I Made a Game Featuring Constellations-Chapter 131

[Sacrifice Who Overcame Indolence], once known as [Sacrifice Who Succumbed to Indolence], Ren.

From the moment she was born, she was a knight.

Born into a prestigious swordsmanship family, she became the youngest Swordmaster in the kingdom. Her life revolved solely around the sword and battle.

She never even attended the academy that others took for granted, instead dedicating herself to honing her sword skills. She inherited her family’s legacy and fought [N O V E L I G H T] against the Abyssal creatures to protect the kingdom.

She successfully defeated the Abyssal Queen, but in doing so, she perished.

In that brief lifetime, she had never once encountered a man in a romantic sense.

And, naturally, she had never seen her comrades as men.

Later, she was enshrined as the guardian deity of the kingdom and the very symbol of sacrifice. However, she eventually succumbed to [Indolence], locking herself away.

Having lost all will, she spent hundreds of years doing absolutely nothing.

A god who couldn’t even bestow proper miracles upon her followers certainly wouldn’t have any real divine connections in the celestial realm.

Even after overcoming her indolence, reclaiming her comrades, and returning to her former self, she was still hopelessly awkward in social situations.

Outside of the Celestial investors of the [Akashic Archive], the only acquaintance she had managed to make recently was the [Dragon Slayer], with whom she occasionally sparred.

BOOOOM!

"I didn’t account for that move!"

Within the storm caused by the collision of divine powers, [Dragon Slayer], Latis, burst forward.

Ren quickly raised her sword, shrouded in sword energy, to block her charge.

CLAAANG!

Latis’s spear of magic clashed against Ren’s blade, the force of impact making the sword slide along the shaft of the spear.

"Hah!"

At the same moment, Latis’s posture faltered.

Ren wasted no time, seizing the opening and striking.

Victory was certain.

Her blade was about to make contact with Latis.

POOF!

But the Latis she had been targeting was merely a magical afterimage.

"Tsk."

THWACK!

Before Ren could react, Latis had already moved behind her and struck her with a clean punch.

Caught off guard, Ren was sent flying.

"Looks like today’s my win."

Latis took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her sweat.

Embroidered on the handkerchief were the words "To My Beloved Son (˶>⤙<˶)", along with an image of a hatchling.

"You couldn’t even tell that was an illusion? Something’s off with you today. Something on your mind?"

"......."

Dusting herself off, Ren stood up.

Her mind had been elsewhere the entire match.

She couldn’t shake the thoughts that had been weighing on her.

"Latis."

"Yeah?"

"If a man gives a woman a wish... what kind of relationship do they have?"

"A wish?"

Latis tilted her head.

"...Oh my, oh my."

Then, an unmistakably mischievous expression appeared on her face.

"Who gave you a wish?"

"It’s not me. One of my comrades."

Why had Rian given a wish to [Wisdom]?

He had never given one to me when I was protecting him.

Did Wisdom do something for him that I hadn’t?

What was their relationship?

...I was first.

Ren’s expression darkened.

"Oh my... it’s the Curator, isn’t it?"

"......."

"And the one who received it was Wisdom?"

"......."

"Oh my, oh my!"

A love triangle!

Latis, who had been dead serious during the spar, now looked like an auntie watching a dramatic soap opera.

Ren liked the Curator!

But wasn’t the Curator devoted to his own goddess?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Oh my! That meant this wasn’t just a love triangle—it was a love square!

Since relationships in the celestial realm were eternal, and records of them could never be erased, gods rarely pursued romantic entanglements.

People didn’t fall in love recklessly, nor did they form relationships lightly.

Which was precisely why Latis found this so deliciously entertaining.

"Ahhh, so that means he used the wish in front of you?"

"...Yeah."

Ren looked incredibly displeased.

Which was completely understandable.

"There’s no guarantee that was his first wish, and you didn’t see him actually give it to her either. For all you know, they could have an entire secret history behind them. ...Maybe [Wisdom] even wanted the other Celestials to see it—to mark her claim on the Curator!"

A devious woman!

