“So, this is how it goes.
We were gathered at the cathedral to receive explanations for tomorrow’s magic school enrollment, but instead, we were taken away as substitutes.
It seems we are the sacrifices for the long-cherished wish of the Cult of Insects—the resurrection of the Goddess of Death—a plan they failed to execute five years ago.
‘Ah… my beloved, beloved Blue Milk. My dear Blue Milk, I can finally meet you.’
The old woman clad in the black robe of the Cult of Insects. I recognized her.
‘The reincarnated hero from Holga Village! The prophesied children. By offering you to the Goddess of Death, I will reclaim my beloved. Oh, Granny Grelod never gives up.’
She was the caretaker of the orphans in Holga Village, Grelod the Apothecary.
‘…Everyone else, what happened to them?’
‘Oh my, my, my, as expected from the young lady of the Frontier Marquis family… Snow-sama, you truly are loved by the Seven Gods and the Main God.’
‘…Answer the question. Is everyone still alive?’
It’s dark, perhaps a cave. All of us are crucified in a space resembling a hall. Ah, my hands and feet… they must be in terrible condition. In games, such scenes are common in life-field events, but when it’s real, there’s no laughing.
‘Ah, gentle, gentle lamb, rest easy. They are still alive. The Goddess of Death devours life, so they’ll be kept alive until she consumes them.’
Silence.
All around us.
Everyone is crucified on crosses, erected haphazardly like gravestones. Aki, Kasuya-kun, Haru-chan—they’re unconscious, but still breathing.
But this is not good.
Their faces are covered in dark bruises. That can’t be good… I need to heal them quickly!
—Gift, Spirit Sorcerer, activate.
Please, protect everyone.
The faint light visible only to me.
Responding to my voice, they scatter to protect everyone.
‘Snow-sama, you truly are a strange child. The Mark of Death has yet to touch your life. Is it the Gift’s influence? Many spirits are protecting you… even that handsome young man over there is loved by the spirits, but… the dark spirits fear the Goddess of Death, poor thing.’
‘What are you talking about…?’
‘Heh heh heh, no need to hide it. Reincarnated hero, the prophesied child… apostle of the Seven Gods… with this many of you, you could even substitute for those cowardly ingrates… those who should have been sacrificed five years ago, for domination, war, famine…’
‘Five years ago…?’
Snow.
You know your role, don’t you?
This is it. This is where I must fulfill my duty.
‘…What happened five years ago?’
I need to buy time.
The Maris Church or the Frontier Marquis family will surely find this place.
‘Ah, Snow-sama, you don’t know? According to the reports, you were involved, though… Do you not recognize this place? This cave?’
‘…Five years ago, cave… Ah…’
I did recognize it.
That night five years ago when I saw my first real corpse. The pile of meaningless corpses. The cave I was drawn to.
The person in the mask and the three girls—
I am the only one who remembers that day.
Even the instructors didn’t remember what happened after entering the cave.
‘That’s right. This is a place with a legend of the Goddess of Death. One of the stopping points in her long journey… You can feel the lingering scent of death everywhere, can’t you?’
‘I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. Grelod, as a member of the family that governs this land, I command you to release us immediately.’
‘Keh! Heh heh heh, such bravery, young lady… Ah, I can feel the fear in your life… and an equally noble light… so beautiful… you will make a fine sacrifice.’
‘What do you intend to do by reviving the Goddess of Death?’
‘Ah, how admirable, even amidst fear, you seek hope. You’re not in the mud, but looking to the stars. Death loves lives like yours…’
This conversation is useless.
In fact, something is wrong.
Every time this old woman speaks, my head—
I can’t hear everyone’s voices anymore, I can’t hear everyone’s voices anymore.
‘Ah, you… you can hear them, can’t you? The toys of the Seven Gods, or maybe the children of the shattered Maris… well, it doesn’t matter which. Snow… you’re a good girl.’
‘Oh, is that so? Then, how about this—will you show me the mercy of an elder?’
‘Heh heh heh, and wise, with courage to match. Ah, you remind me of my younger self. Snow, in this short time, I’ve come to like you. You understand, don’t you? At this rate, everyone will die.’
‘…’
‘The Gift of the reincarnated hero is powerless before our Goddess, who is on par with the Main God… The Mark of Death is slowly devouring your friends, your precious ones… Ah, I can feel your growing impatience… You’re expecting help from the Maris Church or the Frontier Marquis family… It’s useless. This place is hidden by a grand ritual-class magic barrier… Even the church’s high-ranking officials couldn’t dispel it.’
‘…Can you read minds?’
‘You’ll be able to if you live long enough. You can already hear voices, can’t you? I, too, used to be an Apostle Player of the Gods, you know.’
‘…Apostle Player of the Gods?’
“Ah, yes, this world is an endless game board of the gods… You have been chosen. Ah, how similar we are, you and I…”
“Is that so? But, I don’t suit black clothing. Aunt Grelod looks quite good in black.”
