The God of death closed his eyes again. Simone, who was looking at the two black eyes that looked like they were heavily made up, bit her lip without realizing it.
'Isn't this also not an important question right now?'
But this time, Simone had no intention of backing down.
As the God of death says, the opportunity to ask God questions does not come easily.
So I have to ask: Why did I become Simone and why did I have to fight Anasis so many times while almost dying?
Why did it have to be me?
“Did you make me Simone?”
The God of death opened his eyes lazily and looked down at Simone.
[That could be the case.]
“Don’t give me an ambiguous answer. It’s important to me. If it’s not you, then no one else can answer.”
This is not a problem that can be just passed over. How much trouble have I gone through to get here? How many times have I risked my life?
If God made Seo Hyun-Jung into Simone, then he was not Simone's collaborator but her enemy.
The God of death sighed in fatigue as he watched Simone glaring at him with angry eyes.
Yeah, I guess you don't intend to let this go without telling you.
The God of death said.
[Yes, I chose you. The child, despite having made a contract with me, gave up on turning back the 'story' and chose to remain in peace.]
“If it’s that child... Are you talking about the real Simone?”
The God of death nodded.
[It was because my heart had become very weak due to the wounds she received from her own kind.]
Then, for the first time, he turned his eyes away from Simone and looked somewhere else. Simone, who followed his gaze, widened her eyes in surprise.
A nine-foot ghost still bowing down flat on its stomach to pay homage to God. Could that gnarled ghost with long arms be...?
[That child is being punished for not taking responsibility for her own fate. As the watchdog, as my spokesman.]
“Is that... the real Simone?”
Simone's voice trembled slightly.
The God of death nodded nonchalantly while looking at the trembling Seo Hyun-Jung.
[That was the child's soul when it died. It was a horrible form, torn and twisted, wounded by its own kind, and contaminated with malice. After it is punished, it will be purified and find peace.]
That Simone looks like that.
She expected that if Simone's soul was still out there somewhere, it wouldn't be a happy sight, but this was quite a shock.
She stayed in that state, protecting Seo Hyun-Jung who was active in her own body and representing God. What kind of feelings did she have as she watched over herself?
I see.
'Asleep'.
Those words might not have simply been conveyed by the God of Death. She wanted to die, but Simone didn't die, and she was punished, so maybe she really did wish for Seo Hyun-Jung to die sometimes.
Simone, who had been looking at the nine-foot ghost with eyes filled with pity for a moment, looked at the God of death as if she was calm, feeling her eyelids tremble.
“So? What does that have to do with Simone becoming like that and me coming into this body? What do you mean she gave up on turning back the story?"
[Do you know how to make a contract with the God of death?]
“...I don’t know, me.”
[It is experiencing death.]
Simone's expression hardened.
“What is that...”
[I choose as my incarnation the soul that can best carry out what I want among the souls that have experienced death.]
She doesn't understand. She doesn't understand a single word the God of Death is saying. The way to make a contract with the God of Death is to die.
In this situation, doesn't say something like that sound like saying that Seo Hyun-Jung was chosen by the God of death because she died?
'No.'
At least in Seo Hyun-Jung's memory, she never died or attempted to die.
Unlike her confused face, the God of death had a frighteningly calm face.
[I decided that Simone was the absolutely necessary character to turn the story around. But the child's soul chose death, and you died but wanted to live.]
“Dead? What do you mean? I’ve never died...”
...Are you sure it doesn’t exist?
Simone, who was about to ask, suddenly stopped talking. Now that she thinks about it, she doesn't remember anything from right before she was possessed.
Except for the bitter memory of working overtime until dawn, drinking beer, and wondering how long she would have to live like this...
The God of death seemed to have known Simone would react that way, and lightly brushed the conversation aside.
[Your vessel was enough to become my incarnation. That is why I gave you the role of Simone and gave you a chance to live a new life.]
“...Going back to the story-”
[Up to there.]
The God of death lightly stepped onto the floor and reached out his hand to Simone's mouth. The moment his hand touched Simone's lips, a tingling sensation occurred and her mouth closed.
[You're asking too many questions. That's just our problem. Have you asked everything you wanted to ask?]
Simone bit her lips and shook her head.
She had personally asked everything she was curious about. Now it was time to ask the things she absolutely had to ask.
“There is a person who has been cursed by Anasis for a long time and turned into a cat. I want to lift that person’s curse.”
The God of Death's gaze turned to the unconscious Geneon.
He must know the situation since he has been watching Simone through the ghost of the old days.
[If we kill Anasis, all the curses that were put in place because of her will be removed. His curse will also be lifted naturally.]
“I know that, but I want to release it as soon as possible. If it’s a ghost, I can just beat it, but I don’t know what to do if the soul of an animal has entered it.”
[...Why?]
The God of death tilted his head as if he really didn't understand and asked.
"Yes?"
Is there something wrong with my question? Why do you want to lift the curse even a little bit sooner?
[Weren't you the one who cared about him?]
