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Chapter 1: Encounter with the Goddess of Love

“Who are you?”

The voice I had expected to hear from above came directly in front of me.

Before my question could even finish, the air shimmered in a light pink hue. A beam of light gradually transformed into the figure of a woman.

Long, flowing pink hair. Eyes that sparkled as if filled with stars. Her nose, perfectly proportioned, exuded a mysterious aura, while her glossy lips trembled in clear astonishment.

I was well aware that such a cute, soft, and warm mini-goddess statue was beautiful; after all, the very standard of beauty was often tied to the Goddess of Love.

But at this size, 1:1… No, what I was seeing right now was not merely a statue.

Anyway, seeing her in person was far more stunning. I was left momentarily speechless.

Still, maybe thanks to having grown somewhat accustomed to statues, I quickly regained my composure and lowered my gaze.

Her skin was as white and smooth as fresh snow. Even wrapped in a simple cloth that did nothing to accentuate her figure, her chest was already eye-catching. In fact, I would argue it was nothing short of ideal.

And what about her hips? I couldn’t see her backside directly since we were facing each other, but judging by that voluptuous line, her silhouette from behind must be quite the scene.

But that wasn’t all.

Unlike the fullness of her other attributes, her overall figure was delicate and ethereal. Her waist was slender enough for me to wrap my arms around, and her limbs seemed to invoke both desires of admiration and protection.

Desire, maternal instinct, conquest. It felt like all sorts of cravings were stirred up simultaneously… An overwhelming appearance that seemed to embody every charm of womanhood.

At this point, her very existence was akin to a hypnotic charm.

If I didn’t possess multiple abilities and immense divine power as the Goddess of Love, I surely would’ve lost my mind right here.

…Sometimes, when I exerted my full beauty powers, did I appear to others like this?

Inwardly admiring Ellie’s patience, I nodded slightly, following the etiquette learned at the Royal Court of Historia—somewhat graceful yet elaborate.

“It is an honor to meet you, Goddess. My name is Jonah.”

“I have heard your name long before. Since a certain point, there have been children who pray while speaking your name.”

“Ah, that’s quite an honor!”

As I raised my head, our eyes finally met. However, there was something peculiar in the Goddess’s gaze.

What could it be? It felt somewhat similar to how I viewed the Goddess of Love moments ago—was it a feeling of infatuation?

After all, I found myself displaying a form that was undoubtedly customized to the preferences of the Goddess of Love.

Of course, there was a millennium of time passing, so the current Goddess of Love might have slightly different tastes than her future self.

But the immortality of gods stems from their constancy. There probably wouldn’t be significant changes.

“Um? W-What?”

This seemed to catch the Goddess of Love off guard as she stammered. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her awkwardness and opened my mouth.

“First, please take this. To be honest, I don’t know the details… but I think this will help.”

As I pulled out the soft, cute, warm mini-goddess statue from my embrace, the Goddess of Love’s eyes opened wide in disbelief as she received it.

Between her tightly sealed lips and the goddess statue, a pink light of divine power began to rise.

It felt like having a conversation through divine power rather than sound, mixing, pushing away, and sometimes annihilating each other.

Initially, the expression on the Goddess of Love’s face was one of shock, but it began to grow serious.

Eventually, she frowned heavily as if burdened by the weight of the matter and nodded cautiously, returning the statue to me with gentle hands.

But the sensation I received was strange. It was still soft, but there was no warmth to it.

The divine power had diminished to almost non-existent levels, barely leaving a trace.

“Um? Wait a second. This is…”

“Do not worry. I merely stated it is power. It must have been no easy feat to maintain the connection all the way here.”

“Ah? So, it’ll be okay later, right?”

“Yes. Absolutely, worry not.”

The Goddess of Love nodded vigorously, her resolve bizarrely clear, which made me tilt my head for a moment.

Having unexpectedly met the Goddess of Love sooner than planned, I felt it was time to ask the questions I had been dying to know.

