The Death God's Hunt

This world was a brutal place where the law of the jungle reigned supreme.

It wasn't unusual for helpless people to be casually killed by bandits. Entire towns could be wiped out by powerful monsters.

To do what I wanted in such a world, I needed to become strong.

Alright then, first I needed to check how much of Bloom's power I could actually use.

Wanting to test my abilities, I accepted a random monster subjugation request from the Adventurer's Guild and made my way to the plains where monsters were said to appear.

Registration with the Adventurer's Guild was already complete. It seemed Bloom had been making her living as an adventurer.

I had a vague sense of what Bloom was like before I possessed her—the body still retained faint memories.

A girl whose family was murdered, who swore vengeance and obtained the Death God's power.

She was completely different from me—the original Bloom, exactly as depicted in the source material.

—However, she was already dead.

Her body lived, but I couldn't sense her soul's presence.

Judging from the circumstances, she must have succumbed to Death's Allure and lost her sense of self.

Using the Soul Reaping Arts was like playing Russian roulette every time she used her power. She happened to pull the trigger when a bullet was chambered.

That was all there was to it.

While I mourned her death, for now I needed to focus on myself. It would be a shame to let the body Bloom left behind perish so easily.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

"—Let death's beckoning come forth."

I felt power welling up from deep within my chest.

Bloom's power—the Soul Reaping Arts—wasn't something she could use from birth.

She had enhanced her own Soullight by contracting with the Death God.

Soullight was a power that some people in this world possessed. Bloom's had awakened on its own.

The Soul Reaping Arts, on the other hand, were layered on top of that foundation—a gift from the Death God.

What Bloom's Soullight desired was "to kill her family's murderer."

The Death God took notice of that obsession and proposed a contract, granting her power.

The price was twenty years of her lifespan.

Though if she kept using this power, she'd probably lose her life before her lifespan ran out anyway.

"'Soul Reaping Arts—Fog That Heralds Death.'"

When I activated the power, white fog spread throughout the area. The fog was so thick I couldn't even see the scenery right in front of me.

"Ohh, this is just like the original…!"

I couldn't help but be moved as a fan of the source material.

Fog That Heralds Death was Bloom's signature ability.

Whenever she appeared, thick fog would blanket the surroundings, turning even midday as dark as midnight.

A fitting stage for one who reaped souls like the death god she was.

Furthermore, anyone within this fog would be constantly assailed by a vague sense of dread.

The fear that death was imminent.

Like looking down from the edge of a cliff. Or the sensation of falling backward toward the ground.

Such feelings would greatly exhaust those fighting within.

The protagonists would struggle each time this fog appeared, forced to battle the formidable enemy known as Bloom.

"And then—'Death God's Hound.'"

When I chanted, a dog materialized at my feet.

A gray body, red glowing eyes. Around its neck was a spiky collar.

The hound was Bloom's faithful vanguard, executing her commands without question.

With superior legs for running down prey and the ability to breathe fire—it was quite the capable hunting dog.

"Hunt that Huge Bee over there."

Upon receiving the order, the hound shot off at tremendous speed, clamped down on the giant bee monster—a Huge Bee—and tore its torso apart with its fangs.

"Ohh, impressive…"

The Death God's Hound was roughly as strong as I'd imagined.

Might as well have it help with the rest of the Huge Bee subjugation.

I'd been slowly slicing through them one by one with my scythe, but the hound was far faster.

Thanks largely to the hound, I completed the Adventurers' Guild request and claimed my reward.

If I could wield this much power, I wouldn't fall behind in combat.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

After that, I silently continued building experience as an adventurer.

Between monster subjugation requests and bounty hunting, I eventually came to be feared as "White Fog Death."

Having gained confidence in my abilities, it was time to move on to the next phase.

Finding and observing the original characters.

You could even say I'd been lopping off scoundrels' heads and saving money precisely for this purpose.

Currently, we were in the timeline before the original story began.

That meant finding the protagonist's party would be somewhat difficult.

The protagonist's party consisted of four members, but most came from completely different backgrounds.

The protagonist—a farmer—and his childhood friend would still be in their hometown in the Holy Kingdom around this time, and pinpointing Gil's location would be nearly impossible.

The easiest one to observe would probably be Fren.

Fren was a girl born into a count's family who spent her early years at the family mansion.

However, due to a certain incident, she would lose her family and go on to live as a mage.

