Reincarnated as the favorite of an obsessive goddess: gave me a system-Chapter 27: The truth.

The following morning, the rays of the strong sun beat down directly on Kai and Lyla’s faces. He opened his eyes with difficulty and stood up, stretching his legs and back after falling asleep against the tree.

"Lyla, wake up," he whispered while gently tapping her shoulder.

"Hmm... so uncomfortable," she replied, half asleep, as she stood up too. "We fell asleep in a bad position."

Kai laughed.

"Quite, but well, a new experience, I guess."

Both of them stretched for a long time while more and more people gradually began to wake up.

"I think it’s time to confess the truth to everyone. Help me gather them in the square, please."

Lyla nodded and then gave him a deep hug.

"Remember that I will always be with you, and that you are doing the right thing."

"Thank you," he murmured, burying his face in her neck for a few seconds before pulling away.

Lyla and Kai went around speaking to everyone so they would head to the square. It took them a while, but they finally managed it. Everyone gathered, waiting for the announcement Kai said he was going to give. They had asked for the children not to be there, but Elara hid behind a nearby bench, listening intently.

When Kai appeared, all the small conversations were cut short instantly.

"Good morning everyone, and thank you very much for coming." He looked ahead as he continued. "Last night I was thinking about several things and had a short conversation. Because of all that, I reached a conclusion, to confess a great secret so that you know the truth."

They looked at each other, confused and curious about his words.

"This is something I should have told you from the very first moment, and I apologize for not having done so sooner." His hands shook slightly. "I am not someone normal. I am not just any adventurer. I lied to you by saying it was a coincidence that my name is Kai, but it isn’t. I am him, the great hero who lived in this world years ago and killed the Demon King."

After those words, silence invaded the village more than ever. No one made a single sound.

"I didn’t disappear because I wanted to. The gods of this world joined together to murder me without mercy. Because yes, all the gods from the religions do exist, all of them, but they are not as you believe. They feed on people’s faith and take advantage of everyone," he explained firmly. "They know that their religions hate each other, that there are holy wars, and that many people die because of it, but they don’t care. To those bastards, it’s all a game. They only want to become more powerful and have fun. They even let the Demon King live so he would continue to frighten people, ensuring more people had more faith in them. That’s why when I killed him, they united to finish me off for interfering in their game."

Everyone remained in silence, processing what he had just said. But Kai simply continued.

"When I died, I reincarnated in another world without my memories. Although I died in that world too, that was when Lyla appeared."

Lyla and Allice stood by his side.

"She grabbed my soul and brought me back. I didn’t remember anything about my first life, and she had to explain absolutely everything to me. After listening to her, I decided to trust her and return here. She sacrificed almost all of her power to give me something never seen before, a power that is difficult to explain. After spending several days here, I began to remember small fragments of my first life. I saw the cruelty of the gods, my murdered parents, and an innocent village completely razed. And then I decided to take revenge and free this world from the other nine gods."

Mira’s tail tensed, and she tried to speak, but Lyla interrupted her.

"But then we saved Roshia, who asked us for help to find her daughter and the others. We rescued them and started building all of this, this home. And we enjoyed it. But yesterday, when Kai arrived with the new people..."

Kai followed.

"We knew we couldn’t allow innocent people to be involved in this, but we also couldn’t let the rest of the world keep suffering because of the gods. That’s why we’re telling you this now, because you are good people who don’t deserve to suffer for someone else’s desire. If you want to stay here after knowing the truth and the risks, you are welcome. But if you want to leave, we will give you several provisions so you can go."

The heavy silence stretched for several more seconds until murmurs broke out.

"You are the great hero Kai and she is the goddess Lyla?!" a dwarf exclaimed.

Everyone started talking, asking questions, and recriminating nonstop. You could barely hear what they were actually saying. Then, Roshia took a step forward.

"All this time you lied to us, saying you were just a normal adventurer." She paused. "You have put my daughter in danger. You have put us all in danger."

"I know, and we are sorry, truly," Kai replied, his hands trembling.

"Don’t be sorry! My daughter could have... because of you, all of us... at any moment, the army of some kingdom sent by the gods could have appeared and finished us all off."

Roshia’s strong words hit Kai deeply.

"I’m sure he had his reasons for hiding it. I’m certain he never did it with bad intentions," Thorne interrupted.

