The Sacrificial Girl Was Not Eaten Due to Her Name

Author: 柏いち

TL: summerpeanut

"────Let us hunt down god."

The people in the audience room were startled by the girl's words.

It was too irreverent, even for a princess. Someone shouted ‘Take back your words.’

“We are frightened of the god.”

“Pray tell, why should we be afraid?”

“We do as we are told and no more we prepare sacrifices, we flatter him.”

“Pray tell, are we, humans, not supposed to be more unfettered than that?”

“Let us stand up. Let us make a stand.”

“Let us end the rule of god and begin the rule of man.”

“Let us get rid of these chains with our own hands.”

‘Ah!’, someone muttered.

The princess's eyes were burning like a flame.

Her words were like a sharp knife.

It was a hope that everyone had thought of at one time or another, but had hidden in the corners of their hearts.

Those who were about to scoff at such a dream story gasped when they saw her expression.

Indeed, her sister was…

Her sister was the sacrifice.

She wasn't going to make it for her sister.

And yet, even then.

So that the tragedy won’t be repeated yet again. So that no one else would have to suffer the pain of losing his or her beloved sister.

The princess stood up.

And the flames spread.

Here and now, those who wanted to hunt the god let out a roar.

♢♢♢

“Ahh, I feel tipsy.”

The woman moaned in the rattling carriage. This vehicle, which was not designed for sightseeing, did not allow even a single ray of sunlight to pass through. On top of that, she didn't have any passengers to talk to. Her butt hurt too.

The woman that was lying around as her rears reached her limits──── was named Centipede*. She was being transported.

Q. Where to?

A. To god.

What's more, Centipede's occupation is a sacrifice.

She is a professional sacrificial who received gifted education from the age of zero.

That day they were born as the twin daughters of the king.

The older sister was to be educated as a princess, while the younger sister, Centipede, was locked up in a dungeon as a sacrifice.

Once upon a time, hundreds of years ago, there had been a tradition in this country where sacrifices were made to the god and wishes were prayed for. A national project, if you will. There was no way that a single girl could resist, and Centipede had been living in a dungeon until she turned 16 years old.

She slept in a shabby bed in the dungeon and ate meals that were not very tasty.

Every once in a while, she would be taken outside to soak up the sun.

She stared at books with holes in them because she could only read simple words.

A man who looked like a priest makes her recite, ‘You will be dedicated to your country’ and ‘You will die with honor.’

That daily routine, which would have driven a normal person crazy, was not so painful for Centipede who was a bit of a freak. It was true that when she saw her sister with the same face being fawned over, she felt a burning sensation in her stomach but that was all.

Rather, she spent most of her time striving to have an ideal image of sacrifice. In a picture book given to her on a whim, she saw a princess caught by a monster and trembling. It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck her the moment she saw it.

This woman .....is good!

Centipede strongly felt that this was what a sacrifice should be like, a pathetic figure that stirred up the tragedy of the story. So she lived her life, refining the aesthetics of a sacrifice every day.

However, there was one thing that she wanted to complain to the kingdom about and that was her name. A bug crawled in the bottom of dungeons, Centipede────. To have her name taken from a bug left her with no words.

For the sake of argument. It's fortunate that she had become attached to them because they had the same name as her even though they looked so unpleasant.

But what about god? Wouldn’t the god hate to eat a being called Centipede? If he cared about the health of the sacrifice, he should have taken care of the name as well.

Let's say you are a god. What if you were told ‘Here you go’ and the sacrifice that was offered to you was named Centipede? I'd have a hard time eating it because of the wriggling guy in my brain.

Cookies. If the sacrifice was called a cookie, it would be delicious with a cup of tea.

Maybe god doesn't care about such trivial things but..

Her professionalism as a 16 year sacrifice.

As someone that was raised to be redundant, she couldn’t help but feel a bit down.

“Lord Amsidene, this is the sacrifice. This one’s name is Centipede.”

“I am Centipede. Pleased to meet you.“

Centipede did not overlook. That moment when he heard the name Centipede, the beautiful man in front of her distorted his face.

“..................”

“..................”

A large clearing.

The messenger got into the carriage at lightning speed and had already left. So now there was only Centipede and the god who was called Amsidene here.

