The Gloomy Saintess Obsessively Clings to Death

The winter wind was as merciless in sound as it was in its biting chill.

Even so, when I focused on the cacophony, the cluttered thoughts flew away, leaving my mind gradually clearing up.

At that moment, a faint explosion echoed through the wind.

…

My body moved before my mind could catch up.

The crunch of snow beneath my feet drew my eyes downward.

Instead of a dirty floor, a snow-covered steep path stretched beneath me.

Faint wisps of smoke swirling in the wind caught my attention.

The faint smell of something burning reached my nose.

Afraid the evidence would disappear, I hurriedly marked the spot and headed there.

Where the smoke had dissipated, a pile of ashes remained, unable to fully escape.

I cautiously extended my hand toward the ashes, thinking it might have been a living creature, and focused to read the memories etched into its remains.

But nothing came through.

“…An inanimate object?”

A brief sigh escaped me.

I carefully handled the ashes, searching for any trace that might serve as a clue.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed particles mixed among the burnt ashes that seemed artificially created.

It appeared that someone had used fire, an explosion, and something to disintegrate the form, all at once, perhaps to erase the evidence.

‘Was this magic? Or….’

This wasn’t my field of expertise, I realized, utterly clueless.

All I faintly sensed was a kind of energy that wasn’t human, accompanied by a very powerful magic force.

And something else, in stark contrast, pure and clean.

I couldn’t identify the exact nature of these combined powers, but ironically, their characteristics were so distinct that I felt I would recognize them immediately if I encountered them again.

‘And yet, despite such a unique power, I didn’t detect it sooner….’

I glanced at the forest ahead.

The forest that the saint had strictly warned me never to enter.

‘…There must be a reason the saint was so cautious.’

An absurdly overwhelming pressure bore down on me.

It was incomparably stronger than the faint malevolence I had sensed earlier.

My entire body tensed.

A chilling sensation seeped deep into my bones.

As if the forest were trying to engulf me.

Certainly, with such powerful malevolence, it was understandable that I failed to notice the peculiar force.

The oppressive nature of this malevolence must have completely overshadowed all other energies.

‘This was no doubt intentional.’

A foul feeling welled up inside me.

Not only had they evaded my watch over the gods, but they had even used the forest to hide from the eyes of god.

“…How dare you.”

I opened my divine powers and set a protective barrier around this entire area, ensuring any movement within its boundaries would be instantly detected.

It was a meticulous barrier, capable of sensing even an ant’s movements.

Gods, after all, are inherently persistent and tenacious beings.

They will utilize every means necessary to achieve their goals, and they never hesitate even in the face of sacrifice.

Among these gods, the ones with the strongest fixation are those who chase after endings, those who declare the finality of something’s demise.

Hence, the world often warns:

“You can never escape the grasp of death.”

‘…Did you truly think you could evade death so easily? Fools.’

I wanted to scour every corner of this world to confirm the identity of whoever had dared to mock the gods.

But…

It wasn’t the time now.

Because the saint’s call, searching for me, echoed from afar.

And anyway, it was impossible to leave this world, meaning they were ultimately within my grasp.

‘Well, maybe I overreacted. Perhaps they didn’t know I was a god, or it was unintentional… But either way, someone here is surveilling the saint, and that alone is problematic.’

Why was it?

My mood worsened even more than before.

‘Should I abandon all duties and dig them out?’

For now, I needed to return to the saint.

I engraved a mark in the sky above the building and quickly departed.

“Mr. Death! Where are you? Please answer me!”

I saw the saint hurriedly searching the building, calling my name anxiously.

“Sister!”

“…Ah?”

The saint, holding a trash can lid, looked over at me.

‘…Why were you rummaging through the trash cans while looking for me?’

As I was trying to process this situation, the saint suddenly looked crestfallen and slumped to the floor.

I rushed to her side.

Before I could extend my hand, the saint grabbed my clothes and looked up at me.

“Why were you on the roof? Why didn’t you answer me? You have no idea how frantic I was….”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t on the roof, I was just out checking something quickly.”

“…Checking? What?”

Where should I begin?

Should I disclose everything I found, or give a simplified version to avoid unnecessary worry?

“Nothing serious. I just heard an unusual sound and went to check it out for a moment. I assumed it would be quick, but it took longer because I was looking for you.”

I decided on the latter.

