Hyakin clung to the Chief God’s leg like a rabid dog and refused to let go — but what was done could not be undone.
It was only after a prolonged back-and-forth struggle that Hyakin was finally able to have a proper conversation with the Chief God.
“So…… once a revelation has been given, not even God can take it back?”
— That is correct.
“What kind of daylight robbery is this?”
After grumbling for quite a while inside the dream, Hyakin stopped his theatrical sobbing and narrowed his eyes at the Chief God.
“But you’re a god — the Chief God, no less. Foresight must come as a passive skill for you, right?”
— ……
“Look me in the eye and answer me. Did you know in advance what would happen to ‘Hyakin’ once he became a Hero and set out to subjugate the Demon King…… and chose me as the Saint anyway?”
— Ah, ahem.
“Damn it. The way you’re dodging the question, I can tell that’s a yes.”
A torrent of foul language that was unfit for polite ears poured from Hyakin’s mouth.
“Are you out of your mind?! You’re saddling me with a role where a person’s body ends up getting ground up in a blender — no, in the terms of this world, a millstone — torn apart piece by piece?! What did I ever do to deserve this……!”
— W-well, you see…… I had originally intended to seek out the true soul of ‘Hyakin,’ but because you — a soul from another world — had drifted here, that child’s soul was nowhere to be found, no matter where I looked.
The Chief God launched into a lengthy explanation of how he too had been caught off guard by this unforeseen predicament.
“……If a soul has disappeared, doesn’t that mean they’ve died? Then you could just look in the underworld, couldn’t you?”
— And why do you think I didn’t search the underworld! I combed through it until not a speck of dust remained — and still not a fragment of that child’s soul, not even a trace, could be found. I could only speculate that it had been annihilated for some reason or another.
“Ah, right. I can follow you up to there.”
Hyakin opened his eyes wide with a fierce glare.
“But why on earth did you specifically pick me to fill ‘Hyakin’s’ place?”
The Chief God whimpered like a frightened Pomeranian.
— I didn’t choose you! It was only after I realized Hyakin’s soul wasn’t in the underworld either, and I was deliberating whether I ought to forge a new Saint’s soul from scratch, that I discovered — around the time of your birth — that Hyakin’s soul resided within your body.
“……Even the Chief God has domains beyond his knowledge, is that it?”
— It works the same way as you falling into this world for reasons even you cannot explain. Life occasionally brings with it events no one could have predicted.
The Chief God’s luminous eyes reflected Hyakin’s image. He seemed to be reaching for the lingering traces of the true ‘Hyakin’ — traces that had long since all but vanished from within him.
— In any case, the fact that you were born as ‘Hyakin’ was as immutable as absolute truth, so naming you as the Saint was inevitable. Ahem.
Hyakin held up a lock of his own hair — now the sacred, luminous color of a Saint’s — gazed at it for a moment, and then let out a long, heavy sigh.
“So in the end…… what you’re saying is that I am an indispensable person — the only one who can fill the void left by ‘Hyakin.'”
— That is so.
“And I imagine you also figured that remembering this world as the ‘original work’ would be an asset in carrying out my duties as the Saint?”
— I hadn’t considered it in those terms, but you’re sharper than I expected! Yes, that’s right. Because ‘Hyakin’ is irreplaceable within this story…… Ow!
The Chief God had foolishly assumed Hyakin understood and accepted the situation — and for that mistake, he was beaten with a pillow Hyakin had conjured from within the mindscape, feathers flying in all directions.
“You absolute lunatic! Give me back my rights as a human being! If this was the ending you had in store for me, you might as well send me back to my first life!!!”
But no matter how hard Hyakin swung the pillow, the Chief God didn’t strike back even once — he simply curled up and repeated his apologies over and over.
— I’m…… I’m sorry, child. Even so, once a revelation has been given, it cannot be withdrawn — that is the principle.
“Principle my foot! You can take your principle and feed it to the dogs! I’m never going to behave or speak like a Saint, and I’m dropping every single class!”
As Hyakin turned to walk away, the Chief God called after him in a voice that echoed.
— That would be unwise……!
“? What does it matter?”
— If you fail to demonstrate that you have the qualities of a Saint, the Pope and the faithful will……
The dream seemed to be dissolving — yet even through the fading light, those words came through with piercing clarity.
— ……They may kill you and search for another candidate.
Be careful.
* * *
“Hah!”
What a dreadfully awful dream.
Hyakin woke drenched in cold sweat, and remembered the Chief God’s warning that had rung out so clearly at the very end.
If I don’t show myself to be a proper Saint, the Pope and the faithful might kill me……?
Even me — someone who’s said to be the spitting image of the founding Saint — they’d kill that easily?