Taking advantage of the fact that nothing was being said, Centipede looked at the god sitting on the rock. He was a man with a beautiful face that won’t be found in humans. He was so beautiful that he seemed to be able to beguile not only the eyes of the onlookers but their souls too.

But, however...

"Will you not eat me?"

It must have been about thirty minutes since the messenger left.

She tried to close her eyes and lie down to see if she would be eaten soon...... but there was no sign of being eaten. On the contrary, the god just held his eyes and look down.

“I need you to eat me. I would rather die serving my duty than starve to death.”

When no reply came, Centipede asked. She was busy containing her shaking body and trying to keep her tears from spilling over. She'd really like some overtime pay right now.

“............ Just a minute.”

God let out a sigh. Centipede was surprised by the god’s words. She thought he was supposed to be speaking a higher language that humans and animals couldn't understand, but her guess was not correct it seems.

Besides, her name didn't sound good as expected.

‘See, I knew it! The kingdom is a matchless idiot! It would have been much better if her name was Cake or Cookie…’

Feeling good about this, Centipede spoke again.

“It's the name, after all, is it not? It certainly reminds me of that undulating being.”

“..................”

Centipede was going to be happy that her prediction had come true. ‘Bull’s eye isn’t it? Isn’t it?!’. She just wanted people to sympathize with her kingdom’s poor naming sense.

She had no intention of hunting down the god.

"Ugh ...... ohhh, ggh."

God threw up. It was a glistening vomit with a shiny effect.

Apparently, god also vomits. She was 16 years old that year. Centipede made a discovery she didn't want to know about.

He was in trouble. Amsidene looked groggily at the girl, who was munching on a loaf of bread in front of her.

Currently in the god’s temple. However, the only people present were Amsidene and the dirty girl.

Originally, he would not have brought her here. It was always the case that he ate humans in the land dedicated to them.

However, there was one thing that Amsidene was not good at. That was insects. The god doesn't like bugs either. It was physiologically impossible for him.

The moment he heard the name ‘Centipede’. The centipede was the first thing that popped into his mind. Even though he had lived for hundreds of years, it's still the bug he hate the most.

Once he connected it to the girl or some other insect, he couldn't do it. It made him feel like he was eating a bug. He tried to eat her because that cocky girl was trying to get him to devour her but he threw up instead.

It was the first time in his life as a god that he had vomited.

“This is delicious.”

“......just eat it and go home.”

In any case, he was unable to devour the girl. There are five years from now until the next sacrifice is brought. He was wondering if he could live without eating humans in the next five years.

Everything that was happening was outside of his expectations.

He ate, fulfilled the wishes of the humans, and ate again.

He was vulnerable to the unexpected because his god life had been built on that cycle.

“There is no place to go back to even if you were told to me so.”

“I believe that’s still better than being eaten.”

After he cleaned the vomit, he picked up the girl. That was when she shouted loudly.

“No, please eat me! I want to be eaten. Look, it's not better for me to not be eaten. In fact, it's worse for me. Please eat me quickly. Come on, come on, come on!”

Feeling stuffed, Amsidene's face paled.

Then losing to her momentum, he told her in a dazed voice, ‘One more month.’

As his eyes followed the girl as she ran about, Amsidene wondered how it had come to this. ...... It had been three months since the girl had arrived here. He has yet been able to eat her.

Once a month, he tries his best to eat her but ends up vomiting. On the contrary, the girl cheered him on saying, ‘It's okay! You can do it! Go for it!’. As a god who eats humans for a living, he felt oh so pathetic.

Apparently, the girl has no fear of being eaten.

In the past, most sacrifices were made by people who shivered and miserably begged for their lives and tried to escape, but she was a new type. She seems to be trying her best to look like a sacrifice but she's a bad actor. Forgetful. Stupid.

Even now, she has forgotten all about the act and is going around cleaning the temple.

Amsidene did not call for a housekeeper.

"Hey, lass.”

“It's Centipede."

The girl who had been dusting comes running up to him. He hated himself for having become accustomed to this strangely familiar attitude.

Once, he tried to get her to change her name. She asked me what kind of insect I liked, and I told her butterfly. ‘So, from now on, my name is Butterfly!’ But the name ‘Centipede’ stuck in her soul and remained there. In short, it was a failure. After that, I couldn't think of anything better to do.