"That doesn’t change what they did. They put a target on our backs, they put us in complete danger," Mira added. "Besides, when we met, I mentioned that the great hero was like a father to me when I was little, and even then, you weren’t able to tell me the truth."

The atmosphere was completely tense, with two clearly divided groups.

"I already said I don’t remember my first life. I only have small memories that appear little by little," Kai tried to defend himself.

Mira’s ears were as pointed as anyone had ever seen them.

"That doesn’t give you the right to ignore me completely without even having a single conversation to explain things to me!" she exclaimed loudly, and although she tried to hide it, her slightly breaking voice was noticeable.

Kai felt a chill through his whole body, not from fear, but from guilt. Lyla placed her hand on his back, trying to comfort him slightly.

"This is unacceptable. We can’t keep putting ourselves in danger for a liar," Roshia resumed.

"Roshia, watch your words." Sylva approached her. "He saved you, Elara, and all of us. Without Kai, we could all be dead." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"She’s right. Kai saved us from being taken by those traffickers," Bram said. "Even if he hid who he and the goddess are, they have a good purpose. I’m staying."

Thorne took another step forward.

"I agree. I’m staying." He looked into Kai’s eyes and murmured while placing his right hand on his chest. "Brothers."

The square divided into two large groups of people: those who were staying and those who were leaving.

"I will go," Mira affirmed, standing on the other side.

Without saying anything, Sylva stood next to Thorne and Bram, making her position clear. Several more people joined the same side.

"I’ll leave too. I can’t stay here and put my little one at risk."

At that moment, Elara stopped hiding and ran toward Kai, clinging to his leg.

"No! I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to go away from my Uncle Kai!" she cried through tears. "He saved me. He saved us all. He isn’t bad."

Roshia froze completely. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Kai knelt down and gently stroked Elara’s hair while smiling painfully.

"It’s okay, little one. Listen to your mother. She only wants what is best for you."

"But she wants us to leave, and that isn’t what’s best for me," she replied, still crying. "You aren’t bad. You aren’t."

Gently, Kai wiped the tears from her small face.

"It’s not about being good or bad. It’s about your safety."

Lyla also approached and knelt beside her, hugging her. Everyone looked at Roshia, who remained motionless and silent. She made eye contact with Kai just like the night before. Memories of these weeks filled her mind, the good times Elara spent with everyone, the good moments she herself spent by Lyla’s side, and the times Allice and she talked until nightfall.

"Do you promise me my daughter will be safe?" she asked, her voice completely broken.

"I am not in a position to promise anything, but you know perfectly well that any of us would die before allowing them to hurt Elara."

Roshia wiped away some tears with the back of her hand as she nodded.

"Fine, fine, but we will have to have a conversation," she responded while moving to the other side.

Seeing this, Elara ran to her and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Mommy," she said gratefully.

Kai stood up again and looked at everyone.

"You trusted me and I was lying to you. I hid the truth from you. I understand if you want to leave, but please, I ask you to trust me again. Together we can build a home for everyone, a place free from the control and cruelty of the gods. Together we can make a better place." Kai continued firmly. "I promise I will protect you all with my life. I promise I will do the impossible to keep you all safe, because to me, you are my family."

Kai’s words sounded firm and confident. At that moment everyone noticed it, especially Mira, flashes of the great hero who lived and protected the people years ago. All the people who were in the other group joined those staying in the village.

"Alright, we trust you. In the end, you were the one who saved us. We can’t turn our backs on you," an elf said.

Several people began to express their trust in Kai. The tense atmosphere that filled the air now dissipated completely, replaced by something more emotional and familiar.

"I’m still angry, but I’m very valuable to the village," Mira joked, a small smile on her face.

Kai let out a soft laugh.

"Thank you all very much. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I won’t let you down. Together we are one big family, and this village is a reflection of that. Have a good day, everyone," Kai finished, letting everyone go about their day.

The people began to scatter through the village to start their daily tasks. Only Mira, Roshia, Lyla, Allice, and Kai remained.

"I would like to talk to the two of you, alone," Kai mentioned, looking at Roshia and Mira.

Both nodded. Lyla and Allice decided to give them privacy and walked away talking together. When they were left alone, the three of them sat on a bench in the square.