Chapter 6: The Fate of Souls

Leon arrived at a slow pace, driving a horse-drawn carriage.

As soon as he stepped down, he grinned and called out:

"Hey, Shou! I’ve been wanting to see you!"

He reached out, intending to pick her up—but then he froze.

"Shou… are you going fishing?"

Oops. She was still holding her bucket and stick.

Falco burst into laughter again, so Shou smacked his legs with her stick.

Oh wait—there was a guest.

She quickly set the bucket, stick, short sword, and chopsticks on the ground.

Leon immediately took the opportunity to scoop her up.

Yep. Apparently, being lifted was just standard procedure here.

So Falco hadn’t been lying.

"Leon, over here."

"Master Sage, my apologies."

Leon addressed their guest with a bit more formality before gently setting Shou down.

Shou curiously looked up at the sage.

He was larger than both Falco and Leon, and dressed in a long robe fitting for a high-ranking member of the church.

But… he looked sturdy.

If he were Japanese, Shou would’ve guessed he was about fifty.

Like Leon, he had blonde hair.

The sage gazed at Shou kindly and opened his arms.

"Come here."

Shou instinctively took a step forward—

And was immediately lifted again.

Yep. Definitely standard.

"You’re a good child. I am Sain. And you?"

"Shou."

"Hmm. Polite. Seems you haven’t picked up any bad habits from Falco. That’s good. However…"

Sain gently set her down and turned to Falco.

"Falco."

"Yes!"

Falco, who had been laughing just moments ago, immediately straightened up.

"Weren’t you supposed to be her guardian? What is this child wearing?"

Falco, Shou, and Leon all looked at Shou’s outfit.

Oh. The sash.

Shou hurriedly untied it.

Better?

She glanced at the sage—

Who sighed and shook his head.

"Children need clean clothes. How long has she been wearing that?"

Ah.

A week straight.

…Wait. Did she smell?

She discreetly sniffed her sleeve.

She couldn’t tell.

But Falco was getting scolded, and she felt bad for him.

"Um, I take a bath every day, and I wash my hair and underwear properly."

She had been borrowing Falco’s spare underwear, tying it tight with a string.

Her family back in Japan never separated laundry by person—so as long as it was clean, she didn’t care whose it was.

By morning, her own underwear would be dry and ready to wear again.

Leon and Falco both sighed in unison.

Sain’s frown deepened.

"You’re even making a child do laundry?"

And with that, the lecture began.

Oops.

Oh well.

"Leon, I’ll help carry the supplies."

"Thanks. Let’s start with the food."

While moving the supplies, she also started heating water.

Even after all the food had been brought inside, the lecture was still going.

So Shou intervened.

"Um, should we have some tea? It’s cold."

Falco shot her a look of gratitude.

It was chilly outside.

Once inside, they settled around the table.

There were no snacks, so Shou set out some dried fruit and served tea.

Then, she climbed onto a chair—elevated with folded blankets—so she could sit properly.

Everyone stared at her in surprise.

Falco, for some reason, looked proud.

Leon glanced around the cabin and remarked:

"Come to think of it… the place seems cleaner, doesn’t it?"

"Shou’s been cleaning."

"The kitchen is tidy, too."

"Shou washes the dishes."

"Wasn’t it a struggle when the soup ran out?"

"Shou made more soup."

Also, I hunted slimes, Shou thought to herself as she sipped her tea.

It tasted similar to black tea and was actually quite nice.

Then, Sain spoke to her.

"Shou, do you have a home to return to?"

"Sage! She has her circumstances! You can’t just ask something like that out of nowhere! Even I haven’t asked!"

Falco stood up and shouted.

It’s okay, Falco.

I’ve been wondering how to explain it anyway.

"I can’t go back anymore. My family might still be alive. But… I was told they would all be hunted eventually."

"Hunted…?"

"Earth has become a hunting ground. Everyone is rushing to claim souls."

Leon’s eyes widened in shock.

"You were hunted, too?"

Shou nodded.

"Only three of us were left. Because we were ‘neither harmful nor beneficial.’"

"That’s…"

Leon was at a loss for words.

Falco, however, asked with a serious expression:

"What happened to the other two? I only found you in the forest."

Oh, right.

"One was sent to work in agriculture…"

"Plains."

All three men said it in unison.

"The other had an affinity for magic…"

"Lakes."

Again, perfectly synchronized.

Sain then spoke gently.

"Separating three children and sending them to different regions… I’ve never heard of people hunting others before. Could it be the mountain tribes? Shou, do you know which land you came from?"

She shook her head.

It wasn’t this world, after all.

"I see. I apologize for bringing up something painful."

"Um…"

"What is it, Shou?"

Sain was from the church—the Order of the Goddess of Creation.

There was something Shou had been thinking about every time she sliced open a slime.

What happened to their souls?

The goddess had said she turned the souls of twelve train cars’ worth of people into energy.

Were the souls of the slimes she killed being used the same way?

Because if they were, she didn’t want to hunt them anymore.

"What happens to the souls of slimes?"

Sain stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"You truly come from a hidden land. Everyone here knows the answer to that."

He smiled slightly and explained:

"Slimes do not have souls."

"But they move. They get angry and spit acid."

"The goddess grants souls only to warm-bodied creatures—humans, horses, squirrels… Meanwhile, excess energy in the world manifests as monsters. Monsters do not require food to survive."

"They don’t eat?"

"When the world has excess energy, it creates cold-bodied creatures like slimes and lizards. Monsters multiply endlessly and are drawn to living beings with warm souls. Unless hunted, they will never disappear. However, when they are defeated, their energy remains behind as magic stones or materials."

"Slimes leave behind blue magic stones."

"Exactly. They are, in a way, like living mines. Monsters are governed by different laws than souls."

Shou let out a small sigh of relief.

She hadn’t been hunting the souls of her fellow Earthlings.

Feeling reassured, she took another sip of tea.

Sain watched her and murmured:

"Perhaps she should be sent to the Lakes to study. In my 150 years, I’ve never met a child who contemplates things so deeply."

"No way! I mean—No, sir! Shou is staying in Deep Forest with me!"

"But—"

"Come now, Sage. Didn’t you come here for the Trial of Aptitude?"

"Ah! Leon, you’re right—I almost forgot."

Sain pulled two crystal-like objects from his belongings.

Finally.

Shou clasped her hands together.

Please let me have the power to heal.