Some time had passed since Ryoma left Shikumu Village. In the Divine Realm, nine gods were gathered together. Eight of them sat in a circle; at the center, the remaining deity, Selerepta, sat upon a stone chair, bound by chains that emitted a faint, pulsing light.
"Hey, look... being surrounded like this, it’s not like I’m going to try and make a run for it. Could you please undo these? Also, this chair is hard and incredibly uncomfortable."
"Just endure it! Do you even realize the gravity of what you’ve done?!"
"I know I broke the rules, but honestly, this is overkill. We’re missing two of our number, but with eight of you here, you could suppress someone like me no matter what happened."
"True enough."
"Even so, that is no reason to show leniency with your restraints."
Kirilel, the Goddess of War, nodded in agreement with Selerepta’s complaint, but Fernobelia, the God of Magic and Scholarship, cut him off with a sharp, dismissive tone.
"Setting that aside, are Meltrize and Manoairoa still not here?"
"Hmm... I reached out to them, but it seems they won't be coming after all."
"Manoairoa is quite moody, as usual..."
"And Meltrize is constantly sleeping."
"It’s a waste of time to keep waiting. Let’s just get this started."
At Tekun's word, Gain, the Creator God, looked at each of their faces.
"While it would be ideal for everyone to be present, let us begin. As you all know, today's agenda is to determine the punishment for Selerepta, who interfered with the soul of the transmigrator, Ryoma. Regarding the act itself, Willieris and Grimp caught him in the act, and Selerepta has confessed to it. Are there any discrepancies?"
"None at all."
"No mistake about it, I reckon."
"I admit to it as well~"
"Then it is settled. As you are all aware, tampering with the souls of living beings is nearly a taboo even for us. Now that the crime has been committed, we cannot let him go unpunished. However, there is room for debate regarding the appropriate degree of the penalty. Does anyone wish to speak? Are there any who would defend Selerepta?"
Kirilel was the first to raise her voice.
"I’ve got plenty to say, but first, I want to hear from his own mouth why he did it. In the first place, it’s already abnormal for Selerepta to show himself or get involved with humans."
"A valid point."
Under their collective gaze, Selerepta shot a look of annoyance at Kirilel before speaking.
"Even if you ask for a reason... you’ve all met Ryoma, haven't you? I just got interested, that’s all. I touched his soul to investigate him. I’d heard rumors that something abnormal was showing up. Besides, I’m usually not the type to care about transmigrators, but if you’re going to say that, isn't Fernobelia the same? It’s not particularly strange, is it?"
"I will not deny my interests. However, tampering with a soul is surely a step too far, is it not?"
"I initially intended to stop at just a bit of conversation and mind reading. To be honest, I just miscalculated. I do feel a little bad about it, and I intend to reflect on it quite sincerely."
"You don't look the least bit sincere... and what exactly do you mean by 'miscalculated'?"
"I’ve already told Willieris this many times... in various ways. As I said, I planned to settle things with questions and mind reading. To facilitate that, I intended to make his emotions surface just a little more easily, but I met unexpected resistance—or rather, it was almost completely neutralized in the end. Because of that, he realized I was using mental manipulation, he grew cautious, and since he didn't even realize what he’d done himself, I had no choice but to investigate his soul directly."
Hearing this, the gods reacted in their own ways—some held their heads in their hands, others wore bitter smiles—but the general consensus was one of exasperation. Selerepta’s methods were certainly not to be praised.
However...
"Resistance to divine power, followed by its complete neutralization. Could you really just ignore the soul of a human capable of such a feat without investigating?"
Following those words, a flicker of hesitation appeared among the gods.
For a human to resist divine power, much less neutralize it, was almost unheard of.
"It seems the souls of transmigrators from Earth all have abnormalities to some degree. Ryoma’s is particularly prominent. I’ve heard the stories, but... when it comes to the neutralization of divine power, don't you think it’s too dangerous to leave it unexamined?"
"Hmm. So your argument is that he might possess a power capable of threatening us in the worst-case scenario, and thus you felt forced to conduct the investigation?"
"I just felt it wouldn't be good to leave it alone, so it was more of a precaution. In the first place, when a living being dies, its soul eventually reincarnates into a new life... The main reason why tampering with souls is considered taboo is because the souls we touch can no longer undergo a 'normal transmigration,' right? On that point, Ryoma has already been touched once when he came to this world, and it’s already been decided that he will receive special processing after death. I made him suffer because I did it by force, but I intended to ensure there would be no further impact on the boy himself. ...If Willieris hadn't jumped in right then, I think I could have finished it much more safely."