It would be better to fully disclose everything after I identify the person and their intentions.

“An unusual sound…?”

“Yes, nothing serious.”

Despite my attempts to soothe her, the saint still clung to my clothes, her expression clearly uneasy.

Struggling to hold back tears, she whispered.

“Then you should have at least told me before leaving. You have no idea how worried I was….”

“There wasn’t any time. My body reacted instinctively.”

The saint stared at me intently.

I braced for her to scrutinize the truthfulness of my words, but her gaze seemed to be checking my condition instead.

Then, she gripped the fabric of my clothes even tighter.

“…Mr. Death.”

“Yes?”

“…Did you go to the forest?”

I involuntarily stepped back in surprise, and at that moment, the saint squinted and pouted.

“…Liar.”

“Wait, that—”

“You promised! Just a little while ago!”

The saint’s tears began to fall.

The sight made me feel faint.

In my confusion, I couldn’t even articulate an excuse.

“It’s dangerous, I told you. I was worried because you looked pale…”

“No! This is from using power abruptly!”

“…What? You not only went to the forest but overexerted yourself as well?”

As I nervously sweated and floundered, the saint mumbled through her sobs.

“I told you I’d get upset!”

“No, I didn’t enter the forest! I just went near the slope—”

“Near the slope is practically the same thing. What difference does it make?”

“I’m sorry…”

The saint kept pouting and, with her hands clenched tight, began sniffing and muttering under her breath.

Not content with that, she abruptly stood up and stamped her foot, showing her anger as if to fully demonstrate how upset she was.

However…

Unfortunately, my prediction turned out to be correct.

Though the saint was surely genuinely upset, to me…

“…She’s so cute.”

In my eyes, she looked like a baby rabbit throwing a tantrum.

As my lips threatened to curl into a smile, I quickly clamped my hand over my mouth.

The saint, with tears brimming in her eyes, stared at me.

“What, what is it? Are you laughing?!”

“No…”

“Liar! Your voice is trembling! Even now, while I’m so upset with you…!”

I should have apologized, but I was too busy trying to suppress my laughter to speak.

Her muttering was growing louder.

I glanced at her and realized how incredibly indignant she looked, her eyebrows furrowed deeply.

Then, as though making a decision, she clenched her fists tightly.

In one step, the saint approached me and tapped my chest—softly.

So softly it barely made a sound.

“…I-I was wrong!”

“…”

That was the limit.

Was it because I’d been trying to hold back my laughter?

I suddenly felt drained and collapsed to the floor.

“Mr. Death?!”

The saint quickly knelt by my side, gently placing her hand on my shoulder and anxiously fussing around.

“Am I sorry! It’s because I hit you! Are you alright? Did it hurt?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Are you feeling unwell because you overexerted yourself? Or was it… the forest?”

“…It’s because Sister is so cute.”

The saint’s hand froze on my shoulder.

Her large eyes pierced into me.

“A-Ah.”

After a while, the saint’s face turned scarlet.

Her mouth opened and closed like a broken fish before she shouted.

“How dare you! You… invented that lie just to calm me down, right?!”

“No. I really think you’re adorable.”

“A-AHHHHHHHH!”

The saint covered her face with her hands and bowed her head deeply.

Right as I was about to ask if she was okay, her words echoed in my mind.

‘Wait. Does she calm down if I tell her she’s cute?’

I leaned close and whispered into her ear.

“Sister, you’re incredibly cute.”

“…Eh.”

Her shoulders were visibly trembling.

Encouraged by this evidence, I spoke more affectionately.

“You’re truly adorable. Especially when you throw a tantrum, stomping like a rabbit…”

“Ah! Seriously!”

The saint abruptly stood up and glared at me, then rushed to the room where I was staying and slammed the door shut.

Ah, failure.

‘…So this must be what they call a cold shoulder.’

I approached the door and gently knocked.

“Sister, please open up. We have cleaning to do together.”

“…I don’t care. I’ll do it alone.”

Her voice was defiant enough that even an apology wouldn’t help. I might as well try to elicit some sympathy.

I muttered as pitifully as possible.

“Sister, I’m cold.”

“…C-Cold?”

A success?

I could hear footsteps slowly approaching.

Just as I let out a sigh of relief,

“Kyyaaaahhh!”

A sharp scream erupted from inside the room.

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