The Underworld's Mandate
On the day after a holiday, important matters had a way of cropping up around lunchtime. Since the teahouse was closed for once, I headed into the Forest of Barcanus with a whip slung over my shoulder. Training, obviously.
Boom!Thud!Crash!
Every time the whip sliced through the air, boulders shattered and trees split clean in two. Heh heh… Not bad. I’ve gotten pretty used to wielding a Grim Reaper’s magic now. My body feels a lot lighter too—like I’d finally shed all those sandbags I’d been lugging around. Must be another perk of the power.
After training hard for a while I was sweating buckets and my clothes were streaked with dirt. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. Charlene had come with me, but she’d already disappeared deep into the valley to gather tea ingredients. True professional, that one. While I’m out here swinging a whip, she’s off doing actual work…
Since I was already in the Forest of Barcanus, I figured I might as well take a bath. No one around to see me anyway. I hooked the whip on my belt and went looking for a stream. After walking a while I spotted a small waterfall spilling clean water into a perfect little basin—just the right size.
I stripped and waded in.
Huu. Refreshing. I sank down until the cold water reached my neck and splashed my face. The world really needs to quiet down for a while. No more wars, no more Demon Kings—thanks, but I’ll pass.
I was enjoying that rare moment of peace when—
“Looks like you’ve finally gotten a little familiar with a Grim Reaper’s magic?”
What the—?
I jerked my head around, still dripping water from my face. My stomach dropped. Sitting right beside me in the pool, wearing nothing at all, was Annette, calmly bathing like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Wh-when did you get here?! How did you even know I was—”
“I always know where my acolyte is. So?” She tilted her head, smiling. “Do you like it? My charm—no, my magic?”
“Ugh…”
I scrambled backward through the water until there was a safe distance between us. Damn. No matter how many times I saw it, that body was lethal. Last time I’d been too busy with the ritual to stare, but now… every breath made her chest sway hypnotically. I forced my eyes toward the waterfall.
“…Did you really come all this way just to see me?”
“Work too, of course. I am a Grim Reaper. There are a few souls in Marenost scheduled for collection today. Don’t worry—you’re not on the list.”
Hmm. If Charlene saw this, the misunderstanding would be nuclear. I climbed out fast and started grabbing my clothes.
“You haven’t forgotten why I made you my acolyte, right?” Annette asked, still lounging in the clear water and gazing at the falls.
“Well… I’m not entirely sure on the details myself…”
“Apocryon the Demon King is still out there. You and Charlene will have to work together to finish him. That old man Hades seems to have high hopes for you, too.”
“Can’t you just handle it yourself, Lady Annette?”
“I already told you. Grim Reapers must avoid meddling in the human realm whenever possible. That’s why we’re trusting the two of you.”
“…Right. It’s just that I’m usually busy running the shop, and Charlene really enjoys her maid work, so—”
“Oh my. Kailon, acolyte of Grim Reaper Annette?” Her voice turned sweetly mocking. “Are you making excuses to your master right now?”
I winced. Yeah… she was right. I was the acolyte. She was the master. Damn it. Had I really agreed to this without thinking it through? I’d been blinded by the promise of real power…
I looked away and hurried to pull my clothes on. That was when a familiar voice cut through the trees.
“I wondered where Master had wandered off to… So this is how you’ve been spending your time?”
Crap. Charlene.
Annette, still sitting naked in the sparkling water, waved cheerfully. “Charlene! It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“What do you mean, a while?! Put some clothes on right now!”
Charlene’s shout echoed off the rocks. She was clearly furious.
In the end, Charlene didn’t say a single word to me the whole way home. She was definitely sulking.
Wait—I hadn’t done anything wrong! I was just bathing alone when Annette appeared out of nowhere. That blonde, big-chested Grim Reaper had dragged me into another ridiculous misunderstanding.
I flopped onto my bed the moment I got to my room. This wasn’t the time to be stressing about women. Annette had reminded me of my mission. I still didn’t understand what that old man Hades, god of the underworld, was thinking… but it looked like he wanted me and Charlene to clean up every mess that appeared in the human realm.
What was that old geezer planning? I’d never even seen his face, but I’d love to sit him down and demand some answers.
While I was lying there fuming and sorting my thoughts, a familiar voice drifted through the window.
“Kailon? Where did you go earlier?”
I shot upright and threw the window open. Right across from me, Princess Mage was leaning on the sill with her chin in both hands, watching me.
Oh. She was dressed comfortably for her rare day off—loose shirt, relaxed posture. Cute.
“Ah, nothing important. Just had some business in the mountains. What about you, Princess?”