If her family was still alive, she would be in Crael territory.

My always-active ability—Death God's Eye—could see through the darkness of night, so nighttime wouldn't hinder my movements.

In fact, since there were fewer monsters at night, it was more convenient for traveling.

Walking day and night without rest, I reached the forest at the edge of Crael territory.

"… Should be about time."

I roasted and ate meat from monsters I'd killed along the way.

There wasn't a single person in the night forest. I'd dealt with most of the nearby monsters myself.

If my map was accurate, beyond this forest I should be able to see the Crael family mansion.

Once I spotted the largest mansion in the territory, I'd observe it from afar using Death God's Eye.

If I was lucky, I might be able to see Fren, slightly younger than at the story's start, and…

"Gehehehehe…"

Oops, that slipped out. I just made a creepy sound with this pretty girl's voice.

"… Hm?"

I heard someone's voice from far away.

Strange. There hadn't been anyone around until just now.

I extinguished the campfire I'd been using to roast meat and moved toward the voice. Multiple men shouting angrily. A girl's screams.

… Robbers, perhaps?

Thinking that, I moved forward, and Death God's Eye captured the people present.

Several men. Their clothes splattered with blood.

And the girl collapsed nearby, tears streaming down her face—Fren.

The moment I saw that scene, everything I'd been thinking flew right out of my head.

"—Don't touch Fren with those filthy hands."

I summoned Fog That Heralds Death. In my hands was the Death God's Scythe.

Activating my Soul Reaping Arts, I used the fog as cover and attacked the men.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

It was a moonless night.

"Hah… hah…"

Fren Crael was desperately running through the night forest.

Her stylish shoes were already caked in mud.

Her cute dress, tailored from fine fabric, was soiled with sweat and dirt.

For Fren, who had been carefully raised inside the mansion, this was the longest she had ever run in her life.

Her lungs burned. Her heart pounded deafeningly. Her feet ached.

But she had to keep running.

If she stopped, Fren would simply die.

"Father… Mother…"

Thinking of her beloved family, Fren felt tears threatening to spill again.

Today, Fren's parents had been brutally murdered by intruders in the mansion.

Happiness had shattered in an instant.

The knights protecting the mansion were slain in moments, and her father and mother inside had their heads taken.

In this kingdom where public order continued to deteriorate, such tragedies weren't even particularly rare.

The nation's power continued to decline while outlaws grew ever stronger.

The sole remaining daughter, Fren, had only been spared as a plaything for the bandits.

"Augh…!"

Fren collapsed.

A crossbow bolt was lodged in her leg.

"Yes! Hit! That means I'm first!"

"Tch! Lucky bastard, getting a noble lady's first time!"

Several men approached the fallen Fren.

These were the men who had been "hunting" her moments ago.

The very bandits who had killed Fren's parents.

Every man wore the same vulgar grin.

Fren understood her fate and began quietly crying.

The man who had successfully brought down his prey approached to claim his reward, roughly grabbing Fren by the hair.

"Ngh… stop… please, stop…"

"Ooh, you do have a pretty face. Your mom was some gaudy old hag, so how'd she end up with a kid like this?"

The man touched Fren's body with a leering smile.

"Why… why is this happening…"

Fren lamented with trembling lips.

Neither Fren nor her family had done anything wrong.

They had simply been living their lives.

So why did they have to be killed and violated for these men's amusement?

Half-unconsciously, she murmured:

"God… please, please save me."

"Hah! There ain't no god! Otherwise, how would scum like me get to do whatever I want!"

Fren's prayer was denied.

In this cruel world where outlaws ran rampant, the weak were devoured, and monsters roamed freely—there was no god to save Fren now.

Fren's prayer was childish, meaningless, foolishly out of touch with reality.

—However, those words reached a being far removed from any god of salvation.

"… What's this?"

Suddenly, fog began settling around them.

The white fog was so thick it obscured their vision entirely.

The man who had been reaching for Fren looked around.

"… No way."

One of the bandits muttered.

He had heard the rumors.

Of a death god who appeared with white fog and reaped souls.

"'White Fog Death'—"

The moment he spoke that epithet, the man's head fell.

"?!"

Panic spread among the bandits.

They drew their weapons and looked around.

But death had already caught hold of them.

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

One by one, the bandits whose lives were being reaped let out death cries.

To Fren watching from the side, it looked as though a blade floating in midair was taking the bandits' heads.

