Chapter 165: You forgive me now…?

A small prayer room where a sacred light softly spreads.

This was a holy space the goddess had bestowed upon me alone.

Yet in this very place, I now found myself suspended in the air, my arms and legs bound.

“…Huh?”

A bewildered sound escaped me at the suddenness of the situation.

I tried to move, but couldn’t even twitch.

The pillars of light I had seen earlier were now tightly wrapped around my entire body.

My wrists were crossed and bound above me, while my ankles were restrained and spread apart.

With the pillars of light firmly gripping my waist and calves, movement was nearly impossible.

“G-Goddess… Did I do something wrong?”

I searched through my limited memories.

I had only been praying, hadn’t I?

Midway through recounting my daily life, as I always did, these pillars had suddenly surged toward me.

Did I say something wrong…?

I had talked about what happened with my mother.

Though it was something too embarrassing to share with anyone else, I thought it would be fine to confide in the Goddess.

After all, She is the omnipotent being who listens to everyone’s stories.

I told Her how I had deepened my relationship with my mother, whom I loved most in the world.

How I had tasted her nourishment, how she had given me my first kiss.

Above all, I confessed how happy it made me that my beloved mother desired me.

Then, I suddenly remembered—I had mentioned that Lillian, whom I also loved, had visited me.

And right after those words, the pillars of light had surged toward me… leading to this situation.

“Ah… Could it be that You think my relationship with my mother is blasphemous?”

That might be possible.

My relationship with my mother was far from that of an ordinary mother and daughter.

But that was precisely why it was so wonderful.

It meant that my bond with Artasha was special.

“G-Goddess, You might be misunderstanding. Normal mother-daughter relationships aren’t like this, after all.”

Determined to explain myself, I quickly continued.

“But that’s… because the love between my mother and me is so much greater than others’.”

Was it my imagination?

The pillars of light binding my entire body seemed to tremble faintly.

“I love my mother so much. More than anyone else in the world—”

The moment I spoke, before I could finish, the rounded tip of a pillar lightly tapped against my lips.

The unexpected touch made me blink in confusion.

But that wasn’t the end.

As if with intent, the pillar gently nudged my lips again.

…Is it asking for a kiss?

I quietly closed my eyes and softly moved my lips.

Mwah— Smooch— Mwah.

Wet sounds echoed through the space.

Each time my lips met the pillar, it trembled ever so slightly.

Soon, the pillar of light gently pulled away from my lips… then slowly slid between my spread legs.

Sliding beneath my dress, the pillar tapped lightly below my navel.

This time, I immediately understood the Goddess’s intention.

She must be trying to help me again, just like before.

She knew my body well—how even the slightest stimulation would soon trigger a physiological response.

“Ah, it’s okay, Goddess. Actually, I went to the bathroom right before coming here.”

My heart melted at the Goddess’s affectionate concern for me.

What a relief.

She wasn’t angry with me after all.

Push— Thump—

“Eek?!”

The pillar suddenly pressed firmly against my lower belly, just below my navel.

A jolt of stimulation shot through my body, making me flinch.

“Uh, Goddess… I-I’m really fine right now. I truly appreciate your kindness.”

I forced a faint smile as I spoke.

But as if my words went unheard,

the pillar of light pressed even harder against my lower abdomen.

“Ngh…”

My body trembled.

I felt bewildered, unable to comprehend the Goddess’s intentions.

“G-Goddess…?”

I called out to her, but the only response was an even more intense pressure.

I could clearly see the flesh below my navel sinking in deeply.

“Ah, ngh…! G-Goddess…”

Press— Squeeze—

“I-I don’t need to go right now… Even if you press, nothing will come out…”

Squeeze— Press—

“Huh?! Ngh?! Hnng…! S-Stop…”

Perhaps because my body had been conditioned to release urine whenever my lower belly was pressed, my waist instinctively relaxed, and my body trembled reflexively. But since there was nothing stored inside, nothing came out.

“S-See… ngh…! I-I’m really okay now…”

The pillar tightened around my body even more forcefully—almost as if expressing dissatisfaction.

What could possibly be displeasing her so much?

As the pressure on my lower belly continued, another pillar tapped lightly against my lips.

