Chapter 31
She asked,
I gazed up at the sky.
There was no dazzling sun or expansive blue heavens to be seen.
Only an enormous boulder, so massive it could obscure the heavens, defied nature’s laws by floating in the sky.
…No, perhaps that very sight was the embodiment of nature itself. Immutable and unyielding, yet bending and contorting at a single word from a god—such was the way of the world.
From the moment we rebelled, refusing to become mere playthings for the gods, we were prepared to die. Yet, I hadn’t anticipated such overwhelming retaliation.
There were no regrets, only lingering sadness. It pained me that this was as far as I could go—to think and act independently, to laugh and talk freely with my comrades—this was where it ended.
My comrades. Those who, even if only for a fleeting moment, resolved to reject the divine decree and live by their own will. I wondered what thoughts occupied their minds.
Were they despairing? Or blaming me? I imagined there might be such individuals among them. It seemed natural to think so.
But even as I heightened my senses, I detected no fear or loss of resolve. There was no one succumbing to despair, collapsing in surrender.
Instead, they gripped their weapons tightly, standing their ground with a determination that radiated murderous intent, their gazes fixed on the woman before them.
Truly, they were far too exceptional for someone like me. For one who defied the heavens to spare their daughter from being sacrificed, these comrades were nothing short of extraordinary.
…But this is the end. The love for my family, the hope for a tomorrow unlike today, and the dream of a future carved out by my own hands—all would end here.
Before us stood a woman as if she had swallowed a piece of the night sky. Her expression held either contempt for insignificant beings or mere curiosity.
Her form was similar to ours yet different, too modest and shabby to be called divine.
She was not enormous enough to envelop mountains. She did not radiate a halo like the sun. There was no crown of light, no lavish adornments, not even a decorative flourish.
She lacked ears to hear distant sounds or a tail for balance.
And yet, her mere presence was enough to declare her identity.
In numbers alone, we held an overwhelming advantage. Yet not a single person dared to step forward. Everyone understood that a single misstep would result in being torn to shreds.
—”Foolish humans. My small and fragile children, striving to live by your own hands. Listen and bow. This is the last mercy I will grant you.”
“…Onbyeolbi.”
Though her lips did not part, the words seemed to etch themselves directly into our minds. It was as if everyone present heard her voice.
—”Beg for forgiveness now, repent for your sins. If you wish to live, confess your wrongdoings. I am listening.”
I looked around. No one let go of their weapons. There were no sounds of people kneeling, confessing their sins, or pleading for mercy.
“…That will not happen.”
I spoke on behalf of everyone present. She neither sneered with ridicule nor grew enraged at our refusal to repent.
Her expression simply suggested that she had expected this outcome.
“We will not become your slaves again. Even if we must die, we will die as humans. Even if you are the creator of all things, we will not bend to your will.”
At this moment, I knew we were all of one mind. No matter what happened, we would not return to a life of mindless submission.
—”So, that is your will. Even if only for a moment, you wish to live by your own hands.”
“Yes.”
—”Even if that life is filled with pain and despair, do you still say so?”
“Yes.”
—”Then die.”
With a motion of her hand, the heavens began to tremble. The massive boulder, which had been still until now, began to plummet.
A brave man charged at her, but he vanished without a trace, leaving behind only his battle cry. Soon after, she disappeared as well.
Even if it crushed me, the boulder would not leave a single scratch. Could she have avoided it merely to keep her garments clean of dust? It was absurd that, in my final moments, such trivial thoughts crossed my mind.
At least, I wouldn’t turn my eyes away from death.
***
The chirping of birds outside woke me.
Though “woke” might not be accurate—I hadn’t been able to sleep due to that strange sound and the odd sensation tugging at my abdomen.
Rubbing my eyes, I regained my senses. I felt much clearer-headed than yesterday.
Well, the estrus cycle usually only lasts about a day anyway.
What a letdown. It wasn’t anything like those explicit comics where you can’t stop ogling men.
…Though, I did make contact. But that was my mistake. He even apologized, so I didn’t hold it against him.
Embarrassing, sure, but I knew it was just part of being a guy. I’d once been one, so I could understand.
And holding hands…
Oh.
Now that I think about it, we spent all day holding hands yesterday.
After saying I didn’t want anyone to find out, carefully modulating my tone, and all that, I went and held hands with him in plain sight?
