episode_0118

A goddess is a being who protects all the big and small worlds that exist.

Their job was to see if the world was going according to its providence, and to correct it if it wasn’t.

It was therefore natural to hear the impression that the goddesses were somewhat cynical.

To them, everything in the world is like water that must flow in a certain direction or objects in a room that must be neatly arranged.

For that reason, human birth or death could not give the goddess any emotional stimulation.

But Elia was different.

This curious young goddess was particularly interested in humans.

Because among the countless beings in the countless worlds, it is the one that most resembles me.

It was for the same reason that she looked into the human world through the mirror of the goddess whenever she had the chance.

Then one day, an incident occurred.

Elia saved a human who was destined to die.

This was quite a serious matter, as all beings must face birth and death according to their own predetermined fate, and the rumor quickly spread among the goddesses and reached the Goddess of Fate.

The goddesses took this incident very seriously, and some of them insisted that Elia should be severely punished for shaking the foundations of the goddess world’s laws.

There was no guarantee that Elia would not do it again, and the intensity of her actions could escalate, so a definitive response was required.

Moirai couldn’t help but be troubled.

The severe punishment they speak of is erasing the very existence of the target.

It was just that Elia had a kind heart and could not ignore the screams of a human, but it was a cruel punishment to inflict on a young goddess who had barely been born for over two hundred years.

However, she could not ignore the grievances of the other goddesses, and she could not ignore her responsibility as the goddess of fate.

In the end, he convinced the goddesses to not erase Elia’s existence, and instead punish her by sending her to the human world for a while.

It was with the hope that he would experience the discomfort of being human and repent for his mistakes.

So Elia became a young human.

If we apply her consciousness to a human, she is already an adult, but the time she has existed has only been ten years by human standards.

Naturally, Elia’s life, thrown alone into the human world, was difficult.

What can a ten-year-old child without a family do in human society?

An old woman took pity on her and took her in, but because the old woman was not well off, there was nothing she could do for her other than provide her with a place to stay.

It wasn’t just hunger and cold that made Elia suffer.

Bullying by peers where there is no established standard of good and evil.

Adults’ wary gaze toward children of unknown origins.

Countless evil forces kept trying to break Elia’s will.

Yet she still did not hate all humans.

When I watched them as a goddess, there were definitely many people who had warm hearts.

The old woman who took her in was proof of that.

But the unfriendliness of human society gradually tired Elia’s heart.

As the hardships continued, she also began to wonder if her thoughts were wrong.

Human Elia met young Do-Hyeon.

—

I looked at the goddess with a blank expression.

Because when Moirai asked me to tell them what had happened, the story that came out of the goddess’ mouth was so unexpected.

“That girl was a goddess back then?”

“… Yes.”

The goddess nods, but still can’t believe it.

The girl who was bullied by the neighborhood kids in elementary school turned out to be a goddess.

“But he was a boy. And he had short hair, right? … Huh?”

Suddenly my head feels confused.

Was it really a boy in the first place?

Come to think of it, I don’t remember ever hearing that child’s name, or even whether he or she was a boy or a girl.

Did I judge her arbitrarily when I was young just by looking at her short hair?

“My hair… The old man who took me in at the time cut it with trembling hands.”

“No, then really that kid… .”

I trailed off in confusion, and the goddess spoke as if to make both me and the Moirai listen.

“When Do-hyun was young, he always spent time with me when he heard that I had no family or friends. He took me home, gave me food, and even let me sleep so that I wouldn’t be lonely. If Do-hyun hadn’t taken pity on me, I wouldn’t have been able to endure my human life.”

As he said, I was with that kid all day long.

But there is one thing she is mistaken about.

I didn’t hang out with the young goddess simply because I felt sorry for her.

She never once cursed those who harmed her.

I tried to understand the behavior of neighborhood kids who bully and ostracize them, thinking that it was because they were still immature, and I also tried to understand the indifferent attitudes of adults, thinking that they must have their own circumstances.

That look really struck me as mature and cool.

I should say that she seemed to transcend petty emotions, but I admired that kind of inner strength and became close with her when she was young.

“The time I spent as a human was short, but the kindness of the old man who took me in and Dohyun made my love for humanity stronger. I also wanted to prevent such good people from dying unjustly.”

I never imagined that when I was young, I would have influenced the goddess’s values.

Moirai, who was as surprised as I was, had a look of despair on her face.

“I hoped that you would be thankful for being born as a goddess while experiencing the human world, and that you would repent your mistakes… .”

“… .”

“This is really the end. Are you really not going to change your mind?”

“Yes. Just like the old man and Dohyun did back then, I will help powerless people without hesitation if I see them.”

