Chapter 186: 186 The Story You Don't Know
I suddenly opened my eyes.
Perhaps I overexerted myself restoring all the shattered universes at once.
But, where am I?
"Where is this? Goddess, where are we? What is this?"
No answer came. I was lying in a field I didn't recognize at all.
Nearby, I saw a manor.
"Daddy!"
I turned my head.
A girl with light brown long hair was running towards me. Wh-who are you?
"Huh? Oh, watch out!"
I tried to dodge but was startled. I was horrified to see the girl pass right through my body.
Is she a ghost?
Oh, wait a minute. This feels familiar?
"Ah, could this be like seeing the Goddess's past before?"
It seems to happen when I receive some strong signal.
I caught up to the girl who had passed through me. When I tried to pat her head, my hand went right through her.
Right, this is it.
"This is another past experience. Whose is it, though?"
It seems to be someone I have a connection with. Across from me, a middle-aged man appeared, dressed in a wizard-like robe and a noble's suit. He looked like the epitome of a nobleman.
"Angela, did you go on another adventure?"
Angela? The Angela I know?
Then is that girl a young Angela? Crazy, she's so damn cute.
"Huh, her chest was big even back then."
I tried to watch. What was this moment trying to show me this time?
If possible, I wanted to know Angela's circumstances. Because I was curious why she ended up that way.
Angela smiled.
"Yeah! I met squirrels, played with dragonflies, and even rode a wild boar!"
"...A wild boar gave you a ride?"
"Yeah! I asked it to, and it did!"
"I-I see. You're strong, my daughter. Hahaha!"
Wild boars aren't usually that easygoing. Was that one a male?
Suddenly, a shadow fell. Beside the man, a glamorous MILF with wavy dark brown long hair appeared.
If Angela became even more alluring and grew her hair out, she'd probably look like that.
"That person is Angela's mother? Surely not her older sister."
The woman smiled and linked her arm through his, as if resting on his chest.
"Hehe, Angela. Still, you shouldn't wander around too much. It's dangerous if you meet monsters."
"Yes, Mom!"
Angela, who smiled brightly and answered clearly and precisely.
"C-cute... Damn it, I want her as my daughter!"
She was cute enough to take my breath away. What's more, she seemed to have snaggleteeth back then, and they stood out every time she opened her mouth to laugh. Damn it, that's a foul-level of cuteness!
While I was indulging in all sorts of fantasies alone, someone who looked like a soldier came running.
"Baron, it's a big problem!"
"What is it?"
"The territory residents have risen up again...."
"Again...? Haa."
A sigh, as if he carried all the worries of the world, was heard. He shook his head.
"So?"
"Their representative is here now. They're making a fuss, saying they'll leave the territory if you don't meet them, demanding you fulfill your duties as a noble."
"Where would the residents go at a time like this... Just guide them in for now."
The man turned as if to go meet them. Then Angela's mother objected.
"Dear, are you going to meet them again? Those uncouth rabble?"
"Don't say such things."
"Who was it that took in a dying village and raised it into a territory? Why do those who secretly collect territory development funds, which aren't even stipulated in imperial law, keep doing this to us?"
"I'll handle it."
The background suddenly distorted and turned black and white. And then it slowly began to change.
Oh, I think I unconsciously saw the despairing side of being a noble, a Lord, just now.
"If the territory citizens engage in reverse power abuse, there's no answer. How do you really deal with that? It's terrifying."
How did this person deal with it? It changed to a place I didn't know.
Inside a well-decorated room, a shaggy-haired middle-aged East Asian man entered with two young men.
Angela's father was facing them. The middle-aged East Asian man across from him chuckled.
"My name is Asahara Shoto."
"I know. Village Head, who came from afar."
"Thanks to someone, I lost my position as Village Head. Well, I'm still the de facto power, but that's not what's important. What will you do now?"
"Pardon?"
"We were attacked by goblins yesterday too. We lost as many as ten livestock!"
"Haa...."
"Are you going to abandon us like this? Do something!"
As the Village Head made a fuss, the young men behind him also sneered.
"Who would have thought we'd suffer from a noble's power abuse."
"No, is this right? We were happy when our village became a territory, but this neglect... it seems quite contrary to common sense and fairness."
There was even a bastard using disgusting language. Well, wherever there are people, there are always submissive morons.
Angela's father sighed.
"So I told you how to fight back, and I even gave you financial aid, didn't I?"
"Just that paltry sum?"
"3000 gold isn't exactly a paltry sum."
"Ahem, anyway, it's not enough. That's not what's important. Are you trying to abandon us just because we're commoners, low-born?"
"That's not what I'm talking about...."
"What's not? Are you abandoning the common people? Are you saying we should be abandoned?"
Seriously, wherever people gather, there are always morons. It's science, pure science.
"That's not what I'm saying. I even told you how to organize a vigilante group to fight back, didn't I?"
"Ah, just tell us the method and that's it? Ha, fuck. This isn't right, no."
The Village Head named Shoto sneered, then laughed wickedly.
"If you keep doing this, I'll have to send a letter to the Imperial Palace Investigation Department."
"What did you say?"
"Ah, this content would be good. 'A noble who uses black magic neglects their duty and fails to protect the common people!' That would make good fodder, wouldn't it?"
"Are you done talking now?"
"Lord, are you the one threatening us? Because you're the one who'll eat and sleep well tonight, even if all the small business owners and common people die off?"
