Chapter 275
Chapter 275
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Stranger
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"Haa... so, let me get this straight..."
A hand instinctively went to my throbbing head as I stared at the small creature before me.
"You were just chilling in your room like usual, and then some woman suddenly appears out of nowhere, says they need a hero in another world, and you just... went along with it?"
"Sh-she popped up in mid-air and started talking! How was I supposed to not believe her..."
"It's not about believing or not..."
The real issue was deciding something that could ruin your life so casually.
Did this kid even grasp what going to another world meant?
"I don't know if she said she'd send you back or not, but your original world doesn't just freeze while you're gone. To your family or friends, you'd just... vanish."
"...I don't have any. Like that."
"..."
Loner type, huh.
Now that I looked closer, beneath that innocent appearance, there were clear signs of hardship etched all over his body.
"And I didn't even want to go back. That saintess told me—if I'd stayed there, I'd have been stabbed to death within days."
"...Stabbed?"
"After things got really bad before, I locked all the doors and windows, minimized going out... but they still tracked me down somehow... and eventually..."
-Tremble tremble tremble
His energy plummeted in an instant, his whole body starting to shake, and a wave of panic rose in me.
"H-hey, hold on. I won't pry into the details, so how about calming down first?"
"I'm gonna die again... because of me... innocent teachers and others..."
"Argh, seriously...!"
If I left him like this, he'd sink into the depths.
Normally, a slap to the face snaps someone out of it best, but I couldn't bring myself to hit a little kid like this...
"Fine."
-Poof
In a pinch, I pulled him into my arms.
If this didn't work, I'd have no choice but to give him a swat on the butt.
"Wh-what is this?!"
Good, he seemed back to his senses.
-Pat pat
"Alright, fine... You've got your own struggles in life. I won't ask more."
"D-don't treat me like a kid!"
"If you're gonna claim you're an adult, at least learn to control your emotions first."
"Ugh..."
He might not realize it yet, but this was the divine realm.
The realm where gods resided, where humans existed as souls—so his form was his soul's shape.
And a soul's form stemmed from the mind, so if it looked like a kid's...
His mentality was probably no different.
"No matter how many years you've lived, you have to act mature to be treated like one. Just piling on years doesn't cut it."
"Tch..."
"Anyway. You get the situation now? Why I dragged you here in such a hurry."
"...Yeah."
"Man, you have no idea how startled I was."
I'd been managing heavenly secrets as usual, glanced up to check the stars in the mortal world for a breather—and there was some boy getting pulled into another dimension.
In other cases, I'd have assumed it was just another dimension traveler, but things were different this time.
The destination was none other than the already-destroyed Mountain Hell.
After its fall, the dimensional barriers had grown unnaturally strong, making escape impossible—and even death offered no eternal rest, souls vanishing forever.
Rumors had spread among the gods: no matter the curiosity, stay far away.
If that mad saintess—who devoured all her gods, absorbed every life, and went insane alone—got hold of you, you couldn't even die.
And yet, who'd willingly dimension-hop into such a place?
[Give him back!!!! Give me back my hero, you bitch!!!!!!!! What gives you the right?!?!?!?!]
'...'
Even from across dimensions, her raging emotions made my body tremble,
but she was a mere ghost trapped in her own realm—nothing to fear.
"So, what now? Now that you know the situation, you're not planning to go there willingly, right?"
-Nod
"Normally, we'd send you back to your original dimension—that's the rule among gods..."
-Flinch
"N-no, I can't... Earth... if I go back now..."
"Sigh... What the hell is that world's god doing?"
Just watching as one of their own gets kidnapped?
Even for a young dimensional god...
'...I get why it'd be scary.'
Truth be told, few gods—even from major dimensions—could handle that saintess.
It had been thriving before its fall,
and with one being absorbing all divinity and life, her power was condensed beyond most chief gods.
She might not escape her dimension, but she could retaliate in weird ways—terrifying for lesser gods.
"Hmm... What to do with this kid..."
"C-can I just... stay here?"
"No, can't do that."