A blade moving freely through the fog—was that a scythe?

She couldn't even tell what the death god looked like. The shadow writhing through the fog hunted the bandits without ever revealing itself.

"Hey, someone do something!"

"Like hell we can! We don't even know where they are! … Gah!?"

"Shit… I'm using my trump card! Everyone get down!"

One of the bandits shouted and opened the grimoire in his hands.

That grimoire was precisely how the bandits had been able to massacre the count's knights so easily.

"###!"

The bandit screamed in an incomprehensible language, and the grimoire glowed ominously in response.

The eerie light enveloped the bandit's body, transforming it into something monstrous.

"—###!"

A pitch-black body with sharp claws. The goat-like face had already lost all human reason.

This was truly a being called a demon.

Demonification. This forbidden art explosively enhanced the user's physical abilities and wouldn't release until the target was killed.

The bloodshot-eyed demon surveyed the fog, then eventually shot straight forward.

"#!"

Sharp claws slashed out. Their speed rivaled the blade that had been reaping the bandits' heads.

The aim was true, locking onto the death god lurking in the white fog.

—However, those claws never reached the death god.

"Ga, AAAAAAAAH!"

The death god effortlessly dodged the strike, and her blade closed in.

The first slash severed the right arm; the follow-up took the head.

The demon's body collapsed on the spot and eventually turned to ash, vanishing completely.

"No way… Big Bro got taken out…?"

"You're kidding… he never lost, even against the royal capital's knights…"

"W-We can't win… run, ruuuun!"

The bandits had already lost their will to fight, but the death god's blade didn't stop.

Each swing of the blade brought another scream.

In just a few minutes, the bandits were slaughtered to the last man, leaving only Fren—who could do nothing but stare blankly at the carnage.

"—Ah."

Before she knew it, the death god was standing right in front of her.

A delicate girl who looked like she might vanish like mist if you took your eyes off her.

Silver hair that gleamed fantastically. A body smaller than fourteen-year-old Fren's.

Her eerily perfect face wore an expression that seemed frozen in place.

In her slender arms—thin enough they looked like they might snap—she held a scythe taller than herself.

The great scythe that had killed numerous bandits gleamed with a crimson blade, as if to say it was still hungry for more.

"P-Please don't kill me…"

Certain she too would be easily beheaded just like the bandits, Fren pleaded through her tears.

She knew such begging was meaningless.

Yet with death looming before her, Fren couldn't help but plead.

But the death god, hearing Fren's words, furrowed her brow as if troubled.

"… I won't kill you. I came to save you."

"… Huh?"

Fren's eyes went wide at the unexpected words.

Seeing her reaction, the death god lowered her eyebrows again, looking troubled once more.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

After saving Fren, I took her back to the Crael family mansion for now.

The inside of the mansion was a mess.

Bodies lay everywhere, and valuables had been roughly plundered.

I made sure to reap the heads of all the bandits still sleeping in the mansion.

"Um…"

After finishing the light "cleaning" of the mansion and returning to Fren, she spoke to me in a trembling voice.

Apparently she was still frightened of me.

Wanting to convey "I'm on your side," I tried to speak as gently as possible.

"—What?"

… An extremely cold voice came out.

Fren flinched and became even more frightened.

Total failure.

This body apparently became tongue-tied whenever I tried to talk to someone.

It had been the same at the Adventurers' Guild.

Personally, I'd wanted to at least befriend the receptionist, but my poor communication skills never improved and I just kept scaring people off.

To begin with, the aura Bloom exuded seemed unsettling to others.

Having contracted with the Death God, Bloom always carried an aura of death.

Anyone who faced her would feel an inexplicable sense of intimidation.

"Rest here tonight. If bandits return, I'll kill them."

Let's give up on smooth communication for now.

I gave Fren one-sided instructions.

I mean, I hadn't planned to make direct contact with original characters anyway.

I just happened to come across Fren being attacked, so I ended up saving her.

If I'd left her alone, Fren would have awakened her power and fought off the men just like in the source material.

Fren's power—her Soullight—awakened her magical talent.

The origin of her Soullight was her desire to remain noble and true to herself.

Her ideal was to embody the noblesse oblige her father always spoke of—to become a true noble.

From there, she would grow into a powerful mage capable of protecting the weak—but I might have stolen that opportunity from her.

… Hmm. But even so, not helping in that situation would have weighed on my conscience.

