Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Fake Church (4)
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The blind girl's earnest prayer and her mother's bowed head lingered in the quiet room like an echo.
Facing that sight, I unwittingly squeezed my eyes shut.
"........."
Yeah, their story was heartbreaking.
A child whose talent had been stifled by a harsh life.
A mother who had devoted her entire life to her child yet blamed herself instead.
It would be a lie to say I felt no pity hearing such a tale.
But... if I looked at it coldly, their misfortune was someone else's problem. It had no connection to me whatsoever. If I reached out to every tragedy I encountered in the world, what would become of my own life?
I knew all too well the dangers that came with offering kindness without a plan.
Even one more person knowing my secret doubled the risk of exposure.
No matter how firmly they promised silence or swore oaths, it meant nothing. Human affairs were riddled with unpredictable variables. If I wasn't careful from now on, the truth behind the "miracles" would inevitably come to light someday.
"This one time only..."—such words held no real meaning.
Use it now, or hide it forever.
Those were the only two choices.
".........."
The silence stretched on.
The woman remained perfectly still, head bowed.
Time crawled by, and the turmoil in my mind only deepened.
'How did things end up like this?'
I recalled the origin of the plan that had led to this moment.
The goal had been to spread rumors in the neighborhood dismissing the circulating tales of "miracles" as frauds perpetrated by a shady cult.
From that perspective, ignoring these two women's plight was the right answer.
Brushing off or outright chasing away those seeking miracles would serve as proof that no such thing existed in this world. It perfectly aligned with the original objective.
'But still...'
If I refused their wish now...
They would take the money they'd scrimped and saved their whole lives and end up chasing after some other cult or con artist. They were that desperate. For those groping blindly for unattainable hope, misfortune lay in wait like an inevitable fate.
Some might point fingers and call it foolish or naive.
But... a parent's desire to give their child even a slightly better life. I couldn't bring myself to condemn that blind love. No, I had no right to.
It just filled me with sorrow.
"........."
Clearly, their misfortune wasn't my responsibility.
The mother and daughter were already walking toward their fated end, and I had merely witnessed it by chance. I knew reaching out thoughtlessly could drag me into danger too.
But... why was I agonizing over this so much?
I knew myself better than anyone.
I'd share kindness if I had the spare capacity, but like most people, I wasn't the type to put others before myself.
I couldn't afford to delude myself.
Just because I'd taken on the appearance of a game character didn't change my core nature.
Gaining this power by chance didn't turn me into a philanthropist or saint overnight.
So, my top priority remained my own safety.
Until I found a way back to my original world, protecting myself was my sole goal.
But... in that instant, a memory flashed in my mind.
["Tough luck. Sorry about that."]
A cold voice and the pitch-black muzzle aimed my way.
The moment after arriving in this world when I'd come closest to death.
The soldier's eyes, unhesitatingly pointing his gun at me on a superior's order.
Those eyes held no emotion. Utterly indifferent and merciless even as he prepared to take a life. Like a machine following commands, devoid of any human anguish.
Had that soldier always been such a demon? No, probably not. He'd likely changed just to survive in this merciless city. Maybe it started when he stopped seeing the people before him as human.
Another memory overlapped in that moment.
Back in my original world, I'd once seen a rental scam artist dragged into court. He'd swindled lifetimes of hard-earned savings from countless victims—money that was their very lives—and yet showed no shame, no guilt on his brazen face.
He only begged forgiveness from the judge, not the victims, to lighten his sentence.
That was possible only because he no longer saw suffering people as fellow humans.
The moment one lost the ability to empathize with others' pain and judged everything by profit and efficiency...
That was when a human began turning into a monster.
"........."
It might be an overreach.
But... in this ashen city, what I truly needed to protect...
Maybe wasn't just my personal safety.
'The human heart...'
Of course, I desperately wanted to return home safely, no matter what it took.
But more than that, I wanted to go back as a human, preserving the person I originally was.
