Chapter 277
Chapter 277
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Reincarnation
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"...Haa. These useless fools."
I went around checking just in case, but in the end, there was no place that would take this kid in.
If I had more time to spare, I might have kept looking,
but...
"...You okay?"
"I-I'm... f-fine..."
The problem was that this little one didn't have much time left.
Even with all that karma piled up, allowing him to hold out longer in the divine realm than a normal human, the harsh environment was still too much for a mortal soul.
"Fine my foot. Your soul's already starting to scatter."
The divine realm wasn't a place humans were allowed to be in the first place.
After hastily bringing him here, I'd had no choice but to keep him, but it went against the rules of this realm.
For a human like him, just staying here damaged his soul...
And now the limit was approaching.
"...Right now, you've got three choices. Go back to Earth, scatter and vanish like this... or..."
My mouth wouldn't open easily.
This was something I really shouldn't do...
-Grit.
"...or reincarnate in this world."
At this point, I had no choice.
Just one human. One from an entirely different world, not even this one—and here I was, breaking how many rules for him?
'Disqualified as a goddess.'
I didn't even know why I was doing this.
Maybe I'd been unconsciously drawn in by that immense karma of his.
Not only was he a guy, but the divine essence I stemmed from was the world's creator and mother figure, so I couldn't help being weak to maternal instincts—and this kid just had to have that pitiful look that tugged at them. I couldn't shake it off easily.
Sure, there were probably even more unfortunate souls out there if I looked...
but this one was right in front of me.
"...Didn't you say reincarnation here wasn't an option?"
"I'll make it happen somehow. Just choose. But if you reincarnate in this world, life's gonna be pretty rough. To be honest, it's a way harsher place than Earth."
...I'd offered it because I couldn't just let him vanish, but reincarnating here would mean a seriously tough life.
His previous life had been like that because of an irresistible charm he couldn't control, and the karma the Earth god had hammered into him was beyond even my power to fix—so he'd end up with something similar here on Earth.
"Choose carefully. Even if you reincarnate here, it won't be that different from the life you lived on Earth. If you don't think you can handle that kind of life again... coldly speaking, vanishing like this might be better."
"..."
"Can you... really live that kind of life again? In a world this dangerous?"
It might sound harsh, but I had to ask.
From peeking into his memories, I'd seen him lose the will to live multiple times, so I needed confirmation.
Forcing yourself to live a life you don't want to live can be torture.
Would this kid, already beaten down by life, even want a new one?
"...That's a weird question coming from a goddess."
And his answer was simpler than I'd expected.
-Smile.
"If I didn't want to live, I would've died back on Earth."
"You..."
"Even if life is full of pain and suffering... there's happiness in it too. Even if meetings with people lead to bad ends, there are joyful moments along the way... and even if you can't think of a reason to live right now, one always comes up eventually."
"..."
'Guess he's not just some clueless kid after all.'
I'd thought he was just a naive little thing based on looks, but he was pretty admirable.
"So... I want to live."
"Then why not go back to Earth and live?"
"Well... I kinda buttoned my shirt wrong from the start... and it feels like I'm about to die soon..."
"Fine, fine, I get it."
Fine. You win.
They say the one who falls first loses, right?
"I'm warning you ahead of time: since I'm forcing a soul outside the cycle of reincarnation into it, you'll grow up an orphan without parents."
"No different from now, really."
"...Anyway, even I can't change that... Got any other wishes? I can tweak your fate a bit, as long as it's not too extreme."
No matter how I looked at it, just dumping him like this meant a 90% chance he'd die before even passing infancy.
I'd go through all this trouble to reincarnate him; he at least needed to live to around thirty for it to feel worthwhile.
"Hmm... Since you're a goddess, that means there are priests or something in this world, right?"
"...Priests? Ones who believe in and serve me?"
"If there are, I'd like to do that kind of job. So I can keep talking to you and stay close even down there."
"...Hmm."
Hard to say yes, hard to say no.
If I had to nitpick, most Taoists could be seen as close to me, but they existed as concepts like heaven and earth spirits, not as a religion worshiping personified gods...
"No, but why go down there just for that? You weren't even religious before."
"It's not about religion. I just want to repay the favor. From what I remember, gods get stronger the more believers they have."
He puffed out his chest proudly as he said it, which was cute, but honestly, it didn't apply to me.
