Chapter 7 : Love

Horikita was a poor man. Yes. 25 years old, poor, couldn't even guarantee one meal a day.

Every day he was busy working, all just to be used by his parents.

He felt so pathetic.

Then did he give up?

No!

He never gave up. One day Horikita found the perfect profession to get rich quick! Yes, he became an inter-kingdom merchant!

Just when his 1-billion-dollar project was about to succeed, a god gave him a test!

A first transmigrator came to the world, and he was assigned to help her on her journey. Horikita, who had no abilities other than using his mouth to negotiate, had no other choice.

Why?

Because he would be paid handsomely!

Yay! Money talks!

Not only did his project succeed, but he was also paid by the emperor to take the transmigrator on a tour!

However, before he could enjoy his wealth....

'Crat!'

His head and body separated. The transmigrator cried, apologizing to him. Horikita didn't even know why? What did he do to make her kill him?!

Frustration and hatred filled his heart. Moreover....

"My money!!!!!!"

His 1-billion-dollar project failed because of his death!

When he woke up. He found himself back, in the body of an orphan.

"...."

He thought it was all just a dream, until once again a transmigrator appeared. This time he was no longer a tour guide, but merely a passerby.

When he was about to continue his path as an inter-kingdom merchant, he received a lot of money.

His path to becoming rich was still wide open thanks to his hard work and past knowledge.

Horikita thought.

This time he would become very rich!

Until....

He witnessed that transmigrator being claimed by death.

Then once again, ah, he returned as a child in another body with the same name.

"This is illogical! What does this mean?!"

Horikita felt he was going crazy! What did it mean that he would repeat his time every time he was about to get rich!

Then the incident repeated again. Every time.

Horikita couldn't take it anymore! He had to find out why he always reincarnated as a child after he was about to receive his pay!

His 1-billion-dollar project!

But the reality of his curse stunned him. He stared at the archbishop in utter confusion.

Where am I?

Who am I?

Why me?

Never once had Horikita imagined that he would directly face the archbishop, who was considered the most sacred person, the most difficult to meet even by the emperor.

Initially, he only wanted to ask one of the priests about "rebirth" and "his constantly repeating time" like a curse.

However...

Wow, he directly received an explanation from the priest.

"... You have the power of time."

"God gave it to you, there must be a reason, right?"

"Since when did it start?"

Immediately, Horikita remembered. In the past, when his parents were very poor, he often prayed in church, hoping that someday a god would grant his wish. At that time, he was a 15-year-old teenager.

"I hope your family will never go hungry again."

But when Horikita finished praying, he realized that he was praying at the Temple of the Goddess of Death!

Yes!

Not only that, but he also got something strange! A strange mark on his neck that he often hid.

A red raven motif.

Horikita quickly explained his story to the archbishop.

The archbishop this time was a young man of 25. The direct son of the previous archbishop and a saint. Since death disappeared, the previous archbishop was old enough and fell into a sleep that was not death.

The Saintess, or holy person, had disappeared since the God of Life disappeared. No babies were born with holy power, so there were no candidates capable of becoming pillars of the Church of the holy Eldegar Empire and the ancient Eldebaran Empire.

Both churches were now in a difficult condition. But unlike the condition of the holy Eldegar kingdom which depended on the power of the god of life.

The ancient Eldebaran Empire could still survive with ancient magic. Magic that did not depend on gods, but on nature and power.

Both survived in their own way.

Back to Horikita's problem.

The archbishop was surprised by his words. Receiving a blessing from the Goddess of Death?

Doesn't that mean the Goddess is still alive?

"Then? What made you die?"

Horikita summarized the story of his deaths. From the beginning until his latest death due to being near a battle between the god and a transmigrator.

The archbishop caught the strangeness of his story.

".... Aren't you... dying every time that transmigrator 'dies'?"

Horikita's body froze. Is that true? But... It makes sense and can explain why transmigrators always appear near him.

He would die when that transmigrator died with him.

However...

"It's been a long time."

The archbishop sighed. He looked at the statue of the god, a statue of a man kneeling trying to reach the sky, half his face covered by a robe. Although the sculptor created the statue, no one could truly create the perfection of the god of life.

"1000 years have passed since the previous transmigrator appeared. According to the god's message, there should be a last girl. The girl of death."

"Hair as black as night and eyes as beautiful as obsidian, attracted to all creatures in the world, taking the lives of the living. A girl severely wounded, loved by Him until she embraced darkness."

"Death and life will unite."

Horikita's eyes widened. Th-th-this is an Oracle! Isn't this a secret prophecy?!

Wait a minute.

In this prophecy.

"Will the two of them, the god and goddess reunite?"

Horikita frowned. It's not that he didn't know the story. But if it's true, doesn't that mean the god of life has been doing everything intentionally all this time?!

"Most likely, your mark is not of the Goddess of Darkness."

".... Impossible."

Horikita couldn't believe it. He, a poor child, becoming a pawn in a game of fate starring gods. He shook his head, refusing to accept the bitter reality of his life being played with.

"Shouldn't gods be fair?! I'm just an ordinary human! Why use me?! Why me?!"

The archbishop looked at him with sympathy, he patted Horikita's shoulder. No words could be spoken because it was all useless.

The facts were before his eyes.

"That Oracle... When did it descend?"

"Before the god disappeared."

Horikita gave a bitter smile. "Ha... Why did the god do this to us?"

The archbishop looked at the statue and sighed.

"Perhaps because of love."

Love?

A ridiculous reason. Everyone knows the legend says that the Goddess of Death was originally a compassionate Goddess; she was not purely born from death.

Until her 'beloved god' transformed her into a repulsive creature that fell into darkness.

They said it was because of heavenly love, changing her status from an unnamed goddess to what they called the fear in the hearts of gods and humankind.

That is, death.

Now, why does the god who destroyed the goddess's life want to bring her back?

Is this to stabilize the world? Or just to pull her from oblivion?

If this is love, why did one tear their own soul apart?

While others fall into nothingness trying to find the pieces of their missing parts?