Chapter 134

Edenvar, Beastia District 6.

Recently, neighborhoods where humans gather have also seen an increase in water foxes.

This is because a certain rumor has spread through Beastia recently.

Such as almost having an arm torn off by a monster.

Or almost falling down the stairs.

Or a supposedly happy couple turned out to have the woman secretly seeing someone else.

All these people narrowly avoided their lives ending in disaster. And they all said the same thing.

They visited the fortune-telling shop in front of the cat café.

All thanks to the mysterious fox fortune teller.

The rumor spread throughout Beastia that if you get your fortune told here, good luck will come your way.

There is no one who dislikes good fortune, so people of all ages and species gathered to have their fortunes told, and the wealthy elite came with bundles of cash.

Begging, “Please, just let us have our fortunes told once.”

The street, bustling with a crowd of people.

There wasn’t even room to put a foot down.

“Are you even doing fortune-telling?”

“I don’t know. Is she closed today?”

But there was no fortune teller in the shop.

Misfortune can strike at any moment, and the people were restless.

Seira, who had been watching the situation from behind the second-floor curtain, returned to her seat.

There sat the hot potatoes of this incident — the novice fortune teller Lin and Mirabel, huddled down. They had taken refuge inside the café, hiding from the crowd.

Seira sighed deeply while folding her arms.

“Ms. Lin, didn’t Ms. Carami tell you not to tamper with destinies recklessly?”

“Yes, she did.”

“But why did you do it? And why didn’t you stop her, Mirabel?”

Mirabel tilted her head, not understanding.

“Isn’t it good if people become happy?”

“Lin said—”

One was on the precipice of solitude.

The other was trapped in a ravine of misfortune.

These two, who had lived without knowing what hope was, knew better than anyone the sweetness of salvation granted by Carami.

They learned that happiness grows as you share it.

Just as they were given.

One must know how to share happiness with others to be called a slave of that person.

“Still, it isn’t right to meddle indiscriminately in others’ lives.”

“Seira, the store is going to completely fail in a few days. And you, Seira, will be left sitting on the street under a mountain of debt.”

“…Could you, perhaps, tweak it just a little?”

“…”

Two pairs of young eyes stared fixedly.

“Ah.”

Seira realized she’d fallen for Lin’s trick.

But it was already too late.

Because Seira had already realized she was just another corrupted adult.

Lin and Mirabel easily ignored Seira and started conspiring with each other again.

“What should we do? We didn’t expect so many people to crowd here.”

“That’s why. Master, as always.”

“Amazing… Master.”

What do you mean, ‘as always Master’?

Isn’t it you two who did all of this?

Seira wanted to argue, but she had already lost her say. She had to swallow it silently.

“Why don’t we just make everyone happy?”

“We can’t do that. There could be bad people mixed in among them, couldn’t there?”

“They should pay for their wrongdoings.”

At least fortunately, these two had some semblance of thought process.

Of course, a proper solution wasn’t appearing to them easily.

“What is with all these people?”

“That’s what I say. Meow. They’re no different from fanatics, meow.”

Because of the crowd, the cat café couldn’t operate either. Having nothing better to do, the cat people ascended to the second floor to gossip.

“Ooh.”

The cat people who met Lin’s eyes flinched. After hesitating on what to do, they ignored her and started to move back downstairs.

“What did you just say?”

“Hm?”

It was Mirabel.

“You just said something, didn’t you? A lot of something. What was it?”

“People?”

“What next?”

“Eh… Fanatics?”

“That’s right!”

Eureka! Could Mirabel’s joy at that moment be anything different from Archimedes’ revelation in the bath? Overflowing with ecstasy!

“We are creating a new religion!”

“Religion?”

“Found a religion where graces are granted only to those who worship Master.”

“Oh!”

Lin responded positively.

Rather than a god who only watches, isn’t Karami, who goes around bestowing grace herself, evidently much greater?

An excited Mirabel carries on.

“What should we call the religion?”

“… How about the Death God Sect?”

“Death God Sect! That’s a good name! The teaching will liberate the souls weary from life! We’ll propagate the teachings as Master’s closest ones!”

“Oh!”

They’ll establish the church to gather people and, when Karami eventually returns, they’ll hand over the position as the high priestess.

In that case, the most immediate task was the folks outside who yearned earnestly for happiness.

“Hmm, everyone?”

Seira noticed something strange about where the situation was heading and tried to act, but the two slaves had already caught the current.

She couldn’t hear any voice responding.

They were fervently devising their strategy.

***

Time passed, and the fortune-teller still hadn’t shown up.

The intense heat that filled the streets became icy, and people started to lose interest.

“It looks like it failed. The fortune-teller probably isn’t going to show up.”

“Come on, you’re joking. The idea itself was ridiculous. Good fortune, really. They’re not even gods, how could something like that happen. Hey! Let’s all go back! We’ve all been tricked!”

“Eh, of course. Time wasted.”

Just as the people were about to leave one by one.

Gooo……

The sky began to be stained with darkness.

“What, what is that?”

“Ugh, my head suddenly…”

The citizens of Beastia, who had PTSD with darkness, complained of headaches. When the sky was finally completely dark, a new change occurred.

Light-blue mist gathered, illuminating the gloomy darkness. It coalesced into a towering Death God with a scythe. The celestial glow from the Death God’s blue eyes illuminated the entire city.

“D-D-Death God!”

“Everyone, run!”

The street turned into chaos.

