Chapter 9
Arguing about it any further was pointless — I’d already realized that much back in the world of the gods.
I learned it through talking with Mafius, but maybe because he’s not human, he has this tendency to speak without much tact.
Saying things that wound without batting an eye.
Telling me to use people as tools.
And even now, casually putting a mark on someone’s neck without a hint of hesitation…
Sigh. I guess that can’t be helped.
Come to think of it, what was that boy’s name again?
I recalled the conversation I’d had with Mafius back in the gods’ world.
“In truth, protecting that person is a secondary matter. The real problem is that, right after the incident, the divine power within the machine that controls reincarnation counts was stolen.”
“Stolen?”
“Please keep your voice down. Yes, stolen. The criminal was caught and dragged to Ephe, but we still haven’t recovered that divine power.”
“But why does that—?”
“The divine power is now being detected in Amor, where you’ll soon be going, Lord Ion. All five fragments of it.”
“All of them?”
“I believe that just before being caught, the criminal threw them into Amor. He was my subordinate before he was a criminal, you see.”
Mafius lowered his voice to a mosquito’s whisper.
“As a result, the machine has stopped working. The reincarnation process is now falling behind. If you could find the five fragments — we call them Feathers — and deliver them to me, that would solve it.”
“You want me to find them?”
“Yes. I can’t go myself, but I can sense their locations. If you just follow my directions, it won’t be difficult. And until you’ve collected them all, you only have to protect that person. If you accept, I’ll support you along the way.”
“…What if I refuse?”
“If you refuse, Lord Ion, you’ll return to the ordinary life you were meant to have, along with one million gold, and you’ll have to carve out your own path from scratch.”
“…”
“And that person will live in far greater suffering than you did, and die before reaching the age of ten.”
“What?”
“She took on the karma of someone who committed greater evil than the criminal who bore your sins. Oh, and you wouldn’t receive my support, of course.”
I was about to reply, but my eyes flew wide open.
“W-wait. If she’s going to die before ten, how old is she now?”
Before I knew it, he had a strange paper in his hand. Showing it to me like a trophy, he said:
“Callisto Rentine. Current age: seven. Still a bit of a journey ahead.”
That little kid was going to die in three years?
I shot to my feet.
And he could still keep that calm expression? We were talking about a seven-year-old child who had taken on the karma of a great sinner! Didn’t that mean she’d go to hell when she died?
Or worse — end up like me!
My irritation boiled over, and I found myself fuming.
Then I’ll just have to watch for now.
It seemed Callisto really did live in this village, and since I could keep track of her location, there was no need to keep following today.
I’ll go find her again when Mafius speaks up.
As I thought that, Callisto caught her breath, dusted herself off, and started walking away somewhere.
Mr. White looked like he was about to follow her, but I caught his arm to stop him.
“I think it’s best to just leave her alone for now.”
“Are you sure? She’s soaking wet.”
“She’ll be fine. If we help her any more, she’ll think we expect something in return, and her guard will go up even more.”
“…”
When he didn’t answer, I turned my head to look at him.
Mr. White was gazing down at me with an unreadable expression.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…It’s nothing. You just talk like someone who’s been through it before.”
I flinched and quickly shook my head.
“I-it’s just something I heard somewhere.”
The truth was, something else Mafius had said had stuck with me, and that was part of why I accepted the job.
“That’s why I’m asking for your help, Lord Ion. I’d handle everything myself if I could, but I’m not human, and I can’t interfere directly in the world. The time until she turns ten isn’t all that long.”
“…”
“Normally, when she dies at ten, her information would be reset. But we can fool the gods’ eyes and restore everything if you help us until then. At that point, both she and you will be free. You’ll also receive a reward enough to live in luxury for the rest of your life…”
“Didn’t you say this was a world made by the gods? Can’t they just fix their own mistake?”
Mafius had smiled then — a sly, unsettling, and meaningful smile.
“Do you know why God created worlds like Amor?”
“Why?”
“For entertainment.”
“…Huh?”
“Your suffering, or the suffering of the person you’ll save — to the gods, it’s nothing more than amusement. They even find mistakes like this entertaining. That’s why they don’t fix them lightly.”
“Y-you— you rotten—”
My fists clenched before I knew it.
Mafius’s eyes had darted to my hands, though I didn’t notice.
He suddenly made a show of covering his face, rubbing it like he was wiping away exhaustion, and sighed.
“But I, who watch over and manage Amor directly, can’t just stand by. I may not be human, but neither am I a god — how could I treat people as playthings?”
“…”
“Even so, finding mistakes like this among the thousands upon thousands who die and are born in Amor each day is extremely rare.”
“So that’s what you meant by fooling the gods’ eyes?”
“Exactly. This is a perfect chance to save someone like you. But time is short. Lord Ion, what will you do?”
I needed time to think, but there wasn’t much of it, and the pressure made me bite my lip.
I couldn’t just accept — I needed some excuse to protect my pride.
I could think of it as just running an errand, but still…
Finally, I opened my mouth.
“Then give me more.”
“Impossible. Fifty million gold is the maximum I can give without being noticed…”
“Then I refuse. I know it’s dangerous — double it.”
“I still can’t. But I can offer you other support.”
“I already said my terms.”
That’s how it went from one million gold to a hundred million.
Remembering that, I found my fist clenching again, but a gentle voice spoke from beside me.
“Still, shouldn’t we dry her clothes at least?”
Clothes…
Come to think of it, water was still dripping from Callisto as she walked away.
She was so soaked, it probably wouldn’t dry even by nightfall.
“…Can you do that?”
“Of course. Easy.”
Mr. White snapped his fingers, and in an instant, Callisto’s wet clothes were dry.
She stopped, apparently puzzled, turned to stare at us, then abruptly turned back and started running — almost as if fleeing from us.
I just watched her go.
She’s just like me.
I’d been like that too.
I never had anyone to dry my clothes, but at least she did. That was something.
“Shall we go now?”
Mr. White bent down to meet my gaze as he asked.
He was right.
If we stayed, night would fall soon.
My feet hurt, and I was exhausted.
Today was supposed to be the start of my new life, but it had been exhausting.
I’d hugged a giant capsule machine and run like mad, nearly gotten into a carriage accident, eaten absurdly expensive gourmet food, and rescued Callisto.
I snuck a glance up at Mr. White.
And met a strange… dad.
Just thinking the word “dad” in my head made my skin crawl like I’d broken out in hives.
I rubbed my chest for no reason.
I’d already thanked him earlier, but I should say it properly.
“Thank you for helping me today. Really.”
I turned to face him fully and bowed. When I looked up, Mr. White was staring at me with a startled expression.
I reached out, grabbed his stiff hand, and tugged.
“C-come on, let’s really go now.”
It was so embarrassing I could die.
“Oh.”
Right — there was one last thing to do.
“There’s still one more thing.”
Leaving Mr. White, who was watching me with curiosity, I spun around quickly.
