RNFB 2

Chapter 2

Ch. 1 The Circumstances of a Child Who Decided to Become Independent Early

[ Have you seen it? This is the sin of Dantalion Klein. ]

“What the heeeell is all this-!!”

What did I just see?!

My head felt like it was going to explode from trying to process all that information.

When I came to my senses, I found myself in a completely white space. I was left there all alone and had the truth ‘poured’ into me.

‘But where is this place? I definitely died! At ten!’

Could this be some kind of space for souls, a one-on-one meeting place with God, or something like that?

No, no…! That wasn’t important.

“Th-This is real? Daddy really has been repeating his regressions to save me?”

[ Yes. ]

Chills.

Apparently, all the blood had just drained from my body.

The floating ball of light in front of me, in other words, God, spoke.

[ Dantalion Klein has turned back the world’s time 99 times. To save his only daughter. ]

…I know. I saw it too.

Of course, I didn’t see all 99 of Daddy’s lives. Even though I’d only seen fragmented memories, tiny pieces here and there, the shock was indescribable.

[ Now, your 100th life will soon begin… Child. ]

“…Yes?”

[ Will you really stand by and watch his destruction unfold like this? ]

“What? Of course I don’t want to!”

[ But as the price for committing a taboo, Dantalion Klein’s divine power has already been contaminated to its limit. ]

“…!”

[ If this continues, his 100th life will unfold just like the previous ones, and he’ll eventually die when the contamination runs wild. ]

Every hair on my body stood on end.

I’d heard about it somewhere before.

‘The end of a fallen holy knight.’

It was absolutely horrifying.

A holy knight whose contamination ran wild would eventually turn into a monster.

They would lose their reason, destroy everything around them and themselves indiscriminately, and eventually meet the most agonizing death imaginable.

‘With Daddy’s level of divine power… It wouldn’t be strange if half the empire were blown away.’

And that wasn’t all. His soul would also be torn to shreds and left in eternal torment…

“No!”

It was destruction itself.

Tears streamed down my eyes as fear suddenly washed over me.

I clasped my trembling hands and begged God.

“G-Goddess! Ma’am! P-Please, just let it slide this once! N-Next life, I’ll teach my daddy to be more careful! So please!”

[ I wouldn’t have called you here if it were something I could simply let slide. ]

“S-Sob, please… My daddy hasn’t done anything wrong. I’m the bad one… It’s because I keep dying!”

Tears and snot streamed down my face. I was completely panicking.

The most noble father in the world was going to suffer the most humiliating death because of me…

This was truly the worst kind of unfilial behavior.

I absolutely couldn’t stand by and watch it happen.

God let out a deep sigh.

[ I warned him so many times, yet Dantalion was the one who continued to make choices that defied the laws of providence. Humans must take responsibility for their choices. ]

“Sob, when I look at adults, they don’t really take responsibility for things. Can’t my daddy be like that too? Please…”

I clung to God’s metaphorical pant leg and wailed.

[ …Fine, so stop crying already. Isn’t that why I called you here? ]

“…!”

[ It’s not that there’s absolutely no way to save him. ]

My tears stopped instantly.

“What is it?!”

[ He simply needs to stop repeating the same mistake. In other words, he needs to live a life different from all the ones he’s lived until now. ]

“…!”

Which meant…

“So Daddy… in his next life… he just has to stop committing the ‘sin of regression’ again? Go back to being a model holy knight and live diligently…?”

[ You’re quite clever. ]

“I know…”

For a moment, it felt like a ray of hope had appeared.

But at the same time, something deep inside me seemed to deflate.

I was the reason Daddy had regressed.

Because I kept dying over and over, he kept turning back time.

‘The surest way to solve a problem is to eliminate the cause.’

Just in case, I raised my hand high and asked.

“Um, could you make me not die by curing my disease…?”

[ I’m sorry, but that’s difficult. Your soul was originally meant to be born in the divine realm. That’s also why you’re able to speak with me like this. ]

“Huh? Am I a god?”

Daddy! I made it big!

[ …To be precise, you’re an emissary of God. ]

“Grrr?”

[ Not that kind of emissary. In other words, yes. You’re also called an angel of the divine realm. ]

God continued.

[ A soul like yours somehow ended up going astray and being born in the mortal world, which means there is no place for you there. Most children who die before reaching adulthood are like this. Incidentally, this is due to the phenomenon of overflowing souls in the divine realm… ]

God went on and on with a bunch of miscellaneous explanations.

Whatever the case, I lowered my head dejectedly.

‘Somehow, I knew it wouldn’t work.’

I was quick to understand my situation. I was also good at accepting reality. When you lived with a sick body, you naturally became good at resignation.