Such cunning was fitting for a god of wisdom.

Latis felt compelled to help Ren.

She couldn’t stand seeing this pure-hearted warrior—who had never known love—fail at her first romance.

"Alright. I’ll help you."

"...Help me?"

"Yeah! With my 100% success rate in romance, I’ll make sure your love comes true!"

(Technically, that 100% success rate was based on a single instance—her first love, now her husband.)

Latis firmly grasped Ren’s wrist.

"...L-Latis?"

"First things first, we’re going shopping."

Both the Apostle of Dreams and the Goddess of Wisdom were severely lacking in the body department.

But Ren...

Latis glanced at the warrior’s heavenly assets, jiggling slightly as she was dragged along.

A divine blessing capable of rendering any male entirely useless.

"I’m going to make sure the Curator falls for you completely!"

The odds weren’t just in their favor.

They were overwhelming.

***

Why is it that people's recognition of the Curator doesn't grant me divinity, like it did with Forr?

The question Wisdom had posed lingered in my mind even after I returned to my room.

If I were to name the most popular characters in [Akashic Archive], among female characters, it would be [Versia], and among male characters, it would undoubtedly be [Curator].

Although his full backstory had yet to be revealed, he was a character who had been with the Candidate Curator's narrative from the very beginning. And—though I felt awkward saying this myself—he was absurdly good-looking, making it impossible to put his popularity into words. (Of course, his appearance had been slightly... tweaked by my personal bias.)

While I couldn't say he had surpassed Forr’s popularity, the cumulative recognition from players since the release of [Akashic Archive] far exceeded Forr’s.

On top of that, the Curator was based on my past self.

Just as I had originally been the foundation for Forr, even if the players didn't know it, I should have naturally awakened as the Curator’s divine embodiment.

But that didn’t happen.

...Why?

"Ever since Your Highness awakened your divinity as Forr, I’ve been thinking about this. The Curator is your avatar, so it wouldn’t have been strange for you to ascend as him as well. And now, I’m certain—there’s something about the [Curator]."

Wisdom had mentioned that today, due to the release of [Versia]’s Enhancement Quest, she had sensed a shift in divinity.

Even though her identity as Versia remained undisclosed, the recognition from players had manifested as divinity within her.

Had Wisdom deliberately structured the story that way just to confirm this phenomenon?

Either way, the fact that Versia had gained divinity while the Curator had not was troubling.

If Forr had granted me divinity, why couldn’t I awaken as the Curator?

Could this have something to do with my past life?

...Agh. No matter how much I think about it, I have no idea.

Hoping to clear my mind, I took a quick shower and stepped back out.

"...W-Welcome, my dear."

...?

Someone was lying on my bed.

"...Celestial?"

A familiar divine presence.

It was [Sacrifice Who Overcame Indolence], Ren, our game’s very first investor.

She had manifested in her physical incarnation and was sprawled seductively across my bed. (Though, in truth, the atmosphere was anything but seductive.)

"Why is the Celestial here?"

Of all people, why her?

And more importantly—what was she wearing?

A button-up shirt. That was all.

A very tight, very small-sized button-up shirt.

I had never really noticed before because she always wore heavy armor, but now that the fabric barely covered her form, her physique was—

My brain crashed.

What the hell?

No, seriously, what the hell?

Ren turned her blushing face away slightly and muttered,

"Y-Your bed looked cold... so I was warming it for you."

"...Excuse me?"

I stared blankly.

That explanation made no sense whatsoever.

When I asked for clarification, she hung her head even lower.

Why was Ren here?

Was she here to request that the next Enhancement Quest be about her?

That was the only logical explanation I could think of.

POP!

Or, at least, that’s what I thought—until the buttons of her shirt exploded off her chest.

Tiny projectiles shot out in all directions.

"Eek!"

By the time she realized what had happened, it was already too late. She hurriedly hunched over, attempting to salvage what little modesty remained.

For a fleeting moment, beyond the now-burst-open shirt, I saw it.

Cackling.

Somewhere in the distance, I swore I could hear the laugh of a certain middle-aged dragon auntie.