A once ordinary country girl, a Rat Beastman, went through all sorts of adventures and ended up becoming the Goddess of Rats.
Who would’ve thought this wasn’t just a simple life turnaround but more like an epic life transformation? But hey, life’s unpredictable by nature.
Take for instance the street orphan who couldn’t remember her parents, rising to become a hero whose name is etched in history.
Anyway, despite achieving such heights, Maybel as the new Goddess of Rats found herself with not too many immediate responsibilities.
Her duties as the Goddess of Rats mainly revolved around her own kin—the rat beastmen. Given the scale of it, she didn’t have that much on her plate.
So why not extend her responsibilities a bit further? Include other rodent-type beastmen like squirrels under her care. After all, they’re kind of family, right?
Not that taking responsibility means babysitting every aspect of the rat beastmen’s lives. Just ensuring they aren’t oppressed by other races and shielding them from external dangers—essentially being a protective fence.
And while at it, Maybel could serve as a unifying figurehead for the rat beastmen, preventing any shenanigans among them.
Hmm… Looking at it this way, there’s actually quite a bit to do here.
So first things first…
“Our rat beastmen had an uncertain future! Our small stature and frail bodies were reasons we were looked down upon, not just by other races but even by our fellow beastmen!”
Ella was shouting loudly to the bowing rat beastmen. Though Maybel had attained divinity, her essence was still that of a young country girl who hadn’t yet reached adulthood. Thus, relying on outside help was inevitable.
In this situation, Ella, a rat beastman adventurer with extensive experience, was the perfect card to complement Maybel’s shortcomings.
Moreover, Ella was someone who would always stand firmly on Maybel’s side no matter what.
Initially, Ella had been somewhat skeptical about Maybel becoming a goddess, but seeing how resolute Maybel was, after a little persuasion, Ella threw her hands up in surrender and began putting effort into supporting Maybel.
Thus, the duo—two rat beastwomen turned mother-daughter scam artists… uh, wait, they’re goddesses now! No scamming involved!
The process of how these two rats took over the rat village went something like this:
First, neutralize the leadership. Taking out the head stops any unnecessary movements.
If you don’t take them out all at once, someone might release poison into Arment. Hence, it had to be done swiftly.
Of course, with protective barriers already set up around the water supply and Arment itself, it was relatively safe, but one can never be too careful.
I might miss some detail that could harm the people of Arment if I let my guard down.
Anyway, with my assistance, the two rats successfully subdued the leadership cleanly.
Though the old rat leaders had their own bodyguards, Ella and Maybel, empowered by enhancement magic, easily took them all down.
After subduing the leadership, Ella and Maybel used my magic to summon all the rat beastmen to the central square of the village.
When the rat beastmen gathered without knowing why, they were shocked to see their disheveled leadership and doubly shocked when they saw Ella.
Ella, a rare success story among rat beastmen adventurers, had mysteriously disappeared about a year ago.
Seeing her appear in such a ragged state was certainly shocking.
Though her appearance was disheveled because she hadn’t changed clothes before coming down, her body was fully healed!
Anyway, facing the crowd in the square, Ella loudly revealed the truth of a ceremony most rat beastmen weren’t aware of, leaving them in great shock.
The idea that they had planned to wipe out an entire city for their own survival was bound to leave anyone stunned.
However, not everyone believed her outright. People tend not to trust sudden proclamations from someone who disappeared and then reappeared dramatically, especially when said person had just dismantled the entire leadership.
Some argued that if what Ella said was true, it was a necessary evil for the survival of the rat beastmen—but Ella silenced them.
The ceremony planned by the leadership wasn’t meant to create a god for the rat beastmen.
It was for a voice from beneath the earth, requiring sacrifices for its ascension to godhood.
That voice intended to devour all the sacrifices and then consume all the rat beastmen present.
Of course, the rat beastmen didn’t fully believe this tale. Many dismissed it as nonsense, and there were even attempts to rescue the broken leadership.
At that point, I intervened.
Surrounding Maybel with blinding light, I whispered softly into the ears of all the rat beastmen.
“Bow down. The young rat beast standing before you is the child destined to become your goddess.
Do not offer prayers to a false deity but to a righteous one.
No sacrifices or prices are needed. All that is required for the new goddess is your prayers alone.
Bow down. Bow and pray. Accept your goddess.”
This whisper shook the minds of all the rat beastmen in the square, causing them to kneel involuntarily.
Afterward, Ella prepared briefly and announced that a proper ceremony would soon follow, dismissing the crowd temporarily.
Then, the trembling remnants of the leadership were locked away in the prison where Ella had been held, and a proper ceremony solidified the faith of the rat beastmen in Maybel, granting her divine power.
—
“So, is it really okay for someone like me to become a goddess?”
Maybel, looking slightly uneasy, muttered faintly. But who cares, right?
“You seem to think gods are some grandiose beings.”
“Well, aren’t they? They’re gods!”
I gave Maybel a small smile and replied,
“A god isn’t as grand as you imagine. It’s simply a being capable of doing more than others.”
Sure, the amount of faith collected affects the strength and capabilities of a god, but that’s a minor detail.
“Is that so?”
“That’s right.”
From my perspective, placing gods below myself makes sense. In my view, their power ranks lower than a dragon’s.
But maybe that’ll change if the number of believers increases.
“If becoming a goddess makes you uneasy, I’ll lend a helping hand.”
“A helping hand?”
“Yeah. How about attaching you under Sirius as a subordinate?”
Since Sirius was originally the racial deity of beastmen, having him oversee newly minted goddess Maybel seemed fitting.
“What?! Sir Sirius?!”
“Yep. Once you ascend to goddesshood—Goddess of Rat Beastmen—you won’t rank too high in the divine hierarchy. Having a higher deity responsible for you will be beneficial. And Sirius fits the bill perfectly.”
My words left Maybel momentarily dumbfounded.
“What exactly IS Dragon Priestess anyway? Making new gods and offloading them onto Sirius…”
With that, I gave a small smile.
“To begin with, during adventures with the hero, Sirius—the First Beast—was also along for the ride. We became close friends back then.”
“But even if he’s a friend, he’s still a GOD.”
“Sirius only truly became a god post-adventures.”
Honestly, if Sirius hadn’t settled down in Arcadia, he’d probably still be in beast form. He owes me gratitude for that.
“Let’s see… roughly speaking, as a minor deity under Sirius… Hmm. You might need to assist with some of Sirius’ duties, but that should be fine, right?”
“Me?”
“I’ll handle the necessary power boost so you can grow stronger accordingly. It won’t be bad for you.”
Roughly speaking, I’ll strengthen her a bit and have her assist Sirius, perhaps occasionally help guard the Divine Hall.
While at it, why not gather twelve animal symbols into deities?
Instead of Sirius handling all beastmen, select outstanding individuals from each beastman race, grant them deity status, and have them protect the Divine Hall or the beastmen themselves. That sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Doing so could align nicely with the 24-hour day system, assign one deity per month of the year, or have them guard different directions around the Divine Hall. There are plenty of ways to tie them to the number twelve.
Once Maybel grows accustomed to her role as the Goddess of Rats, we’ll travel the world seeking suitable candidates to join the pantheon.
Yeah, that’s the plan. Traveling with such a purpose sounds pretty good.
“But now it’s different! My daughter Maybel, bearing newfound divinity, has become a living goddess for us! Our future is no longer uncertain!”
Ella’s voice rang out across the square, accompanied by the cheers of the rat beastmen filling the air.
