I'm a Goddess to Be Devoured by the Protagonist - Chapter 5
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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 5
After some time had passed, the No-Dap Three Brothers emerged from their ordeal and collapsed on the floor, gulping water down like madmen.
Ugh… if we run out of this, we’ll have to make more…
I don’t want to make any more… at least drink it moderately…
Sirius looked down at them. The thugs had to crane their necks quite far just to see his face.
His expression was impassive, yet the undisguised hostility of a superior being was enough to fill them with tension.
The god has commanded you to turn yourselves in. And while you receive your punishment, you are to repent of your sins.
…
Should you disobey this command, I cannot say what punishment will follow.
With that, Sirius turned away from them as if he had no further business. Cold sweat beaded on the thugs’ foreheads in his wake.
The people of Quartz regarded their god as a great being, and the thugs, unaware that the Listener was nothing more than an ordinary god, trembled in fear.
Of course, much credit belonged to how well Sirius had played his part.
[Mission Success! Reward has been granted!]
[Bread ×1]
After the chaos subsided, the atmosphere grew calm.
Those who had finished eating looked better than before. As some ease returned, they began to converse.
They were those mentioned as bystanders in “This Woman’s Journey.” Despite the child being in danger, they had done nothing.
Yet he understood them. It was almost surprising that anyone would consider stepping in when the No-Dap Three Brothers looked the way they did.
A few of the people whispered quietly among themselves, stealing glances at Sirius. Soon, one approached.
Could you ask the god if he might grant us passage from this place?
Right—surely the Listener has the ability to get them out of here?
When I saw Hamie, I quickly told him.
“I’m afraid the god currently has no means to release you from this place.”
What is this—the useless Listener and all his incompetence.
Yet there was no real cause for concern. They would be able to escape the Underground Warehouse soon enough—the Innkeeper’s acquaintance was coming to rescue them.
The problem was not knowing when they would arrive.
I pondered for a moment, then sponsored a Mission once more.
[Mission]
[Wait until the person who will rescue you arrives.]
[Reward: Bread ×1]
The god says you must wait until your rescuer comes, Sirius relayed.
But… when will they arrive? someone asked.
I couldn’t say, Sirius replied.
At his words, some of the people’s unease became visible.
What if our rescuer never comes?
Or what if it takes a very long time? The gods who live eternities surely don’t perceive time as we do. It could be a year, or even ten years before they arrive.
It shouldn’t take that long.
Flustered, I sent a message sponsorship.
[ (°Д°≡°Д°) ]
It doesn’t seem it will take very long, Sirius said.
[ (b ᐛ )b ]
At last, the people let out sighs of relief.
I want to get out and wash as soon as possible.
My mother must be so worried.
The atmosphere in the Underground Warehouse noticeably improved. The people were filled with hope that they might finally leave.
No further signs of conflict appeared.
[Mission]
[Rest together with the people before leaving the Underground Warehouse.]
[Reward: Bread ×1]
Seeing the Mission window, Sirius told the people that I had instructed them to rest.
He told the others to rest as well, since it was clear they were exhausted. Even with a bonfire present, locked in this dark space they must have been parched and hungry, with little chance for genuine rest.
The people rested in their own ways—some sought sleep, others merely sat quietly.
The thugs’ snoring, performance too transparent to call acting, drifted through the space like background music.
I’d sent the Mission, but I wondered if Sirius could rest easily.
What if, just like in novels, he refused to sleep? It would be better to rest while the chance presented itself.
Contrary to my concerns, Sirius leaned back against the wall, closed his eyes, and began to rest.
Perhaps there was nothing left for me to do until Sirius left the warehouse.
But watching the sleeping people, drowsiness began to creep over me. Perhaps from that intense physical labor earlier.
Still, I forced my eyes open. With some time to spare, I decided to learn more about Cosmos.
“Where can I check how to use Cosmos?”
“Oh. The instructions aren’t provided separately. That is…….”
I waited for her to finish.
“Most gods are born already possessing knowledge not only of Cosmos but of various system functions. So unless you’ve experienced memory loss or forgotten that related knowledge, like you have…….”
I understood what she was getting at.
To Hamie, I appeared to be a god who had lost her memory, or one who had forgotten knowledge she should have possessed from birth.
I wasn’t sure why gods experienced memory loss or forgot knowledge they were born understanding, but she spoke as though such cases were fairly common.
Thanks to that, I didn’t seem particularly strange.
“But if you ever have questions, just ask me and I’ll explain!”
“Thanks.”
I opened another window beside the one displaying Sirius, returned to Cosmos’s main screen, and began exploring.
I found a circular profile picture in the upper right corner. It looked like Cosmos’s default profile image.
Right. The Listener wouldn’t have used a feature like that.
