𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓: 𝐊𝐚𝐦𝐢-𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐚’𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞
In a room where the lights had been forgotten and left off, darkness prevailed.
From outside the window, the lively hustle and bustle of the night city and its lights poured in. Against the faint light, Kami-sama stared at me and confessed.
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“The first leading saint. . . . . .was me?”
“I. . . . . .Originally was the land god of this entire continent. It’s a tale from a long past.”
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Seemingly resolved, Kami-sama began to reveal.
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“The location of the cathedral is on a small hill, right? Because of humans, it has significantly shrunk. . . . . .That hill was once my dwelling.”
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The first saint initially visited the mountain as a peace offering.
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“She was a human with dazzling golden hair like a canary, long limbs, and a strong gaze.”
“That sounds just like me.”
“Even the character is the same. . . . . .As well as the previous origin, almost.”
“. . . . . .”
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Kami-sama was troubled with the offering in front of him. A human couldn’t satiate his/her hunger, and although he pitied the first saint, he never intended to bestow blessings for the sake of humans.
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“But. . . . . .Being together, feelings blossomed. . . . . .I unknowingly took a human form and started spending time with her. I made the land fertile and repelled disasters to ensure her happiness, eliminated monsters, and arranged for a prosperous life. . . . . .Before long, she was hailed as the saint of the divine pair by the humans. . . . . .Even though it was the humans who had given her up to me.”
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There was a gritty anger mixed in Kami-sama’s words.
While kneeling, I comforted Kami-sama by stroking his back. To stop the surge of emotions, Kami-sama closed his eyes.
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“The first leading saint was a wise human. She taught me that there are many different gods being worshipped on the continent, making contracts with humans, and gaining protection for the country. On the other hand. . . . . .Gods who refused to cater to human activities were deemed as evil gods by the other gods who were allied with humans and were eradicated.”
“. . . . . .So, humans started wars in the name of gods.”
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Even today, a nation can’t do without a god.
Land gods and rulers are linked, protecting the country through the blessings of the land gods. How that divine power manifests varies based on the nature of the god.
In the doctrine, Land God Kai is supposed to be a serpent god that brings abundance through spiritual springs. This is why the church that manages the saint wields significant power.
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“Facing the interference of other countries, she suggested that I contract with this country. If a contract is made, my dwelling mountain will be eternally protected, and if worshipped as Land God Kai, divine power will stabilize. I also wanted her to find her place in human society as a saint.”
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The god was enshrined in the nation, and my past self became the first leading saint. Everything was in place—except for my lifespan.
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“I became the god of the nation. But she was human—her lifespan was an inevitable destiny. Even though I didn’t need anything other than you. I couldn’t. . . . . . return to the original land god who knew nothing. . . . . .The era didn’t allow it, either.”
“Kami-sama. . .”
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In the era when gods and humans joined hands, humans distinguished between evil gods and gods for their convenience, and gods got involved in human conflicts, the idyllic times for gods had ended.
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“I didn’t have any attachment to the nation. I had no reason to protect the humans who discarded the saint, even after her death. I planned to disappear as it was, invaded by other land gods.”
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A shadow falls in Kami-sama’s gaze. His voice gets lower.
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“. . . . . .Still, you’ve been protecting the country until now.”
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At my words, Kami-sama’s eyes widened in surprise.
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“I don’t remember ever protecting the country.”
“Eh.”
“Everything was to meet you again, Charlene.”
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Kami-sama was looking at me, his pupils shining golden.
Then, he stroked my cheek. With a quiet smile on his face, Kami-sama continued without looking away.
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“Instead of the nation, I was protecting the place where she returns. I have bestowed most of my power as a land god to the soul so that you can be reborn.”
“Eh.”
“I’ve shrunk my power that originally governed the entire continent to the range of this country, reducing my abilities to a minimum, and devoted all the leftover to you. . . . . .I continued to wait, preserving her place to return as a god who merely springs a spiritual spring. Even if it’s only a few hundred years, it was long.”
“. . . . . .Eh. . . . . .Um. . . . . .”
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I feel like I’m being exposed to something much worse than I imagined. Is it just my imagination?
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“For her to inherit my power correctly, she had to die once as a human and be reborn――her body when she was born as a leading saint was still human.”
