The Lord of Another World: All Wasted at the Beginning, and He Made His Fortune by Taking in the Fem

"—Beluleine, I have a question for you."

In a dark and distant place, as ethereal and dreamlike as a dream, two people stood side by side on the edge of a bottomless, abyss-like pit, gazing into the boundless darkness.

"Master, you..."

"What do you think humanity is?"

The man who asked the question was wearing a tattered trench coat, and his hair looked like it hadn't been properly groomed in a long time—and most strangely, his body was inexplicably wrapped with a large number of golden chains, some of which were even driven into his body.

If that is also a manifestation of the power of the stars... then its essence is probably a rather powerful curse.

"We... we don't know anymore."

"Heh, let me rephrase the question—do you consider those who defy the power of heaven and earth and are determined to take control of the development of civilization and the fate of species to be what we call 'human beings'?"

Standing next to the man was a tall, dignified, mature woman with gorgeous blonde curly hair... but her face was full of unease and sadness, as if she could hardly contain her emotions.

"Yes...we believe that such people are 'human beings'."

"Then do you think those who know they will face power far beyond the reach of life, yet still fantasize about possessing it for themselves, and even intend to sacrifice many other lives for it, are 'human'?"

Although he was asking a question, the man kept staring into the abyss where only darkness existed... and neither the curse that entangled him nor the women around him could shake him in the slightest.

"They... are not."

"So here comes the third question—the two types I just mentioned are actually the same kind of people."

As if mocking something, the man let out a disdainful sneer.

The woman standing next to him kept her eyes down, as if she had no courage to look him in the eye.

"Of course, their little tricks are not enough to bother me... I can still complete my mission and take away this fragment of the Black Abyss, which has undergone a strange change because it has devoured the thoughts of many lost lives."

"The lost longing... does it refer to the demon race?"

"I should have told you before, the essence of life is also the power of stars—so the lives of the locals and foreigners who died in this war that has no morality will eventually be attracted and devoured by it."

The man pointed to the bottomless abyss, as if implying the presence of some terrifying monster there—while the woman instinctively took a half-step back, as if a deep-seated fear had been triggered.

"So let me ask you another question—if that creature of the abyss, after consuming countless thoughts, suddenly develops consciousness and self-awareness one day, and wants to imitate those life forms to seek different possibilities, then can it be considered 'human'?"

"I...cannot answer."

“That’s right, I can’t answer that question either—so I’ve decided to leave all possibilities open.”

The man, whose body was wrapped in golden chains, turned around and looked up at the dazzling starry sky, which was completely different from the dark abyss, but seemed to have some connection in origin.

"I will leave that fragment of the Abyss here—whether humanity finds a way to defeat it in the future, or it gains a consciousness sufficient to understand humanity, it will give new hope to all life in this universe."

"...What if it can't be done?"

"Human beings always pay the price for their arrogance and greed, and this has always been the case."

Is it a blessing of hope, or a curse of despair?

At least the woman standing next to the man at the time had no idea what the future held.

……

"Ah, this is the gift that the 'hero' left us back then."

As time goes by, the same place welcomes different guests.

These people were dressed in uniform and looked like a group of traveling priests on a pilgrimage—but the leader wore a heavy mask and seemed to have no intention of showing his face.

"So, what does this have to do with what we're talking about?"

"Don't be in such a hurry, Miss Devil... how about I tell you a story first?"

The speaker was a young woman with curly horns on her head and cold white hair that reached her waist—her appearance and attire seemed somewhat out of place among the group of pilgrims, and her tone of voice was clearly not friendly.

"About a thousand years ago, in order to defend against the invasion of outsiders, the planet summoned a 'hero' from the other side of the distant universe."

"Heh, is that the bastard who almost completely wiped out our demon race?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot you were also a witness at the time—anyway, that inhuman guy deliberately buried something terrible in this world in order to completely exterminate all life on this planet... Fortunately, the Covenant Church at the time discovered and sealed that thing in time, otherwise our history would have ended long ago."

Although they were telling stories of the past, the masked person spoke in a very flippant tone, as if they were talking about something funny.

"Oh? What does that have to do with me? I just want to kill all of you damned humans... and it's the same now."

“Wow, calm down, Miss Demon. You should have already witnessed our power—so I hope you remember the agreement we reached before.”

After saying that, the masked man pointed to the bottomless pit that resembled a black abyss and let out a mocking laugh.

"We only need you to cooperate with us on one thing, and then no matter how many people you kill in other places, we will not interfere."

"Hurry up and tell me, my patience is running out."

