The Gloomy Saintess Obsessively Clings to Death

It was right before my eyes.

The flow of the soul came through vividly.

‘…Ah, please let Your condition be intact.’

I slowly opened my half-closed eyes.

The state of the body was… simply dreadful.

The lower half was entirely gone, and the upper half, covered in a sticky liquid, was mostly melted away, leaving only the area around the chest.

In the face of this horrific sight, I couldn’t even breathe properly.

A wave of nausea hit me again, but I suppressed it by tightly biting my lips.

I must not break down in front of the soul.

After taking a long, deep breath, I reached out to the body.

“…Mr. Death?”

“Shhh.”

At this moment, I was glad to be Death, not a Grim Reaper. If I were a Grim Reaper, I wouldn’t have been able to use this method.

I closed my eyes and infused my authority into the body.

Death is death itself. And death is the inevitable final destination that all life must reach.

Death is the existence that governs not only the end of life but also what comes after.

Therefore, the end of life and all its remnants belong solely to death.

Slowly, fragments of memories left in the body began to seep into my consciousness.

Her name.

Her memories.

Things she loved.

Emotions and scenes vividly surfaced in my mind.

Moments of a peaceful era.

Soon after, her final moments unfolded before my eyes.

The sudden appearance of a monstrous creature. Her throwing herself to protect her child. Her lower body being torn apart by the beast.

‘…Normally, the memory should have cut off here, right?’

But the memory continued.

Many people came to save her, her screams of agony echoing. The son pleading desperately, “Please save my mom! Please!”

And…

The Saint, her bangs soaked with sweat, poured all her strength into healing magic.

The Saint tirelessly used healing magic, desperately stretching out her trembling hands to save life even as she wobbled.

Eventually, the Saint collapsed but screamed in despair.

“Why isn’t it working…!”

Even after collapsing, the Saint continued to attempt the healing magic.

However, like trying to fill a bottomless pot, the woman’s wounds showed no sign of recovery, only echoing painful screams.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH─!”

“Saint! Please, somehow save my mom, our mom! Please!”

“…I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

I snapped back to reality as the desperate Saint’s image filled with despair suddenly came back to me. The Saint was looking at me with worry, even after having just cried.

“Sa, Mr. Death?”

“…Ah.”

Even though the horrific scene was laid out before my eyes, none of it registered. The Saint’s desperate cries kept echoing in my mind.

“Why isn’t it working…!”

That desperate shout wouldn’t leave my ear.

I was about to blurt out if everything was alright but caught myself, hastily covering my mouth with my hand and turning away.

“…Why are you like that, Mr. Death? Are you okay?”

“Ailene.”

The hand pulling on my sleeve stopped immediately. At the same time, the soul’s gaze that had been staring blankly at the ceiling slowly returned to me.

I quietly adjusted my breath, sharing the memories held in my consciousness with the soul.

The pieces of memory flowed with my power, soaking into the soul.

There was a subtle tremor in the soul’s eyes. Lifeless eyes gradually regained their light.

“Nice to meet you, Ailene.”

“Are you…?”

The soul’s voice quivered as it echoed.

“Could you be the Death? Truly?”

“Yes. I’ve come to take you.”

I could feel the soul’s breath tremble. A bead of transparent tear formed at the corner of her eyes and shone.

“Ah, God. Thank you. So this world has finally been freed from its curse.”

For a moment, my expression faltered. Despite the cold sweat trickling down my forehead, I desperately maintained a neutral face.

“Saint will be free from her long suffering too, very fortunate, indeed.”

It was increasingly difficult to keep my composure due to guilt.

‘…Let’s just finish this quickly.’

I pulled out a vial for holding the soul from the pocket dimension.

“I’ll certainly guide you to the afterlife. Rest here until then.”

“…Mr. Death, um.”

“Yes?”

“Can my voice reach the Saint?”

After hesitating for a moment, I silently shook my head. The soul, about to enter the vial, paused and said something.

I nodded slowly.

“I’ll surely convey it.”

“Thank you. Merciful Mr. Death.”

A faint smile bloomed on the soul’s face. With that smile as the final act, the soul disappeared into the vial.

‘This much should be fine, right.’

After putting the vial containing the soul back into the pocket dimension, I told the Saint.

“Ailene asked me to convey a message. At her wedding, the bouquet you made for her… she said it was really beautiful.”

The Saint’s eyes flickered greatly.

“…The bouquet?”

“Yes. Didn’t you make it by hand?”