I hadn't helped him expecting that, and one more kid wouldn't make any big difference...
"You don't have to repay any favors. I did it because I wanted to."
"Then I'll do it because I want to."
"Look..."
"Would you believe me if I said it was love at first sight?"
-Pfft!
"Wh-wh-wh-what did you just say...?"
"Honestly, you're my type looks-wise, and how could I not fall for a woman who's helping me out of pure, selfless kindness?"
"You... you said you were sick of women after all the crap they put you through."
"...You're the exception?"
"..."
Ah, wait. What the hell is this situation?
I hadn't seen this coming at all.
If I was the one getting all mushy over this kid, it'd be one thing, but him coming on like this first? Totally unexpected.
"You... you know what you're saying, right?"
"I'm confessing here?"
"What kind of kid confesses to a woman he's known for less than two weeks...?"
"Two weeks is plenty, isn't it? Back on Earth, guys and girls who just met would hit it off and head straight to the bedroom all the time."
"What kind of loose..."
Ah, no. Putting that aside.
"You know who I am, right?"
"In the myths I read, gods were always marrying each other and having kids. You never did that?"
"No?!"
"...Huh?"
"Wait, what myths are you even thinking of?"
"...Greek..."
"Why'd you have to go with those of all things?!"
Out of countless dimensions, Earth's myths had to include the ones infamous for their gods' debauchery.
Maybe because it was geographically close?
"Gods don't need human... processes to be born in the first place. They can be born that way, sure, but... wait, why am I even explaining myself?"
"So... no answer? After I mustered up the courage to confess?"
"B-but you've been with this girl and that girl... so..."
"My body's still pure, though?"
"...Huh?"
Was it?
Come to think of it, yeah.
"The more complicated your relationships get, the less you should mess around physically. It's fine when no one's crossed that line, but the moment one does, everyone's boundaries crumble and chaos ensues."
"...How do you even know that?"
"If I hadn't figured that out, I'd still be in that basement."
...A kid casually dropping something so chilling.
The more I looked, the more cognitive dissonance hit.
"...Don't you want it?"
"...Want what?"
"A perfect chance to claim my first time?"
"..."
-Smack!
"Ow!"
"That's why you shouldn't say stuff like that so casually."
His mental state was far from normal after that rough life.
How could anyone say something like that so boldly without batting an eye?
"Ugh... You'll regret passing this up later. Just watch."
"Sigh. As if you'll remember anyway, Mr. Big Talk."
Of course, reincarnation meant losing his memories.
He'd forget everything we talked about—what confidence?
"Anyway, I'll think of a job that lets you stay close to me... so go on now."
"You're not giving me something weird, are you?"
"As if. It's one where you can make good money and get famous."
"...Somehow that makes me uneasy."
It really would let him make money and get famous.
Whether that's all good or not remains to be seen...
"You said you wanted it? That kind of job."
"...Any chance of a refund?"
"Gods don't change their minds easily."
I was half-teasing, but there really wasn't a better job.
Giving him the ability to read heavenly secrets was already a rare privilege no one else in the world had.
"Alright, close your eyes and count to ten in your head."
"...Does that mean I'll reincarnate?"
"You'll probably be gone before you hit ten."
"Can't you time it exactly?"
"You and your weird requests."
Are all Earthlings like this?
I didn't answer, but he obediently closed his eyes.
Around the time I'd counted to five silently,
-Rustle.
That day, unbeknownst to anyone, a single name was added to the ledgers of heaven, earth, and the underworld.
"Waaahhh!!!"
"Whoa there. Alright, alright. I won't abandon you, so stop crying."
"Wahh..."
"There, there... poor little thing. Not even half a month old, and already abandoned by your parents... You've got a tough fate ahead."
It was the day a certain third-rate martial artist, who had been thinking of retiring, fully set down his sword.
"Heh heh. What should I name you... Hmm... Your eyes are already so black and sparkling, like stars in the night sky. Let's call you Yuseong. An old friend once told me that names related to stars get the blessings of heaven and earth spirits."
"...Hic."
"Good. My surname's Dan, so... your name is Dan Yuseong."
This third-rate mercenary had no idea what ripples the child he picked up would cause in the Central Plains someday.
He just thought—at least his old age wouldn't be boring.
-Rustle.