I am back – Chapter 60

“There’s nothing to worry about; it’s just that your name was added to the pre-prepared identity.”

“Pre-prepared identity?”

I couldn’t help but ask again.

That was understandable. It meant that there were already people related to the Goddess before I was even born.

“Yes. Since we couldn’t predict who the hero would be, we’ve prepared vacant identities for various dates. If the hero comes back later, we can just add their name.”

“Is that why the birthdate on my ID is different from my actual birthdate?”

“That’s correct.”

The Pastor nodded readily.

“We create various vacant positions by age, but no matter what, we can’t make a new ID for every single date every day. So, we prepare several IDs with loose dates and find the closest age when needed.”

As the Pastor said that, he slid the ID toward me.

Indeed, the age on the ID was even three years younger than mine. It was still barely in the twenties, though.

And according to that birthdate, none of the party members matched my age.

But…

“…They’re all resident registration cards.”

Indeed. What was in front of me were all resident registration cards. Korean ones, at that.

I had thought that the four party members being foreigners was the reason why they wouldn’t have passports or foreign registration IDs.

“They need to have actual legal power. To create a foreign registration ID, we need the cooperation of the ‘foreign’ country, and for a passport, we need cooperation from that country each time we use it. It’s much easier to resolve things within this country.”

Certainly, that made sense.

… Well, all four of them entered with the setting of speaking Korean. As for the script, who knows, but at least they wouldn’t be caught out not speaking Korean.

And if a problem were to arise, having the identity of a Korean would be much more beneficial than that of a foreigner.

Though their appearances were a bit flashy for ‘typical Koreans,’ there were indeed people in this country who were Korean nationals of foreign descent. I’ve heard that some naturalized citizens even use their original names.

“But… there’s no reason for the hero to necessarily be Korean, is there?”

Finally, I asked that question.

Not all people living in this world are Koreans. In fact, when you consider the population, there were quite a few countries with larger populations than Korea. Statistically, wouldn’t it be more likely for someone from one of those countries to become a hero?

“I’ve heard that there are strategies prepared for other countries, but… well, no matter what, it’s difficult to implant such strategies in all countries. There are nearly 200 countries in this world, and among them, there are those where the economy or public safety is unstable, making it difficult to dispatch people for continuous operation.”

The Pastor spoke with a hint of regret.

“If a person from such a country becomes the hero… we would have to rely on the Goddess’s methods, and I apologize to Her for that. Of course, we wouldn’t have just sat back either. Somehow, we were looking for ways to support the hero. However, the fact that the hero was born in this country made our job a bit easier.”

In other words, I was lucky.

The reason I was able to come back to this world and receive a kind of reward was that I was able to be born in a place that could prepare such measures.

“Then… did my sister or mom also receive the Pastor’s help?”

I had already heard about my sister, so it wasn’t that I was asking out of ignorance. I simply wanted to confirm whether it was truly just coincidence or if someone had come to help us on purpose instead of me.

“How could I ignore the family of someone who is struggling?”

The Pastor said with a smile.

“I just wanted to help as much as I could.”

“…Thank you.”

“Oh no, not at all.”

As I bowed my head and expressed my gratitude, the Pastor also deeply bowed to me.

“It is only right that someone who has saved the lives of many receives an appropriate reward.”

“….”

I had heard that sentiment many times already.

But I still didn’t know how to respond to it.

If I say thank you to someone I’m grateful to, it eventually circles back to being a reward for what I had done.

To be honest, I was still feeling a bit dazed.

Am I really someone deserving of such gratitude?

Was it destined that I, of all people, should be the one to receive that holy sword? If someone else, perhaps someone nobler than me, had been in my place, they would surely have taken that sword with joy. Surely someone who had achieved something meaningful in their life would have been much better suited than I, who crossed over at too early an age… Yes, think of all the firefighters who have dedicated their lives to saving others, or soldiers fighting to protect someone…

There are so many remarkable people like volunteers, human rights activists, lawyers who provide free services for those unjustly arrested, doctors who sacrifice sleep to care for emergency patients, and selfless individuals who save countless lives through organ donations…

There were many people, not just in this world, but in Irrelaysia as well. The soldiers who died on the battlefield, and the knights who fought with their lives on the line.

All I had was… an opportunity that came back to me. I had the power to save people, and I couldn’t run away from the responsibility that seemed too great for me.

“Again, again, again!”

As I was lost in those thoughts, someone slapped my back.

Turning around, I saw Dana looking at me with an annoyed expression.

“You were thinking something strange again, weren’t you?”

“What do you mean strange thoughts…”

“Hero.”

As I stuttered in surprise, the Pastor spoke to me gently.

“You don’t need to worry about ‘what if.’ Everything has already happened.”

“….”

“In the end, the one who received the holy sword was you. It was your choice to accept the request from the Prophet, and ultimately, you were the one who accomplished that task. Now that everything is done, thinking about whether someone else would have been there instead is meaningless. You, standing before me, are the true hero.”

“Yeah.”

Arna, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, spoke up.

“We can’t deny it now. You were the one who accepted the Prophet’s request. Sure, if you had rejected it back then, that position might have gone to someone else. Or maybe…”

Arna made a scoffing sound, as if it were ridiculous.

“Or maybe this world would have perished.”

“I agree with that.”

Kalia chimed in.

“It’s a good habit to imagine worst-case scenarios, but there’s no reason to spoil a well-ended situation with such thoughts. If you can imagine someone greater than you, you can just as easily imagine someone far worse. In the worst case, you might have run away and abandoned your responsibility.”

But even Kalia immediately let out a little laugh after saying that.

“But wouldn’t the Goddess have been unable to recognize such a person? That is why you are here. You are the one who can ultimately fulfill that mission.”

At Kalia’s words, Pia eagerly nodded.

“That’s right! The Goddess recognized Siyun, which is why she sent him to us! The one who saved Irrelaysia is Siyun! No one else!”

“….”

… Hm.

I get it, but could you tone it down a bit?

It’s a bit too embarrassing…

“You’ve got good companions.”

The Pastor smiled as he watched our reactions.

“…. Yes.”

I nodded.

“…. Truly.”

And this time, it was the others’ turn to feel embarrassed.

*

“So, this is an ID card.”

Looking at the clear photo of herself on the resident registration card, Kalia said.

… To be honest, while the photo is one thing, I can’t help but wonder how they got the fingerprints… but well, must be something the Goddess figured out.

“So, are we citizens of this country?”

“No, it’s ‘nationals,’ not ‘citizens.'”

Arna corrected Dana’s statement.

“Even similar words can completely change their meanings based on nuance.”

“You don’t need to worry too much about it.”

I smiled at Pia.

“You guys will surely do well.”

Well, I can’t say we won’t make mistakes, but they’re my companions I trust.

At my words, the four of them looked at me and smiled.

Yeah, because of these companions, I could complete the task I had taken on.

I didn’t know why those four were here in this world right now, but surely, if these are the people I believe in, they could handle that task perfectly.

Come to think of it, I’ve come to trust them again, even after being reborn.

… Indeed, I thought to myself that I was fortunate to have met such companions.