Chapter 10 – Rebirth
“Hey, Sheto.”
Salia muttered as she sat in the middle of the staircase.
“I seemed to have robbed you of everything.”
Indeed, she had saved his life back then.
However, the result was the tearing away of his role as a kobold.
From being born weak. Living weak. And dying. That world. And he had been thrown into the world of the strong.
Without friends or power. To continue to struggle desperately. It was pain.
Perhaps had he sunk into the flames on that day, he would have returned to the arms of his loved ones.
Had he died by the Hero’s blade, he would not have to fight in this merciless war between Heroes and monsters.
“Still, it was your wish. That is what I thought.”
He was begging to live.
But perhaps it was a misunderstanding.
“Yesta.”
“Yes.”
She said weakly to the figure that stood up.
“Is it possible to withdraw from the games?”
“That is forbidden. Once you eat someone, you must continue until you lose, or become one of the pillars. If you are in the middle of a duel, it can be processed in the form of loss by default.”
“What about changing your registered Hero?”
“That is also forbidden. If that was allowed, you could use an increased blessing to freely call the strong.”
Salia gazed at the crossing lights in the garden.
The gods that were gathered there would glance in her direction occasionally, but show little interest aside from that.
Salia could ot help but feel happy.
She was like Sheto now
“Would it be possible for me to use all of the blessings I have, and create a human ally for Sheto?”
“You seem to be misunderstanding, so I will correct you. Words from gods must be sent through revelations. That is how they are accepted by humans. And so it may be possible.”
She said gently.
“But have you considered how difficult it would be, to make them accept a kobold and follow him?”
“Faith is more expensive than any special armor.”
“If anything, you should consider contacting other kobolds. You would have a better chance.”
The words stirred her heart a little.
“If I used the star blessings I have now, could I do it? And could they have the strength to follow Sheto?”
“You could certainly call them. As for strength, I doubt it.”
“Why?”
“Kobolds are weak creatures. Even if you gave them powerful weapons, could they really survive such a difficult journey?”
Indeed. At the very least, Sheto had chosen the path on his own. She could not expect the same from other weak monsters who knew nothing.
The more she thought about it, the less reliable it was.
In the end, kobolds were like wooden buckets with holes. You might try to repair them, but compared to other buckets, they did not have much worth.
“And enchantments that affect the mind are forbidden, aren’t they?”
“You could erase their fear and give them courage. However, any manipulation of memories, or complete control of emotions and actions are forbidden. Otherwise, they would be nothing more than puppets.”
“This is all less flexible than I thought.”
“That is why it is a game. You must find loopholes in the rules in order to gain an advantage.”
You wouldn’t understand. Salia cursed in her mind.
There was someone who was just a pawn. Someone who felt pain and was still rejected.
“Fine. You can go now.”
“Very well.”
The game master vanished, and Salia got up to her feet. And then she headed to the doors on the west side.
“I seek an audience with the Seer of Eternity.”
‘…Ahh. I am sorry, Lady Saliashe.’
It was the voice of a small dragon. It sounded apologetic and troubled.
‘Our master is not here right now, so we cannot let you in.’
“When will he return?”
‘It will likely take some time. He said that he is purchasing some new parts… The recent negotiations with other gods has made him…quite stressed.’
The dragon god was known for wandering. Apparently, he liked to walk amongst humans these days.
However, his association with Salia had meant that he had to negotiate more often.
“Thank you. I will come back when he returns then. Please tell him that I am sorry for the inconvenience caused.”
‘Not at all. It was not related to you, Lady Saliashe. Sometimes, I feel like he forgets that he is one of the strongest gods…’
She said goodbye to the dragon who was starting to vent. And with a chuckle, she headed to her own god seat.
But just before she created a connection, she remembered something.
Likely, nothing she could say to Sheto would matter right now. Besides, she was not confident in her own words.
“Beautiful maiden of the green who has protected the sacred realm for countless years, hear my plea and open the gate to the cherished land.”
As the doors opened, she saw that red, rusted star that was her own.
It was ironic, but it had once been a symbol of despair for her. But now it would be a means of sharing the pain that was carried by the kobold.
While being exasperated by her own self-centeredness, Salia stepped forward.
Before he knew it, morning had come.
Sheto slowly put a hand to his face and scrubbed it.
His fur showed no signs of having been wet. He had thought that he was crying for a moment, but it was clear that he had dried up completely on that day.
As for the pain in his chest, it had gone numb overnight.
Still, there was one thing that did not change.
“Why, am I alive?”
He got up and leaned against the tree trunk with a sigh.
The forest was peaceful today, and he could hear the gentle breeze. Even without using his ears and nose, he could get a grasp on his surroundings.
The young birds above would be leaving the nest soon. They sounded similar to the adult birds now. Squirrels rushed on the branches above his head, as if they were interested in Sheto.
And he could smell the scent of deer in the wind. Also, the vibrations of rabbits running on the ground.
He just had to grab his bow and take the first step. And the hunt would begin. He would run through the mountain until the sun set.
That was all he wanted.
Peaceful days, without anything to trouble him.
“Why can’t I?”
Because he was a kobold.
A monster to be hunted. An enemy.
That was always the answer he came back to.
“Why am I, a kobold?”
Because he was made like that. Someone made him like that. He knew this, of course.
Still, who had given him this role that he did not even desire?
‘You, thinking of something difficult, eh?’
That far away voice that he had nearly forgotten. His hand went down and pulled out the hatchet, which he held up in front of his eyes.
“Pa.”
The sunlight poured through the gaps between the leaves, and reflected on the steel. The
Shortly before he had received the blade, his father was lying on the ground after being wounded during a hunt. He thought of the words he had heard that time…
‘Why, are we weak? Why did the Demon King make us??’
‘Indeed. I often, wondered.’
His father did not talk often. He did not dwell on the past. He was not originally from their pack. He had wandered from some far away land before meeting Sheto’s mother.
‘Are we food. For the others?’
‘…Indeed. I thought that, too. When in the Demon King’s army.’
That is what he heard in the tent, after being told to make sure that no one else was nearby.
The reason…that his weak father, who could not use magic, was able to survive there.
His knowledge of mountain plants, of animals. He used them to serve a goblin sorcerer, and contributed in many ways.
‘Made poison. Even tools of torture. Learned what caused death quickly, and what slowed down.’
He had seen his own kind be killed, as well as humans. Saw the weakness of kobolds. The fragility of their lives.
And after that, he ran. After killing the goblin sorcerer with poison.
‘We were made, to be like this. To be weak and tormented. That way, less disorder within army.’
‘Then, we are just living to be killed.’
Just then, Sheto’s father looked up. As if to escape the weight of those words.
‘But still, Sheto. I, wanted to live.’