The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

Edenbar, District 6 of Bestia.

A neighborhood originally inhabited by humans had recently seen an influx of beastfolk.

The reason? A rumor spreading through Bestia.

People claimed they had narrowly escaped disasters:

They were all heading straight for a "bad ending" in life, but somehow, luck had saved them. And they all shared the same story.

They had visited the fortune-telling shop in front of the cat café.

All of it was thanks to the Amazing Fox Fortune-Teller.

The rumor that getting your fortune read here brought good luck spread like wildfire across Bestia.

And who doesn’t want good fortune? People of all ages and races flocked to the shop. Wealthy elites came carrying wads of cash, begging for a chance to get their fortunes read.

The streets were packed with people. There wasn’t even room to take a step.

“Are they even doing readings today?”

“I don’t know. Are they closed?”

Ironically, the fortune-teller wasn’t at the shop.

With misfortune always lurking around the corner, people anxiously waited, pacing back and forth.

From behind the curtains on the second floor, Seira peeked at the bustling street below before returning to her seat.

Sitting there were the main culprits of this chaos: Lin, the rookie fortune-teller, and Mirabel. The two had fled into the café to avoid the crowd.

Crossing her arms, Seira let out a long sigh.

“Lin, didn’t Karami specifically tell you not to meddle with fate?”

“He did.”

“Then why did you do it? And Mirabel, why didn’t you stop her?”

Mirabel tilted her head, genuinely confused.

“Isn’t it good to make people happy?”

“Exactly!” Lin chimed in.

One lived her life on the precipice of loneliness.

The other, in the depths of misfortune.

Neither Lin nor Mirabel, who had experienced the sweetness of Karami’s salvation, truly understood the boundaries of hope.

They had learned that happiness grows when shared.

Just as they had been saved, they believed it was their duty to share that happiness with others. Only then could they call themselves his slaves.

“Still, you shouldn’t meddle in other people’s lives like that.”

“Seira, your shop is going to go bankrupt in a few days. You’ll be drowning in debt and thrown out onto the streets.”

“...Could you, um, maybe tweak that a little for me?”

““......””

The two little troublemakers stared at her pointedly.

“Oh.”

Seira realized she had fallen for Lin’s trick. But it was too late—she had already revealed herself as an adult corrupted by greed.

Ignoring Seira completely, Lin and Mirabel began scheming again.

“What should we do? We didn’t expect so many people to show up.”

“True. As expected of Master.”

“Master is amazing...”

What do you mean "Master"? This was all you two.

Seira wanted to object, but she had already lost her authority. She swallowed her words and stayed silent.

“Why don’t we just make everyone happy?” 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

“We can’t do that. There might be bad people mixed in.”

“Those who’ve done wrong should face punishment.”

If there was any consolation, it was that the two seemed to have some sense of ethics.

Still, coming up with a proper solution wasn’t easy.

“Why are there so many people?”

“I know, right? It’s like a crowd of fanatics.”

The cat café couldn’t operate with the crowd outside, leaving the catfolk workers with nothing to do. They went upstairs to chat and pass the time.

“Ugh.”

When the catfolk made eye contact with Lin, they flinched. After a moment’s hesitation, they tried to pretend they hadn’t seen her and started heading back downstairs.

“What did you just say?”

“Huh?”

It was Mirabel.

“You just said there were so many of something. What was it?”

“Uh... people?”

“And after that?”

“Um... fanatics?”

“That’s it!”

Eureka!

Mirabel’s excitement was akin to Archimedes shouting “Eureka!” in the bath. Her face lit up with joy.

“Let’s create a new religion!”

“A religion?”

“A religion that bestows blessings only on those who worship Master!”

“Ohhh!”

Lin enthusiastically agreed.

Wasn’t it obvious that Karami, who actively sought out and helped the needy, was far greater than some passive deity who did nothing but watch?

Excited, Mirabel continued.

“What should we call it?”

“Hmm... How about The Church of the Reaper?”

“The Church of the Reaper! Perfect! The doctrine will be to guide wandering, weary souls and set them free! As Master’s closest disciples, we’ll spread his teachings far and wide!”

“Ohhh!”

The plan was to establish a religious order, gather followers, and eventually hand over leadership to Karami when he returned.

