Chapter 0 - Prologue

I think my seventeen years of life have not been pleasant.

 

My grades were in the bottom half. My athletics were abysmal. I was a loner, and on top of that, I was the target of bullies.

It was just awful. I got body blows, had money taken from me, and had water poured on me. The reason they targeted me? I don’t know.

And then, to top it all off, they killed me.

 

Yes, I was killed.

Or, to be more precise,『I was killed in an accident caused by a group of people who were bullying me』.

By the way, the accident was a gas explosion.

They beat me up in the bathroom during lunch break, took money out of my wallet, and then went to the science lab on their way back to the bathroom to play around.

As a result, one teacher who was in the science lab at the time, 26 of my classmates who were waiting for class, and me, a total of 28 people died.

Why did you involve me in this?

 

And how did I, who was supposed to have died instantly, know about this?

Because I『heard』it from the beautiful woman in front of me.

 

「You think I’m glad you think I’m beautiful.」

 

It was some kind of mind-reading.

 

「It’s God’s prerogative.」

 

And it seemed like it was God.

Should I kneel down or pray?

 

「At least, I don’t preside over anything you might believe in, so no thanks.」

 

Oh, I see.

 

「Well, then, let me amend. My name is Isuzu. I am the Goddess of Death and Wrath. Nice to meet you, Senjo Yona-san.」

 

Not good. She’s in charge of something even more inadequate than I thought.

Am I going to be okay? Am I going to die? Oh, I was already dead.

 

「Rest assured, I have no intention of harming you.」

 

……Are you sure?

 

「Yes, it’s true.」

 

……I’m scared, so I’ll keep my distance for now.

 

「You don’t have to be so alarmed… Well, all right, let me cut to the chase. Senjo Yana, you, unfortunately, died just a short while ago. Although it was not a long and flattering life, …thank you for your hard work.」

 

……Well, I guess I’m really dead, me.

I guess I won’t see my parents, my neighbor Uncle Yamada, or my pet cat Yomi anymore.

 

「So, you see. I’m sorry to tell you this, but you weren’t originally supposed to die.」

 

Well, I think Uncle Yamada has been looking at me a little funny lately.

 

「…Actually, that accident happened in the other world… It was something that the Lord God of the world, of which I am a part of the administration, made the God of Earth do. Because, the world I am managing is like a standard『otherworldly reincarnation』type world, as you call it in your world.」

 

Hmm, I’ve read quite a few of those books, so I know exactly what you mean.

But why would a god from another world make you do such a thing? Didn’t you reject the God of Earth?

 

「The answer to the former question is that there were desperately not enough people with the『qualities of a hero』. The answer to the latter question is that it was the result of taking advantage of weakness.」

 

Qualities of Hero… are still understandable.

But weakness? Does God have any weaknesses?

 

「Yes, I can’t tell you this, because it’s tricky to say these things about God… A being who looks like a colleague of mine threatened to return the favor I owed him for helping Amaterasu-chan get into all kinds of trouble.」

 

I wonder what Amaterasu did.

 

「He seemed very reluctant to do so because Amaterasu-chan is a kind girl… Well, as a god, it is even worse to make a false promise, so I had no choice but to carry it out and manipulate fate to cause the accident. This brings us back to the beginning, you were originally off the schedule for this death.」

 

…Why?

 

「I mentioned earlier the『qualities of a hero』, which are extremely rare in the world I administer. But on Earth, it is not particularly rare… About one in ten people have it.」

 

Earth is full of brave men and women, isn’t it?

Does that mean that they targeted two or three people in the class who had the『qualities of a hero』and caused that accident?

 

「I think they were aiming for that as well, since『otherworldly transplants』are often highly talented even if they don’t have the right qualities. But that… you are…」

 

…Hmm?

 

「You know. We have measured your expected abilities in your world and found that… Although you do not have the qualities of a hero, you are extremely strong, so much so that you surpass the average hero… But your attributes are biased toward evil. It turns out that you can’t be reborn as a human being. That is why I am in charge of you, not the goddess on the human side.」

 

…………What’s?

 

「It’s very unusual to have an evil attribute when you’re originally human… You are the only one who was supposed to be removed from the fate of death, as if such a being could be reincarnated in your world. However, apart from that fate, you died from another fate that was changed by the manipulation of fate.」

 

…I can’t even be bothered with this.

