The Gloomy Saintess Obsessively Clings to Death

The saint tightened her grip around my waist.

She was gripping so hard that her fingertips were trembling.

I carefully grasped her hands.

“Saint, please let go.”

“A….”

At the sound of my low voice, the saint flinched for a moment but did not loosen her grip at all.

The saint forced a smile and looked up at me. That smile precariously held on her face, which looked as if it was about to burst into tears at any moment.

“Look, it’s getting late. Let’s sleep and talk about it tomorrow, okay?”

“No. I want to confirm as soon as possible. Honestly, we’ve delayed too much already.”

The saint’s smile slowly crumbled.

Her tear-filled eyes gazed at me as if trying to hold onto me.

“…Why, why are you trying to leave? …Why already? Why?”

“It’s not ‘already.’ It’s been quite a while since we haven’t confirmed anything.”

I sighed and continued.

“Saint, I am Mr. Death. I have the duty to investigate and resolve the world where death has disappeared.”

“…But, can’t you do that kind of thing here? Right?”

“I’m afraid that would be difficult.”

Right. The saint’s words confirmed it.

About the outside of the world, the gaps, and the foreigners there.

I must confirm it in person.

It might offer clues that connect the Underworld or another world.

If it turns out that the Underworld and this world are connected,

death will return to this world, and many people at the Detention Center will finally find eternal rest.

If that happens…

‘…surely the saint’s suffering will decrease as well.’

I quietly looked down at the saint.

While being here together,

I’ve witnessed her struggle as she cares for those who cannot find eternal rest.

She has come out exhausted every time,

and I’ve caught her before she fell more times than I can count.

Nevertheless, the saint continued her work steadfastly, as if it were familiar to her.

It was heartbreaking to watch.

The saint, in endless waiting,

has strived for those who cannot die, hiding her own pain.

The weight of it must have been unimaginably heavy.

So, I hesitated.

Even though I knew it went against what the saint dislikes, was it still the right thing to do?

Would my actions bring her more anxiety and suffering?

Due to the gods’ mistakes, she had to bear such pain.

And now, am I unintentionally inflicting more wounds on someone so pitiable?

‘…So, I hoped that the saint would improve, that she’d allow it herself somehow.’

But…

I can’t wait indefinitely.

Because prolonging this abnormal situation won’t benefit anyone.

Not this world.

Nor the saint.

And… not me either.

I smiled slightly and caressed the saint’s cheek.

“I’ll just go to check and come back quickly, okay?”

“….”

The arms around my waist did not loosen for even a moment.

As if she would never let go.

As if she would never let me leave.

The saint who was clinging to me with her whole body whispered tearfully.

“No… I don’t like it. Please, don’t go.”

The saint’s voice was earnest.

It was as if she believed that letting me go now meant losing me forever.

I looked down at the saint.

Her forced attempt to act bright had completely disappeared.

The saint, unable to hide her anxious gaze, let the tears fall down her cheeks.

“Please, don’t go. I don’t like it. Don’t leave me. I beg you, don’t go.”

“Just for a little while, Saint…”

I cautiously tried to speak, but the saint quickly cut me off, earnestly muttering.

“I don’t like it, I don’t like it. Please… Pleaseee…”

“Hey, just let go of this first! Oof….”

Trying to free my arms was futile.

The harder I tried, the more desperately she clung to my waist.

“I don’t like it, I don’t like it. Please. Pleeease….”

“I’m sorry, but I have to go to confirm.”

The saint’s tremble and cries,

and the raw earnestness I felt from her fingertips, tried to bind me.

The trembling and desperation coursing through her body made my chest ache painfully.

But right now, I couldn’t be swayed by her earnestness.

Knowing that I need to step forward for the sake of this world and her,

I sighed and placed my hand over hers.

“Then… I’ll just search until sunrise and come back, okay? So…”

“I don’t like it, don’t go. I can’t send you. I don’t want to send you. …Don’t leave me alone.”

…Don’t leave me alone?

Is that why the saint has been stopping me all this while?

I opened my mouth to say something again.

“Sain… Ugh.”

“I don’t like it, I don’t like it. I don’t like it. Don’t go. I don’t want to be alone. Don’t leave me. Mr. Death. Please. No.”

At the moment I tried to continue, the saint hugged me tighter.

I couldn’t get any words out in the pain.

Her fingers were trembling, but the grip was firm.

“I don’t like it, I don’t like it. Without me… I don’t like it. Don’t hurt yourself. Don’t get injured. Don’t leave me. I don’t like it.”

