Chapter 22 - A Goddess' Tears

Praying to Cilia was rather easy this time. I didn’t make up a prayer, nor did I recite the ones I had learned before, instead I simply asked her to meet me. My chosen mother readily answered my rather sudden request, gently stealing my consciousness away in a matter of seconds.

The goddess’ gentle touch was the first thing to reach my mind when I arrived at her place - wherever that was. Cilia pet me behind my ears, right where I liked it the most. It didn’t take long for me to purr in reply, which was promptly answered by a happy laugh.

“And there I thought you had forgotten about me~”

“I would never…”

A shiver ran over my skin as I heard my own words. I could talk! For the first time ever I could talk to Cilia using my own voice! But if that much was true, what for the rest of my body?!

It was a silly question. My tail was already wagging, eagerly showing my happiness over meeting my mother again. And if both my tail and my mouth could show that fact, then what was hindering me from-

“Looks like you finally figured it out~” Cilia happily read my thoughts.

I immediately opened my eyes, only to be greeted by a very familiar nest made out of white fur. I was right! Without hesitation I turned around, ready to face my chosen mother for the very first time. And she really was there, rewarding my efforts with a gentle smile.

Cilia looked just like I had imagined her when creating that statue. She was basically an older version of myself, much more womanly and motherly, though, with a number of long, fluffy tails to be seen behind her back. Her hair was about as long as mine, albeit pure white, much like the fur on her tails and slightly larger ears. Even her heavenly dress was the same as I had crafted it, albeit made out of soft-looking fabric instead of stone and metal.

“Come here,” Cilia invited me as she held her arms wide open, inviting me to dive right into them.

Of course, I immediately jumped up to do just that. And before I knew it, she had already closed her arms around me, hugging me close. Even her tails joined in on the act, gently enveloping me with their warmth. I couldn’t help but close my eyes to enjoy the pure bliss I felt at this very moment.

“There, there~”

“I was so lonely,” I couldn’t help but cry out, fresh tears rolling down my skin.

“I know, I know.”

Cilia gave me a few minutes to soothe my tears again before I finally realized I was rapidly running out of time. It wasn’t that I wasn’t enjoying this moment, no, I wished it would last forever, but my chosen mother would soon send me off again, having run out of time for reasons I could not quite understand. So reluctantly, I freed myself, much to the surprise of even the goddess.

“What is wrong,” she asked.

“I have so much to ask!”

“I am here,” Cilia readily offered, “I won’t run away~”

“But-”

“I feel a little better now, thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me?”

“Those friends of yours have long reached the temple,” Cilia revealed. “It has been such a long time since I had so many people thinking of me.”

“They are praying to you right now?”

“Praying, celebrating, panicking and so much more. I can’t see what they do outside of the part of the temple dedicated to me, but they will likely be at your doorsteps in a matter of hours - not that you have a door. Or steps.”

“What will they do to me?”

“Nothing that will hurt you,” she promised before hugging me again, this time without the help of her many tails. “They will likely want to explore your dungeon, see what it is all about, and confirm the things your friends have seen while being there.”

“What will they do if I hurt them?”

“Should you be able to hurt them,” Cilia answered after a moment of thinking, “then that is a price they are willing to pay.”

“Are they strong?”

Cilia could only shrug. “They used to be back in my time.”

“Back in your time?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Cilia seemed to avoid the question. “What counts is now. And right now, I am feeling both proud and happy.”

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I could only answer her reply with the help of my tail, before thinking about the other questions I had promised myself to ask. There weren’t too many of them, but they still burned in my mind.

“When will I grow my next tail?”

“Once you get your second blessing,” Cilia answered with a shrug. “I am not allowed to hand them out for free, though, so expect to put some work into it!”

“What kind of work,” I heard myself ask.

“I guess I could already tell you…”

Cilia went to thinking for a few moments, her tails restlessly waving from one side to the other. Only when they came to a sudden stop did a large, green board appear right in front of me, blocking my view.

『Quest 15: First the work, then the Fluff

Task 1: Build at least five rooms that house at least five foxes each

Progress: 3 / 5

Task 2: Build at least one boss room that houses at least one boss

Progress: 0 / 1

Task 3: Unlock all four foxes of the first set: Air Fox, Earth Fox, Fire Fox, and Water Fox

Progress: 3 / 4

Task 4: Using the Vulpine Circle, unlock all possible two-tailed foxes that result from combining the elements of Air, Earth, Fire and Water

Progress: 2 / 10

Task 5: Using the Blessing of the Second Spring, apply the Mark of Cilia on at least five adventurers

Progress: 0 / 5

Task 6: After finishing all other tasks, create a new floor with a floor theme different from your existing one.

Reward: Gain a blessing of your choice

Do not skimp on your foxes’ permanent homes. They need something to play with, shelter, and an environment that fits their needs. Only happy foxes are strong foxes!

Bosses require special care. You cannot just dig them a den and hope for the best! Depending on the soul that finds its way during their creation, they may be interested in a variety of things and will quickly grow bored and possibly displeased with you should you not give them just exactly what they need and want.

As for the adventurers: give them hell! Maybe they will even like their new looks?』

I quickly read through the tasks, finding no major problem with any of them. Sure, it sounded like a bunch of work, but it was only a matter of time before I got to finish every single one of them. Only Cilia’s hints gave me more questions than they answered - at least one of them did.

“What do you mean, bosses require special care?”

“They are people,” Cilia revealed, much to my shock. “Of course, they would want a good home.”

“People? You mean like breathing, living people?”

“Why wouldn’t they be?”

“I had assumed…”

“You silly little fox~” Cilia laughed “Do you really think I would leave you all alone, hidden away in some random hole?”

I couldn’t help but jump at Cilia once again, hugging her close. The goddess was surprised at first but happily answered to my show of affection. Before I knew it, both of her arms and all nine of her tails were already slung around me, enveloping me with her warmth once again.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and Cilia was the one to reveal this cruel fact to me. She gently pushed me away, before stroking my head right between my ears.

“Looks like my time is running out for today. Is there anything else you want to ask me?”

“Two- no, three things!”

“I am all ears~”

“Why dungeons,” I asked what I had always on my mind since becoming one, “and why are there chosen ones?”

Cilia could only sigh before replying: “Even gods have rules they have to follow. And not influencing mortal matters all too much is one of them. Dungeons allow us to reach out our hands without bothering the innocent.”

“And why chosen ones?”

“We are only allowed to give dungeons a few quests so as to not make them vastly stronger and more influential than those of other gods. As for chosen dungeons, they are the sole exception to the rule as they are mainly meant to help us raise champions that follow our will and also help our people in times of need.”

“Our people…” I heard myself repeat before falling silent. It was only after a painfully long moment that I dared to ask: “What happened to them? To all of the fox kin? I only heard of them in myths!”

Cilia’s expression immediately changed. Instead of a gentle smile, I now saw pure and utter grief. Before I could even react to it, a tear was already running down her face. The goddess quickly went to hide it, simply by wiping it away with her hand before reluctantly answering my question. Her voice, however, seemed to have lost all hope.

“The rules weren’t always set in place, Kiomi,” she said with a forced smile. “It was only after I lost my children that father enforced them.”

After saying that much, Cilia hugged me for one last time. Her whole body was shaking as she tried to keep in her tears. But I couldn’t even hope to soothe them as before I found the right words to ease her grief, a sudden dizziness took hold of me, quickly dragging me into the darkness - our time together had run out.

“Don’t worry about the furs…”

That was the last thing I heard her say. Her weak voice, however, I would never forget…