Chapter 13 Ashley’s Memory — Part ④ — Threat
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
For a short while, the goddess remained silent. She lowered her gaze as if deep in thought, then let out a large sigh. After a moment, the goddess looked up, her frivolous smile gone. It was the first time Ashley had seen the goddess’s serious face. Because she was possessing Princess Marina’s body, it looked like her usual self.
”First, yes… I will praise you for speaking such bold words to me. I will also apologize for causing a misunderstanding. …Even if you refuse, I have no intention of taking away your Magic Boost. As I said at the beginning, my goal is for humans to use skills. There’s no point in taking them away. …There are plenty of replacements? No, no. People are quite irreplaceable. So, keep the Magic Boost as it is.”
”M-my magic…!”
The moment the goddess pointed to her chest, Ashley felt power surge through her body. The magic that had rapidly dwindled moments before revived, feeling amplified compared to before she lost control of the skill. No, it even felt amplified compared to before she lost control of the skill. Ashley asked with her eyes, unable to comprehend, and the goddess replied nonchalantly.
”I said I would apologize, so I’ve added a slight boost to your Magic Boost’s multiplier. …And that concludes the first misunderstanding, the one Ashley-chan took negatively. The second is the misunderstanding you interpreted for your convenience. —Indeed, people who use skills are important. But the people who *have* skills used on them are not necessarily important. In other words, you don’t have to be the one to partner with Yuuri-kun. …For example, this body, Marina-chan, is quite suitable.”
”What!? You intend to involve the Princess!?”
Was she planning to make Princess Marina, who was devoted to Yuuri, a victim of that wicked skill, not just by using her body without permission?
However, even as Ashley pressed her with indignation, the goddess showed no emotion.
”That is the misunderstanding. For me, the highest priority is for Yuuri-kun to have a familiar and use his skill. Therefore, any familiar will do. You, Marina-chan, or a young lady from another faction.”
”No!”
At this point, Ashley finally understood the meaning of “misunderstanding for convenience.” What would happen if Princess Marina learned Yuuri’s secret? Ashley knew that if she did nothing, eventually Yuuri’s existence would become known *somewhere* to the Prince’s faction. If an ability that could grant any skill to a woman one had relations with became public, nobles would rush to send their daughters. At the very least, Yuuri could not continue living his life as before. Persuasion, coercion, confinement… If none of those were possible, murder might be an option. Yuuri was a rare skill holder that could not be handed over to an opposing faction.
Princess Marina would likely consider this. She would probably approach Ashley first. If Ashley refused based on her previous vow, the Princess might send another daughter from her faction… or perhaps marry Yuuri herself to strengthen the royal bloodline. Either way, once Princess Marina knew Yuuri’s secret, she would have no choice but to provide him with a woman.
”Can you endure it?” the goddess asked. “Your beloved Yuuri-kun, a man you were close with, a stranger—all of them sharing a bed with Marina-chan without your knowledge. Indulging in that pleasure together.”
”N-no…! I hate it…! Something like that—!”
She was cornered. Her body, which had been flushed moments ago, felt unnaturally cold. She wanted to be by Yuuri’s side. She didn’t want anyone but herself to be his number one— Even though she refused, nothing would change. Thinking of Yuuri, she couldn’t accept becoming his familiar. But at the same time, she couldn’t allow anyone else to become his familiar.
However, to the goddess, that was *irrelevant*. If Ashley wanted to remain on the sidelines, so be it. But the goddess was asking if that was truly acceptable. It was an inescapable ultimatum. She had to give an answer. But Ashley no longer had any means to stop the goddess. It was impossible to predict when the goddess might leave. After a brief silence, the goddess spoke first.
”Ashley-chan, I like people who know their place. —Ah, I’m not mocking you. Knowing your place means doing your best with the hand you’re dealt. Those with that spirit actively use their skills to overcome situations. That, in turn, increases *my* power. In short, the partner I’ve painstakingly cultivated is most convenient with a discerning child like you. —Don’t glare at me like that. I understand your resolve is firm. So, here’s a little threat.”
Once again, all strength drained from her body. The goddess caught Ashley as she collapsed and laid her on the bed. Moving slowly, the goddess straddled her. Placing her left hand on Ashley’s ample chest, she pushed it in.
”—Ngh!? What, what’s happening!?”
”Calm down. I’m just reaching inside you to touch your soul.”
The goddess’s hand sank in. Her arm slid in slowly, just as the description suggested. From her chest to deep within her body—Ashley felt resistance, yet no pain. Near where her heart should be, she felt something grasped, like a small fragment that shouldn’t exist.
”It hurts. Be careful.”
”P-piiigghh!? Ah, ga, hii—!”
Suddenly, a pain like her entire body being crushed assaulted her. An intense agony, as if all the pleasure she’d felt before had been converted into pain, coursed through her. The sheer torment prevented her from even screaming. Her consciousness, tossed about, lost control of her body, and a warm, wet sensation began to spread from between her legs.
”It hurts, please, stop… don’t look…”
”I’ve already stopped. It won’t hurt any more, so rest assured. Also, let it all out. I’ll clean it with a skill.”
Pulling her hand from her chest, the goddess placed it on Ashley’s lower abdomen and mercilessly applied pressure to her bladder.
”N-no! Don’t make me… What’s the point of this?”
”I told you I would threaten you. You cannot defy a god. I won’t let you stop yourself from wetting yourself. You will experience your own powerlessness.”
The urination didn’t stop. The sensation of urine flowing down her urethra with a gurgling sound was humiliating. It soaked her underwear, the skirt of her nightgown, and even the bed. Ashley’s humiliation was complete.