The saint, as if lost in a daze, muttered the same thing over and over without stopping.

Her voice became increasingly shaky, and her tears poured endlessly down her cheeks.

But…

“I’m sorry.”

“…Ah.”

I couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

I had no choice but to resort to the method I least wanted to use.

I used my strength and forced her arms away.

The saint who fell helplessly looked at me with eyes filled with confusion.

Then she extended her hand and tried to reach for me again.

As soon as Saint approached,

I picked her up without hesitation in a princess hold.

The saint, surprised by being suddenly lifted, opened her eyes wide.

“What… What is this?! Mr. Death, what is this─?!”

“Don’t you want to not fall behind? Then, you can come with me.”

This was the last method I chose.

‘Since I can’t let go of the saint, I’ll just bring her along.’

Though inefficient compared to the mark, I almost never used my wings.

But in a situation like this, it was inevitable.

Since the mark manifests the concept of death,

I cannot carry living beings or souls with it.

The problem is,

because such occasions are rare, my flying skill is at an embarrassingly low level.

Already wobbling,

I lose balance and stagger every time the wind blows.

‘…This is why I didn’t want to use it.’

I struggled to concentrate and flew as best I could.

But things got worse as the saint started struggling in my arms.

“Forget it! I, I can’t… can’t go!”

“Se… Saint! If you move…!”

I struggled to maintain balance and clasped her more tightly.

But my wing movements were unsteady, and I began a steep descent, swaying violently.

“Kyaaa─!”

“Saint! Please stop moving! Hold on tight!”

Just barely managed to stop before hitting the ground.

I exhaled deeply, realizing I had forgotten to breathe while concentrating.

The saint, similarly, was panting heavily in my arms.

“Ugh, uh…,”

“I’m sorry. My flying isn’t very smooth.”

“…W, Mr., Mr. Death. C, can you… fly?”

“Because I’m a god.”

…Not all gods have wings, but

I owe it to my father, who has wings,

so Lord Hephaestus kindly added it as an option when creating my body.

I didn’t really mention this useless tangential detail aloud,

since there’s more important matters at hand.

Just a moment ago, the saint definitely said “can’t go.”

No matter how much I replayed it in my head, it felt more like “I can’t go” rather than “I don’t want to go.”

Landing gently on the ground.

Even with such a difficult flight,

I couldn’t help but marvel at how I had managed to fly away from the building just a bit.

‘…This distance seems walkable.’

I placed the saint back down and asked.

“Sain, didn’t you just say you couldn’t go? Is there a reason why you can’t leave the building?”

“…Uh-huh.”

The saint, with her head bowed deeply, tightly grabbed my clothes.

As if trying to convey that I shouldn’t leave either.

“Why? What’s the reason?”

“…If I leave here, people will suffer.”

“The ones at the detention center?”

“Uh-huh. And… the people outside too.”

The saint hesitated, biting her lips, before slowly continuing.

“…If I’m not here, the people will writhe in pain.”

“Does that mean you’re the one healing them, Saint?”

“…No. Their pain can’t be healed by my recovery magic.”

Right, if her recovery magic had been effective, they wouldn’t have stayed in such a terrible condition at the detention center.

So why does she go back and forth to the detention center constantly?

The question was quickly answered.

“So you keep putting people to sleep with sleep magic, morning and night. …I’m not sure if they still feel pain while sleeping, but at least they don’t scream in agony.”

“To that many people? Are you casting sleep magic?”

“…Yeah. They’ll be in extreme pain if I don’t.”

The saint sighed heavily. There was a look of fatigue in her sigh.

“And… because the number of people has increased, it’s gotten harder… Sometimes the magic wears off early. So I need to check regularly…”

“Ah, that’s why you were sometimes there in front of my room even at dawn.”

“…Th, that. …I also wanted to be close to Mr. Death.”

The saint’s last comment brought an awkward silence for a moment.

I looked at her and sighed.

Even though we were practically together all day, she still says things like that.

I contemplated on whether I should bring it up or not, but decided against it.

‘…Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.’

Anyway, sleep magic…

I smiled gently at the saint.

“You mentioned sleep magic, right? I think I could help with that.”

“…What? R, really? How?”

The saint looked at me with a face filled with both expectation and surprise.

“Sleep magic, you said? I think I can resolve that part for you.”

“…? Really? How?”

The saint looked at me with a face full of disbelief, yet a mixture of hope and surprise.

“Sleep magic, you said? I think I can help with that part.”

“…What? Really? How?”

At the mention of sleep magic, I smiled gently at the saint.

“It’s something I can handle.”

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