The Saint tightly bit her lips. For a moment, she said nothing, bowing her head. With great difficulty, she smiled and replied.

“…I see, Ailene hasn’t changed. Every time she got the chance, she would talk about that.”

“And the soul of Ailene has been safely retrieved.”

“…Is that so?”

The Saint placed a trembling hand over Ailene’s chest. After a while, her hand slowly moved to Ailene’s tranquil face.

“…It’s true. There’s no heartbeat. No breathing.”

While caressing the cold skin that lacked warmth,

The Saint murmured in a trembling voice.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Ailene.”

The Saint’s fingertips gently swept Ailene’s forehead.

As if to deliver a final affectionate gesture, she lingered her hand there for a long time.

“Because of me, you… only I had to remain in this world forever…”

Tears streamed endlessly down the Saint’s cheeks.

I stood quietly beside the Saint, saying nothing.

That was all I could do for now.

After finally letting out a sob, the Saint wiped her tears.

“Let’s go. There are fourteen left, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Sorry. I caused a delay. We’ll mourn all at once after we’re done with the rest.”

The Saint extended her hand again. I deliberately grabbed it tightly.

To give her strength, at least a little.

*

We had recovered all fifteen souls.

Fortunately, the Saint was no longer crying.

All she did was quietly pray whenever I paused, and when I moved again, she silently bid farewell to each one with her eyes, one by one.

Sadness and relief were mingled in her eyes.

When we finished everything and quietly exited the room where many people were lying,

“…No more souls have been added for recovery.”

“That’s right.”

A tinge of regret was evident in the Saint’s voice.

That giant room wasn’t the only one.

There were similar-sized rooms downstairs and upstairs, and they were crowded with people lying everywhere too.

‘There must be at least a few thousand.’

Only fifteen among so many. It’s natural to feel regretful.

I also felt regretful,

but right now, I’m thankful that the number hasn’t increased.

‘…I’m getting dizzy.’

I was starting to feel my limits.

Writing the Book of the Dead and recovering souls isn’t really difficult,

but the process of directly reading and sharing memories through my power is quite taxing.

My vision swayed suddenly.

‘Feels harder than usual today.’

It’s definitely because the connection to the Underworld has been cut off. I have to recover entirely on my own since I can’t borrow Father’s strength.

Most of the working Deaths are usually incarnations of high-ranking gods. They take on the work since high-ranking gods can’t handle everything themselves.

I’m no exception.

…No, it’s an insult to compare myself to the seniors.

…I’ve lost part of my power.

“Mr. Death?”

“…Ah.”

Looks like I’ve been found out despite trying not to show it. The Saint, seemingly noticing my condition, gently reached out to my cheek.

“Are you okay, Mr. Death?”

“…Yes, I’m fine. I’ll be alright with a little rest.”

Suddenly, the dizziness became stronger.

Before I could regain my balance, I collapsed right onto the cold marble floor.

The coolness emitted from the marble seeped through my back.

“Mr. Death!”

The Saint hurriedly knelt and helped me up. I could feel her trembling fingertips.

But…

“Ah, my head’s ringing. Please, be quiet…”

Whether helping or not,

your voice echoing down the hall is just making my head pound more.

The cold marble floor was helping keep me focused somehow.

But that was soon gone too.

‘…This is bad. I don’t know what’s happening.’

I was losing focus, becoming increasingly hazy.

My strength was slowly leaving my body,

my mind as foggy as if a heavy mist had enveloped it.

“…I just want to lie down in the hallway.”

“What? No way! Snow’s falling outside! Sleeping in such winter weather is dangerous!”

Anyway, I won’t die that easily, so there’s no problem.

…but I lack even the strength to reply.

Let’s just close my eyes for now.

The moment I closed them, the Saint’s voice got louder.

It seemed to be tinged with tears.

“Uh, what should I do? Where to put him. But the other rooms are too dirty…”

…Good. You know what dirty means.

When I recover, let’s definitely clean the kitchen together.

“…Looks like it’s the only way.”

As the Saint mumbled, I felt my body float.

Guess I’m about to lose consciousness.

“Let’s sleep together in my room!”

“…What?!”

That unexpected statement made me open my eyes wide even in my dazed state.

Looking around, I realized my body was really floating.

More accurately, the Saint was carrying me princess-style.

“Mr. Death?! Wait a little longer! Got it? Don’t lose consciousness at all costs!”

What kind of recovery is this?!?

“J-just…”

I exhausted my last ounce of strength and promptly passed out.

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