Chapter 54: The Shrine Maiden (3)
The Chamber of the Heavenly Stems—a secret floor of Shinshi forbidden to all but the occasional priest, the highest administrators, and her master. For two hundred years, since the day the guild weapon of Shinshi, the Twelve Branches Heavenly Stems: World Engine, was placed here, its keeper has never changed.
That keeper was an angel of exquisite beauty—an embodiment of the very "golden-haired angel" that lived in men's dreams.
The one who customized her appearance had only just fled, practically running away through teleportation, leaving her behind.
Yet, after sending her master away, she showed no trace of regret. Her elegant features collapsed into a disheveled, unrestrained expression.
"Ahhh… yes, yes, this is the best. Watching my master's sleeping face and keeping a diary of his slumber never grew dull, even after two hundred years… but the awakened master is incomparably better. Huehehehehe…"
Before her floated dozens of holographic projections cast by the World Engine. Each showed the same subject from different angles: the colossal form of a dragon. On screen it seemed smaller, but in truth, its body was so massive it could fill this entire chamber built to house the enormous guild weapon itself.
Among those images was another—a human form. A small figure clad only in a black cloth, with long strands of black hair spilling down like rivers of ink, shimmering faintly with a crimson glow.
The youthful face was androgynous, with a beauty more fitting the word beautiful than cute.
Porcelain-like skin, finely sculpted features—like a perfectly carved doll. Perhaps a little over 150 cm tall, the figure was wrapped tightly in cloth, revealing no hint of gender. But for Ea, that was more than enough.
"What is this form? It's too good. Truly unfair. I, Ea, could love any shape my master takes with all my heart—but this… this is cheating. This is overwhelming. You've made me fall in love with you all over again… haaa…"
With a heated sigh, Ea clutched the hologram of her master's human form against her chest, rolling about shamelessly.
The earlier image she had shown before Tiamat—playful, mysterious, composed—was nowhere to be found.
Instead, she lay sprawled out, abandoning dignity entirely.
The World Engine's azure glow bathed her body.
Beneath the single white cloth draped over her, with nothing else to shield her form, the curves of her figure stood out proudly.
Whenever excitement made her tremble lightly, her slender frame—and the pair of heavy breasts that seemed too generous for her delicate build—quivered gently.
Drops of sweat rolled down her honey-smooth skin, sparkling like jewels in the light.
This was a sight she would never show to anyone else. But here, in the chamber where none but her master may enter, there was no shame.
This was the body forged by divine hands, her master's creation—what part of it could ever be disgraceful?
"Fufu… it must be deliberate. Appearing in such a form can only mean you're tempting me. You had proper human-form equipment, yet chose a single cloth—nothing else. Surely that was an invitation, an 'OK sign.' Even showing weakness like that… it has to mean the same. If only I had the authority, I'd have embraced that fragile form tightly, right here…"
She whispered in a daze, hugging the hologram tighter. Though the image was intangible, her ample chest molded around it as if to trap it in place.
But Ea's authority was limited to that of an Observer. From her design, she was bound to manage the guild weapon, never to leave this chamber unless commanded, and never to make physical contact with guild members or NPCs. Unless Tiamat himself permitted, she could touch no one.
Two hundred years. Two centuries locked in this chamber, without contact, with only her mischief to break the monotony.
No wonder she sometimes played "pranks" on Shinshi through the World Engine. Small diversions to her, but to the victims? Likely disasters. Yet such things never weighed on her.
Finally, exhausted from rolling about, Ea lay flat, still clutching the hologram tightly, her voice soft and languid.
"Haa… my master moving, speaking—nothing compares. That voice, that figure… divine. But still… it's not enough. I've recorded every image, stored every sound, yet I feel empty. Just now I was overflowing, but why does it already feel so hollow? I'm starving…"
Her stomach growled theatrically. But in truth, Ea required no food. She was an angel—the pinnacle of divine races—beyond the needs of ordinary mortals. Her body mimicked humanity, but she was no human. Any hunger was but whim, an illusion of mood.
