Chapter 34

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I need to calm down. In the empty room, I let the tension leave my body.

I took a deep breath and exhaled repeatedly. But the face of Rust—no, the face of that young man I had only met once—kept flashing through my mind.

No matter how hard I tried, the memories I had sealed away were being brought back.

The memories of when I, as Makoto, died... and what happened after. They were so vivid.

Tazawa Makoto. The cause of my death in my previous life was an unfortunate accident.

I had been looking forward to the release of the new volume of *The Virtuous King*, which was just a few days away.

The new volume that would finally delve into the core of the Tahren arc. Of course, I had to buy it on the day of release!

On my way back from school, which I attended every weekday.

I was just waiting for the signal to turn green at a crosswalk.

The only other pedestrian waiting was a young man who looked like a college student.

But suddenly, he clutched his chest in agony and started staggering toward the crosswalk... and then he collapsed.

Just then—a minivan came speeding down the road. The driver, trying to avoid the fallen man, swerved toward the sidewalk.

If only the minivan had swerved a little more.

If only I hadn't been standing there, stunned by what was happening right in front of me.

But unfortunately, I was standing right in the path of the minivan.

The approaching minivan. That was the last thing I remembered from my life in Japan.

If that was all there was, it would have been just a fatal accident, and I wouldn't have been reborn with Makoto's memories.

I am Octavia now because of what happened next.

Because I met him.

The next memory was of an unknown place.

A starry sky. Around me, stars of various colors and brightnesses were shining.

The ground was invisible, yet I didn't fall.

...Where am I?

—Am I still alive? If so, I need to go back. If the police call my parents and tell them their daughter was in a car accident, they'll be so worried. I need to let them know I'm okay.

But no matter how far I walked, I didn't feel like I was making any progress. ...There was a direction that felt incredibly unpleasant, and I kept walking away from it. Suddenly, he appeared. It was as if he had defied the laws of physics.

"You... Oh, I see."

He looked a bit older than me, maybe in his early to mid-twenties. He was wearing white clothes, but it looked more like a costume.

He had hair so blond it was almost blinding, and amber-colored eyes. When he saw me, he let out a voice of understanding.

I didn't know him at all, but he seemed to know me.

He had a well-defined face, almost like a doll.

Despite my thoughts, he continued in a friendly manner.

"You had bad luck, didn't you?"

"Bad luck...?"

"Something that can't be avoided no matter how careful a human is. When such a thing happens, something always intervenes. Isn't that what humans call luck? Whether you had luck or not. We can't predict luck either. —That's why you died."

...I died. I was stunned when he pointed out something I had known deep down but hadn't fully acknowledged.

I had still been hoping it was just a bad dream.

Because I was still conscious, talking to this unknown young man.

"Because of bad luck, I died...?"

"More accurately, you had bad luck because you were caught up in something."

"Caught up...?"

In the accident?

—I vividly remembered the moment I was hit by the car that had come speeding toward me.

Right, I couldn't have survived that.

I finally realized it wasn't a dream. I had died.

So, is this the afterlife?

The starry sky was beautiful, but the scenery stretched endlessly with no end in sight.

"Do you remember the young man who caused you to be hit? The one who collapsed?"

"I... remember..."

"That man wasn't supposed to die. But one of my... what's the word... a comrade? A comrade killed him. If that hadn't happened, you would have crossed the crosswalk without any problems. So, you had bad luck."

"Killed...?"

Why?

"Curiosity, maybe? The desire to solve a mystery. You have that, don't you?"

"...I don't understand at all."

There's no connection between solving a mystery and killing someone. But the young man shrugged.

"Humans conduct various experiments using mice, right? For us, those mice are humans. We kill mice for experiments. We kill humans for experiments. ...Isn't it the same?"

"...Am I one of those mice?"

So, was I killed?

"No."

The young man shook his head with a smile.

"I didn't want to summon you. The young man who died before you. He lived off his parents, didn't help with housework, and blamed society for his lack of talent and ability. He was a NEET. No one would mourn his death. In fact, his parents and younger brother are genuinely happy."

"Then! What does that have to do with me!"

"—Would such a person really change if given a different environment? We believe that such people are fundamentally flawed at the soul level. But we want to believe in the possibility. We want to see if they can defy our expectations. They seemed to want a new life. The man who died also wished to escape his current life, have adventures in another world, and level up. That kind of desire."