"What was that?!"
"Now, now."
Willieris, the Goddess of Earth, bristled at the unnecessary remark. As the atmosphere grew tense, Grimp, the God of Agriculture, stepped in to soothe her.
"Ahem! In short, you felt it was necessary and carried it out while paying the minimum required attention."
"Pretty much. I admit it was wrong to act on my own without informing you in advance. But our relationships were at their worst back then, so it wasn't a situation where I felt I could."
"It’s only natural for things to turn out that way after you used mental manipulation without permission and then got caught."
"Well, I guess so. It couldn't be hel—"
"And? What are you hiding?"
"—Eh?"
Though Gain looked exasperated, his gaze was sharp enough to pierce through Selerepta. And the same was true for the other gods.
"Just how long do you reckon we've known each other?"
"It is truly disappointing, but we have shared countless eons together."
"You’re being far too honest today."
"It’s unsettling to hear even a single word like 'it was wrong' come out of your mouth."
"You don't have the kind of personality to say such humble things."
"It ain't like a twisted guy like you at all."
"Normally, wouldn't you be brazening it out or shifting the blame?"
Under the relentless scrutiny of the seven gods—Grimp, Willieris, Kirilel, Fernobelia, Lulutia, Tekun, and Kufo—Selerepta’s face twitched.
"Do you really have to go that far...?"
"It is the truth, is it not?"
"Just hurry up and spit out what you’re hiding."
"I suppose what you’ve said so far wasn't a lie, but..."
"We should wait until we’ve heard the whole story before reaching a conclusion."
"I expect it’s not for some trivial reason. If it is—"
"Ah, geez! Fine... I’ll tell you!"
Selerepta let out a sigh and began to speak as if grumbling. However...
"I don't think there’s much point in hearing it, though."
"That is for us to judge. You only need to answer what you are asked."
"...Fernobelia... you’ve been calling me 'kisama' for a while now, but isn't that a bit rude? Our positions may be equal, but I’m far older than you, aren't I? For someone who acts like such an intellectual, your lack of manners is appalling."
"What right does a criminal waiting for judgment have to speak? This is exactly why useless elderly nuisances like you are a problem."
"Will you two settle down!"
The two deities suddenly began glaring at each other, followed by Gain’s sharp rebuke.
"Fernobelia, calm yourself. And Selerepta, do not try to divert the conversation. We aren't making any progress."
"Tch."
"My apologies."
"Sigh... I just want to watch an idol concert and be healed from all this..."
Perhaps due to the hardships of being the mediator, Gain’s muttered honest wish went ignored by everyone. Selerepta opened his mouth once more.
"The reason I didn't say anything... it’s about Ryoma, or rather, about the God of Planet Earth who sent him here. To put it simply, when I investigated Ryoma’s soul, I discovered that god is a person with incredibly poor taste."
"Poor taste?"
"From what I’ve heard from Gain and the others, they seem to be doing all sorts of things, so that’s not surprising."
"Yeah, I think it’s related to that 'all sorts of things.' First of all, do you all know what a 'Nurturing Simulation Game' is? It’s a pastime in Ryoma’s world... to put it simply, you input information into a dedicated machine and play at raising pseudo-humans, animals, or crops that don't possess life."
"It’s like the way we watch over humanity, nature, and the flora and fauna, isn't it?"
"Ah, our opinions finally matched for once. It’s just as Willieris said. However, in those games, the targets have no life or soul. What you raise is just a mass of information. No matter how lifelike it is, it isn't a living existence. That is precisely why you can do anything to it. If it’s an existence on a data sheet without life, no matter what atrocious things you do, you can just reset it. You can make it as if it never happened. That is the difference between a game and reality, I suppose... but for the God of Planet Earth, I imagine they’re both the same."
The room went silent.
"Are you saying that the God of Planet Earth was playing a nurturing game using a living human?"
Lulutia’s voice was tinged with a quiet, cold anger, but Selerepta gave the answer casually.
"At least in Ryoma’s case, I believe so. Lulutia, you’re in charge of his reincarnation, so you know he was given various talents, including martial arts, right?"
