I was like a mouse placed before a snake. Because of Wooshas’s bizarre power, the wounds were healing, but the fear I was feeling was growing.
I gathered my trembling heart, mustered courage, and tried to meet the eyes of the skeletal figure for just a moment, but I couldn’t withstand it and turned my head.
How should I react?
No, it was already too late to start thinking. Excuses wouldn’t work now just because the response had been delayed.
Wooshas’ previous life was the major cause of human extinction.
As far as I could remember, the Angels had not only refrained from destroying cities but had never killed humans. I didn’t know the details, but the rumors were such.
However, wherever the Angels passed, it was as if they had spread a disease, rapidly driving people insane.
Thousands of years of religion crumbled, and even the concepts of nation and family vanished. People who stood by the Angels, became instruments for the massacre of their own kind.
How could one turn humans into such creatures unless they harbored extreme hatred for humanity?
Right now, the one who despises humans knows that I am an Earthling.
In the end, there was only one option left.
I didn’t like being pathetic.
But in front of them, I was always prepared to abandon my pride for safety and survival.
What would you call a candle struggling in front of a typhoon?
Submitting to demons beyond common sense is just part of the natural order of the food chain.
“Please spare me.”
The conclusion reached at the end of self-interest was a sincere plea.
“Haha!”
The only response I heard was laughter.
Laughter, what kind of irony is it?
I couldn’t let my guard down.
“Don’t worry.”
Hearing her words, I look up to her with hope.
“Because I’m not interested…”
Whether my past life was on Earth or not, she said she wasn’t interested.
Why, is it because I’m her youngest brother?
Is my past life not important to Wooshas?
Wooshas, my sister, gave me a sinister smile. It was a smile that seemed to say, ‘You’re playing into my hands.’
“…Right now.”
As if advising for the future, her words were like a spoiler.
That’s it. That’s why I was the most afraid of her among my other siblings.
“I’ve now healed all your wounds.”
I forced myself to erase any uneasiness and responded, becoming her brother again.
“Thanks, sister.”
I crossed the hurdle.
After giving a formal farewell of ‘See you later,’ I lay on the bed, covering my head with the blanket.
As I trembled in fear beneath the blanket, I know Wooshas would soon leave my room.
Damn, at least I learned something new.
My past life has been exposed.
Does only my third sister know?
My determination to endure for four years is gradually fading.
“Sister?”
As I didn’t hear the sound of the door closing, I called my sister gently.
“Why?”
Damn it, she didn’t leave.
I lowered the blanket slightly and turned my head. Instead of leaving, she was sitting in the chair.
Any normal person would know that what I did right now was an indication that I wanted to be left alone.
“Aren’t you busy? Don’t you have to go somewhere?”
“The Pope invited me. I have to go to the Church now.”
“Yeah. Well, see you…”
This is an easy-level problem. Now that I have goodbye again, she should leave.
However, my sister, instead of leaving, just looked at me.
“This place is not heaven or anything.”
“What?”
“Shall I tell you a secret?”
I didn’t want to hear it. But Wooshas, for some reason, hesitated for a long time with her chin on the back of the chair, making me wait.
Eventually, after I nodded my head, expressing that I really wanted to hear it, she smiled again with the sinister smile.
“This place is hell.”
For a moment, I almost spilled my inner thoughts.
‘Your face is hell, you wicked woman.’
***
Deciding to go all-in since things turned out this way, I asked my sister.
“Wooshas, do you remember how we… died?”
It was a forbidden question, like delving into a taboo.
I was genuinely curious about how those monstrous beings died and how we ended up being quadruplets, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask.
I was afraid. Even if I didn’t remember, revealing various responses might inadvertently reveal that I was from Earth.
However, if Wooshas knew the truth about my past life, there was no need to hide anymore.
Only then did Wooshas rise from her seat in response to my question.
“I don’t remember.”
Whether it was a lie or not, if she claimed not to remember, there was nothing I could do.
The conversation ended, and Wooshas left.
“Cantavia.”
However, as she grabbed the doorknob, she turned back.
“This is welcome-back gift. Use it well.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
She acted as if she had done me a huge favor by healing my wounds.
I thanked her again.
Finally, Wooshas closed the door and left.
I heaved a sigh of relief. Even in my inner thoughts, I couldn’t speak freely in front of them.
For all I knew, those guys could even read my inner thoughts.
By the way, ‘use it well’ is an odd way to express it.
***
I tried to sleep to soothe my tired mind, but I couldn’t sleep easily even with the soft blanket and raspberry scent.
The more I think about it, the more scared I become.
When did Wooshas even become aware of my past life on Earth? If she had known and always pretended not to, it sent shivers down my spine.
How did she even discover my past life?
But somehow…
“This is good…”
I rubbed my stomach.
The wounds that had swelled and bruised just moments ago are now completely healed.
There were no torn wounds, and my skin returned to its original state, without any scars. It wasn’t a concept of physical healing. It was a power more mystical and extraordinary than magic. Healing wounds, indeed, what a world.
It felt more remarkable than when my second sister blasted through the walls of Quilz Castle. Healing wounds was easy, but healing was difficult, especially with a power that could instantly heal wounds.
“What is this feeling?”
I gently touched the area where Wooshas touched.
Was this an illusion?
A cozy cradle and a soft touch from my mother? No, it’s warmer than that, it’s like a white angel.
“Huh?”
It was the moment when the sensation of the white light seeped into my body.
Suddenly, my stomach began to swell.
The smooth stomach inflated like a meadow, growing like a balloon to my arms and legs.
My body felt like it was about to burst, like the Dursleys’ couple who were blown up by an angry Harry Potter.
Was this her gift? Indeed, the feeling just now was a delusion.
Wooshas Quilz Rainberg is really a wicked woman.
