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[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
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Chapter - 38: Good deeds bring good results. Bad deeds bring bad consequences
Some horrific sins can’t be forgiven the moment they’re committed, and must be regretted for a lifetime.
“I’m sorry. I... I killed you...”
That’s why people seek God.
They believe in an immortal soul and in the afterlife where that soul continues to live.
This is the belief behind salvation.
That everyone gets one more chance to ask for forgiveness.
That even the worst sin can still be forgiven.
That the end isn’t the end, and the last moment isn’t truly the last.
And yet when that chance for forgiveness finally comes, the sinner always says the same thing.
“...It was a mistake.”
Small, pitiful words—An excuse.
“I didn’t know back then. I didn’t know someone could die.”
Zara’s kindness is never rewarded.
Zara’s devotion is never rewarded.
Zara’s effort is never rewarded.
Zara’s suffering gets no compensation.
Because the hate toward Zara has no reason.
No one wants to take responsibility for her pain.
That’s just how the world works.
It’s the terrible fate Zara was born with.
“I was just a child. I was too young to understand what I’d done.”
The more Nova spoke, the more pitiful she sounded.
She couldn’t tell the difference between what shouldn’t be said and what might be okay to say.
Her mind was breaking under the weight of her guilt.
The ability to reflect, the kindness to care for others, the wisdom to know right from wrong, all faded away at the bottom of the valley called Sin.
“And... since Mother came back to life like this...”
In that moment, Nova bit her tongue hard enough to bleed.
As if she were trying to bite it off completely.
What on earth had she just been about to say?
That since her mother came back to life, everything’s fine? That it’s forgivable? That she should be forgiven?
Even though she knows how horrifying her mother’s fate was.
Even though she knows.
Even though she’s no longer an ignorant child.
Was she really about to say that?
Ah.
Oh God...
So this is what she was—so vile, so repulsive.
“……”
The moment Nova trembled with self-loathing—
The door opened.
Nova knew who stood beyond that door.
And so, she squeezed her eyes shut.
As if shutting her eyes might keep her from seeing her miserable state.
Please. Please.
Don’t come in.
Charlotte. No.
Not you.
I don’t want you to see me like this. Not you.
“Huh? Is someone home…? Mother?! Are you okay?! Your mouth is bleeding—”
“……”
“Who are you people?! What did you do to my mom?! You monsters—!”
Charlotte rushed toward Zara.
She lashed out in anger and blame at the stranger threatening her mother.
It was a misunderstanding.
Nova should have stopped her.
She had to stop her.
That’s not it.
It’s all my fault.
Please, don’t do this.
She should have begged.
Even now, she should have confessed her sins.
“Ah…”
But she didn’t have the courage.
She didn’t have the words.
Nova collapsed.
“……”
Nova knew Zara.
She knew how much misunderstanding, how much blame Zara quietly endured.
Zara never made excuses.
She never protected herself.
So there would be no taking it back.
It was already too late.
Charlotte would strike her mother.
But what followed was nothing like what Nova expected.
“I didn’t do anything!”
“Huh?”
Zara grabbed Charlotte’s arm.
She stopped her attack.
She resisted.
And boldly declared her innocence.
“You’ve got it all wrong! Why are you suddenly throwing hands and freaking out?!”
“Mother?”
Nova was stunned.
Her mother… swore?
No—could it be someone else?
Was she mistaken?
No, she wasn’t.
That woman was definitely her mother.
Still young, but without a doubt the same person.
Nova had once been a part of her, there was no way she could be mistaken.
“Ugh—! Let me go! You villain! You trash! You nasty wench!”
“I’ll let go if you calm down! Or are you short in height and in brain cells?”
What in the world was this?
They were bickering.
Just like ordinary kids.
Nova felt dizzy.
And just then, the blind woman who had been watching the scene quietly spoke to Charlotte in a gentle voice.
“My dear. Could you calm down for a moment? We were in the middle of speaking with your mother. There’s no need to worry. We won’t do anything bad.”
“...Okay.”
Charlotte cooled her anger and gave a small nod.
Her expression was still sulky, and there was a hint of resentment in the way she looked at Zara.
But she didn’t lash out again.
It was strange.
That her rage toward her mother could be subdued—
That should’ve been impossible.
“Would you mind stepping out for a little while? Just for a few minutes.”
“...You can’t hurt my mom.”
“I promise. I won’t hurt her.”
Charlotte glanced uneasily at Nova, then quietly stepped out.
The door shut behind her.
The blind woman beamed with a cheerful smile, then tapped the floor twice with her cane.
Tap, tap.
“Seems there’s a lot that needs to be said.”
“……”
“But when only one person does the talking. You can’t call that a conversation. Zara, may I lean on your shoulder for a moment?”
“Yes! Sister!”
The blind woman rested her weight on Zara’s shoulder.
Zara supported the blind woman who had collapsed from weakness.
Somewhere, there was a sound like a set of scales tipping.
A moment later, the blind woman let out a strained groan.
Then, gently patting Zara’s hair, she stood back up.
“Thank you, Zara.”
“Heehee.”
“Nova. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Priscilla.”
Nova didn’t know who Priscilla was.
And Priscilla didn’t know Nova either.
To understand one another, they would need a very long introduction.
“I used to be a witch, and now I serve as the priestess of Libra.”
“A witch…?”