“Wait, I’m Dad and Mom’s child. I’m also human.”
“As a human, the current you can withstand a divine soul. . . . . .I checked properly when I healed you.”
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As if recalling the taste, God licked his lips and smiled.
I shuddered in fear, though he seemed kind. Is it the instinctive reverence in the presence of a god?
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“But it was not good to minimize the abilities I left to me. I didn’t notice that you were born until you were surrounded by the church. The current me is just a weak serpent god as a god. I’m helpless if I’m attacked by the land gods of other countries.”
“If the high priest hears, he’s likely to foam at the mouth and collapse, hey.”
“I don’t care about the high priest.”
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Kami-sama narrowed his eyes in a somewhat ecstatic gaze.
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“I was happy to meet Charlene again. I don’t need anything but you. But foolishly, the country tried to use and discard Charlene again. . . . . .I am a land god of this country for the sake of Charlene only. Therefore, I have no obligation to protect a country that abandons you. So, I abandoned it.”
“. . . . . .Okay, I got it. Let me organize a bit.”
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I signaled for a pause and took a deep breath. And, after removing the noise of God’s obsession, I confirmed only the facts.
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“I want to confirm two things.”
“Yeah.”
“First, I am the reincarnation of the leading saint, and I received a part of God’s soul, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Another thing. The divine protection of the country is wide open, and as a result, the spiritual spring has begun to dry up, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“. . . . . .”
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I looked up at the sky.
Kami-sama fell in love with the first saint and became a god who protects the country, and divided the soul so that she could be reborn.
And the one born was me. And he got tired of a country that abandons me and stopped protecting the country. . . . . .
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“Everything is too much my fault. . . . . .”
“Because Charlene is everything in the world, that’s fine.”
“I’ll ask just in case. . . . . .why didn’t you want to say it?”
“I knew Charlene would make that face.”
“Oh. . . . . .Well, yeah.”
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Kami-sama looked down and started to stutter.
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“If you knew that you were the reincarnation of the first saint, born with power. . . . . .you would surely try to clean up the chaos in this country.”
“Well, of course.”
“I didn’t want that. I wanted you to live happily just as my wife. And.”
“And?”
“That. . . . . . “
“Be clear now that we’ve come this far. . . . . .I won’t get mad.”
“. . . . . .I was scared.”
“Huh?”
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Unusually, Kami-sama let out a timid voice.
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“I was afraid to speak of past lives, worried that you might think my feelings for Charlene were merely the inheritance of past-life connections.”
“. . . . . .Ah. . . . . .”
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Did he hate the thought of being seen only in terms of my past life?
The intimidating aura he had until now disappeared somewhere, and Kami-sama nervously toyed with the ends of my long hair.
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“Of course, when we first met, I can’t deny that I felt like I had encountered the you from a past life. . . . . .It’s true. . . . . .But. . . . . .but I want you to believe. Even if there was no past connection. . . . . .I was drawn to you. I. . . . . .love you as Charlene Hiraes, as you were born. I love your love for your parents, your strength, and the color of your eyes. I admire the nobility of being born as a human. So. . . . . .that. . . . . .”
“Kami-sama. Don’t worry.”
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I reached out to touch Kami-sama’s cheek. I turned his face, which had been looking away, towards me and peered into his beautiful face.
His silky black hair, and the eyes that peeked through the fringe reflected my image. I smiled in his eyes.
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“It’s okay. I don’t intend to doubt that you care about me, Kami-sama.”
“Charlene. . . . . .Why. . . . . .?”
“Well, it’s because it was a promise with the first Saint, wasn’t it? That you would become the Kami-sama of this country.”
“That’s true.”
“But even so, Kami-sama prioritized me over that promise. You protect me, who is right here in front of you.”
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Kami-sama’s eyes widen. I said “It’s okay,” and drew his head close to stroke it.
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“. . . . . .Regardless of whether the issues or results of those actions are right or wrong as the Kami-sama of this country. . . . . .let’s set that aside. That you are so in love with me that you would forsake being [Kami-sama]. . . . . .I understood that perfectly.”
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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After that, I went downstairs to the dining room to make tea to cool things down.
If I didn’t calm him down, Kami-sama was going to be in trouble.
Even if he’s a god, he shouldn’t cross human ethics.
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