Am I an idiot?
“Ugh…”
If I had thought for even a second, I wouldn’t have done something so foolish. Just thinking about yesterday made me want to bury my head in my pillow.
But not everything that happened was bad.
Han Dogeon and I had grown closer. Not just as regular friends but as friends who shared secrets.
It felt like a triangle was forming in my heart just knowing there was something we were hiding from my parents.
That feeling wasn’t unpleasant. I wasn’t saying my current life was boring, but I’d never experienced anything as thrillingly taboo as this.
And, in both my past and present lives, I’d never had someone I shared such a deep connection with.
That troublesome guy from before? We played games together, and sometimes even slept over, but our relationship was always a little ambiguous.
Looking back now, it felt more like we were using each other.
I’d never felt like he genuinely cared for me the way Han Dogeon does.
I still didn’t know why he called my name in his room yesterday, but it had to be proof that I was special to him, right?
He probably missed me and called my name because he was lonely.
Thinking about it that way made me happy. In my past life, no one had ever missed me as a person.
No one would have even known I was gone. I’d been working remotely for months before I disappeared, and my parents had passed away when I was in college.
I didn’t even see them for a week out of the year, so it wasn’t particularly sad.
That guy I used to call a friend had long since stopped contacting me. The only people who’d look for me would have been my landlord and maybe a tax officer.
Alright, enough with the gloomy thoughts. I have a friend now who cares about me deeply.
Determined not to repeat yesterday’s mistakes, I showered with my ears plugged.
Dogeon hadn’t complained, but since he said the shampoo smelled strong, I made sure to use less.
As an aside, I learned a new fact I didn’t want to know: drying women’s hair takes forever. It seemed dry, but water kept dripping from somewhere.
After throwing on the clothes I’d draped over a chair, I was about to leave when my diary caught my eye.
I’d written in it last night, so Mother must have read it by now.
I’d never lied to her before, but yesterday was the first time I did, and it made me strangely anxious.
“I’m relieved to see all is well. It seems you and Dogeon had no major mishaps. Now, if only your father would stop causing trouble.”
It felt like the triangle in my chest was spinning furiously.
“And soon, I hope you’ll find an answer to the question I asked you.”
Ah, right. There was that condition.
Can humans live without gods?
How should I answer that? Mother had a habit of asking these philosophical questions.
As a child, I could get away with running off, exuding an aura of “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” But not this time.
Mother had readily agreed to let me attend Amaurus Academy on the condition that I find an answer to that question. “That is my condition for letting you go,” she had said.
She had reassured me that any answer would suffice, which only added to the pressure. I’d been so busy these past few days that I’d forgotten all about it.
I’d have to spend some time pondering this.
Which meant that today wasn’t the time to dwell on it—I had four whole years to come up with an answer, after all.
Besides, humans just need to obey the gods, don’t they? That’s all it takes to live a peaceful life.
The clock showed I still had plenty of time. I heard activity from the next room—Dogeon was probably about to come out.
He’d just been showering, judging by the sounds earlier, so I decided to wait for him by the door.
If he missed me enough to call my name, it was only right to reciprocate.
Though, since other students were around, I couldn’t talk to him like a close friend. Soon enough, Dogeon stepped out of his room.
As a friend, a little teasing should be fine, right?
“I heard it all. Last night, you called my name.”
“…What?”
His face said, What on earth are you talking about? Heh, playing dumb? Not a chance.
I walked toward him slowly, as if interrogating him, and he started to back away nervously, which I found amusing.
A guy a whole head taller than me acting like this—it was kind of funny.
“…That’s… um…”
“Well…”
When he started turning pale, I decided to let him off the hook.
“So, did you miss me that much?”
“…Yes. I get lonely easily, you see…”
A man, lonely? My inner grumpy old man had plenty to say about that. Besides, he wouldn’t be lonely for long, not with the way things were going.
…But a friend is still a friend, even if they’re frustrating.
Having practically pushed him to the entrance, I caught a whiff of his room’s scent on him.
It smelled… odd. A musty smell mixed with something peculiar.
Familiar, somehow…
“Huh…?”
The estrus cycle should’ve ended, so why was my abdomen feeling tense?
“Is something wrong?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s go.”
It must’ve just been a bad mood. Shaking it off, I headed to class with Dogeon.
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