Chapter 2: If I Had Known Earlier…

He tried to infiltrate the church to uncover the truth behind his mother’s disappearance.
Everything went smoothly during the test—he was so close to succeeding!
But upon learning he was Flo Astreya, they flat-out told him he failed.
Who were they fooling?

Initially, some families helped him due to their ties to Flo’s parents.
But the cost was too high—those who helped were targeted, and gradually, no one dared to assist anymore.

What a miserable, unlucky life!
No, to be precise, two lives… which made it even worse!

Others who crossed over, like the president of the Silver Moon Chamber, thrived effortlessly.
Yet Flo was treated like a street rat, making him feel utterly unbalanced!

Lost in thought, he sensed something and sprang up, dodging at lightning speed.
Where he’d just been standing, a golden arrow now stood embedded.

“Who’s there?”

“You actually dodged?” A melodious voice echoed through the room, followed by the appearance of a holy blonde maiden.

The pressure radiating from her made it hard for Flo to breathe.

The blonde maiden wore a white dress adorned with golden patterns, clinging to her jade-like skin.
Platinum fabric, decorated with intricate designs, hugged her waist, leaving her alluring navel exposed.
Beneath the white skirt, thigh-high stockings encased her flawless, creamy legs, the tops digging slightly into her soft flesh.
Her delicate feet, with dainty toes like white jade, peeked out.
Her hands, wrapped in fabric that looped around her middle fingers, formed a triangle shape.
Four snow-white wings unfurled behind her back.

Floating high above, her slender hands drew a bow, looking down at Flo with an air of superiority.

Her otherworldly beauty and commanding presence struck Flo with awe.

“Hello?” Flo propped himself up, squeezing the words out through gritted teeth.

His face burned with embarrassment.

No kidding—he’d been cursing her for ten straight days, and now the goddess herself showed up!

Was this the goddess of the trophy?

A flicker of excitement stirred in Flo, but it was overshadowed by fear.
After all, he was a bad kid!

Wait, hadn’t the goddess been silent for ages, ignoring mortal affairs?
He thought she couldn’t hear him when he vented, using her as a punching bag…

But was that really true?

“You recognize me?”

No kidding!

“That saves some trouble. So, how do you want to die?”

“I’m your descendant, Goddess!” Flo dropped to his knees, shamelessly playing the sympathy card.
“You can’t kill me…”

“Flo… is it? You seemed to enjoy cursing me.
Did you know the God of Nature and Poetry laughed in my face for ten days straight because of you?”
Her tone was light, but Flo felt a thick wave of killing intent.

This petty goddess!
Gods weren’t supposed to descend to the mortal realm so easily, right?
To project herself here over something so trivial…

“That elven god must be awful, mocking someone as sacred as you.
And, forgive my ignorance, but I don’t recall ever cursing you…” Flo deflected, feigning innocence.
It’s all the God of Nature and Poetry’s fault, not mine!

“Oh, you don’t remember?
Maybe I should help jog your memory.”
Astreya raised her staff, looking ready to bring it down on Flo’s head.

“No! I… heh, okay, it happened.
But you’re so magnanimous, you’d surely forgive your adorable descendant, right?” Flo kept up the emotional plea.

Astreya fell silent, as if weighing her options.

Suddenly, a mischievous grin spread across her face, like she’d thought of something clever.

“I don’t need useless descendants,” she said, stowing her bow and summoning a staff adorned with golden patterns.

Her stance suggested she was ready to erase Flo entirely.

Now Flo realized he’d gone too far.
His plan had failed, and his life was about to end!

Facing death, the boy shed his reservations.
He was unlucky—despite all his calculations, he hadn’t accounted for the goddess herself.

Grief and resentment surged within him.

“Damn goddess!
You ignored my mother, the former saintess, leaving her fate unknown!
You turn a blind eye to the church’s oppression of the people with divine authority!
You claim to care for all beings—have you truly brought light to this land?
My mother trusted you so much, diligently fulfilling her duties as saintess to benefit the world, yet she ended up missing, dead or alive!
You don’t deserve to be a goddess revered by millions!”

In his previous life, he’d been alone.
In this one, he’d finally found warmth.
Why, then, was even his simple wish for family snatched away?
He hated the church—they’d taken the only love he’d ever known…

The divine maiden stood silent.

Then her staff glowed brilliantly.
She raised it high and brought it down “gently.”

“You’re quite bold…” Her pure face darkened.

Yet her eyes held a trace of unspoken admiration.

Soon, holy light spread from Flo, enveloping the room, shattering the silent darkness.

Though the room was brightly lit, Flo’s vision went pitch black, forcibly shut down.

“It won’t hurt at all~ It’ll be over quick~”

The silver-haired boy was placed on a bed, his sharp brows and starry eyes tightly furrowed.

Over time, Flo’s silver hair gradually turned golden.
His body changed too—shrinking in height, chest rising, his once-cold features softening into something tender.

The boy—no, the girl—had a glowing orb at her heart, slowly expanding to engulf her entirely.

Astreya sat by the bed, gently watching the girl, her playful smile betraying her thoughts.

“I suppose I haven’t paid much attention to you all, have I, my dear little saintess?
This compensation should satisfy you, right?”

She lightly touched the girl’s cheek, brushing her thumb across her nose.

“Such beauty even startles me.
What should I call you?
Let’s see… Flo, Flora… how about Aphrosia?”

Miraculous Miss Aphrosia slept on, unaware that little Flo was gone forever.

But Aphrosia’s words lingered, and Astreya needed to verify them.

She placed her left hand on her chest.

Her eyes closed, searching deep within her mind.

Then she realized—her connection with Edith, Flo’s mother, was broken?

Her tense face clouded with gloom once more.

Some time later, perhaps due to Astreya’s movement, Miss Aphrosia slowly opened her hazy eyes.
The former golden hue was now a brilliant azure, her disheveled hair cascading like a waterfall onto the black bed.

She felt her eyes brimming, as if filled with something.
Sensing something wrong, Aphrosia frantically clutched the blanket.

“You… you, you!” she stammered.

The delicate, melodious voice, like a night lark’s call, caught Aphrosia off guard.

How? My voice!

She touched her throat in panic—shocking realization hit.
It was gone! Her Adam’s apple was gone!

As she moved, the blanket slipped, revealing a glimpse of pristine white.

Aphrosia stiffly lowered her head, her composure crumbling.
Her pointed ears flushed red as she yanked the blanket to cover the “white evil.”

Is this something I should have?!

“What did you do to me? That’s what you want to ask, right, little Aphrosia?”

The goddess’s words left the girl stunned.
Who’s Aphrosia? How does she know what I’m thinking?

“Aphrosia is the new name I gave you~”

“You’re probably not used to your new body yet, my adorable junior~”

Wait, weren’t you all high and mighty before?
This is breaking character!

But that’s not the point—the point is—

“Damn goddess! My precious self!”