Hmm, so you’re saying my cause of death wasn’t the explosion? I can’t remember why.

 

「Yes, I don’t like to have memories of when I died, so I deleted your memories of the minutes leading up to your death here. You…after being subjected to many bad things, you went to the science lab a while later, and on the way there, the lab exploded. The debris from the blast hit you directly in the brain, causing a cerebral contusion, which was the cause of your death.」

 

An uncool way to die… I would say that this is a surprisingly common cause of death.

Well, that’s not the end of someone like me.

 

「Well, please don’t despise yourself so much. People in your world say that bullying is also bad, but that’s wrong. It’s the perpetrator’s fault, you lived a good life.」

 

…Please don’t say anything that will bring tears to my eyes.

She said she was a Goddess of Death and Wrath, but she’s a very nice person… No, she’s a good god, this one.

 

「Phew, thank you… Okay, now let’s get down to business. If you died in the other world, your memory would be erased there, and you would enter the circle of reincarnation. Unfortunately, however, you, who have died, albeit indirectly, due to an altered destiny, cannot be reincarnated there. Therefore, if you wish, you will be reincarnated in a world where I will take part in the management.」

 

…Is that the world where the guys who bullied me were reincarnated after all?

 

「Certainly it is. In addition, as I mentioned earlier, your attribute in this world is evil, which means you cannot reincarnate as a human being.」

 

…It’s a bad thing, isn’t it?

I can’t see any advantage to reincarnation over there.

 

「If you don’t reincarnate, you will be randomly reincarnated into another world where you are more suitable… If you do that, the worst that can happen is that you get reincarnated as plankton or something.」

 

I wish to be reincarnated into your world.

 

「…Please hear me out. Evil attributes are not all bad things. It is possible to be reborn as a demon, a devil, a vampire, or some other creature similar to a human being. Furthermore…to be honest, in my world, the evil-attribute-leaning, that is, demon people are more decent than human beings.」

 

Oh, really?

I thought that since they were called『heroes』, there would be a demon king or something, and it would be like,「I’m going to invade mankind, guhaha.」

 

「 There is indeed a demon king, and the human race and the demon race are fighting, but it is the human race… It’s more because of the goddess that the human race believes in. All human beings believe in『Misery』, the Goddess of Life and Mercy, as their sole god. By the oracle of Misery, the demon tribe, which originally lived in peace, was unilaterally called a servant of the evil god and started to attack them.」

 

…By the way, just in case you’re wondering, that evil god is…

 

「You mean me?」

 

RIght~.

 

「It’s true that I am an evil god, but I have been doing a lot of things, such as giving detailed oracles and adjusting the world so that it does not interfere with humans as much as possible, and so that there is mutual non-interference. Despite this, that stupid goddess gave an oracle that said,『I am the only god in this world, so those who believe in Isuzu must be killed without mercy』, and all the fanatics who took it to heart became more and more hostile to the demon tribe…」

 

The Goddess of Life and『Mercy』, but she doesn’t have a shred of mercy.

 

「Ah… If you look at me, you can see that the character of a god doesn’t depend on what it’s presiding over. I preside over death and wrath, which are bad omens, but I seem rather normal, don’t I?」

 

Yes, she is a very beautiful woman, usually with long black hair and about 20 years old.

 

「I don’t mean to imply that you should read the mood from her appearance, but thank you. Well, what I mean is that my colleague… Misery is a very proud and arrogant girl, although she is the master of mercy. She doesn’t like me running the world better than she does, even though I rule over something worse than her, and so she’s thinking of destroying my lovely demon people or something like that… Hah…」

 

Human goddess, aren’t you a bitch?

 

「Well, to be honest, I think the world would run better without her, and I’m thinking of using this opportunity to unify the human and demon races. I had no choice but to create a『Demon King』as a counterforce to the『Hero』and made him/her my direct subordinate. The『qualities of a hero』are extremely rare, with only one in a generation, and the『qualities of a demon king』are several times rarer and several times stronger than those qualities. Above all, there can be no more than two heroes and no more than two demon kings, so there is no such thing as many heroes attacking each other. You won’t lose unless you have a lot of experience. So, Misery, who was getting outnumbered, used the diversion of『otherworldly transplant』as a last resort.」

 

…Are you suggesting that the otherworldly transplants, who originally have high qualities, become reserve heroes or assist them?

