Chapter 37
Translator - Zofu
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A greedy woman harboring grand ambitions in her heart. A woman who could even sacrifice herself for what she desired. That was Hwang Sa-yeon, who pursued an ideal far greater than her small, frail body.
She resembled the Glayzer Empire's Iron-Blooded Princess. Hwang Sa-yeon dreamed of wealth, while Helena dreamed of power. And though they challenged the world to seize great power as women, they had both crashed against the wall of reality.
Their difference was that Hwang Sa-yeon had knelt and given up, only to seize another chance, whereas Helena still hadn't given up and was waiting for her opportunity. Their common ground was that Si-woo could help them both, and he was aiming for exactly that.
"I like that look in your eyes."
"My eyes?"
"Yes. That honest gaze burning brightly with desire. I like it very much."
She smiled and placed a hand on Si-woo's cheek.
"Hehe. Somehow I feel you'd like other expressions too, Si-woo?"
"That is true."
"Is there any look you dislike? I'll try my best to refrain."
"You probably can't. What I dislike is a man's eyes."
"Indeed. Even I can't help with that."
Si-woo pulled Hwang Sa-yeon's waist toward himself.
Their bodies were pressed completely together, beyond just sitting on his lap. Her modestly voluminous, firm chest pressed against his. Though she was wearing underwear, so it wasn't entirely vivid, he still enjoyed this restrained sensation.
"Not today."
"What do you mean?"
"That... thing you're about to do. O-or not?"
"What was I about to do?"
"Huh? W-well..."
The flustered Hwang Sa-yeon's eyes darted around.
She couldn't bring herself to say the word that came to mind. Nor could she easily find a substitute. She knew she should act nonchalant, but putting it into action was difficult.
Though prepared to offer even her body for her ambitions, when the moment actually approached, the virgin didn't know what to do.
"......."
"You're quite cute, Sa-yeon. I can really feel how green you still are."
"D-don't tease me. I'm... serious."
"I know. I wasn't joking either. We've come to such an exhilarating world; we should do all we can."
Though not as much as her, Si-woo was also serious.
It was a reversed world where everything went smoothly, as if made for him. But the general flow of history was similar to the first round. Meaning, there was a very high probability that the final war would happen in ten years. If they lost, the continent and the goddess would be finished.
'For that time, I must do everything I can.'
"...How dependable."
Hwang Sa-yeon showed a smile full of joy, then fidgeted with both hands and lowered her head.
"Hoo, eh."
Then she quickly pressed her lips to his for a brief kiss.
"Oh?"
"...I-it's a down payment. The rest... I'll pay little by little."
"The down payment seems a bit insufficient...."
As Si-woo brought his face toward her with a sly smile, Hwang Sa-yeon flinched and rose from her seat.
The woman, her face flushed red, spoke.
"E-even the down payment should be paid in installments. The price is so high. The rest of the down payment... will depend on what I see you do, Si-woo."
Her voice was filled more with embarrassment than anger.
"So you're telling me not to mess around and work hard."
"Y-yes. Well then, I'll be going...."
"Ah, I'm heading out too."
Hwang Sa-yeon, walking toward the door with slightly stiff steps, was startled when Si-woo rose from his chair.
"Huh?! Wh-where are you...."
"I need to eat dinner."
"Ah...."
Realizing she had misunderstood for no reason, she lowered her flushed face and hurriedly left the room.
There were three people among his peers at the training center that Si-woo had his eye on.
The first was Baek Hye-yeon, whom he met at the training grounds over the weekend while waiting for an opportunity. Considered the greatest talent who could reach SS-rank in the future if given time. She absolutely needed to be brought into the Palania Kingdom to expand the hero pool.
The second was Hwang Sa-yeon, who came every evening before dinner. She arrived on the evening of the day he had coincidentally connected with Baek Hye-yeon. In the first round, she had become the greatest merchant in the Eastern region, backed by several heroes. If he just laid the foundation, she would be a great help from the outside.
Finally, the third woman. In truth, he had become acquainted with her first. If Baek Hye-yeon was difficult to approach but easy afterward, she was the opposite. Easy to start with, but difficult to advance beyond that, Si-woo thought.
So whenever he had time, he went to the library within the training center, and today, a weekday, was no different.
"Y-you came again today."
A woman with ashen blonde hair spoke in a low voice from a corner of the library.
Si-woo looked at her with an absurd expression.
"You speak like a librarian."
"...Th-that's not true."
It had been ten days since the hero training center's entrance ceremony. Not many people bothered to make time for the library while theoretical lectures were still in full swing. No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say there were none. Si-woo himself hadn't seen anyone besides her.
'In other words, Ash also hasn't seen anyone but me.'
After three short exchanges, Si-woo passed her and headed for the bookshelves.
It wasn't just because Ash was the last woman to recruit among his peers. Anyway, he needed to spend a long time in the library to get close to her.
So he was also looking into things he wanted to know while he was at it.
"Heave-ho."
Si-woo took out five books and placed them on the desk.
It was only two desks away from Ash.
"......."
