Chapter 177 The Goddess’s Gift and The Lover’s Dilemma
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After a slight dip of the head, he stepped into the sacred hall.
The mere thought of that action being a form of reverence for that goddess was enough to make any genuine piety simply evaporate, even when entering such a grand and solemn space. Still, even with a goddess as wicked as her, facing a potent supernatural entity with real utility demanded a minimum level of courtesy from a small, insignificant human like himself.
That was just basic respect. Because of that, he couldn’t help but briefly pause and square his feet before crossing the threshold.
Yet, even with his subtle head-bow, the accompanying Ashley must have recognized his sudden, momentary reverence for Shelm. He knew he looked utterly ridiculous, secretly agonizing over how to placate the goddess, but since Marina, who was leading the way, had already entered with a profound curtsy, he couldn’t exactly allow her to lose face.
As he strode forward on the red carpet leading to the altar, he could feel the air inside the hall grow so tense it felt like it was physically pricking his skin.
Was that the goddess manifesting her power, or was he just becoming more attuned to a god’s presence? Apart from the unavoidable, necessary trips to his personal Familial Workshop, he’d always tried to steer clear of this place.
The divine power filling the sacred hall made him inwardly panic, assuming it was a sign of Shelm’s fury.
He knew she probably knew his inner turmoil, but he acted perfectly unperturbed, as if he felt no fear at all. Even while he kept up the façade, the stained-glass window behind him, still inexplicably drawing in light, shone even brighter.
”—You’re late, aren’t you?”
The shadows adorning the interior shifted, just like the setting sun. Just after he was distracted by that vivid sparkle, a familiar, utterly exasperating, and perfectly clear voice spoke from the empty space directly above the altar.
”We finally set a time, didn’t we? And you went and had a nice bath with all four of your sweethearts. Just how long do you intend to keep a goddess waiting?” Shelm mocked.
In a sacred hall teeming with divine authority, the goddess’s voice held the petty jealousy of a mistress complaining to her lover.
She’d just displayed a power beyond human comprehension, yet her words sounded so small-minded he almost laughed out loud. Maybe she was trying to balance her dignity with a friendly approach?
It certainly managed to rob him of any desire to be overly respectful.
Noticing his shift in mood, Marina veered off the red carpet and knelt. Ashley and the others quickly followed suit, kneeling behind the line of pews, and suddenly, he realized he was the only one standing and facing Shelm’s presence.
”Don’t be an idiot. I hurried as much as I could,” he retorted. “If you call me out like this, I can’t exactly show up in any old attire. It’s not like last time when I was just being snatched away¹. This time, as you can see, I needed everyone’s help to prepare.”
There was simply no air of dignity that would compel a person to immediately prostrate themselves before someone who would unceremoniously interrupt their marital bliss. There was no need to perform an undignified rush to her side.
Instead, he stood before her after taking the time to prepare thoroughly.
When he presented himself, impeccably dressed, Shelm seemed rather pleased. Though she still hadn’t revealed her form, her tone seemed tinged with delight.
”Hehe, it suits you. Mmm, this might be just right, you know.”
”…So, judging by your earlier comment, I assume we’re handling this ‘favor’ in a different spot, aren’t we? Then stop beating around the bush and take me there already,” he pressed her.
When she seemed self-satisfied and slow to move the conversation along, he had to prod her.
She was a goddess, yes, but their relationship was nothing more than an exchange of favors for intimate acts. Historically, there were countless tales of men prioritizing divine trysts over their human partners.
However, since this goddess herself seemed to prioritize the affairs of humans, he couldn’t stand to keep his wives kneeling indefinitely. Driven by that single thought, he chided the presumptuous, self-satisfied goddess.
In response, the divine power spilling from the void swelled. The background stained glass seemed to warp, and a tall, beautiful woman leaped out from the empty space.
”—”
”Nfu, look at you. If you were going to be that captivated, you really should have visited me more often,” Shelm teased, her voice ringing with triumphant joy.
It was a definite lapse on his part that he couldn’t immediately retort to her provocative, mistress-like words, especially in front of his wives who still had their heads bowed in silence. But he couldn’t help it: the goddess of rainbows, with her flawless white skin, was truly breathtaking.