More importantly, if even a father as powerful as mine had failed 99 times, then it was basically no different from being impossible.

Then…

There was only one conclusion.

In this 100th life.

I couldn’t live as Daddy’s daughter.

Because I was the reason Daddy kept turning back time.

If I simply disappeared from Daddy’s life, there would be no reason for him to commit the taboo.

‘It’s sad, but some things just can’t be helped.’

I stood up and wiped away the tears that were about to form again. I made my decision quickly.

I took a solemn, deep breath. Then I spoke.

“Okay. Then in my next life, I’ll live as a stranger to Daddy! So please erase all of Daddy’s memories!”

God fell silent for a moment at my firm resolution. Then, I felt a very warm sensation on my cheek. It was as if God were gently stroking me.

‘I can’t repay the kindness he showed me by causing his divine power to run wild.’

My life had been painful and short. But I’d never once thought of myself as weak or unhappy.

Because whenever I was about to lose heart, Daddy would appear like a hero from a fairy tale and hold me tightly.

Thanks to that gentle love, I’d been happy enough, warm and fulfilled.

‘So…’

Now it was my turn to repay him!

‘Daddy, thank you for loving me.’

Thank you for making me your daughter 99 times.

Thanks to you, I don’t think I’ll be too scared even if I’m alone again!

I smiled with a little “hee,” as if Daddy were standing right in front of me.

“This time, I’ll save Daddy!”

The moment I finished speaking.

Fwoooooosh!

A radiance unlike anything I’d ever seen before enveloped my entire body.

* * *

Back to District Z, the slums.

“It’s bread! Bread!”

“It’s mine, move!”

The adults shouted at the top of their lungs.

‘Gasp, this is…!’

My eyes flew open at the loud noise.

And at the same time, I remembered.

‘My memories from my past life-!’

Oh my goodness!

I’d come back. To the very moment when Daddy always regressed!

‘My 100th life has begun!’

[ ㅇ@#,ㅊ$#%ㄹㅂ#^!$#…@#%ㄷ! ]

“Hm?”

But then, I saw a white fragment floating beside me in the corner of my vision, its meaning impossible to understand.

It kept hovering around me as if it had something it wanted to tell me.

‘Hmm? Somehow, it feels a lot like God…?’

What a holy little gnat.

Just as I was about to examine it more closely to see if it was some new species of gnat,

“Jeez, quit getting in the way and move, kid!”

“Eek! I’m still trying to figure out what’s going onnnnn!”

My body was sent flipping over.

Rumble, tumble, tumble. My six-year-old body, with no sharp edges to catch on anything, rolled along nicely without getting so much as a piece of bread.

“Ouch, that hurts…”

I pulled a little stone out of my palm.

My short arms and legs were covered in red scrapes. I hurriedly rubbed away the tears that were starting to well up.

‘No, I can’t cry.’

There was no Daddy to comfort me anymore.

I had to quickly forget the memories of my past life, when Daddy had cherished and protected me.

Grrrrrrr.

My hungry stomach, which hadn’t had anything to eat for days, brought me back to reality.

‘In this life, I promised myself I’d eat well and live well on my own!’

I lifted my head. My mind snapped back into focus.

‘Bread!’

If I wanted to live bravely on my own from now on, I had to fill my stomach first.

I took a deep breath despite my trembling.

“Okay!”

Clenching my fists tightly, I shoved my way between the adults’ legs. Shouts, curses, and fists flew everywhere.

‘D-Don’t be scared!’

I 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.

‘We’re only supposed to get one bread per person!’

I hesitated for a moment. But I didn’t hesitate any longer. When you’re starving, there are no morals or dignity.

“Huh? What’s this rat doing here again!”

“Ouch!”

I quickly snatched the bread from the man’s pocket and ran. The man’s hand, swung instinctively, struck me once on the forehead, but fortunately, he didn’t catch 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 first. My forehead throbbed where a big bump had formed, but I endured it.

Before my regression, I’d been too careful about saving the bread and ended up having it all stolen by the boys, but I wouldn’t make that mistake anymore.

I kept running.

[ ㅇ@#,ㅊ$#%ㄹㅂ#^!$#…@#%ㄷ! ]

The white little gnat I’d seen earlier kept following me, but maybe it was because I was so grimy, so I decided to just ignore it.

I chewed and swallowed the dry bread roughly as I thought.

‘I have to live well on my own.’

I was going to live very, very well by myself.

There was no Daddy coming to save me anymore.

“I’ll live as a stranger to Daddy in my next life. So please erase all of Daddy’s memories!”

Because that was what I’d wished for.

[ I will grant your wish. ]

“Sob, ngh…”

The bread tasted salty.