Chapter 442
In the late afternoon, warm sunlight streamed through the apartment window, gently enveloping the living room.
Lying sprawled out on the floor in the house where Yerin had left, I basked in the warmth.
Perhaps because I was lying motionless with my eyes closed, the Mini Grim Reapers, who had been cautiously watching, began to approach one by one.
Quietly, they snuck up, making sure to make no sound.
Finally, when they reached my side, they attached themselves to me with happy expressions.
Worried I might wake up, they slowly and carefully crawled over me, settling down comfortably.
‘So soft.’
‘Warm…’
‘Hehe, it’s mom.’
The Mini Grim Reapers’ murmurs of determination reached my ears.
I had turned the Golden Horn Grim Reaper, who had falsely accused me of being ‘mom,’ into ‘mom’ instead.
‘No way!’
‘Mom…’
Five Golden Horn Grim Reapers fell into the trap of pretending to sleep like ‘mom.’
Hehe.
After creating a tower with the Golden Horn Grim Reapers who had become ‘mom,’ I laid back down under the sunlight, turning my gaze only toward the living room table.
On the table, the Saintess Doll was sitting quietly.
There was a book open before her, and she was intently reading it.
Hehe.
Seeing this, I couldn’t help but smile slightly.
The Saintess Doll reading a book was a reflection of how Yerin’s plan for proxy work had already failed before it even started.
Perhaps because she had lived in China, the Saintess Doll didn’t know Korean, not even Hangul.
How could Yerin have sent her for proxy work when she didn’t even know Korean, despite her appearance being identical?
It would have been discovered immediately.
Perhaps that’s why Yerin had thrown a Korean language textbook at her, unable to do anything else before heading off to work.
Much like the Golden Horn Grim Reaper, who looked incredibly sad after having its candy taken away just before it could eat it.
Hmm.
In fact, Yerin’s plan was full of problems beyond just the lack of knowledge of Hangul.
An eye patch for vision problems could only be used for a day or two, and wearing it daily didn’t seem so easy. Moreover, the Saintess Doll couldn’t speak and could only communicate through mental waves, which was a huge obstacle.
How exactly did Yerin plan to deal with this mental wave problem?
I had no idea.
Well, since she’s an elite enough to be a researcher, she must have some method.
[Excuse me…]
While I was lost in thought, the Saintess Doll seemed to sense my gaze and cautiously spoke to me.
It felt as if she were addressing a deity, speaking with reverence.
[God? Gray Grim Reaper? What should I call you?]
‘…’
As soon as I heard her mental wave, my rebellious instinct kicked in, and I wanted to retort, “Why am I your god?”
But, when I thought back to the events I’d experienced, I realized it wasn’t entirely unfounded.
Considering all the things I had gone through and the dreams I’d had, it seemed like there was some connection between the so-called ‘Black Giant’ deity and me.
Though I didn’t have clear evidence, I couldn’t shake that feeling.
‘Call me whatever you like.’
After sending that mental wave, I added, ‘The fact that I can talk is a secret.’
[Yes…]
The Saintess Doll tilted her head with a somewhat confused expression.
Then, suddenly, she looked tense and got up from the table, sending serious mental waves.
[Did the members of the order…]
‘?’
[Did the members of the order reach the promised paradise?]
Her mental waves were slow, as if she was asking something difficult, seemingly afraid of hearing the answer.
I paused for a moment, thinking.
‘I don’t know about objects, but human souls…’
[!]
The Saintess Doll reacted with a shocked expression, as though unable to comprehend how such a thing could happen.
Her expression suggested she believed that, as a ‘god,’ it should be natural for me to be able to handle human souls.
Could there be such content in their doctrines?
No, the Black Giant was a real deity, after all…
Perhaps there were witnesses who could testify to such events.
‘Well, it might be possible someday… but right now, I don’t know.’
[Is that so…]
The Saintess Doll looked down with a rather complex expression.
Her face mixed sadness, regret, and a touch of hope.
Then, she quickly erased that expression, kneeled gracefully, and began praying with her hands clasped together, as though this was her natural state.
[May there be a paradise prepared for the sinful members of the order…]
Under the sunlight streaming through the window, the Saintess Doll praying looked remarkably sacred.
It was as if a painting of someone praying under divine light had come to life.
Her very presence made this ordinary apartment feel like a solemn sanctuary.
It suited her well.
Though she looked exactly like Yerin, if Yerin had been the one doing this, it wouldn’t have felt right at all.
Seeing this, the Mini Grim Reapers began to mimic her actions one by one.
‘May there be a Valhalla for humans.’
‘And may we meet again someday.’
