SWNOVELXO Chapter 2: Farewell, Chosen One
"Are you angry?" The Goddess couldn't help but ask. "Are you angry at the little girl for what she did?"
"No. Not at all...She's just a child who had good intentions in mind, so I can only blame my horrible luck for what happened to me."
The man sincerely said, which made the Goddess smile, thinking that she had chosen the right person for the mission she had.
The man then looked at the ethereal figure in front of him and asked with a curious gaze,
"But I am curious about why a Goddess like you is talking to me at the moment...You surely wouldn't do so without having a purpose in mind, right, especially since you keep on calling me, chosen one?"
"It is as you've said, chosen one." The Goddess of Debauchery nodded her head. "Anyone else who dies in the mortal world will be sent straight to the Wheel of Samsara where they will be judged and sent to Heaven, Hell, Reincarnation, or the Void accordingly."
"...But you, on the other hand, are special since I've decided to give you a second chance at life and send you back to the mortal plane." The Goddess said, which made the light on the man's body glow like he was excited at the thought of being able to go back.
"I can go back to my world?!" The man asked in a hurry.
"No, not your original world...But you'll transmigrate to another world where you'll live the life of a noble from a prestigious family." The Goddess told him of her plans for him.
The man also didn't seem to mind, as a noble life in an olden setting didn't seem bad at all—lavish banquets adorned with roasted pheasants and exotic fruits, moonlit dances in grand halls glittering with crystal chandeliers, and afternoons spent leisurely hunting in sprawling estates or indulging in poetry recitals and philosophical debates.
There would be sprawling libraries filled with rare tomes, indulgent baths perfumed with oils and rose petals, and evenings of wine-soaked revelry under gilded ceilings while minstrels sang tales of heroism and romance.
When he thought of experiencing all of this, he had to admit that he didn't feel too bad about dying. He also didn't have any close family or friends back on Earth and he always felt like he needed a fresh start, so it worked out for him either way.
"But there's a catch, chosen one." The Goddess said while the man was daydreaming about his future life. "I'll tell you that I'm not simply sending you to have fun in that world...I'm sending you there with a certain mission in mind."
"And what would that be, Miss Goddess?"
The man asked, wondering what exactly the Goddess wanted him to do.
He had read a few novels like this before where certain people were sent to another world to defeat the demon lord and save humanity by the Gods up above and thought that this would be the same as well.
But to his utter shock and disappointment, the Goddess gave an enticing smile and told,
"It's nothing like you think, chosen one, since demons and ghosts don't exist in the world I'm about to send you too...I actually want you to become my representative in that world and act as my follower who practices my beliefs."
"What that basically means is that I want you to indulge in complete debauchery as you live your life as a nobleman's son."
The Goddess's eyes gleamed as she told the man about his mission, while he started to frown, having his own thoughts in mind. She then continued explaining in an enthusiastic manner, saying,
"I want you to live an absolutely corrupt life where you indulge in whatever woman you want, no matter if they're already married, are in unreachable positions, or are even your own family, using whatever despicable means necessary."
"I know that you're confused as to why a Goddess like me is tasking you with such vulgar affairs and want to know the reasoning behind it." The Goddess remarked and then continued saying, like she was talking about the Heaven's secrets that couldn't be told to anyone else, "But unfortunately, I can't tell you the reason because they aren't supposed to reach the ears of a mortal...So, just think of it as the Goddess of Debauchery wanting to witness the depravity of mortals from up above."
The Goddess concluded and looked forward to seeing what the man was going to say, since he seemed to have his own thoughts about the duty he was given.
"So, you're telling me to live the life of a depraved noble, who does what he wants to anyone with no care in the world and indulge in whatever lecherous wishes I have?"
The man whose identity was still unknown finally spoke after coming to a decision. He then looked up at the Goddess and asked in a solemn and inquisitive tone.
"But wouldn't that mean I would be hurting some innocent people in the process, since, you know, nobles weren't known for being saints and were actual tyrants in the past?"
"Yes, you would, chosen one." The Goddess agreed. "The debaucherous life I'm asking you to live isn't one of a hero's, but more of a villain's, so it's only natural a few mortals would get hurt in your path."
"I see...If it's like that, then I would like to apologise to you, since I humbly decline my transmigration to a different world."
The man abruptly denied the quest he was given in a firm manner.
But even though it was a shocking reply, since no one would normally reject the opportunity to live the lavish life of royalty, the Goddess seemed to have already expected that he would deny her request, looking at the knowing smile she had as she looked at the enigma of a mortal before her.
"Are you saying this because of your resolution to never hurt anyone else after the life you've lived as a 'peacemaker', chosen one?" The Goddess asked with a curious look in her eyes.