Honestly, Hyakin only half-believed the Chief God’s words.
He assumed it was nothing more than a ploy to frighten him into attending his Saint’s lessons and voluntarily taking up his training.
But as Hyakin truly began dismissing, one after another, every tutor the Pope had personally selected — doing nothing but playing around like any ordinary child — the Pope’s expression grew darker with each passing day.
The fact that the other Hero children’s gazes turned even colder was just an added bonus.
“How vulgar……”
“The title of Saint is wasted on him.”
“Why on earth did the Chief God choose someone like that? It makes no sense. Is this also somehow part of his plan?”
“If he stays like this, when it comes time to subjugate the Demon King, he’ll end up as animal feed before he even gets to fight the demons.”
Hyakin could tolerate those children mocking him.
But one day, the Pope requested a one-on-one meeting, asking to see Hyakin briefly — and at that, something cold sank through his chest.
In a space that might as well have been a confessional, the Pope looked at Hyakin with a set, hardened expression, as though about to deliver a reprimand.
“Hyakin.”
“……Yes.”
“Do you know why I called for you today?”
Hyakin only rolled his peculiarly colored eyes around in their sockets. There were too many possible answers.
When Hyakin gave no reply, the Pope let out a quiet sigh and took hold of his hand, whispering.
“From your conduct thus far, I understand very well just how much you detest receiving the position of Saint.”
“……! That’s right! Why not appoint one of the other devoted priests as Saint instead of me?”
“Hyakin.”
The Pope’s voice took on a weightier tone.
“If we were to accept anyone other than the Saint ordained by the Chief God’s revelation…… divine punishment would descend upon the land.”
“……Pardon?”
“The Papal Palace and the neighboring nations would suffer catastrophic damage. Lightning would rain down from the sky — lightning no magic could stop — and split the earth, burning people alive in its light.”
The Pope’s words, delivered in a quiet and composed tone, were deeply shocking to Hyakin.
Simply because he refused to accept the position of Saint…… a calamity of that magnitude would have to be paid as the price.
“This…… this is absurd……”
As Hyakin trembled, drained of all color, the Pope delivered one more cruel truth.
“And above all else…… in order to create a new Saint while avoiding divine punishment, there is a prerequisite that must be fulfilled.”
The Pope’s gaze fell to the place on Hyakin’s chest where his heart would be.
He pointed to it with one finger.
“Only if Hyakin were to lose his life through an ‘unfortunate accident’ — only then would humanity be permitted to receive a new Saint.”
“……”
The Pope rose from his seat first.
“I trust that you understand better than anyone what the words I have shared with you today mean.”
Even after the Pope had gone, Hyakin remained where he was for a long time, like a man robbed of his senses.
If I…… die, a new Saint can be chosen?
So that was why the Chief God had warned me to be careful?
Hyakin’s gaze drifted to the door. Outside, newly inducted ordinary priests were walking in pairs, following a mid-ranking priest. Dressed in white, they looked sacred in their very existence — yet a few of them, the moment they caught Hyakin’s eye, couldn’t quite hide the slight crease between their brows before snapping their heads the other way.
“……”
That kind of ‘disregard’ repeated itself again and again.
It was only then that Hyakin understood.
The Papal Palace is a place where people live, after all.
There was no reason why factions wouldn’t form here too.
The ones who had just ignored him were probably thinking along these lines:
There’s no way someone like that is the Saint.
So they might already be scheming to put someone else forward as Saint.
Whoever their preferred Saint candidate might be, one thing was certain.
Gulp.
If I don’t make it undeniably clear that I am the Saint…… I’ll be killed.
Given the choice between dying now and dying later during the Demon King subjugation, Hyakin was unquestionably the sort of person who would pick the latter.
Living even a little longer was what gave it all meaning.
“Damn it……”
Hyakin counted on his fingers how many sessions of Hero training he had skipped without permission.
“For crying out loud. With this many absences, catching up to the other Hero bastards is going to be a nightmare……”
Infuriating as it was, if he wanted to survive right now, studying and training as a Saint was the only answer.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
Heading toward the training grounds set aside for the Heroes, Hyakin shed a few tears.
* * *
That night.
The Chief God quietly slipped into Hyakin’s dream to offer a word of praise for attending his first Saint’s lesson — and came face to face with Hyakin staring back at him with wide, blazing eyes.
The boy looked an absolute disaster.
— G-good evening. Isn’t it……?
“……”
— I’m sorry. Forget what I just said——
Bang!
Hyakin suddenly slammed his forehead to the ground in a deep bow.
“Chief God!”
Please, I’m begging you — I truly cannot do this Hero business anymore, so let me quit without any consequences!