“You should think of something, too. You want to be eaten by me, don't you?”

“Even if you say so, ....... There's nothing a little kid who's lived for a dozen years can come up with.”

“You always say things in a way that annoys me.”

If he doesn’t want to devour her, he could have killed her.

However... the fact that he has someone to talk to is unusual and makes him hesitant. And while it is unavoidable to kill to eat, it is also against his principles to kill when he doesn't want to eat.

Still, the girl is very determined.

She is sitting here in the god’s temple, where she could be killed if she displeases him in any way.

The other day, she entered the library without permission and was enjoying reading. She was treating the place like a theme park.

“Isn’t it fine to make it a park. Why don't you close your eyes and pretend not to see?”

“Even if I close my eyes, they're already burned into my brain.”

“You're so selfish.”

The god shook his head in disbelief, his temples throbbing but he couldn't do anything about it.

The fact that if he doesn't eat people doesn't mean he will die. However, it will weaken his strength. Amsidene let out another big sigh and said, ‘I don't want to do this anymore’ and fell lying on his face towards the sacrificial girl.

“Lord Dene.”

“Don't abbreviate the name of god.”

Even today, Amsidene couldn’t eat this girl. The number of attempts had already passed ten. The girl who had been in the temple for the past ten months has become more and more obnoxious. This is the worst.

Amsidene is the only one who can afford to feed her. His pride as a god would not allow her to die of starvation. He sold the gold lying around the temple in the street and bought human food in the market.

“How is my hamburger? How do you like my hamburger? It turned out quite well this time.”

The girl who rubbed the bridge of her nose was carrying something that looked like a lump of meat. It even moves from time to time. This was the better case. In the beginning, it was charcoal and that made a cacophony of noise.

Amsidene gets its power by eating humans. However, this did not mean that he could not eat human food.

He had always had some interest in alcohol, and he too understood the taste.

That said, he was surprised when the girl started cooking and then tried to feed herself to him. This girl always goes beyond his expectations. Even so, he had a headache because she forcibly screw tasteless food into his mouth.

“......right. You should eat it instead.”

“You can't be a picky eater.”

“............”

He wondered what is wrong with the girl.

Isn't she too irreverent? Amsidene rubbed his temples. And then he thought, ‘I should set up a moxibustion’

‘Yes, this girl is no match for me in terms of strength. I'll crush her vocal cords. Then she'll be quiet.’

“I made sure to balance the nutrition. You see, Lord Dene consumes a lot of protein, don't you? Because you eat people. That's why it's a hamburger with more vegetables.”

‘That's right. Smash it up. It's against my principles to kill unnecessarily but if it’s just the vocal cords.’

"?"

He put his hand on the girl's neck. If Amsidene continued to apply force, he will never have to hear that annoying voice again.

“.....it’s really ticklish, you know?”

"Sigh..........."

‘This dumb face of hers.’

She had no doubt that Amsidene will not hurt her unless he decided to eat. It’s hard to say anything in response.

Amsidene, today too, was defeated with a hamburger-like chunk of meat screwed into his mouth.

A year and a half has passed.

He still couldn’t eat the girl who called him by his abbreviated name, ‘Lord Dene, Lord Dene’. She had come this far from the kingdom so he was determined to eat her somehow. However, the other day when he went to the market, he saw a real centipede so it seems to be impossible for a while.

“Lord Dene, what is this?”

“A tool for harvesting wheat.”

“Don't they use magic to harvest them?”

“There was no magic in the old days.”

“Oh.”

What she was holding is a scroll. She must have taken it from the library of the temple. She had been reading it by herself for a while but when she doesn't understand a word, she asked Amsidene. He was very troubled when she brought out a romance novel and asked what love is.

She should feel proud to be able to treat god as an encyclopedia.

‘Well, that's okay. I'll let it go.’ However, he was fine with it.

This girl lacked common sense in some areas. For example, she lacked the sense of distance, or sense of distance, or also sense of distance. She doesn't understand the concept of personal space. No, she doesn't need to understand that. But he wanted her to understand god space at least.

Just the other day the girl was running around and was annoying me, so he fixed her to one spot with one arm.

