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[Translator - Tangrine ]
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Chapter 35: A forced happy ending is the writer's business
Virgin pregnancy.
Among ancient myths, there are often stories of virgins who became pregnant and gave birth to monsters.
Sometimes, these monsters were born from eggs without an umbilical cord, and were described as writhing masses of flesh with eyes and hearts pulsing inside.
Witch legends, monster legends, demon legends...
They appear only in very terrible tales as strange, uncanny phenomena.
However, they were not mere fabrications found only in myths.
On a clear day when flowers bloomed and birds chirped, a terrible malignant tumor took root in a girl’s womb.
The name of that tumor was teratoma.
“A teratoma...?”
“Yes. A tumor that can transform into anything.”
Teratoma. A malignant tumor possessing a specific DNA blueprint that can differentiate into organs.
A horrific lump of flesh mixed with all sorts of organs.
Nova was that.
The ‘brain and heart’ nestled in a girl's womb.
That was the beginning of all this absurdity.
“In the temple called the womb, the human body is conceived, and the soul settles in the brain and heart."
“...That soul was Nova?”
“Well, back then it was just a mass of flesh. It was a very unfortunate thing for the sick girl. Since she was a young girl who hadn’t even had her first menstruation but was pregnant, she was treated as a witch accused of consorting with demons. A girl born into a wealthy family was abandoned by her own family in an instant.”
The story that followed—perhaps it was even more terrible.
Virgin pregnancy.
There was a witch who came out of curiosity about this strange phenomenon.
As is typical of arrogant witches, she was researching life and immediately saw through the unfortunate girl’s condition.
She took it upon herself to heal this pitiable girl.
The witch’s talent was truly great. She succeeded in perfectly curing the unfortunate girl.
However, the witch’s great magic also made a mistake—she inadvertently saved the teratoma lodged in the womb as well.
“It was unfortunate for the girl who desperately wished to be healed. Perhaps this is why such a miracle occurred. Some girls can never achieve what they truly desire.”
“Excuse me?”
“A god with the power to pass one person’s misfortune onto another...”
“Wait, you don’t mean...”
“Having two such beings is a terrible thing in itself.”
“Is what I think correct?”
There are two kinds of misfortune when a child loses their parents.
One is the death of the parents, and the other is being abandoned by them.
Zara is the most unfortunate girl in the world.
In her childhood, Zara lost her kind father to death.
Then, why did she lose her strict mother?
“From here on it’s only speculation.”
Zara, who was born bearing all the misfortunes of this world in place of others.
Nova, who bears all the world’s suffering and brings about its destruction.
A girl hated by the world, and a girl loved by the gods.
Two who resemble each other so deeply.
They are each other’s antithesis.
Thus, in South Korea’s worst masochist community called ‘Endless,’ there was once this theory.
[The ‘original’ who conceived Nova might be Zara.]
What Zara hated most was always herself.
So, it is not strange that her cruel misfortune created another self.
“Not certain. Almost nothing is known about Nova’s past. There is only circumstantial evidence.”
“My goodness. How much must this damned world torment a person before it is satisfied?”
“Forever.”
Endless.
“The suffering never ends.”
“Then, what reason could there possibly be for this world to exist? Why does such a world exist at all?”
“The reason the world exists…”
Nova said that all things in this world are suffering, this world exists solely for her, who swallows all that suffering.
However, she was wrong. A ridiculous misdiagnosis.
She knows nothing at all.
She too is ultimately nothing more than a trigger. She is not strong enough to endure all the world’s suffering.
In the end, she destroys this world.
Therefore, this world of Endless only exists to—
Dissatisfied with the ending called destruction, press [Start Game] once more to find a new ending.
“For me.”
“Pardon?”
“This world exists only for me.”
It existed to torment the player!
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“Ah, Mother.”
“Good morning, Charlotte.”
Early morning.
Charlotte’s bedroom was the sunniest room in the hospital.
Her morning began when the sun rose.
“Mmheh.”
“Charlotte. There’s a sleep mark on your cheek.”
“Wipe it for meee…”
“Washing your face should be done by yourself──”
- “You fucking idiot. Noappy. Do you think she asked because she doesn’t know how to wash? She just wants to spend time with you.”
“…Hoo. I suppose I’ll do it this once, as an opportunity to teach the proper method. Learning the correct technique is important for maintaining hygiene.”
“Hehe.”
Nova had decided to treat Charlotte with kindness… but it was difficult. Truly difficult.
She had spent her whole life serving the lowest of the low.
But the act of loving someone close to her—
Nova had never known how hard that could be until now.
“Mother, today’s your house-call day, right? I’ll take care of the hospital, so be safe out there. Don’t get hurt.”
“No. I plan to stay at the hospital today.”
“Ah—why?”
“Lately I’ve been feeling sleep-deprived.”
“Aha. That’s a good decision. You work way too hard, Mother! Sometimes it’s important to just let go of everything and rest properly.”
