Hearing "watch yourself" made me think of virgin-goddess Sophia. I'd already made her give a blowjob, so it was about time to turn her into a non-virgin goddess.
She was looking forward to a statue, so once I finished one I'd gift it to her and make my move.
"Then this lady shall teach the method of sculpting."
"Could you say it a little brighter and more cheerfully? Like, 'Cheonsol's Sculpture Class~' something like that."
Cheonsol's eyes flew wide as she glared at me. Lan-lan-i and Evni clapped.
"Waaah! Mommy's sculpture class!"
"Cool..."
"Ahem! Ahem! Then... Cheonsol's Sculpture Class... shall begin!"
Even while embarrassed, Cheonsol couldn't bear to disappoint the children's expectations. She was far too cute.
Once the kids are asleep tonight... heh heh.
Cheonsol's sculpture class turned out quite substantial. After finishing the explanation she offered a demonstration, swinging sword energy—and suddenly a miniature of me appeared.
"Mommy! There's two Gwangmas now! Tiny Gwangma! So cute!"
"Want it."
Lan-lan-i and Evni coveted it so much that Cheonsol had to sculpt another one.
"Waaah! Thank you!"
"Thanks..."
Smack.
Smack.
The children who had claimed my miniatures repaid Cheonsol with cheek kisses. Hit dead-on by her two daughters' affection, Cheonsol went all soft and dreamy.
"Gwangma. This lady is truly a happy woman."
"Yeah, yeah."
"I have found yet another reason to live. Perhaps this lady trained in martial arts for this very day."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Might you be sulking because this lady alone received the cheek kisses?"
"Nope nope."
I was a little jealous, but I wasn't sulking. I was a man who had received cheek kisses from three daughters. That was a full one more than Cheonsol.
For the sake of patriarchal dignity I kept a straight face and picked up a carving knife. What should I make to get a reputation for doing well?
For the virgin-goddess conquest, I should sculpt Sophia. I was about to grab a stone when Evni slipped right between my legs and sat down.
"Evni?"
"Sculpting is nice... but real Daddy is better..."
"My pretty Evni!"
I ruffled her hair wildly, then changed my target. A daughter sculpture came before the goddess!
"Lan-lan-i likes Gwangma too!"
Lan-lan-i also squeezed into the gap between my legs. Watching the children each claim one of my thighs made my heart feel rich and full.
If I only made Evni, Lan-lan-i would feel left out, so I decided to make both.
"Ahem. This lady..."
Mid-sentence, Cheonsol went back to polishing Lulu's shell. If I only took care of the daughters, Mom would feel left out, so I decided to make all three.
"Hey, Mr. Li. Bring more stones."
At once.
"Good. Keep listening this well."
Grit. Yes.
The moment I gripped the carving knife, the sleeping soul of a craftsman woke up. I'd already done fine with gem crafting—there was no way I couldn't sculpt.
First I made Cheonsol's sculpture, then Lan-lan-i's, then Evni's. Last of all, Lulu's.
"Done!"
"You worked hard."
Cheonsol wiped my face with a handkerchief.
"Where did the kids go?"
"I suspected as much, and indeed you concentrated so hard you lost track of time. It grew late, so they went to bed. Would you like to see Lan-lan-i and Evni's sculptures?"
"Of course I would."
How ugly could something made by those tiny hands be? Even if the results were disappointing, just imagining the kids grunting and struggling made it worthwhile...
"Here they are."
My brief daydream shattered. One piece was only a face—clumsy, yet it resembled me a little. The other fell short of mine, yet was skilled enough that you could sell it for money.
"Don't tell me this is Evni's?"
"It is. Is it not astonishing? Even with natural dexterity, for a child born only today to produce sculpture of this level... and she did not even use a carving knife."
"Then how?"
"She shaped it by kneading with her hands. That energy similar to inner power yet different—the one called spirit force. The way she employed it was most intriguing."
"Amazing."
I'd have to praise Evni when she woke up. Of course I couldn't leave out Lan-lan-i's praise either. A kid sculpting for the first time today, with no special hand skill, had still produced something that finished.
"I'll have to praise Lan-lan-i even more. Do you see the scraps scattered all around?"
"That bastard Lirota. Not even cleaning—what are you doing?"
I'm innocent...
"This lady ordered him not to clean them. It seems Lan-lan-i was spurred on after seeing her younger sister's sculpture. Declaring she would not lose, she kept at it until a piece she was satisfied with emerged."
"Lan-lan-i really is too cute."
Imagining Lan-lan-i grunting away to uphold her big-sister pride made her even cuter.
Why had I gotten so lost in sculpting myself? If I'd taken it slow and leisurely, I could have stored those adorable moments in my brain.
I just lost half my life. Seriously.
"Anyway, since these are the first sculptures we ever made, I'd like to keep them. But the workshop doesn't have a display cabinet, so it's a bit awkward."
"Could Lirota not make one?"
Um... I'm sorry, but I used a great deal of power today, and my blood was drained to the limit as well, so I'm rather spent.
"Ah, Lan-lan-i was hungry, so this lady drew Lirota's blood again."
So that was it.
"So what? It's hard, but not impossible."
Yes...
"Hurry up and make the cabinet."
I shook my fist, and Lirota grumbled as he formed a boulder. After skillfully working the rock into a plain single-tier shelf, Lirota collapsed onto the floor.
You could beat me to death now and I still couldn't do more. If you want more work, give me my blood back.
"Good work. Go outside and rest."
Really?
He looked so exhausted I showed rare kindness, and he dared doubt me? My mind changed.
I'm sorry! I'll go rest outside!
Lirota fled in a scramble. I smacked my lips in regret.
"This is why I hate quick-witted slaves."
"Still, now only the two of us remain, do we not?"
Cheonsol sent me a meaningful look. She was a full-grown woman now. Who would have guessed the cult leader who once knew nothing of lust would change like this?
"Wait."
I lifted one of the boulders brought as material and blocked the door. That way, even if Lan-lan-i or Evni woke up, they wouldn't be able to open it.
As for Sophia... if she saw the boulder she'd take the hint and back off.
"This is the first time Cheonsol's been this forward. What's the reason?"
"When you picked a fight with a high-ranking spirit, this lady thought it was simply Gwangma being Gwangma—yet it was rather dashing."
Cheonsol smiled bashfully.
"It seems this lady has fallen far too deeply for Gwangma. Even actions wrapped in madness are lovable, are they not?"
"I always thought Cheonsol was pretty no matter what she did."
A beauty is a beauty no matter what she does.
"Gwangma..."
Taking it as a sign we felt the same, Cheonsol shyly pressed her lips to mine.