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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Chapter 7 Searching for the Corpse (1)
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The rain poured down.
Despite it being daytime, the streets were almost deserted.
“……”
Yet, a moment later, someone carefully made their way through the downpour.
The figure entered a dark alley, one that would seem perpetually shrouded in gloom even without the rain, and for a long while, wound through its narrow passages, heading somewhere specific.
Deeply cloaked in a grey robe, the figure continuously scanned their surroundings, despite the apparent solitude.
“……”
Finally, the cloaked figure arrived at a dilapidated house, tucked away in the most secluded corner of the alley.
Stopping before it, the figure once again meticulously surveyed the area, displaying extreme caution.
“Haa…”
Confirming that no one had seen them, the figure let out a soft sigh of relief before slowly opening the door and stepping inside.
Creeeeak!
“……!”
The eerie screech from the ancient door made him flinch, forcing him to momentarily halt his steps.
“Haa…”
With a brief sigh, he resumed his steps and entered the house.
Thud!
“……”
As the door closed, the already dim interior plunged into even deeper shadows.
Only then did he carefully shed his rain-soaked robe, revealing his true form.
A woman, appearing to be in her late thirties.
As her eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom, she continuously scanned her surroundings, as if searching for someone within the shadows.
“Welcome.”
“……!”
A moment later, a stranger’s voice began to drift through the air in the otherwise silent space.
The woman flinched briefly, then swiftly turned her head towards the source of the sound.
“……”
There stood a man, slowly approaching her, holding a candle that cast a faint, flickering glow.
His striking features, immaculate white hair, and vivid red eyes were so captivating that anyone who saw him once would never forget his extraordinary beauty.
As a deep smile graced his lips, she found herself staring at him with a dazed expression.
“You’ve arrived earlier than scheduled.”
“Ah… *ahem!*”
At the sound of the man’s pleasant, low voice, as captivating as his appearance, the woman quickly tore her dazed gaze away, a subtle blush creeping onto her cheeks.
“So, the item isn’t ready yet?” she then urgently began to speak, addressing the original purpose of her visit.
“No, it is ready. Please follow me.”
“……”
The man wore an even deeper smile than before as he extended a hand and began to walk, as if guiding her somewhere.
The woman quickly followed behind him, though a flicker of unease still lingered in her eyes.
Click!
A moment later, the man stopped before an old door located in a dark part of the house.
Creeeeak!
As if to confirm its age, the door groaned open with a rough sound, revealing a soft light emanating from within.
Beyond it, a staircase led down into a basement.
The man descended without a moment’s hesitation, and though the woman showed a hint of reluctance, she carefully followed him down.
“……”
After descending the basement stairs, an endlessly long corridor stretched before them.
Numerous doors lined its walls, and the man approached one of them, slowly opening it.
Click!
“This way.”
“……”
With the door open, the man stepped aside, inviting the woman to enter first. She cautiously took a step into the room.
“……!”
Her expression immediately turned dazed. The moment she saw the item she had requested, placed in the center of the room, the woman was speechless for a long time.
“It’s truly… identical…”
The item was crafted exactly as she had requested. On the chair, before the woman’s eyes, sat a boy who appeared to be around fifteen, his eyes closed.
“Jestin…”
She gazed at the boy and softly uttered a name.
“……”
“……!”
And as if in response to her voice, the boy slowly opened his eyes.
“M-mother.”
“……!”
A soft voice then drifted from the boy’s lips, answering her call, and the woman, her eyes trembling, gazed at him before finally breaking into a satisfied smile.
“Good, it’s perfect.”
“I’m glad you’re satisfied.”
A moment later, the woman looked back at the man standing by the door and nodded firmly.
“The payment…”
“As I told you, I will collect the payment myself later.”
“Very well.”
Even as the man cut her off, the woman nodded again, seemingly very satisfied with the purpose of her visit today, and continued to gaze at the boy still seated.
“Come here.”
“Yes… Mother.”
In response to the woman’s voice, the boy slowly rose from his seat and approached her with deliberate steps.