He didn't know if she misunderstood that he was playing with her or what. She started to touch him easily.

Now the girl is sitting on Amsidene's lap. It's weird. He didn't want to admit to such a...... gentle scene like that of a father and daughter. He is the god and she is his sacrifice.

And he also hated the fact that she was steadily improving her cooking skills. The more she cooks, the less likely he can devour her.

“Who is this person, Lord Dene?”

“I wonder. I'm not even alive at this time.”

“Haha, even a god doesn't know everything it seems.”

He was vaguely annoyed, so he gouged the girl's temple with his fist. ‘It hurts, it hurts!’ or so she cried as he felt satisfied.

"How old are you, Lord Dene?"

The girl, who had closed her book, looked up at me and asked. Amsidene twisted his head. How old was he? The girl panicked at the god who had gone silent.

“Is it rude to ask a god his age? I didn't know you would feel like a young woman worrying about her age. I'm really sorry...... ouchh, it hurtsss!”

She couldn’t just open her mouth without a rude statement. He lowered his fist after letting out another sigh.

“Maybe around 300 and a little more.”

“That's after the birth of this country, isn't it? I thought it was Lord Dene who created this country.”

“I suppose so.”

It was Centipede's turn to nod her head at his cold voice. God said with a cruel smile.

“It’s the opposite.”

“The other way around?”

“You humans created me.  ────A god who grants wishes as long as you give him a price.”

Silence reigned in the room.

Humans have never changed in any age. They cling to what they have created and eventually become frightened of its existence. Then, one day, they forget that they created it and blame nature for it. Utterly ridiculous. Amsidene said to the girl, who looked down at her, with the utmost tenderness.

“I'm sorry for you, lass.”

“Eh?”

“You wanted the god to eat you, didn't you? When in fact I am an imperfect monster created by humans.”

────Poor thing.

He wanted to see it. The appearance and expression of the girl who was raised to be eaten by a god and faced the fact that she was to be actually ‘eaten by something that is not a god’.

“No.”

Will she cry? Will she suffer? Betraying Amsidene's expectations, the girl answered easily.

“You are god to me. Even if you deny it yourself.”

“Even if the truth is not so?”

“To be honest, I don't care if you are a god or a beast. It was decided that I would be offered to an entity that would grant the wishes of the kingdom in exchange for sacrifices.”

“Hmm.”

Amsidene looked at the girl's face in boredom. He could find no hint of fear or even lies on her face.

"By the way, does that mean you are born from a human mother when you said you were created by humans? Your mom must have been a really beautiful woman, wasn't she?"

“......there is no way that’s the case, you really are an idiot.”

◼️

Amsidene was born from a human. However, it was not accidentally born from the crotch of a human. He was a being born from faith and thoughts.

This is why Amsidene hates centipede and insects. The unpleasant things that humans are not comfortable with are unconsciously disliked by him who was born from humans.

────Someone please save this country.

────Protect this country, god.

────Sacrifice has been offered, please.

Countless thoughts created Amsidene. The god who was born did as the humans wanted, granting their wishes in exchange for a sacrifice.

Now, his raison d'etre is to feed on humans. To make wishes come true. Both are essential to him.

────But now, while he has granted wishes, he has not eaten sacrifices. So where does this distortion lead to?

"Lord Dene?"

It had been a little over four years since Centipede had come here.

She was not sure if the next sacrifice will come soon, so she was trying her best to appeal to the god to eat her but he still doesn’t seem to be eating her.

She was fed delicious food and given beautiful clothes to wear. For Centipede, she couldn't be happier, and she wanted to return the favor.

She leaned against a pillar and stared at Amsidene as he slept. ...... Lately, he seems to be sleeping like this more often than not. At first, Centipede entertained the thought that even god had the concept of lack of sleep but that would be strange if this continued.

“Please wake up.”

She shook him, and he slowly opened his eyes.

‘Oh, I’m glad.’ She was relieved, though she didn't know what she was relieved about.

"────eh."

She was pulled and her body was restrained as it is. Shortly after she felt pain, her nape was pierced with sharp teeth. She was surprised but was somehow able to calm herself whispering, ‘Oh, is it today?’ Finally, he could eat her. She closed her eyes and waited for that moment without resistance.

"............?"

Death did not come for a long time.

