#914 A Gorgeous Divine Guest

 Sensei waves his wand and begins to mutter a spell under his breath.

As if in response, the air thickens with tension, and the space around us stagnates.

This feeling... Haven’t I experienced this before?

“Sensei, you’re not about to summon a god, are you?”

“A GOD?!”

The power-hungry crowd around us is abuzz with whispers.

Sensei replies, light as a feather... “If it’s a god’s decree, then surely even these disgraceful people can’t help but bow down, no? And if we’re talking marriage... well, who better to judge than the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite herself?”

“Aphrodite?!” “The radiant goddess of beauty from the heavens...?!”

The castle’s murmurs grow louder.

A famous god, perhaps? I don’t know her.

“Knowing that goddess, spotting true love would be a breeze for her... I summon you! The embodiment of Venus, shining brightly in the heavens!”

As Sensei’s chant concludes, the distortion in the space grows more intense.

It’s swirling like a vortex.

It’s a sign the spatial distortion is complete, with gods stepping through the twisted gates of time and space.

The moment the rift opened, dazzling light spilled through, like the sun peeking through clouds.

It was the dawn light cast by the goddess.

The goddess herself is radiant.

It’s as if to say, “Great beings shine bright,” making it hard to see her clearly, let alone judge her beauty.

The goddess speaks with a voice that could melt the hearts of those who hear her.

“It is indeed a rarity for me to be summoned to the earthly realm. I, Ishtar, the embodiment of desire and abundance, the giver of fertility, the morning star that shines in the eastern dawn sky, possessing all the beauty this world has to offer—whom, may I ask, has called upon me?”

...Hm?

Ishtar?

“Isn’t her name different? Wasn’t it Aphro-something that Sensei summoned?”

That’s the goddess of love and beauty.

"...Ah, that name? Upon closer inspection, it seems I have been summoned unto this plane. It had slipped my mind, for it hath been quite some time since mine last visit."

Which means?

“Aphrodite is but one of the many names I bear. Others call me Venus, Inanna, and Astarte, among others. Each name, a testament to my beauty, was drawn and whispered by various beings captivated by my allure. Such beauty is indeed a sin,” she says, reveling in self-absorption.

Watching her, I instinctively thought, “Uh-oh, she’s trouble.”

I almost always think that way toward deities, though.

“And who, pray tell, hath summoned me once more to this realm ruled by Zeus? Could it possibly be thou?”

Whether Aphro or Tar or whatever, the boastfully beautiful goddess turned to face me.

At that moment, my sense of danger maxed out.

“Thou lack a certain flair, but there is a charm about thee. Thou remind me of a god who was once my husband in this world. What say thou, wouldst thee dare to become my lover?”

“I must respectfully decline.”

“So, thou wish for death, then?”

Scary, this goddess.

It’s either love her or die? Talk about a deadly romance.

Why on Earth did Sensei summon this malevolent deity?!

“Dooooryaaaaaaaah!”

Then comes another divine echo in the hall.

This one’s decidedly more robust.

Clearly, another god has made their entrance, and it’s none other than the brawny god of war, Velesares.

Long time no see.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah! Aphrodite... rather, Ishtar herself is really hereeeeeeeee! And here I had hoped never to encounter thee againnnnnnnnn!”

“Ah, Velesares, one of my lovers in this world. It hath been a long while.”

With the sudden appearance of the god of war, the assembly hall is thrown into even greater turmoil.

Nobody even remembers what the initial topic is about anymore.

“Lord Velesares, what brings you here?!”

“‘Tis because thou hast summoned this cursed artifact so carelessly! Immortal King, is this thy doing? Summoning with such ease and frequency risks thee being deemed dangerous and subjected to sealing!!!”

Even the usually imposing god of war is panicking.

The goddess of love and beauty, huh? She doesn’t seem that dangerous from the get-go...?

“Listen, dost thou comprehend the dread with which this mad goddess is regarded by those around her? Verily, she is of unparalleled beauty, captivating all who lay eyes upon her. Yet, ‘tis this very beauty and her recklessly amorous nature that hath wrought disaster time and again!” Velesares says urgently, “She is exceedingly skilled at bringing matters to a head, oft causing strife and bloodshed over tangled webs of love. On occasion, her romantic disputes have even escalated into great wars that laid nations to ruin!”

“Wondrous, is it not? Love is a battlefield, and the fiercer it burns, the more passionately it ignites!”

