The Goddess Is Obsessed With Me

The developers said that, in terms of the story, if it weren’t for the main character, there wouldn’t be many adventurers going to the deepest part of Malua.

The dungeon was a nightmare realm designed to exploit every element that could drive humans to madness.

The constant whispers that gnawed at the mind, the escalating strength of the monsters, the relentless battles draining our bodies, all of these combined to create an environment where even maintaining reason was a struggle.

Malua, the dungeon’s boss, knew how to capitalize on this environment.

She would trap adventurers in isolation, inducing fear and paranoia. It was an expertly designed setup to break down their minds, leading to situations where even if they reached her lair, they were already mentally compromised.

In the deepest part of the dungeon, Malua’s dominion, adventurers who had fallen victim to the dungeon’s horrors would be reduced to madness.

Unable to put up a fight, they would become easy prey for her and her monstrous companions.

This grim reality created a sense of fear and desperation that both fascinated and terrified users, making it one of the most notorious and memorable dungeon experiences, with many considering Malua as one of the most formidable and chilling bosses in the demon realm.

“Hmm~? It’s just a little prank, but the two of you seems to be very surprised~?”

I extended my hand towards Malua, who was taunting us with a sinister laughter, and unleashed my magic.

Swoosh!

“Huh?!”

The demon let out a surprised shout, and her cubs lined up behind her made strange noises and began to retreat.

Crrkkk!

“Wake up Erina! There’s a demon right in front of us, so there’s no time for this!!”

After a while, I attempted to rouse Erina from the bewitched state, but…

 “No!! Don’t say that! No!”

The whispers were so loud that she couldn’t hear me; she just kept covering her ears and screaming.

The main cause of the whisper is Malua, and the closer she is, the stronger and clearer the whisper effect on the target’s mental state.

Maybe it was because Malua appeared right in front of us, so it felt like she was actually whispering into our ears.

As a result, Erina unconsciously kept trying to turn around to block out the whispering.

 Frankly, the whispering was so loud that Erina couldn’t even hear what I just said.

Strangely, even if I listened with my ears open, I couldn’t hear well.

So when Erina covered her ears, it was almost impossible for my voice to reach her..

“Hmph… I thought the two of you were both swordsmen because you mostly use swords, but you unexpectedly have a knack for magic.”

As she rolled her curious eyes and looked at me in horror, I felt like I wanted to collapse in fear as well.

If it hadn’t been for the various buffs and charms that I cast before entering here, I’d probably be struggling like Erina…

 “Erina! We need to go!”

The moment I decided that we had to leave immediately…

 “A-Ah! … N-no… Harold-san! D-don’t leave me!!”

When I called her name, she suddenly screamed out loud, and then she tightened her grip around my arm, making it uncomfortably tight to move.

What could she possibly be hearing in her ears right now, and why is she crying so intensely…

“I can manipulate a human who’s already mentally disturbed and unable to make rational decisions like my puppet. I’ve only tweaked the words she hears a little bit, but it seems to be working perfectly on her, fufu~”

Swiish!

I cast another spell at Malua, who was slowly approaching with a malicious grin, but my magic was deflected by her without causing significant damage.

“Now, now~ She’s hearing something about being completely abandoned by you, and just those words have utterly shattered her from within~? Fufu! This is truly delightful~…”

Tak

Tak

 “Harold-san… Harold-san… Please… don’t leave me alone… I’ll do anything…”

As if Malua’s words that she had already completely shattered were not empty, Erina’s eyes were already blurry, lost in the darkness of her mind, and tears were falling uncontrollably.

 “Erina, I’m here, so please come to your senses!”

Even though she was clearly listening to my words, she was just muttering to herself without responding.

“Ugh…”

Fuck..

I had no choice but to fight.

“……”

As I pondered on the need to fight, I found myself in a dilemma regarding which magic to use.

The magic granted by Goddess Abne was more of a support type and not suitable for offense.

On the other hand, the burst-type offensive magic from Eleanor carried the risk of being dangerous in the confined space of the dungeon, potentially harming me and Erina with its impact.

 “Don’t resist”

“Die”

“Give up.”

Despite all the preparations I made before entering this dungeon, the relentless assault of the whispers was gradually pushing my mental state to its limits.

Think, Harold…Think!

I kept telling myself to stay focused, but the more I thought about it, the harder it was to come up with a viable escape plan.

Erina’s distressed state was also affecting me, further deteriorating my mental state.

“Hmm… Do you have any interesting thing to show me~?”

Her once intrigued and interested eyes had now turned cold, and a mixture of contempt and disappointment was evident in her gaze.

She seemed almost bored, as if she had silently concluded that she was about to accept whatever outcome her opponents presented.

