Chapter 2
Ch. 1 — The Circumstances of a Child Who Decided to Become Independent Early
[Do you see? This is the sin of Dantellion Klein.]
“W-What in the world is all thisssss?!”
What did I just see?!
My head felt like it was going to explode from trying to process all that information.
When I finally came to my senses, I found myself in a completely white space. I was left there all alone, having had the truth injected directly into my mind.
But where is this place? I definitely died! At ten years old!
Could this be some kind of realm for souls? A one-on-one meeting place with God? Something like that?
No, no…!
That wasn’t important.
“M-My Lady, is this really true? Did my dad really keep turning back time to save me?”
[Yes.]
Shudder.
Apparently, all the blood had just drained from my body.
The floating mass of light before me—in other words, God—spoke.
[Dantellion Klein turned back the world’s time ninety-nine times. For the sake of saving his one and only daughter.]
……
I knew.
I had seen it, after all.
Of course, I hadn’t seen all ninety-nine of the lives my father had lived. Even so, the shock of seeing only fragments—tiny pieces of memories—was beyond words.
[Now, your hundredth life is about to begin… Child.]
“…Yes?”
[Will you truly stand by and watch his destruction unfold just like this?]
“Whaaaat? Of course I don’t want to!”
[But as the price for committing a single taboo, Dantellion Klein’s holy power has already been corrupted to its limit.]
“……!”
[If things continue like this, his hundredth life will proceed exactly as the previous ones did, and eventually, the corruption will run rampant and kill him.]
Every hair on my body stood on end.
I’d heard about it somewhere before.
The fate of a fallen holy knight.
It was horrifying.
When a holy knight’s corruption ran rampant, they eventually transformed into a monster.
They would lose their reason and destroy everything around them—and even themselves—before meeting the most agonizing death imaginable.
If it’s a holy power as strong as Dad’s… half the empire could be blown away, and it wouldn’t even be strange.
And that wasn’t all.
His soul would be torn to shreds as well, condemned to eternal suffering…
“No!”
It would be nothing less than total destruction.
Terror came rushing over me, and tears streamed down my cheeks.
I clasped my trembling hands and begged God desperately.
“G-Goddess! Teacher! Please, just let it slide this once! I-I’ll teach my daddy better in his next life! I’ll be more thorough! So please!”
[Do you not think that is precisely why I called you here? It is not something that can simply be overlooked.]
“Sniff, h-hic, please… Our daddy didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who’s bad… It’s because I keep dying!”
Tears and snot streamed down my face.
I was completely panicking.
My father, the most noble person in the world, would have to suffer the most humiliating death imaginable because of me…
This was truly the worst kind of filial impiety.
I couldn’t possibly stand by and watch that happen.
God let out a deep sigh.
[I warned him repeatedly, yet Dantellion was the one who continued choosing to defy the laws of providence. Humans must take responsibility for their choices.]
“Sniff… But when I look at grown-ups, they don’t seem to take responsibility very well. Couldn’t my daddy be like that too? Please…”
I clung to God’s metaphorical pant leg and bawled.
[…All right, enough crying. Is that not why I called you here in the first place?]
“……!”
[It is not that there is absolutely no way to save him.]
My tears instantly stopped.
“What is it?!”
[He simply needs to stop repeating the same mistake. In other words, he must live a different life from the ones he has lived until now.]
“……!”
Which meant…
“Dad just… in his next life… has to stop committing the ‘Sin of Regression’? He just has to go back to being a model holy knight and live diligently…?”
[How perceptive.]
“I know…”
For a moment, it felt as though a ray of hope had appeared.
But at the same time, something inside my heart seemed to deflate with a soft pffft.
The reason Dad had regressed was me.
Because I kept dying one after another, he kept turning back time again and again.
The surest way to solve a problem is to eliminate its cause.
I raised my hand high, just in case, and asked,
“Umm… could you maybe cure my illness so I don’t die anymore…?”
[I am sorry, but that would be difficult. Your soul was originally meant to be born in the divine realm. That is also why you are able to speak with me like this.]
“Huh? I’m a god?”
Dad! I made it big!
[…To be precise, you are a divine messenger.]
“Kwaaang?”
[Not that kind of messenger. In other words, yes. You are also called an angel of the divine realm.]
God continued.
[Such a soul took the wrong path and was born in the mortal world, which means there is no place for you there. Most children who die before reaching adulthood are cases like yours. Incidentally, this is due to the phenomenon of overflowing souls in the divine realm, which…]
God went on and on with a long, rambling explanation.
But I didn’t really listen.
I simply lowered my head dejectedly.
I had a feeling it wouldn’t work.
I was quick to understand my own situation.
I was also good at accepting reality.
When you live with a sick body, you naturally become skilled at resignation.
Above all, if someone as strong as my father had failed ninety-nine times at something, then it was practically the same as saying it was impossible.
Then…
There was only one conclusion.
In this hundredth life…
I couldn’t live as Dad’s daughter.
