Chapter 17: Cursed Doll

Tap tap.

I raised my arm and patted Lilac’s head. It was a signal to move aside, as I didn’t know how long we’d stay like this.

For reference, I regained some strength. It was the Goddess’s consideration to allow me a semblance of daily life. Feeling sorry for possessing such a body, she also granted several privileges.

One of them was tenacious vitality. She strengthened(?) my body with divine power. Though it’s only slightly better than an average person.

Still, that was a splendid reward. I didn’t ask for much, and it fulfilled my desire to walk on my own two feet.

So, I no longer need someone else’s help to move. My muscles are pathetic, and my stamina is low, but apparently, my body won’t die easily anymore.

‘It’s probably easier to think of the Saintess’s body being coated with divine power?’

It just became a body that doesn’t die easily. Muscle strength and stamina are probably around 1 if measured numerically.

She said the divine power protects my heart and allows recovery even if injured. But this also presented a problem.

‘A body that can never become healthy.’

The Goddess said so. Even with exercise, muscles won’t develop beyond a certain point, and occasionally, the divine power overheats and damages the body.

This body is practically a corpse, so restoration is impossible.

In short, it’s a body that can never be healthy for my entire life.

Daily life means walking for about 5 minutes… I doubt if this truly qualifies as ‘daily life’.
Would it be blasphemous for a Saintess to think that? Not my problem.

‘If you didn’t like it, you should have chosen someone else.’

I know the Goddess didn’t make me possess someone willingly, but still, it felt unfair. Couldn’t a god recreate a body?

Got rejected because it goes against causality.

Anyway, since daily life (walking less than 5 minutes, pathetic muscle strength) became possible, I felt relieved. Though my chest felt tight.

“Could you move aside, please?”

“No.”

“My chest feels tight.”

“So what.”

This isn’t right.

I miss the past Lilac who would stop immediately if I felt uncomfortable. Even though it was just a few days ago.

A sigh escaped. It seems this human has no intention of leaving me today.

I looked up at the other person in this room.

The woman called Saintess.

“You’re my sister?”

“…For now.”

The Saintess, who introduced herself as Diana, narrowed her eyes, looking at me and Lilac.

With an expression clearly saying, ‘Is this pathetic scrap really my sister?’

But viewed another way, her eyes held longing.

The former was directed at me, the latter at Lilac.

We started talking almost two hours after I woke up.

One revelation was that Lilac is the Hero. The Hero who goes off to defeat some Demon Lord or Demon God. Yes, that Hero.

I blinked. I knew this was a fantasy world, but it felt like something out of a children’s cartoon.

‘The Hero defeated the Demon Lord and lived happily ever after with the princess.’

That’s what I thought, but this world doesn’t seem to be like that.

I haven’t read novels of that genre and didn’t even know they existed.

Anyway, back to the topic. Diana said she needed to form a Hero party with Lilac.

Cringey words came out one after another, but Diana’s expression was too serious to laugh.

Something about a place called the Demon Realm in the north, gathering companions, defeating evil… It was too cringey to listen to.

Even a middle schooler in Korea raising a dark flame dragon as a pet would cover their ears, bite their tongue, and die.

She showed no attitude of trying to persuade me. Just that confident stance assuming the Saintess spot in the Hero party was already hers. It was a bit unpleasant to see.

Besides, how could a body that couldn’t even contribute 0.1 manpower, let alone 1, possibly go to such a place?

The Goddess apparently added a lie, hoping Diana would find me quickly.

A god lying bothered me…

‘Are gods really like that?’

Well, in fantasy genres, constellations and similar beings were often set up as once being human.

Thinking about it, it doesn’t seem that strange.

As Diana and I talked back and forth, Lilac, still holding me, interrupted.

“Demon Lord? What Demon Lord. My master and I killed that thing 2 years ago.”

“Eh…?”

“What?”

‘No, based on what I just heard, the Goddess told Diana…’

‘Excuse me, Goddess?’

[Ahem…]

For reference, one privilege the Goddess gave me was the ability to talk to her even outside a temple.

‘A word?’

[Child. Do you dare doubt your mother?]

‘Why ask the obvious?’

‘Yes.’

[……]

‘Don’t just stay silent, please talk?’

As I urged her, the Goddess sighed and began to speak.

[Normally, as my first daughter said, a Hero party should have been formed to defeat him.]

Here, the first daughter was Diana. The second daughter was me.

[But didn’t some strange kids suddenly kill the Demon Lord?]