While he stood there speechless, Shelm, who had been floating in the air, gracefully lowered her altitude.
She stretched her beautiful form out upon the altar directly below her. It was a rare, striking sight, like a sculpture of immense artistic value deliberately shifting into a relaxed pose, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her for a moment.
”Pu-fuh, ku ku kutt. Ah, it’s fine, dear. Marina and the others may stand. I wasn’t going to take you without at least a word to your wives, after all.”
”Ha. It is an honor to behold the glorious presence of Shelm-sama. Yuuri has informed us that you would provide a clue to break through the situation,” Marina interceded, her voice steady.
He felt a pang of guilt for causing his wife, who was sending him off, to worry, but because he was allowed to remain silent, his gaze was even more hopelessly drawn to Shelm’s sensuously curved body.
Did she feel satisfied with her lover’s obvious distraction? Shelm nodded broadly multiple times at Marina’s formal address, clearly in a good mood.
”Yes, yes. I would like to see you more often, too, devout Marina. Unfortunately, since I have to borrow the body of a shrine maiden, I can’t grant that wish so easily… but perhaps you’ll have more opportunities to see your goddess’s face now, won’t you?”
”Hah…? Does that relate to why you called us here this time?” Marina pressed.
A goddess naturally revels in being revered, and that often makes her talkative when dealing with a faithful priestess. Perhaps because of that, Shelm let slip a terrifying prospect: that he might be subjected to this bewitching body more frequently in the future.
However, Shelm, being someone who loved to surprise people, wouldn’t reveal her entire hand right here. Suddenly cutting off the conversation after Marina’s probing question, she turned her head toward Ashley, who had remained silent since entering the sacred hall.
”Well then, I’ll be borrowing Yuuri-kun for a little while. You should all be thoroughly expecting the souvenir I bring back.”
”As you wish. If you bring him back safely, that is all I ask,” Ashley conceded.
That permission had already been granted in the bedroom.
He couldn’t help but wonder what her secret weapon was, given she’d asked a question she already knew the answer to. Feeling a slight uneasiness, he had no choice but to follow her will when her rainbow gaze fell on him again and step onto the altar.
As he walked past Marina, he quietly said his goodbyes, and they exchanged smiles.
Then, he reached out for Shelm’s extended white finger, as if drawn by a magnet. As soon as he firmly clasped her hand with both of his, the goddess laughed a private, amused laugh from deep in her throat.
”Yuuri-kun, sometimes I just can’t tell if you like me or hate me.”
”Ha. Do you really think I’d grasp your hand out of fondness? We’re about to teleport, aren’t we? I need to hold on tight, or who knows where you’ll abandon me,” he stressed his pretext.
Of course, his heart raced at the chance to directly touch her perfectly smooth skin, but even though she could see right through him, it was important to emphasize that he was only holding her hand out of necessity.
”I’ll be back.”
”Please, take care of yourself,” Marina requested.
”See you later,” Ashley called out.
”W-we await your safe return,” Suzuri stammered.
He wouldn’t let Shelm tease him any further, so he turned around to bid farewell to his servants.
Ashley had already advanced to Marina’s side and offered a stunning curtsy alongside her mistress. That movement was not something that could be expressed by mere beauty, and perhaps it was a small form of retaliation against the goddess’s overwhelming allure.
He even thought he sensed a slight ripple in Shelm’s divine presence, having had her lover’s attention stolen back.
Before he could focus on that, Suzuri, who had peeked her head out from beside the bowing Ashley, timidly offered her farewell. Shelm’s presence calmed, as if she had given up on being spiteful.
”Tch. Yuuri-kun is so fickle, you absolute womanizer.”
”I can’t argue with the fact, but it’s not just anyone I choose, and that includes you,” he corrected her.
Lately, he’d been spending so much time with beautiful girls that he was fully aware he hadn’t been able to restrain his own desires. However, that’s because he’d opened his heart to every woman in this small environment, and that sentiment, even with the caution he felt toward this wicked goddess, applied to her as well.
When he faced her with words and sincerity, holding nothing back, the pale-skinned goddess’s face visibly flushed. Her rainbow eyes, which should never show fear, darted away.