The woman watched the boy draw near, then quickly left with him, as if she had no further business there.
“Farewell.”
The man bowed respectfully towards the departing woman.
“Do not forget our agreement…” he murmured quietly, reminding the now vanished woman of his promise to collect the payment later.
“Thank you for your help.”
“Heh! Call me anytime for this kind of work. It’s amusing.” A person then slowly approached the man and spoke. Of moderate height with delicate, almost feminine features, it was Sei-an.
“…Do you truly have nothing better to do?”
“Yeah, I’m bored to death.”
“Isn’t it a bit ridiculous for the God of Death to say he’s dying?”
And the one displaying a carefree, almost childish grin before him was none other than Shainos, the God of Death.
“Is that so?”
“……”
Watching Shainos grin despite his chiding words, Sei-an had to suppress a short sigh.
“Anyway, are you over your anger now?”
“…Yes.”
Shainos, who had not appeared at all even when Sei-an called him, had shown up the instant Sei-an finished muttering that he would let go of his anger if Shainos helped him with this matter.
He had held a faint hope, but seeing Shainos appear the instant his words ended, Sei-an felt a surge of both exasperation and anger.
Of course, Sei-an had no choice but to let go of his anger, as he needed Shainos’s help with this matter.
“By the way, your puppetry skills are becoming truly remarkable.” Shainos remarked, recalling the vanished woman and the boy who followed her, his eyes filled with genuine admiration.
“…That’s thanks to you, Lord Shainos, for not erasing my memories from before I became a Grim Reaper.”
“You were the one who asked me not to erase your memories.”
“Yes, I know.”
“…Are you regretting it now?”
“……”
Shainos chuckled, seeing Sei-an offer no reply to his question.
“If you wish, I can erase them even now.”
“No.” However, Sei-an lightly shook his head at Shainos’s words and continued,
“It’s a punishment I inflict upon myself. To remember that time for the rest of my life.”
“……”
At Sei-an’s words, Shainos clicked his tongue with a sigh, looking at him with disapproval.
“Pathetic fool.”
“…This pathetic fool chose annihilation so he wouldn’t do anything foolish anymore, yet who was it that insisted on bringing him back to life?”
“Tch! So you hold grudges, do you?”
“Shall I show you what a *truly* resentful person looks like?”
“H-haha! The weather looks quite pleasant today, doesn’t it?”
“Did you not notice it’s raining outside?”
“…I’ve always liked rainy days.”
“Since when?”
“F-from now on!”
“……”
Sei-an watched Shainos, who was pointedly avoiding his gaze, with a look of exasperation, before letting out a quiet sigh.
*‘I should have just severed ties completely, so he’d never show up again.’*
He truly believed that forgiving Shainos and asking for his help this time was the biggest mistake of all.
***
“G-good heavens!”
“M-Master Jestin!”
“Gasp!”
At the Devilran Estate, situated near the capital of the Chezaros Empire, a commotion began to erupt from early morning.
This was because Jestin, who had gone missing a month prior—or more accurately, had voluntarily left home—had returned to the estate.
“Jestin!”
“…Mother.”
The first to rush out at his appearance was his stepmother, Elajan.
Shedding tears that welled in her eyes, she embraced the returned Jestin warmly.
“Where on earth have you been?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No… your return alone is thanks enough.”
Everyone’s eyes welled up, and they offered fond smiles at Elajan’s heartfelt welcome of Jestin.
Even if she wasn’t his biological mother, what did it matter when she cherished and cared for him so deeply?
Everyone thought the same, a soft smile gracing their lips.
“Your father has been looking for you a great deal.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go quickly.”
“……”
A moment later, Elajan took Jestin’s hand and headed towards Count Devilran’s location.
Her face was alight with a gentle smile, as if Jestin’s return brought her boundless happiness.
*‘To leave such a will! Does he think I’ll give up just like that?!’*
Of course, had anyone looked closely at her, they would have noticed that her smile wasn’t entirely gentle.
