PDTVD 10

Chapter – 10

The Annoying Reunion with the Creator God

When I came to, I found myself in a warm place.

(Wait… what is this? Déjà vu?)

It looked like the altar of a ruined church, where soft light poured down gently from above.
And right in front of me stood a boy with hair and skin as white as snow, radiating a divine aura.

“Hey, Olivia! Long time no see!”

The moment I saw that innocent smile on the little god’s face — or rather, on the Creator God Demiul — I immediately grasped my situation.

“Demiul.”
“Huh?”
“I have something to say to you.”
“Eh?”
“Sit down. Right there. In seiza.”

When I pointed sharply to the floor, Demiul made a face full of displeasure.

“Ehh? Why seiza? I mean, I’m a god, you kno—”
“Seiza.”
“Yes, ma’am!”

And so, on the faded red carpet, the little god sat properly in seiza position.

The fact that he knew what seiza was… did that mean he knew about Japan, the world I’d lived in before?

“I told you, didn’t I? I never want to die painfully from poison again.”
“Yeah, you did say that. By the way, Olivia, your tone’s gotten kinda rough. Did you go delinquent or something?”
“I didn’t ‘go delinquent.’ I became like this because of the memories you gave me. Anyway! I also said I just wanted to live a quiet, peaceful life, right? So why did I end up dying of poison again, huh?!”

As I accused him of what could only be described as resurrection fraud, Demiul tilted his head with a blank look.

I refused to be deceived by that cutesy gesture. This little god was the source of all my suffering.

“You’re not dead, you know?”
“…What?”
“I clearly drank poison and coughed up blood. I died.”
“You did drink poison and cough up blood — that part’s true. But you didn’t die. I promised, remember? You can’t die from poison anymore.”
“Then why did I cough up blood?!”
“Because your level was too low! You won’t die from poison, but if your poison resistance skill level is low, you’ll still take damage. So, you just need to level it up! Keep at it!”

I almost rolled my eyes right out of my skull.

So, basically: thanks to this “Poison Skill,” I wouldn’t die from poison, but if the level was low, I’d still suffer damage.
And to raise the level, I’d have to keep ingesting poison.

As the absurdity of it all sank in, I heard something snap inside my head.

“Why… why would you give me such a half-baked ability?! You’re supposed to be the Creator God! Couldn’t you have made me completely immune to poison, or given me a body that’s unaffected by toxins at all?! And if you were going to reincarnate me, couldn’t you have made me a totally different person instead of tying me to Olivia’s life again?! I never once said I wanted a do-over! Everything you do is half-baked!”

At my outburst, Demiul looked utterly shocked, his big eyes welling up with tears.

It was so over-the-top that I could practically see the comic-style “GAAAN” above his head — which only made me angrier.

“B-but… I didn’t have much time to prepare! If I’d had more time, I could’ve done something better!”
“Oh, so now it’s my job to make it all work out? That’s called dumping responsibility! Because of your half-baked settings, I suffered from poison again! And don’t even get me started on the lack of explanations! If you’re going to give me a weird system, at least tell me how it works! Honestly, you—”
“Okay, okay! I get it! I’ll think of something that’ll make things better for you, alright?”
“Do you really get it? Or are you just saying that?”

Demiul pouted, his lips sticking out like a sulky child.

He clearly didn’t understand why I’d doubt him. Honestly, I was starting to suspect he wasn’t a god at all — maybe some kind of demon.

“What do you mean by ‘think of something’? Be specific.”
“Hmm… well, you’ll find out soon enough. Looks like I don’t have time to explain.”
“Don’t you dare try to dodge the question—”
“I’m not! Look, someone’s calling you.”

Demiul tilted his face upward, and when I followed his gaze, I saw a brilliant white light streaming down through the crumbling ceiling.

Somewhere, a majestic bell was tolling — and mixed within it, I could faintly hear a voice calling my name.

“It’s time. You have to go.”
“But we’re not done—”
“Anyway, good luck, Olivia!”

The moment I thought, wait, this feels familiar, everything went black — as if the stage curtain had suddenly dropped.

(Damn it… I wanted to punch him at least once!)

The last thing I saw was Demiul’s infuriatingly angelic smile as he waved me goodbye.

◆

My right hand felt warm.

When I finally managed to lift my heavy eyelids, the first thing I saw was a starry sky.

Through the strands of silky black hair that fell over his forehead, eyes like twin stars looked down at me.

“You’re awake, Lady Olivia! Do you recognize me?!”
“Your… Highness…?”
“Yes, it’s me. Ah, thank heavens. I thought you might never wake again…”

With a deep sigh, the crown prince pressed his forehead gently to the hand he was holding — my right hand.

(So that’s why it felt warm… He was holding it the whole time.)

Even through his gloves, his warmth spread through me — seeping into my heart.

When I weakly squeezed his hand back, a clear electronic chime suddenly echoed in my head.

At the same time, my hazy vision filled with translucent text.

[Exiting near-death state]
[Poison successfully neutralized]
[Gained 50 EXP]

(Near-death state…? What the—)

That blasted Creator God. His aftercare was still a disaster. I should’ve punched him when I had the chance.
That was a rare opportunity wasted.

If I lost consciousness again, maybe I could return to that dreamlike altar.
And if I did… I’d hit him not once, but five or six times.
With all my strength.
And with a closed fist.

Even that might not be enough.

The anger burned vividly in my fading mind, but my body grew heavier and heavier.
I couldn’t speak anymore, couldn’t even squeeze the prince’s hand.

“Lady Olivia? Hey—someone call the royal physician! Olivia! Stay with me!”

Just a little longer, I thought.
I just wanted to rest a bit.

As I closed my eyes, I could still hear the prince shouting, clutching my hand as if it might break, and the sound of people rushing about.

But my eyes would not open again.

(Sorry… I need to go punch the Creator God…)

And with that last thought, I drifted off once more —
but unfortunately, that time, I never did get to see Demiul again.