Chapter 93…………………….
For some reason, a familiar middle-aged man spoke.
“Have you hidden some kind of treasure chest here? You come here almost every day.”
The old man quietly stroked his beard.
“Treasure, you say. Yes. Treasure indeed. Everything you can see from here is my treasure.”
Naturally, my gaze turned beyond the castle walls. A city sprawled across the vast land below. Neatly paved roads ran between buildings large and small.
“This land used to be so impoverished, and now look how it has developed. And look at the people down there.”
At his words, I noticed the people living within it—merchants haggling with customers while carrying sacks of grain, children running about in laughter, guards patrolling the streets. All of them were full of life.
“This city has hope. It has a future.”
The old man turned around. Only then did I see his face clearly, and I became certain who the two of them were.
“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you.”
The middle-aged man shrugged.
“It’s also thanks to Your Excellency and the people of this city working together with one heart.”
“Effort alone cannot guarantee good results.”
“……”
“Who was it that brought in new crops from a distant continent—crops that could grow even in this barren land? Who foresaw the Kingdom of Zabika’s invasion, devised a strategy, and led us to victory? Who successfully settled the flood of refugees here?”
“You’re especially generous with praise today.”
“And besides that, over the past thirty years, there’s no counting all that you’ve done for this region.”
“If my ears aren’t mistaken, it sounds like you’re regretting something.”
“…Meeting you was the greatest fortune our territory could have ever had. But these days, I sometimes wonder.”
The old man fell silent for a moment. The middle-aged man waited patiently, not urging his lord to continue.
“Was it truly a blessing for you as well? Did I bind a talent who should have achieved greatness in a larger world—performing important duties—out of my own greed?”
“A larger world?”
“Well, the imperial court, or perhaps a ducal house.”
“Oh, so that’s what you were thinking.”
The middle-aged man quietly stood beside him.
“To be honest, I have no interest in making the capable even more capable. That’s too easy. Turning the incapable into something worthy—that is a challenge worth taking, and a task worth finding fulfillment in.”
He looked down at the city, his eyes as though gazing upon something dearly beloved.
“And it’s not just your treasure, Count. It’s mine as well.”
“……”
“How many years have I devoted to this wretched land?”
“You brat! Who are you calling wretched? I was just about to be moved!”
“Stop worrying about useless things and let’s go eat. My mother’s cornbread will get cold.”
“Oh dear, is it that late already? We can’t keep Lady Molly waiting.”
With a grunt, the old man rose from his seat. The two of them descended the watchtower together.
“I was only able to reunite with my mother—who once worked at the lord’s castle—because I chose this small world.”
“I was shocked when I found out Lady Molly was your mother. To think that the son who said he wanted to see her but was too ashamed to visit was you.”
“My excellence comes from my mother, yet you didn’t even notice, Count…”
“Enough chatter. Let’s go.”
They disappeared from my sight. Soon, the outlines of things blurred, and the entire world was painted over in white.
“You saw it, didn’t you? Even if you won’t remember it after you wake, you’ll at least feel at ease.”
The world ruled by that familiar voice returned. I tried to make a sound.
“W-wai…”
But perhaps because it was a dream, only small syllables that failed to form proper words left my mouth.
“Well then, I’ll be off. See you next time—if we can meet again.”
The white space trembled as if it were about to vanish. My consciousness began to awaken from the dream. If I let this continue, I wouldn’t learn anything.
“Wait!”
Drawing upon every ounce of strength, I finally produced something resembling a voice. I confronted the unknown being.
“How is this… supposed to be a gift?”
Somewhat timidly. It had to be the Goddess Miela, right? The first time I heard this voice was when I prayed to her at the temple.
Honestly, I was afraid. Not an emperor, not a saint—but a god! I had no idea how one was supposed to address a divine being, but I had to protest.
“If I wake up and remember nothing, what’s the point?”
There was no reply. Yet somehow, the silence felt as though it were urging me to continue.
“A gift should be something better.”
Afraid the dream would end—or that the goddess might grow angry—I hurriedly poured out my thoughts.
