NOVEL WEB Chapter 8
God is an absolute existence.
However, the only thing God truly knows how to do is use His powers.
Despite this, the reason He is evaluated so highly is
because no one can rival His powers.
Not even a part of God.
The saint gazed at me with a blank expression.
Then her eyes widened as she opened her mouth in disbelief.
“…Why are you here?”
“Madam Saint, you said it yourself. Isn’t Mr. Death the God of Death? The reason death came into this world is because I am the God of Death.”
The saint’s pupils shook as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Then, the people here… can they all die? Even me?”
Her voice quivered.
It was a question filled with both earnestness and fear.
Thinking about how she must have endured terrible situations for so long,
I wanted to give her the most comforting answer possible.
But in the end, I slowly shook my head.
“I’m sorry, but no.”
“…Wh-why not?”
The saint looked up at me with tearful eyes.
“Since you exist, death was created….”
“That’s true. Before, everyone lying there – are they all human?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Regrettably, handling human death is not something I can do alone.”
I sighed and took out the Register, but when I pressed the power button again, the black screen remained the same.
The saint, who was carefully examining the Register, tilted her head in confusion.
“What’s wrong with it? What is this?”
“This is called a Register. Simply put, it’s a tool that shows the destinies of those who will die. It records souls after they’ve passed and guides them to the underworld.”
The saint poked the black screen with her finger.
“…I don’t see anything?”
“Hmm, normally, the names of the people lying there would be written here, along with how they’re supposed to meet their end. But right now, I can’t see any of it.”
The saint looked at me with a confused expression.
I could feel her unspoken question of ‘why?’ in her gaze.
I scratched my head and decided to explain further.
“…The reason I was so startled earlier was because of this. It’s an item that was supposed to never break, yet as you can see, it doesn’t work at all.”
I extended the Register in front of the saint again, but after pressing the button, the screen remained off.
I shook my head and added,
“As long as this doesn’t turn on, I can’t interfere with human death. While death is completed by Mr. Death, it is created by fate.”
“…Sorry. I don’t understand any of what you’re saying.”
I tried to explain as simply as possible.
How can I make this simpler?
I pondered, scratching my head, when I suddenly looked up.
“To put it simply with a metaphor, the Gods of Fate have placed a ‘lock’ on human death. It won’t be executed unless it’s through the method they have determined.”
“…So the method is written in there?”
“That’s right!”
That frustrating feeling I had finally eased a little.
…No, it’s still a tight knot.
Yes.
It’s all because this world is so extraordinary that it cut off the connection to the Spirit Realm.
I sighed deeply.
“The Register isn’t working because the connection to the Spirit Realm has been cut. The computational network linked to fate resides in the Spirit Realm.”
The saint’s brow slightly furrowed.
“…So, we need to reconnect, right?”
“That’s right. We must reconnect the Spirit Realm to this world for death to function fully again.”
“How?”
…I don’t know either.
If I had known, would I have waited until now to go to the Spirit Realm?
A high-level deity like my Father could have opened the gates to the Spirit Realm even from here, perhaps.
‘…I’m just a half Mr. Death. Only a part of Father.’
I dropped my head in frustration.
I didn’t even know where or how to begin.
But I couldn’t stay stagnant forever.
‘Let’s start with what needs to be done first.’
I slowly lifted my head.
The saint was watching me with a worried gaze.
I forced a smile.
“It’s about time I go check on something.”
“…What?”
If I don’t collect the souls quickly, they’ll all turn into malevolent spirits.
Even if the negative energy in this world doesn’t spread beyond a certain area, that doesn’t apply to souls.
Once the connection to their bodies is severed, souls wander aimlessly.
Especially with such strong negative energy,
they would quickly transform into malevolent spirits upon contact.
‘Too many malevolent spirits won’t benefit this world.’
So I need to collect the souls as soon as possible.
…Why is this saint clinging to my waist again?
“Madam Saint?!”
“Don’t go!”
“Excuse me?”
“If you leave…!”
Her voice trembled.
The saint tightened her grip on my waist.
I blinked in confusion at this sudden situation, then something flashed through my mind.
‘…Ah, did I just make her misunderstand something?’
Where can I go with the gates to the Spirit Realm not opening?
I had said this earlier with the intention of implying “I’ll be back after running some errands,”
but this saint seemed to think I was leaving forever.
I finally understood her desperation.
I gently poked her hand, which was gripping my waist white.
“Madam Saint, it’s not that I’m leaving, but there’s something important I need to check out… Ack!”
“…Liar!”
The saint cut me off firmly.