"The seal on that thing has begun to loosen, so soon it will call for another outsider to help it escape—and what you have to do is to cut the soul out of the body before that guy establishes a connection with that thing."

Upon hearing this request, the white-haired woman, referred to as the devil, looked down at her hands and then revealed a twisted smile.

"And then what is my reward?"

"Once we obtain that guy's body, we can awaken the Star Child in his name—and once you find and kill the Star Child, human civilization will collapse on its own. Of course, we'll also assist you in finding the Star Child's whereabouts. How about that?"

"Ha... Deal."

No one knows what the masked man is planning, and no one can stop his plan.

"Time is almost up—let's go downstairs and prepare to welcome our guest."

……

—A hazy darkness.

An ordinary-looking man fell to the ground due to drunkenness and then fell asleep.

He was a man with nothing... except for the deep darkness that always surrounded him and never dissipated.

Where...am I?

When he finally awoke from his long daze, all he saw was complete darkness... and something that seemed to be calling to him.

Please... come here...

"who is it?"

Although he didn't know where he was or what was calling him, the man instinctively stood up and began to walk towards the source of the sound.

Because he had nothing, he was fearless.

I want to... leave...

"Who are you? Where do you want to leave? Answer me!"

Although all that was before him was boundless darkness, the man felt he knew exactly where the voice calling him was coming from.

Even though his body still felt somewhat heavy, he did not stop walking.

Please... help me...

"Is that so... Is this all I can still do?"

Finally, the man saw a door standing in the darkness.

What could be trapped in this boundless darkness? The man had long been aware of the danger.

Even though his life instincts kept warning his body, he still reached out his hand without hesitation and slowly walked towards the door.

—Because this was the only thing he could do, since he had nothing and had accomplished nothing.

"Do you want to... come out?"

As the man touched the door, which resembled a cold, prison-like cage, his soul simultaneously felt a powerful surge of emotion.

Although it was just meaningless darkness, it seemed to contain some kind of possibility... and all I had to do was gently push open this door to free myself from that unknown fate.

Even if it was a terrible disaster, it didn't matter to the man who had long since lost the will to live.

"Oh, I'm so sorry—sir, you should rest for a while."

However, the man ultimately failed to open the door.

Without warning, a slender arm pierced through his back and burst out of his chest—and his consciousness left his body, quickly dissolving into the darkness.

"—Of course, it's a permanent rest."

As his soulless body slowly collapsed, the one who had been mocking him finally revealed himself, waving his hand to dispel all the phantom-like darkness around him.

"Oh dear, this body has nothing special about it... Why would it summon someone like this?"

"Hmph, although I don't know what you plan to do with that body... his soul just suddenly disappeared, and I couldn't catch it."

"That thing actually has the capacity to do something like that? Hmm, looks like I need to hurry."

The pilgrims swiftly placed the soulless body into the dark coffin, while the masked man bowed respectfully to the white-haired demon, as if to express his gratitude... or perhaps to mock him.

"Then our mission is complete—and humanity's fate will soon come to an end."

"Heh...aren't you human too?"

"No, Miss Devil, we are beings who will eventually become gods—completely different from those ant-like humans."

When the unexpected intruder finally left this meaningless place, a mournful wail began to emanate from the deep darkness.

【Why……】

……

So, the man finally remembered what he had forgotten.

He is not a hero who saves humanity, nor is he obligated to protect the future of this planet.

"From the very beginning, was I... summoned here by you?"

He came here alone from a distant world, simply to witness a small miracle that shouldn't exist in this world—a spark of understanding about life was born from the fragments of a god that should have devoured everything and led the universe to the end of its cycle, and the possibility of coexisting with humanity was born.

But under the brutal interference of a already distorted fate, they could only truly understand each other in the final moments before their demise.

It's so nice to see you...

Now, their fate is about to come to an end.

In the murky sea of ​​life, their meager existence will soon be completely assimilated and dissolved here.

—The ending of the story was already predetermined; no one can change what is bound to happen, and no one can defy fate.

So they have already—

"...Huh? Who would accept this kind of ending! Do you think I struggled for so long just to shake my head and sigh in the end?"

No, that's not right... Even if he's just a phantom left, that man still possesses the power to rewrite fate!

"I knew what I had to do all along! At the cost of my last breath, I will grant you the concept of 'humanity'!"

And so, the fragments of the gods scattered across the world, the remnants of the Black Abyss, began to coalesce anew, gradually taking on a form that seemed both familiar and strange—

"Come on! This is your destiny!"

—And that is the real and pure human being.