I'm a Goddess to Be Devoured by the Protagonist - Chapter 39

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 39
—Your skill is impressive.
Green Flower’s eyes widened in surprise.
—But can you dodge this?
He spun the ball rapidly in his catching hand, then hurled it.
Whack!
Sirius caught the ball without difficulty.
—Not bad at all.
Bang!
Bang!
Sirius hit two opponents in quick succession.
And so the dodgeball game continued with two(?) aces.
Then came the one-on-one moment between Green Flower and Sirius. Tension hung thick over the sand.
That was when it happened.
—Everyone! Time to eat!
—Yes, Capella!
The Baby Flowers scattered like a receding tide. Green Flower was among them, naturally.
[The Listener of Wishes Drawing Diagonal Lines declares that since the Baby Flowers left first, Sirius is the victor.]
—Thank you for your judgment.
Capella, who had appeared without warning, glanced back and forth between Sirius and Vega.
—What are you doing over there? Come on!
—Yes!
—I shall join you.
Vega, bewildered by the sudden absence of company, and Sirius, who had been watching quietly, both joined the evening meal.
The deck became a feast. One wondered if there was ever a night aboard this vessel that wasn’t a party.
As the celebration warmed, young Vega was sent to bed early, and the adults’ time arrived.
Green Flower asked Sirius a question.
—Do you like alcohol?
—I don’t drink.
—Come now, why not try a little? The mood’s perfect for it.
He offered a large barrel of alcohol. Despite the name “Baby,” they seemed to enjoy drinking well enough.
Sirius regarded the barrel quietly, then accepted it and drank it down in one gulp.
—Is that satisfactory?
—Wow. That’s strong stuff, and you downed the whole thing in one go.
Green Flower stared at Sirius in amazement.
—What about your hangover reflex? None at all?
Green Flower waited. Sirius appeared unaffected, but soon his head began nodding drowsily.
So Sirius’s hangover reaction was sleepiness. I had no idea.
I’d assumed he wouldn’t cause a scene or make trouble when drunk, but I never expected him to be this docile.
—Say, about that…
Suddenly upright!
Sirius sprang to his feet without warning, startling the Baby Flowers who had approached to rouse him.
—What, what? Were you just pretending to sleep?
—No.
It seemed he’d merely slept lightly.
—I’ll retire to my room and rest.
—Ah, sure. Do as you wish.
Sirius went into the room where Vega had gone and fell asleep.
* * *
Thus ended several days of respite.
Time to explore the Dungeon again!
[The Listener of Wishes Drawing Diagonal Lines cries out for you to do your best!]
—I shall do my best.
—Uh, u-um. I’ll do my best too.
Vega gave an awkward reply after seeing Sirius speak so courteously. It seemed he’d quickly picked up on the fact that I was sending some kind of message.
* * *
Tong-dal-ja, whom we saw for the first time in days, seemed downhearted.
“That game we tested before—we launched it, but it’s gotten zero traction. Shame that I even had you test it.”
He seemed to be talking about the time we rode in the adult-sized children’s go-kart.
“We took a chance on a field we had no interest in. And failed gloriously.”
He let out a sigh and slumped in his chair.
“May I offer some advice?”
“Oh! What kind of advice? I’d love to hear it!”
Tong-dal-ja poked at the empty air as though manipulating a system window, and they were transported to the Racing Track just as before.
Fortunately, the spot I had destroyed earlier was intact, as if nothing had ever happened.
“Is the whole point of this game just driving around the same track over and over?”
“Well, yes?”
He answered with the innocent candor of a child.
“You find it fun to keep driving in circles?”
“I do, actually.”
The Racing Track was empty except for the two of us—not a spectator in sight—and he found that entertaining?
I looked down at Tong-dal-ja. A god wearing the form of a young child met my eyes.
Come to think of it, when I was small, I used to find it just as amusing to drive a toy car in endless circles.
That was the age when a rolling sack could hold my attention for hours.
“What if you let the cars drive on different tracks—different locations?”
“Hmm…… different locations…….”
Most racing games allowed you to change the map.
“And another thing—why does the car have so many pedals?”
“I thought regular cars with just an accelerator and brake were a bit bland, so I wanted to try adding all kinds of pedals,” he said, breaking into a wide grin.

“I think there’s a reason most cars don’t come with so many different pedals.”
