Chapter 225 The Truth
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The basalt columns (tall stone pillars) slowly became smooth. They evened out at the base of the round mountain. It looked like their tops had been cut off cleanly.
We hurried through the last part of our trip with great care. But we were in front of a powerful goddess. We could not celebrate our win. Our first job was to unpack and take care of Yui. She lay completely still. She usually liked to relax at the Workshop. She did nothing but eat and sleep. But she could not handle the rough shaking from being carried. She lost even her usual ability to make jokes.
”You did well to come this far. Let us praise that first.”
The Goddess of the Labyrinth showed no worry for her friend’s bad condition. Maybe that was because they were close friends. A small hint of praise slipped into her voice. Her tone had almost no strong feelings. But you could feel deep emotion in her serious way of speaking.
”Ha! Your words are too kind. But we kept you waiting for a long time.”
”Do not worry about it. Many ages (very long periods of time) have passed to reach this moment. Compared to that, the short time you spent showing love is like a single blink.”
She probably meant the times I showed care for my friends while looking up at the faraway goddess. But it felt like she was also talking about the close moments we shared night after night in the Workshop. That made me feel very embarrassed.
The goddess said she did not mind. So she would not take back her word. But this ironic way of speaking left me unsure. Was she warning us? Or was she just joking to make us feel less tense?
So instead of trying to fix things with more words, I told Yui to rest quietly. Then we all knelt together. As we had decided before, I stepped forward closest to the goddess as the leader of our group. Marina and Ashley were by my side.
――If this had been a normal Labyrinth (underground dungeon) win, Marina would have spoken to her. She would manage the Labyrinth after we took it.
But this win of the Royal Capital Labyrinth was a direct order from Shelm. Mataaha, who had the power to allow it, agreed because of her own secret reasons. It was set up so the owner of the (Familial Workshop) would get the Labyrinth. And because it was a gift from a god, a commoner like me stood at the very front.
”The Apostle of Shelm… No, now that you have that right, you are my equal. So, Yuuri. As I promised, I will give you my gem――’Hofura’ (a powerful dungeon core).”
”This is an honor I do not deserve. I will do my best to manage the Labyrinth. I will not bring shame to your trust.”
I still could not see what the goddess truly wanted. But to make sure Marina had a safe position, getting the Labyrinth was a must. Also, I had heard before that using the ‘dungeon core’ (the heart of the Labyrinth) put a huge load on the mind. If that was true, becoming the owner of the Labyrinth myself – just as the goddesses had planned – was perfect for our group. It would let Marina focus only on ruling.
”Mm. Do not feel too much pressure about that. I let anyone touch my power. If anything, you should show more respect to my friend. She led you to the deepest part of this Labyrinth. I left it alone because I put too much of my power into it.”
”Ugh. Yes, of course…”
For Mataaha, getting back the money she put into the Royal Capital Labyrinth must have been a good result. That was why she gave me a sharp warning about not showing enough respect to Shelm. Shelm was taking part in the goddesses’ plan.
But I could never thank Shelm enough for the huge blessings I got. Still, I felt a strong dislike for showing real respect when my life was changed so completely on a whim. Of course, I could not complain to Mataaha. She was also a higher being. So I had no choice but to bow deeply and leave my words unclear.
”That’s right! Even the stiff Mataaha says something good once in a while! And here you are, always complaining about my methods! S-So, how about that?! Just as I promised, I brought Yuuri-kun all the way here! ☆”
”Yes, I am grateful. But for you, the chief goddess, to turn yourself into a human seems different from our plans. I am not good at seeing the future. But I never thought you, with your huge pride, would give up being chief goddess. …Still, because that proxy goddess does not mix random thoughts into her messages, I would prefer if you stayed in charge of entertaining Yuuri.”
I swallowed my anger and gave a short reply. The one who caused all this trouble had the nerve to start showing off her success. Even if she knew I was upset, acting polite on the surface was the human way. I braced myself for another lecture from the goddess as she scolded her friend. But suddenly the attack turned toward Yui, who was getting carried away.
Her friend’s cold betrayal left the former goddess completely speechless. She had been joking even though she felt sick. Now large drops of sweat appeared on her pale skin. A deep red color rushed across her face. Her lazy, strangely sexy look turned into one of cute anger.
”M-Miffed! I can’t help it, can I? Because I fell in love with Yuuri-kun! Besides, if we’re going to be together for a long time, it’s better if we get along, right?! Even Mataaha will eventually――phfghmm?!”
And just as I expected, a flood of excuses shot quickly from Yui’s mouth. That selfishness was almost cute now. It seemed her friend Mataaha was used to it. She listened with a calm, unbothered face. But the moment the words started to point at her own private matters, her elegant eyebrows moved just a little.
Right after that, Yui could not block her friend’s divine power. She was now a human. She was forced to be quiet. Her face turned bright red as she kept trying to protest.