"Yes, though it seemed they were given to him in a way that they would be almost entirely wasted in his previous life."
"That was only a tiny fraction of it. It seems Ryoma was given many other talents as well. They were hidden quite carefully so that you wouldn't find them unless you investigated deep into his soul directly—it would be more accurate to call them decoys meant to deceive us."
"What did you say?!"
"I’m telling you straight, I'm not lying, okay?"
"Certainly, there’s no reason for Selerepta to tell such a lie," Kufo added. "If we were to investigate Ryoma’s soul, we would find out anyway. Since investigating a soul directly isn't something one does without cause, we normally wouldn't know. It was the perfect hiding spot."
"I understand Kufo's point, but what kind of talents did he go so far as to hide?" Gain asked.
"'Murder'."
The shock in the room was palpable.
"There were others like 'Robbery' and 'Theft'; I think he was given talents for every act you can think of when you hear the word 'crime.' Though, probably because it wasn't necessary for the objective, there weren't any sex-related ones. There were many related to what I said before—'Murder,' 'Massacre,' 'Slaughter'—anyway, it seems they wanted to specialize him in killing—"
"Wait a second! Then what? You’re sayin' the God of Planet Earth wanted to raise Ryoma into a murderer?"
"...I'm trying to explain, so I'd like you to listen to the end... Well, whatever. I think it’s more like it was 'convenient' for the objective to turn him into a heinous criminal. Anyway, it seems they wanted to make him miserable, let him bottle up his frustration, and then have him snap and kill someone in a moment of passion, making it so there was no turning back for him. Also, the talents Ryoma can use are limited to old weapons like katanas or bows, and while he doesn't have a talent for handling firearms, they went out of their way to make sure he had a slight interest in them. I suspect they wanted to conduct an experiment like 'to what extent can a master counter firearms with martial arts and primitive weapons' or 'how many people can he kill.' If he became a criminal, the police would chase him, and if he continued to resist as a heinous offender, a special forces unit trained in firearms might come out. Well, it seems it never came to fruition, though."
Just as everyone thought Selerepta was continuing his story listlessly without much emotion, he suddenly took on a serious expression.
"I’ve explained up to this point including my own conjectures, but what I don't want you to misunderstand is that Ryoma isn't an evil person."
"We know that without you having to tell us, Selerepta."
"That’s right, and if he were an evil person, we wouldn't have brought him to this world in the first place."
"I agree," Gain said, "but if that's the case, it feels like the God of Planet Earth’s work was half-baked... What do you think, Fernobelia?"
"I concur. If they were so inclined, it should not have been difficult to determine his fate and create a human exactly as they desired."
"But then it wouldn't be entertaining, would it?" Selerepta countered. "After all, if a god gives power without restraint, the result is already obvious. The God of Planet Earth only gave talents or deliberately arranged a miserable environment. I think they used roundabout methods to provide randomness, making it so they themselves wouldn't know how the result would turn out, while also adjusting things so he didn't stray too far from the human realm."
"...I see, that is one way to look at it."
"What a sickening story, honestly..."
"But it’s likely because of that 'game' that Ryoma was able to exercise self-restraint and live normally until he died. By the way, the reason his resistance to mental manipulation is abnormally high is also because Ryoma resisted temptation and exercised self-restraint far beyond what the God of Planet Earth expected. To the point where the simulation could no longer function. Thanks to that, there were traces of them repeatedly adding criminal talents and trying to guide him, and it seems they even used quite forceful fate manipulation. The number of times his soul was tampered with wasn't just once or twice."
"So that’s how he built up a resistance..."
"Well, while the person being toyed with doesn't know about the divine circumstances and is completely unaware, he’s quite something."
Willieris murmured her agreement, and then Grimp, who was sitting next to her, spoke up as if he had reached an understanding.
"That’s why you said those things back then, wasn't it?"
"Ah... Grimp, are you really going to say that here?"
For the first time, the usually aloof Selerepta’s expression twisted. At a reaction that looked as if he had just been caught in an embarrassing moment, the attention of the other gods gathered on him.
"'I pray that you can become happy in the true sense of the word. Things around you will become busy in the near future, so do your best. Until then, enjoy your peaceful life in the village for a while longer. And if, someday, living becomes too painful no matter what, you should come to me...' Was that it? You were sayin' things that weren't like you at all, so I was curious, I reckon."