“Then there is nothing I can do. As punishment, I have no choice but to confine you to the void space forever.”

I don’t know what the space of nothingness is, but just hearing the name sounds ominous.

I couldn’t just let it go, being locked in a place like that forever.

“Wait a minute! What does the space of nothingness mean?”

“It is a space where literally nothing exists and only emptiness is filled. Being able to exist for a lifetime is a great blessing for the goddess, but if you go there, it feels like a curse rather than a blessing.”

“You’re going to lock me up in that place forever? That’s too much!”

Moirai tried to remain firm, as if she had no other choice.

“I know that too. However, Elia has already sinned once and been punished. The price for not repenting will be heavy. I may be able to get away with saving humans so far because I have relied on my power, but the bond between the goddess and the human being will never be turned a blind eye.”

“That, that was to save people too!”

“Moreover, that child refused leniency and even showed his intention to reoffend. I am responsible for the fate of all beings in the world. I must make a judgment appropriate to that position.”

“… .”

“When the other goddesses heard that Elia had communicated with humans, they appealed that Elia’s existence should be erased. I did not want that, so I compromised by confining her in the void.”

Moirai’s voice, which had been pouring out without hesitation, became heavy and heavy.

“… I wish I wasn’t the goddess of fate. I’m sorry I can only do this much for you, Elia.”

“Mother of Destiny, your mercy will never be forgotten for the rest of my life.”

The goddess bows her head as if she has already finished preparing herself mentally.

Moirai closed her eyes tightly in regret, perhaps hoping that she would change her mind until the very end.

“… Yes. It may be difficult, but I hope you find peace there.”

It seemed like everything was coming to an end, but I just couldn’t accept it.

“Goddess! Please don’t do that! Please admit your mistake now!”

“No. I was destined to become like this one day.”

“Goddess, please!”

“Dohyun, thank you so much for everything. And I’m sorry.”

No matter how much you talk, the goddess’s thoughts do not change.

Even if it really ends like this, does she not feel wronged at all?

If you love me, will you never see the person you love again?

My heart feels like it’s going to burst from frustration and disappointment, but the goddess’s expression remains indifferent.

But I didn’t want to give up, and was about to open my mouth again.

A mirror appeared in front of Moirai, and she began to converse with it.

“… What? Elia?”

After a while, the mirror disappeared, and Moirai, who seemed surprised, closed her eyes tightly.

At first glance, the atmosphere seemed ominous, so I quietly asked the goddess.

“What are you doing now? You’re not moving.”

“I can’t hear you either, but it seems like you’re talking to other goddesses.”

What are we talking about all of a sudden?

Since the name Elia came up, I think it’s talking about the current situation.

We waited with tension and fear, and after a while, Moirai’s eyes opened again.

“… Elia. I just spoke with the other goddesses. It seems you have been preventing the causal imbalance from worsening. ”

“What are you talking about… .”

“Actually, an imbalance in causality was observed on the Earth you were on. The other goddesses and I in charge of causality didn’t have time to look into Earth, so we discovered it late.”

I don’t know what you’re talking about, maybe because I’m human.

Still, I thought it was a good story for us, so I quietly listened to the conversation between the two goddesses.

“It seems that the imbalance of causality has manifested itself on Earth in the form of ‘accidents caused by the malice of several humans’. Thanks to you preventing quite a few of those accidents, the worsening of the imbalance has been delayed for a considerable period of time.”

“… .”

“Earth is a small world, but if the balance of causality were completely broken and disappeared, it would affect other worlds. Elia, if you weren’t here, Earth’s causality might have collapsed to the point where we couldn’t do anything.”

So, are you saying that accidents that go against the natural order of things kept happening on Earth, and that the goddess unintentionally prevented them?

If that’s the case, then it’s not a bad story for the goddess at all.

“Then will you forgive the goddess?!”

Although my sudden question was unpleasant, Moirai answered nonchalantly.

“No forgiveness. But it is possible to lower the level of punishment. I just reached an agreement with the other administrators about that. ”

“Oh, what happened?!”

I know my behavior is rude, but I can’t just sit still.

The few seconds I waited for Moirai’s lips to open again felt like minutes, curious about the outcome.

The answer I finally heard was unexpected for both me and the goddess.

“Instead of being trapped in the void forever, Elia will now lose her position as a goddess and live as a human.”

“Human…?”

The goddess asks with wide eyes.

Moirai’s voice, meeting those eyes, was weak and drooping.

“I tried to convince others somehow, but this is the limit. Elia, I’m really sorry.”

“I, I am human… .”

A goddess looking down at the ground and muttering.

Soon clear tears flowed from her eyes.