The First Protein

As I climbed the hill with Thanatos, a few questions came to mind, so I decided to strike up a conversation. "By the way, Reaper."

"Call me Thana. I don't particularly care for that title."

"Is that so?"

"Indeed. There isn't a soul in this world who likes death." Thanatos grumbled, pouting her lips.

"Then, Thana. Do you personally go around collecting the souls of every human written in the ledger every single day?"

"That is correct."

"Hmm, I don't know much about it, but aren't there a great many people dying every day? It must be an astronomical amount of work to visit them all individually."

"Ho-ho, how did you know that?"

"The world is a wide place, after all."

"Most people don't even think about the world being wide. Most humans live their entire lives in the polis where they were born, farming and crafting goods. You are truly special, Sisyphus." Thana giggled, looking delighted.

"Your guess is correct. I cannot personally retrieve every single dead soul. If there are no issues, souls naturally seep into the earth and are drawn to the Underworld."

"So, only the problematic deaths are recorded in the ledger?"

"Hmm. The souls I personally collect are limited to those whose fates are at risk of being corrupted. The more resentment and injustice a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠soul carries, the more they tend to refuse to come to the Underworld."

"Then I suppose you could say you are resolving the grudges of the wronged spirits."

"Mwahaha, it is an important task entrusted to me by my father. If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠left alone, such souls could become evil spirits or monsters, so I must find them and send them off as quickly as possible."

From that conversation, I realized the role of the Reaper was quite different from what I had previously known. Fate determines when someone dies. Thana was not a terrifying entity who personally dealt out death. She used her ability to commune with souls to prevent monsters from being created in advance. In a way, she was playing a role similar to a hero.

'She might actually be a decent person.'

I had been steeped in a deep hatred for the gods, but Thana’s lineage was different from Olympus, and I decided to change my approach. Even when I brought her up here, I had intended to trick her and send her away, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I judged that it would be better to win her over as an ally.

"Thana, you said the fairies receive oracles from the Goddess of Fate to write the ledger. And the Goddesses of Fate write down the deaths that will turn into monsters."

"That is as I said."

"If that is the case, Alcyone and Anticlea, whom you came to find, are a bit strange. These two haven't died yet, nor have they contracted any fatal illness. I can say this with certainty: they are not the type to harbor grudges or kill."

"Is that really true? Then why are their names written in the ledger?"

I gently rubbed the letters written in the ledger with my finger. The names of the two smeared.

"As you can see, unlike the other letters, there are traces of them being added recently."

"...Now that I look, the ink quality is different, too."

"If you look at the back of the paper, the pressure was so strong that this part is bulging. It must have been written with a bone-based pen, not the leaf pens of the fairies."

"Are you saying someone conspired to have me kill innocent humans?"

Thana realized something was wrong, and her expression turned sharp. At this moment, she possessed the true, intimidating aura of a Reaper pronouncing death.

"It doesn't necessarily mean that, but..."

"No, you are right, Sisyphus. There are several other names added like this on the previous pages of the ledger." Thana bit her lower lip with a sullen face.

"How could I not have noticed sooner? I took away humans whose lifespans hadn't even ended."

"It is not your fault, Thana."

"It is my fault. My father often warned me. He said that since we who operate at night have dimmer vision than others, we must open our eyes that much wider."

Thana sighed, and a moment later, she gripped the ledger tightly with both hands.

"Yes, there is only one person who would deceive me."

"Who is that?"

"Hades, the master of the Underworld. There is no one else who would pull such a stunt."

"The motive is clear, then."

"What is it?"

"Look at the manipulated names. A princess of a kingdom, a nymph of a lake—they are all beauties."

"Beauties, you say?!"

"And according to rumors, I understand that the god of the Underworld even kidnapped his wife, Persephone, to bring her there."

"Th-that is an undeniable fact."

"Thana, do you know what humans call someone who acts so recklessly over women that they lose sight of everything?"

"What do they call them?"

"A 'Yeomisae'."

"Yeomisae?"

"It means a bastard who is crazy about women."

"Kyaaack...!"

Finally, Thana realized it too, and her eyes filled with fury.

"I cannot forgive this. To use me for his own desires! The Olympians are always like this. They always do as they please. The gods of the Golden Age had much more dignity."

Thana was jumping up and down in a fit of rage. The Golden Age she spoke of refers to the period when the gods ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of nature, including her father, the god of night Nyx, created the world and entrusted its management to the Titans. The Twelve Olympians are called the Silver Age, having usurped power from the Golden Age. The current period is called the Bronze Age, as humans who have increased in number have developed and used bronze.

"I have made a grave decision, Sisyphus."

"What decision is that?"

"I shall quit being a lackey for that Yeomisae, Hades, immediately. My father would not want me to use my powers like this, either. Let him collect the souls himself."

Thana dropped her scythe to the floor and stood there, arms crossed, fuming. Thanks to this, the threat to the two girls was resolved.

"You have chosen well."

Thana shrugged her shoulders and puffed out a breath through her nose.

"But if souls don't come to the Underworld, won't the god of the Underworld find it strange?"

"That bastard already owes me many debts. Since it has come to this, I will collect them with interest. He will have no choice but to meet my demands. I will handle it, so do not worry."