Numerous people tried to move all at once, and they became tangled with each other. If seen from above, it looked like floating debris on the sea.

Though they moved feebly, it was impossible to escape. Like a congested highway. Whatever the guy in front was doing, just—

“Hurry up!”

“Don’t push!”

“D-D-It’s suffocating. I can’t breathe…!”

Sandwiched between people front and back, it was difficult to breathe. Then someone tripped, and others who bumped into them started to fall one after another.

At the moment when many casualties were expected,

Wooom.

The people who were about to fall came to a halt.

Not only that.

People who were panicking also stopped.

Half the crowd floated softly.

After gaining space, the suffocating feeling disappeared.

“What, this is…?”

A soft, pale-blue aura enveloped the people.

It provided a sense of stability.

When the chaos subsided somewhat, the solemn voice of the Death God rang out.

-Fear not.

“Did the Death God just speak?”

The clamor that had subsided was rekindled for a moment before the Death God’s voice rang out again.

-I am indeed the Death God. To grant the good fortune you have longed for, I have manifested in this world. In the oppressive darkness, my scythe will open the dawn.”

“Someone who grants good fortune is a Death God? Not a fortune-teller?”

“Seems like that fortune-teller was a follower of the Death God!”

Now it makes sense. This wasn’t just some fortune-teller; if they were someone using the Death God’s power, they might indeed be able to grant miraculous good fortune with supernatural abilities.

“But the Death God is too scary, isn’t he…?”

“Could he be trying to kill us?”

-I understand the fear in your hearts. But be assured, such a thing will not happen. I have manifested only to bestow mercy on the followers of my faith. To those who do not desire my presence, I swear by my godhood that I shall cause you no harm.

A god, vowing by their divine presence to mere mortals. There’s hardly a better assurance in existence.

Still, it was difficult to trust completely. Even if they were a god, they happened to be the Death God (死神). Their appearance and aura were far too terrifying.

The people looked at each other uneasily, unsure of what to do.

“O, Death God!”

Then a man stepped forward bravely.

In this man’s arms was a little child, probably one who had just started to speak. His eyes were bandaged.

“Death God! Unfortunately, my daughter has been blind since birth and cannot see. Though I would gladly sacrifice my soul, please, bestow your mercy so that this pitiful child may see her mother’s face!”

A father’s desperate plea, akin to grasping at straws.

The Death God was moved by the truth in this man’s heart.

-The heartfelt wish of a father for his child has reached me. I shall grant your child the freedom of sight.

The bluish light enveloping the child suddenly glowed. As the light dimmed, the bandage covering her eyes fell off naturally.

Slowly opening her eyelids, the girl blinked gradually. Baffled, she gazed around and, finally, looked directly into her father’s eyes.

“Papa…?”

“A-Anje? Could it be… Can you see Papa?”

“Yes, I can see. I can see Papa’s face…”

“Oooh, Anje! God! Thank you so much…!”

The father and daughter hugged each other, tears of gratitude streaming down their faces.

A miracle occurred.

The small grace bestowed by the god had come true!

Witnessing the miracle right before their eyes,

To those who had collapsed in the desert of life, longing for the oasis of happiness, this was the ultimate temptation.

Ordinary citizens instantly transformed into fanatical believers, willing to surrender their souls in the blink of an eye.

“God! I gambled my entire fortune on gambling…!”

“Death God! Our guild is going on an expedition! Please let us go back safely…!”

“You f***ing bastard…! No, even take away this fetter!”

-Be silent.

With just one word from the Death God, the clamor that seemed never to quieten down ceased abruptly. People waited, their necks craned, for the Death God to speak again.

Finally, the Death God’s jaw slowly moved.

-If you wish to be a follower of my faith, enroll in the Death God Sect immediately.

“Sign up! We’ll sign up immediately!!!”

On the first day the Death God appeared in the world,

The number of new believers joining the Death God Sect alone reached an incredible figure of 2,000.

Perched high on the shoulder of the towering Death God, Lin and Mirabel observed all the happenings. When their eyes met, they simultaneously thrust their thumbs up enthusiastically.

***

Seira’s house.

Upstairs, in the bed that Karami used to sleep in, it now belonged to Mirabel and Lin.

Mirabel used her magic to amplify Karami’s scent and warmth, creating an illusion of sleeping in his embrace.

It was the only place where they could feel Karami’s presence. Mirabel and Lin frequently quarreled over who would get to sleep there.

Finally, under Seira’s mediation, they agreed to share it half and half.

That night,

The two girls who had caused such a huge incident, which disrupted the entire city, walked into the room to sleep.

At a time when they usually bickered, it was unusually quiet tonight. Worried if anything was wrong, Seira quietly opened the door and peeked inside.

When Seira looked into the room, her pupils widened slightly, and then a faint smile appeared on the corner of her lips.

“Slime… fried…”

“Ugh, Master…. Sora pulled Lin’s tail…. Lin is evolving…”

Using Lin’s soft tail as a pillow and absentmindedly playing with its end in her sleep was Mirabel. Lin, apparently in the middle of a nightmare, groaned and frowned.

A scene that naturally evokes a motherly smile.

If you watch them sleep, they truly seem like angels.

The story of hundreds of new hopeful members swarming the streets the next day is another matter entirely.

And then, in the permanent frozen wasteland of Isgangar.

[A new system sect has been liberated.]

[Sect Name]: Death God Sect

[High Priestess]: Carami

[Believers]: 2,781 (+2,781 per week)

“Uh…?”

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