The Grim Reaper Freed from the Ice
She was a punished grim reaper. And a young woman, at that. No, wait. I'd seen plenty of young women before. The problem was that this woman right now... was completely naked.
Oh. This was... my first time seeing a woman's bare body in my entire life. It was incredible. Those wide hips, those medium-sized breasts that looked like they'd sway with every breath, that perfectly straight nose— No. I quickly turned around and sat facing away. Hoo... Damn it. I wanted to keep looking, but I held back. I was a gentleman, after all.
"What year is it now?" A cold voice came from behind me. It was the voice of a woman, frigid as ice.
Y-yeah. I'd been so distracted by the naked woman that I'd forgotten the most obvious question. How had this woman survived inside the ice without dying?
While I muttered to myself, the woman behind me asked again.
"What year is it?"
What kind of question was that? Again? Well, if she'd been trapped in ice, she probably had no idea how much time had passed.
"I-it's Imperial Year 1459! Who... what are you? A witch? A demon?" I answered with my eyes squeezed shut as tightly as I could.
She paused for a moment before speaking.
"Imperial Year 1459? Seven hundred years have passed. My, my."
S-seven hundred years? Shocked, I whirled around, only to snap my gaze forward again just as quickly. Ah, she was still naked. That aside, her appearance was quite striking. No, honestly, she was beautiful. Devastatingly so. Lustrous black hair, a delicate face, and those crimson eyes that flashed every time she blinked. Damn. What the hell was going on here?
"You must have been surprised when I burst out of the ice, right? What's your name?"
Why was she acting so familiar already? Still, it seemed best to give her my name.
"M-my name is Kailon Bladehart."
"What a needlessly long name."
Rustling sounds came from behind me. Hmm? What was she doing?
The woman, now wrapped in the tattered cloth that had been lying nearby, brushed her hair behind her ear and spoke in a calm, composed voice.
"I'm Charlene. It's cold out here, Kailon. Would you light a fire for me?"
Her voice carried a refined elegance. That aside, she was asking me to start another fire here?
Crackle. Crackle.
The campfire blazed up once more. Charlene, clutching the old cloth tightly around her body, stared blankly into the flames. I pushed more kindling into the fire and stole a glance at her.
Just who was this woman? Someone who'd survived seven hundred years trapped inside a block of ice? Did that even make sense? Maybe she really was a demon or a witch.
As I kept sneaking glances at Charlene, she finally looked up from the fire and spoke.
"Why do you keep staring at me like that?"
"Ah, no. Are you a witch? Or some kind of monster?"
I swallowed hard and squeezed out the question. Charlene let out a small laugh.
"A witch? How rude. To think you'd consider me nothing more than a witch. I am..."
The large campfire reflected in her wide eyes. After a moment of thought, Charlene gave another small laugh, as if even she found her own words ridiculous, and continued.
"A punished grim reaper."
A punished grim reaper? Pfft. I turned my head away, covering my mouth as I laughed for a long time.
"Why are you laughing?" Charlene glared at me, her voice sharp.
Had being trapped in ice for so long driven her crazy? She thought she was a grim reaper? Fine. I'd hear her out a little longer. Pfft.
"Ah, no. Go on, keep talking. Why were you punished?"
"A grim reaper's duty is to guide the souls of humans whose time has come to the underworld. But I accidentally took the wrong soul. I was supposed to reap Olevia's soul, but I brought back Olivia's instead. Ah, just thinking about it makes me angry. Their names were so similar that I got them mixed up. So that old man Hades got furious and sealed me in ice. That was my punishment."
For a delusion, it was pretty detailed. Should I ask more?
"Then what happened to Olivia, who died unfairly?"
"That old man Hades took care of it. She's probably been reborn as a human by now. And the body I'm using right now originally belonged to Olivia."
"What?"
"This is part of my punishment too. A young woman who wasn't supposed to die lost her life because of my mistake. So I'm ordered to live in this body in the human world."
I see. So Charlene's current body was that of Olivia, who died seven hundred years ago. A grim reaper's mistake meant she had to live in the body of the unfairly deceased as punishment... It actually sounded plausible.
I nodded and tossed another piece of firewood into the flames.
"That's an interesting story. You came up with all that while trapped in the ice?"
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"Honestly, would you believe it if you were in my position?"
I gripped the fire poker and burst out laughing. It really had been an entertaining delusion. Pfft.
Right then, something cold pressed against my neck. W-what was this? A scythe? Where had this huge scythe come from? Was this really a Grim Reaper's Scythe?
Charlene aimed the scythe at my throat, its origin a complete mystery, and spoke in a freezing voice.
"How insolent. A mere human like you—"
"Urk..."
W-what? She really was a grim reaper?
I stared at her with a tense expression, biting my lip. Charlene slowly pulled the scythe away from my neck with one hand. She gave it a light spin, and the weapon vanished from her grasp with a soft pop.
