Prologue
WHEN I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar woman was sitting in a chair before me.
“Where am I?” I asked.
And why am I in this place?
Looking around, I found nothing but expansive, pure white space. The chair with only two legs filled me with an indescribable sense of unease.
“Um, where am I?” I asked again.
“You might call this a world that exists nowhere,” the unfamiliar woman responded.
“Come again?”
“You were hit by a reckless driver. Do you remember?”
“Huh?” I responded. “Oh, yeah.”
I’d been practicing karate and aikido since early childhood. After starting high school, I’d taken up kickboxing as well. On my way home from a kickboxing lesson, I’d been hit by a reckless driver ignoring a traffic signal.
As I recalled my fate, the woman offered me another chair.
“By rights, you weren’t supposed to die,” she said.
Oh, it’s coming back to me. I pushed a parent and child out of the way, didn’t I?
“Let me explain,” the woman continued.
Per her explanation, I wouldn’t be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation, as I hadn’t been fated to die. Apparently, I couldn’t be reborn in my previous world. Thus, she wanted to help me live in another world. That was the gist of it, anyway.
“Another world?” I repeated. “Then I won’t be able to see my family ever again?”
The woman furrowed her brow. “Unfortunately, no.”
“How awful,” I said while suppressing a slight urge to cry.
“Forgive me. I’m not all-powerful.”
“Huh? No, I’m not blaming you. But speaking of which, who are you?”
Somewhat belatedly, I decided to ask what had been on my mind. The answer didn’t surprise me.
“Me?” the woman asked. “I’m a Goddess.”
Yeah, what else did I expect?
“So, about the place you’ll be reincarnated…” the Goddess began.
This divinity didn’t beat around the bush.
The Goddess began feeling around in her clothes. “Um, give me a minute, okay?”
Sure, do whatever you like. Not like I’ve got anywhere to be.
Finally, the Goddess took out a large crystal ball and placed it on the ground with a thud. “Take a look,” she instructed.
I peered into the crystal ball. The colorless and transparent sphere merely reflected pure white. After a while, however, images began to appear in the crystal ball. As I squinted to get a better look, vibrant colors engulfed me. A group of men wore suits, and a group of women wore colorful dresses. The ambiance reminded me of a medieval European ball.
As I continued observing the scene, I spotted a beautiful woman. A man was embracing a different, petite woman across from her. Three other men were standing right behind him.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“This is something occurring in a different world from your own,” the Goddess replied. “A mysterious power has caused the woman standing alone to relive her life five times. For some reason, not even I—a Goddess—can resist this power.”
Seriously? She’s stuck in a time loop, then?
“The woman’s name is Alexandra Vistriano,” the Goddess continued. “She is a high-ranking noblewoman—the daughter of a duke. The man embracing the woman across from Alexandra is Lauris Bartis. He is Alexadra’s fiancé and the second prince of this country.”
“Huh?” I asked. “Why is Alexandra’s fiancé proudly embracing another woman?”
Don’t tell me. Is he one of those rotten-minded guys who thinks it’s normal for royalty to have mistresses?
“The woman he’s embracing is Delphina Celette,” the Goddess said. “She is a wielder of holy magic.”
“Wait, magic? People in this world can use magic?”
The sudden fantasy twist had me giddy with excitement.
“They can,” the Goddess confirmed. “The common magic elements in this world are earth, wind, fire, water, lightning, and ice. There’s even spatial magic. That said, holy magic is the most rare and valuable element.”
“What is it, exactly?” I asked.
“Precisely what it sounds like. Holy magic users can cast spells of a sacred nature. In this country, that includes healing, purification, and—in rare cases—bewitchment.”
Healing and purification make sense, but what the heck is bewitchment?
“Delphina has used bewitchment to enslave the second prince,” the Goddess said. “As well as the three men behind him.”
“Are you kidding me?” I asked. “So, bewitchment is like a love potion? What a dirty trick.”
“Indeed. Yet for some reason, bewitchment isn’t recognized as a function of holy magic in this country. Despite my numerous attempts to intervene, no one ever acknowledges Delphina’s bewitchment.”
Does that mean power surpassing the Goddess’s is at work? That’s terrifying beyond words.
“The black-haired man is Rosario Marchetti,” the Goddess said. “The red-haired man is Oreste Rodarte. The white-haired man is Severin Fregolini. All of them are high-ranking noblemen, and all of them have fiancées except for Severin. Alas, all of them began neglecting their fiancées after becoming infatuated with Delphina.”
Seriously? That pisses me off.
“Alexandra is falsely accused of a crime and condemned in each lifetime,” the Goddess said. “Those men place her in a rickety carriage and exile her from this country. Then, she’s attacked by bandits and killed before dawn.”
Shouldn’t a Goddess be able to do something about this?
“Can’t you help her?” I asked.
“As a Goddess, I’m not allowed to interfere with who lives and who dies. As such, I try to act before Alexandra’s death, but it never goes according to plan. She’s condemned at this party in every loop. By the time the adults learn the truth, it’s already too late. Her remains are abandoned deep within the forest, becoming food for wild beasts. In the end, she fades from everyone’s memories, as if nothing happened.”
“Those guys get off scot-free?” I asked. “Even though they practically murder her?”
“That’s right. What’s more, Delphina has led happy lives with each of those four men. She’s trying to find happiness with someone this time as well.”
For real? The absurdity of this whole situation is making my blood boil.
“Alexandra’s heart is on the verge of breaking,” the Goddess said. “During a certain loop, she began living in a state of resignation, seeming to know her fate. She’s probably conscious of the time loops. If her heart breaks, she won’t be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation. Her soul will completely disappear. I want to avoid that at all costs.”
My chest tightened in response to the Goddess’s mournful plea. As I observed Alexandra’s sorrowful yet dignified bearing in the crystal ball, my heart ached even more. If I were in her position, I would beat the living daylights out of those guys. While this thought burned in my mind, the Goddess smiled faintly.
“You want to beat those guys to a pulp, don’t you?” she asked.
“I sure do.”