Wait, What You Mean I Got Reincarnated As A Heroine In Another World?-Chapter 16 - Destiny

"So, did you understand now?"

Her words had snapped me out of the whirlwind of questions that had been spinning in my head. Even so, what I still doubted was... whether there had been a hidden purpose, some sort of ulterior motive, behind all of it. That had seemed crucial—villains usually possessed deep, concealed motives that drove them toward their goals. And it had been entirely possible that Selene, the so-called Wicked Witch, was just like them.

"Leech Maniac, stop calling me that—even in your head."

Nope. Not that pair of eyes you used to act all motherly in front of me.

Her drowsy gaze had begun to darken, as if it were about to devour me as a whole. Seriously, how long was she planning to keep using that sickening nickname—just because I'd done the same with hers? Ridiculous.

"Alright, let's move on. What do you really want with my vessel?"

"Not your business."

Okay, did she just pull that UNO reverse card to me? That hurt.

My heart bled upon hearing that such a precious weapon had backfired against me.

"I was kidding."

She let out a slight smile, with a small dark chuckle—perhaps thinking it was funny.

Girl, are you alright? Like normal, basically? Clearly. Something is wrong with you.

I didn't know what was more surprising: her pulling the reverse UNO card, or backtracking it and calling me out for reacting—as a joke.

That was like... getting stabbed back and forth.

"Okay, enough with your dramatic monologue. Time to discuss my goal."

Ah yes, your goal.

"No, you clearly don't know what you are talking about. That actually hurt—and it was personal. Next time, maybe don't even throw around phrases you clearly got no idea on how to use it, even if they fit your weird sense of humor."

She propped her chin up, perhaps considering what I had said earlier.

"I'll keep that in mind. So, shall we continue?"

I nodded immediately, not wanting to waste this conversation with endless banter.

"Sure. I have a question for you. Are you familiar with a concept known as Fate?"

Instead of bantering, I found myself deep in thought, reflecting on how complex one's understanding of such a concept might have been. From what I had come to understand, Fate referred to something that would necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future—regardless of whether they wanted it or not.

"You're probably right. But here, Fate implies the pathway of magic carved by something beyond the magician's control. Every magician in this world possesses it—for it serves as a guide map that leads them to cultivate their own developmental path."

Wait, so doesn't that mean it's similar to a levelling system or something?

"I don't get what you're trying to say here, but the thing is... Destiny determines Fate as a concept. Destiny is the ability to realize what is going to happen when one chooses a certain path. And if we're talking about it this way, Destiny can still be controlled—because it's tied to Science, and therefore, should be considered miraculous."

To be fairly honest, I tried my best to sound serious, but... what the actual f*ck was she even talking about?! I couldn't wrap any of this around my head.

Am I this dumb?

"It looks like you are struggling at discerning all of these."

Ain't that obvious? I'm a fu*king atheist!

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

Theological concepts had never been my expertise. In Japan, there were many religions—Shinto being the most popular belief in my region. But I'd never really believed in kami-sama, let alone in something higher than human beings. However, I believed that humans were nurtured by nature itself—and if you really wanted to, you could call that some sort of higher entity, I guess.

But had I been to shrines before? Of course I had—it's just what people here usually did, typically done out of respect for others—we Japanese people value this bowing down form of respect deeply. You toss a coin, ring a bell, bow twice, clap twice, bow again as a form of prayer. But to me, it had always felt... empty. You know, mimicking other's belief without ever holding it. I never really believed in gods. Not Kami-sama, not anything beyond. If anything, I believed in nature—how it shaped us, broke us, fed us. And maybe that's enough. Maybe that's the only "higher" thing I've ever needed to believe in.

"Uh, I suppose that's quite a name for a religion and a place to pray in your previous world. Anyway, shall we get to the point immediately?"

I know, right...

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Keep going," I sighed, not wanting to ruin her explanation.

"Very well." She offered a polite, faint smile.

"Now, where were we? Ah, yes... here's the point I wanted to stress—if Science is considered a miracle here, then that further implies its connection with Destiny. In other words, the way magicians forge their path to reach the end of a maze, through countless possible turns..."

Upon hearing that, I couldn't resist the boredom anymore. In Selene's stasis, I somehow managed to drift into a half-dreamy nap, until—

"Kairi? Ka-i-ri..."

"Oh... sorry. So, what was the point? Summarize it for me."

She let out a heavy sigh, perhaps the heaviest one so far.

"You really prefer the easiest way, don't you?"

"No, I prefer shortcuts."

"I will continue from the time where you were fast asleep."

Oh no, not again.

"However, most if not all of magician except me haven't realized this. Instead, they classified each magician using the rank system. And you must be familiar with that one, right?"

"Well, if you were thinking I did pay attention to the class, consider it as a yes."

She exhaled once more, way deeper once more.

"You never did. I have figured that one out. However, don't play the fool's game when you received all of those from me by the time you were entering Aethelgarten."

"Right, you got me."

"Always." She rolled her eyes, a sign she was bored.

So, for context: Aethelgarten Akademiya wasn't your average magic academy. There were rules—tons of them—and the students weren't just expected to perform magic in one way, but three. Yes, three. You heard that right: wand, sword, and empty-handed.

This was considered special because it meant we were expected to master every single one of them—no exceptions. But let's be real, "mastery" here meant passing the expected grades more than a full-blown expertize.

For the rank system then, it is determined by all of these aspects required to be mastered before you granted the pass for the final exam thus becoming like Selene— I mean, the First Class Mage.

"I have been wondering about this... but who are you talking to, really? It seems as if you explained something to someone."

"Ah, that... let's just say it's the way I think for myself."

Did I just break the 4th wall yet? Funny.