"You. Who are you?"
The voice I expected to hear from the platform above came from right in front of me.
Before my question could even finish, the empty space rippled with a pale pink light. The glow slowly transformed into the shape of a woman.
Long, flowing pink hair that drifted in the air. Eyes that sparkled like embedded stars. Her nose bridge, neither too high nor too low, created a mysterious atmosphere, while her glossy lips trembled with obvious bewilderment.
I already knew she was beautiful from seeing her several times as the soft, chewy, irresistible, warm mini-goddess statue.
After all, there's even a setting that the standard of beauty is based on the Goddess of Love.
But seeing her in 1:1 size like this... no, what's in front of me now isn't a statue.
Anyway, seeing her in person, she was far more beautiful. Beautiful enough to leave me speechless for a moment.
Perhaps it was because I'd built up some immunity from the statues that I quickly regained my senses and lowered my gaze.
Snow-white, smooth skin. A chest so eye-catching despite wearing a toga with no figure-enhancing functions. Even its shape was beautiful. No, "ideal" would be the more accurate description.
And what about those hips? Though I couldn't see her backside from this frontal view... judging by those perfect childbearing lines, her rear must be equally impressive.
And that's not all.
Unlike her voluptuous features, her overall body line was delicately ethereal. Her waist was so slender I could encircle it with my arm, and her limbs were equally fragile, arousing both lust and a desire to protect.
Sexual desire, maternal love, conquest... An overwhelming appearance that simultaneously stimulated all kinds of desires, as if all female charms had been concentrated into one being.
At this point, her very existence was like a hypnosis app.
If I didn't have several authorities of the Goddess of Love and immense divine power, if I hadn't become accustomed to the marble statue in various ways, I would surely have lost my mind.
...I wonder if this is how people saw me when I used my beauty authority at full power.
Inwardly praising Ellie's patience, I bowed my head. Following the etiquette I learned at the Istoria royal court—slightly formal yet elegant.
"Pleased to meet you, Goddess. My name is Yona."
"I've known your name for some time. There have been children sending prayers while speaking your name."
"Ah! That's quite an honor!"
As I raised my head, our eyes finally met. However, the goddess's gaze was somewhat peculiar.
How should I put it? Similar to how I had been looking at the Goddess of Love earlier? That feeling of love at first sight?
Well, now that I think about it, I've been customized according to the Goddess of Love's preferences.
Of course, with a thousand-year time difference, the current Goddess of Love might have slightly different tastes than her future self.
But a god's immortality stems from immutability. There wouldn't have been much change.
"Huh? Um... uh?"
The Goddess of Love kept stammering, seemingly caught off guard. I smiled at her and opened my mouth.
"First, please take this. Actually, I don't know the details myself... but I think you might."
When I took out the soft, chewy, irresistible, warm mini-goddess statue from my chest, the Goddess of Love received it with wide eyes.
Pink divine power continuously rose between her tightly closed lips and the goddess statue.
Sometimes mixing, sometimes pushing each other away, and occasionally annihilating each other—it felt like they were conversing through divine power rather than words.
The Goddess of Love's expression, initially surprised, gradually became serious.
Eventually, she nodded with a heavy, almost pitiful expression. She carefully handed the statue back to me.
But something felt strange when I received it. It was still soft, but I couldn't feel any warmth.
The divine power had also diminished to almost trace levels.
"Huh? W-wait. This..."
"Don't worry. It simply ran out of power. Maintaining a connection all the way here couldn't have been easy."
"Ah? So it will be fine again later, right?"
"Yes. It certainly will, so don't worry."
The Goddess of Love nodded vigorously. I tilted my head at her strangely resolute appearance, but only briefly.
Somehow, I'd met the Goddess of Love sooner than expected, so I should ask what I'd been wanting to know.
Despite knowing no one was around, I checked once more and carefully asked.
"By the way..."
"Yes? Yes?"
