I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 175
Did you get hooked and started binge reading too fast? IJWTAD has advance chapters now available on ko-fi! Check it out!
It was pitch black around him.
Having seen all the real ‘Yeshion’s memories play out before him like a panorama, Yeshion slowly raised his head. He didn’t feel pity. Not a single word of sympathy came to him.
“……How selfish.”
His judgment was brief.
That man had always chosen the foolish path, repeating the same mistakes again and again.
Despite being given dozens of chances, he not only kicked them away but dragged down everyone who tried to help him.
‘A villain.’
Was it Veronica, the one who seduced and made others into murderers, who was the real villain? Or was it the real ‘Yeshion,’ who charged forward with revenge as his only aim and got deceived along the way?
Of course, both of them, by Yeshion’s standards, had acted wrongly.
Whatever the cause, the choices the real Yeshion made were nothing but wrong. That’s why there was no sympathy, no sense of pity.
To Yeshion, the real Yeshion was the textbook example of a foolish villain.
“I know I was selfish.”
Just then, a flat voice rang out from behind him.
When he turned around, the real ‘Yeshion’ was staring at him with an expressionless face.
“……I’m glad you’re aware of that.”
“But if you were in my situation, do you think you could’ve chosen any differently?”
His tone was laced with irritation. Yeshion rolled his eyes.
Honestly, he did think he could have made every choice differently, but he didn’t want to antagonize for no reason, so he held his tongue.
After a short silence, the real ‘Yeshion’ opened his mouth.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“You… do you think this situation can actually be turned around?”
At that, Yeshion turned his head and looked straight ahead again. Fragments of a dozen memories fluttered before his eyes.
He watched them quietly for a while, then finally spoke.
“I couldn’t do it alone. If it were just me, I’d probably end up trampled the way you were in the past. Things were such a mess back then… But now, I’m not alone. So I think it’s worth trying.”
“……I don’t understand. What exactly are you entrusting to them?”
“I never expected you to understand. Honestly, I don’t really understand your past choices either.”
The two of them would likely never understand each other. That’s why all their choices had diverged so drastically.
“That’s ridiculous. Charging toward a goal that’s bound to fail.”
“I won’t deny the possibility of failure. But I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s bound to fail. To me, there’s still enough hope.”
Even if the situation was a mess, giving up wasn’t an option.
As Yeshion responded without hesitation, the real ‘Yeshion’s’ expression twisted.
He remained silent for a while before asking again, his tone slightly softened.
“What do you think about the situation you’re in now?”
“The situation I’m in?”
“More precisely, the situation given to that body of yours.”
He looked oddly tense as he posed the question.
What did he think?
“Obviously, it’s horrific.”
Setting aside whether or not it was solvable, it was hopelessly absurd.
The fear of losing the people who loved him. And the fear that he himself might die.
All of it felt so hopeless
But…
“Even so, I don’t want to give up.”
Because if he gave up, that would be the end.
Even if it was just a thread-thin chance, he wanted to cling to it.
Even if the path ahead was rough and painful, even if he wasn’t left standing at the end.
Still, he didn’t want to give up.
“……I can’t tell if you’re a good person or just an idiot.”
“If I had to choose, I’d prefer being called a good person. Because if we’re talking about idiots, you’re not far off either.”
As he muttered irritably, the real ‘Yeshion’ gave him a look of disbelief. But eventually, he let out a long sigh and shook his head.
After another stretch of silence, the real ‘Yeshion’ spoke again.
“The miracle won’t happen anymore.”
“What miracle?”
“The miracle where you die… and return to that point again.”
Did he know something?
When Yeshion stared wide-eyed at him, he let out another sigh and continued.
“Each time you died, one of the souls in this space disappeared.”
“Souls?”
“Yes. The souls of those who resented me… the ones who died by my hand.”