The reason Dad kept turning back time was entirely because of me.
If I simply disappeared from his life, there would be no reason for him to commit a taboo.
It’s sad, but when something can’t be helped, it can’t be helped.
I stood up and hurriedly wiped away the tears that were beginning to gather in my eyes again.
I’d made my decision.
I took a solemn, deep breath.
Then I said,
“Okay. Then in my next life, I’ll live as a stranger to Dad! So please erase all of Dad’s memories!”
God fell silent for a moment at my firm declaration.
Then I felt a warm sensation against my cheek.
It was almost as though God were gently stroking me.
I can’t repay all the love he gave me by making him suffer a rampaging holy power.
My life had been painful and short.
But not once had I ever thought of myself as weak or unhappy.
Because whenever I was about to lose heart, I had a father who would appear like a hero from a fairy tale and pull me into a tight embrace.
Thanks to that gentle love, I had been warm and happy enough.
So…
Now it was my turn to repay him!
Dad, thank you for loving me.
Thank you for making me your daughter ninety-nine times.
Thanks to you, I don’t think I’ll be too scared even if I have to be alone again!
I gave a little heehee as though Dad were standing right in front of me.
“I’ll save you this time, Dad!”
The moment I finished speaking—
Fwoooooosh!
A radiance unlike anything I had ever seen before wrapped around my entire body.
Back in the slums, Zone Z.
“It’s bread! Bread!”
“That’s mine! Get out of the way!”
Adults were shouting at the top of their lungs.
Gasp! This place…!
My eyes flew open at the deafening noise.
And at the same time, I remembered.
My memories from my past life—!
Oh, my goodness!
I’d come back.
I’d returned to the exact point where Dad had always regressed.
My hundredth life has begun!
[ㅇ@#,ㅊ$#%ㄹㅂ#^!$#…@#%ㄷ!]
“Hm?”
But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a strange white fragment floating beside me.
It kept circling around me, as though it had something it wanted to say.
Hmmm? Somehow, it feels a little like God…
A sacred little fruit fly.
Just as I was about to examine it more closely, wondering whether it was some new species of fruit fly—
“Ah, damn it! Quit getting in the way and move, kid!”
“Eeeek! I’m still trying to figure out what’s going onnnnn!”
My body was suddenly flipped over.
Roll, roll, roll.
My six-year-old body, with not a single sharp edge on it, went tumbling across the ground without managing to get even a single piece of bread.
“Ow… that hurts…”
I pulled a small piece of stone from my palm.
My short arms and legs were covered in red scrapes.
I hurriedly rubbed at my eyes before the tears could gather.
No. I can’t cry.
There was no Dad to comfort me anymore.
I had to forget as quickly as possible those memories of my past life, when I’d been cherished and protected by him.
Grrrrrrr.
My empty stomach, which hadn’t had anything to eat for days, brought me crashing back to reality.
I promised myself that in this life, I’d eat well and live well all on my own!
I lifted my head.
My mind suddenly cleared.
Bread!
If I was going to live bravely on my own from now on, I needed to fill my stomach first.
Even though I was trembling, I took a deep breath.
“Okay!”
I clenched my fists and started squeezing my way between the adults’ legs.
Shouts, curses, and fists flew in every direction.
D-Don’t be scared!
I desperately forced strength into my trembling legs and held my ground.
Then I spotted the man who had thrown me to the ground earlier.
Huh?
I hadn’t noticed before, but both of the man’s pockets were bulging.
But everyone is only supposed to get one piece of bread!
I hesitated for a moment.
But I didn’t hesitate any longer.
When you’re starving, morality and dignity go out the window.
“Huh? What is this little rat doing here again?”
“Ow!”
I swiftly snatched a piece of bread from the man’s pocket and ran.
His hand, swinging reflexively, caught me squarely on the forehead, but thankfully, he didn’t manage to grab me.
I could hear his furious shouting behind me, but…
I wasn’t scared. Not even a little!
I raced through the village, stuffing the bread into my mouth as I went.
The bump forming on my forehead throbbed painfully, but I endured it.
In my previous life, I’d tried to save my bread to eat later, only to have the boys take it all from me.
I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
I kept running.
[ㅇ@#,ㅊ$#%ㄹㅂ#^!$#…@#%ㄷ!]
That strange white fruit fly I’d seen earlier continued following me.
Maybe it was because I was so filthy and unkempt.
I decided to ignore it.
I chewed and swallowed the dry, tough bread with all my strength as I thought,
I have to live well on my own.
I was going to live really, really well all by myself.
There was no longer any Dad coming to save me.
“In my next life, I’ll live as a stranger to Dad. So please erase all of Dad’s memories!”
Because that’s what I’d wished for.
[I shall grant your wish.]
“Sniff, hic…”
The bread tasted salty.
It was probably because of my tears.
But I really couldn’t cry anymore.
Because I wasn’t an ordinary six-year-old.
