The winding road stretched southward as Mio led her gray horse along the firm dirt path. Fresh buds swayed on branches in the breeze. Though the air still held a chill, the forest pulsed with new life. The gray horse snorted unhappily, shaking its head. Mio glanced at the passenger on its back—Deus sat slumped in the saddle, utterly dejected. For some reason, the horse seemed able to see the Reaper himself. Carrying such an ill-omened rider made it grumpy. Mio stroked the horse’s head in comfort. The gray horse gave a resigned look, as if saying, "If Master insists, I have no choice," and lowered its head to walk on.

What a thoughtful, well-behaved horse.

Mio ignored Deus’s gloom. Not long ago, all gods were her enemies—and this one was the Reaper, the deity most ill-disposed toward humans. The Night Watch rarely engaged the Reaper directly. Even when forced into battle, they sent combat robots. Robots had no life; they couldn’t die, only break. To the Reaper, enemy of all living things, they were the worst foes. The only time the Night Watch faced him head-on, they lost thirty-four augmented warriors and one thousand six hundred seventy-seven Ghostface Special Forces soldiers before barely driving him back.

"Uh... Mio?"

"Please don’t speak to me. Thank you."

"Eep! That’s so harsh," Deus whined, his face drooping. "I finally found someone I can talk to, and you treat me like this... It hurts, it really hurts..."

"Just follow me quietly to the next town. Nothing else."

"Can’t we even be friends?"

"Out of the question!" Mio sighed. "Besides, who’d be friends with the Reaper?"

"True... Damn it! I’m speechless! So sad!"

Setting aside the Reaper’s puppy-eyed antics, Mio pondered her next move. Seralni was drawing near. Delivering Rukhus’s ashes to his family would complete her first objective. What then? Exploring this unknown world might take years. She didn’t know her own lifespan—how many decades would circling the globe consume? If she grew old and frail one day, she’d have to stop, wouldn’t she?

Deus had said he couldn’t see her lifespan, but that didn’t mean she had no limit. To Mio, human life was fleeting—a mere century, like wind-blown blossoms and moonlit shadows. She glanced at Deus on the horse and caught him examining Rukhus’s ashes with keen interest.

"What are you doing?!" She snatched the ashes away.

"Eep, sorry!" Deus raised his hands. "I instinctively sensed an Undead presence. I was preparing to guide the trapped soul to peace."

"Regrettably, Rukhus’s soul has already moved on to reincarnation."

"Usually, those who become wights like this Undead have their souls trapped in their remains," Deus said, eyeing the gun at Mio’s waist. "Wait—did you purify and elevate his soul?"

"I did," Mio said, stroking her beloved gun. "He helped me. I saw him off on his final journey."

"Why carry his ashes? Wouldn’t burying him here be better?"

"Returning his ashes to his homeland is my way of repaying his kindness," Mio said. "Though it brings bad news to his family, it’s a better fate than rotting in the wild. A grave where someone mourns him is a decent resting place."

"I see..." Deus closed his eyes, hand on his chest. "As the Reaper, I’ve witnessed countless partings. For the living, nothing hurts more than losing a loved one. If I could, I’d ease their pain. But as the Reaper, all I can do is guide lost souls to reincarnation."

He looked down and found Mio staring at him with wide red eyes, full of surprise. They were only centimeters apart—he could feel the girl’s breath.

"T-too close."

"Ah, sorry." Mio stepped back. "Still, hearing such words from the Reaper... The gods here are truly different from those in my birth world."

"Exactly."

"But that doesn’t mean I like you," Mio shot back with a sharp glare. "I hate gods. Including the Reaper. Remember that..."

"Noted..." Deus slumped, dejected.

"Ah... perfect." Mio let out a small gasp. "My drone spotted a spring. The water looks clean."

"Spring? Drone?"

Ignoring Deus’s puzzled face, Mio led the gray horse off the path. A branch smacked the Reaper riding on the saddle, and he let out an embarrassing yelp.

After walking west about a kilometer, the sound of flowing water reached them. Mio pushed aside the bushes. Clear water reflected the afternoon sun, rippling gently. Captivated by the beauty, Mio gasped softly. She quickly grabbed a waterskin from the saddle—a beautifully crafted one made of animal hide. Dipping it into the spring, it gurgled as bubbles rose. Mio scooped a handful of water and drank. Sweetness spread through her throat.

"Ah... I’m alive again!" Mio stretched out on the pebbles by the spring, sighing contentedly. Suddenly, she noticed a neatly folded set of clothes on a nearby rock, with a longsword resting on top.

Someone else was here?

Mio sat up abruptly and looked toward the spring. The water suddenly churned. A cascade of dazzling golden hair erupted from below, water droplets sparkling in the sunlight. Its owner was an eighteen-year-old beauty. Her lovely face held a sharp edge, like a finely decorated longsword—beautiful yet keen. They spotted each other almost simultaneously. Mio lowered her head in embarrassment, apologizing.

"Sorry, I wasn’t spying on you bathing. I... I’ll leave right away."

"Wait," the golden-haired beauty said with a generous smile. "It’s fine! We’re both girls, no need to worry. Say, traveler from afar, care to join me for a wash?"

"Huh...?" Mio froze. Normally, the other person would scream "Pervert!" and call the cops. As she puzzled over this, she caught her reflection in the water. A silver-haired, red-eyed beauty stared back, looking uneasy. She’d almost forgotten she wasn’t that 45-year-old man anymore.

"Absolutely gorgeous!" Deus’s nose gushed blood.

Can gods even get nosebleeds? Mio glared at him like he was trash. Deus instantly turned ghostly white, then shattered like a broken spirit.

Good, the pervert’s been dealt with. Mio suddenly wondered: Had this guy used his invisibility to humans to peep in women’s baths before? If so, the gods here were terrible! In a way, even more dangerous! Might as well kill him. Godslaying was the Night Watch’s job anyway.

Just as Mio made up her mind, a wet hand cupped her cheek. The golden-haired beauty had swum to shore unnoticed. Her damp hair hung loose over her shoulders. Her ample chest nearly brushed Mio’s arm. Those sky-blue eyes stared straight into Mio’s face, leaving her flustered.

"Um... excuse me?" Mio said carefully. "Is something wrong?"

"What a lovely child," she said. "Your hair and eye color are so rare. You remind me of someone I know. Thank War God Balder for letting me meet such beauty."

"Ah... you flatter me." Mio looked embarrassed.

"Let’s bathe together," she suddenly hugged her. "Wash away the dust of travel, so you can journey on refreshed."

"Wait, eep!"

Their feet slipped, and they tumbled into the spring together, sending up a huge splash.