Chapter 3

I slapped my cheeks a few times to snap myself out of it.

I need to get out of here.

If I wanted to avoid running into Dad, I had to go somewhere as far away from the capital as possible.

I recalled my conversation with God.

[I shall seal the bond between you and Dantelion Klein. He will completely forget that you ever existed.]

That was what God had said.

Dad’s memories had been sealed—even the memory that I had ever been born.

A complete erasure of my existence.

But—

[However, remember this, child. There is no such thing as perfect concealment in this world. You must avoid meeting him at all costs.]

“……”

[You know very well by now how obsessed he is with finding you. Even the slightest trigger could weaken my power and allow him to remember you.]

“Yes. I will absolutely, positively, NEVER, EVER go looking for Dad or meet him! I swear!”

The point was that no one knew what kind of stimulus my existence might become for Dad, so I absolutely had to avoid meeting him again.

It was fine.

I’d already decided where I was going to live, more or less!

“Hup!”

I pushed open the door of the old hut.

It was the ramshackle shack where I’d spent some time living with the old woman who had taken me in.

“Where was that thing…? Oh, here it is!”

I found the paper I’d been using to practice writing in a small wooden chest.

When I unfolded the crumpled sheet and turned it over, I saw what it had originally been used for.

— Territory Residents Wanted —

Location: Northern Grand Duchy of Vertus

Basic Benefits: Housing provided, land provided, 100% tax exemption for one year following relocation

Qualifications: Anyone

* Applicants are responsible for their own relocation. A preliminary visit is strongly recommended.

* However, the territorial lord shall bear no responsibility for death, loss of limbs, psychological damage, or other harm resulting from reckless preliminary visits.

This was it!

It was one of those recruitment flyers for northern settlers that had once been circulated all over the Empire!

If I go there, they’ll give me a house and even some land.

It was the perfect place for a six-year-old like me to live on my own.

I clenched both fists.

“Okay. This life, I’m going north!”

Without Dad.

All by myself!

I wouldn’t be a burden to anyone anymore, and I wouldn’t make anyone sad.

“I’ll become independent and live happily all by myself!”

At that very moment, the white lights fluttered and scattered through the air.

I had exactly two goals.

1. Live well and eat well without Dad knowing!

2. And, if possible, secretly help purify Dad’s divine power!

I crouched on the floor and tilted my head.

“Hmm…”

The first one was something I’d have to deal with after I got to the north.

“Although I suppose the real problem starts with meeting the Grand Duke of the North…”

Just remembering the Grand Duke I’d caught a fleeting glimpse of in my previous life made my chest feel tight.

Grand Duke Basil Vertus.

He was the hero of the Empire who had reclaimed in a single stroke the land that had been ruled by the Mad Dragon for five hundred years.

Basil was, quite simply, one of the strongest people in the world.

He was also the one and only person capable of standing on equal footing with Dad.

If Dad, who wielded divine power, was the Guardian of Light, then Basil, who could simply sweep away everything around him with his innate physical prowess, was like a destroyer who had climbed straight out of hell.

In short, other than his strength, he and Dad are TOOOTALLY the opposite!

Anyway, Basil had as many nicknames as he had military achievements.

War Demon.

Sword God.

The Butcher.

King of Slaughter…

He might be… a little scary.

“No! I’m independent now!”

I vigorously shook my head.

What was the basic rule of independence?

You solve your own problems!

So I had no choice but to just face it head-on!

1. Live well and eat well without Dad knowing! → Go north, settle down, and become a resident of the territory!

I scribbled it into the dust on the floor and smiled in satisfaction.

The problem was the second goal.

2. Help purify Dad’s divine power! → ……?

How was I supposed to do that?

“I don’t have any purification abilities…”

If I could stop Dad from regressing, I could prevent his divine power from becoming more corrupted.

But…

What about the divine power that was already corrupted?

Shouldn’t I do something about that, too?

“Cough.”

For some reason, my chest felt even tighter.

I shook my head again.

“No. I’m independent now, so I have to figure this out myself, too. So… grrrrrgh! You stupid little fly! Why have you been buzzing around me and making such a fuss this whole time? When are you going home?!”

I finally snapped at the white light that had been circling around me for a while.

What was wrong with this thing?

A pet fly wasn’t part of my independence plan yet!

It was hard enough just feeding myself!

And then—

[ㅇ린@#,ㅊ독…ㄹㅂ#^!$#…@#%다!]

The white fragments suddenly began darting around at incredible speed.

And then—

Huh?

Babababababang!

They exploded right in front of my eyes!

“Waaah! Fly!”

I told you to go home! I didn’t mean you should blow yourself up!

At that moment, brilliant white letters appeared where the fragments had disappeared.

[Frequency readjustment complete. Stabilization complete!]

“Huh?”

Pop!

[Child, congratulations on your first independence!]

What… was this?

[Children who decide to become independent at an early age deserve special encouragement.]

[A ‘reward’ for novice independent living has arrived.]

[Child, would you like to receive your reward?]

“What is th—!”

I was so startled that I flailed my hands around and accidentally pressed [Yep!] out of [Yes], [Yup Yup :-)], and [Yep!].

