The Laziest God Mortal Reincarnation

Travelling with Mia for the past five days was hard, far harder than I ever expected.

First, there was the challenge of following the old cat beastkin herself. Despite her age and old appearance, she moved through the forest with an agility that made me wonder if her bones even existed. Her body twisted and flowed like water between roots and branches, never once slowing down, while I stumbled after her in a clumsy blur of exertion.

Then there was the forest itself. Every step felt like a battle. Twisted roots rose from the earth like traps, and thickets of branches clawed at my clothes as I tried to keep up.

Fallen leaves hid dips and stones that threatened to send me tumbling face‑first into the dirt. Even breathing felt like work, the air heavy with the smell of damp earth and wild plants.

And then came the nights.

Cold.

Bitterly, endlessly cold.

We couldn’t light a fire, Mia refused to risk discovery. So each night I curled up beneath layers of cloth, shivering in the dark while the forest whispered all around me.

Every rustle became a potential threat, and every distant cry sent a tremor through my chest. The stars above were sharp and clear, but their beauty didn’t warm the ache in my bones.

By the fifth day, I was moving in a daze, driven only by stubbornness and the faint glint of Mia’s tail ahead of me.

"I never thought being alive could hurt this much," I muttered to myself, hugging my pillow tighter even as twigs snapped underfoot.

The forest didn’t care.

It just kept going, endless and unforgiving.

Suddenly, Mia stopped.

I nearly stumbled into her back, blinking blearily as I hugged my pillow to my chest. The forest was still, the only sound the faint rustle of leaves in the high branches above. My heart began to pound, not from exertion this time, but from the sudden, cutting silence.

Then I felt it.

Faint but undeniable, the mana around her stirred, rippling through the air like a current meeting stone. It pressed against my skin in a subtle wave, awakening my senses as if the forest itself had drawn a sharp, expectant breath.

"Wait here," Mia said, her voice low and deadly serious. "And don’t make any noise."

I straightened instinctively, my grip tightening on my pillow. My vision sharpened, and every sense stretched outward in wary anticipation. She didn’t need to repeat herself, I understood that something dangerous was near.

Before I could take another breath, Mia’s form blurred.

Silver light and grey fur shimmered as she launched forward, a streak of motion that vanished into the underbrush like a ghost. One heartbeat she was there; the next, the forest had swallowed her whole.

I didn’t panic.

I had learned enough by now to trust her speed, her strength, her instincts. But the sudden emptiness where she had been left the world feeling colder.

I held my breath and listened.

The forest stretched around me, vast and silent. Not a bird sang. Not a leaf stirred beyond the faint, whispering wind. Every muscle in my body tensed as I strained my ears for the faintest hint of movement.

Nothing.

Even the system hummed in my mind, quiet and uncertain.

’I can’t sense anything,’ I thought at it.

[Neither can I, Host.] came the reply, soft and clipped. [Whatever she sensed is outside my current range.]

Minutes passed, stretching like hours across the cold floor of the forest. My legs ached, my fingers stiff against the soft fabric of my pillow, but I refused to move. I had learned enough, suffered enough, to know that some moments demanded stillness more than courage.

Then a voice broke the silence behind me.

"Done."

I stiffened, every hair on my body rising at once. A shiver crawled down my spine as I turned slowly, heart hammering.

Mia stood there.

I hadn’t heard her arrive.

I hadn’t felt her arrive.

She was there, behind me, her golden eyes glinting faintly in the dim light, and I hadn’t realized until she spoke.

I swallowed hard, a tremor running through me.

Her eerie smile was the first thing I noticed.

The second was the blood.

Dark, wet streaks clung to her cloak, dripping slowly onto the forest floor. Her claws were stained crimson, each curved tip catching the faint light in a way that made my chest tighten.

I didn’t ask.

I didn’t need to.

Her gaze lingered on me for a moment, sharp and unreadable, before she turned as if nothing had happened. "Let’s continue."

I fell into step behind her, my voice caught somewhere in my throat. The forest seemed darker now, though the sun still filtered through the canopy above.

It was then, walking in silence behind the old cat beastkin, that I realized how truly dangerous she was.

Not just in strength, or speed, or killing intent, but in the quiet, casual way she moved through the world, death slipping from her claws like water.

I was glad she was my ally.

And yet, deep inside, a quiet question stirred, one I couldn’t silence.

’Why is she helping me?’

No answer came, only the rustle of leaves underfoot and the faint drift of blood on the morning breeze.

I hugged my pillow tighter, letting the weight of the question sink into me as we walked on into the unknown.

***

It was only on the seventh day that we finally reached the vicinity of a cave.

By then, the sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon.

The forest was swallowed by darkness, and the temperature had dropped sharply. Cold air seeped through my clothes, carrying the damp scent of moss and earth.