Priscilla.
Once known as the Witch of Suicide, now the priestess of Libra.
The day she received her baptism—
Priscilla saw Gigachad’s true nature.
Through the shimmering window, she saw the transcendent being who tuned the world.
She saw that being attempted again and again to prevent the world’s destruction.
But she was not allowed to remember any of it.
Some futures simply weren’t meant for her.
It wouldn’t be fair for her to inherit all those memories.
And so, Priscilla doesn’t know much about the other Destruction Triggers.
“Nova. Go ahead and introduce yourself to Zara. Greetings matter.”
“……”
This is what it means to have at least the capacity to try understanding someone else.
The rule is simple.
No one is allowed to know another person entirely on their own.
“Zara.”
“Yes, sister!”
“This time, I’d like to offer you my shoulder. That would be fair, wouldn’t it?”
“Heehee. Sounds good!”
Zara rested her head on Priscilla’s shoulder.
Her eyes closed.
The gentle sound of her breathing told them she had fallen asleep.
Zara dreamed.
She dreamed the dream of the most unfortunate girl in the world.
A while later—
Zara woke from her long dream and opened her eyes.
She yawned once, looked at Nova, and gave a shy smile.
A smile as gentle as sunlight.
“Ah. It’s been a while, Nova.”
“…Mother.”
“Heehee.”
·
·
·
Virgin Birth.
The tale of a girl who has never known a man, giving birth to and raising a monster, is a familiar one in myth.
An innocent and pure girl.
A monster born in hideous form.
These stories usually end in tragedy.
People come to slay the monster, and the girl dies trying to protect it.
But the story of the most unfortunate girl in the world was a little different.
["Ah, how truly beautiful... Cells blessed with eternal youth..."]
What was born from the girl's womb was not a monster.
It did not bear a hideous appearance, cursed by the envy of the world.
It did not have ominous twin horns sprouting from its forehead.
It had no tail or fangs.
It was a girl.
The girl born from the virgin’s womb was truly beautiful.
And for that reason, she was fatal.
["But if she continues to grow like this, that overwhelming vitality will surely turn inward and devour her from within. What a shame. Such a terrible shame..."]
The witch who extracted it from the womb of the unfortunate girl.
It was only natural to fall in love with that tiny life.
["Unfortunate child. Your daughter will die like this. So let me cast a spell for your daughter’s sake."]
What was truly unfortunate for the girl was—
The witch had remarkable talent.
A witch who had studied eternal life.
[“This child was your curse from the beginning… After all, isn’t a child something that grows by feeding off its mother? This child is still your curse. Everything it devours—your nourishment, your flesh, your bones, your marrow, your blood—will once again be taken from you. This child is your life. And your life is its sustenance.”]
A spell that demanded endless sacrifice from one person.
A failed creation born from a witch’s research into immortality.
["This spell’s name shall be... yes, ‘Motherly Love’ sounds just right."]
And so, a girl and a curse became true mother and daughter, thanks to a vile joke from a certain witch.
["You shall name the child. For a name given by a witch is always cursed...It’s only proper that the one who’ll become the child’s mother names her."]
But the girl accepted her fate.
She took on the burden.
And the curse was given a name.
["Noah. What a curious name. Do you wish for this child to become your place of rest?"]
Noah.
[TL/N: In Korean, ‘Noah’ and ‘Nova’ are spelled identically, which led to initial confusion due to limited context. However, given the context, the correct name is ‘Noah.’ Moving forward we’ll be using ‘Noah’. The name ‘Noah’ originates from Hebrew, meaning ‘rest’ or ‘comfort.’]
The most dreadful curse in the world was given the name ‘Rest.’
It was a name that could only be called a cruel joke.
And— just as the name foretold, the unfortunate girl who could not even die when pierced by blades was finally granted eternal rest.
Well— Perhaps not so eternal after all.
·
·
·
The unfortunate girl, Zara, taught Noah many things.
["Noah. You mustn’t hit others."]
["Why not?"]
["Because it makes them hurt."]
["But it doesn’t hurt when I get hit!"]
["Heehee. If our Noah gets hurt, I get hurt just as much."]
Most of them were about what not to do.
Back then, Zara loathed the monstrous evil that lived inside her.
And that made her afraid.
Not of birthing a monster—
But of birthing someone like herself.
The truth is, Zara did not love Noah.
Because she hated herself, Zara could not love Noah.
It was only a sense of duty.
["There are too many things I’m not allowed to do… I don’t understand any of it."]
["It’s okay. You can take your time to understand."]
And Noah felt it—she knew she was not loved.
She realized Zara did not love her.
That was why she did something she was told she shouldn’t do.
It was just a small act of rebellion.
["Noah? Noah!"]
["Mom! Look at this! I’m glowing!"]
Flames. Noah burned brightly within the flames.
Zara should have stopped her, but Noah’s fierce breath left her gasping for air.
All the life Noah wasted belonged to Zara.
And only when the flames became unbearably hot and painful did Noah suddenly jump out in surprise.
["Mom!"]
No answer came.
["...Mom?"]
Cause and effect.
Just as there is no reason for all the pain Zara endures, there is a reason for all the pain Noah suffers.
["..."]
This is Noah’s original sin.
Some terrible sins— once committed—cannot be forgiven, and must be regretted for a lifetime.
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[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
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