Ereshkigal came back some time later. Her face was still a bit red, but she seemed more composed now.
"Welcome back, Ereshkigal-sama."
"Uh, yeah. I'm back." She cleared her throat for a while before addressing him again. "So, Gin-kun. I think you should head back as well. I don't really understand how you arrived here or what is happening to you in the lower world, but spending more time here shouldn't be good for your body."
'Hmm?' Oh yeah, now that Gin thought about it.
"Yeah, I shouldn't overstay my welcome, huh? Can you really send me back, Ereshkigal-sama?"
"Of course, leave it to me." She thumped her chest. "Ah, before that though."
"Gin Hvergel, while you are here in Kur, do you have any soul you wanted to meet?"
Souls he wanted to meet, huh? Two names easily surfaced in his mind.
"I do," Gin answered honestly. "Well, so how are you going to send me back, Ereshkigal-sama?"
"You aren't going to ask to meet them?" Ereshkigal asked calmly. Gin shook his head in response.
"Nah. That's just improper." He shrugged. "I'm not the most resolute guy around. If I meet them here, I'm afraid that I'll get too conflicted to do anything else."
"Are you hoping you'll meet them again when you die then?"
That was a cruel question there.
"…That's not it either." Gin smiled wryly. "Well, keep this a secret, but I actually write books. And… Let's just say that adding doodles to a finished book is just vandalism. Besides, my story and theirs have intersected once; I'm already more than grateful for that. Asking for more is just greedy."
"I see." Ereshkigal smiled gently at him. "You really are Hel's child."
"I'm not just Hel's child, though." Gin crossed his arms above his head, grinning proudly as he introduced himself.
"I am Gin Hvergel! Garmr! The Death Goddess's Bloodhound!" he declared. "I will treasure life, and accept death as it should be, because I am Hel's Beloved Champion."
"Good answer." Ereshkigal nodded. "May the gentle light of the underworld be with you."
Gin stood up and bowed politely to Ereshkigal.
"My gratitude for letting me stay with you in your busy time, Ereshkigal-sama. I might not have a chance to do so, but I promise I'll pay back your hospitality if the time ever comes."
"Ah, yes! Of course. I will be holding you to your words, then." Ereshkigal smiled at him. "It has been fun, Gin-kun. If you ever arrive here again, let's have tea again."
"Yeah, it's a promise."
Gin watched as the cage in her hands shone brightly… before dimming once more.
He looked at Ereshkigal in confusion.
"Oh! Wait a moment! I'll pack some cookies for you to bring back."
"…I doubt that's gonna work, Ereshkigal-sama."
...
Gin found himself staring at the ceiling as soon as he was back.
Feeling the soft mattress beneath his body, he realized he was probably laying on a bed now. He squinted his eyes in reflex.
This room felt so bright compared to the dim cave of Kur he had been spending his time in earlier.
"Welcome back to the realm of the living, my champion." Hel's voice came from his side.
Turning his head to the left, he saw his goddess sitting motionlessly on a chair.
"My goddess? Where am I?" Gin asked and tried to get up from the bed, but someone pushed him down again.
Focusing his attention to his right this time, he came face to face with a stern-faced Riveria.
"This is your old room inside the Twilight Manor, Gin. Please don't push yourself and just rest up for now," Riveria said as she sent him an exasperated look. "I can't believe you would suddenly pass out in the garden. Are you taking care of yourself properly? You aren't pushing yourself too hard, are you?"
It had been a month since he met her, but Riveria still stayed the same as ever.
He could see the worry in her eyes as she examined him.
Even after their last conversation, she still saw him as a student or maybe a younger brother.
…This sucked major balls.
To think being seen this way by her would feel this bad!
"No, of course not," Gin said, sweeping the thought away.
"You are as stubborn as ever." She sighed at his response.
"I wasn't being stubborn. There's nothing wrong with me, okay," he retorted. "It was nothing serious. I was just going on a journey to Kur and had some tea with Ereshkigal-sama there."
Somehow his honest answer only resulted in Riveria looking at him with more concern than before.
"I see you are still not completely up yet. Please get some rest for now. Don't worry about your familia, I will inform them that you aren't feeling well yet."
"No, wait. I was telling the truth here!" Gin quickly searched for the proof of his claim, namely Ereshkigal's cookies.
True to her words, she had given him some cookies, neatly packed with a ribbon and included with a helpful best before date.
"I have the cookies from Kur to prove it!" He took them out from his pocket and showed them to Riveria.
"See? Cookies!"
'Haha, this should prove my— Wait, her eyes were filled with even more sorrow for me now!'
'Was she… Was she looking at me with pity?'
"I… see. Please hold still, Gin." Riveria smiled awkwardly as she rubbed his head.
'Hoo… this didn't feel so bad.'
"So the concussion from the fall was this bad…" He turned to her in disbelief as he caught her muttering.
'She… She couldn't see the cookies, could she?'
This couldn't be happening.
He couldn't care less if anyone else thought he was crazy, but to have Riveria look at him like this hurt his soul.