She pretended to focus on the open book before her while stealing glances at Si-woo.
The only man among her peers who liked books besides herself. If that man was the famous one in many ways, she couldn't help but be interested. Especially since the genres he read were also diverse.
'It's theology today.... No, closer to history?'
Like the world she used to live in, in a world with countless gods, the past of gods could be called ancient history. Perhaps it was when humanity lived, or perhaps even before.
What Si-woo was looking for was the early history of humanity.
More precisely, the past before the Creator God kidnapped the gods from other worlds.
The Jushin Church, which worshipped the Creator God, was thriving, and because the Creator God was the goddess who caused the long war raging across the continent, records about her were quite detailed.
The goddess's kidnapping of gods from other worlds was also well-organized in chronological order. And it was a book analyzing it from a historical perspective, not a theological one. Thanks to that, Si-woo quickly found what he wanted.
'This is it.'
As he read, Si-woo's eyes sparkled when he found the phrase he wanted.
[...the Goddess suddenly screamed and woke from her slumber. The Jukremion translation, the first scripture of the Jushin Church, states that the Goddess grieved, foreseeing a terrible future, but most translations suggest that what the Goddess felt at that time was closer to anger and hatred than sorrow.......]
It was at this moment.
From this incident onward, the Goddess's personality recorded in the scriptures changed dramatically.
And it differed from the history of the first round that he knew.
In the first round, Si-woo would read history books or scriptures when bored. Though they were admittedly quite dry to read, perhaps because he was from Earth, it felt like reading a fantasy novel.
'The Goddess here was originally timid and merciful. Then she screamed and woke from sleep, and her personality changed. To a lustful and violent one.'
Though it wasn't expressed directly like that, combining all the records he'd read so far led to that conclusion.
'Perhaps... the one who really regressed was the Goddess, and I...'
"Th-that posture isn't good for your neck."
Si-woo lifted his bowed head and looked toward the voice.
Ash, who had approached unnoticed, was looking at him.
"Ah, you're right. Thank you."
He smiled and thanked her. He had been leaning forward without realizing it, in a bad posture. Strangely, the worse the habit, the harder it was to break and the longer it lingered in the body.
"N-no problem. But...."
Ash's gaze shifted to the book Si-woo was reading.
"It m-must be quite interesting. Seeing how you're staring at it so intently."
"Quite interesting. There's joy in learning what you don't know, right?"
"Th-that's true."
Though she spoke nonchalantly with her characteristic stutter, her eyes were already sparkling. It had been a long time since she'd found a kindred spirit when it came to books.
But though she wanted to say she felt the same and talk more, she couldn't muster the courage. The woman named Ash, for her ashen hair, was full of fear and timidity.
"You seem to like books a lot too, Ash."
"J-just a little...."
"What kind of books do you like?"
"M-me? I...."
Ash's voice trembled.
It was clear she was debating whether it was okay to say this. Though she said she liked books, her range was actually narrow. Si-woo wasn't much different, but the fact that he was reading about theology and history made her hesitate.
"It's fine. You can speak comfortably. We're library friends, aren't we?"
"F-friends...."
The word "friend," heard for the first time in her life, resonated in her heart.
"I... I like novels. Honestly, I d-don't really read other things...."
"Aw, me too. I just happened to become curious about these things bit by bit."
"Ah...."
Ash let out an exclamation without realizing it. Even that was quiet.
She thought their tastes matched remarkably well. It was as if he had entered her mind and spoke. Because she too would look things up in books when curious.
In truth, most people were similar to them. They mainly read books for fun like novels, and read other genres for information.
But for Ash, who could count on both hands the number of people she'd spoken to in her hometown her whole life, it was a heart-pounding experience.
"Si-Si-woo... you're a good person."
"So are you, Ash."
"Heh. Hehe."
Ash spilled a foolish-sounding laugh at the trivial compliment, delighted.
If she were an ordinary girl, it would have been stupid enough to make one frown, but beneath her unkempt, messy hairstyle and long bangs, she was fundamentally quite a beauty. In other words, Si-woo, who knew her real face beneath the hair, also smiled contentedly.
Men were creatures inevitably vulnerable before a beauty's smile.
"Do you happen to have any novels to recommend?"
"R-recommend?"
"Yes. You've been in the library longer than I have, Ash."
"Th-then first, this one...."
At Si-woo's words, Ash excitedly began recommending books.
Without even asking what genre of novels he liked, thinking he would like the same things as her, she started reciting novels she had read in this world, beginning with the book she was holding.
Of course, it didn't last long. She had also been in this world for less than a month. No matter how fast she read, the number couldn't be that great.
"S-sorry. I haven't read that much either...."
"No need to apologize. This is plenty. The rest...."
Si-woo turned his body and looked at the countless bookshelves spread out behind him.
"We'll read and talk together."
"Ah.... Yes♡"
There was one thing Si-woo had misjudged.
She was the same case as Baek Hye-yeon. For a loner who had never received love or attention from others, only the beginning was difficult; after that, it was easy.
Pink streams were flowing from Ash toward Si-woo.
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