—That's why my comrade forcibly summoned him.

Even after hearing that, I still didn't understand.

"I didn't wish for that...!"

"Yes, you didn't wish for it, and you didn't deserve to be summoned. Your family and friends would be sad if you died. You are not someone who can be easily replaced. You are irreplaceable to the people around you."

"Then...!"

"But you're not someone whose loss would significantly impact the world. It's a pity you died. As I said, you had bad luck."

"Bad luck...! It's your fault! Bring me back to life!"

I didn't know what kind of person the young man's comrade was, but it didn't matter to me. I was just caught up in it. If so, please return me to my original life.

"...Why?"

The young man tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.

"Maybe you should accept it gracefully."

"But I was just a victim!"

I didn't do anything wrong.

To my inner cry,

"Yes, you're right."

The young man nodded in agreement and smiled softly, but his next words were the opposite of his smile.

"But I don't feel the need to go to such lengths. I didn't kill the NEET, so I'm not responsible for your death. Right?"

"Even so! Aren't you a god?"

"Maybe, in your terms..."

"If you're not responsible, then the god himself should!"

"—That's not possible."

"Why not!"

"Would you think, 'Oh no! What a terrible thing I've done! I need to bring it back to life!' if you accidentally stepped on a bug with your shoe?"

"—A bug?"

"Maybe that's a bad example. Humans can't bring life back. Would you think, 'Oh no! What a terrible thing I've done! I need to treat it!'?"

—A bug?

"...I wouldn't think that."

But!

"At most, you might say, 'Sorry,' right? Or maybe you'd think the bug deserved it because it might have dirtied your shoe or felt unpleasant."

"...Am I like a bug?"

"You can think of a dog or a cat if you prefer. If a dog or a cat is hit by a car, some people might take it to a vet, while others might ignore it. ...Yeah. Let me correct that. If you had met someone else instead of me, you might have been brought back to life. There are some who are full of compassion."

"Please let me meet that god! I beg you!"

"But meeting the comrade who killed the NEET would be worse. Just meeting me is a form of salvation. The world they send people to is harsh. You're lucky you didn't go there immediately. Look over there."

The young man pointed in the direction that felt unpleasant.

"Harsh...?"

Killed and then reborn in such a place?

"Because we want to see the potential of humans. It wouldn't make sense to let them be reborn in a world that's more convenient and kinder than their original one. Unfortunately, no one has shown potential so far."

The young man said this casually.

"...What happened to those people?"

"The humans who were killed in this world and forcibly reborn in another world?"

I nodded.

"They died before reaching the end of their natural lifespan in the other world and disappeared."

"Disappeared...?"

"If someone who doesn't matter in this world is sent to another world and dies without leaving a trace, it's pointless to bring them back to life. So, their souls are completely erased. It's fine; no one is affected. We choose such people. But you—"

The young man frowned, as if troubled, while saying these terrifying things.

"Well, you don't fit that condition... I can't bring you back to life as you were, but since we're talking..."

The young man clapped his hands, as if he had a good idea.

"Right. I can let you be reborn as someone else. You'll retain your memories and personality as Makoto. It won't be much trouble for me. The only thing you might dislike is losing your personality, right?"

"...Huh?"

"But I can let you be reborn in the world of the fiction you were obsessed with—*The Virtuous King*. You wanted to meet Sir Sil, didn't you? You were thinking about the book right before you died. This way, it's easier and more fun."

I didn't even wonder how he knew all that.

"That was just a wish! Of course, I want Serius to become king and be happy with Sir Sil! I was just looking forward to the new volume because it was coming out soon!"

"Hmm... Even though I made a concession. So, you want to go to the harsh world? If I don't help, you'll be automatically drawn there no matter how much you resist. You're a soul with nowhere to go."

"No, no way!"

"Right, right."

"—So, I have to choose between the harsh world or the world of *The Virtuous King*?"

"Yes."

"Can I be reborn as a villager in the world of *The Virtuous King*?"

"I'll do you a favor. I'll make you one of the characters in the book. What about the gender? A girl or a boy?"

"If I'm a character... what happens to the original character?"

"Nothing, really? Because the world of *The Virtuous King* doesn't exist yet. No one can take something from nothing."

"That's a bit confusing..."

The young man explained as if talking to a child.

"Of course, the world of a story doesn't exist until I create it."

Create a world?

