Chapter 2 - Part 3: The usual flirt-talk with the goddess
“That kid was too strong!” remarked a man with bleached hairs.
“He really looked like a human though,” reminded the red-haired guy, Basil.
“He would not give a reason as to why he was fighting even if I asked him multiple times,” said Dmitri absentmindedly, “he disappeared, though, to think that he would claim the lives of five heroes already…”
***
The goddess’s backroom.
That was all I could think of when I entered a dark place.
Wait. Why are all the places dark? Even the throne hall had been freezing with the pitch-black darkness.
I had been feeling rather uneasy ever since I left that ghastly dungeon, but, I wondered about what I could do to return home quickly.
For some unknown reason, the room that I had entered had a wooden altar at its center - I had not even been allowed to enter the main bedroom of the goddess.
As expected, goddesses are too frivolous, having so many bedrooms.
It still felt wrong to be careless after being made to suffer all that.
That last nightmare which I’ve had was too frightening to even put into words.
I did not know the powers of the heroes, but, I guess that the numbers that I had seen were enough to last this goddess some years, enough for her to summon more heroes.
I just needed to return home.
“She can perform a summoning galore afterwards, for all I care,” I muttered loudly in order to let the goddess know that I had arrived.
I guess that everything went according to the goddess’s will after I was cursed - I can only think of it as a curse.
Even now, my body felt strangely hyperactive despite my fatigue and wounds.
…Not that the pain intended to leave me any time soon.
Silence.
The walls of the room had paper canvases plastered to them. It would not be truthful to say that the decor was outright ugly; I reluctantly acknowledged the fact that the goddess had a finer taste in arts that me.
I wandered around the room dumbly for about ten minutes, before the goddess finally appeared.
White hairs with the slightest hues of pink and blonde.
She had green hairs and eyes when she had visited the dungeon, but…
I had instantly recognized her even then.
This time, she did not look like she was going to transform - this must be her real appearance.
“Why did you call me into this world? Having me forcefully dragged to a prison cell, leaving me to starve and thirst to this day. And, letting that curse-like affliction ravage my body as much as it wants… What kind of goddess are you?!”
“You are a demon lord’s apprentice.”
“How? Wait, answer my question! I won’t let you go this time!”
Somehow, I felt that something important was amiss when I managed to look at that goddess.
She was continually ignoring me.
“People with demon-lord-affinity attract the monsters. And, unknown beings always try to get involved with people like you. Some of them are rumored to have ties with the demons, and, might abduct you to be trained by a demon lord. They are not demons, and, abound in this country. I can’t identify who these beings are, even if they do appear before me. They have a human form, after all.”
“Who cares about these fellows? In the first place, just why did you decide to make me your scapegoat in this world?! I don’t remember giving you the permission to do that! Goddess? In your dreams! There’s nothing good waiting for me here, either way. I’ll simply ruin it for the other heroes, right? Why don’t you return me to my original world?!”
“I can’t do that. You have to be taken into custody, and, immobilized for as long as possible to serve as an example,” she clarified evasively.
“An example for what?!”
I was getting annoyed to great extents, as I heard her lame excuses, and, gave a retort.
“You’ll be used to boost our troops’ morality. The fact that someone as weak as you is both a hero and will be a demon lord means that people can get more confidence in their abilities.”
“I’m not weak!” I exclaimed.
“Are you certain about that? Well, let me check your divine status.”
“Divine status? What’s that?”
“Come to think of it, you don’t know, huh? It’s a script engraved on your back upon summoning to help me determine your strength.”
“Thanks for the info. But, I don’t see any reason to do as you tell me obediently. I have some things to confirm with you before anything else,” I pointed out while taking care not to step back as her familiars appeared.
“Do you think that you are in a disposition to ask questions to me?”
“There’s no need to be in a better-off situation to ask questions. First things first, what’s your name? Why was I cursed? I don’t believe that there isn’t a reason behind that.”
“Ambrosia. My name is Ambrosia. I did say that I’m the goddess of nature and water, didn’t I? About your curse… well, I don’t know much about that.”
“That can’t be possible!”
“It’s only a condition which you have to accept. It’s not something which involves improbability. I had heard rumors, but, it’s the first time that I’ve seen a demon lord’s apprentice. You’ll be really useful as bait,” said the goddess without batting an eye, as she continued:
“Well, your divine status aside, there are some things about you which I can already see; you have no fame, no faith, no honor, no charisma, luck value of -666, and, charm value of -66. In layman’s term, you are the perfect fit for being a candidate for demon lordship.”
“What are your layman’s standards?! Why do I have such horrible stats? Wait… You are inventing these things simply to trick me! Besides…” the goddess looked at me attentively when I paused, “who was that person who had actually visited my dreams? Who are you? Are you really a goddess?”
“That person is someone who’s practically dead. You don’t need to know anything about him. If you still insist, then, you can head to the library. Not that you’ll find anything substantial though.”
“Him? It’s not a girl?”
“Oh? You were talking about a female? …Well, I don’t know about who you are referring to. I just know that my familiars will never let anyone betray me during hero summoning.”
“Who was she?”
“It must be one of the summoners themselves. I find it impossible to think that a summoner somehow managed to achieve the hero level.”
The goddess’s voice was full of certainty in the dark room.
“So… What am I to do now?”
“Nothing.”
“Huh?!”
“You are a demon lord’s apprentice. Even if no demon lord is currently mentoring you, you’ll eventually become a demon lord. I did say that you’ll be served as an example. When you finally become a demon lord, you’ll be killed by one of my heroic summoners.”
The goddess’s face contained a glint of steel as she announced my verdict.
“...Die. You’ve got to be kidding! You are a goddess! Don’t you see the injustice in that? I’m just an ordinary human! Are you too weak to kill an actual demon lord instead of targeting me?!” I fretted.
“In the usual case, I would send you back to your world. But, this is not so. You are not afraid of death. Just goof around all you want before becoming a demon lord. And, coming to the question of my divinity, before being a goddess, I’m the ruler of this country. Not that the monarchy counts.”
“T-That’s…!”
“I’m the last hope for Earth, and, my world. With your death, a temporary state of fighting unwillingness will result among the demons. And then, my warriors will take advantage of that to cover important ground. You’ll be useful for once, be overjoyed!” said the goddess in a bland tone.
“Stop joking around! Return me to my original world!!” I exclaimed, placing my forehead on the floor to accentuate my cause.
“You are so empty. You’ve always been. I won’t retract my decision. At that time, you… why did you not try commit suicide again?”
“T-That’s not your problem! If you are not going to return me to my world, then, I’ve done talking! I’m not empty…”
I felt miserable.
Completely miserable in front of this almighty being who had decided my fate for me.
…Simply because I lacked strength and authority.
“Let me check your divine status first.”
“That’s needless. Either way, I don’t need to know about it.”
I turned my back, and, started walking away.
“However, it is necessary for me,” said the goddess, levitating towards me.
And, I faced her one last time to reply:
“Keep your rotten curiosity to yourself. I’m not a plaything! I’m human.”
“Right now, you are just a demon lord’s apprentice.”
“Only thanks to you.”
Her stag-like familiar barked in a shrill, monotonous manner as my body trembled with instinctive fear.
The cold was getting unbearable too.
I was glad that I was finally leaving that place.
Would I find my place among the demons?
Was there no other door to knock at for me?
Even when I had been having it rough in the real world just three days ago, I was already at another impasse.
Just why do I have to go through this?