"Sigh... I’m sure that in his previous life, there were many times where he felt so angry he wanted to kill someone. I imagine there were also many things that could have caused him to kill, and temptations toward crime. Even so, he didn't kill, and he didn't commit a crime... even if that was hypocrisy, even if it was unintentional, he stuck to it until he died. If he had been living a normal life, that would be one thing, but when I think about how he was resisting divine temptation while in a human body, I could even say I felt respect for him."
"When you put it that way, it really is a staggering feat."
"Even if the God of Planet Earth was only half-joking, one could not endure it with a mediocre strength of will."
"It’s frustrating, but the God of Planet Earth is likely of a much higher rank than us..."
"Well, fortunately, since his soul came to this world, the God of Planet Earth should no longer be able to touch him... However, the 'experience' from his previous life carved into his soul and the 'personality' formed by it remain as they are. There are still things to be worried about."
As Selerepta spoke, his expression twisted even further.
"Just as a child raised being told they are a 'bad child' comes to believe they are a 'bad child,' the God of Planet Earth’s little game has had a profound influence on Ryoma’s personality and has warped it. Of course, there are children who have a firm sense of self and live with confidence even if they’re told they’re useless, and Ryoma was likely closer to that type... But his self-restraint to counter the intense temptation toward crime and murder was too strong—or rather, he had no choice but to be that way—and his self-restraint and self-denial are excessive."
"Hm? Wait a minute. Was Ryoma that kind of guy?" Tekun asked. "He’s been doing bandit subjugations and things like that normally, hasn't he?"
"Yeah. That’s the part that makes things even more complicated... Regarding bandit subjugations, he’s simply obeying and adapting to the laws of the country he’s in now. He doesn't kill needlessly, but he seems to have almost no resistance toward killing for self-defense or for food. However, that 'having almost no resistance toward killing,' and also the way he tends to go quite overboard when he fights? While he himself has no awareness of it, on an instinctive level, he already dimly senses the talents he harbors within and the danger they pose. And then he blames himself, thinking it’s due to his own immaturity."
"Ah!?"
"What is it, Kufo?"
"No, that just reminded me. Wasn't the reason Ryoma suddenly started training after parting with the ducal family because he went on a rampage in the mine?"
"Oh, come to think of it, there was something like that."
"I remember as well. But weren't the opponents to blame for that? They were delinquent adventurers trying to threaten children and take their earnings, if I recall. And they tried to threaten Ryoma himself."
"That’s true, but... he’s become younger since coming here, right? Because his mental state has also become slightly more youthful, it seems the restraints he kept tight in his previous life have loosened. It seems he almost got swept away by his emotions for just a tiny bit. So he feels like he’s hurriedly trying to tighten them again. In his life in the forest until then, the act of 'killing a living thing' was familiar to him in the form of hunting, and then the battles with bandits might also be part of the reason the restraints loosened. To be honest, I think considering murder out of anger or resentment is, in a sense, a natural thing for a human with emotions. Whether one carries it out or not is a different story, and I think it would be stranger if someone felt absolutely nothing no matter what happened."
"...In other words," Fernobelia summarized, "Ryoma accepts killing as something necessary to live. But at the same time, he perceives that as an abnormality and considers himself a dangerous person. It seems contradictory, but is this what you mean?"
"Ah, yeah. Fernobelia’s expression might be the closest. He recognizes himself as a dangerous person. That’s probably why, even though he wants to enter the circle of people, he feels a sense of dissonance once he’s inside. Thinking, 'My place isn't here, I’m not the kind of person who should be in a place like this.' Furthermore, to add to that, it's 'be kind to others, be strict with yourself.' 'I must be virtuous,' 'I must be selfless,' 'I must be of use to others, or else I have no value as a living being'... I suppose you could say that? Humanly speaking, it's a virtue, but in Ryoma’s case, it feels like he’s unconsciously being far too thorough about it. Anyway, his self-esteem is low. That’s why he accepted unreasonable treatment in his previous life, and even now, if someone is kind to him, he tries to return the same or more without caring about his own burden or loss. Though the person himself is completely unaware."
Just as everyone thought the story had come to an end, Selerepta let out a great sigh. He finally spoke as if summarizing everything he had said so far.