“Damn.”
Although my body swelled, I wasn’t particularly alarmed.
If Wooshas had wanted to kill me, I should have become a cold corpse right now.
Moreover, considering the incident with that older brother of mine, Ranista, I could remain relatively calm this time.
Fortunately, as time passed, the swelling gradually subsided.
Last time, I turned into a rotten tomato; now, am I becoming a balloon?
Demons must share a bad taste.
Knock! Knock!
“Master.”
“Girlie.”
Girlie opened the door and began cleaning the room. I couldn’t move until the swelling subsided.
I lay still, watching Girlie dust and mop.
Only when she finished organizing the laundry did she look at me. And as soon as she saw my face, she suddenly started sobbing.
“Why again?”
In the end, Girlie cried and wailed miserably.
“Master, you’ve become ugly again!”
“Is that all you have to say?”
Girlie struggled to get up.
“Sob, Master. I’ll boil pumpkin tea for you. Please don’t eat spicy food now.”
I think she thought I swelled up because I ate something spicy.
Girlie was the reason for my irritation.
It’s better to be stupid than to be annoying. That’s why Girlie is my servant.
However, lately, I’ve thought it’s a bit severe, but oh well.
***
Walking through the garden, Wooshas discovered a caterpillar crawling on the ground.
A broken branch lay nearby. The ground was a dangerous place for small caterpillars.
Being unable to climb the tree, it would either be eaten by beetles or captured by an army of ants, becoming food for their ant queen.
Just a slight wind, a broken branch decided the fate of the caterpillar.
Wooshas bent down, carefully placing the wriggling caterpillar on her palm.
Watching the squirming caterpillar, Wooshas placed it back on a tree branch.
This time, it was on a sturdy branch with plenty of leaves, less likely to break in the wind.
But the caterpillar couldn’t rejoice.
Before long, its body burst open, and it died. Wooshas smiled at the sight.
In the garden on this lonely night, the seemingly lifeless caterpillar transformed.
Though it was too early for hatching, wings like threads emerged from the caterpillar’s body.
Luminous wings, like a firefly, shone brightly.
Gradually hardening, they became strong enough to fly in the sky.
The dirty yellow caterpillar turned into a white butterfly, soaring into the sky.
***
“Are you heading straight to training?”
“Yeah. Bring the food to my room later.”
Girlie exclaimed in surprise.
“Oh my, master has changed!”
“What did you think of me? Am I some idler? Just because I’m going for morning training, you act like everything’s different? I’ve always been active in exercise.”
“But it’s the training of Master Ranista! It’s the most brutal training in the evil empire, even the tough knights tremble!”
Ignoring Girlie’s exaggeration, I put on the leather-padded clothes.
As soon as I got dressed, I headed out to the training ground.
This time, I willingly threw myself into the lion’s den.
I felt it over the past few days. I couldn’t understand his purpose, but Ranista wants me to become stronger.
Now that it’s come to this, I’ll take advantage of that guy.
I realized that, for the sake of a comfortable and prosperous life, I must become stronger.
The struggle didn’t end in my previous life.
In this life too, I must fight.
Ironically, it seems like the struggle is trying to teach me.
Now is not the time to pick and choose between easy and difficult tasks.
I never know when Ranista would change his mind. I recalled his past life. Before becoming the enemy of humanity, he was the strongest in the martial world.
If I could learn martial arts from him, I might gain the power to fully control the Heavenly Sky Eyes.
If I equip the highest-performance equipment, I might not necessarily beat my siblings, but I won’t just take it lying down like now.
Four years remain. Becoming a lord, entrusting the Rainberg dukedom to Ranista, and living carefree might not be a bad idea. But, in any case, I have to survive until then.
In just a week since returning to the Quilz Castle, my body is noticeably changing.
Even though I just took a beating, I’m growing.
As I went out to the training ground, Ranista sent his knights who were training outside.
He looked at me with a silent smile, his eyes gleaming.
“Are you willing?”
Ranista threw a weapon.
This time, it was not a wooden stick but an iron rod.
I picked up the fallen rod in front of me. It was several times heavier, but strangely, it felt lighter than when I first lifted the stick.
“Teach me, master.”
“Ha!”
Ranista used violence again.
I was hit by the swinging rod and rolled a few times, but I quickly got up. It didn’t hurt as much as before. This is also evidence of growth; everything is for a prosperous and comfortable life!
“Teach me more! Master!”
I found out that Ranista likes the word ‘master.’
Without forgetting the flattery for the strong, I continued to learn martial arts. Even when I was hit, I got up.
Maybe it’s the ‘gift’ my third sister gave me, but strangely, the wounds that used to ache badly don’t hurt much this time.
“Good posture.”
I don’t know what pleased him, but the usual training, which used to end with a beating, continued.
I thought memorizing the posture of martial arts was easy, but I couldn’t grasp the most important inner energy method, according to him.
How do you build energy in a short period of time?
Now the training with Ranista has become routine.
On days when he doesn’t leave, I always learn martial arts, and on days when he’s absent, I review the postures of the rod technique alone.
***
Cantavia is a fictional planet from a Korean animation Baby Dinosaur Dooly (아기공룡 둘리). It means “Let’s go, my star” or “We’re going, my star.”
The name of Wooshas came from the name of the Hindu goddess of the dawn, Ushas. She is depicted as the one who imbues life to all beings, as the “life of all life” and “breath of all breaths”.
(This is from google, if you know more about the goddess feel free to share.)
Ranista came from Lanista, which is a Latin term that historically referred to a person who owned and trained gladiators in ancient Rome.
(Well, the previous translator uses Ranista so I use it. But it is really Lanista)
Melissa is a feminine Greek name. In Greek, it means “bee” or “honeybee.
Here are the reasons why the Author named them like that.