 It was a sinister, demonic demeanor, aimed at shattering any remaining hope, emphasizing that no matter how hard the other side struggled, it would be in vain.

 “huff…”

Seeing Malua in person, I was struck by the depth of her evil personality, even more so than I had anticipated.

Given the current dire situation, it seemed futile to resist.

Perhaps it was better to attempt something different…

With this thought in mind, I selected a spell that came to me and focused on using the magic at my disposal…

thud!

“Huh…?”

Suddenly, a huge wall appeared between Malua and me separated us.

Confusion overwhelmed me as I tried to process the unexpected turn of events. However, as the situation unfolded, a sense of relief started to replace the initial tension.

“I don’t know what just happened, but it seems like we managed to fend off Malua for now… Erina let’s—”

I began to say, attempting to offer my support, but then I noticed something was amiss.

Erina, who had been tightly held in my arms, was nowhere to be seen.

“?!!”

Panic surged through me as the realization hit. In a frantic rush, I pounded on the wall separating us and called out Erina’s name.

“Erina!! Are you there?!”

My heart sank as the truth dawned on me.

This wasn’t some random circumstance; it was Malua’s sinister plan unfolding.

She had created a barrier, effectively cutting off Erina from me and isolating her further, taking advantage of her already weakened state.

I couldn’t fully comprehend how I managed to release Erina from my grip, but one thing was clear—I had to act fast.

I recognized Malua’s pattern: isolating adventurers, breaking their resolve, and then picking them off one by one, savoring their despair.

With this realization, the purpose of the wall became chillingly clear—it was meant to seal Erina’s fate, leaving her defenseless and prey to Malua’s twisted intentions.

 “Erina… Erina!! Can you hear me?! Answer me quickly!!”

I screamed at the top of my lungs through the wall, my voice reverberating with desperation, but the only response that reached my ears was Erina’s faint and broken murmuring.

“W-what am I…? Why do I exist…. I have nothing to live for…”

Erina’s condition had deteriorated to a point of misery, and now she began to express self-hatred, her voice filled with anxiety and fragility.

“Erina! If you hear me, please snap out of it!”

“Do you remember the contents of the book?! Remind yourself of what you exist and live for! If you make up your mind, you can get the strength to overcome the crisis, hey!!”

All I could hear was Erina weak voice…

“What…Who am I…? What do I exist for…?”

I finally heard her voice filled with a little energy, but…

 “Girl~? Can you listen to me other than that boy~?”

Malua, who was still not satisfied, responded to my words in a mocking tone and addressed Erina.

 “Aa….aaaaahhh…!!!… Kyaak…!!!”

Soon, Erina’s painful screams, which I had never heard before, came over the wall, and I hurriedly slammed my fists against the wall again and shouted desperately.

Thump!

Thump!

“Erina!! Don’t listen to what the demons say!”

However, it wasn’t Erina who answered my words, but Malua,

“I’m sorry~ She can’t hear your voice anymore because~ This time, I’ll torture her more and feed my hungry children~”

I gritted my teeth and shouted at Malua’s taunting words, but there was no response from beyond the wall.

And as if to fulfill her threat of using Erina as food for her ‘children’…

Crack!

Crunch!

The terrible sound of bones breaking and flesh being ripped through the walls came vividly to my ears.

“Huh…? Fuck….”

I denied reality for a moment at that sound, and I just stared blankly at the wall because I didn’t want to believe it.

Is Erina really dead? Did the main character of the game come to such a futile and terrible end?

I trembled at the thought of it, and it was so shocking that I could barely hear the whispers.

“What the hell…?”

And the passing anxiety. Erina, the main character in the game, is dead… Then what will happen to the story that has been centered around her? Is there no way for me to go back now?

With that thought, I began to lament, falling to the bottom of a feeling of despair I had never tasted before.

…

..

Crack..

Crack….

The wall that Malua had built began to crack slowly…

Sraaakk!!!

It soon collapsed with a loud noise.

“Huh…?”

And beyond that, the sight that fills my sight…

“Harold-san!”

Erina, who was holding the heads of countless demons, stood there with a melancholic smile on her face.

 “Erina…?”

At first I wondered if I was looking at illusion, and I couldn’t understand what the hell was going on.

“Harold-san…! I finally figured it out!”

Crack!

splat!

The sound of Malua’s head being crushed as Erina kicked her managed to snap me back to reality, and I was so flustered that I couldn’t think clearly.

 “W-what…?”

Swallowing dry saliva, my heart began to race like crazy.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

“I’ve found the answer to the advice you’ve been telling me all along… I’ve read it in the book!”

Erina’s red eyes, which were glowing red as she uttered such words, gradually grew darker, devoid of light.