That was truly a prime example of reverse power abuse. Furthermore, it was consistent with the act of arbitrarily grabbing and shaking a government that was doing reasonably well.
In fact, this kind of thing is the funniest. They've already been given methods and financial aid. So why would talk of small business owners dying or common people suffering even come up?
Are the common people who don't say such things fools for not doing so? They were typical morons who blamed the government and the world for their own incompetence.
Village Head Shoto, riding the momentum, added further.
"No, honestly. Wouldn't it be better to regularly offer sacrifices or even tribute to the goblins? People and livestock are plentiful, after all."
"Are you calling that a word...?"
"Don't you know Goblin? Goblin? If they're stronger than us, bowing your head even to an enemy is diplomacy."
"Stop it!"
He was truly out of his mind. If bastards like him sat in the highest positions of a country, that nation would soon be ruined.
"...Understood. I will send private soldiers this time as well."
"You should have done that sooner. Don't think you can abuse your power just because you're a noble. We are enlightened people, you see. Haa, so if you arbitrarily made our village your territory, then take responsibility."
Village Head Shoto scoffed and sneered. Then the door opened.
Angela's mother entered.
"Speak properly! We were the ones who elevated your crumbling village into a territory and saved it!"
"...Lady of the Manor. Even for a noble, your words are harsh. A woman shouldn't speak like that, hehehe."
"Silence! Everyone, leave now."
"Thank you, Lord."
The Village Head and the young men left. As they went out, I heard what they were saying.
"I'm gonna have that bitch someday."
"Let's share her, Village Head."
"I want her as my wife... almost said it! Leader, I want to do it in her asshole, hehe."
As they left, Angela's mother voiced her complaints.
"How long are you going to be swayed by people like that?"
"It's my duty as a noble to protect the common people. Besides, even though I use black magic, they haven't reported it immediately. You could say it's a symbiotic relationship."
"Dear, please!"
In fact, the reason why one shouldn't be simply a good person when in a leadership position was now apparent.
It's good to be a good person. To listen to whatever is said, and to support.
But a leader is someone who bears all responsibility from the highest position.
They must have a strong sense of responsibility and extraordinary decisiveness.
Angela's father overlooked this point. Should I say he was too soft?
It's not for nothing that there are so many corrupt nobles in medieval settings or web novels. It's because if they aren't wicked, they can be devoured.
The background changed once again.
A burning manor was visible. The scarlet flames engulfing the manor greedily lashed out their tongues towards the sky.
Residents, looking disheveled, were also seen forming a siege around the manor.
Angela's mother was inside the manor, holding Angela and weeping. Angela's father was nowhere to be seen. Had he died?
"Angela, listen carefully. You possess the greatest talent in our family."
"Mom, why is our house like this? Why do we have to hide?"
"But you must use that power carefully. You must, absolutely, use it for someone who truly respects and loves you. Understand?"
"Why are you saying that? Where are you going?"
Angela asked, her two eyes shining. In those bright, clear eyes, I could see a dark emotion other than curiosity beginning to creep in.
"People will break in soon. Go now, Mom will follow you soon."
"Mom? Mom!"
The main gate opened and collapsed. The villagers entered, brandishing weapons. Everyone was seething with anger.
"Goddamn noble bastards. This is why I hate them."
"I told them to send more private soldiers, goddammit. They all got eaten by goblins!"
"The Lord of the neighboring territory is good at diplomacy and strong, they say. Why are we like this? Anyway, you'll have to pay the price! Lady of the Manor. No, wait, now you're our sex slave, aren't you? Hehe."
The men laughed and approached. Their smiles were filled with lust.
Angela's mother tried to resist, but it was futile. The residents grabbed her by the hair and tore her clothes off.
"Shall we taste those tits first? Hehe!"
"No, I don't want to!"
"Bitch, don't struggle. Do you want your face to get cut?"
"Ugh...!"
They even resorted to violence. Angela clung to a resident's pants.
She swung her tiny fists, but it was futile.
"Don't do that, don't do that to my mom!"
"Get lost, you bastard!"
The resident who kicked Angela clicked his tongue. He asked the person behind him.
"What about her?"
"Ah, I like kids. I got permission from the Leader too. We should use her and then kill her!"
"Not bad. Go for it!"
Now the territory residents were laying hands on Angela too. Angela, whose arm was grabbed, gritted her teeth and shouted with all her might.
"Nooooooooooooo!"
At the same time, an enormous amount of mana transformed into a pitch-black wave and swept away everything around them.
Like a wave swallowing a sailboat, everything in the vicinity was reduced to nothingness.
After that, the background distorted, and everything ended.
"Hmm?"
I returned to outer space. In the still, desolate cosmic void, only Angela and I remained.
Angela was lying collapsed beside me. It was good to be back to normal, but seeing her story left a bitter taste.
"...I think I understand why Angela ended up like this. Still, you shouldn't have crossed the line. You shouldn't have become the same kind of person...."
As I let out a deep sigh, Angela slowly got up.
"Uhm... Lucian?"
"Angela, there's still a chance. I want to give you a chance."
"But I...."
"It's okay. Just trust me a little. Will you come with me? We're getting out of here."
I held out my hand. Angela looked at my hand sadly. With trembling hands, she took my hand.
Finally, Angela gave a crescent-eyed smile.
"Yes, I'll trust you."
"Let's go together and start over from zero! I'll help you. All of us will."
