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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Past Life (2)
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"Hey, Evaaan."
"What."
"If you're free tonight... how about you and me?"
I looked down at the woman standing in front of me with cold, jaded eyes.
Her glossy purple hair flowed like silk, and her eyes were clear and striking.
This woman, who was deliberately fluttering her skirt to flash some skin, was named Eliya Ruben. Unlike me, she was a Saintess Candidate.
She was one of the better ones at wielding Divine Power, too.
Her looks matched that talent—stunning and cute in a way that made it hard to even joke about her being ugly...
But that had nothing to do with why I was scowling. It was her words.
-Tonight, how about you and me?
No subject, but the meaning was obvious enough from context. She was proposing a fling.
A fling. Not literally setting fire to a Sun Church building or putting on some backyard fireworks show, of course.
The euphemism for sex. Nothing else.
I let out a sigh and turned away.
"Not interested."
I delivered the rejection curtly. Knowing full well what she wanted, there was no reason to say yes.
"W-wait. Hey? Evan!"
But Eliya was persistent. She followed after me, her voice laced with panic.
For some reason, she looked genuinely shocked as she grabbed my sleeve and clung tight.
"What? You serious? You got what I meant, right?"
"Yeah, I got it loud and clear."
"Huh? Then why turn me down!?"
She raised her voice, her face full of bewilderment, like my answer made no sense.
We were in a Sun Church hallway, so passersby all turned to stare.
I hated drawing attention like that, and my face soured on instinct.
"...Hey, come on."
"Ah. S-sorry."
Only then did Eliya let go of my sleeve. She hadn't meant to cause a scene, and her energy deflated a bit.
I sighed and started walking again, answering her question as a bonus.
"You think I don't know what you're after, Ruben?"
"...Well, yeah."
Short and sweet. But she seemed to get the point, fiddling with her hair and averting her eyes.
"Of course you'd know. I didn't say it thinking you wouldn't. No need to be so formal with the family name, though."
"If you knew I'd know, then you know why I'm turning you down, Ruben."
"..."
I emphasized her surname twice on purpose, and her expression soured just a touch.
Pretending to be offended, she crossed her arms and shot me a sideways glare.
"Still doesn't make sense to me. Sure, I'm not saying this purely because I like you..."
"Then get lost."
"I wasn't done talking! You've been so rude since earlier!"
She huffed, blowing her bangs up, then composed herself with a pretty smile.
The telltale sign she was about to lay on the charm.
"Come on, Evan. Don't be like that. Aren't I pretty cute? Chances like this don't come around often."
"Me trying to talk this out nicely doesn't come around often either."
"I know all about your violent streak and bad habits, but...!"
This girl... I whipped around, eyes wide, and she flinched, forcing an awkward laugh.
"Ah, haha. I mean, even with those bad rumors, I still wanna sleep with you. Yeah?"
"..."
"...Don't glare like that. It's scary, Eliya."
I kept staring, and she tried some cutesy act. It was pathetically ridiculous.
I swallowed a sigh and started wondering why this was even happening.
'...What a messed-up world.'
This was down to one particularly alien aspect of this world, so different from my past life. Among many differences, this cultural quirk stood out.
More precisely, it was unique to the Sun Church.
In this world, faith was proven through Divine Power.
They didn't outright call non-users heretics, but it was fact that those who wielded it were revered as high priests.
So how did you wield Divine Power? How did you amplify it?
That's where it differed from aura or mana.
The Sun Church worshipped the sun as the goddess's symbol, as the name implied. For female priests, it was the moon.
To put it in past-life terms, they revered yin and yang...
Hundreds of years ago, ancient priests had an idea one day.
[The goddess values harmony between yin and yang. From that perspective, maybe we can find a way to train Divine Power?]
→ Aren't yin and yang just men and women?
[Harmony of yin and yang, union of sun and moon...? Wait, could it be? No way??]
→ Let's try sleeping together.
[Divine Power totals are increasing...! Quality's improving too!]
→ Holy crap, it works.
"..."
Ridiculous, but that was real history here. They even put it in the doctrine: 'Union between man and woman is an act of patriotism, nay, an act of devotion to the divine.'
Reading that as a kid, my head was full of question marks.
