Ch.244Chapter 244. I’m Back.

A sunlit cabin in the forest.

From the lake situated a short distance away, a gentle breeze began to blow, rustling through the leaves.

Carrying the coolness of the lake, it offered a pleasant refreshment to those facing it.

“Aww, nyaa~”

Perhaps the sensation felt good?

When the baby in her arms burst into laughter, the Goddess of Destruction who was looking down at him sat down on a bench by the lake.

The reason she felt no hesitation in settling there was likely because spending time in this place had become quite familiar to her.

Holding a child in her arms, sitting by the lake, quietly appreciating the scenery…

Even such human-like behavior seemed remarkably natural for her, a foreign deity.

“…Perhaps I’m just talking to myself.”

Yet for some reason, there was a hint of bitterness in the voice that escaped her lips.

“This world had interference from beings like me even before I arrived, which is why there are several variables that even I couldn’t predict… It would be unreasonable to expect everything to go according to my plans.”

The baby began to stare intently at his mother’s face, as if reading her emotions.

She gently stroked his head and continued speaking, her gaze still fixed on the lakeside.

“That’s why I decided to send my avatar down to this planet. My role is to eliminate what shouldn’t exist on the planet… but this world has long since had what should and shouldn’t exist all mixed together.”

Could it be that even she possesses something like maternal instinct?

Though she’s a transcendent being that seems unfathomably distant to humans like me, does she truly feel love for the child she bore with a human?

“If my mission is to eliminate what shouldn’t exist, perhaps destroying this planet would be the easier solution.”

No, the being before me isn’t one that can be understood by human standards in the first place.

What I’m seeing now might be nothing more than an imitation of humanity.

Just as humans regard ants as insignificant, she couldn’t possibly feel human-like love for a child conceived through an avatar that is merely a fragment of her true self.

“But such a solution should be kept as a last resort. That’s why I sent down my avatar directly, to observe this world with my own eyes. To determine what to destroy, when, where, and to what extent…”

The more I listened to her emotionless voice, the stronger this thought became.

That the being before me was incomprehensible as a human, closer to a mechanical entity pursuing only its mission.

“I formed a bond with my current partner for that purpose as well. The clearest standards can be set by none other than an inhabitant living in that world.”

Yes, everything she has done since descending to this land was merely for the purpose of using others.

The partner who whispered love to her, and even the child born from their union.

“And the child born from our union will grow up and conceive a child, just as I have now. And the child born that way, and the descendants born from that child as well…”

This is a story I know too.

That the descendants who inherit her blood will form a clan, and pursue the mission of finding a seeker to prevent the destruction that will come in the distant future.

“The successor who meets the moment when the time comes will become the standard by which to judge this world in my place.”

And at the end, the final descendant who receives the power will be sacrificed for the mission she pursues.

“If a time comes in the distant future when what shouldn’t exist becomes prominent, and one can judge that standard with their own eyes…”

As someone bonded with the person who will become that sacrifice, the truth spoken by the Goddess of Destruction’s own mouth made my anger rise.

No matter if the world might be destroyed if not done, the one who becomes the sacrifice is still a human with the instinct and emotions to want to live.

Even setting aside such objective facts, from the position of someone bonded with her, I couldn’t help but view negatively anything that would drive her to death.

“If such selection ends successfully, I will be able to fully carry out my mission. My blood-descendant will be sacrificed, but by doing so, the order of this world will be restored.”

Yet I felt resentment toward her for speaking of this so calmly before me.

Even more so because she made me choose to give her up, and that mission failed so spectacularly.

“That is why I gave birth to this child. To create a sacrifice who will carry out my responsibility in my place…”

Could she not have anticipated that I would be burning with such hatred at this moment?

Or does she simply not care about the sentiments of a human who is so insignificant compared to herself?

Either way, she was merely expressing her inner thoughts.

“…That’s why I rather hope it fails.”

That a being who could easily destroy the world.

And one who would regard humans as insects would say something I never expected to hear.

“In a future I cannot predict now, I hope that the mission I must pursue fails.”

“Failure, you say…”

“It’s selfish, if anything. When the assigned mission and one’s heart move in opposite directions.”

A question that escaped my lips without realizing.

She dismissed it casually and began to look down at the child who had fallen asleep in her arms.

“But it can’t be helped, can it? Although I came down to this world for judgment… I realized that the small inhabitants living in this small world are beings not so different from us.”

Emotions gradually began to emerge from her impassive gaze.

In those profound eyes, I could sense the same tenderness that Irie had when she looked down at her belly when she was pregnant.

“I simply didn’t know because they were so small. I couldn’t define a place that crumbles and perishes at the touch of a hand, a place regarded as utterly insignificant, as a world where beings like me could live.”

Unlike my initial thought that she was merely imitating humans…

I could now sense emotions that even I could understand from her.

“But even in a small world, if you lower your perspective, you can see what you couldn’t before. It’s just a difference in size; a world that beings like me can understand unfolds in places like this too.”

Yes, the very notion of discussing humanity was a misnomer to begin with.

Even an ant colony, which might seem insignificant to humans, reveals an environment similar to human society if one takes the time to observe it.