Hearing the story, it seemed Hades had been managing the Underworld incompetently and was saddled with various problems. Thana intended to use the discovery of the ledger manipulation as an opportunity to demand all the necessary improvements for the Underworld.

"Come to think of it, Sisyphus, where were you heading?"

"It worked out perfectly."

We had just arrived at our destination. A pasture full of cows. This was the place I had intended to bring her.

"There are no people here, only cows."

"Look here."

I jumped over the wooden fence. Since Thana was short, she struggled while grabbing the fence, so I hooked my hands under her armpits and lifted her up effortlessly.

"Do you see the cows here? These two are named Alcyone and Anticlea, respectively. They have name tags attached."

"Really?"

"Yes. We gave them those names as a joke a long time ago."

"But what does this have to do with anything?"

"There's no law saying only human names must be written in the ledger, is there?"

Thana understood what I meant and let out a wicked, mischievous laugh.

"A brilliant scheme, Sisyphus. I can already see the face of that bastard Hades, who will be happy to receive these sturdy females."

Thana said that and began to draw something on the bodies of the cows. A sparkling purple substance spread from her fingertips. It looked like liquid but didn't drip. 'So this is mana.' She drew a complex shape inside a circle, and with a signal, a brilliant light flashed.

It was a fascinating experience, seeing magic with my own eyes.

―Thud!

The next moment, the two cows were dead with their tongues lolling out, and gloomy smoke flowed from their mouths. Thana muttered something, and they sank deep into the ground. Had their souls returned to the Underworld?

"With this, my business in Corinth is finished. I have completed my duty. No matter what he complains about, it is Hades's fault. This should serve as a warning."

"What will you do if Hades refuses?"

"Mwahaha, that is simple. It will be war."

Thana smiled, baring her teeth. Then, she quickly relaxed her face, hopping around as she turned back to me.

"A vacation at last! Sisyphus, may I stay here until Hades sends a letter of apology?"

"Do you wish to stay in Corinth?"

"Ah, well... if you don't like it, I shall leave. There isn't a city in the world that welcomes a Reaper. I understand."

Perhaps recalling a bad memory, Thana became sullen and let her hair droop. Thanks to Thana being a god who was easy to talk to, I had avoided some unfair situations, and I felt a slight sense of pity for her.

Pat, pat. Thana's twin tails perked up.

"Our Corinth is a city famous for its hospitality. We have plenty of rooms, so please stay a while."

"R-really? Is that alright?"

"Of course. There is a fireworks display scheduled for tomorrow's festival, so how about we go together?"

"Fireworks!"

Stars twinkled in Thana's eyes. "Sisyphus, you are truly a good human! I like you. I will specially give you the opportunity to stroke my soul as well."

Whoosh. Thanatos lifted her robe to reveal her plump lower belly.

"Excuse me?"

"You don't have to be shy. Come, it's right here."

"Are you talking about your belly button?"

"That is correct. The belly button is the path through which the soul enters at birth. You can clearly see the shape of the soul there. It is something I only let those I am truly close to touch. Go on, reach out."

"I will save that for another time. I don't want to cause any strange misunderstandings among my people."

A farm manager passing by had spotted me and Thana from afar and was standing there with his jaw dropped.

"More importantly, we have beef now. How about we have it for dinner together?"

"I strongly agree! There isn't a god in existence who doesn't like meat!"

In the end, I invited Thana to the mansion and we had dinner together. Since there was plenty of meat, the whole family and the servants ate their fill.

***

"The meat we ate back then was delicious."

I had finished practicing headbutting the Hades in my mind countless times. I pushed Wilson again and climbed to the 4th floor.

―Swish.

The Goral was hiding in the grass, waiting for me to come up with Wilson.

"Let's have a go, Goral. Or rather... Mr. Goral."

I was still weaker than the Goral. I decided to use an honorific out of respect.

Creak, creak. The moment I pushed Wilson up.

―Tap!

Mr. Goral came rushing out. 50 meters, 30 meters, 20 meters. Right now.

Tap! I pushed Wilson aside and threw my entire weight onto the soles of my feet with all my might. My gastrocnemius muscles, contracted to their limit, exploded, generating a burst of speed.

"Hup!"

Whoosh―!

Kooooong!!

A heavy impact was transmitted to my shoulder. After several long months, I had finally caught up to Mr. Goral's speed.

"I did it...! Meat, it's meat!!"

Mr. Goral was stunned by the single blow and lay sprawled on the ground. Wilson, whom I had let go, rolled down the hill, but what did it matter? The joy of having secured the meat was far greater.

I buried my nose in Mr. Goral's belly and took a deep sniff. A pungent, gamey scent. It was undoubtedly the aroma of protein.

"Hahaha, hahahahaha!"

I hoisted Mr. Goral onto my shoulders and laughed like a madman as I descended to the ground level. Starting a fire and preparing the meat was finished in an instant.

―Sizzle, sizzle.

I waited patiently until the very end, grilling the leg meat until it was golden brown, waiting for the Maillard reaction to occur. The moment I took a bite and chewed.

"Wow."

"So this is what Mr. Goral tastes like."