“That’s right, is there a problem?”
[I can personally lift that level of curse right now.]
...So easily? Even though what she had longed for had become possible, Simone’s expression did not brighten. There was something strange about God’s expression. It was a face that did not look very pleasant.
The moment Simone opened her mouth to ask the reason, the God of Death spoke.
[But the moment the curse is lifted, he dies.]
Simone stopped dead in her tracks. Her mind went blank again.
“What is that...”
[Didn't he say anything? Roughly 400 years. That's too long for a human. It seems that aging has stopped due to the curse, but if he's freed from the curse, he'll age just as fast as the time he stopped.]
“Well, what’s the method... How can he live even after the curse is lifted?”
That can't be. He has suffered for a long time. He is also a caring person who has always taken care of Simone.
Of course, once the curse is lifted, it will be awkward for him to not be a cat, but she thought he would be able to live like before, relying on him and listening to his nagging.
Simone looked at Geneon.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He must have known that, but without knowing it, he was just blindly looking for a way to lift the curse.
The God of death reached out to Geneon.
[Baby, do you want the curse lifted? If you want, I will.]
Simone looked at Geneon with a complicated expression and shook her head.
“Not yet... Please don’t do it. I need to talk to Geneon.”
The God of death slowly lowered his hand and nodded.
Simone said, changing the subject.
“Anasis is much stronger than I thought. If she regains all her power, it will be too much for me. That’s why I also want to absorb the Demon King’s power, but the method...”
[It's better to close it.]
The God of Death, who had always answered slowly and leisurely, answered immediately this time.
[If it were you, absorbing it wouldn't be a problem. But if you absorb the Demon King, you will no longer be human.]
Anasis wants to become a being beyond human, so that's why she does it, but Simone doesn't.
When we assumed that the Demon King would be absorbed, we expected that there would be some side effects.
But what if you become non-human?
Simone nodded absentmindedly and asked the next question.
“Last question, in the future, I'd like to talk to you directly or try to possess you myself, not through your pretend ears or Simone's spirit.”
'Isn't this also not an important question right now?'
But this time, Simone had no intention of backing down.
As the God of death says, the opportunity to ask God questions does not come easily.
So I have to ask: Why did I become Simone and why did I have to fight Anasis so many times while almost dying?
Why did it have to be me?
“Did you make me Simone?”
The God of death opened his eyes lazily and looked down at Simone.
[That could be the case.]
“Don’t give me an ambiguous answer. It’s important to me. If it’s not you, then no one else can answer.”
This is not a problem that can be just passed over. How much trouble have I gone through to get here? How many times have I risked my life?
If God made Seo Hyun-Jung into Simone, then he was not Simone's collaborator but her enemy.
The God of death sighed in fatigue as he watched Simone glaring at him with angry eyes.
Yeah, I guess you don't intend to let this go without telling you.
The God of death said.
[Yes, I chose you. The child, despite having made a contract with me, gave up on turning back the 'story' and chose to remain in peace.]
“If it’s that child... Are you talking about the real Simone?”
The God of death nodded.
[It was because my heart had become very weak due to the wounds she received from her own kind.]
Then, for the first time, he turned his eyes away from Simone and looked somewhere else. Simone, who followed his gaze, widened her eyes in surprise.
A nine-foot ghost still bowing down flat on its stomach to pay homage to God. Could that gnarled ghost with long arms be...?
[That child is being punished for not taking responsibility for her own fate. As the watchdog, as my spokesman.]
“Is that... the real Simone?”
Simone's voice trembled slightly.
The God of death nodded nonchalantly while looking at the trembling Seo Hyun-Jung.
[That was the child's soul when it died. It was a horrible form, torn and twisted, wounded by its own kind, and contaminated with malice. After it is punished, it will be purified and find peace.]
That Simone looks like that.
She expected that if Simone's soul was still out there somewhere, it wouldn't be a happy sight, but this was quite a shock.
She stayed in that state, protecting Seo Hyun-Jung who was active in her own body and representing God. What kind of feelings did she have as she watched over herself?
I see.
'Asleep'.
Those words might not have simply been conveyed by the God of Death. She wanted to die, but Simone didn't die, and she was punished, so maybe she really did wish for Seo Hyun-Jung to die sometimes.
Simone, who had been looking at the nine-foot ghost with eyes filled with pity for a moment, looked at the God of death as if she was calm, feeling her eyelids tremble.
“So? What does that have to do with Simone becoming like that and me coming into this body? What do you mean she gave up on turning back the story?"
[Do you know how to make a contract with the God of death?]
“...I don’t know, me.”
[It is experiencing death.]
Simone's expression hardened.
“What is that...”
[I choose as my incarnation the soul that can best carry out what I want among the souls that have experienced death.]
She doesn't understand. She doesn't understand a single word the God of Death is saying. The way to make a contract with the God of Death is to die.
In this situation, doesn't say something like that sound like saying that Seo Hyun-Jung was chosen by the God of death because she died?