Even the sounds of the forest seemed different at night. The chirping insects had grown quieter, while distant rustling occasionally broke the silence.

Ahead of us stood a small cave entrance carved into the side of a rocky hill.

Several enormous trees surrounded it, their branches twisting together overhead like claws.

But something about the area felt wrong.

Too quiet.

Mia suddenly turned her head slightly, her golden eyes narrowing.

"Keep your hood over your head." Her voice was unusually serious.

"And stay silent."

I nodded.

"Whatever happens, don’t do anything."

There was something in her tone that made me take her words seriously.

"Understood."

I pulled the hood farther over my head, making sure my face was completely hidden.

But we hadn’t taken more than a few steps toward the cave entrance when, an invisible pressure suddenly descended upon me.

My entire body froze. My muscles locked in place as if the air itself had turned into chains. I couldn’t move a single finger.

’What...’

I couldn’t even finish the thought.

A sharp, cold point pressed against the back of my neck.

My heart immediately began pounding.

A deep voice came from directly behind me.

"Identify yourself."

The pressure surrounding my body intensified.

I could feel the tip of the weapon pressing against my skin.

I instinctively tried to reach for my mana.

Nothing.

Even my mana Aegis disappeared.

My body refused to respond.

Mia hadn’t moved either.

She simply stood there, completely calm.

The voice came again.

"I said, identify yourself."

I swallowed.

Before I could say anything, Mia finally spoke.

"Lower your weapon." Her tone was calm. Almost lazy.

The pressure around me disappeared instantly.

I stumbled forward slightly, taking a deep breath as feeling returned to my limbs.

Behind me came the sound of several weapons being drawn.

I turned my head slightly beneath the hood.

Only then did I notice them.

Four figures stood among the trees.

They had human-like bodies, but each possessed unmistakable deer-like features. Antlers rose from their heads, branching elegantly toward the night sky. Their eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness, and each wore dark leather armour decorated with forest-green markings.

Deer beastkin.

The one who had held the spear stepped forward.

He was taller than the others, with a large set of branching antlers and a scar running across his left cheek.

His expression was stern.

"State your name and..."

His words suddenly stopped.

His eyes widened.

He stared at Mia.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then his face drained of colour.

"...Lady Veyra?"

The other guards froze.

"What?"

"Lady Veyra?!"

The deer guard immediately lowered his spear.

Then he dropped to one knee.

The other three guards followed without hesitation.

Four pairs of knees struck the ground.

Their heads lowered deeply.

"Lady Veyra!"

"We apologize!"

"We failed to recognize you!"

"Please forgive our disrespect!"

I stared at them from beneath my hood.

Just moments ago, these guards had looked ready to kill us.

Now they were practically trembling.

Mia sighed.

"You really need to stop pointing weapons at everyone who approaches the cave."

The captain lowered his head even further.

"We believed you were intruders."

"You should have recognized me."

The guard swallowed.

"It has been many years since we last saw you, Lady Veyra. And..."

His eyes briefly flicked toward me.

"...and accompanied by someone whose presence we could not identify."

Mia’s expression hardened slightly.

"You still should have asked who I was before putting a spear against a child’s neck."

The guard’s face paled.

"I... deeply apologize."

He turned toward me and bowed his head.

"Please forgive my actions. I had no intention of disrespecting Lady Veyra or her guest."

I remained silent.

Mia had specifically told me not to do anything.

So I simply stood there.

The captain slowly raised his head.

"Lady Veyra, may I ask..."

His eyes moved toward me again.

"Who is the child?"

Mia glanced at me.

For a moment, she said nothing.

Then she stepped slightly in front of me, subtly blocking their view.

"Someone under my protection."

The guards exchanged uncertain glances.

The captain immediately bowed again.

"Understood."

No further questions.

No suspicion.

No argument.

Just obedience.

I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of curiosity.

Who exactly was Mia?

She had always seemed powerful to me, but this was different.

These guards weren’t merely respecting her strength.

They were treating her like someone of extraordinary status.

Mia turned toward the cave.

"Open the entrance."

"Yes, Lady Veyra."

The captain immediately stood and gestured toward the others.

Two guards approached the cave wall and placed their hands against the stone.

A faint white glow spread beneath their palms.

The ground trembled.

The seemingly ordinary rock face began to shift, revealing a massive passage hidden behind it.

Warm golden light spilled from within the darkness.

Mia walked forward.

Before entering, she glanced back at me.

"Stay close."

I nodded and followed.

As I passed the deer guards, I caught the captain staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite understand.

It wasn’t hostility anymore.

It was curiosity.

And perhaps a little fear.

I couldn’t help wondering what kind of place I had just walked into...

And why someone like Mia was treated like royalty here.