No matter how pitiful, it wasn't allowed.
"This realm's reincarnation system doesn't let outsiders just jump in, and keeping a human soul here long-term would wreck it. Fine for now, but in a week, even walking would be tough."
"Th-then what do I do?"
"Go back to Earth... head to that world anyway... or find a god in a nearby dimension willing to take you—that last one's probably best for you right now."
-Teary eyes
I glanced down at him.
"...?"
He tilted his head cutely, puzzled why I was staring—yeah, dimensions without special issues would take him.
Not like the Central Plains, with its rigid life-death balance; slipping in one human was easy.
-Pinch
"Eep."
"With how cute you are, most wouldn't refuse."
They say first impressions are all about looks.
People naturally want to care for a face this adorable.
'We're already helping as much as we can.'
Realistically, a chief god had no obligation to aid a total stranger from another world—especially one we couldn't keep. Scouting others was pure goodwill.
Not just his cuteness; as the Central Plains' manager and motherly goddess, I had a soft spot for kids.
"I'll check nearby worlds, so stay put. If you're bored, grab a book or something."
"...I don't know the letters here."
"You'll read it fine. Don't think gods' language is like mortals'."
Come to think of it, how was he even conversing now?
One last thought of how cute he was, then I headed off to meet nearby gods.
"...Hey, kid. I checked around..."
"Y-you're back? H-how'd it go?"
"Hmm..."
Not good.
I'd figured places would fight over him...
[Sorry... anyone catching that woman's eye is...]
[Eek! N-no thanks! Who knows what she'd do if I took him!]
'...Is she that scary?'
Guess I'd underestimated that saintess.
I'd heard she'd beheaded a few gods who visited for resources, but not that her infamy ran this deep...
"Wait a bit more. Plenty of dimensions left."
"...Okay."
"I'm beat today anyway... tomorrow again..."
Even gods tire from dimension-hopping.
Rest fixes it, but no more today.
-Plop
"A-are you okay?!"
"Yeah... just tired... a nap and I'll be fine..."
Seeing me wobbly,
he hurried over to support me—such a good kid.
"Wh-where should I take you? I didn't see a bedroom..."
"Just toss me on any book pile..."
"...What about a bed?"
"Don't have one..."
"How do you sleep in books...?"
"I'm not human, I'm a god..."
"..."
-Plop
"Mmm... nice and soft here."
With his help, I buried into the books.
"You too—find a spot if you're tired... or just come here..."
"Wh-what, sharing a bed already...?"
"Kids shouldn't use words like that yet..."
Cute and romantic feelings were different—this cheeky kid, what was he saying?
Did he even know our age gap?
Gods' ages weren't counted in numbers.
'Man, sleepy.'
Finally at my limit.
Exhaustion from using power knocked me out,
and when consciousness resurfaced...
"Zzz... zzz..."
"..."
'Whining about sharing a bed earlier.'
Looked like he'd crawled in while I slept.
-Squeeze
'Why do they all avoid this cutie...'
How'd he even get tangled with that woman?
From what he said, her relationships sounded messy too.
He was cute, sure, but enough for stabbings? That was obsession, not mere attraction.
Unless it was romantic feelings for him...
"Mm..."
-Squeeze
"..."
He let out a small groan, shifting closer—my mind blanked for a second.
His breathing grew louder, blood racing, heart pounding...
"...Tch."
I forced clarity and sat up.
Acting half my age—what a mess.
'Anyway... can't keep him here forever.'
As said, the divine realm harmed human souls,
and forcing him into reincarnation would cause issues.
Disrupting the balance aside,
born with no prior merits, his life would be rough.
Reincarnation favors the virtuous; tossed in empty, good luck expecting better.
Even tweaking fate with heavenly secrets, the base trajectory meant delaying disasters at best.
Probably stabbed blind by 30, even if he survived well.
'...Gotta keep looking.'
Worst case, grab Earth's god by the collar and shake: fix his problem, then take him back.
If that fails too...
...I'd just have to believe it'd work out somehow.