As I leaned my head in slightly, I whispered to the fidgeting Goddess of Love.
"Do you have some time? There's a lot I'm curious about."
"While I don't mind an aggressive date proposal... unfortunately, now is not the time to accept."
"What? What do you mean by that? Don't tell me you're just going to abandon me after all I've been through..."
"No! No! That's not it... um. Well..."
After searching for words briefly, the Goddess of Love let out a deep sigh.
"I'm sorry. As I said, there were things discussed that cannot be explained to you right now, so please don't misunderstand. ...Ah! But she said you would know this."
"Know what?"
The Goddess of Love pointed to my chest where the marble goddess statue was and opened her mouth.
Her clear, transparent voice resonated throughout the entire space. As if it were becoming an oracle.
No, strictly speaking, it really is an oracle.
My idle thoughts continued naturally. However, they didn't last long.
"The God of Madness."
"Pardon?"
"He is your task, she said."
"..."
The God of Madness is my task. I thought I might learn why I was sent back a thousand years into the past, but I never expected it to be the God of Madness.
The tension drained from me, and I sighed involuntarily.
"Phew."
"...The God of Madness has been consumed by his own madness, yet he remains an immensely powerful deity. How can you look so relieved?"
"It's simple. Would others just stand by and watch such a powerful god run wild? They'd seize the opportunity to annihilate him."
The God of Madness is also the culprit behind creating monsters, and the very person who pushed the already chaotic War of Deicide to its absolute worst.
Moreover, his madness remains within the monsters, continuing even a thousand years later, occasionally corrupting someone.
Though he never appears directly, he could be considered a deity with importance rivaling the Goddess of Love.
Naturally, I've prepared many settings related to him.
If I had to pick the event with the largest stake in the destruction of the Pan Continent... it would be when the God of Madness was annihilated.
The God of Madness went insane as the War of Deicide dragged on and the madness accumulated on the continent exceeded his capacity.
But that didn't mean complete insanity.
Occasionally regaining his senses, he sealed himself in the most remote place possible.
So that even if madness consumed him again, most of his power would be spent trying to escape. A desperate attempt to minimize the damage to the world.
But this is the story of the God of Madness's death.
That's not the end.
The madness within the God of Madness continued to swell, eventually completely devouring even himself.
Running wild and scattering fragments of madness everywhere, he was eventually hunted down by an alliance of other gods and annihilated.
Yes, the God of Madness is set to run wild and then be beaten by other gods until he's annihilated.
Since I've been sent to this era, something problematic must have occurred, but the basic framework shouldn't change.
Can't I just watch the auto-hunting while munching on popcorn and claim the final hit?
...I shouldn't have thought it would be so easy.
***
The God of Madness began charging straight toward the Goddess of Love.
The gods stopping him... there were none.
"This is crazy. Is this right?"
"Yes, well. Are you saying that true madness blooms within affection, so you'll plant madness in my womb with your mad words? If so, don't worry."
"So you were prepared for this all along!"
"The God of Madness doesn't have enough sanity left to speak in riddles. I fear he'll tear open my belly and plant the seed of madness like planting a seedling in a flowerpot."
"That's even more horrifying! How can you be so calm?! No one is helping you, I'm telling you! It's really dangerous! Maybe we can abandon this temple and escape somewhere else..."
"This is already the place I reached after fleeing and fleeing. Where else would I go? There are many devotees with mobility issues too. ...Above all, it's wrong to say no one is helping."
"Ah! Despite claiming neutrality, you have some hidden alliance..."
The Goddess of Love calmly pointed at me.
"...Me?"
"You are the strongest ally I could think of who would act for me."
With a smile that could enchant anyone with a heart, regardless of age or gender, the Goddess of Love continued.
"Will you help me? My apostle. My future. My love."
"Ah, geez."
It was impossible to refuse.
It was something I had to do anyway.
Fortunately, there's a method worth trying.