◇000 Prologue
On the surface where people live, there exists the Heavenly Realm, situated between the Highest God’s domain and the divine world.
This is a world where mid-level and lower-level gods, as well as their subordinates, reside, and it also serves as a workplace for the gods.
In the Heavenly Realm, gods and their subordinates are responsible for managing various worlds, selecting and purifying souls, and administering judgment.
The gods perform their assigned duties in this realm, and the angels, divine beasts, and spirits, who are of various ranks, work as their hands and feet.
Moreover, the Heavenly Realm is a place of training for those who have just become gods.
To learn how to manage worlds, new gods receive guidance from senior gods, striving day and night to become fully-fledged gods.
In a corner of the Heavenly Realm, surrounded by a sea of clouds, one such new goddess, with a serious expression, gazed at the water mirror reflecting the world below.
"Mm, this is..."
"What's wrong, Linze?"
A goddess with short silver hair, wearing a headband, was addressed by another goddess, who had long, beautiful cherry blossom-colored hair.
Both were new gods who had only become deities about a thousand years ago.
Although a thousand years had passed, time in the Heavenly Realm did not flow in the same way as it did on the surface. The gods exist beyond time, simultaneously present in the past, present, and future, unbound by its constraints. While they must follow certain rules, they are, for the most part, free to exist across all eras.
"There's... seems to be a soul that got mixed into the world we created the other day."
"Mixed in...? Eh, but... ah, wait, could it be that the 'world barrier' wasn't set up...?"
The cherry blossom-haired goddess name—Sakura—asked. Linze nodded in agreement to the question.
The "world barrier" is a net or filter that prevents foreign elements from entering a world. Without this barrier, beings from other worlds could slip in, or those with the ability to cross worlds might invade.
Even with the barrier, things can still sneak in, but the difference in safety is substantial when it's present.
"I must have forgotten... I thought someone else had set it up."
"Mm. I also thought Rin had done it."
"I immediately set up the barrier myself, so there's no need to worry about that. But this soul that got mixed in... is..."
In the water mirror, a young girl appeared. She had the same cherry blossom-colored hair as Sakura, and she looked to be around two or three years old—still in the form of a toddler—wearing tattered clothes and grinding grass diligently.
"Hm? This child’s soul is...?"
"Yeah. Looks like she was drawn in from Earth..."
"Eh!? From Earth!?"
Sakura raised her voice in surprise. Earth is one of the worlds directly managed by the Supreme God, the World God, and it is a world with significant connections to both of them.
"Why would that happen?"
"Originally, this world was created using Earth as a reference... It must have been easier for her to adapt. But the time period she arrived from is exactly when we interfered..."
"Could it be...Could it really be our fault...?"
Linze nodded slightly at Sakura’s words.
"It's not just that. Take a good look at this child."
"Huh? Ah...! This child...! Is she... that villainess!?"
Sakura, who had been staring at the young girl in the water mirror, who appeared to be just over three years old, gasped in surprise.
"...What should we do?"
"First, let's inform everyone and discuss it. We can't interfere too much, but I think we can offer some small assistance."
"Mm. That sounds good. If we leave her like this, there's no doubt she’ll die. That would be an unfortunate awakening."
Sakura nodded slightly at Linze's words.
Even though no one would be punished if the child died, it was something neither of them could accept.
Having witnessed others die due to divine mistakes, they had resolved to take responsibility for their own errors.
Numerous hardships would likely fall upon her. They hoped she could overcome them and grasp a future for herself.
"...Should we tell our husband...?"
"Um... let's keep it a secret..."
"Okay."
They decided to solve this problem on their own. After all, their husband were not their direct superior, and he had no right to intervene. They might be scolded as family, but that was all.
It wasn't about covering it up. If they reported it to the other senior gods, they would likely just leave it alone, and if the girl died easily, returning to the cycle of reincarnation, that would be the end of it.
As gods, that might be the correct approach, but it was something they couldn’t accept. They had made up their minds to save her no matter what.
Even if their mistake had dragged her into a twisted fate, they would not abandon her, just like the World God, who watched over and protected the world, never forsaking those caught in unfair destinies.
To her, the fate reflected in the water mirror seemed unreasonable. However, nine goddesses would stand by her side.
The new goddesses sincerely wished for her to break free from her unjust fate and survive in this world.
Thus, the story began to unfold, whether the villainess desired it or not.
——.
T/N: This is another work of the the author who wrote, "In another world with my smartphone", and charcters of that work will appear here as well, at least some of them.