"Since you already seem to know about my past, then it should be so much easier to make you understand why I don't want to do anything that might hurt anyone innocent again." The man calmly said, not at all surprised that the Goddess knew about his past.
"What if I said that if you reject this offer, you'll be sent to the Wheel of Samsara and will probably be sent to the Eternal Void where you'll cease to exist?"
The Goddess threatened the man with his inevitable fate with her lips curled up.
"Will you still reject my offer?"
"As you already know, Miss Goddess, I most definitely would reject your proposition no matter what you say." The man shockingly rejected his second chance at life once again and embraced his death with a smile on his face, just for the sake of keeping his principles. "So I really don't know why you keep asking me such questions when you already know the inevitable answer I'll give to your question."
He then chuckled as he looked at the abyss around him like they were searching for the Wheel of Samsara, so that he could enter it himself and said,
"I think the best option for you right now is to let me go on my way to my inevitable death and then choose another lost soul for your mission...I'm pretty sure that there are several others out there unlike me who would give anything to live the life of someone who has unimaginable power and drown themselves in women every day."
"I most definitely can find someone who's willing to accept my mission, chosen one, since men in the mortal world are basically animals that act based on their lust and would even kill themselves to receive the opportunity I'm offering you."
The Goddess said as she watched the man turn around and start walking in search of his own end.
She then shook her head like she really liked what she was going to do next and said,
"But sadly for someone like you, who isn't willing to bend what he believes in even at the cost of your own life, I only find you as an appropriate candidate to spread my name in the mortal world."
"...That's why I'm saying that if you don't accept this new life I'm offering you, I'll simply erase that world from existence, along with the billions of innocent lives along with it since there really is no need for that world to exist without a key element like you involved."
The man stopped in his tracks when he heard the Goddess's bone-chilling threat.
He then turned around and asked the Goddess who had just condemned a world just because of a single decision of his and asked her with a sharp gaze in his eyes,
"Is that a threat, Miss Goddess?...A colossal threat in the form of the extinction of a world?"
"It most definitely is, chosen one, even though I'm not very proud to use such crude methods to convince you."
The Goddess gave an apologetic sigh like she really didn't want to force him into such a way. But since she really had no other option, she had no other way but to use such dishonest methods.
"I see." The man nodded his head as he comprehended the magnitude of the situation in his mind and the elements involved. And then, after making a decision, he calmly looked up at the Goddess, who was a little ashamed of the way she was acting, and said with a chuckle, "Then, I guess I have no choice but to accept this mission of yours, even though I'd much rather enter the void and die."
"Oh...That's surprising, chosen one."
The Goddess said as she secretly let out a sigh of relief as she really didn't know how to further persuade a man who didn't care about his own life or anyone else's.
"I thought that you would struggle a bit more with your decision since you're so resolute on not hurting anyone else...But you somehow accepted it without much hesitation."
"Well, when you place the weight of billions of lives on top of my shoulder, it's only natural that I would agree to your weird mission."
The man narrowed his gaze, which made the Goddess look away in embarrassment for using such despicable methods to persuade him. He then sighed at the situation he was forced into and continued saying,
"And at the end of the day, the fate of the world is much more important than anything else, so the ladies of that world who are going to be affected by my presence and everyone else's can only blame their fate for what's going to happen to them."
"Now, Miss Goddess, who likes to extort humans..." The man joked with a bright gleam in his eyes that came from the excitement of going to another world. "...when are you going to send me to this fantasy world you're speaking of?"
"It's already begun, chosen." The Goddess coughed and ignored his comment. She then pointed at his legs that were starting to fade away into the abyss and continued saying, "The moment you agreed to become the representative of the God of Debauchery, the initiation to send you to another world has already begun."
"Haha...No wonder I felt like I was losing my balance." The man chuckled as he saw his legs disappear into the mist and then slowly his torso as well.
"One more thing, before I pop into a bag of smoke."
The man said as he looked up at the Goddess who had a solemn look on her face as she sent off the man she had chosen to carry out her request. He then continued asking with a silly smile on his face,
"Could you possibly make all the evidence that leads to the little girl poisoning me vanish, since I really don't want her to know that she was the reason for my demise?"
"Very well, chosen one...You're request shall be fulfilled." The Goddess said not expecting his one and only request to be for someone else.
And as she saw the last bit of his face vanish into the abyss and turn into a stream of stardust that started to make its way to another world, the Goddess hoped that everything would go just as planned.
She prayed that the man that she had chosen would show a decent performance that would satisfy her mistress, the true God of Debauchery, who was watching all this take place from a corner in the Astral Realm with a wide smile on her face, excited to see what debauchery the man was going to show her in the new world he was being sent to...