 “I finally found out why I exist, and… what I live for…”

At those words, the lines she had shouted to me earlier echoed in my mind, and an unexplainable sense of doom engulfed me.

 ‘Recognize what I exist and live for’

Erina, who said that, was smiling happily, but her eyes were falling with sadness.

“Erina…?”

Faced with Erina’s drastically altered demeanor, I found myself overcome by a sense of alienation and fear. Unconsciously, I took a step back, my heart pounding frantically in my chest.

Thump!

Thump!

Suddenly, I stumbled, my foot catching on something on the ground.

Thud!

I looked up to see Erina approaching, her every movement causing my fear to intensify.

And then she spoke, her words chilling me to the core.

Her tone was calm, but the words were unsettling, as if she had become someone I couldn’t recognize.

“Thinking back, I couldn’t find answers to those questions before… Who I am, what I’m living for… I was lost, confused, and questioning myself….”

As if reflecting on some painful past, her gaze turned distant, her lips curving into a smile that held a hint of bitterness.

“But I’ve realized it now. The answers to the dungeon’s whisper, your guidance… I’ve finally understood!!!”

Her smile then shifted, transforming into an ecstatic expression, a mix of twisted beliefs and fervor.

In the clichéd tales, protagonists often find their true strength when faced with crises that test their limits.

Could it be that Erina, the game’s central figure, was pushed to her breaking point under Malua’s influence and then managed to turn it into an opportunity?

Did she achieve the internal growth she sought and awaken her latent powers?

Something about this whole situation felt profoundly wrong…

Cling!

With her sword dropped onto the ground, Erina held me down as I lay there, her expression shifting rapidly.

”Haah…haah…”

Her hot, excited breath brushed against my cheek, and her narrowed gaze bore into me with an intense fervor.

In a rush of air, she exhaled, her words tumbling out with an ecstatic intensity, like someone who had discovered a profound truth.

“I was actually born for you, Harold-san! The start of my journey, the encounters I had, even that first encounter with thieves… They were all twists of fate, just leading me to you! Ahahaha!”

Her words were filled with an exhilarated madness, her laughter a mix of euphoria and chaos.

“I exist for you, Harold-san… My life’s purpose, my beliefs, they all revolve around you! I’ll do anything for you! I’d kill a god if you asked me to, eliminate anyone you wanted gone! If it’s you asking for my life, I’d gladly lay it down! Hahahaha!!!”

Listening to her words, I could tell that Erina was far from being in a sane state of mind.

While it was possible that she had undergone some form of awakening by transforming her crisis into an opportunity, something had clearly gone terribly awry.

I need to fix it soon!

Grip!

Crack!

“Ugh?!!!”

However, a sudden surge of pain in my wrist shattered my train of thought, leaving me momentarily dazed.

Erina’s grip on me had tightened, and I could feel something was broken.

“Ah…!! What did I do…!! I didn’t hold on that tightly… Did I break it…? … No…!!!”

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!!!

Thud!!!!

Her expression, which had initially shown shock and a sort of twisted pride at her own strength, transformed in an instant into a mixture of despair and sorrow.

Abruptly, she struck her head on the ground, causing blood to flow from her forehead.

There was no malice in her actions… She had simply grasped my wrist… But…

The power magnified by her convictions had crushed my bones.

A unique ability that only she possessed.

Awakening according to the nature of one’s will and beliefs…

As this realization dawned upon me, a shiver ran down my spine and a sense of unease overwhelmed me.

“Ah! But it’s okay! I’ll take care of you, Harold-san!!”

[Heal]

Shiing!

She placed her hand on my wrist, and in a flash of golden light, the pain vanished instantly.

Erina didn’t possess any particular talent for magic, but the healing magic she had just employed…

It surpassed even the powerful healing magic I had received from Eleanor.

Employing healing magic of this magnitude myself would likely render me unconscious from the rapid depletion of magic…

Then, Erina speak casually.

“See, see!! I couldn’t do any of these things before… But when I think of you, Harold-san, and know it’s for you, I can use magic I never could before! Hehe!”

 “After all, I think it’s true that I exist only for Harold-san!!”

Hug!

Once again, she smiles with a mad happiness, satisfied with her intensifying convictions, and draws herself closer to me.

Ssk-

“Haah… Harold-san… there’s something I’ve always wanted to tell you…”

The atmosphere shifts once more, and now she appears embarrassed, her cheeks tinged with a blush.

Something feels off… I need to bring Erina back to her senses quickly.

I can’t predict exactly what she’s going to say, but my gut feeling is screaming that I have to prevent her from uttering the next words, even for a second.

I need to act fast to stop her from speaking… If I don’t, the consequences could be truly irreversible—

Ssk-

“I love you… I can’t do anything without you…”