The God of Death Just Wants to Quit?!

After descending a series of staircases in the palace, Nerez arrived at what looked like a private harbor, with several docks and platforms for river vessels.

There, inside an ornate white dockside shed built specifically to house it, Edrick's ship was kept.

"Lord Nereziel, how did your meeting with the Archonte go?" Edrick asked as soon as he spotted Nerez entering the shed.

"Mm? Normal, I'd say. You could have joined us if you wanted," Nerez replied, climbing aboard the vessel.

"Of course not. I would only have gotten in the way. I am sure Saelith has many things she wishes to discuss with you alone."

"I don't think that's the case... The ones who actually had something to discuss with me were Destemos and Falagor, who once again managed to track me down."

"Well, those two are the best trackers in the Underworld," Edrick said, gathering the mooring lines that secured his ship to the harbor. "And what did they want?"

"Nothing really interesting. Just the Goddess of Life's plans to take over Eryndea."

"..."

"More importantly than that, Edrick, I need you to take me far away from here. I'm going on vacation."

"... On vacation at a time like this, my lord?"

"There is never a good time to go on vacation, Edrick, which means any time is as good as this one."

"And where are we going, Lord Nereziel?"

It wasn't Edrick who asked, but a female voice behind Nerez.

When he turned around, he found a young-looking visiare with sky-blue hair tied into a side ponytail and her hands clasped behind her back. Her long, drooping white ears swayed gently from side to side, following the slight sway of her body.

"Ilyra... I was already wondering why I hadn't seen you with Sae, so you were playing spy."

"Playing spy...? Lord Nereziel, you know I lead Mirror! I was already leading the order before Osvel was appointed captain of the royal guard! And don't call me something as distant as Ilyra. To you, I'm Ily..."

"It's your punishment for following me around... Come to think of it, we never heard you board the vessel. Did you materialize here or something?"

"That's right. My spatial movement magic is already almost at Sae's level. Otherwise I could never have risen all the way to the top of Mirror."

"Saelith, Ilyra, and now Osvel... It is curious that the reins of the Last Valley are in the hands of such young visiare," Edrick remarked.

"The elders were used to life in Atlenia," Ily replied, shrugging. "Many took this unexpected arrival in Eryndea, if one can call it that, as a sign that it was time to retire."

"Was that the only reason?" Nerez asked, leaning closer to Ily.

"Well, it also helped that we were the Archonte's childhood friends..." Ily replied, sticking out her tongue.

"Nepotism never changes," Nerez sighed, shaking his head.

"But that was the least of it! Our talents and the way our lives changed did most of the work!"

"All right, then. Why does the talented leader of Mirror want to come with me?"

"Hehe, Mirror keeps track of everything happening on the surface," Ily replied, puffing out her chest. "I'm sure I would make an excellent guide for you, Lord Nereziel."

"And your work here?"

"Bah, in these peaceful times in the Underworld, there is almost nothing to do. Besides, if anything happens, the demons are always the first to want to handle it. That's why I usually volunteer for field missions on the surface. It wouldn't be my first."

"You and Cerys really do seem like sisters separated at birth..."

"Me and Lady Supreme Reaper?"

"Supreme... Reaper?"

"Well, there are quite a few reapers now, so she's been asking us to call her that."

"I see... anyway. My plan was to go alone. I don't see why I should have to bring you along."

"Don't be like that, Lord Nereziel! I'm sure I will be useful to you! I bet you only know the name of the place you want to go!"

"I would also feel more at ease if you took someone with you, Lord Nereziel," Edrick added. "At the very least, someone to warn you when you start muttering things to yourself in public."

"That's how I sort out my thoughts!" Nerez let out a long sigh. "Ugh, fine. You can come with me, Ily, but on the surface, you have to call me Nerez."

"Of course, Nerez!" the visiare replied, grinning from ear to ear. "And where are we heading?"

"To the city of Tirelia, in Phatar," Nerez said, walking to the prow as Edrick got the vessel underway.

"To Phatar? But Tirelia isn't in the county of Lazalos..."

"That's right. It still isn't time to visit the twins."

"And why Tirelia?"

"No particular reason. The name just rings a bell."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Well, it is one of the largest cities in Phatar," Ily finally said, straightening the hair the wind over the Altazar River had begun to tousle. "But I really am glad I insisted on going with you."

"Mm? What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing!" Ily smiled.

***

Even though Tirelia was smaller than Altazar, to say nothing of Duskhaven, it was still a considerably large city, home to hundreds of thousands of people.

"Mom, Mom! Why does that woman have ears like that?"

"She's a visiare, son, and don't point. It's rude."

Walking beside Nerez along one of the city's large avenues, Ily covered her ears with her hands, a little flushed.

"It's true humans might find ears like yours a little unusual (Eryndea has all sorts of hair and eye colors), but you have nothing to be ashamed of," Nerez said beside her. "If anything, it is curious that visiare are not regarded with suspicion in Phatar, considering they are beings of the Underworld."

"Hehe, Lord Ne... Nerez, Mirror doesn't just handle spying. We also have an excellent public relations department."

"You need to stop copying my words. 'Public relations department' sounds rather out of place for a fantasy being..."

"Fantasy being?! Why would you say that?! I'm real!"

"Haha, that wasn't what I meant. Never mind."

"It's not fair to make fun of me using things I don't understand... But Nerez, by the way, where are we going? This is your first time in the city, isn't it?"

"We need to find ourselves a source of income. After all, we can't live in the mortal world penniless... Well, we can, but then I couldn't pay for anything at a tavern."

"A tavern!... But Nerez, if you want, we can use the funds Mirror has gathered in Phatar."

"I'm not going to use public funds for my vacation... I'm also not going to use the money Miri gives me in a country she is not on good terms with. And above all, I don't want to be a freeloader. I'll earn my money on my own."

"I think you worry too much, Nerez... And what are you planning to do? Is the god of death going to become a carpenter?"

But just then, Nerez stopped walking.

"We've arrived. Who would've thought I could find it just by wandering around at random?" he said with a smile. "We can't skip the clichés in a fantasy world."

" That fantasy thing again... Wait, that sign..." Ily said, peeking out from behind Nerez. "Isn't this the Adventurers' Guild?"