How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 49

‘It’s cute when he twitches the corners of his mouth like he’s a little Yves…’

 

For a moment, I was dumbfounded by the thought that invaded my mind, but I quickly came to terms with it.

 

After all, he resembles a goddess, so it’s only natural for him to be cute, pretty, and handsome.

 

“Can I ask you something else?”

 

As if to clear my mind, I asked Huluppu something new.

 

[You are a very curious child.]

 

His response gave me pause. I realized that he might be annoyed that I kept popping in and asking questions.

 

“If you’re tired, feel free to let me know, and I’ll be on my way.”

 

[No, on the contrary, it’s been a long time since I’ve had someone to talk to.]

 

He smiled pleasantly, as if to say it wasn’t a lie.

 

Relieved, I relaxed and asked, “I heard that divine power has its special abilities, but why can’t the descendants of the gods use them?”

 

This was a question I’d had since before I fell under possession.

 

The targets had too much divine power for their bodies to handle, but they didn’t have special abilities like Selene’s, except that they could turn into animals.

 

The only exception to this was Yves, who was described as a paladin and was said to be skilled in swordsmanship and divine powers, but even then, he wasn’t a divine being.

 

[Well, I can’t really answer that question, as the divine powers granted to each god are hard to define.]

 

“Like an example?”

 

[It’s possible to have a special ability and not be aware of it, or to use it naturally without being aware of it.]

 

Aha! This time I got it right away.

 

‘Well, Selene will have a proper awakening in the next essential episode.’

 

Her power enables her to turn back time to heal wounds or restore objects or buildings.

 

The god who favored her was Nanna, who controlled time.

 

‘Still, it’s quite possible that regression itself is not a divine power, as Selene says.’ 

 

This was one of the reasons why I wasn’t immediately convinced that Selene was a regressor when I first met her.

 

In the game, she’d reversed time several times, but her powers hadn’t worked on herself. So Selene couldn’t even heal her own wounds.

 

So she could reverse time for others, but not for herself.

 

[For the uninitiated, divine power is the ability to use some powers of the gods.]

 

I nodded, remembering Selene.

 

[But as you know, the powers of the gods are not the same, so even if you are granted divine power by the same god, your powers may vary.]

 

“Wow, I see.”

 

I didn’t really question it, but it was interesting.

 

‘This is kind of like a one-on-one interview with the creator of the game.’ 

 

As I asked Huluppu questions and listened to his answers, I felt like I was meeting the creator of the game and getting behind-the-scenes information that I hadn’t gotten to see in the game.

 

‘But if he knows so much about divine power, why doesn’t he know about purification?’

 

I asked, even though I didn’t know about the curse.

 

“Well then… let me ask you one more question, probably the last one!”

 

[By all means.]

 

“You said earlier that you don’t know what caused the Princes to be cursed, but do you know how they’re being purified?”

 

[Hmm…]

 

Huluppu’s eyes narrowed. He looked deep in thought.

 

‘I don’t understand.’

 

The reason I thought this was a setup error was that it wasn’t a curse, it was a side effect of the divine power, so why could Selene purify it?

 

“So, what do you think about a human with divine power absorbing the divine power of another human with it?”

 

Trying to communicate with Huluppu without using proper nouns was a useless exercise, but this was the situation Yves and I were currently in.

 

We don’t know who this god might be or what he might be capable of.

 

But when I purified Yves’ curse, I always felt like I was ‘absorbing’ the excess divine power in his body.

 

‘I’ve only done it twice.’

 

 Anyway, we both had the same idea, so it was more of an ‘absorption’ ability that allowed me to cleanse his curse.

 

[It’s not impossible, but it’s nearly impossible, for only a god can bestow power, and only a god can take it away.]

 

“Not impossible means that it is possible, albeit unlikely, right?”

 

[Yes.]

 

“Was there some sort of exceptional event?”

 

[Not once, at least not since I took root in this world.]

 

“Did that happen before you took root?”

 

[No.]

 

Well, I was kind of hoping.

 

‘And before you were rooted, you weren’t a god, so you can’t be sure, can you?’

 

His smile deepened as he looked a little sheepish.

 

‘It’s like Yves when he’s being mischievous.’

 

[I’ve been guarding the continent since the world was born.]

 

I suddenly remembered Atharasis.