I felt like my upper and lower body were going to split in half.
I shouted anxiously.
“Madam Saint, calm down! I can’t breathe!”
“If you leave, it’s all over! It’s all over, I tell you! So don’t go. Please….”
“No, I’m not leaving! First of all, how can I leave when the gates to the Spirit Realm won’t open?”
The strength with which she clung to my waist slightly reduced but still showed no sign of letting go.
I needed to say something more convincing to make her let go.
‘…I didn’t think she would trust me so little.’
Still, considering what the saint has been through, her reaction makes sense.
Unthinkable horrors,
people who blamed her for all the tragedies as if it were her fault,
endless persecution…
In that despair, I must have appeared to her as her only hope.
‘If she thinks this hope will suddenly vanish… it’s natural for her to react this way.’
I sighed deeply and lifted my hand.
I slowly extended my pinky finger toward her and spoke.
“I swear. I will not leave Madam Saint’s side until I find a way to open the gates to the Spirit Realm.”
The saint looked at me in shock.
A hint of hesitation and faint relief flickered in her eyes.
“…Really?”
“Yes, I promise. In exchange, would you please let go of me? My waist might break.”
The saint stared at me for a while before slowly releasing her grip.
My waist finally let out a sigh of relief.
I sucked in a deep breath I hadn’t been able to take properly and extended my pinky finger.
“Come on, Madam Saint.”
“…Huh?”
“I said I promised, didn’t I?”
Nowadays, humans seem to trust making promises with pinky swears more than swearing by the River Styx,
though the latter is far more absolute for deities.
‘Then again, this applies to her too,’ I thought, extending my pinky finger,
but instead of hooking fingers, something soft touched it.
Confused, I looked down to find the saint kissing my pinky.
“Aaaaah!”
“…Huh?”
I hastily raised my hand.
The saint tilted her head, looking bewildered.
“Why, why are you doing that?”
“But, but you said to swear…”
The saint silently looked at me.
Her gaze was filled with pure earnestness.
‘…Ah, it’s a cultural difference.’
I covered my face with both hands and muttered.
“Um… could we perhaps do it our way?”
“How?”
“…Just, extend your pinky finger like this.”
The saint tentatively extended her pinky finger.
I sighed inwardly as I hooked my finger with hers.
“This is how we do it when we promise. Now, if we press our thumbs together…”
“…This is kind of embarrassing.”
The saint whispered bashfully and slightly bowed her head.
Her ears turned red again.
Seeing that, I also felt awkward and quickly pressed and released thumbs.
“There, it’s done!”
“…Ah, it’s over already?”
The saint stared at my hand and mumbled.
Was she thinking there was more to it?
Thinking about it, humans talk about making copies or something—I don’t know about that.
I groaned and decided to shake hands instead.
“So… shall we shake hands to say goodbye for now?”
“…Goodbye? Ugh, okay!”
The saint shyly extended her hand.
When our hands met, her warm body temperature was passed along.
Perhaps because of that,
the saint’s cheeks turned pink.
She stared at me intently before suddenly bowing her head.
‘…Should I have just ended it with the pinky swear?’
The saint’s face was growing redder as she held my hand tightly.
Looking at her, I felt my face heat up too, probably due to her earlier bashfulness.
I firmly shook our joined hands several times before hastily letting go.
“There, take care of yourself, Madam Saint.”
“…Okay! I’ll take care of myself too.”
The saint clasped her hands together and smiled brightly.
I stared at her for a moment before abruptly turning my head.
“Um, can I ask one favor?”
“What favor? Tell me anything, except asking me to let you leave!”
“…I told you, I’m not leaving.”
Where did the oath I just made vanish to?
I shook off the absurdity and continued.
“Could I check that place from earlier?”
“Sure, why?”
I need to check the souls before their connection to their bodies is fully severed.
Otherwise, I would have to search for them one by one.
Though I wasn’t sure if I needed to explain that,
fortunately, the saint nodded without any suspicion.
“Follow me.”
The saint nodded and briskly walked ahead.
Once again, the massive gate appeared before us.
The surface of the old door was engraved with strange patterns in a chaotic manner.
“Open it.”
As the saint placed her hand on the door, it creaked and opened with a groan.
As the door opened, a stifling and disgusting stench rushed at us.
At the sight of the horrific scene before our eyes, which was almost unbearable to look at, my whole body stiffened like stone.
‘…Ah, that’s right. Here it was. I was the one who had to go back in and check this place again?’
…Oh, my Lord.
Ah, that’s right. I am the Lord.
With my head bowed, I succumbed to despair.