”Hmph. As my only equal in power, I have no choice but to keep this friendship. But Yuuri, in your case, would it not have been better to keep the proxy goddess (that one) by your side?”
”No. On the surface, they look completely different. But deep down, both are very kind and also very unforgiving. They just show it in different ways. So I chose this troublesome one. I know her very well.”
Even now, Ai was a “good girl” to a fault. But she never gave up on what she had to do as Shelm. When facing the will of a god, I often found Yui much more comfortable. She would distract me with all kinds of twists and turns.
Even so, both choices had good and bad points. That meant I had no regrets about picking the very entertaining Yui first.
But the goddess who loved numbers could not understand why a human would choose such trouble. Maybe she found some logic in human self-preservation in the strange act of enjoying waste. Or maybe she compared it to her own long friendship with an annoying partner. Either way, she asked no more.
”Phfgh… mgh… mmphhh… ♡”
And as I shamelessly accepted her strange personality, Yui’s cheeks softened into a look of pure happiness. She seemed briefly upset by my blunt words. But the moment she realized that even her flaws were loved as good points, her anger disappeared.
”――Now then, we have gone off topic. Let us do the giving of the ‘dungeon core’ again. First, the person who will receive it. We name Yuuri in the name of our two gods. A Labyrinth owner’s mind cannot normally handle the huge strain of using it. But that rule does not apply to you as you are now.”
”Yes, I am ready. Using the skills Lord Shelm gave me as a base, she changed me so I could handle the load of the ‘dungeon core’. …But I am a little unhappy that my mind was made bigger by forcing me to control that ugly flesh.”
What Mataaha said was the one fact I had been taught before. A huge flow of information would always put a load on the owner’s soul. At that time, the thought of the pain made me cringe. But right after, the functions of the personal domain (a private space) forced my mind to expand into the fleshy space that Suzuri wanted.
After that, my brain copy was directly changed by the needles of divine power. That permanently decided my ability to handle the ‘dungeon core’ as a tentacle human.
Since I used that power a lot to make love with my servants, I could not complain openly. But if she was going to turn me into an expert in such dirty power, could she not have given me some other ability better for fighting?
That small anger had always stuck like a needle deep in my chest. But my opponent was a powerful goddess. And sadly, the power was useful. So I could not speak about it until now.
However, talking with Mataaha this time – a goddess who, even without showing feelings, would still make jokes – made the words slip out by accident. The moment they left my mouth, the Goddess of the Labyrinth narrowed her eyes. Cold sweat ran down my back as I feared I had made a terrible mistake.
”Yuuri, that is――”
”Pffft…! Pwaha, gyaha, uhyahyahyahyahya!! “
I braced myself for a harsh lecture and bit my lip. Then a loud, ugly laugh came from behind me. It cut off Mataaha’s words. I turned around and found Yui rolling on the floor while holding her stomach. It felt very silly to stand there waiting for a scolding for insulting the one who had led me down the inhuman path.
”You bastard…! Just because you enjoy getting wrecked by those things doesn’t mean the person who did it has any right to laugh like an idiot! I’ve been protected by Marina and the others this whole time. It’s not just once or twice that I’ve wished for an ability that could actually be useful in battle!”
”Yuuri… ♡”
”Geez, so you were actually worrying about that ♡”
”To know you feel that way alone makes us the most fortunate souls alive, my lord ♡”
As I let out the anger I could no longer hold, words of deep praise slipped from my wives’ lips. But as my confidence grew from their approval and I forced the laughing Yui onto her back, a wicked, dirty smile that I had not seen in a long time appeared on her red cheeks.
”Pheehee, pheehee…! D-Don’t make me laugh, Yuuri-kun ♡ The only reason I became a tentacle lover is because my cruel master trained me well, right? ♡♡ …Just try and think back ♡ Until I married you, I used my power properly to block them out, didn’t I? ♡ I liked you, Yuuri-kun, but I definitely thought tentacles were a hard no ♡ But you see, when I tried to expand your thoughts to bring Suzuri back, the shape you took was a literal flesh space! Pffft! My love for you dropped by about twenty percent, but since it was a rare chance, I had no choice but to just go with it, right? ♡♡”
”Ahhh, Lady Yui! I asked you to keep that secret!”
”What is this, Suzuri-san?! Was the personal domain not the first time Yuuri showed his amazing power?!”
”Ah, ♡ which means Suzuri was the very first to fully receive Yuuri’s true desires, wasn’t she? Oh my goodness ♡ Wow, I’m so incredibly jealous! ♡♡”
”Wha-… Wha-… What…?!”
Like the (Familial Workshop), I believed a goddess could give any ability to a human if she thought it was needed. So I was completely sure that a strange ability like being a gross tentacle user was just a mean trick by a wicked goddess.
But after I tried to act serious and made my accusation, the truth that came out was that its source was entirely in my own desires. Even worse, my love-crazy wives did not quietly ignore the truth I was ashamed of. Instead, they started talking about it with great fondness. Hoping for a tiny chance that Yui was just making things up, I looked at the goddess who would be my new master. She quickly looked away.