Well, the head pat felt nice, so overall it kinda balanced out.
'No, focus. Don't lose yourself in pleasure, you're better than this.'
He glanced at Hel, who had stayed quiet since the start.
Right, Hel knew Ereshkigal, so she should be able to support his claims, right? He stared at Hel intently.
She looked back at him too.
'My goddess! I implore you! Please help me in my times of need.'
He prayed that his telepathic message worked.
'Umu, leave it to me, my champion.'
It worked! Sasuga, Hel-sama!
He sent her a thumbs up.
"Queen of Nine Mystics." Hel finally spoke up. "My champion is clearly struggling to see past his injury. We will appreciate it if you let his wings rest for a beat."
'Et tu, Hel-sama!?'
"Ah, I see. Please take your time then." Riveria smiled and headed toward the door. "I will tell your familia that you aren't in any condition for a visit."
"Wa-wait! I can explain this, Riveria!" Gin reached out to her. "I'm not crazy!"
"Of course, you are simply tired." Riveria nodded kindly to him. She looked like a mother dealing with her son's overactive imagination.
"I hope you get better soon, Gin."
As soon as she exited the room, Gin buried his face in the pillow, trying to send himself to Kur again.
This was just too much!
"Hahahahahaha." He laughed listlessly as he saw his future relationship with Riveria turn to dust with this incident.
Why was he still living again? Oh yeah, he still had Hel, but even she must think that he was a total nutcase.
His life was over!
Interrupting his thoughts, he saw Hel climbing up onto his bed. Her smile looked smugly mischievous to him.
"My goddess?"
"Our plan worked, my champion. Now the Royal Fae shall not stumble upon the truth. For a mortal, even one as exceptional as you, to traverse upon the domain of the gods would be a feat too grand to be left alone."
"My goddess?" The realization hit him. "Y-you actually believe me?"
"Umu, I saw your body lay empty upon my arrival. It was a puzzling incident, but your explanation has cleared up the fog of doubt inside me. If thou wants to devour the Red Angel's gift, then this would be a good time, my champion. I assure you it will not result in a fruitless conclusion." She took the cookies from his hand and opened them up for him.
"Shall we converse as I note down your latest adventure?"
Gin lay on his stomach as usual, with Hel kneeling on his back as she updated his status.
"I was left speechless as your soul carried a familiar tint, my champion. That gentle dark red of my compatriot fits you quite well. Her pride always shines even among the darkness of her loneliness." He listened to Hel as he munched on the cookie.
So Hel believed him as soon as she looked at his soul?
Was that why she had stayed quiet as he talked with Riveria?
She was contemplating why he suddenly had Ereshkigal's color on him?
He remembered Hel saying that his soul had always taken color from the people he interacted with.
"Yeah, Ereshkigal-sama was nice. I wish we could just switch Loki with her. The world would be far better that way." Gin snorted. "I hope she will descend here in the future."
"That would be a hard future to see, my champion," Hel replied to him matter-of-factly. "The Red Angel is one who will never abandon her responsibility for pleasure like other deities. She might wish for it, but she will not let herself be tempted. She truly cares for all the souls under her wings. To leave her charge with incompetent deities would be an impossibility for her."
Gin hummed at Hel's words.
Ereshkigal-sama might want to descend, but she was aware of her responsibility and would never leave it behind.
She really was a nice goddess, huh? Were all underworld goddesses as nice as her and Hel?
…Nah, he reckoned there would be bad apples everywhere.
"I remember centuries ago she would fret as hundreds of souls suddenly appeared at our doorsteps," Hel reminisced fondly. "Her grumbling had traveled around the underworld, I believe."
"Ah, it must have been a busy time for you."
"Umu, Ereshkigal had muttered about how she was troubled that she couldn't possibly give sufficient comfort to all of them."
'Yabe, Ereshkigal-sama Maji Tenshi.'
"And of course, visiting her realm and coming back would no doubt result in her blessing falling upon you, my champion." Gin felt Hel's fingers stop moving.
The update was done.
"Part of her authority now flows within you."
Gin Hvergel
Level 2
Str H 141
End I 36
Dex G 252
Agi H 102
Mag F 343
Skill : Niflheim, Eljudnir, Kur's Hidden Crown
Magic : Ginnungagap, Blikjandaböl
"Kur's Hidden Crown?"
"Umu, a composite skill born from the compassion of the Red Angel. You must have truly astonished her for this skill to appear," Hel explained to him. "It rouses your power when you are filled with life, and protects you when death draws near."
'Passive strengthening in perfect condition and passive defense boost when near death?' He grinned, finally, a skill that made sense!
He didn't need to sell his soul for power again!
"There is another part to the skill, my champion, but for now it is doubtful that you would be able to make sense of it."
Gin looked questioningly at Hel.
"My champion, whenever the smell of a burning candle greets you, please make sure to not carelessly follow it."
"Burning candle?" Hel always spoke in a confusing manner, but he was used to deciphering it.
Those words were hard to understand, however.
"Nay, expecting you would perceive it like me would be too hopeful." Hel shook her head after a while.