"It sounds nice if you call it 'unconditional love,' but doing all sorts of things for free makes you an easy target in a greedy human society, and depending on how you look at it, it could even be taken as disregarding and devaluing the appropriate compensation and value for work. What will he do if that creates friction with those around him? It would be fine if he brazened it out or ran away, but given his personality, he wouldn't do such a thing. There’s a high probability he’ll face the other person’s anger or slander head-on and might comply with whatever demands are made. But unless he fixes the unconscious warp at the root of his heart, his actions won't change. It looks like things around him are going to get busy from now on, and if he continues in that state where he doesn't mind his own sacrifice in an emergency, he’ll eventually break his heart, his body, or both. On that point, I could even introduce him to an uninhabited island that no human knows about. I could even give him a strong divine protection like the ancestors of the merfolk so he could live underwater. If he completely leaves the world of humans, it would be easier for him, and even if the worst were to happen, the damage would be kept to a minimum. The existences of the lower world naturally change as time passes. There’s no need to rush with Ryoma. He just needs to take his time and stabilize in a place where he can be at peace... I guess that’s about it."
"I see. So you were thinking that far ahead."
Gain’s sentiment was shared by the other gods, and silence filled the room.
"That was unexpected," Willieris said softly. "Even though you were constantly saying that Ryoma was boring and so on..."
"I did say that his current life is boring to observe, but I don't recall saying I disliked him or wasn't interested in him, okay? Besides, I intend to be somewhat equal toward any life, so even if I wasn't interested, I would still respond appropriately."
Willieris opened her mouth as if to apologize, but the words wouldn't follow. Even though the person was Selerepta, with whom she was like cats and dogs, a sense of self-reflection sprouted within her that she might have said too much—
"Well... to be honest, I really love children like him who struggle and scramble to live even while they're right on the edge."
The room went cold.
Not noticing this, Selerepta continued speaking. His voice seemed to grow excited, gradually becoming louder.
"See, how should I put it? Like a fish that survives while most of the fry are eaten, or an ant that falls into an antlion pit but makes it out? There’s a certain radiance of life in a soul that desperately struggles to be saved from the brink of death—eh?"
It was here that he finally realized. The surrounding gods were once again looking at him with cold, exasperated eyes.
"Selerepta... you really are something else..."
"Aren't you even more warped than Ryoma?"
"I don't want to criticize another person’s tastes, but..."
"Couldn't you at least have used an expression like 'feeling the preciousness of life,' or 'it’s wonderful to strive to live,' or 'I’m rooting for him'?"
"I feel like I wasted my breath being impressed."
"I definitely never want to be liked by you."
"There you go saying unnecessary things again; I don't want to know anymore, I reckon."
"Wait, hey, what’s with this atmosphere?"
"Selerepta."
Willieris called his name with just a single word. But her countenance had completely changed from just a moment ago.
"Scary?! What’s with that face?! What happened to you being depressed just a second ago?!"
"Yes, yes, you are exactly right. What was I thinking, trying to reflect on my actions? Fufu, fufufufu."
"...I thought I was on track to be forgiven."
"It certainly was turning into that kind of atmosphere. Until just now... I see, you were planning to use the story about Ryoma to catch our interest and try to run away while glossing over your crime, weren't you?!"
"Eh?! That’s definitely an unfair accusation! At most, I was hoping for a reduction of my sentence for uncovering what the God of Planet Earth did and for my handling of Ryoma!"
"So you did have an ulterior motive!"
"Ugh, she’s become a real pain. Hey everyone, this is supposed to be a meeting or a trial, right? Are you really going to let her do whatever she wants on her own?!"
"Well now... let’s change the location for the final discussion, and then we shall take a vote. We’re leaving Willieris behind, so you take care of him. Now then, everyone, let us go."
"Ah! Hey! Gain?! Everyone?!"
There was no one to answer his call, and one by one, the gods left the area. All who remained were Selerepta, still tied to his chair, and Willieris, who had stood up and walked right in front of him.
"Everyone has gone, haven't they?"
"Yeah."
"The punishment will be decided by everyone else. Until then, I have a mountain of things I want to say to you. I’m going to make sure you listen to every last word!"
"Uwaah... I might kick the bucket before Ryoma at this rate..."
After this, Willieris’s lecture continued on and on, and eventually, it is said that the returning gods discovered a completely exhausted Selerepta who had spent all his mental and physical strength.