What he’d done was like taking a beautifully prepared dish and dumping in Dubai fudgy cookies, candied fruit on a stick, and yogurt ice cream all at once.
“Ohh…… then I’d better take them out…….”
Though Tong-dal-ja’s enthusiasm deflated, he apparently decided to do as I suggested and went over to the oversized toy car, methodically plucking out each pedal.
“Any other ideas?”
“What if special items were scattered around the track that drivers could collect?”
“Special items? Like what, for instance?”
“Things that let you interfere with the other drivers, perhaps.”
“Ooh.”
I had to play the role of a mad god with no interest in games. So I deliberately avoided using words like “item,” making it seem as though I knew little about game design.
“Behold! The flower of items—the Bomb!”
Tong-dal-ja placed a Bomb in the center of the track.
It was a round, pitch-black sphere with a thick fuse attached—the universal shape everyone recognized instantly.
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“That one doesn’t hurt if it hits you. You just bounce right off. Want to try getting hit by one?”
“I’d rather not.”
And so Tong-dal-ja’s game continued to develop.
* * *
Sirius used the Movement Stone to travel near the next village he needed to reach.
Again, he left Vega at the Inn and made his way toward the Dungeon.
Thinking of the Evil God, he came to understand that no matter the risk, he needed to obtain a means of attack quickly.
It was possible that his meeting with the Evil God was no accident—that the Evil God had been hunting for Sirius all along.
He wondered how much time they had left.
[Mission]
[Dress warmly and cover your skin as much as possible, then proceed to the Mansion in Obsidian Village.]
[Reward upon successful completion: Bread × 1]
Since there was only one Mansion in the village, such directions would be enough to find it.
Sirius made his way through the village, asking the locals for directions to the Mansion.
-That Mansion…… why?
Every time he asked, the reaction was identical—a look of bewilderment, as if wondering why anyone would want to go there.
Passing through those gazes, he arrived at the Mansion. A man who appeared to be a Soldier stood guard at the main gate.
-I wish to enter.
At his words, the Soldier’s eyes widened in shock.
-What? You want to go in there?
-Yes.
-No. Not a single person who went in there has come back out. Going in is just the same as going to die.
-I am different.
-Everyone says that. They all say they’re different.
-You may not believe me, but I must go to that Mansion.
The Soldier tried every argument to dissuade him, but when Sirius refused to back down, he let out a long sigh.
—Hah…. All right. I’ll let you do as you wish. Go on, try anything. Whether you die or dispose of it.
As Sirius turned back, the Mansion wrapped in dark purple vines filled the screen.
Creak.
The Soldier cracked open the front gate. A sinister sound came from the door.
Sirius slipped through the gap and entered.
—Lately, it’s not just one or two people trying to get in there.
A soft murmur came from behind Sirius.
So someone besides Sirius had recently tried to enter that place. It was curious, to say the least.
Dark purple vines sprawled here and there along the path to the Mansion.
What unfolded inside the Mansion resembled a zombie outbreak. The Dungeon’s influence had transformed the people of the Mansion into something like the undead.
In the original work, they were called “Infected” for convenience, and I decided to use that term as well.
[“The Listener of Wishes Drawing Diagonal Lines says there are too many Infected beyond the third floor. Don’t go up there.”]
Beyond the corner, the shadow of something moving came into view.
Anything that moved in this place was an unwelcome presence.
Grrraaahhh.
An Infected lurched around the corner with a monstrous sound, stumbling forward.
Examining the Infected closely, vines sprouted from a mysterious Dark Purple Gem, coiling around the human body.
If the gem shattered, the Infection that controlled people would vanish, but the corrupted body would not return. Around a week after the gem took hold, death was inevitable.
In such a place, our objective was the Dungeon located within the Mansion’s interior. We had to reach it without the Infected noticing.
Why move in secret? Because once you drew attention, the noise the Infected made could trigger others from far away like dominoes falling.
Sirius kept to the wall as he moved. He stepped as quietly as possible, careful not to be spotted by the Infected.
Then, abruptly, Sirius halted.
For some reason, he’d suddenly changed direction, and as he walked, a faint voice reached his ears.
—Is anyone there?
Sirius moved toward the voice.
There was a Wardrobe large enough for one or two people to fit inside. Sirius knocked gently on the Wardrobe door.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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