"Ahhh… I want him. Watching isn't enough anymore…"
The hologram shifted, showing the First Floor of Shinshi.
Through her connection to the World Engine, Ea could observe all of Shinshi at will. From the outermost defenses to the deepest chambers, nothing escaped her gaze. It was blatant abuse of her authority—but she didn't care.
After all, here in Shinshi, beneath only Tiamat himself, Ea stood second to none.
The image shifted, showing Tiamat's back as he walked outward from the First Floor. His long, flowing black hair swayed gently, but little by little it grew shorter, while his once-small frame began to swell and expand.
It was the effect of the Tarnhelm of Metamorphosis, a true World Item that allowed free transformation of race and form—something no magic or skill could ever imitate.
"Aah—he changed. He changed! I liked him better when he was smaller, easier to snatch up and bury into my arms..."
Even as she sighed with regret, Ea hugged the projection tighter—tight enough that she could bury herself in it. In more ways than one.
Her overflowing heart was devoted solely to her master. There was no doubt—this was love. Twisted, dangerous, and running recklessly forward after two hundred years of pent-up longing... but for Ea, that only made it better. She loved him. She adored him. She wanted to lick him.
Her voluptuous body squirmed with pent-up desire, causing several things to shake and quiver in turn.
"Haah... of course, I would never dare presume I could monopolize my master. But the first… the first belongs to me. The main wife must be me. The rest can stand aside and wait their turn."
She already had suspects in mind—female priests, those suspiciously close to her master. Tiamat might change forms freely, taking on any race or gender, but to Ea he was unmistakably male. Which meant rivals would be female NPCs, especially the ones bold enough to draw near.
Still, none of them could match her—neither in rank, nor in closeness. With a snort of derision, Ea suddenly sprang upright. But then she paused, frowning. Something about "the first" gnawed at her. A dark shadow crept across her beautiful face, twisting it into something harsh and menacing.
"…No. I wasn't the first to greet him when he awoke, was I?"
Her expression turned grim—nothing like the playful, radiant angel of moments before. A chilling wind seemed to sweep through the Heavenly Stems chamber as her blind gaze turned toward the Sixth Floor.
That place—where Tiamat had slumbered for two centuries. But when he awoke, it wasn't Ea standing before him.
It was someone else.
A massive figure clad in golden fur, brutish face marked by crimson sclera and gleaming golden irises—Monkyspanner, the beastman ape.
Ea bit down hard on the cloth draped across her chest.
"That monkey. That filthy monkey was the first to greet him after two hundred years of slumber...! Unforgivable!"
She trembled with fury. To her, being the first wasn't everything—but to be the first to welcome him back from his long sleep, that role should have belonged to her alone.
If it had been a female NPC, she might have used her Sub-Master authority to unleash something far darker than a mere prank.
But Monkyspanner was male. And a beastman ape at that. That much soothed her jealousy.
"Hmph. Very well. I'll forgive you. You did die for him, after all, and your death brought about his awakening. For that, I'll be magnanimous."
Draping herself back into her seat, Ea smiled smugly, as though she had just passed a merciful judgment. A plush armchair appeared beneath her as she sat, soft cushions embracing her body.
Her sealed eyes turned once again toward Tiamat. She watched his figure move across the First Floor. Slowly, her stern frown melted back into a tender smile. Wherever he went, whatever he did—so long as he remained within Shinshi, her gaze would always follow him. For all eternity.
"Yes, my master. All that we are belongs to you. Do as you will. Even if you should one day find it necessary to expend me, this Ea's heart for you will never change."
Her lips curved into a radiant smile—unchanging, unwavering, as she whispered devotion to her master.
"Eh? …A convenience store? Wait—my master, you're eating that cheap processed food? Ahhh… if it's cooking you want, I—I can do it! I cook very well, I could've made your first meal—your first… your… aaaaah…"
Her voice cracked as the projection showed Tiamat happily munching on instant convenience store food, smiling contentedly. Ea slid from her chair to the cold floor, collapsing with a look of despair.
*******************
*******************
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Vanity01