She felt Amsidene move and she opened her eyes.

“Lord Dene......?”

The god in front of her was stunned. She looked pale with Centipede's blood on his lips. ‘Why does he look like that?’ Centipede wondered and asked him.

“You're not going to eat me? Just now, you looked like you could.”

Amsidene, who blinked at her when she called out, smiled mockingly.

“I'll eat you on the fifth year.”

It was the first time. It was the first time Amsidene had set a specific date.

“I see, so that was just a taste test, wasn't it?”

“............”

“Did you like it?”

“Yes, probably more than any human I have ever tasted before because of the divine energy.”

“I see. It's like an aging process, so that’s why the five years.”

She was joyful. That Amsidene believed she is more delicious than any other human beings he had ever eaten.

“At that time, I will eat you in a cruel way without leaving any bones or a drop of blood.”

Centipede smiled widely when he said that in a low voice.

She was happily imagining that day, not even noticing that the god looked like a lost child.

The day was sunny.

Centipede hadn't been outside since she arrived here. She judged the weather by looking at the view from the window.

“Lord Dene, can I ask you one favor before I get eaten?”

“Putting aside whether it can be granted or not, try saying it.”

“I would like to visit a foreign country.”

She had only read about it in books, but she had heard that there are many things in foreign countries that she doesn't know. She wanted to see it with her own eyes once. It would be even more fun if Amsidene was there with her.

Despite Centipede's expectations, the god shook his head.

“I can't.”

“......I’m sorry, I was being cheeky despite my position as a sacrifice...”

“It would be nice if you could remember that more often. In the first place, that’s impossible. I can't leave the kingdom either.”

“Huh?”

“I'm tied down.”

She must be thinking ‘Even though you are a god?’. Amsidene lifted the edge of his lips.

“Then I and Lord Dene are the same.”

“What?”

“We've never been abroad before, you know.”

“You’re really stupid and dumb...”

Amsidene looked at Centipede, who was smiling happily, as if he were looking at an unfamiliar creature.

Even such an afternoon would end.

“Amsidene, we are sick and tired of being dominated by you......!”

One day before the five-year appointment.

The day before the five-year appointment, their routine easily fell apart.

“We will prove to you that even a human can kill a god.”

The attack was sudden.

On this day, Amsidene was asleep while Centipede was reading a book next to him. Lately, he had been spending less and less time awake, which makes her kind of sad.

Maybe that's why Amsidene didn't notice the approaching hordes.

Centipede watched in dismay as the temple was burned to the ground.

She cooked with him there.

She read a book with him there.

She talked about trivial things with him there.

The fire continued to roar.

Suddenly, there was a broad back in front of Centipede. The god stood in the way to hide her from the horrible place.

“Lord Dene.......”

She grabbed his clothes without a second thought.

The profile that she glimpsed was far from having any leeway to spare.

In the midst of all this, a woman slowly appeared. As she stood in front of them, she glared in their direction.

“You are Amsidene, aren't you?”

“...... Yes, so?”

“I want my sister back. I don't know what whim you have but now that I know she is alive, I can't let you take her away!”

‘My sister?’ Centipede’s face peeked out from the back to stare at the woman.

Yes, indeed. She's her twin sister.

She was her elder sister who had been raised as a princess while Centipede had been raised as a sacrifice.

She was the one who had looked at Centipede in the dungeon as if she was the real centipede.

"Don't take anything more from us humans!"

Centipede's stomach became painfully hot at the sound of her voice. She didn't know how to describe it. She felt as if she wanted to cry or scream. But before Centipede could say anything else, Amsidene opened his mouth.

"Take anything? Even when that's what you guys wished for?"

The princess was momentarily frightened by his cold gaze. But the heated sight from the soldiers behind her made her eyes light up with a strong fire again.

“Nonsense. ......! Everyone, go! We are here to be human!”

“To be human eh.”

If they kill him, they'll create the next him in a few hundred years.

The princess frowned dubiously. But her command did not stop.

“L-lord Dene. It's okay, isn't it, Lord Dene is stronger than them......?”

Centipede, worried by the strength of the soldier's roar, asked. But there was no reply.

Amsidene was intercepting the attacks that were coming one after another but soon began to show signs of fatigue.

‘Why don't you fight back?’