”You had quite a lot built up. Here, this is Purification. All clean now, right?”
”For a god’s threat… this is too vulgar…!”
Ashley spat curses, her breath ragged. When the goddess used her skill, the unpleasant sensation from her waist to her knees vanished. Even Princess Marina rarely experienced such a skill, only when her body accidentally became soiled during official duties. Ashley felt no gratitude for the rare skill, given the experience.
”Of course, the wetting was just a bonus. The main event was the ‘pain’ when I tried to rip the Magic Boost from your soul. —I can grant skills, and I can revoke them.”
The goddess placed her hand on Ashley’s chest again, this time merely tapping lightly with her fingertips. It was a reminder: she could do it anytime, and the pain would be enough to drive anyone mad.
”You wouldn’t take the skill from Yuuri!? Something like that—”
Ashley understood the goddess’s implied threat, but her protest was silenced before she could voice it. The goddess leaned closer and continued in a quiet tone, as if admonishing a disobedient child.
”If the Familial Workshop cannot be operated efficiently, then so be it. Even a god’s power has limits. …Don’t you think cutting your losses is important? And with a skill like the Familial Workshop, it’s not just attached to the soul. It’s deeply integrated. To remove it, you have to excise it from the soul. —Ashley, I command you. Become Yuuri-kun’s familiar. If you refuse… Yuuri-kun will die soon.”
The goddess’s expression was devoid of emotion. Ashley couldn’t afford to be optimistic and think it was “just a threat.” She had declared it. This goddess, though wicked, never lied. If Ashley refused, Yuuri would surely die. And this was also a form of persuasion. If Ashley couldn’t submit to the god for Yuuri’s sake, then she should make saving his life her loyalty. She was forcing a desired union by using the life of the person Marina loved as a shield. But what did that matter? Gaining power was more important. Ashley thought the goddess was selfish to the core. Yet, this god was also diligent about keeping her promises. It was true that she supported Ashley and Yuuri’s relationship. It was just that her reasoning was different from that of humans.
”—No. I don’t want Yuuri to die. I don’t want another woman to take him…”
”Then swear to the god, Ashley,” the goddess said. “Swear to become a mere tool for Yuuri-kun’s skill. Swear to be complicit in making Yuuri-kun use skills he doesn’t want.”
The goddess’s demand for an oath was malicious. She didn’t hesitate to appear wicked if it meant things would go smoothly. Ashley thought it was a scam. While appearing to be concerned, the goddess was the very source of the problem. But with Yuuri’s life threatened, Ashley no longer had the strength to resist.
”I… will. I will become Yuuri’s familiar… Shelm-sama, I will do as you say, so please don’t kill Yuuri. Don’t separate Yuuri and me…!”
She said it weakly. It wasn’t to elicit sympathy. She was truly exposed to such powerlessness that only a faint voice could escape. It all began ten years ago when she gave up on Yuuri. Many things had stood in her way. Even though she thought she had bypassed them to follow the path she desired, had she ultimately been led to the outcome intended by others? The taste of failure was enough to crush Ashley’s spirit.
”Yes, the oath is complete. I am a god who keeps her promises. You can be assured of that.”
The ill-natured god proudly boasted of her sincerity. Her uninhibited personality was almost enviable. For some reason, Ashley felt foolish for worrying. Her tension eased, and the air in her lungs escaped in a large sigh. Hearing it, the goddess straddled her again. Ashley braced herself, wondering what was next. The goddess smiled brightly.
”—Then, Marina, shall we go become Yuuri-kun’s bride now?”
”—Yes? …Now!?”
She thought she had made up her mind. But she wasn’t mentally prepared for immediate execution. What would she even say to Yuuri? How was she supposed to make Yuuri use his skill? Would she perhaps threaten him again, saying his life was at stake? Ashley looked at her with a dubious gaze. The goddess waved her raised index finger.
”Rest assured, I have the arrangements prepared. First, I will give Ashley-chan a skill as a reward for your complicity.”
”Wh-what, so suddenly… nyaaaaaaa♡”
The goddess’s arm sank into her chest again. Ashley braced herself for the previous pain, but was instead overcome by intense pleasure.
”Bear with it. The skill needs to fuse with your soul. I’ve converted the burden into pleasure to make it easier. Besides, you’ll be receiving this from Yuuri-kun many times in the future; if you’re overcome by this much, you won’t last.”
”Ah♡ Oh… haa…♡”
The pleasure from the skill infusion caused her body to convulse uncontrollably. Moreover, amidst the overwhelming ecstasy, she caught fragments of the goddess’s words. The thought of experiencing this pleasure every time Yuuri held her filled Ashley with a complex mix of joy and fear.
………
……
…
The goddess left, saying it was almost time for Marina-chan to wake. She even demonstrated the feat of connecting Ashley’s room and Princess Marina’s bedroom with a skill, allowing for a seamless transfer without anyone noticing.
—Left alone, Ashley mulled over the plan the goddess had bestowed upon her. Yuuri’s current location, the skill she received, the methods utilizing them…. Honestly, she was half-doubting if it would work. However, it was also true that if she succeeded, she could fulfill the goddess’s demands without anyone realizing. She wouldn’t be lying if she said she still felt fear about becoming a familiar. But a part of her also believed that the wicked goddess wouldn’t trap humans solely to torment them.
With a slightly brighter heart, Ashley tidied her appearance and reached for the door of her room.
Notes:
• Ashley – Count’s daughter, royal attendant, has a crush on Yuuri.
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Shelm – Wicked Goddess, reincarnated Yuuri, manipulative, wants him to use his power.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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