‘Indeed they did. That’s quite the bullsh-.’

[So I ordered another Demon Lord to be made.]

…?

‘Are you sane?’

[Ahem. Fate is predetermined, child. And coincidentally, the Demon Lord’s birth is in two days.]

‘What kind of messed-up story creation is this?’

I looked down on the Goddess with disdain. Not even worth adding ‘Lady’.

Gods are definitely not omniscient. What ‘predetermined human fate’?

When the very person who shattered that fate is right here.

I looked silently at Lilac. Lilac met my gaze and looked back. I thought her resting her chin on my stomach while wrapping her arms around my waist was cute.

No, that’s not it.

“The Goddess cursed Lilac.”

But that Lilac is the Hero. The Hero chosen by the Goddess.

So Lilac killed the Demon Lord even before being chosen as the Hero.

Is she really human? Could she be with the Goddess…?

[Child, that’s going too far.]

‘Well, still. How can one put a god and a human on the same level?’

I apologized to the Goddess.

‘Sorry.’

[Child…?]

Her image is already ruined in my eyes.

[My authority…]

‘Authority, my foot.’ Gods really aren’t trustworthy. Not that I plan on being a Saintess.

‘…Goddess?’

[……]

‘Pathetic.’

[Sniffle…]

To summarize: Originally, the Goddess probably wouldn’t have chosen Lilac as the Hero.

But a variable occurred. 2 years ago, Lilac killed the Demon Lord with her master.

The Goddess, realizing something went wrong, hastily designated Lilac as the Hero. Then prepared for the rebirth of the Demon Lord. And then told Diana to form a Hero party as if nothing happened.

Is this right…?

‘But I have a question.’

[What is it…]

‘Why was the Hero said to have appeared half a year ago when it was 2 years ago?’

[That’s…]

Hearing the story confirmed the Goddess was indeed pathetic. The next Demon Lord needed at least a year to be born.

But the flustered Goddess had already given Lilac the Hero’s power.

In short, she intended to grant it just before the Demon Lord died in the urgent situation but missed the timing, leading to this.

Hiding that fact, she announced to the temple that the Hero appeared half a year ago.

What is this, the pinnacle of patheticness?

One more thing bothered me.

‘You said you ordered the Demon Lord to be reborn?’

[Correct?]

‘To whom?’

[Who else. The Demon God, of course.]

‘Aha…’

So, not only a Goddess but also a Demon God exists in this world. But the Demon God is supposedly the Goddess’s direct subordinate.

I don’t know such detailed information.

My head spins. The story doesn’t connect at all. And the Demon Lord will be born in two days.

“Lilac, just go catch the Demon Lord…”

Organizing too many thoughts drained my energy.

At my words, Lilac pouted and buried her face in my stomach.

Since we were lying on the bed, the pressure from Lilac’s head made the sheet dip slightly.

“Not going.”

“!”

“You have to go.”

“Let them catch it themselves. It’s nothing special once you fight it.”

“…Do as you please.”

“Okay.”

Diana couldn’t recover from the great shock, Lilac still had her head buried in my stomach, and I was sprawled on the bed.

Silence filled the room with its bizarre scene.

After a few minutes, unable to bear the stuffiness, I broke the silence.

“Get off. It’s too stuffy, I can’t sleep.”

“Don’t sleep.”

This woman? The old me would have whimpered, but now I have strength.

“Should I use my ability?”

“Try it.”

I brought my hand to Lilac’s head and charged my divine power.

Golden and white light emerged, enveloping Lilac.

“What is this…?”

Diana, standing beside us, trembled, astonished. I understood her reaction, having heard from the Goddess that divine power has ranks.

The brighter the light, the stronger the divine power. And the divine power coming from my body was golden and white. Almost the highest rank.

“What are you doing?”

“Ehehe…”

However, my weak(?) divine power, far from wanting to hurt Lilac, was warmly embracing her instead.

“Come up and sleep together then.”

Seeing her hugging my stomach uncomfortably, I suggested it. I had zero intention of attacking Lilac.
The divine magic I used just had the effect of making one feel good.

“…Not yet. Not yet…”

Lilac muttered incomprehensible words quietly and glared at me. Her voice was too low to hear.

Finally releasing my waist, Lilac crawled up. She then occupied one side of the pillow I was using.

‘Seems too close.’

[Isn’t it nice?]

‘Shut up.’

[Sniffle…]

“What the…”

All that remained was Diana’s gaze, staring blankly at me.