Though the actions were imitations of the Saintess Doll, the Mini Grim Reapers’ wishes were sincere and pure.
Perhaps the Golden Horn Grim Reapers, with their limited lifespan, were beginning to think about the afterlife for humans.
‘May it be for humans as well…’
It felt like another wave of yearning for the afterlife was rising.
On the outskirts of Songpa-gu, the highest floor of James Tower, piercing the night sky of Seoul.
Through the massive glass windows, the city lights spread out like stars that had descended to the earth, twinkling in the distance.
Against the backdrop of this dazzling nightscape, James sighed deeply as he sank further into his chair.
“The occurrence of Objects has increased too much…”
His voice was laced with fatigue and worry.
The piles of paperwork on his desk seemed to threaten him, rising higher as if to prove his words true.
James slowly reached for the mug next to him.
The hot chocolate in the cup gave off a sweet aroma, steam rising gently.
Beside him, his loyal Grim Reaper looked at him with a concerned expression, furrowing his brows so deeply that it seemed like he was about to cry.
‘Human… you’re going to die at this rate…’
Seeing that worried expression, James smiled slightly and raised his arms to show off his health.
But the Golden Horn Grim Reaper’s expression remained unchanged.
James reached out and gently rubbed the frown on the Grim Reaper’s face, saying, “It’s fine. No need to worry so much. There are times when work increases and times when it decreases.”
But despite his words, the Golden Horn Grim Reaper’s expression remained dark.
The cute little Grim Reaper, still frowning, was considering tying James up somewhere, but because James disliked it, he could only suffer internally, wriggling with anxiety.
Seeing that, James slowly stood up and walked to the window, holding a newspaper in his hand.
“Shall we take a little break?”
At his voice, the Golden Horn Grim Reaper’s eyes sparkled.
James sank into the soft chair by the window.
The Golden Horn Grim Reaper quickly jumped onto his lap.
With the city’s nightscape as their backdrop, the two began to spend some quiet time together.
James shared some snacks with the Golden Horn Grim Reaper, who was resting comfortably, basking in his warmth.
As they ate, James read the newspaper with the now English-reading Grim Reaper.
While reading the paper, James spotted a familiar journalist’s name.
It was the same reporter who had once written an article titled “The Object Association’s Intervention Leads to the Dissolution of the Anti-Golden Horn Grim Reaper Group.”
He was someone who had written columns frequently warning about the rising pro-Golden Horn Grim Reaper sentiment, calling for neutrality.
The Correlation Between the Appearance of Golden Horn Grim Reapers and the Sharp Decline in Use of Narcotic Painkillers.
The column he wrote this time seemed to try to appear neutral, but in the end, it was focused on how beneficial Golden Horn Grim Reapers were to American society.
“Looks like they received a package with a Golden Horn Grim Reaper after all…”
James muttered softly.
A faint smile crossed his lips.
After his break, as James returned to his desk, a new report came in.
Yellow Detective Office Confirmed to Reopen.
He paused for a moment, tapping his fingers thoughtfully on the desk.
“Guess it’s about time to meet and have a chat.”
Nodding to himself, James called the secretary’s office.
“Please arrange a meeting with the Yellow Detective.”
Before long, the dawn began to break outside the window.
A new day, and a new meeting, awaited him.
Mini Grim Reaper Garden, Marshmallow Plains.
I had returned from Yerin’s apartment and was lying on the soft marshmallows, resting.
‘Something feels different…’
There were Lamp Grim Reapers floating around in Marshmallow Plains.
Was it because of the Lamp Grim Reapers?
It was as if ‘The Lamp Man’ and ‘The Contract Sorcery Book’ had completely disappeared.
Only the transformed Lamp Grim Reapers filled the Marshmallow Plains.
Well, it didn’t matter much.
Then, a news broadcast about the red ring on the black planet started playing on the TV.
‘!’
As soon as I saw that news, I looked around the Marshmallow Plains.
There were no red Grim Reapers in sight.
Maybe the red ones are over there…
It felt like the Marshmallow Plains were empty, but that question was solved by the news.
For a moment, I thought, ‘Could this be dangerous?’ but since I didn’t feel any unease, I decided to leave it.
However, even after realizing the red Grim Reapers were on a trip, an unsettling feeling remained.
What was it?
While pondering that, I suddenly realized something important.
‘There are so few White Gobies left!’
I jumped up and scanned the Marshmallow Plains.
It became clear.
The White Gobies had disappeared!
I expanded my senses to confirm, but I couldn’t locate the White Gobies.
However, I felt a considerable amount of firewood being carried somewhere.
Could they have hidden somewhere?
With a smile naturally spreading across my face, I thought about catching the fleeing White Gobies.
Hehe.