“D-Do you… want a kiss…?”

The situation was utterly incomprehensible, but…

I figured I should at least try to appease the Goddess’s mood, so I moved my lips slightly.

But just as I parted them to give her a peck—

Gshhk—!

“Ghk?!?!”

The pillar of light pried my lips open and plunged straight into my mouth.

It forced its way past my uvula, thrusting deep into my esophagus in an instant.

“Ghk…! Ugh…! Gag…!”

Thanks to my constitution, I didn’t retch, but a series of bizarre noises escaped my lips.

Grshhk—

“Ghk?! Ugh?!”

The pillar didn’t stop there—it pushed even deeper.

The sensation of my narrow throat being forcibly stretched open as something invaded it was anything but pleasant.

Instead, the growing pain made my body tremble uncontrollably.

“Ghk…! Ugh…!”

I couldn’t even gauge how far it had gone in.

All I knew was that I could feel the pillar wriggling somewhere below my chest.

“Ghk…! Ugh…!”

By now, the pain was unbearable.

It felt like my insides were being stretched apart to accommodate the thickness of the luminous pillar.

And then, just as it finally stopped burrowing deeper—

The pillar suddenly began vibrating violently inside me.

A memory flashed through my mind.

When I had asked if she was truly the Goddess, the pillar had scattered a radiant shower of light throughout the space.

And I remembered—right before that luminous rain, the pillar had trembled faintly.

Yes. Just like now.

‘N-No way…?’

A sudden chill swept over my entire body.

Panicked, I thrashed my head side to side, trying to break free, but no matter how much I struggled, it was useless.

Then, the pillar abruptly expanded.

And—SPLURT—

Something burst inside me.

“GGAHHK?!?!?!”

Something hot began flooding my body, filling me to the brim.

Pushing past the limits of what my body can endure.

My flat stomach had swollen faintly, nearly to its limit.

“Huh?! Already?!!?!?”

Only then, as if satisfied, the pillar of light slowly began to withdraw from my mouth.

The pillar brushed against my uvula and slid back up my esophagus.

The unbearable sensation made my eyes gradually roll back.

With a soft pop—, the tip of the pillar finally slipped out past my lips.

“Hahk…! Hah…! Cough…!”

At last, I could gasp for rough breaths through my mouth.

“Hahhh…! Ugh…! Hah…!”

Gurgle—! Glug—

“Hyaaah?!?!!?”

My entire body convulsed violently at the sensation of my stomach being pressed inward.

The pillar began pushing down again, right below my navel.

“Ah…! N-No…! D-Don’t press now…!”

But unlike before, when I was empty, my body reacted instantly this time—

Because inside, I was already filled with something from the goddess.

“Ah, uh, s-stop forcing it…! Not like this…!”

The strength in my waist gave out.

A mysterious stream of liquid formed, pooling on the floor beneath me.

“T-Too much… ugh, forced… forced out…”

My toes and fingers curled on their own.

A long time passed, but the stream showed no sign of stopping.

“Sniff… Ugh… I didn’t want the goddess to see me like this…”

Tears welled up in my eyes from frustration.

Then, as if responding to my tears, the pillar of light gently descended and stroked my head.

Its touch was so warm and tender that the emotions I’d been holding back finally overflowed.

“So… you forgive me now…?”

The pillar of light swayed softly up and down, nodding in silence.

Its adorable reaction made me let go of my lingering resentment.

With a faint smile, I pressed a light kiss against the pillar.

Mwah—

Immediately, the pillar froze solid.

Then, moments later, it began to tremble faintly.

“…Huh?”

The once-translucent pillar gradually began taking on color.

The light that had enveloped me slowly gathered into one place—

As if trying to take shape. Something resembling a human silhouette began forming.

But just as that figure was becoming clearer—

[I said NO, you crazy mother!! S-Somebody, stop her!!]

A small shout grazed my ears—

And in an instant, the gathering light vanished.

What followed was a deep, hollow silence.

I stared blankly into empty space for a moment before my gaze fell to the faint glow on the floor.

“…A necklace?”

Left behind in the goddess’s absence was a single, mysterious necklace.