“Oh, how cute, Snow. Pretending to be strong. You’re really terrified and can’t stand it. You want to run away and throw it all away; you really want to live freely, as you please. Yet, because of your nobility, you cannot escape from yourself.”
She closes her eyes and recites, almost like singing.
A shiver runs through me, as if something deep in my heart is being touched—this is…
“I can see your heart… Ah, we’re so similar even in this regard… Your happiness lies only in the past.”
“What do you mean…”
My breath quickens.
I have a bad feeling.
The pace of the conversation is being taken away from me; this is bad, I’m being read…
“Oh, you’re a smart one. You’re protecting the lives of the other reincarnated heroes with spirits, aren’t you? …Hehe. So, what will happen if I do this?”
Suddenly.
“Ah.”
Something is coming in…
A black, shadowy hand extending from her palm?
It pierces through my chest.
“Ah, don’t worry. My hand of death doesn’t affect the body. It’s the heart. Such a beautiful heart you have, but what a fragile interior… Is that iron-like outer wall meant to protect that soft heart? …Oh, what’s wrong, Snow?”
“Ah, ugh…”
“Uwaaaah…”
“U, uuuuh…”
“It hurts, it’s painful…”
Everyone who is crucified is moaning in agony.
—This is bad.
My concentration, the control of the spirits through my gift…!
“My dear friends are suffering, you know. I can’t afford to lose focus.”
“Ugh, you…”
“What a good gift, controlling spirits—that’s a feat worthy of the gods. An S-class gift… Ah, how pitiable, the sacrificial lamb…”
“What, are you… ugh…”
“What, it’s time to finish up. First, let’s offer your friends to the Goddess of Death.”
The groans of my classmates grow louder…
I can’t delay the death that the spirits are bringing…
What should I do, what should I do, what should I do, what should I do?
If I can’t protect them, if my power is insufficient, everyone will die…
No, no, no, no, no…
“Oh, how cute… I can see your despair. The hard walls of your heart are crumbling… Oh?”
“Hi!”
My body stiffens.
Her power seems to have touched something decisive within me…
“Oh, just as I thought, we are quite similar… You too have experienced a sad love.”
“—”
Ah…
I’m being watched.
My heart.
“This fleeting experience you had… is it the memory of an adventure? But it’s strange; it’s not from this world.”
“Ah… stop.”
“Magic, battles, monsters, conflicts, interactions, life, I can see it all, ah, you truly enjoyed it, didn’t you? The place where you could truly be yourself more than the life you imposed on yourself… You had good companions. Good friends. There, no one treated you as royalty. You were just one person.”
“Stop it.”
“I can see your heart; ah, you had fun. You played, fought, traveled, built a home, tilled fields, and then played again. That was what you truly wanted to do. —There was a man who made you realize that, wasn’t there?”
“Don’t look!”
“—Maris ! Today, there’s a 1.5x experience points campaign! Shall we go hunt the head-hunting rabbits? Huh, the ecology encyclopedia? Wow, I didn’t know that existed!”
“You seemed to be endlessly seeking something, perhaps it was a coincidence that you met that man. But the only time you could truly relax was when you were sneaking away to meet him, away from your family…”
“Really, stop.”
“—Rumar, I just hung up the new guild uniforms on the mannequin at the guild house! It was my first time using the design feature, so I’m sorry it’s clumsy.”
“—I made Kida Rumar’s outfit have a snowflake design. If you don’t like it, please feel free to delete it.”
“You were so happy, just as comrades, just as friends. Those moments where you were accepted for being nothing more than yourself—ah, hey… Life field? Game…? Hehehe.”
Ah, ahhhh.
She, Grelod, is laughing.
“The guild name, Brotherhood—”
“—Stop it!!!!!!!”
I raised my voice louder than I ever have in my life.
—Snow, as a royal, such lowly games are unbefitting of you. Do you understand?
—Yes, Father.
Ahhhh, ahhhhhh, aaaaahhhh!
“And, and!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t touch!!!!!!!!!! My, my precious—”
The place I threw away by my own hands.
“Oh, how unfortunate, your concentration is breaking, cute, cute Snow, no.”
Ah, no…
“Yukidaruma-chan.”
The black death marks that appeared on everyone’s faces suddenly spread rapidly—
Ah, everyone will die.
Because of me, because of my—
“And we sing a cursed song…”
“To reach the throne of the gods…”
“Let us sing the song of our beloved king…”
A chill-inducing magical power sweeps through.
Before my eyes, the black bruises on everyone’s faces begin to disappear.
“Eh?”
“…Who are you? I didn’t intend to invite any guests…”
The darkness stirred.
In the shadows of the cave, they were there.
Three figures in black… clothing, is that… a hoodie?
And those shoes… sneakers?
Eh?
“Grelod Majaarm. Elder of the Cult of Insects and the caretaker of the homeless in Holga Village.”
A voice like a fairy singing on the moon.
“Oh dear, what’s this? How rude; do you know the secret of Granny Grelod? Who are you?”
In response to Grelod’s question, they answered immediately.
“Brotherhood.”
Eh.
“Our name is—”
“—Curse Brotherhood.”
