Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death - Chapter 27.3

translator: mii

editors: sleepchaser, ASplashofMusic

As the mini-Goddess continues to stare up at me, tears fill her eyes and spill down her round cheeks.

Then she covers her face with her hands and bursts into loud wails.

“W-wait, Goddess! You don’t have to cry…”

With her child-like form, I can’t help but feel like I’ve done something ghastly to her.

After hesitating for a while, I stroke her head.

She doesn’t look like she’s going to stop any time soon. She’s also crying exactly like a child. Perhaps alongside her physical transformation, her psyche also reverted to that of a child. I don’t know if that’s really the case though.

“Umm, listen to me, Goddess. You can just leave me alone from now on. And since I don’t plan on returning to my original world, you don’t have to force yourself to conserve your divine power anymore…”

The Goddess shakes her head. “No, no! Your origins lie in another space. That means you won’t return to existence in your current world even if I reconstruct it another time! You will die! There’ll be no second time!”

…Ahh. So that’s how it is.

For some strange reason, I believe the Goddess’ words.

“Even if that’s the case, I’m fine with it.”

In any case, a person only has one life.

Once is already enough.

“Thank you, Goddess. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you for bringing me to this world. Because of that, I was able to start a new life, and that’s enough for me.”

“Huh…?”

“On a subconscious level, I’m afraid of losing the people important to me… So I never let myself grow attached to other people. I don’t want to get hurt anymore. If no one’s important to me, then I have no chance of getting hurt, right? But after starting over as Lian in this world, I met people who care about me, who look forward to my presence… I found myself able to grow close to other people again. And now, I’ve obtained a warm and well-lit house again. Many people are waiting for me, thinking about me, reciprocating my feelings. I no longer feel lonely. I’m so happy and satisfied with everything I have right now, and that’s why I’m already incredibly grateful to you.”

At first, I wondered why the Goddess chose me.

But now, I only feel gratitude toward the Goddess, who selected me out of the countless other people out there.

Thanks to that, I get to feel that warmth again. Just like those times before my house in the original world turned cold and dark.

“I’m glad that you came to see me, Goddess. I’ve really wanted to convey my thanks to you, and I’m glad that I’m able to do so properly today. And now that you’ve confirmed that I can remain in my current world, a question that has been plaguing my mind, I can finally enjoy my life there with peace of mind…”

I lift my hand from her head. Fat tears once again flow down her face. Another wave of shivers wrack her whole body, and her lips arch downward.

How troubling.

How do I make her stop crying?

I wipe her face, wet and messy with tears and snot, with my sleeve. “Please don’t cry so much, Goddess. Besides, I don’t want to die yet. I’ll naturally do my best to prevent that from happening. I’m just an ordinary person, unlike the future hero Alfred, so I won’t be able to save the world, but… I’ll show you that I can at least protect that small village. That’s why please watch me. Watch how a mere mob character can save that village. This may be a strange twist to the original storyline, but it might result in a happy ending, you know? I might be able to change Alfred’s sad future too.”

If our warm village is still alive to send Alfred off on his journey around the world, then won’t his future be warmer than that of the original storyline?

These are Marie’s words. Surprisingly, even her carefree, optimistic self has quite an indifferent view of the future. But I don’t think it’s bad.

Moreover, I once told Alfred that he has the ability to change the future with his own hands. I have to back my words with my actions, regardless of how I do it.

“Osaka-sama…”

“Goodbye, Goddess. If we meet again somewhere in the future, then—”

“I don’t want that!” says the mini-Goddess, swinging her hands haphazardly, her cries unceasing. “Ultimately, the probability is almost zero! This means that your chances of changing Lian’s future is also close to impossible!”

“But it’s not exactly zero, right? So I will continue to do my best.”

Just like a child, the Goddess whines, “You can’t! I don’t want that! After all, you—”

“I beg of you, Goddess. This is my life’s wish. Please let me do what I believe in. Besides, that’s what you requested of me during our first meeting, right? Please follow my decision.”

Her eyes widen.

“Even if things turn like this, I’m responsible for helping you,” I say. “I ought to do what I have agreed to do until the end, shouldn’t I? I don’t want to abandon it midway, so…”

The Goddess flutters her small wings, causing her body to float higher. “No… I don’t… want that!”

“G-Goddess…”

“I won’t let you die! I definitely won’t! You definitely won’t die!!!” she cries out as she flies into the sky.

“Huh?! Goddess?!”

Hurriedly, I reach out to pull her back. But against my expectations, her speed of flight is fast. Though my fingertips manage to touch her clothes, I didn’t catch her.

With incredibly hard flaps of her tiny wings, she ascends higher and higher.

I rotate my arms as if I’m swimming in an attempt to chase her increasingly distant figure. However, I have no way of leaving the ground where I stand.

I can only watch her figure gradually shrink into the distance, feeling at a loss.

What did she have in mind back then, when she said she wouldn’t let me die?

For some reason, I feel really worried.

I should’ve asked about her plans regarding this matter. Actually, I wanted to ask earlier. She just didn’t give me the chance before flying away.

“Goddesssss!! Come back!!!!” I scream.

However, it is simply in vain.

Finally, her tiny figure disappears into the white sky, gone from sight.

Now my field of view is truly filled with nothing else but the color white.

“Wait for me, Goddess!!” I say, raising my hand. But in the direction my hand is pointing to is no longer an expanse of white. Rather, it’s a blue sky.

“Huh…?”

…Where am I?

The abrupt scene change causes my brain to freeze. At that moment, I’m unable to recall my location before my meeting with the Goddess.

Level with my line of sight is the blue sky, decorated with fluffy white clouds akin to torn-off pieces of cotton candy. From this, I’m certain that I’m no longer in that white space.

“You’re awake?”

OHHH Goddess is planning something… Don’t tell me she’s going to kidnap… I mean transmigrate another person to this world? Alfred is going to have a rival!? Or maybe she’s going to descend and become one of the villager…!? Σ(ノ∀｀*)

Also, I think this is the first time Alfred (?) heard Lian shout Goddess name!! (๑>◡& He has noticed that Lian is not ‘Lian’ for some time now, but I wonder how he’ll react now that Lian is literally calling Goddess in a loud voice? ・:*:・(●´Д`●)・:*:・Lian, you can’t avoid talking about this anymore! ヽ(〃v〃)ノ ♡

If you enjoyed this novel, please consider supporting the translator on Patreon to read advanced draft chapters for ‘Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death’.