Besides, there was no guarantee Fren would awaken her power and be saved at the last moment just like in the source material.

"Um!"

As I turned my back to leave Fren, she called out to me.

When I turned around silently, she timidly spoke.

"Thank you for saving me."

"…"

… Ah, hearing those words—maybe canon divergence didn't matter at all.

Feeling warm inside, I left the scene.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

"Did you get your thoughts in order after sleeping on it?"

"Yes… there are still parts where my head hasn't caught up, but I need to think about what comes next."

… She's strong.

Her tone was remarkably clear for someone who had only buried her parents this very morning.

Her eyes looked straight at me.

"What will you do to survive now?"

"Yes. I intend to abandon the Crael name and live as an adventurer. My father taught me the basics of magic."

Her resolve seemed firm. But I had some concerns.

"Then where will you register at the Adventurers' Guild? What about preparing a base of operations? If you're staying at an inn, do you have the funds on hand? How will you make a living at first? Can you handle commoner food?"

"Eh? Um, uh…"

As I fired off questions in rapid succession, the eyes that had been looking straight at me began to waver.

Well, as expected. This is what happens when a sheltered young lady suddenly tries to venture into the outside world.

"Sorry, I was being a bit mean. But there are probably more things to consider than you realize… So let me help you a little at first."

I hadn't originally planned to say this, but I really couldn't leave Fren on her own like this.

"Eh, you, death god…? Why?"

"I'm not a death god. I'm Bloom."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Bloom… Oh, how rude of me. I am Fren Crael. I am deeply grateful for the great debt of saving my life."

"… Mm."

Nodding briefly at Fren's polite introduction was all I could manage… I wished this body could be a bit more personable.

"—I sense a quality radiance of soul from you."

For why I was helping Fren, I gave the fabricated reason I'd just thought up.

She tilted her head slightly.

"Those with the potential for Soullight are precious. It would be wasteful for such a soul to perish without being polished. The finer the soul to reap, the better. The Death God is pleased."

Crap, I'm losing track of what I'm even saying…

I couldn't actually see other people's soul radiance anyway.

Sure enough, Fren's eyes were going wide.

"Anyway, you have the aptitude to awaken Soullight… Or perhaps you can already use it."

"Soullight? No, I…"

"Place your hand on your chest and focus on that radiance within."

In the source material, Fren's trigger for awakening Soullight was her parents' death.

If that was the case, she might have awakened even without the experience of fighting off the bandits.

Fren placed her hand on her chest—and eventually gasped, eyes widening as if realizing something.

"Could this be…?"

Oh, she really did awaken!

Good. I was worried I'd come off as some weirdo spouting nonsense…

"'Ice Arrow!'"

Fren immediately chanted, thrust her palm forward, and launched an arrow of ice.

The arrow reached its target—a tree—in an instant, shattering it.

"Amazing! My magic has become this powerful…!"

The Crael family was a lineage of mages. She must have been able to use magic before.

However, a mage who had awakened to Soullight could produce magic incomparably more powerful than one who hadn't.

If a normal mage's magic was a pistol, then a Soullight-awakened mage's was like a machine gun.

"If you master Soullight, your magic will become even stronger."

"P-Please! Please teach me how!"

"Calm down. The radiance of the soul doesn't change overnight. You should become an adventurer as you originally planned and gain lots of experience. Your power will naturally follow."

"I-I see…"

After hearing my words, Fren eventually looked straight at me and declared:

"In that case, I humbly ask for your guidance from now on, Master!"

"… I'm not your master."

I gently denied her bright words.

I was merely a side character. Just training wheels until Fren could stand on her own.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

I brought Fren back to my current base in the royal capital.

The room I was renting at the inn was quite large. One more person like Fren could easily stay with me.

After briefly explaining the situation to the innkeeper, I carried Fren's belongings to the room.

Throughout all this, Fren seemed constantly flustered. That side of her was different from my image of her in the source material, which made it memorable.

After finishing preparations, I turned to face Fren again.

"Now then, Fren, I'll have you start training right away."

"T-Training… I'm a little scared, but I'll do my best!"

Fren clenched her fist in determination.

That was cute too, but she didn't need to psych herself up so much for this.

"First, shopping. We're buying vegetables and such."

"… Huh?"

I brought the confused Fren to the royal capital's marketplace.

Basically, I took my meals at the dining hall attached to the inn.

