How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 100

[There’s nothing wrong with expressing what you like as it is. Besides, Laura seems to prefer honesty and openness in everything. It’s important to be clear about your feelings.]

 

After finishing his words, Huluppu winked at me.

 

It almost seemed like he was deliberately provoking Yves.

 

‘I should step in before the conversation goes off track again.’

 

I tried to calm Yves down before he could get upset, but surprisingly, he remained quiet.

 

‘I thought he’d show signs of jealousy or discomfort.’

 

Fortunately, although Yves furrowed his brow slightly, he didn’t seem like he was going to pick a fight unnecessarily.

 

[You really are a smart one. Take this advice to heart—it’s all solid and valuable.]

 

When Huluppu spoke softly, like a grandfather imparting life lessons to his young grandson, Yves eventually gave a faint nod.

 

His expression still showed some dissatisfaction, though.

 

‘Did Huluppu say something privately to Yves, like Fenrir did when he asked for my help?’

 

I was curious, but I didn’t press further. Since the two seemed to have reached an understanding, I thought it was better to focus on the main topic rather than stir up unnecessary trouble.

 

Fenrir, perhaps thinking similarly to me, steered the conversation back to its original focus.

 

[Anyway, to continue where we left off, do you understand that souls, which can only exist in the underworld, need divine power to enter a body on the surface?]

 

“Yes!”

 

When I answered enthusiastically, Fenrir smiled with satisfaction and continued.

 

[Earlier, I mentioned that the surface and the underworld are closely connected, but they are still separate spaces. And only the gods can move between the spaces of the world.]

 

“So that’s why you said souls need divine permission to go to the surface.”

 

[Exactly. When a soul bound to the underworld enters a body on the surface, divine power becomes infused into the soul. However, souls are originally meant to remain in the underworld, so they can’t directly influence the surface.]

 

The moment I heard Fenrir’s additional explanation, the question marks floating in my mind vanished instantly.

 

“Ah, so souls belonging to the underworld can’t interact with things on the surface, and since divine power resides in the soul, that’s why sacred objects don’t react to them!”

 

[That’s right.]

 

Fenrir’s explanation had been difficult to follow, but once I understood it, the content itself wasn’t that complicated.

 

‘It’s basically the concept of the afterlife from my past life, just with the added element of divine power.’

 

The only reason it was still a bit confusing was because my understanding of divine power wasn’t complete yet.

 

As I was organizing the scattered thoughts in my head, Fenrir’s voice reached me.

 

[Well, this is a bit off-topic, but death is actually an illusion created by humans.]

 

“Huh? Why do you say that?”

 

It was a sudden statement, but hearing that death was an illusion piqued my curiosity. He answered in a rather cheerful tone.

 

[Humans think that when they die, they disappear from this world, but in reality, they’re just returning to where they originally came from. Souls go to the underworld, and bodies return to the surface.]

 

Maybe it was because I was human.

 

Watching Fenrir speak so casually about death sparked a strange sense of defiance in me.

 

“But isn’t it true that the sense of self disappears? Death is the extinction of self-awareness, so I don’t think it’s entirely wrong to say that.”

 

All humans fear death.

 

Everyone has their own reasons, but I think the biggest fear is the terror of one’s existence vanishing from the world.

 

Of course, I can’t be sure since I lived a life far removed from religion or philosophy in my past life.

 

[Where do you think your sense of self resides?]

 

“Hmm…”

 

I was slightly flustered because I’d never thought about this before, but I combined what I’d just heard to come up with an answer.

 

“In the soul, right?”

 

[Exactly. Does the soul, separated from the body, disappear?]

 

“No. You said it goes to the underworld.”

 

[Right. So you don’t disappear. You’ll eventually inhabit a new body again. You just forget your past life memories.]

 

“Wow…”

 

I felt like I’d glimpsed a fundamental truth of the world.

 

‘But why does this feel like a philosophy class?’

 

Even though I was instantly convinced by Fenrir, I also found the situation a bit absurd.

 

I was clearly hearing something incredibly profound, but I couldn’t help but wonder why the conversation had veered so far off track.

