Chapter 214

After the rain stopped, a much cooler breeze swept through the terraces.

Behind me, a perfectly round ear with a pure white spot twitched once. Supposedly, this is the ear of a tiger-human hybrid… but is this really what it’s supposed to look like?

And whether that ear-twitch was an unconscious gesture before starting to talk, Kanna looked at me and began speaking.

“I knew you were impressive, but I didn’t expect you’d show up in a situation like this.”

“Is that so?”

Kanna nodded toward the outside while saying this.

“You even healed congenital deformities. That means you can treat any disease or injury without discrimination, right? Someone who can do that should be kept hidden.”

Congenital deformity—this term refers to a birth defect. Kanna was born with one leg twisted.

She had her fair share of hardships but managed to overcome them admirably. But at the end, everything fell apart.

Of all things, she ended up making a contract with me. Once made, there’s no going back. I’m already brimming with light, and warmth has no intention of letting go.

Do you feel sorry for her?

I’m the one who deserves pity.

I’m the one who’s truly unfortunate.

Imagine being stranded on a snowy mountain, starving with nothing to eat. If there’s a corpse in front of me, I’d take a bite. That’s the kind of story this is.

Not that I’d criticize someone choosing to starve rather than eat. In fact, if they make a more noble decision beyond mere gluttony, I’d respect that. Even if they criticized me, I’d accept it.

But if we were the same kind of being, I’d secretly mock them. Ah, they missed their chance to eat. Their hunger will only grow worse, and by now, I’ve already eaten everything edible.

That’s the thing: I can’t die.

That’s the thing: It never ends.

What’s truly horrifying is that I’m not the only one who can’t die.

.

So there’s no need for things to get worse. I’ll just hold onto the warmth.

I won’t care about anything else and will do my utmost to not lose what’s most important.

Because if I do, I might degrade into some pitiful insect-like creature, trembling in agony as scraps of warmth occasionally fall from above.

“This isn’t such an amazing ability.”

“There’s no magic in this world that can heal congenital defects. Even if something could restore someone to perfect condition, the twisted limb might still be considered normal. You could forcibly fix the leg, but it would snap back anyway.”

A memory of Kanna surfaces.

Steel rods were inserted into her leg to adjust the twisted angle, then healing magic was used.

The magic was meant to fill in the gaps, but the forcibly adjusted leg reverted to its original shape. So, she opted for half-hearted treatment instead. As a result, scars from where the steel rods were inserted remain.

Surgery turned the completely immobile Kanna into someone who could walk.

Even though there are spells that could erase scars, using them would cause the leg to revert to its original state, so they stopped there.

It doesn’t make sense to go through all that just for one leg.

Like trading away human rights for candy.

But since it wasn’t her revealing this information—it was me deceiving her to take it—I have no right to mock her.

Thus, treating her seriously is the right approach.

“But you erased that. Instead, your physical condition improved far beyond what it was before. I’m not just talking about walking or running. Your entire body… got stronger.”

He especially emphasizes “body.”

Given how uncomfortable her body was, she must have been incredibly sensitive to any changes.

“It wasn’t intentional. It just happened when I gave myself over.”

“Then, are you alright with that?”

Huh?

Ah, I see. Right. I didn’t expect her to ask like that.

This must be because of my tone. On paper, it sounds like I’m giving myself away, right? In a world where someone gaining something means someone else losing something, it might sound like I’m splitting myself up.

In reality, it’s more like dropping a cup of light into the sea that is me. That’s probably why I can see the world through the eyes of the harvester.

There are several ways I could answer Kanna’s question.

I could pretend to be pious like a religious figure or tell her not to worry. But as I’ve always done, I’ll stick to the truth.

Part of the truth, at least.

“I’m fine. Kanna. Actually, I don’t know why contracting with me makes people healthier.”

I do have a few guesses.

These come from Daegon and the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, both of whom possess tremendous knowledge. But I don’t intend to share them.

Light is the soul, and warmth seems to be the potential within it.

Diminished light turns into tiny insects, drifting aimlessly through eternity.

At this, Kanna carefully asks me:

“So, is it okay to keep healing people?”

“Yes, if anyone wishes it, I’ll share myself.”

No prejudice here.

I simply don’t care about anything. If you want to share warmth with me during your life, then…

“So, you’re not forcing this, right?”

“That’s correct, Kanna.”

Ah, right.

Let’s act a bit less human here.

“Kanna Temrane Shiodore. There’s only one thing I ask of my contractor: Do what makes you happy. Achieve your desires, live joyfully. And if possible, find a good man and have lots of children.”