My earnings as an adventurer were decent, so I had some money to spare.

That said, the dining hall wasn't open every day, so I cooked for myself about once a week.

I didn't know what kind of life Fren would lead going forward, but I figured I should teach her now while I could.

We stepped into the bustling market. Fren seemed terribly bewildered by the sight of so many people moving about chaotically.

"Fren, this way."

Her footing was so precarious that I took Fren's hand and pulled her along.

"Eh, ah…"

She let out a flustered sound.

Her hand was much softer than I'd imagined, and my heart secretly raced.

My oshi's hand… it's so warm…!

With that and other moments, we arrived at the usual stall I frequented.

This shop dealt in fruits and vegetables.

"I was planning to buy lettuce here. Try buying one."

"Y-Yes… Mmm."

Fren studied the lettuce on display, humming in thought, before eventually picking one up.

"I'll buy this one."

"Here ya go."

After hearing the price from the gruff shopkeeper, Fren nervously pulled out her purse.

—At that moment, she was suddenly slammed into from behind.

"Ouch!?"

Without so much as a glance at the staggering Fren, the man who had bumped into her tried to leave.

In his hand was Fren's purse.

A pickpocket. Not a particularly rare crime in the royal capital.

"—Stop."

More or less what I'd expected.

I closed in on the fleeing man and grabbed him by the collar from behind.

"Gack!?"

"Give it back."

"Eek!? O-Okay! I'll give it back! I'll give it back, so please don't kill me!"

… I only told him to give it back. The man started trembling on his own and handed over the purse while pleading. After checking the contents, I released him, and he fled at incredible speed.

"Um, Bloom… I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I half expected this would happen."

I'd noticed someone following us from the start.

Since I sensed no killing intent, I figured it was probably a pickpocket and let them be.

It would be a learning experience for Fren.

That's what I thought when I let it happen, but perhaps I was a bit cruel.

Having had her purse stolen, Fren's eyes were faintly tearful.

… Being looked at like that made me feel a pang of guilt.

"I said this was training. That was part of it."

"Y-Yes."

I tried to comfort her in my own inarticulate way, but Fren remained dejected.

After that, we didn't encounter any more pickpockets, and the rest of the shopping went smoothly.

Carrying our shopping basket back to the inn, we arrived just as the sun was setting.

"Fren, can you cook?"

"Ah… no, um, the servants always did the cooking…"

"I see."

Fren hung her head again.

Ugh, what a failure at communication…

Feeling a bit regretful, I started cooking anyway.

It wasn't anything complicated.

Barley bread with grain soup. And a salad.

The meals Fren had eaten at the mansion were probably much better quality.

Even so, she ate my cooking with apparent relish.

"Bloom, I'm really sorry about today…"

"Don't worry about it."

Even after hearing my words, Fren's expression remained dark.

As she tore her bread into small pieces and ate, she suddenly paused and spoke.

"I really can't do anything, can I…"

Her words reminded me of my previous life.

"… I couldn't do anything either, back then. Far less than you can now, Fren."

"You, Bloom…?"

When I nodded, Fren looked at me with disbelief. But I wasn't lying to comfort her.

"That's right. So don't worry about it. For now, just eat and cheer up."

When you're feeling down, eating something tasty helps. That too was something I'd learned from my previous life.

"… Yes! Thank you!"

After saying that, Fren's expression was brighter than before.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

As time passed, Fren quickly learned basic household tasks.

Her cooking was now even better than mine.

"Fren, you don't need to make food for me too."

"No! If I leave you alone, you barely eat anything! You need to eat more!"

She didn't need to go out of her way for me…

Since Fren was so eager to cook, I'd been leaving the cooking entirely to her lately.

"How is it?"

"Mm, delicious."

"Really!? I'm so glad!"

When I praised her, Fren smiled brightly.

That smile was so radiant I almost felt embarrassed.

After that, for some reason, Fren watched me eat with a beaming smile.

—At this rate, Fren should be fine on her own.

Not just life skills—she'd gotten quite used to working as an adventurer too.

She wouldn't have any trouble earning her daily bread.

The training wheels were no longer needed.

Early the next morning, I left Fren sleeping at the inn and headed out alone.

I left a note saying something like "Do your best on your own from here."

After this, she'd follow the source material and team up with the protagonists.

—At that time, I had no idea how much my presence had affected Fren.