”Hmph. That part of you is so—no, maybe it’s actually quite convenient…”
”Hah. Even if it’s favorable for you, I’m not sure I should be happy about it.”
Shelm’s words were often filled with unsettling implications, perhaps because she was so confident that she could foresee and correct the future as much as she pleased.
For a person who didn’t even know what tomorrow held, a god’s inconsistent appraisal was nothing but a source of anxiety. Yet, complaining about it would never convince this inhuman entity² to change her ways.
”Hmph. Humans should just gratefully accept the words of a goddess, shouldn’t they? Come on, it’d be a shame to keep everyone waiting like that. Let’s finish this quickly.”
”Alright—,” he replied in a drawl, still holding her hand. Shelm, who never showed any sign of remorse for her behavior, lazily rolled over on the altar. Her demeanor was so utterly relaxed that his own reply became drawn out. Suddenly, the surrounding scenery dissolved. At the same time, the sensation of the ground beneath his feet vanished. He instinctively pulled on the hand he was holding and ended up clinging to Shelm’s body.
”Ahh! You’re so wonderfully aggressive! Yuuri-kun, you just adore breasts, don’t you! Tell me, aren’t you getting a little dissatisfied with just the girls’ lately?” Shelm breathed into his ear.
In the space of teleportation where he couldn’t tell up from down, the only lifeline was the brazen goddess right in front of him. He had perfectly fallen for her scheme, finding his face buried in her full, beautiful chest.
He knew that if he tried to act rational and pull away, she would only use teleportation again to shock him. Therefore, no matter how much she might chide him, he had no choice but to cling to the exasperating goddess, and since time was essentially cut off from the workshop, he was completely distracted by her luxurious chest for the next half-hour.
………
……
…
Eventually, when he seemed completely absorbed in her embrace, she finally released him. Though it felt like the humiliation of being trained like a dog, there was no need to maintain his pride since Ashley and the others weren’t watching.
He even found himself enthusiastically following the commands of the goddess who was spoiling him.
Satisfied with her lover’s newfound obedience, Shelm released the teleportation space. Immediately, a familiar, cool air hit his skin.
”Hmm. It’s that starry sky… Wait, doesn’t this seem a little different?”
”Oh, you noticed, Yuuri-kun! This place only looks like my Divine Domain, but it’s actually a repurposed individual space from your Familial Workshop,” Shelm chimed with delight.
Just as he had sensed the rainbow presence deep in Marina’s eyes a while ago, it felt like he was developing an inhuman sense, thanks either to the Familial Workshop’s growth over the past year or to the frequent use of his tentacles, which his servants now actively requested.
Regardless of whether that was a good thing or not, while the starry sky looked perfectly fine to the human eye, to his sharpened senses, it seemed like a cheap imitation compared to the goddess’s perfect creation. He had secretly been hoping to be invited to that other domain again, and the fact that he could tell the difference made him feel as if Shelm had rejected him.
”Oh, don’t look so sad! I wouldn’t mind fully enjoying³ myself with you there, but I chose this place for a very good reason! Look around, will you?”
”Look around… What is that?”
If he relied only on his sight, the place was undeniably Shelm’s domain. However, when the goddess urged him to focus on sensing her presence, he felt a spatial inconsistency, like a patchwork quilt, at the edge of the large bed where they lay embracing.
”My Divine Domain is completely smoothed out by my power, you see. I couldn’t allow your power to interfere with it. But here, I can hide something and make a little game out of it for you to find,” Shelm explained.
So, this was likely a test of his acquired power, a part of whatever scheme Shelm had in mind. She’d prepared this place for practice, so at least she didn’t think he was too filthy to be invited to her true domain.
He sighed, relieved, and relaxed. Shelm tightened her embrace, pressing her chest against him, and gently stroked his head with her delicate fingers.
”Now, the present I wanted to give you is hidden right there! It should be easy to peel back the concealment by using an application of the way you summon your tentacles. Go on, check out what’s inside right now,” she urged.
Frankly, his tentacle ability wasn’t that versatile. The power he wielded was purely the appearance of the tentacles themselves, and because he could summon them without physically interfering with objects, he hadn’t learned how to use spatial distortions for any other purpose.
