Stripped of Divinity

"Say ahh..."

"Ah..."

I slipped a piece of bread into Aria's mouth. The house had sat empty for so long that the only food left was a half-eaten bag of sliced bread in the kitchen. Even that was only because I couldn't risk going out and leaving her behind. There was no telling what might happen if I left her alone now.

The goddess Aria sat with her back against the wall, looking for all the world like a teddy bear. Even that much was only possible because I had propped her up. Without my help, she couldn't do a thing.

When Aria woke that morning, she fainted three more times before finally staying conscious around noon. Then she spent three hours lying there with dead eyes, staring at the pale, clean-cut stumps where her limbs used to be.

Then she spoke.

"I'm hungry..."

Her stomach gave a cute little rumble as she said it. I found myself wondering whether even a goddess could feel hunger — but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠either way, I had no choice but to feed her.

"Here. Drink some water, too..."

"Mm..."

I brought a glass of tap water to her lips. She swallowed a few times, just enough to wet her throat, then stopped.

"I... used to be able to live without eating, you know..."

Aria's voice was mournful.

"Is that so. Then why do you need to now?"

I set the glass back on the floor as I asked. Aria shot me a sharp look.

"It's probably because of the Hero's wish."

"Because of me?"

"Yes. That's the only possibility that makes sense right now."

"But I never made a wish like that."

It was true. I had simply written down the thing I wanted most. Not once — not even for a second — had I thought about bringing her home with her limbs cut off.

"No. You may not have realized it, Hero, but this is your innate desire."

"What? No, that can't be..."

"It is. Knowing the usual state of your heart, I can say so with certainty."

"The state of my heart?"

"That's right, Hero. You often thought about raping an ordinary woman and then killing her, didn't you?"

"...Yeah."

How did she know that?

"And you thought about pulling out their guts and throwing them to the pigs as feed. Didn't you?"

"I did."

"You thought about strangling a child. Tearing apart a dog in the street. Sneering inwardly at the nobles who protected you."

"..."

She was right. I used to have immoral thoughts all the time — raping women, using ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠some old man's organs off the street as a set of drums, things like that.

But still.

"So what? What's the problem? And how did you even know I was thinking that?"

I genuinely didn't see what the issue was. Aria gave a faint, dry laugh.

"The truth is, a great many in the Heavenly Realm opposed making you a Hero."

"...?"

"They chose you anyway because of your will to be good."

"My will?"

People shouldn't hurt other people. That was obvious, wasn't it? There was no way I would do something like that. It didn't even take willpower.

I stared at her blankly. She sighed.

"To spend an entire lifetime overcoming an evil nature with nothing but a shred of effort... that isn't easy. It's a great thing."

It sounded like something a video game character would say.

"So what's your point?"

"What I want to say is..."

"Yeah."

"All I can offer you is an apology."

"...?"

"Your lifelong effort to remain good... I ruined it with a single wish."

"Is that so."

Thinking about it, she wasn't wrong. I was committing an evil against Aria right now. And that was because the Heavenly Realm's system had taken my wish and interpreted it however it pleased, against my will. In that sense, Aria — who formed one of the pillars of that system — was at fault too. She had made a sinner out of me.

"Do you really think I'm a good person?"

"Are you going to treat me like a human toilet and pound me like a sow?"

"..."

The truth was, I wanted to. I wanted to grab her by the hair right then and there and bury my cock in her cunt. I wanted to ignore her as she screamed for me to stop, to shove my fingers into that small mouth and toy with her roughly.

But for some reason, my body wouldn't move.

"You're still wrestling with it, I see. You really are wicked. But you're holding it back."

"I'm sorry."

"No. I'm the one who should be ashamed — having no choice but to expose a woman's naked body like this."

"..."

A naked body. She was wearing nothing but a single thin garment. What was underneath? Those swaying breasts. That plump, yielding cunt. Smooth skin sheened with sweat...

No. Stop.

"Did you oppose me becoming a Hero, Goddess?"

"No. I supported it."

"Why?"

"Because I was the one who recommended you as a candidate in the first place."

"You did? Why me?"

"I told you when we first met, didn't I? That your affinity with the mana of that world surpassed anyone else's."

"That was the reason?"

"...No. It was also because of your nature, Hero."

"..."

"Did that offend you?"

"No. It's not like you were wrong."

I understood. So that was why I had become a Hero. I understood all of it. I really did. And I understood why my wish had sent her to Earth with her limbs severed, too.

"So what do we do now?"

I asked Aria while chewing a piece of bread. A troubled look crossed her face.

"I'm trying to commune with the Heavenly Realm right now... but it isn't going well..."

"Is that so..."

Communing with the Heavenly Realm. Was this what she meant?

A low hum had been resonating through my skull, on and off, since some time ago.

"That sounds a bit dangerous... but I'm sure it'll work out, right?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I asked the question while keeping my true thoughts to myself.

"It might just be because I'm not in the best condition right now..."

Poor condition, my ass.

"Nothing bad will happen if you don't go back, though, right?"

"Well... my seat is vacant, so work will be disrupted, but I have a successor, so I think it should be fine for the time being."

Heh heh. She was grinning, pleased about something or other.

"Is that so. That's a relief."

"A relief... is it..."

"By now they must have realized something's wrong up there. They'll be looking for you."

"I'm sure they will."

"So rest here for a while. You've been working so hard..."

"Doheon..."

"I'm sorry. I think I misunderstood you, Doheon."

"For what?"

"This happened because of me, after all."

Night fell.

Aria was fast asleep on my bed, breathing softly. Resentment or not, I couldn't very well make a woman sleep on the floor. Tear tracks still lingered at the corners of her eyes. I had wiped them away, but she must have cried in secret when I wasn't looking.

"Sleeping pretty comfortably, aren't you..."

The one who had led me into that hell, of all people.

I left the room carefully, so as not to wake her, and looked at the two frames sitting on the table. Black mourning ribbons were draped across them. Inside were photographs of my parents.

"When did you two pass away..."

While I was gone, my parents had searched for me. A thick stack of missing-person flyers sat piled in a corner of the kitchen.

"You must have gone through so much, looking for your son."

I brushed my fingers across the memorial portraits.

"But it's alright now. I'm back."

Yes. I had come back.

"And I'll get revenge for you. Those bastards who put you through hell. I'll torment them until they wish they were dead."

Hours passed. Before I knew it, it was two in the morning. Whether it was thanks to the goddess's authority or not, sleep wouldn't come. I hadn't eaten, either, and I wasn't hungry. But if I didn't sleep, it would look suspicious. I figured I should at least close my eyes for a while.

I stood up from my seat.

And in that instant—

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Ding-dong!

The front door opened.

".....?"

Who was that. At this hour.

There was nothing to be afraid of. I was a Hero, and whoever it was would be small fry. A burglar, most likely. In the other world, killing thieves like that counted as self-defense. I wasn't sure about Earth. I'd just take care of it.

That was the plan, but...

"Who.... is it..?"

In the end, I couldn't drive the knife into her throat.

"Shin... Eunyeong?"

"Oppa?"

The woman I'd shoved against the wall was breathing hard, her eyes locked on mine. She had been my girlfriend.