'No.'
At least in Seo Hyun-Jung's memory, she never died or attempted to die.
Unlike her confused face, the God of death had a frighteningly calm face.
[I decided that Simone was the absolutely necessary character to turn the story around. But the child's soul chose death, and you died but wanted to live.]
“Dead? What do you mean? I’ve never died...”
...Are you sure it doesn’t exist?
Simone, who was about to ask, suddenly stopped talking. Now that she thinks about it, she doesn't remember anything from right before she was possessed.
Except for the bitter memory of working overtime until dawn, drinking beer, and wondering how long she would have to live like this...
The God of death seemed to have known Simone would react that way, and lightly brushed the conversation aside.
[Your vessel was enough to become my incarnation. That is why I gave you the role of Simone and gave you a chance to live a new life.]
“...Going back to the story-”
[Up to there.]
The God of death lightly stepped onto the floor and reached out his hand to Simone's mouth. The moment his hand touched Simone's lips, a tingling sensation occurred and her mouth closed.
[You're asking too many questions. That's just our problem. Have you asked everything you wanted to ask?]
Simone bit her lips and shook her head.
She had personally asked everything she was curious about. Now it was time to ask the things she absolutely had to ask.
“There is a person who has been cursed by Anasis for a long time and turned into a cat. I want to lift that person’s curse.”
The God of Death's gaze turned to the unconscious Geneon.
He must know the situation since he has been watching Simone through the ghost of the old days.
[If we kill Anasis, all the curses that were put in place because of her will be removed. His curse will also be lifted naturally.]
“I know that, but I want to release it as soon as possible. If it’s a ghost, I can just beat it, but I don’t know what to do if the soul of an animal has entered it.”
[...Why?]
The God of death tilted his head as if he really didn't understand and asked.
"Yes?"
Is there something wrong with my question? Why do you want to lift the curse even a little bit sooner?
[Weren't you the one who cared about him?]
“That’s right, is there a problem?”
[I can personally lift that level of curse right now.]
...So easily? Even though what she had longed for had become possible, Simone’s expression did not brighten. There was something strange about God’s expression. It was a face that did not look very pleasant.
The moment Simone opened her mouth to ask the reason, the God of Death spoke.
[But the moment the curse is lifted, he dies.]
Simone stopped dead in her tracks. Her mind went blank again.
“What is that...”
[Didn't he say anything? Roughly 400 years. That's too long for a human. It seems that aging has stopped due to the curse, but if he's freed from the curse, he'll age just as fast as the time he stopped.]
“Well, what’s the method... How can he live even after the curse is lifted?”
That can't be. He has suffered for a long time. He is also a caring person who has always taken care of Simone.
Of course, once the curse is lifted, it will be awkward for him to not be a cat, but she thought he would be able to live like before, relying on him and listening to his nagging.
Simone looked at Geneon.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He must have known that, but without knowing it, he was just blindly looking for a way to lift the curse.
The God of death reached out to Geneon.
[Baby, do you want the curse lifted? If you want, I will.]
Simone looked at Geneon with a complicated expression and shook her head.
“Not yet... Please don’t do it. I need to talk to Geneon.”
The God of death slowly lowered his hand and nodded.
Simone said, changing the subject.
“Anasis is much stronger than I thought. If she regains all her power, it will be too much for me. That’s why I also want to absorb the Demon King’s power, but the method...”
[It's better to close it.]
The God of Death, who had always answered slowly and leisurely, answered immediately this time.
[If it were you, absorbing it wouldn't be a problem. But if you absorb the Demon King, you will no longer be human.]
Anasis wants to become a being beyond human, so that's why she does it, but Simone doesn't.
When we assumed that the Demon King would be absorbed, we expected that there would be some side effects.
But what if you become non-human?
Simone nodded absentmindedly and asked the next question.
“Last question, in the future, I'd like to talk to you directly or try to possess you myself, not through your pretend ears or Simone's spirit.”
The God of death opened his eyes wide in surprise.
[Did you know that it was me who possessed you?]
Simone nodded.
“To be exact, it was an indirect possession through the nine-legged ghost.”
How could I not know? With such an overwhelming force, he pressed down on Simone's soul and struck Anasis with explosive force.
Even if Anasis's powers had not fully returned, who else but the God of Death could easily subdue someone like that?
“You protected me, didn’t you? I was afraid I would die.”
At Simone's words, the God of death looked at her with a face that seemed pleased for some reason.
“But wouldn’t it be stronger if we could connect directly rather than indirectly through the ghost and Simone? Even if it’s only for a short time, it would definitely be of great help in the fight against Anasis.”
Even five minutes would be fine. She was willing to take some risks if she could get direct help from God in a moment of crisis.
The God of death laughed lightly at Simone's words.
Oh, did it work? Simone looked at the God with a face full of anticipation.
Then God spoke in a gentle voice.
[If you want me, just die.]
“...”
If you're going to refuse, don't laugh.
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