So, not turning away from someone heading toward a cliff and pulling them back... it wasn't about being particularly virtuous. Or calculating some gain.
It was simply the duty of being human.
At the end of that long silence, I finally steeled my resolve and slowly opened my eyes.
"......"
Suddenly, my gaze met Esty's. She'd come to stand beside me at some point.
She seemed to have guessed what I was thinking.
Yet she neither tried to dissuade me nor urged me on.
This is your choice alone, her eyes seemed to say.
'I've made up my mind.'
I knew better than anyone how dangerous this decision could be.
Without further hesitation, I brought my fingertips to the girl's eyes.
".......!"
And there was light.
=====================
I never knew a person could sob with joy for so long.
'Ah... I really went and did it.'
The thought hit me late, but a strange relief filled one corner of my heart.
The child's tear-streaked face beaming with unending joy, and her mother's smile.
That alone felt like ample reward.
Finally ceasing their tears, the mother and daughter bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
"Thank you... O God... truly, thank you...!"
"Thank you, sister...!"
Hearing those voices, I subtly stroked the worn credit card in my hand.
The card holding tuition and surgery fees. I'd originally planned to refuse it too.
But after several refusals, their insistent shoving left me no choice.
At least it meant no worries about living expenses for a while. A small mercy, I supposed.
As I basked in that complex mix of pride and anxiety...
Karen, who had been clutching her daughter and sobbing, spoke in a firm voice.
"I will never forget this grace."
It poured cold water on the touching atmosphere, but I couldn't ignore it.
I replied calmly.
"No. Please forget it."
"...Pardon?"
"Keep what happened today a lifelong secret between just the two of you. Never mention the church or miracles in front of anyone else. Can you promise me that?"
Caught off guard by my sudden words, Karen looked stunned for a moment.
She hesitated, then replied with resolute eyes, as if having made a decision.
"O-Of course. If that's what you wish, I'd sooner have my nails and teeth pulled out than breathe a word."
She caught her breath and added,
"But I'll carry this gratitude for life. Whenever, wherever—if there's any way I can repay you, just say the word."
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After the mother and daughter left, a heavy silence settled over the room again.
I glanced at Esty before speaking first.
"Esty, I'm sorry."
My voice crept low, like someone hiding guilt.
Her expression unchanged, she asked as usual,
"For what?"
"Well... You came up with such a great plan, and I ruined it all."
That wasn't all. Esty was my bodyguard under contract to protect me. Yet I'd acted unilaterally without consulting her, putting her in unnecessary danger.
If this got out and the "miracle" became known... if major organizations coveting that power came hunting in earnest, even Esty would face a tough fight.
This was entirely my fault. I apologized again and added,
"I'm really sorry. If corporations or anyone start targeting me because of this... you can void the protection contract then. It's my mistake."
I truly believed that.
>
I'd pushed ahead knowing the risks, so it was a fault I alone had to bear.
'I wonder if the food in a megacorp lab is any good... Hope it's not just nutrient sludge.'
Lost in such idle thoughts, I stared at Esty.
Her golden eyes, as inscrutable as ever. I still couldn't guess her thoughts. But I faintly heard her murmuring something like a soliloquy.
Her voice was too soft to catch clearly.
"As expected... you are..."
"Pardon?"
When I asked, she just quietly shook her head.
"It's nothing."
Then, without warning, she bowed deeply. Polite as always, but with a different weight.
"Even when you first saved me... it was kindness without thought of gain or loss, just like now."
Her voice was calm yet resonant.
"That choice has kept my life going until today. For me to reproach it now... would be improper."
She chose her words carefully.
"My life until now has been one of being used as a tool and discarded as one."
Her gaze turned to me. It held an emotion I'd never seen before.
"But with you... even if I die, I feel I could die as a person."
"....!"
"So, worry not."
Esty bowed lightly once more.
"No matter what danger comes."
And slowly, carefully, she took my hand in hers, cradling it like a treasure.
"As long as you don't let go first, I will never release yours."