“I don’t ask for much. You can erase my memory of the two people you just showed me. It’s enough if I can be reassured that the choice I made wasn’t wrong.”
But…
“I’d like an answer to my question. And please don’t erase my memory of this conversation.”
Before showing me Elliott and Count Miloam, the voice had said something I couldn’t ignore. After a brief pause, I asked:
“The ‘child’ you mentioned… do you mean Riena Cassius?”
You said the degree and power of our abilities were vastly different. Thinking about it, the only ability of mine that required such grand explanation was the original storyline itself. If so, my comparison had to be Riena, who possessed a similar power.
“Was my guess wrong?”
I sharpened my senses, waiting for the divine reaction. A long silence followed. So long that I began to suspect this might just be a meaningless dream.
Then the trembling of the world intensified until it shook violently. My vision turned pitch-black, and an immense pressure crushed my body.
“You dare to test me, a mere human?”
The voice, which had been mildly irritated yet fundamentally gentle before, changed in an instant.
“Did you assume that because I helped you briefly, I must be on your side?”
Even hearing it—no, even feeling it against my skin—sent chills down my spine. My breath caught; sweat poured from me like rain.
‘I just asked one question—was that worth getting this angry over?!’
It felt unfair. In the novel, she was portrayed as playful at times but fundamentally kind and trustworthy—a god who cherished the protagonist, Riena.
In After Regressing, I’ll Walk Only on the Flower Path, the final arc involved Riena becoming the goddess’s envoy and stopping the evil god who sought to devour the world. The so-called climactic final battle.
Because of that, I’d harbored my own trust in Miela. Surely a god who protected the world wouldn’t harm me just because I asked her not to erase my memory and dared to pose a question.
‘Don’t tell me she only cares about Riena and couldn’t care less about other humans?’
If you’re not the protagonist, life sure is miserable! Terence had been right a hundred—no, a thousand—times when he said Miela wasn’t purely benevolent.
At that moment, the blackness before me turned a vivid red. Soon, I realized I was inside the mouth of a gigantic beast, large as a mountain.
“Any last words?”
The black beast dripped saliva from its fangs as it spoke in a grotesque voice. They said she was also a beast god; the dog-like black monster was Miela.
‘Last words? This is the end?’
The beast opened its jaws wide and moved to swallow me. I wanted to run, but my body wouldn’t move. Nor could I speak. Bound in every way, I cried out inwardly in resentment.
‘What kind of chief god are you? You’re pettier than the evil god! You small-minded—!’
Just as I swallowed my fury at such an absurd death—
“Hah.”
The small sound, like a sigh, quickly grew uncontrollable.
“Bwahahaha! Surprised? You were so serious, I thought I’d tease you a little~”
The voice had returned to its original tone, laughing heartily. The world, too, had turned white again. It was all a joke…?
“Yep, a joke. You speak so cutely. It’s been a while since a human demanded something of me so boldly—as if I owed them—while trembling inside.”
It wasn’t a demand; it was a request. And who said I was trembling?
“You were. See? I know what you’re thinking even if you don’t say it. No use lying.”
That seemed to be true. Well, she was a god.
I chose not to voice my thoughts aloud and instead imagined my words in my mind. Are you really the Goddess Miela?
“That’s one of my names. In the country where you currently reside, that’s what I’m usually called.”
It may be rude to think this, but you seem a little different from the Goddess Miela I read about in the book. The worst prank you played on Riena was hiding her snacks.
“The book you possess was written from that child’s perspective. The Miela she wanted was benevolent, kind, and endlessly affectionate toward her. I merely acted as she desired.”
Then what about me?
Catching my fleeting doubt, Miela answered at once.
“Now I’ll ask you. What kind of being do you want me to be to you?”
It was a question that made my head tilt in confusion. I had never really thought about what I wanted her to be. Well, if possible, it would be nice if she were a good god—but more than that…
“You just want to know what kind of being you are, don’t you?”
That was exactly right. Miela gave a faint laugh.