She was about to say that when she realized.

He is an existence that eats people and grants wishes. He is bound to this country for life.

He can't do anything else, can he?

He can neither kill nor eat humans at will. A god whose existence has been determined.

Sweat beads fell from Amsidene's forehead.

‘What should I do, what should I do?’ Centipede couldn’t fight. She doesn't have any way to fight. Isn't there something she can do? What can Centipede do?

"Oh, poor Centipede. Your sister will rescue you now."

────────Ah, there is.

She held Amsidene's hand that was enduring the pain. His gaze turned to her.

“Please eat me.”

“No.”

“Because you haven't eaten......your strength is weak, isn't it? If not, it should be easy for you to escape from here even if you can't kill anyone.”

Centipede felt funny that the breathtaking man in front of her was an easy-to-understand god.

"Still, the five years.”

“I must have some kind of divinity in me. Maybe I can set you free.”

“T-that is.”

“I will definitely come back to see you now that you are free. Even if I have to repeat reincarnation a thousand times.”

That time let's go abroad together.

Amsidene tried to say something and then… he closed his eyes. Centipede looked happy when he slowly approached her face and whispered 3 words** right beside her ear—.

The princess let out a meaningless ‘ah’ voice.

Her sister. She had been eaten.

The breathtaking sight didn't suit the word sacrifice and she even felt it was beautiful. During that moment, she found that the power of the opposing god swelled.

“Is that why you kept my sister by your side?”

The god did not answer.

He just stared at her with creepy eyes. She could hear the soldiers retreating in fear, their morale dropping.

“You people are always so arrogant.”

Her legs trembled from the choking rage. This is god. She should have been prepared for this. When she decided to fight a transcendent being.

“I'm sure it would be fun to kill you here and now but...”

“H-huh.”

He finally slumped down. Still, he kept raising his face at least.

“One day you'll see how greedy you are.”

By the time she realized it, god was gone.

She tried to catch her breath. A cold sweat covered her body. She was finally able to move her head after confirming that her neck was still connected to her torso.

────After this day, the god stopped appearing. They had won. They don't have to endure the pain to offer sacrifice. They don't have to flatter the god to make him feel better. They don't have to be afraid that God's power will strike their country at any moment.

True freedom has been won. It was supposed to be.

◼️

Amsidene was sitting in the shade of a rock, looking out at the lake. How many months had passed since then? But it should be more than all his limbs combined. Time felt like it had slowed down a lot lately.

It seems that the country that had once tied him down is not doing so well. That wouldn’t be odd. The kingdom had been relying on god until now. They are not wise enough to be able to do something by themselves now that they had lost that support. That's why they created Amsidene.

He doesn't know if the country will be rebuilt or not. But they will continue to suffer for the next hundred years. It would have been so easily granted had they prayed for god. It was their choice to ignore the sweet nectar they had once tasted and stand on their own two feet.

The forest is quiet, and it's a little easier to breathe.

Still, whenever he closes his eyes, the girl is always there.

I love you.

It's only an imitation of humans. The man had no words for love. Still, he had to say something. He forced down the feelings that he could not describe. At the end of his speech, the girl smiled like a blooming flower.

".......come… see you"

She promised to come and see him.

Amsidene had been waiting for her for a long time. Due to his sincerity, he did not go abroad even once. Perhaps because that way it would be easier for her to find him.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and saw a butterfly fluttering about.

He remembered that he had told the girl that it was one of his favorite insects.

It fluttered and fluttered.

The butterflies continued to fly around him.

When he held out his finger, it stopped as if it was resting its wings.

Oh.

"...... you're here? You're an idiot, aren't you?

‘You purposely became my favorite bug?’

She’s really a stupid girl. He was sure she'll go through a thousand cycles of reincarnation and one day she'll be just an existence just like Amsidene.

"Let's stay together forever, Centipede."

The voice that made the word ‘Centipede’ endured from sobbing and was ever gentle.

The girl who was raised as a sacrifice is now being offered love by a god.

TL Note:

*Centipede: Raw Jp name is ゲジ. Meaning a house centipede or 蚰蜒.. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

**3 words : Raw Jp is 5 words that’s revealed below. A-i-shi-te-ru. Equivalent to English’s 3 words.