“Reading and resting, mostly. Where’s Charlene?”
“Hmm…”
When I scratched my cheek with an awkward expression, her eyes widened.
“Why that face? Did you two fight?”
“N-no, of course not. I’m a grown man of twenty-five, you know. Haha.”
…She was way too perceptive. How had she caught that?
Princess Mage kept staring at me, chin still propped on her hands. The pose was completely unguarded. Her loose shirt had slipped just enough to hint at soft curves underneath. Today really was out to torment me.
I decided to ask the question that actually mattered.
“Princess, do you have any new information on Sephirot and the Demon King Apocryon? They’ve gone suspiciously quiet.”
“We’re searching too, but we haven’t found a trace. The palace keeps sending letters asking for updates. They still haven’t even caught their scent.”
“As expected…”
At that exact moment my bedroom door flew open and Charlene stormed in.
“Oh my. Master is flirting with another woman again. Honestly, the second I look away—”
“That’s not what’s happening! Charlene, I was having an important conversation with Princess Mage.”
“Important conversation?”
Charlene narrowed her eyes, then marched straight to the window and called across to the princess.
“Princess Mage? What exactly were you talking about with my master?”
“The Demon King Apocryon and Sephirot. Why? Is that a problem?”
The princess’s tone was openly provocative. Charlene’s eyes narrowed even further. She gave a little snort.
“Doesn’t seem like a lie. But Princess? Why are you staying on the second floor? Shouldn’t the bedrooms in that house be on the first floor?”
“I’ve always lived on the upper levels of the palace. Why? Does my superior maid have the right to question even that?”
“It’s not a question of rights. I’m simply curious.”
“It is meddling. Charlene. Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”
“Who’s jealous? Have you seen me act jealous?”
The two of them kept sniping back and forth until both their faces were bright red.
…How childish. Did women really fight over things like this? I rubbed my forehead, then decided this was the perfect moment to clear up the misunderstanding from earlier. I leaned close and whispered to Charlene.
“Charlene, Annette didn’t come just to play around. It looks like that old man Hades wants the two of us to destroy Apocryon and Sephirot.”
“That old man’s thoughts are always like that. The reason he sent me to the human realm was probably because of what’s coming.”
“What’s coming?”
“The human realm is about to get noisy. That old man Hades can see where the threads of fate are stretching.”
Great. It was going to be exhausting.
While we were whispering, Princess Mage narrowed her eyes again.
“What are you two whispering about so intimately over there?”
“Why? Curious, Princess? Too bad—I don’t feel like telling you.”
Charlene let out a theatrical “Hohoho.” It sounded positively wicked. The princess’s face flushed crimson.
At this rate she was going to get an earful from Charlene every shift. I decided to ask the important question.
“So what are we going to do, Charlene?”
Her laughter cut off instantly. “Hades’ orders are absolute. I have to obey.”
…Of course. No matter how much she complained about him, when push came to shove she treated his authority like law. He was the god of the underworld, after all.
“Hey, Princess? You want to eliminate Apocryon and that vile mage Sephirot too, right?”
The princess nodded vigorously.
Charlene continued. “Then please share any important information you have. It looks like we’ll be the ones dealing with them.”
“Just me handing over information feels a little one-sided, don’t you think, Charlene?”
The princess twirled a lock of hair around her finger and added slyly, “I’d like the truth about your real identity, the identity of that blonde woman who defeated Apocryon last time, exactly what happened between you and Kailon, and what sort of relationship you two actually have. It’s about time we all stopped hiding things, isn’t it?”
Charlene slammed the window shut with a loud “Bleh!” and called back, “Not yet. For a mere human.”
For a mere human? She was the one currently walking around in a human body.
At the same moment, in a dense forest near the capital of Aurelium, Duke Lucas Eisenvelt was finally meeting the person he had spent so long trying to contact.
As he stepped down from his small two-wheeled carriage, a figure swept into view from the shadows.
The sinister arch-mage Sephirot—the man who had summoned Apocryon and now carried the empire’s highest bounty—approached slowly, leaning on his staff.
“My, my. The real power behind the empire, Duke Eisenvelt himself, has come looking for me. What could possibly make you so desperate to meet?”
Eisenvelt gave a bold laugh. “We seem to share a common goal. At this point, a little negotiation seems reasonable. Don’t you think, Sephirot?”
“Negotiation?”
Sephirot tilted his head, considering. Apocryon was still recovering from his wounds and couldn’t fight at full strength. Cooperating with this man might not be the worst option.
He tapped his staff once and spoke.
“Very well. Let’s each state what we want. With complete honesty.”