”Well, that’s how it is. So it basically means Yuuri-kun was a total piece of trash who wanted to break girls down and turn them into a sloppy mess without letting them fight back from the very start ♡ But since your true nature fits the (Familial Workshop) better than anyone else’s, as a goddess, I’m actually pretty proud of that! ♡”
”Uuu, my memories of defeat that I planned to take to my grave… ♡”
”Kuh, how incredibly, incredibly enviable… ♡ I cannot allow myself to stay beaten by Suzuri-san! Someday, I must gather much more love inside the tentacle room myself! ♡”
”Oh, honestly, Lady Mataaha is getting uncomfortable because of this. …I mean, I’m definitely interested too, though ♡”
And so, abandoned even by the only goddess present who had a normal sense of right and wrong, I was left standing in the middle of my wives’ lust-filled questions. If only they had blamed me for my exposed true nature, it would have been a relief. But my servants had been completely brainwashed. They saw their master’s love as the highest joy. They paid no attention to their master’s painful embarrassment. They only sent me hot, passionate looks from time to time.
—
Summary:
Kneeling before the majestic Goddess of the Labyrinth, Yuuri steps forward alongside his wives to receive the ownership of the dungeon core. As the conversation progresses, a casual slip of the tongue prompts Yui to reveal that Yuuri’s grotesque, lewd tentacle abilities were actually born from his own repressed inner lust rather than divine malice. The chapter wraps up with Yuuri completely mortified in front of a distant goddess while his highly aroused wives eagerly compete for more specialized attention in his tentacle room, leaving his final relationship standing on an unresolved comedic variable.
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Trivia:
Yui’s affection levels toward Yuuri actually dropped by twenty percent upon realizing his subconscious takes the form of a literal flesh space.
Operating the dungeon core places a severe mental burden on the host’s soul, which is why Yuuri’s consciousness had to be expanded using Shelm’s specialized skills.
Marina is the group member intended to handle the administrative and political governance of the Labyrinth once Yuuri secures ownership.
The alternate proxy deity, Ai, communicates directly without mixing idle human thoughts or emotions into her divine calculations.
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Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Yui – Formerly a goddess, Yuuri’s human servant-bride is a silver-haired, pale young woman with rainbow eyes, a voluptuous form, and a red-black crotch tattoo. Though deeply lazy, selfish, and fond of tentacles, her expressive face flushes easily, and she is a cheerful, hyper-energetic companion. Currently lying unconscious in restrictive livery, she holds deep, fearless affection for Yuuri.
• Ashley – Daughter of Count Alegria, this poised, dignified noblewoman once adventured in the Capital Labyrinth. Now a loyal attendant in Yuuri’s party, she stands by his side during the audience with Mataaha. Gracious and deferential, she secretly admires Yuuri and seeks to be his dressing aide. She forms deep bonds with others through her unwavering devotion and displays extreme politeness to her leader.
• Marina – First Princess of Restea and leader of the Marina-dono faction, this capable royal conquered the Labyrinth with her escort group. Now a golden-gauntlet-wearing adventurer serving a free-spirited goddess, she is designated to manage the Labyrinth as part of Yuuri’s party. She navigates dangerous depths while often misinterpreting complex mechanisms with a distinct, nervous intensity.
• Mataaha – A labyrinth goddess with brown skin, silver eyes, and long black hair, she has a refined, majestic presence resembling a stern, intellectual Mikasa Ackerman. Armed with divine authority and a solemn cadence, she manages the Royal Capital Labyrinth with a sharp, mostly flat demeanor. This complex persona defines how she tests intruders, though she shares an easy familiarity with Yui.
• Shelm – Wicked Goddess, reincarnated Yuuri, manipulative, wants him to use his power.
• Yuuri – An arrogant commoner who conquered the Labyrinth and leads the Familial Workshop, this male protagonist feigned being “Skillless” to hide high-level garment, intimacy, and Divine Protection skills. Dismissed by the Count, Roeni’s student is actually a master distribution mastermind. To withstand a dungeon core, Shelm granted him a grotesque tentacle ability. He fiercely dominates his party and wives, including Yui and Suzuri.
• Ai – A newly formed sub-divinity who manages the world’s Skills and serves as a high-level, party-connected power source. Her intense burst of divine “ki” almost bleached Yuuri’s wicked thoughts. She views Yuuri as an “Elder Brother,” declaring genuine affection and deep trust for him based on his sheer efficiency with her Skills.
• Suzuri – A tall, statuesque, pale-skinned shinobi with ink-black hair, this nameless scout survived 80 years of Labyrinth petrification. Highly professional yet deeply loyal to her comrades and party leader, Yuuri, she serves as his fiercely devoted herald and informant. Her revival required expanding Yuuri’s consciousness, which originally manifested his hidden tentacle desires in a literal flesh space.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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