Remembering it now, I clenched my fist, hand trembling.
'If only they'd said a priestly couple discovered it by accident...'
Then I might not feel this hollow.
I'd probably be all, whoa, isekai! Whoa, Divine Power!
...Anyway, point is, that's why this objectively beautiful Eliya Ruben was clinging to me for sex.
Obviously, she wanted the power boost from union.
Despite my slump, my talent was still top-tier.
If she could get me in bed, regardless of my state, she could siphon some of my blessed Divine Power.
No wonder I looked at her with contempt.
She wasn't after me, or even my body—just my innate power.
How could I see her in a good light?
Her motives were so blatant, it gave me a headache.
I pinched my forehead and coldly brushed off her finger poking my arm.
"Eek..."
"'Eek'? What 'eek'?"
I declared firmly to Eliya, who was rolling her eyes in surprise.
"No interest in sleeping with you, so scram. I don't cuddle up to sluts who spread their legs for anyone."
"..."
Eliya Ruben fell silent. This time, she seemed truly shocked, her eyelashes fluttering.
I realized too late I'd gone too far. For a twenty-year-old girl...
"...Ugh."
Right on cue.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"I-I j-just... guys..."
Before I could apologize, she smacked my arm and yelled as she bolted away.
"Everyone does it, sob! Why be so mean only to me?! You're the only one your age who won't put out, so now you're mad!!"
"..."
Even to the end, that girl...
"Haa."
I ruffled my hair, brow furrowed in frustration.
One annoying Saintess Candidate was whatever.
-Everyone does it, why be so mean only to me...!
Those words echoed for some reason. Casual for her, but they grated on me.
Even after twenty years of adaptation, it was the most absurd gap between this world and me.
She wasn't wrong, objectively.
Sun Church priests were generally open about sex.
Even my benefactor Israfeel shared that mindset...
Compatible partners sharing bodies to cultivate Divine Power was encouraged by the Church.
Maybe clinging to my past-life views in this world was the weirder thing.
Cultural differences should be respected.
Sounds like an excuse now, but the Divine Power influence made one-night stands in the Sun Church normal to me.
This was the world I had to adapt to in my new body.
Kid-me's culture shock was old news; now I had some flexibility.
Plus, as a guy, I had urges... and found it intriguing, honestly.
If not for that issue, I might've taken Eliya up on it.
"..."
Meaning...
The problem was personal. Not the world's issue or past-life hangups—just mine, Evan Lane's, damn curse.
I stopped and looked up at the ceiling.
Mythic murals like stained glass adorned it.
My eyes fixed on the goddess.
Yeah. After years of faith, the goddess of the Sun Church had blessed this reincarnator with talent... but taken something else.
...What she took was my chance at 'yin-yang union with female priests.'
Sleeping with Sun Church women might benefit them, but not me.
I couldn't absorb and strengthen my Divine Power through them.
Simple reason: my innate Divine Power was overwhelmingly strong and noble.
Women with weaker Divine Power could level up through me, but not vice versa.
That's why I coldly rejected the pretty, cute Eliya Ruben.
A Saint Candidate too gifted to gain more that way.
The whole Church pitied me for it, which made her proposal even more infuriating.
Why would I sleep with her? I'd gain nothing, just lose power.
'At least a night of pleasure.'
Pointless. I wouldn't trade my foundation for fleeting satisfaction.
"Haa, fuck."
As I spat a curse and stepped forward—
Click, click—
"That foul mouth of yours hasn't changed."
A clear click of heels echoed with a bright girl's voice.
I knew that voice.
"Lete Heresia...?"
Light peach hair swayed. Blue eyes sparkled like gems as one woman approached.
Caught off guard, I still scowled a bit.
Top of the dozen Saintess Candidates, first in line. And the only one in this vast Sun Church sharing my torment.
The sole kindred spirit priest.
Lete Heresia. Like me, she bore 'blessed Divine Power.'
We locked eyes in silence, then spoke at once.
"Why show up outta nowhere picking fights, you bitch?"
"Being in the same space as a lowlife like you is torture."
Bzzzzt!
Invisible sparks flew between us.
Yeah.
We were the type with intense in-group rivalry.