If one looks even more closely, one can understand that there are reasons behind their behavior patterns, and that emotions like anger and bonding exist among them.

“A world that I too can understand exists in this small world.”

Similarly, she was someone who had a different perspective from other foreign deities from the beginning.

One who views the world from the same eye level as beings that could easily be broken, and who eventually discovers similarities between them and herself, feeling a sense of kinship… like a scholar who seeks to understand ants from a human perspective.

The reason she could predict the future of even a single inhabitant of this world with near perfection might also mean that she had awakened both understanding and love for them.

“Nevertheless, I must go against my heart. The mission given to me by the one who created me is not something that can be defied by personal stubbornness.”

From the moment I realized this, the voice flowing from her lips began to feel even more bitter.

Because she realized that what she had awakened would be harmful at the time of execution, when she must prioritize her mission.

“So someday, I must bring a blade to this world with my own hands. Directly to the descendant of this child who made me feel the ‘love’ that even I can understand…”

And what unfolds afterward is a future full of variables that even she cannot predict.

In a world that has been manipulated and ruined by foreign deities for their own reasons, even a transcendent being like her cannot be certain that something will definitely happen.

“If the future me who follows such a mission truly fails…”

The words she’s speaking to me now are being conveyed with that time in mind.

The reason her voice remains tinged with bitterness is likely because she anticipates that even failing in her mission will not lead to the outcome she desires.

“The one who gave me my mission will become cautious and issue an order prohibiting interference in this world. After all, anyone who poses even a slight danger to beings like me needs to be watched carefully.”

It’s like a snake appearing before a human trying to manage an ant colony.

If a variable forcibly interferes with the mission, they would prioritize observing it and breaking down its problems before eliminating it.

“The end of such careful observation, when we can interfere with this world again, might be thousands or tens of thousands of years later… a time that would be called history for you.”

The moment I realized this, I felt a shock like my heart dropping.

If beings like her are prohibited from this world, it means we must continue to live in a world heading toward destruction.

“That means beings like you will have to continue living in a world where calamities I couldn’t eliminate still exist.”

An era of chaos where the disasters that Irie and the Crown Prince sought to eliminate through the Age of Nothingness still exist, and there’s no way to suppress them…

Moreover, if we can’t seal the rift even after defeating the Demon Lord, the resulting confusion might be incomparably greater than anything before.

Not knowing what will happen, and thus only a profound fear forms in my mind…

Perhaps more desperate things than anything I’ve experienced await ahead.

“Yet you will not give up.”

But even so, I must move forward.

As that determination began to overcome my fear, she rose from the bench and turned her head precisely toward where I was.

“The fact that you are facing me now means you’ve defeated a being that even I couldn’t suppress. It means you found a reason to live on despite such adversity in this small world.”

The depth visible in her half-opened eyes.

And the gentle smile forming on her lips.

“And if that reason is the same emotion I’m feeling now, then you too are not a being I cannot understand.”

Yes, she was in love.

Even a being called a god could awaken love for an insignificant life cradled in her arms.

“…Please be true to that heart.”

Such love is being conveyed to me through her voice now…

I could vaguely sense that this was not an illusion.

“Even the smallest creature, living in a world it cannot control… still, all who wish to live deserve to be respected.”

The foundation of the advice she’s giving me at this moment.

I could feel that it had the same root as the path I was pursuing.

****

“…Ugh.”

A headache suddenly began to assault me.

As I clutched my head and tried to sit up, I felt an intense pain in my abdomen that made me dizzy.

As if my internal organs were being torn out alive…

Ah, that’s right, I was stabbed in the stomach during the fight with the Demon Lord.

I remember being held by Irie afterward, but I can’t clearly recall what happened after that.

I feel like I had some kind of dream… but what was it? It feels like I’ve forgotten something very important.

“Mr. Hyoseong?”

At that moment, my mind snapped to attention at someone’s call.

Looking in that direction, I saw a woman in pajamas lying next to me on the same bed.

It was a familiar face. The distinctive red hair, and the clear eyes that were now fixed on me.

“Are you really… awake…?”

The woman cautiously asked me.

As if seeing something unbelievable. Her trembling hand reached out toward me, then hesitated as if worried I might break.

“…Yes, I’m awake.”

“Do you… remember me?”

Despite my answer, her unease remained palpable.

Sensing this, I took her outstretched hand and gently brought it to my cheek.

“…Ms. Irie.”

Letting her know that I am here.

And that I remember her name clearly enough to speak it.

“You won’t leave again, will you?”

As I voiced the anxiety stirring within me, tears began to well up in her moist eyes.

“…No, I won’t leave.”

That’s enough.

I am alive, and she has safely returned to my side.

Whatever happens next, that outcome is enough for this battle.

“I’m back, Ms. Irie.”

Realizing this, I greeted her, and Irie smiled through her flowing tears as she replied.

“Yes, I’m…”

“I’m back too, Mr. Hyoseong.”

Despite being separated for a long time.

Despite declaring eternal farewell after our reunion through many twists and turns.

Nevertheless, feeling that our current hearts could grow even stronger because we’ve faced each other again like this.