"Wouldn't it be easier to just bring me back to life?"

"No, creating a new world is much easier. Modifying an existing world is much more difficult. Even for a single human life. Taking a life is easy, but it's well-designed."

The young man laughed, sounding both amused and cold.

"Creating something from scratch is much easier. Even a world. So, don't worry. I'm not killing the character you'll become. You should be grateful. Thanks to you, a new world, a new god, countless lives, and a new history will be born. Your soul will be integrated into it. You'll become the character."

"I can't be grateful for that."

Why does it have to be something so grand?

"Really? That's a problem... You were a soul that wasn't supposed to be lost. That's why you're in limbo."

"So, at least, I want to be reborn in Japan, even without my memories!"

But my wish was easily denied.

"Even if you say that, there's no place for you. The cycle of souls is strictly regulated. Even if you die now, you can't use the slot set for your future cycle. It's easy to adjust for unexpected disappearances, but the cycle afterward... In your case, since you're lost, you'll be quickly sent to a nearby world. That would be the harsh world where my comrade conducts experiments. The same place the NEET went to just before you died."

"You can't bring me back to life in Japan, then..."

I hung my head, but the next moment, I couldn't believe my ears.

"No, I can bring you back as you were. I can rewind time and make your accident never happen. —It's possible for me."

The young man smiled.

"Huh?"

"But it's incredibly difficult. Unless you were a brilliant soul destined to solve Earth's problems and died by mistake, I don't want to go through that trouble. You're not a soul beyond redemption, but you're not particularly attractive to us either. You're just an average soul. Is it worth the trouble for such a soul? You would do the same if you were in my position."

"No, no, no! If it's possible...!"

"Then, another analogy. Imagine you find a stray cat hit by a car on the street. It's not dead yet. You can save it if you take it to a vet, but it will cost ten million yen. It's a huge amount, and it's a certainty. Would you save the stray cat?"

"That's too extreme!"

It's a terrible analogy. It's impossible. I can't come up with ten million yen.

But the young man laughed at my objection.

"Why not? It's ten million yen, but there are ways to earn it if you don't care about the means. You could rob someone. Or work... If you want to pay quickly, you could borrow money. You could ask your parents, relatives, and friends. You might be able to gather the money. Of course, you'd have to pay back the debt. It's the effort you should bear to save the stray cat. If you really want to save it, you can. There are ways. It's not impossible."

"..."

"—But would you do that much for a stray cat you found by chance? Would you feel motivated to do it?"

...Probably not.

I hung my head.

In the analogy, the stray cat was me, and the one who found it was the young man.

"Do you understand? Bringing you back to life in Japan as you were would be like paying ten million yen for me. But I do feel sorry for you."

"...What do you mean?"

I looked up.

"Like moving the stray cat to the side of the road so it won't be hit again, or giving it water before it dies. I might even give it some delicious food. I could take it to a vet and pay for a thousand yen worth of treatment. That's the level of kindness I can offer."

—In other words, that's all the value I have.

"That's why the compromise I offered earlier is for an average soul like you. I can create the world of *The Virtuous King* and let you be reborn there. It's easier, and I'll let you keep your memories. It's what you want, right? ...Although, I think it's easier not to have memories from before you were born."

I shook my head. I couldn't think of it that way. I didn't want to forget my eighteen years.

It was the only thing I had left.

"—Or, how about just disappearing? Accepting that your death was fate might not be so bad. If you accept it, you won't suffer. It might be beautiful, fitting for your soul."

What should I do?

Disappear gracefully? Accept that my death was fate? I can't do that.

I can't accept it.

If I can't go back, at least I don't want to lose the consciousness of "Tazawa Makoto."

I wanted to be myself.

"—I'll be reborn in the world of *The Virtuous King*."

At least, it's more familiar than an unknown world.

"Understood. Congratulations. A new world was just born. It's already started its history, beyond my control. But I filled in the gaps with my own interpretation because there wasn't enough information."

"...Not enough information?"

"You want Serius to become king and be with Sil Burke, right?"

"*The Virtuous King* is their story..."

—That's the usual ending, right?

As a reader, that's what you hope for.

A story where they part ways or Serius gives up his inheritance is a bad ending.

"Right. I'm glad I filled in the gaps for you. I reviewed the content of *The Virtuous King* to understand how the royal family survived and the culture. There are many things not written. The country of Es