"For Ereshkigal it is the smell of the sun, for Thanatos it is the smell of poppies, for me it is the smell of a burning candle. You may perceive it as something different, my champion, but keep in mind. Any unfamiliar smell you encounter from now on might be the smell of death."
...
Gin sat down at the long table of the Twilight Mansion Cafeteria, slowly eating his breakfast as he thought about the 'smell of death'.
So death had a smell? That was news to him.
What would they smell like anyway?
From Hel's words, it could be anything.
Burning candles, sun, poppies—none of them had any similarity to each other.
Death, huh? For him, something like rotting corpses would be an obvious one.
He doubted that it would be that easy, though.
"Gin, are you still sick?" Ais asked from his side. "You aren't eating much."
"Not eating much!?"
"Is this normal to her?"
"That's his sixth portion already!"
He ignored the shocked exclamations of the others and turned to Ais instead.
"Hmm? Ah, sorry. I was just thinking about something." He patted her head and watched as a smile blossomed on her face again.
"It's kinda nostalgic to eat here with you again."
"Un, you should eat here every day."
Both of them ignored the sorrowful 'Oh hell no!' from the kitchen staff.
"You should sleep here every day too."
"That's just me moving back here, so no." Gin pushed Ais's ballooning cheek and grinned at her.
"Why don't you just visit Helheim anyway?"
"…Not telling. Riveria said you'd get mad." Ais answered with a pout.
Ah yep, he could kinda tell the reason. He wasn't confident he wouldn't pinch her cheek if Ais said something bad about Hel.
"Hehe, you two are as close as usual." Elise cheered happily from across from him.
Yeah, his familia had stayed overnight in the Twilight Mansion with him.
"I'm happy for you two."
He showed an easy smile to Elise.
It worried him a bit that she would get a little down if he showed off his closeness with Ais.
Looking at a wholesome sibling relationship like his and Ais's must be making her feel a complicated joy.
"Hahaha, this munchkin is just too troublesome to be left alone." Gin patted Ais again.
She happily leaned into him, slightly pouting at his words.
"Oi, Cap, are you really okay now?" Pock asked him as he chewed on some fries. "I mean, that chibi over there said that you ♋︎❒︎♏︎■︎🕯︎⧫︎ ♒︎♏︎❒︎ ♌︎❒︎□︎⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎ yeah?"
Gin tilted his head at Pock's words.
'Did he just speak gibberish right at the end there?'
"Pock, you okay? You aren't coming down with a stroke, are you?" Gin said worriedly to him. "Try to lift your arms now, if they're shaking, then we need to act fast."
Pock raised his arms to chest level and slowly flipped a bird at him.
Gin covered Ais's eyes immediately to protect her innocence. This pallum was bad for his sister's upbringing!
"Dude, not cool. There's a child here."
"The one who is getting a stroke is you, you idiot captain! Stop being in denial! That kid said it right! Did you forget yesterday already!? She said that you aren̴̩͇̫̙̠͒̐͗̏̊̑́̏͜͜͠'̵̩͓̈́̀̽͒̒̑́̚͜͠͠͝ţ̵̛̲͈̖̮̫̳̬̻͊̇̐ her brother, you dumb captain!"
"Ah, I see. She's just saying the truth, yeah? I'm a bit of a brother figure to her." Gin laughed wryly.
'Sheesh, for this munchkin to say something like that in the open, should i spoil her more after all?'
"Ais, do you want to look for some Jagamaru-kun after this?"
"Un!" Ais smiled happily at his offer. Geez, she was just hopeless.
"Oi, it's clear that our captain is sick in the mind. Sis, should we just jump ship after all?"
"Pock, it's too soon to tell. We need to gather more information first. Rem, go test him."
"Eh!? Me!? No, captain looks really scary now! I think his eyes turned red a couple of times."
"Elily, sorry, do you mind taking one for the team then?"
"How did we end up in this situation?"
His familia exchanged nervous whispers with each other.
"Ahem, captain." Elily finally spoke up. "Can you repeat my words?"
"Huh, what for?" He frowned for a while before noticing their concerned looks.
Oh well, humoring their whims once in a while should be fine.
"Okay, fine. Hit me."
"I am Hel-sama's follower."
"I am Hel-sama's follower." Okay, pretty easy.
"Archery is good and I love food."
"Archery is good and I love food." Gin nodded along with her words. That was obvious, yes.
"Ais said that Gin Hvergel is ⋏⍜⏁ ⊑⟒⍀ ⏚⍀⍜⏁⊑⟒⍀"
'Okay, I see. Elily said…'
"Ais said that Gin Hvergel was the best brother ever." Gin blushed as he repeated the embarrassing words.
Sheesh, even these guys were starting to tease him too, huh! These rascals.
"Don't make me say stuff like that, geez."
"So this is what obsession can do to a man."
"Is something wrong with Gin?"
"I think this is a self-defense mechanism. Very interesting."
"His eyes are still glowing red."
"Our familia is doomed. Oi, is the Loki Familia taking new recruits?"
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