"You... you really were a grim reaper?"
"I told you. I was a punished grim reaper. Do you believe me now?"
H-how had things turned out like this? Was my life about to go completely off the rails?
I began scooting backward. Charlene adjusted the old cloth around her body and spoke again.
"Don't worry. I have no intention of hurting you. You're the human who freed me from the ice, after all."
"Wasn't the punishment supposed to be eternal imprisonment inside the ice?"
I swallowed nervously as I asked. Charlene shrugged.
"I thought so too, but the ice melted. I guess that wasn't the case. That old man Hades must have sealed me in ice that was capable of melting from the start. I can never figure out what that geezer is thinking. Damn old fart."
Charlene grumbled in clear irritation. To speak so disrespectfully about the god who ruled the underworld... She really must be a grim reaper.
Charlene, who had been staring blankly at the campfire, spoke again.
"That aside, a human body is so fragile. Not only that, Olivia's memories from her lifetime keep bothering me inside my head."
"Olivia's memories?"
"I told you this body originally belonged to Olivia. So all her memories from when she was alive remain intact. Ah, it's so annoying. Olivia really lived such a diligent life."
"What kind of person was Olivia?"
When I asked, Charlene lifted her head and stared at me intently before answering.
"A maid."
A maid? Oh?
On the way back home, I walked ahead and glanced back at Charlene, who was following some distance behind me.
A maid? Yeah. If I had a maid with her level of looks, maybe I could pay off my debts and turn my life around. But the thing was, only her body was that of a maid. The inside was a grim reaper, right? Hmm. If I got too greedy, wouldn't I just end up risking my life?
Anyway, it took quite a while to climb down from the valley between the cliffs and reach the house. I also had to retrieve the backpack I'd left up there.
For now, maybe I should ask what her plans were.
"So what are you going to do from now on? Will you return to the Divine Realm?"
"I told you. I have to live in the Human Realm until this body reaches the end of its lifespan. I'm still thinking about it."
Ah. As expected, she had no plan at all. Wait a second. When I thought about it, I was the one who'd released this grim reaper into the world, wasn't I? Had I just unleashed something even more terrifying than a Demon King?
I swallowed hard and glanced back at her again.
"How strong are you?"
"Me? I'm a grim reaper. Definitely stronger than humans. No matter how problematic a grim reaper I was, don't underestimate a grim reaper's power."
"No, I know you're strong. That's why I'm asking roughly how strong."
Charlene thought for a long moment, blinking, then answered honestly.
"There are three realms in this world: the Divine Realm, the Demon Realm, and the Human Realm. Beings from the Divine Realm are the strongest, followed by the Demon Realm, and the Human Realm is the weakest. Even though I was just a low-ranking grim reaper in the Divine Realm, my power should be comparable to a Demon King from the Demon Realm."
Charlene scratched her cheek with a long finger as she answered casually. Oh no. Damn it. What if this half-witted grim reaper turned the world upside down?
When I swallowed again, Charlene seemed to read my thoughts and continued.
"Don't worry. I can't just turn the Human Realm into a mess however I please anyway."
"What?"
"Even at this very moment, that old man Hades is watching over the Human Realm. If I relied on my grim reaper powers to wreak havoc, he'd come down personally and drag me away. That old man Hades is terrifying when he's angry. I don't want to see that face again either."
Just what exactly did this old man Hades do?
"Who is this old man Hades?"
"He's the god who rules the underworld. He governs everything related to death. I was a low-ranking grim reaper who worked under him."
As we exchanged stories, the city where I lived came into view. Marenost, a port city of the Arcadia Empire. A bustling place always noisy with trade ships carrying cargo and goods.
"Oh my. This is a city by the sea?"
Charlene asked with sparkling eyes. What was this? She looked genuinely excited. That aside, "oh my"? So grim reapers used expressions like that too.
"Yeah. This is Marenost. It's far from the capital of the Arcadia Empire, but... it's a major city with over two hundred thousand residents because trade ships visit frequently. Is this your first time here?"
Charlene, who had been looking around with bright eyes, cleared her throat and tried to put on a serious expression.
"D-don't underestimate a grim reaper's experience. You think there's any place in the Human Realm I haven't been?"
...It sounded like a lie. Anyway, what should I do with this grim reaper lady...? It was obvious she knew nothing about the ways of the world. If I just left her like this, she'd probably suffer quite a bit.
Should I at least bring it up?
"Charlene. Would you like to try working as a maid?"
The moment I said it, I regretted it. Damn. Had I pushed things too fast? Even though she'd been kicked out of the Divine Realm, she seemed to have immense pride in being a grim reaper. This lady...
Charlene stared directly at my face for a moment before answering.
"A maid?"
Charlene smiled brightly and added,
"You. Are you confident you won't regret it?"
Huh? Regret it?