Nova suddenly looked at Charlotte, smiling so brightly with joy.
Her body was so small.
Ten years old—far too young to do anything properly.
Like most children at the orphanage, Charlotte had grown up far too quickly.
“…I’m sorry, Charlotte.”
“Huh?”
“No, it’s just… thinking about it, I’ve received so much help. From you, Charlotte.”
“Hehe. Really? I was helpful?”
“Of course.”
Charlotte was a child who should have been clinging to her mother’s embrace, asking for affection.
But a child with no arms to hold on… grows up too quickly.
And so, Charlotte had no choice but to act like an adult.
That is Charlotte’s sorrow.
The kind of sorrow that a mere doctor could never bear in her stead.
“I think I’ll take a nap today. Since your room gets such good sunlight… would it be alright if I borrowed it?”
“Of course! Hehe, let’s nap together!”
“Very well.”
“Oh? You’re not refusing?”
“It’s easier to fall asleep when someone is beside you.”
Whether that was true or not, Nova didn’t know.
She had never had a family.
The warmth of falling asleep in someone’s arms… she had no way of knowing what that felt like.
But she knew that Charlotte needed that kind of warmth—
Nova, too, might finally be able to fall asleep in peace.
.
.
.
“Mother.”
“Yes.”
“Mother.”
“Mm, is something bothering you?”
“Nope. Hehe.”
“I see. That’s a relief.”
“Mother.”
“……”
A bed slightly too small for two people to lie in.
Charlotte, nestled in Nova’s arms, smiled brightly like a fool and called out to Nova again and again.
“If you keep calling me like that, I won’t be able to sleep.”
“Then you call me, Mother.”
“…What?”
“Sing me a lullaby!”
“Mm. I don’t know any lullabies, so I’m afraid I can’t. Sorry.”
“Chh.”
Charlotte, who had been fussing in Nova’s arms, soon fell asleep, breathing softly.
Nova slowly closed her eyes as well.
And then, she heard screams.
She saw scenes of countless people suffering.
She felt the people groaning in pain.
["It hurts. I’m in pain. I can’t take this anymore..."]
["Fuck. This is disgusting. Why are there so many noisy bastards?"]
["Ah! Why don’t people love one another?"]
Because people hate each other, because they’re never satisfied with what they have, because they don’t help one another—
The world is filled with suffering.
This suffering was her own.
Because of it, she could not sleep.
She could not turn her eyes away from her suffering.
The more she tried to shut her eyes and ignore it, the more the suffering stood out.
This is who she is.
This is the fate she was born with.
This is the calling she inherited.
“Mother…?”
“Ah, Charlotte. You weren’t asleep?”
“Mother, your hand is cold… Huu…”
But with a body wracked by suffering, she could not hold her daughter.
And so, Nova had to reject her calling.
She closed her eyes again.
This time, she saw nothing.
She opened her eyes.
And saw her beloved daughter.
“Charlotte.”
“Yes… Mother…”
Her body was weakening. She felt no pain.
Pain was the body’s warning, and to someone whose body had broken beyond repair, even pain was no longer allowed.
Such was the end of one who turned away from her suffering.
It meant becoming a body that could no longer feel pain at all.
As a doctor, she understood this better than anyone.
And yet, there were still words she needed to say.
If this was her final flash of clarity before death, then that light had to be used for one person alone.
“Charlotte. The truth is, I think of you as my daughter.”
“…Huh?”
“You may call me Mom.”
Charlotte’s eyes opened wide, as if her sleep had completely vanished, and she looked up at Nova.
Blinking, she seemed to chew over the words she had just heard.
Then, with a smile more innocent than any she had ever shown, she nodded brightly.
“Yes, Mom… Hehe.”
And just then, Nova finally realized that pain was not what defined life.
That to reach the simple heart that wished to say ‘I love you.’
Why…was it still so hard for her to be honest?
“Mooom…”
To offer the child just that one word, her remaining life was far too short.
She could only hope that Charlotte wouldn’t grieve too deeply.
“……”
The Father in Heaven must surely be watching.
She knew her life was not her own.
Her soul and her breath belonged truly to Him.
So even if He took them back, she would not resent Him.
But if only for one day, for just one more day—
If she could live as this child’s mother…
Then even Hell, she would gladly accept without complaint.
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“By the way, Sister Priscilla. Have we met before, by any chance?”
“Hmm? Let’s see. I’m not sure. If I saw your face, I might remember…But with my eyes like this, I can’t recognize people. I only found you by borrowing the power of the gods.”
“Ehehe. Your face doesn’t feel familiar to me either! It’s just… something about your aura feels familiar.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! By the way, are you a Hero too?”
“I’m a priestess. Priestess of the Libra. Libra is a fair god… they give to those who have given something up.”
“Aha! I’m a Hero! I received my power from the God of Justice.”
“That’s impressive. What kind of power is it?”
“The power to never lose myself!”
“…That’s a truly wonderful power.”
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[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
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