“Boy, are you conscious?”
“…I’m conscious. But I can’t help but wonder if my eyes are normal, given the situation around me and the divine old man in front of me.”
The boy couldn’t see the man who spoke to him as human.
(I mean, with a halo above his head, wings on his back, and a staff in hand, he’s definitely not a real person. He’s not even human.)
“Is that what you’re concerned about? Don’t you wonder why you’re in a place like this?”
“…I must be dead, right? The cause of death was probably the steel pillar that hit my head.”
While the boy doubted whether his eyes and mind were okay due to the scene before him, he had an idea of where he was, considering his situation just a little while ago.
“So… is this heaven or something?”
“Well, that interpretation is correct. You helped someone and died, and your soul is here now. Your current state is like a spirit.”
“…I definitely feel like I have almost no physical sensations. Everything feels weirdly floaty. So, what happens to me now? Am I going to heaven? I don’t think I did anything bad to deserve going to hell. Or will I be reborn with completely wiped memories?”
Despite being dead, the boy looked forward without showing any regrets, which made the old man curious as he asked.
“Don’t you have any regrets? You’re still a middle schooler, right? Shouldn’t you be wanting to enjoy your youth more? Why are you so decisive about this?”
The expressionless boy wasn’t exactly decisive. He clearly remembered the scene before losing consciousness.
“It’s not that I have no regrets. I had my fair share of fun. But the person I saved is still alive, right? Without any injuries.”
“Ah, of course. Thanks to you putting your life on the line, there are no injuries.”
“Then it’s worth it that I risked my life. Knowing that, I have almost no regrets left. Just decide my fate quickly before my feelings change.”
“…Ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha!”
Startled by the sudden loud laughter of the old man, the boy instinctively stepped back.
“What’s wrong, old man? Did you eat something strange?”
“There’s no food here that can make someone laugh like that. You… you’re truly amusing. How about it? Would you like to live another life? This time in a world completely different from the one you’ve lived in so far?”
“A completely different world, huh… Is there something important in that world besides money and power?”
The boy quickly became interested in the old man’s proposal.
Even if he had few regrets, he wanted to live another life if given the chance.
However, he wanted to know what kind of world he would be living in again.
“Simply put, it’s power. A world where magic and weapons are commonly used.”
“Magic and weapons… Is it like a DQ (Dragon Quest) kind of world?”
“Something like that. There’s no demon king, but… well, what will you choose? To be reborn as a baby and live your second life, or to go to heaven, where you won’t lack anything but will feel no excitement… which will you choose?”
As the old man spread his arms wide to present the choices, the boy replied with a confident smile.
“Of course… let me live a new life in a different world.”
“A quick response, boy… very well. I will reincarnate you into a world that is completely different from the one you’ve lived in so far… into another world. Before that, boy, roll this dice.”
The old man took out a die and a cup from the empty space and handed the die to the boy.
The boy had no idea why he was doing this, but he figured it was necessary and immediately rolled the die inside the cup.
The result was three.
“Ho ho, three… well, that’s reasonable.”
“Does this have any meaning?”
“Well, in your case, you’ll find out what this number three means sooner than you think. Now, I’m going to reincarnate you. Work hard so you can die of old age this time.”
“Dying of old age… sounds difficult, but I’ll give it a try.”
As the boy’s feet began to glow, his consciousness started to fade away.