 

[Humans especially fear the death of the body, but in reality, the body is just a shell made of earthly matter. On the other hand, the soul, which is the source of life, never perishes.]

 

My concentration was broken by the questions swirling in my mind, but Fenrir’s explanation continued.

 

[It returns to the underworld and, when the time comes, comes back to the surface. So, death isn’t the end, nor is it disappearing. It’s just an illusion created by humans.]

 

“Ah…”

 

I finally remembered that this whole discussion had started with the statement that death was an illusion, and I let out a small sigh of realization.

 

Fenrir, thinking I was following along intently, continued his explanation with even more enthusiasm.

 

[By the way, the amount of divine power infused into a soul is essentially equivalent to that being’s lifespan.]

 

While the soul exists on the surface, it continuously consumes the divine power it was initially granted. Once that power is completely depleted, even if the body is intact, the soul can no longer remain on the surface and is forcibly separated from the body.

 

This seems to be the principle behind natural death.

 

[On the other hand, if the vessel—the body—is destroyed first, the remaining divine power in the soul is reclaimed, and the soul returns to the underworld.]

 

“But if there’s still divine power left, couldn’t the soul choose to enter another body on its own?”

 

At that, Fenrir scrunched up his nose and spoke.

 

[I thought you had some level of knowledge since Huluppu praised you so much. But it seems you don’t understand the definition of divine power at all.]

 

“Doesn’t it mean the power of the gods?”

 

[If you just look at the words, you’re not wrong, but asking that makes it seem like you don’t fully understand.]

 

Fenrir, who had been speaking through telepathy until now, opened his long snout and let out a deep sigh.

 

It was as if he was scolding me for not knowing something so basic.

 

I was about to argue that it’s normal for people not to know everything, but surprisingly, Huluppu acted faster.

 

He clamped Fenrir’s mouth shut.

 

Fenrir, caught off guard by the unexpected move, let out a muffled animalistic sound.

 

Meanwhile, Huluppu, as if nothing had happened, smoothly curved his lips into a smile and spoke to me in a gentle voice.

 

Of course, Fenrir’s long snout was still tightly gripped.

 

[Laura, do you remember when I said divine power is a portion of the gods’ authority granted to us?]

 

“Huh? Oh, yes. I remember.”

 

I was just as startled by Huluppu’s sudden action, so I quickly responded, still a bit dazed.

 

[But that power isn’t something we can choose. The gods designate and grant it to us.]

 

He explained that divine power isn’t something as neatly defined as 【holy power = healing ability】 or【 magic power = energy used to cast spells】. 

 

Instead, it’s more like a force that manifests according to the will of the gods.

 

[Since each god oversees a specific domain, humans often mistakenly believe that the gods’ abilities are limited. But the source of divine power is singular. The gods simply have an unspoken agreement not to encroach on each other’s domains, so they refrain from using powers outside their designated areas.]

 

In other words, divine power isn’t confined to a fixed framework—it’s closer to a creative force. 

 

The divine power granted to each divine beast is simply a reflection of the abilities favored by their respective god.

 

[And the power granted to the soul is the ability to remain in a designated body. So unless it’s the body originally connected to it, it’s impossible for the soul to inhabit another.]

 

“I see.”

 

After listening to Huluppu’s explanation, I nodded calmly and fell into deep thought.

 

‘The civilization here might be more advanced than I initially thought, especially since science hasn’t developed as much as in my past life.’

 

In my past life, the soul and the afterlife remained realms of the unknown.

 

Moreover, since I was completely unfamiliar with religion, his words sounded even more fascinating.

 

It made sense, though. In my past life, I had rarely pondered deeply about death, birth, or the soul.

 

‘I even experienced death once.’

 

But honestly, my first death didn’t leave much of an impression.

 

The fear of death didn’t have time to set in before I lost consciousness, and when I opened my eyes again, I had already been reincarnated into Laura’s body.

 

As I marveled at the mysterious and awe-inspiring principles of this world, a desperate cry from Fenrir echoed in my mind.

 

[If you’re done explaining, can you let me go already?!]