Knowing that no one was around, I carefully ventured, “If I may ask…”

“Yes? What is it?”

Bringing my head closer, I whispered to the fidgeting Goddess of Love.

“Is now a good time? I have many questions I’m curious about.”

“While it’s not a bad thing to be so proactive in requesting a date, unfortunately, this isn’t the time for that.”

“Eh? What do you mean? Are you saying you’re just going to leave me after everything I’ve been through…”

“No! No! That’s not it… Um. What I mean is…”

After pondering for a moment, the Goddess of Love let out a deep sigh.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that there are matters I cannot explain to you at this time, so please don’t misunderstand. …Ah! But you were told this part.”

“What is it?”

Pointing to the cute goddess statue resting on my chest, the Goddess of Love opened her mouth.

Her clear, transparent voice resonated throughout the space, as if it were a prophecy.

No, technically, it was indeed a prophecy.

Drifting thoughts ran through my mind, but they wouldn’t last long.

“The God of Madness.”

“Excuse me?”

“He considers you his task.”

“…….”

To think the God of Madness was my task. I had suspected there might be a reason for being sent back to a millennium ago, but never expected it to be connected to the God of Madness.

My tension eased instantaneously, letting out a sigh.

“Phew.”

“…The God of Madness has been consumed by his own madness, yet he remains a powerful deity. Why do you wear such a relieved expression?”

“It’s simple. If he’s that powerful, do you really think others will just stand by and watch while he rampages? They’ll likely seize the opportunity to eliminate him.”

The God of Madness is also the root cause of the monstrosities, the main instigator that pushed the War of the Gods into the worst-case scenario.

Moreover, his madness lingers within the monsters, lasting even to a millennium later, occasionally corrupting someone.

Though he might not make an appearance himself, he can be said to hold a status comparable to the Goddess of Love.

Of course, I’ve concocted a lot of settings associated with him.

Among them, if I had to pick the one with the most significant stake in the continent’s downfall… it would undoubtedly be the moments before the God of Madness’s demise.

As the War of the Gods dragged on and the accumulated madness surpassed his limits, the God of Madness truly spiraled out of control.

But that didn’t mean it signified complete insanity.

At times, when he regained his sanity, he sealed himself away as far away as possible.

Even if he was to be consumed by madness again, he would spend most of his energy trying to escape, putting forth effort to minimize the world’s suffering as much as possible.

Yet this is a story about the death of the God of Madness.

But wait, there’s more.

The madness of the God of Madness grew more immense and eventually swallowed up even himself completely.

As he rampaged, scattering fragments of madness all around, he ultimately faced obliteration at the hands of the coalition of other gods.

That’s right. The God of Madness, after all, will rampage and then get eliminated by the other gods.

While I had been sent back to this era, issues would likely arise, but the basic framework should remain unchanged.

It’d just be a matter of snacking on popcorn while watching the automatic hunt and getting the final blow.

…But I shouldn’t have thought it would be that simple.

***

The God of Madness began charging directly at the Goddess of Love.

There were no gods to stop him…

“This is insane. Is this really happening?”

“Why yes, indeed. True madness blooms from affection, so are you claiming you’ll plant madness in my belly? If so, then do not worry.”

“Looks like you were already prepared!”

“The God of Madness has lost any remaining intellect to even speak in riddles. I suspect he’ll plant the seeds of madness as casually as one would plant a seedling in a pot.”

“That’s even worse?! How can you be so calm?! No one is helping us, this is really dangerous! Is there any way we can escape this temple?!”

“We’ve already run and fled here. Where else could we go? There are plenty of deities here who are unable to move… What’s more, your claim that no one is helping us is incorrect.”

“Ah! I mentioned neutrality, but what about hidden alliances…?”

The Goddess of Love calmly pointed at me.

“…Me?”

“You are the strongest ally I could rely on.”

The Goddess of Love, smiling with a face that could captivate anyone regardless of age or gender, spoke.

 

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