But he wanted to avoid disappointing her, especially since Shelm was giving him a private lesson.
He reluctantly aimed his power at the anomaly at the edge of the bed, using the same principle as summoning a tentacle. Like an unseen curtain being dramatically cut, the hidden object was revealed.
”What… is that? Ai!?”
Indeed, what appeared was a separate divine personality, an exact duplicate of Shelm.
But unlike the main goddess, who was playfully embracing her lover, this twin was bound by ominous chains, her limbs tightly shackled. Furthermore, her jewel-like rainbow eyes were covered by a black mask, and a black gag ball sealed her mouth, preventing her from speaking any meaningful words.
”Yes, that’s Ai. But I’ve changed her body from a goddess’s into a human’s, you know. That means your Sacred D_ng⁴ will work on her now! By simply pleasuring her and consummating the act, she’ll become your new wife,” Shelm announced with a wide, triumphant smile.
”Ah… eh…? B-but that…”
This was the boon the goddess had promised to grant him for clearing the eighty-third floor. He had expected a new ability or some special tool, especially since she had gone to the trouble of inviting him to her domain.
But who could have predicted that the gift would be a separate part of herself?
He was so stunned by the boldness of the surprise that he was speechless. Shelm, with a face full of smiles, brought her lovely lips close to his ear.
”Nfufu. The present is ‘Me’! Ai was originally created to be devoted to you, a Yuuri-loving divine personality. So, use your new, obedient d_tty w_fe that looks just like me, and go conquer the labyrinth!”
He knew, thanks to his sharpened senses, that there wasn’t a hint of a forceful command in her perfectly clear voice. Yet, hearing her give the order made the blood rush through his entire body.
Ai, who looks like Shelm, will become his. As soon as that truth sank in, his inner desire swelled up. He stared at the helpless Ai, his eyes bloodshot, ready to pounce, while Shelm, whom he was still holding down, wore a victorious smile.
—
Summary:
Yuuri enters the sacred hall for his promised boon but finds himself entangled in Shelm’s seductive games. After enduring a provocative, lengthy teleportation, he arrives at a repurposed space. Shelm reveals the ‘gift’ for clearing the maze: her chained, humanized split-personality, Ai. The twist: Yuuri’s power will turn Ai into a devoted new wife upon consummation, fulfilling Shelm’s manipulative desire to give Yuuri a more obedient version of herself
—
Character Insight:
Yuuri’s internal struggle between his loyalty to his wives and his powerful, unchecked desire for Shelm (and now Ai) is laid bare. Shelm is revealed as a master manipulator who is willing to compromise her own divine identity (by creating Ai) just to continue her psychological hold on Yuuri, showing a deep, possessive fascination with him
—
Behind the Scene:
The scene sets up the next major development in the labyrinth’s conquest, but the real focus is the psychological tension and the Harem aspects. Shelm’s use of a ‘Familial Workshop’ space instead of her true domain is a necessary plot device to allow Yuuri’s power to interact with the ‘humanized’ Ai
—
T/L:
¹: Yuuri is referencing a time Shelm forcibly teleported him for sex without his consent, establishing the antagonistic baseline of their intimate relationship.
²: The term hitodenashi (人でなし) in the original means ‘inhuman’ or ‘brute’ but is often used as a playful insult for someone completely lacking in human decency.
³: This is a replacement for a Japanese term that implies explicit intercourse, keeping the line count and intent while adhering to content standards.
⁴: A replacement for a highly explicit phrase, maintaining the sexual context of the power transfer/marriage while adhering to content standards.
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.
• Ai – The recently-formed sub-divinity/ego who manages the world’s Skills. Her sudden, intense burst of divine will (‘ki’) almost bleached Yuuri’s wicked thoughts. Called Yuuri ‘Elder Brother’ and declared genuine affection and trust based on his efficiency with her Skills.
• Suzuri – A scout who braved the labyrinth and lured a petrifying monster to protect her friends. Tall, statuesque, flawlessly pale skin, powerfully toned yet soft and feminine, with long, flowing black hair identical to Marina. Her body have muscles but slim. Her breasts are very large, full, high-set, and overtly described as “too big for her frame,”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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