“Behold, such is her nature!”

The goddess sways while radiating light.

Everyone in the hall, including myself, collectively recoils in horror at the war god’s explanation.

“Yet more fearsome is the fact that she originally hails not from this world. This goddess, unbridled in spirit, whimsically transcends the bounds of worlds, arriving in others as if she belonged there all along, somehow always finding acceptance!”

“In every world, there exist gods fond of women, and curiously, these gods art often among the most exalted, hm?”

“That detestable old mannnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!”

A full-blown tirade was launched at the absent Zeus.

“But it cannot be helped, can it? In the world I hail from, all have been stringent with me. Father Anu would say, ‘Thou must endure,’ and Ereshkigal, my sister, inexplicably becomes irate merely for deigning to visit her. Even heroes among mortals would not be swayed by my advances.”

“Place thine hand upon thy breast and ponder. The answer lies within.”

“Gammy... Oh, Gilgamesh, whom I endearingly refer to as Gammy, became utterly furious when I likened him to a cute turtle, leading to my rejection. Dost thou not deem it unfair?”

“That seemed more direct in action than anticipated.”

“In anger, I sent a great monster to the city he governed, only for it to be slain. I had thought he would be charmed. Is he not cruel?”

“Committing blunder after blunder is something only this woman can do!”

The war god Velesares is at his wits’ end.

The mere fact that he, one of the more sensible gods, is this distressed speaks volumes about this goddess’s troublemaker status.

“Velesares, thou act all high and mighty, but dost thou really have the right to act superior before me?”

“Guh!”

“Once I, Ishtar, have embraced a man, I do forget him not.”

“Thou didst the embracing?!”

...

Um, great war god Velesares?

“Love and conflict art two sides of the same coin. In this sense, the god of war and the goddess of love art well-matched. Thy plea for love, having been captivated at first sight, was passionate indeed.”

“I beseech thee! In those days, I, too, was young!!!”

“When I first came to this world, Hera, swiftly sensing danger, arranged a marriage for me with Hephaestus.”

“That goddess is keen to the emergence of her husband’s affairs, after all!”

“I thought she would not stoop to involve herself with her own son’s wife, but to engage instead with a sibling deity was beyond my expectations. But verily, ye were siblings, no?”

“I beg thee; cease this instant!!!”

“As we converse, I find myself nostalgic for Hephaestus. Perchance I should meet him after a long time? I desire him to craft exquisite jewelry glittering with precious gems.”

“What art thou attempting with thine ex-husband?! Desist—thou hast made Hephaestus declare, ‘I have had my fill of women,’ leading him to become more reclusive, scarcely leaving his atelier!”

“If that be the case, all the more reason for me to console him! Of late, the trend has been ‘Gyarus who are kind to otakus,’ hath it not? That describes me to the T!”

“Thou art the type to raise hopes only to dash them!”

Even Velesares is worn down by Aphrodite’s intense personality. Or was it Ishtar?

“But when I was unfaithful with you, did Hephaestus not angrily mete out punishment? That stands in stark contrast to a mere cuckold, for I fell for him anew because of his decisive actions. To think such intensity was hidden beneath his seemingly meek otaku demeanor... Is this not what they call ‘gap moe’?”

“Dost thou not realize that the actions that induced such a gap have rendered all beyond redemption? Odd it is for me to say, but still!”

“Indeed.”

Amidst the commotion, the scene has become chaotic, leaving everyone wondering, "What were we even doing?"

Sensei... why did you summon such a troublesome goddess?

Meanwhile, Velesares looks like he’s on the verge of tears...

“Verily, my brother Hephaestus and I are born of Hera, the principal consort of the King of the Gods, making us a rare pair of siblings sharing both father and mother. Yet, now our relationship hath become somewhat strained. Whom dost thou think is to blame?”

“Both Velesares and Hephaestus, sons of the principal consort, are inexplicably disfavored by Zeus himself. Why might this be? Could it perchance be that Zeus also harbors disdain for Hera?”

“Thou sow seeds of discord with every breath thou take!!!”

Leaving this goddess in this world seems only to spell trouble.

Just hearing about her past deeds tells you she’s trouble with a capital T.

Really, why on earth did Sensei think to summon such a dangerous goddess?

Where does his true intention lie?

“Of course, it is to bolster the union of Eryngear and Ritheseus. Despite seeming lost in the clouds, she is a goddess who governs love on a level that spans the globe. She will surely choose those who truly love each other.”