As I said this while pointing at Kanna, her face turned bright red.

“What are you saying!?”

“At your current state, very few men would pass you by. Since this country practices polygamy, I recommend finding a position where you can flaunt your authority. Most lower-class women end up exploited, after all.”

Kanna stared blankly at me, then tilted her head up. From her perspective, she wasn’t looking at the ceiling but something else entirely.

“No, you… you…”

Stammering, Kanna lowered her head again. Her face was still red as she cautiously spoke.

“Aren’t you being too explicit?”

“Well, I’m not talking about sexual preferences. This is about the prosperity of living beings. Is it really such an embarrassing topic?”

“Yes, it is.”

Her face turned red again. She must’ve caught onto something in my words.

She fans her cheeks with her hand, as if feeling warm.

“You really aren’t human, are you?”

“That’s right. I’m no longer human.”

Long ago, I was human.

Once, I wondered if I was mistakenly remembering a man from faded memories, submerged beneath the ocean. But that’s impossible.

No one remembers the empty times when there were no memories. The cold I felt was mine. I am the continuation of that man from the faded memories.

There are no gaps in memory; there was no time when that man didn’t exist.

Before the light rose in the sky, I was already me.

I was human.

“I’m only saying this because of the situation, but you should hurry up and get married.”

Kanna awkwardly turned her head away. Since the conversation went this way, let’s dig deeper into something she’d rather forget.

Let’s pursue it.

“Most people graduating from the Royal Academy quickly get engaged and marry. But Kanna, you haven’t even been engaged yet, have you?”

“What? Why are we even having this conversation!?”

She asks that.

This is related to my desires.

And Kanna’s guilt.

You helped me heal her. Yes, she’s not heartless enough to just wave goodbye.

So, this is what I’m saying:

“I hope whoever contracts with me prospers widely. That’s why I make contracts with humans. Unless the era advances further, expanding oneself means having children, right? Humanity.”

Kanna seemed to struggle understanding my words for a moment.

After blinking a few times, she cautiously asked me:

“Bell feels like a god.”

“No, I’m not.”

I’m deliberately letting it sound that way. But hearing it directly irritates me.

But my words must’ve been too harsh, as Kanna flinched.

“Does Bell hate gods?”

Hmm, that’s a tough question.

Yes, I hate gods. But saying that here wouldn’t be wise.

Even in a world where religion has faded, its cultural influence remains. The opposition to gods is demons, and such concepts still exist in this world. Monsters that bring the world into chaos.

It’s precisely the kind of label that fits me, but calling myself evil outright isn’t a good method. After all, good people who know they’re bad only exist in fiction.

“To be precise, it’s what created me.”

Something that buried me deep under the sea and left me to shiver in eternal cold.

“Ah, yeah. I think I get it.”

Huh? Kanna nods with an oddly empathetic expression.

Oh, right. Kanna had a strained relationship with her mother. Not just strained, but practically estranged.

Her mother was almost expelled from the Shiodore family for birthing a disabled child, and Kanna was abandoned by her.

The Shiodore clan motto is that the strongest child among multiple wives inherits the family, so naturally, it was bound to fail.

Harsh words, but when the rare child they produce turns out to be a dud, well… So, Kanna sympathized with me hating gods.

“In that sense, I dislike gods. And I dislike being called godlike.”

High Pion seems to notice this.

As long as they don’t touch sensitive topics, I’m fine with it.

No matter how much selflessness is preached, disliking something unpleasant is still disliking it.

But Kanna tilts her head.

“Why do you think whatever created you is a god?”

Why do I think it’s a god?

“Because I existed before there was light.”

When I first started shaking from the cold, there was no sky.

There was no light anywhere to separate the sky.

After trembling in the cold for a long time, one day, light suddenly shone, and I realized that was the sky. Only then did I understand that I was held down by gravity and couldn’t ascend.

“If there’s someone who created me, it can only be a god.”

But Kanna’s face turned pale.

“Am I even supposed to hear this?”

“Yes. It’s not something I hide, and even if others learn, it holds no real meaning. This.”

Since it’s a story that can’t be proven anyway, people will dismiss it as nonsense. Does the truth change anything? I didn’t create the world, and nothing changes.

Well, one thing does change.

My age.

“Are you older than you look?”

“Not just older…”

“If it bothers you, grab yourself a good man quickly.”

“The leaps in this conversation are making me dizzy. Can we stop there?”

Alright, let’s do that.

Thus, our short break on the terrace came to an end.

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