* * *
It felt like being stripped bare in an instant.
Was this what it felt like to have someone read your thoughts?
It was both startling and slightly unpleasant.
‘How does this little thing know?’
Living a life where escape seemed like the only option, the ultimate end had always been death.
Letting go of everything and finally finding peace—that had been the thought lurking in the back of his mind.
But that didn’t mean he actually wanted to die.
He had never truly attempted it.
‘Though I have done similar things…’
And for that, all he had left was self-reproach—anger at himself for failing even at that.
It wasn’t something he had ever voiced.
A thought he had never shared with anyone.
Yet this tiny creature had pierced straight through him.
[You don’t truly want to live yet. You’re just afraid of dying. Don’t confuse fear with a desire to live.]
“……”
[If something bad happens, you’ll just think, ‘It couldn’t be helped,’ won’t you?]
He wanted to deny it.
A part of him even wanted to argue, ‘It’s not that bad.’
‘I’m still alive, aren’t I? Isn’t that enough?’
This creature, whom he had only recently met, spoke with such certainty that it seemed to know everything about him.
But even so, wasn’t it unfair to just lay everything bare like this?
[And that’s why you let your guard down!]
As if reading his mind, the divine beast continued.
This time, the tears in its golden eyes finally spilled over.
“Wait, hold on…”
At that moment, all his frustration and discomfort evaporated.
‘This is insane.’
What was he supposed to do? He had never dealt with anyone like this before.
‘Why are you the one upset?’
He had never comforted a crying person before.
In the end, he just thought, ‘Screw it,’ and pulled the divine beast into his arms.
This time, it didn’t resist—instead, it nestled into his embrace as if it had been waiting for this.
Its small, fluffy body against him felt oddly… comforting.
Warm.
Almost stabilizing.
He slowly reached out, cautiously patting its back.
At his touch, the divine beast let out a quiet whimper.
It was so endearing that he nearly laughed.
Why was it so upset that he didn’t truly want to live?
“…I’m sorry.”
[That’s not… sniff… your fault.]
It wasn’t.
“But still… I’m sorry for making you sad.”
[…Okay…]
Eventually, the divine beast stopped crying.
It peeked up at him with a small grin.
When he patted its head, its ears drooped slightly to the sides.
“….”
So… what now?
Minsoo was still unpredictable, Raizen hadn’t contacted him, and…
‘I’m an idiot.’
Nothing was going as planned.
[Train.]
At that moment, a youthful voice echoed in my head.
When I lowered my gaze, the divine beast was looking up at me with clear, bright eyes.
“Huh?”
[You can train with me to use divine power!]
“Train to use divine power?”
[Yeah!]
Come to think of it, the translucent barrier that had protected me earlier was also created with divine power.
I had assumed only a divine beast could do such a thing, but… could I possibly do it too?
“If I train, could I use divine power for things other than healing or purification? Like defense or attack…?”
[Yes!]
The divine beast answered without a hint of hesitation, then rubbed its forehead against my chest.
[Don’t overthink it. Some things are just inevitable. In the meantime, we can just do what we can!]
“…I see.”
Before I knew it, I reached out and gently stroked the divine beast’s head.
“You’re smart.”
[Yep! I’m really smart!]
It purred contentedly.
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed more feline than canine…
[Train with me!]
“Alright, let’s do it.”
[That way, you can wield the holy sword too!]
“…?”
What was that now?
Why was the holy sword being mentioned?
I looked at the divine beast in confusion, but it only grinned cheerfully.
“Wait, what do you mean by the holy sword?”
Wasn’t the holy sword already in Kim Minsoo’s hands?
If not yet, he must at least know its location and would acquire it soon.
More importantly, considering my current physical state, even if I had the holy sword, I wouldn’t be able to do much with it.
‘And yet, wield it? Me?’
[The holy sword!]
“Yeah, the holy sword. But it already has a chosen wielder, doesn’t it?”
[Not that one! A different one!]
“…There’s another holy sword?”
The divine beast nodded vigorously and exclaimed,
[Yes! It’s with me!]
…And just like that, a holy sword appeared out of nowhere.
Margaret cautiously shifted her gaze.
At the end of her sight stood her young master, looking unusually pleased.
People who didn’t know better claimed that Karon Luavis had turned over a new leaf, but Margaret knew the truth.
She knew that, deep inside, the wounded child still remained.
‘Our poor young master.’
Though he bore an uncanny resemblance to Duke Luavis, he had the misfortune of being born as the youngest.
How much had he suffered, trampled underfoot by his incompetent elder brothers who saw him as a threat?
Even his own mother, the duchess, only cared for the eldest son.
‘That woman was never fit to be the duchess in the first place.’
What did it matter that she carried the Luavis name?
In the end, she was an outsider who neither understood the Luavis family nor had any genuine affection for it.
If anyone were to carry on the Luavis legacy, it had to be Karon Luavis, the one who most resembled the current duke.
And yet, as the duchess, she failed to see that.
‘If only it were me instead…’
No. Margaret restrained herself, just as a loyal servant of the Luavis family should.
No matter how much time passed, her feelings never faded.
But she knew better than to dream of something unattainable.
There was a time when that realization had been unbearably painful, but now, she had come to terms with it.
Because Karon Luavis, who was the very image of Duke Luavis, was still with her.
Margaret approached him with a gentle smile.
“Young Master, did something pleasant happen?”
It had been this way ever since his return from the Pantheon Duchy.
At first, she had worried about him going into what was practically enemy territory without her, but her worries had been unnecessary.
Since returning, Karon Luavis had smiled more than ever before.
“Ah, Margaret.”
He spoke as if he had only just now noticed her presence.
“Something pleasant, huh… Yeah, something did happen.”
His sharp, fox-like eyes curved gently.
Margaret gazed at him in awe, as if she were looking at a young version of Duke Luavis himself.
“May I ask what it was?”
“Hmm… If I tell you, you’ll just go report it to His Grace, won’t you?”
“No, of course not! I swear! I am your loyal servant, Young Master!”
“Haha…”
Karon Luavis let out a small chuckle at her predictable response.
His face still held a trace of cynicism, but Margaret failed to notice.
It was inevitable—like most people in the Luavis household, Margaret, too, was blinded by her own desires.
‘Which is why she never realizes, no matter how many times this repeats.’
That the soul inside the body of the Karon Luavis she so adored was not the one she believed it to be.
Once, he had hoped Margaret might notice.
In this household full of selfish people, she was the only one who professed to love Karon Luavis.
He thought that, even if it meant being resented, at least she might realize he wasn’t really Karon Luavis.
Possessing the body of another person in a completely different world—
It was lonelier and more agonizing than he had ever imagined.
But those hopes had long since died.
What was the point in expecting anything from mere humans?
No matter how exceptional they were, none could defy the ancient gods.
No one, except him, had even noticed that this world had been reset multiple times.
And yet—
‘Sean Kreveta.’
A gift had come to him after all.
* * *