The instant I did, the white letters turned red.

[Unable to claim!] [Unable to claim!]

[To receive the reward, you must complete an ‘errand.’]

Kyaaaaaaah!

The blood-red letters are scary!

More importantly… an errand?!

Wait.

That was a word I’d heard somewhere before…

“Th-that’s right!”

My eyes widened.

At the same time, the white letters began changing rapidly.

[Checking errand list…]

[An errand from the God of Fate has arrived!]

[Checking contents…]

Beep—beep—

The letters blinked.

I swallowed nervously for some reason.

Pop!

[Errand from the God of Fate:

Drink Water (0/1)]

“……?”

[“If you eat bread while running, it will get stuck in your throat and you’ll meet your fate.”]

…What?

But when I saw the next message, I had no choice but to scamper toward the cup of water.

[Errand Reward: 1 Pure, Pollution-Free Divine Power Sticker]

YES!!!!!

Gulp, gulp, gulp.

I blew gently on the rainwater I’d collected before drinking it, blinking my eyes.

It felt as though the lump of bread lodged around my chest had finally slid down.

That’s right. I can collect divine power!

Come to think of it, I could.

Toward the end of my conversation with God…

[Child. Now, go down to the mortal realm. Go and live your new life.]

“Huuuuung.”

[Go. Come on. I said go.]

“Huuuuuuuuung!”

[What do you want?!]

“You said humans have to take responsibility for what they do. Then shouldn’t God take responsibility, too?!”

[What?]

“You said my soul was originally supposed to be born in the Divine Realm. So why did you accidentally make me be born as my dad’s daughter instead?”

I had argued my case with God point by point.

Maybe it was because I’d spent so much time reading books while bedridden in my previous life, but I was pretty smart for my age.

“If you think about it, isn’t this all because of your negligence, God? Isn’t that why everything ended up like this? I think this is, like… grounds for me to sue you!”

[Ah, I, the God of—… Never mind. What exactly do you want?!]

“Help me! Help me purify Dad’s corrupted divine power! If you do that, I’ll do anything you tell me to!”

God had sighed heavily over and over before saying that He would find a suitable method for me.

This must be that method!

Gulp, gulp!

An object containing divine power…

Gulp.

I paused to catch my breath.

Gulp!

This is perfect for me. I don’t have a core in my body capable of storing divine power.

Gulp, gulp, gulp—

“Ah!”

“I drank it all!”

[Congratulations! You have completed the errand!]

[Would you like to receive your reward?]

This time, I shouted confidently.

“Yeeeeeeeees!”

A brilliant cluster of light immediately appeared before my eyes.

And then—

Plop.

A thumbs-up sticker dropped neatly into my waiting palms.

“Wow!”

[illu001]

[Sticker containing condensed divine power from the Divine Realm]

• Its energy is pure.
• Excellent adhesion.
• Increases cuteness by approximately 20% when attached.
• Purifies corruption within a certain radius.

My eyes grew as wide as saucers.

—Purifies corruption within a certain radius.

“This is it!”

With divine power this pure, I could save Dad from his corruption!

I could collect them little by little and, when the opportunity arose, secretly send them to Dad!

And maybe… this could even be a huge help when I live in the north!

I’d heard that the demonic energy there made even basic farming difficult.

Since divine power could purify demonic energy, too, I could prove my usefulness to His Grace the Grand Duke!

I bounced excitedly on my bottom, staring at the sparkling letters floating in the air.

“Another one? Aren’t you going to give me another errand?”

Preferably something like Finish half a loaf of bread!

But no matter how long I waited, no white letters appeared before me again.

“……Is that it for today?”

Well, nothing I could do about it.

I tucked the single thumbs-up sticker deep inside my old bag. Then I scurried around the hut, gathering my belongings and packing for the journey.

It’s about time I got moving!

That was right.

In fact, I didn’t have time to stay here any longer.

Because…

The Holy Knights will soon storm into District Z.

Just like in my previous life!

If the Holy Knights catch me, an orphan like me will be sent straight to the temple orphanage!

And then the chances of running into Dad would become way too high.

Of course…

Dad wasn’t coming here today.

Checking out a remote place like this wasn’t the job of a First-Class Holy Knight and Commander of the Holy Knights like Dad.

In my previous life, Dad had come here solely to save me.

“Sweetheart.”

As I remembered those large, warm hands that had lifted me into his arms, I couldn’t help but sniffle a little.

“Gasp—no sniffling! I have to stay focused!”

Anyway, I had to leave District Z right now and head north.

Without getting caught by the Holy Knights!

Fortunately, I knew exactly where to find someone who could take me all the way to the distant north.

“Okay.”

I adjusted the straps of my bag and put on a solemn expression.

“Let’s gooo!”

And I charged straight toward the door of the hut—

Knock, knock.

“……!”

Knock, knock!

“Is anyone there?”

At that moment, it felt as though my breath stopped.

Because it was a voice I knew far too well.

Knock, knock, knock!

“I am Dantelion Klein, a Holy Knight of the Central Temple. Is anyone inside?”

The color drained from my face.