 

‘After a while, when we meet again, we shouldn’t just call it the World Tree for the people of the Divine Realm, but we should announce it to the people of the entire continent as the World Tree.’ 

 

Even as my mind wandered, he continued.

 

[But perhaps if the divine powers allow it.]

 

“How can I get permission?”

 

[Just ask him if I can absorb it.]

 

“With no strings attached?”

 

[Yes, because a creature endowed with divine power is connected to the gods at all times, everywhere, until the moment the gods take the power away.]

 

Something about it made sense, but it didn’t at the same time.

 

Even though there were no puns in the sentence.

 

“Um, so you’re saying I’m connected to the god who bestowed his favor on me right now?”

 

[That’s right, the all-powerful God is watching.]

 

The word was emphasized so many times that I felt a little uncomfortable, but if Huluppu was right, God was indeed ‘omniscient’.

 

‘So, just to clarify, I was able to cleanse Yves’s curse because I absorbed the divine power, as I suspected, and it was only because the god who favored me permitted me to do so?’

 

Gathering all the scattered information into one place, I calmly organized it.

 

I pieced together my encounter with Yves and what Huluppu had told me.

 

Naturally, a question arose, “But even if my god allows me to absorb, what happens if the other god doesn’t?”

 

[Hmm?]

 

Huluppu tilted his head as if he didn’t understand my question, so I decided to explain a little further.

 

“For example, can Astarte take away the divine power granted by Nanna?”

 

[That’s possible, they’re both gods.]

 

The answer was a little off from what I was looking for, so I didn’t give up and tried another analogy.

 

“So what if I, who has divine powers, absorb Huluppu’s divine powers?”

 

[For a human, you’re thinking out of the box.]

 

He let out a clear laugh, genuinely amused.

 

Afterward, he opened his mouth with a languid, warm smile.

 

[Not only the seven ruling gods, but all the gods in the realm have their unique divine powers.]

 

Therefore, with the permission of the gods, one could take the divine power granted by another god from an ordinary living being in this world, but one could not absorb it and use it.

 

[For example, if you absorb my divine power, you cannot use it, nor can you bestow it on another living being. You have three options once you have absorbed it.]

 

To return it to Huluppu.

 

Visit the temple and give it back to Astarte.

 

Or you may simply keep it. He adds that simply keeping it would be a meaningless act.

 

“I see, thanks for letting me know.”

 

[It’s time for me to go, and I’ll give you one last piece of advice.]

 

My mind was already on overload, but it was the first thing Huluppu had brought up since I’d gotten here, and I listened with a calm heart.

 

[I know the identity of the god who bestowed his favor upon you, but I cannot tell you.]

 

At first, I thought he might be joking, but seeing the sincerity in Huluppu’s expression, I waited patiently for his next words.

 

[Also, it’s impossible to find out what kind of god it is with human knowledge, so you might as well give up.]

 

The advice was not to try to learn more about the god.

 

Nevertheless, there was something I wanted to know.

 

“Let me ask you one more question: Isn’t the god who favored me a demon or something… well, a bad influence on the world?”

 

[Funny you should say that, because how could God be bad, good and bad are all about human judgment.]

 

Wow, that sounds like something out of a theology textbook.

 

“So there’s no good God and no bad God, thanks for letting me know.”

 

[Yes, child, come play with me again sometime.]

 

“Huluppu, se…”

 

Before I could finish my ‘see you later,’ my vision faded out.

 

💫

 

“Are you sure this is all right?”

 

“Don’t worry. Miss Laura is going to be fine.”

 

“It’s been two hours already.”

 

“Time doesn’t matter, I’ve heard that time flows differently there than in the human realm.”

 

“…! 

 

Yves’s voice grew fierce.

 

It was as if he had forgotten that the figure in front of him was the Pope.

 

A sinister aura filled the air.

 

“Ugh…”

 

A voice sounded as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

 

Yves reacted quickly, “Miss Laura, are you awake?”

 

“Ah…”

 

Laura’s tightly closed eyelids slowly opened, and her face, which had been deathly still, came alive.

 

“Miss Laura.”

 

For some reason, impatience filled Yves’s heart, even though Laura was clearly conscious.

 

“Where does it hurt?”

 

Yves’s face reflected in her dark green eyes, now completely open.

 

“Huluppu?”