I quietly gazed at the soft, squishy, irresistibly warm mini statue of the Goddess of Love held in my hand.
Though it was small enough to fit in my palm, its proportions were the same as those of an adult woman. Or rather, calling it the same wouldn’t do justice.
With robust hips and buttocks that would surely prevent any child from going hungry, and a generous chest that felt impossibly heavy.
On the flip side, the waist was slender, and the limbs delicate, stirring a protective urge alongside carnal desire.
An idealized existence that distilled femininity and beauty to their extremes.
Is it too harsh to equate such a figure with a mere ordinary adult woman?
And what about her face?
Her pink eyes sparkled as if inlaid with stars. A nose neither too high nor too low emanated a mysterious aura. There was a maternal vibe reflected in the slight smile playing on her lips.
Who would’ve thought I’d find a face as small as my fingertip so beautiful?
Her appearance sparked sexual attraction, maternal instincts, and an instant urge to conquer all at once.
Nothing I’ve seen so far could possibly be as lovely as the being before me.
“…So this is what happens when the written lore materializes, huh? Quite terrifying indeed.”
I had thought the original marble-carved form was already stunning, but this was on another level.
As I continued to marvel inwardly, I examined what had changed beyond the overall impression.
Next to the divine beauty that looked like a real goddess rather than just a statue was the impressive attention to detail.
The figure was originally finely carved to resemble real fabric, hair, and skin, but now, it looked as if actual materials had been used.
First, the soft and squishy skin. My initial thought was that it felt like the silicone materials I’d seen on Earth.
Soft and squishy.
A writer living alone surely needs a silent friend.
In that context, I had a phase where I studied various doll materials.
Silicone feels good for sure, but this was beyond that. TPE material, which is great in feel but crumbles easily and exudes oils, didn’t hold a candle to this.
This wasn’t an artificial texture; it felt like touching real human skin. The warmth added to the realism.
“Sniff, sniff.”
I figured I might as well check its smell, but instead of chemicals, I only sensed a pleasing flesh scent.
Well, I suppose since I received the blessing to regulate my body odor, this much is a piece of cake.
If the skin shocked me, there was more to come. Next up: the hair.
The wavy pink hair flowed down to the waist, shimmering gently.
Yep. It swayed.
Surprisingly, this fully realized goddess statue had hair made of a material that felt just like real hair!
Each strand felt like it was alive, comparable to, if not better than, the expensive hair care that Ellie usually splurges on.
I gave one strand a light tug, and it didn’t show any sign of coming out. It felt as if it had always been part of her.
With this kind of realism, I wouldn’t have to worry about baldness from a moment’s stumble, unlike my girlfriend mk·3.
“Phew.”
Taking a deep breath, I finally looked over her clothing.
An ancient Greek garment woven from a broad piece of fabric. It reminded me of a toga.
To my astonishment, this too had transformed into a real fabric-like texture.
“…No way?”
With a glimmer of hope, I turned the statue upside down to check underneath.
Previously, it was impossible due to being fused as one, but now it might be feasible!
Flutter.
“Ouch!”
Unfortunately, due to the awkward angle, I could only see up to her thighs—no luck checking her underwear.
In a rush, I attempted to bend my knees slightly, but her legs wouldn’t budge. It seemed the joints were absent.
“Haah….”
What’s the point of a figure I can’t even check for underwear???
This renders it ‘not usable’!!!
Suddenly, the world felt hostile.
With disappointment, I began to squeeze the soft goddess-y chest and started examining her other functionalities, one by one.
After a while, I figured out everything there was to know, but there wasn’t really much to be excited about.
All I found was that it emitted a gentle divine power and could manifest a mini sanctuary once a day to boost physical abilities and regeneration rates, act as a hand warmer on cold days, and, when placed in a case, transformed into a smooth RGB lighting that transitioned through existing colors.
Beyond that, there weren’t any remarkable effects.
A love doll… no, an… actually, scratch that.
Considering all the hype, it was a lackluster upgrade.
“I’d thought it might serve as a divine relic after being told to keep an eye on it, but apparently not.”
It was simply pretty and cute, and while touching it felt nice, its goddess-like appearance made it an oddly guilty sensation for me.
“Once again, you’ve bestowed me trash! Someday, I will have my revenge, Goddess of Love!!”
Shouting that, I lovingly caressed the goddess statue in my hand. Then, I placed it in its exclusive case, allowing the bright RGB lights to glow as I slipped the second 4-star item, the large-capacity subspace ring, onto my finger.
