—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Not long after I began this damned cycle of reincarnation.
After the life where I froze to death as a slave.
A time when I desperately resented and simultaneously yearned for God.
I visited every church nearby, confessing my sins, seeking solace in prayer rooms.
I fasted for three days straight until the nuns dragged me out. A priest once left me alone, tired of listening to my endless litany of trivial sins.
I apologize to them now, but back then, I was desperate.
I chanted prayers thousands, tens of thousands of times.
Thinking my faith was lacking, I even made hefty donations.
But the cycle continued, mocking my efforts. My prayers, it seemed, went unheard.
So I stopped praying.
When I needed God most, everything else was there—demons, humans, animals, nature—everything but God.
And now?
The Goddess stood before me.
“…Should I pray…?”
[…What?]
“…?”
The two women stared at me, startled by my unintentional muttering.
I tugged at my collar, trying to avoid their gaze.
“Anyway… where is she?”
[Sh… she…?]
“Luna.”
Her lips pressed tightly together, refusing to answer.
I grabbed her lips, forcing them open, pulling her closer.
“Answer me.”
[Mmphh…]
“…I still don’t like you…”
My voice grew slower, the pressure on her lips increasing.
Her soft lips compressed under my grip.
“But I’m letting you off easy for now… because there’s someone else I need to deal with more urgently.”
[Mmph… mmph…]
“Don’t even think about stopping me. Just because you’re her sister doesn’t mean I won’t kill you if you try to protect her…”
[….!]
Her expression shifted to one of disbelief, as if asking ‘How did you know?’
A mocking smile spread across my face.
“Your name is Solra (Solar), the Sun. And hers is Luna.”
[….]
“And in that story, the Sun was the Moon’s older sister. Anyone could figure that out.”
[….]
“Last time. Where is she?”
I released her lips. She gently touched her swollen mouth, avoiding my gaze as she spoke.
[…I… don’t know…]
“…What?!”
[I-It’s true!]
Thinking I’d misheard, I glared at her, but her frightened voice repeated the same answer.
[Gods… operate under a law of causality…]
“…”
[I can’t explain it precisely… but if we expend too much karmic energy, we cease to exist.]
“…”
[And… she consumed so much karmic energy… just to bring you to this world… that she fell into a deep slumber.]
A being like a god, experiencing something akin to annihilation just to bring me here?
I wasn’t sure if I should feel grateful or resentful.
[And now… she’ll try to possess your body to resurrect herself…]
“…”
[W-What… is this hand for?]
My hand was outstretched before her. She looked at my palm, then raised her gaze to my face.
Isn’t it obvious?
“Hand it over.”
[W-What…?]
“I prayed to the gods countless times. Even when those around me told me to stop, I persisted.”
[That… was different…]
“So isn’t it your turn to give something back?”
She stammered, “Ah… uh…”, looking like she wanted to argue again.
“You’ve given me nothing.”
[….]
“You knew my circumstances, yet you deliberately ignored me. For your own gain.”
[….]
“And the cause of all this is your sister.”
I finished, looking at her expectantly, as if asking, ‘Isn’t that right?’
She lowered her head again, muttering softly, asking what I wanted.
I smirked and answered.
“Give me anything that will help me become stronger.”
[Wha-What?]
“I want to be strong enough to kill her. And to do that quickly, I need your help.”
[….]
“So, hand it over.”
Naturally, she seemed hesitant. Who would willingly help someone kill their own family?
Even if the family member had committed heinous crimes, most people would still protect them.
But I held the upper hand here.
“I’ll make you a deal.”
[…?]
“Help me now, and I won’t kill her.”
[….!]
“R-Really?”
Her head snapped up, along with Michael’s, who had been kneeling beside her.
Hope flickered in their eyes, and a faint smile even touched the Goddess’s lips.
“You know my personality. I fully intend to kill her eventually.”
[….]
“No matter how many times this cycle repeats, I won’t give up on killing her.”
[….]
“So, choose.”
Would she choose the option that guaranteed her sister’s survival, at least for now?
Or would she gamble her sister’s life on an uncertain future?
As I expected, she was deeply conflicted.
A human who would casually mutilate a god’s body couldn’t be sane.
At the same time, the thought ‘What if he actually does it?’ must have been running through her mind.
Finally, she spoke.
[Her wrongdoings… even I cannot excuse them…]
“I keep my promises.”
[…Very well.]
She immediately began creating something in her hands.
Blue, green, and white light swirled and merged, forming a thin, triangular plate.
More plates formed.
They assembled.
They intertwined.
The process continued until a complex, multi-faceted shape, an icosahedron, rested in her palm.
She pressed the faintly glowing blue icosahedron against my chest, and it slowly sank into my body, merging with me as naturally as a drop of water joining a river.
Then, my head exploded with information.
“Ah… ugh… what is this…!”
[C-Calm down… you’re just adapting…]
As she said, the blinding headache began to subside after a moment, but a dull throb remained. I ignored it and asked her what it was.
[Uh… well… in your world… they call this a… status window…?]
“….?”
[Strictly speaking… it’s different, though…]
‘Status window…?’
As if reading my thoughts, a translucent screen appeared before me, obscuring the Goddess. Just like the ones in the fantasy novels I used to read.
≪ Jenison ≫
Race: Human
Title: Vessel for ■■’s Resurrection
Stamina: 52 (38+14)
Strength: 46 (40+6)
Intelligence: 87 (67+21)
Charisma: 71
Mana: 67 (60+7)
Traits: Alchemist’s Blessing, Hand of Creation, #@◎#■..
“…What is this?”
[It quantifies the strength of humans.]
“…”
[Are you… not satisfied…?]
Satisfied…?
Honestly, no.
Couldn’t she have given me a powerful weapon I could use immediately? Or taught me divine magic?
What good was knowing other people’s stats?
My disappointment must have shown on my face because the Goddess started fidgeting nervously.
[I’m… sorry… but if I helped you further, the karmic law…]
“…Is even that dangerous?”
[If it were someone from our world, perhaps not… but you’re from a completely different dimension… I can’t interfere easily…]
That made sense.
I’d wondered why she hadn’t stopped my rather disrespectful behavior earlier. She might claim guilt, but even Michael hadn’t been able to restrain me. So that was the reason.
Considering this was likely the best she could do, I moved on to my next question.
“…These unreadable characters—”
Before I could finish, my body began to turn transparent. My mana, the mana I’d poured into the chalice symbol, must be running out.
As my consciousness faded, I saw the Goddess’s lips move, forming the same word I’d seen before I arrived here.
‘Tranquiel… Happiness… to you…’
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“—!!”
“—you?”
My eyes snapped open to a blinding light.
Three faces hovered above me.
The Saintesd and two paladins.
“He’s awake, Saint.”
“…Did you cause any trouble?”
The first thing she asked was if I’d been disrespectful to the Goddess.
Typical Saint.
I mumbled a noncommittal answer, and she stood up, seemingly satisfied. The paladins followed suit.
“Ah… and you’ll need to visit the church soon.”
“…?”
“The Pope wishes to see you about the mark on your forehead.”
The Pope. The leader of the church, the one who carried out God’s will. Rumored to be a cunning old fox.
Of course, no sane person would say that out loud, but that was his reputation.
Someone like that wanting to see me… it couldn’t be for purely benevolent reasons.
The Saint paused at the door and turned back.
“…You really didn’t cause any trouble, did you?”
“…”
“…Why aren’t you answering?”
“…”
“You, come here for a moment.”
It seemed my recovery would take a little longer than expected.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