 

「You are very quick to understand and very helpful. Misery’s status as a god is high, so she can do such reckless things. Oops…we’re getting off track.」

 

Eh, what were we talking about?

Ah, you’re talking about my reincarnation!

 

「Well, that’s why the demon tribe I run is more secure. There are only a few of them, but many of them are peaceful even though they have several times the potential of human beings. In that world, there is magic instead of science.」

 

Oh, so there is magic after all.

 

「Yes, there is. Of course, it takes effort to learn… So what do you think? Are you willing to reincarnate in my world?」

 

Hmmm…May I ask you a few questions?

 

「Yes, of course you can.」

 

Then…

 

Q. Does that world have the standard『status』of otherworldly reincarnation?
A. Yes. However, concepts such as『skills』do not exist. There are only levels, abilities, and classes. Magic is an exception.

Q. What can I reincarnate into?
A. You can be any race of demons.

Q. Human in a reincarnation… What are the chances of meeting other incarnator?
A. It is not impossible, but I think it is very unlikely. It would be a different story if you yourself were to go into battle, but I don’t think you would recognize each other since you have changed faces.

Q. If I reincarnate, will I become stronger?
A. It depends on your effort. But the potential is very high.

Q. Finally… What should I do in my reincarnated world?
A. You are free to do as you wish. I told you a lot of things earlier, but that was just my complaint. There is no need for you to take on any burdens, so please live your life as you wish. You can fight or live in peace.

 

「Phew… Is that all the questions?」

 

Yes.

……Decided. I will reincarnate in your world.

 

「Good for you! Then decide which species you’ll reincarnate as! Ah, here’s the list.」

 

When Isuzu-sama waved her hand, a menu window like that of a video game appeared.

What is it?

 

Demons, devils, vampires, dragon person, goblins, orcs, slimes, etc…

Goblins and orcs are out of the question.

I don’t know what slime is, but I have a feeling it’s bad for a lot of reasons, so I dismiss it.

 

Dragon person…I don’t like the idea of a dragon person, because it looks like it would be very scaly.

Then, as Isuzu-sama said earlier, I wonder if it is a demon, devil, or vampire?

Do you have any recommendations?

 

「Hmmm… Demons are a kind of subspecies of the human race. They don’t look much different, but they are several times more powerful than humans. Devils are a rare and belligerent race of demons, so if you are willing to go into battle, it’s a good idea. Vampires are…they are the most human-like of the three, except for their crimson eyes and 100% double-toothed teeth, so you should be able to get used to them easily.」

 

But don’t vampires die when exposed to sunlight?

What else is wrong with garlic, crosses, or stakes through the heart?

 

「…? What is that? There’s no such thing as… Ah, I see, that’s how it is in your world. But in my world, vampires are like a super compatible human being. Basically, they are not much different from humans, but at night, their abilities increase in proportion to the phases of the moon. They reach their peak at the full moon, when their abilities are dozens of times greater than those of humans. Of course, they are fine with daytime activities, and they can even eat garlic.」

 

…Couldn’t you live without human blood?

 

「No, I don’t think so. Blood is indeed the most nutritious food for vampires, and it is possible, as in your world, to turn a certain percentage of vampires into『vampire-modkid』, if you want to, but blood from animals will suffice.」

 

Strike down the humans! There is no such dangerous thought…

 

「There’s no. Rather, vampires are a very peaceful race, albeit with a bias toward evil. They are also a rare species with a low birth rate due to their long lifespan, which is why they are so close-knit and warmhearted.」

 

…Not bad.

I mean, it’s a whole lot better than humans.

Okay, I’ll reincarnate as a vampire.

 

「Fufu, I knew you would choose a vampire… I’ll have you reincarnated as the daughter of a vampire chieftain. I will not interfere as much as possible, so please do your best.」

 

Yes, thank you very much for your politeness.

 

「I hope you don’t mind. I am responsible for your death, as I was not able to stop Misery. I hope your next life will be a good one.」

 

…Yes, I will do my best.

 

「…Well then, have a good life!」

 

Immediately after that, my consciousness ceased as if sucked into something.