Chapter 147
I think about what I've done.
It seems I erased something called the 【Evil Eye】 rather than a curse... That black thing. I'm glad it's gone.
Apparently, I destroyed the 【magic stone】... I don't know what the 【magic stone】 is.
It seems I revived the forest... That's a good thing.
Apparently, I evolved 【Yggdrasil】... What is 【Yggdrasil】?
I freed the divine beasts... As expected of me!
Apparently, I wiped out the Fifth Knight Order of the Emperas Kingdom... Let's see what kind of people they were... Wasn't it their own fault?
It seems I indirectly killed the country's king and mage... What kind of people were they?... I suppose it counts as divine punishment.
...Is there a problem?
"I thought you'd be depressed about killing them."
"Ah, there's a saying: what goes around comes around. What else?"
I would have been shaken if I had seen them dead, but I only heard about it.
Besides, it seems the Fifth Knight Order, the king, and the mage were unbelievably cruel.
Sacrificing beastfolk and using children as bait... They couldn't possibly be forgiven even in death.
"It seems the slave children were taken in by the neighboring country."
"...? Um, I'm not following."
He explained it, but... um, in other words...
The two hundred child slaves who had been brought to the forest as sacrifices were safely protected.
Two of them are in this house... What?!
"It seems they survived in the forest thanks to your defensive power,
and they seem to have had help, too.
It was fortunate, too, that the slaves who had escaped earlier had asked the neighboring country for help.
There was an investigative team from the neighboring country in the forest, after all."
...What does 'defense' mean?
Did I protect those children even though I didn't know slaves existed?
I don't remember doing it, but apparently it was indeed my magic.
What? Was I involved with the slaves who escaped earlier, too?
Well... for now, what matters most is that the children are alive.
Still, I'm surprised that Usa and Kuuhy were slaves.
"As for you, it seems you've become nonhuman."
"...............Huh?"
What is this old man... this god... talking about?
"It seems all the power of the four heroes was poured into you."
"..."
"And in this world without a god to oversee it, you've become the master of the divine beasts."
"..."
"You're at the top of this world now."
...Huh?
Um... I see. So I've graduated from being human.
Let's calm down for now.
"...Would you like to become a god?"
"I refuse!"
What is this old man... this god... talking about now?
Wait until I've calmed down.
So much has happened that my head feels like it's about to burst.
"...This is an incredible thing, you know?"
"There's no way I can do it. Absolutely not. ...Are you testing me?"
"Hmm. Perhaps I should choose a god to oversee this world."
If I'd said I wanted to become a god, something might have happened.
Apparently, the old man in front of me isn't someone to be taken lightly.
I need to be careful what I say and do.
"You don't have to be so wary."
"You were testing me after all, weren't you?"
"I'm sorry. Your existence is so unusual that I don't know how to deal with you."
I want to say it's none of my business, but he's talking about me, isn't he?
I don't know how to handle myself either...
"As far as I'm concerned, as long as I can spend time with my companions, that's enough."
"...You have incredible power within you, you know. Is that really enough for you?"
"Power doesn't really matter to me.
The reason I tried to do something about the curse—the 【Evil Eye】—was that it was causing my companions to suffer,
and a place to live should be comfortable, and the forest should be beautiful, right?
That's how I've lived in this world, so I don't need anything more.
Well, I probably survived because I had that power, so I'm grateful for it."
"I see. Hmm."
"It's what my father and mother taught me: when you're in trouble, keeping things simple is best."
Always put your own life first.
Especially when you're in trouble, that's the most important thing: don't overthink it.
Secure shelter and food first; once those are taken care of, deal with preventing illness.
If you can make companions along the way, then do so.
If overthinking things makes you freeze up, first take action to protect yourself in the simplest way possible.
That was the way of life my father and mother taught my siblings and me.
My father wandered from country to country when he was young, so I suppose those lessons came from his experiences.
They were almost useless in Japan, but they've been incredibly useful here.
"My family... No, it's fine."
"I'm sorry."
They're my family, so I'm sure they'll talk about me with smiles.
Ah... I was told I'm no longer human, but what have I become?