This too was a truly amazing item and very useful, but… I already knew its purpose and usage, so there was no need to test it out further.
It was the same ring that the twin dagger clan’s lady, who had kidnapped me, used, and Lydia also summoned her weapons as needed, slipping one on each finger.
I could do the same; only the capacity had significantly increased.
“Yup.”
As I infused a little mana, I felt a curious resistance at my fingertips. I began tossing all sorts of items into it.
Mana herbs and recovery herbs I left uneaten today, various potions, arrows, unicorn daggers, and concealed daggers as well.
I should throw in some throwing weapons I had purposely avoided using due to my weight.
I could add even more, but… considering the byproducts from hunting monsters, it’s better to leave some space.
As I nodded at that thought, I suddenly noticed the RGB goddess statue shining on my bed.
“Could it be…?”
They didn’t mean to have me carry the goddess statue around everywhere, right??
After considering this, I couldn’t deny it any longer.
After all, there was a precedent set where someone passed the goddess statue to another and somehow ended up maxing it out. So, I decided to keep it on me as much as possible.
“Not today, but starting tomorrow.”
Saying that as if to excuse myself, I lay down on the bed.
The dazzlingly glowing statue of the Goddess of Love gazed down at me with a kind smile.
…Somewhat burdensome.
But perhaps it was the faint divine power emanating from her. Sleep came easily.
As my body felt light, a hazy drowsiness engulfed me.
In my fading sight, I caught a glimpse of a crooked smirk forming on the goddess statue’s lips, almost as if it had planned all along… but surely, I must’ve been mistaken and just seen it that way due to drowsiness.
*
I woke up after a good sleep. The sunlight streaming through the window was so bright that it seemed the day was clear.
“Perfect day for killing, isn’t it?”
Nodding to myself, I leapt out of bed.
I armed myself fully with familiar motions, took the goddess—uh, the statue—out of the case and store it in subspace before heading downstairs.
Yet, Ellie, who was usually present, was nowhere to be seen; only Lydia and Karen were around.
“Hmm? Where’s Ellie?”
“Ellie-senpai went to get her equipment.”
“Aha? Then are we just waiting here to go together?”
“Yeah. However, Karen the Inquisitor will enter later by herself, after a brief wait.”
“Keeping an eye out on the guild infiltrators, huh?”
“That’s right. We decided to meet at Safe Zone 26, so we’ll wait and then join forces then.”
“Sounds good!”
Karen, who had been prayerfully addressing the goddess statue I gave her, uncrossed her hands and said to me.
“One thing I must inform you, Jonah.”
“What is it?”
“Perhaps, just perhaps, my power may have enhanced beyond what I had before. I did shake things up quite a bit.”
“Right.”
“Thus, if our strength seems lacking, I will prioritize preventing the ritual rather than exterminating the heretics. And if even that proves too difficult, I’ll focus on survival first.”
“I understand. In that situation, it can’t be helped.”
As for me, would I risk dear lives like Lydia and Elina’s for my own? Well, I’m not sure. That seems a bit excessive.
Apart from my own life, I can’t exactly ask others to put their lives on the line for me, can I?
Just as I was nodding, I noticed Lydia, who wasn’t dressed in her usual bartender outfit, but in a skin-tight black jumpsuit.
One side of her sleeves was tied up neatly to prevent it from flopping around.
Lydia raised her hand toward Ellie, revealing her muscular physique.
“Hey, Ellie-senpai. Jonah saw you packing some expensive gear.”
“…Huh?”
Lydia jabbed her finger at Ellie’s questioning expression.
“Your invisibility cloak, magically enchanted boots, and top-tier subspace ring—aren’t those things stolen?”
“I don’t have those equipment!”
“That’s an absurd accusation! You think I’d steal Ellie’s gear?!”
Ellie tilted her head in confusion, and I exploded in fury.
With a deadpan expression, Lydia blinked at me.
“Then where did you get it?”
“Stop assuming I stole it!”
“Isn’t that not the case?”
“No, it’s absolutely not!!”
I took a deep breath and pointed at Karen, who was glancing around.
“Yesterday, with the money I received from Karen the Inquisitor, I prayed fervently to the Goddess of Love before going to sleep, and then suddenly, this happened. I’m a deeply pious man like that.”
“Mhm. Jonah could do something like that.”
Karen nodded in agreement. Then she turned to me, offering her prayer again.
…Do they really believe this?
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