When I tapped the profile picture, my basic information and several menus appeared.
[The Listener of the Wishful Line]
[Intervention Level: 1]
Seeing the Intervention Level, I let it pass without surprise. I’d already expected as much from the pathetic sponsor product lineup.
“How do I raise the Intervention Level?”
“By making yourself known to the world in various ways—building fame or infamy.”
Infamy……?
So that’s how the Listener raised their level in the original story—through infamy.
That explained why, at some point, they’d started sending message sponsorships that looked better than emoticons.
Technically, they’d raised both, if I thought about it properly.
By having Sirius save and kill people.
Of course, they’d only ordered him to save those worth saving, but later killing them would have let them gain infamy after earning fame—a clever arrangement.
Quite the magnificent god.
Anyway, since Hamie had mentioned my Intervention Level was low and that was why the sponsor product list was pathetic, raising the level should unlock access to more varied items.
But I decided to postpone raising it as long as possible.
There was no grand reason—I was simply concerned about burdening Sirius. If I became known, my contractor Sirius would become known as well.
The sole god’s contractor in a world falling apart.
Excessive attention becomes poison.
People had called him a hero to save the world while demanding free labor, and they wanted far too much from him besides—all of it tormented Sirius.
He also disliked it when strangers recognized him without his knowing them first.
My eyelids were growing heavier by the moment. I climbed onto the bed, pulled the blanket snugly over myself, and lay down, my gaze remaining on the screen where the broadcast still played. There hadn’t been any significant changes since I’d last looked.
Shouldn’t a god be capable of staying awake around the clock?
My eyes closed slowly as drowsiness overwhelmed me. I was in no state to resist.
So I decided to ask Hamie for help.
“Can you wake me if something comes up?”
“Of course!”
Hamie answered in a reassuring voice.
I trusted Hamie and fell asleep.
* * *
“Your Highness, Your Highness!”
Two small somethings pressed firmly against my cheeks.
At the sound calling me, I lifted my eyelids. A beautiful night sky came into view.
An unfamiliar ceiling……no, a sky.
Thanks to that abnormally large moon, I wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon that I’d possessed this body.
“Did you sleep well?”
Hamie fluttered into my field of vision, and I met her bright, sparkling eyes. It seemed this little cotton ball was what had woken me.
But what had she been pressing against my cheek just now?
Oh no…….
The realization made me want to scream internally.
Hamie had pressed me with those tiny front paws. With her fluffy, pale pink soft paws.
“Someone has arrived there.”
Hamie pointed with her front paw at the window still floating in the air. I peered inside.
And I beheld a peculiar sight.
Everyone in the Underground Warehouse, including Sirius, was awake. Despite their corpse-like appearance—looking as though lying motionless would have been insufficient—every last one of them was up.
Hope now clung to faces that had held only despair.
They were all looking at one place: the entrance of the Underground Warehouse, blocked by building debris at the far corner of the ceiling.
-Beneath this……!
-Then we should hurry…….
Beyond the wreckage, voices drifted through from people outside.
The Innkeeper’s acquaintance must have come to rescue us. At last, I could breathe easy.
How long did it take them to get here?
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Two days.”
Two days without waking, sleeping straight through. I had to admit, I felt refreshed.
To think I’d realize I wasn’t human anymore through something like this. Back when I was human, I couldn’t have slept all day no matter how many nights I’d stayed awake.
If I’d known, I would’ve asked them to wake me after eight hours—a proper adult sleep cycle—instead of letting myself drift for two days like this. I felt almost apologetic for the peace of it.
Had Sirius been alright all this time?
I checked him through the system window, but nothing had changed.
Maybe I should send an emoticon. Two days of silence after making a contract might seem strange to him.
[ │ ᐕ)ノ ]
At the system window’s appearance, Sirius lowered his gaze from where it had been directed upward and looked at the emoticon.
“I’m pleased to see you too.”
Everyone’s attention fixed briefly on Sirius. Speaking into empty air like that did warrant stares.
Fortunately, when I sent no more emoticons, the others turned their focus back to the entrance.
Right. What mattered now was that.
I too directed my gaze toward the entrance.
Through a small opening, the sound of debris being cleared reached us. Hearing it from such close range meant they’d already removed a considerable amount of wreckage.
Hamie had woken me at just the right moment.
Time passed—not a short span—and then a shaft of light descended.
It was the brightest light I’d seen since entering the Underground Warehouse.
The light looked like a lifeline lowered by salvation itself. The people gazed at that thin beam of radiance with faces full of hope, unable to tear their eyes away.
The light grew wider. Wide enough for a person to pass through comfortably.
Was this what the entrance to heaven looked like?
-Come up!
Someone above signaled that it was time to leave this place.
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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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