The first step would be to address the desperate crowd outside, yearning for blessings.

“Um, everyone?”

Seira, realizing the situation was spiraling out of control, tried to intervene. But the two slaves had already been swept away by the momentum of their ideas.

They didn’t hear a word she said. They were too busy enthusiastically plotting their next move.

++++

Time passed, but the fortune-teller never appeared.

The excitement that had set the street ablaze began to cool, and people started losing interest.

“Well, that’s it. Looks like the fortune-teller isn’t showing up.”

“It was nonsense from the start. Creating luck? What is this, a god? There’s no way that’s possible. Hey, everyone! Let’s go home! We’ve all been tricked!”

“Ugh, of course. Just a waste of time.”

As people began to leave, one by one...

Gooooo...

The sky began to darken.

“What’s going on?”

“Ugh, my head suddenly...”

The citizens of Bestia, many of whom had PTSD from darkness-related incidents, clutched their heads in pain. As the sky was completely swallowed by darkness, a new phenomenon began to unfold.

A dim, eerie navy light flickered, gathering into the shape of a massive reaper holding a scythe. Its glowing navy eyes flashed briefly, illuminating the entire city.

“It’s... it’s the Grim Reaper!”

“Run for your lives!”

Chaos broke out on the streets.

The sheer number of people trying to flee at once created a massive tangle. From above, it looked like a swirling mass of debris on the ocean.

They moved sluggishly, but no one could get out. It was like a gridlocked highway—no one at the front seemed to know what to do.

“Move already!”

“Don’t push!”

“I-I can’t breathe...”

People were squeezed like sandwiches, struggling even to take a breath. Someone fell, causing a chain reaction of people stumbling over them.

Just as a mass casualty seemed imminent...

Wooooong.

The person who was about to fall suddenly froze in place. And it wasn’t just them—everyone who had been flailing and panicking came to a stop.

Half of the crowd gently floated into the air, creating space and relieving the suffocating congestion.

“What... what’s happening?”

A soft, navy aura surrounded the people, providing a calming warmth that brought a sense of stability.

Once the commotion had subsided, a solemn voice boomed from the reaper.

"There is no need to fear."

“The reaper is speaking?”

Just as the noise started to rise again, the reaper’s voice echoed once more.

"I am the Grim Reaper, who has descended to grant the luck you have yearned for. In the oppressive darkness, my scythe shall usher in a new dawn."

“The one who grants luck is the Grim Reaper? Not a fortune-teller?”

“That fortune-teller must have been a follower of the Reaper!”

It began to make sense. If they weren’t an ordinary fortune-teller but someone borrowing the power of the Reaper, it might explain their miraculous ability to bestow luck.

“But the Grim Reaper is so scary...”

“Isn’t it here to kill us?”

"I understand your fear," the reaper spoke again, "but there is no reason to worry. I have appeared here to bestow blessings upon my followers. I swear upon my divine stature that I will harm no one who does not seek my presence."

A god swearing upon their divinity to mortals? That was as close to an unbreakable promise as one could get.

Even so, trusting the Grim Reaper wasn’t easy. After all, it was Death itself, and its appearance was overwhelmingly terrifying.

People exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to do.

“Grim Reaper!”

At that moment, a man stepped forward courageously.

In his arms was a young child, barely old enough to speak. Her eyes were wrapped in bandages.

“Grim Reaper! Tragically, my daughter was born blind and has never been able to see the world. I am willing to give you my soul if you can grant her the ability to see her mother’s face just once!”

The man’s desperate plea, grasping at straws, touched the Grim Reaper.

"The heartfelt wish of a father for his child has reached me. I shall grant sight to your daughter."

A navy light enveloped the child, flashing brilliantly before subsiding. The bandages covering her eyes naturally slipped away.

Slowly, the child opened her eyelids, blinking hesitantly. Looking around in confusion, her gaze finally met her father’s.

“Papa...?”

“Ange? Can you... see me?”

“Yes, I can see you. I can see Papa’s face...”

“Oh, Ange! Thank you, Grim Reaper... thank you!”

Father and daughter embraced, tears of joy streaming down their faces.

A miracle had occurred. A small blessing had descended from the heavens!

Witnessing this miracle before their very eyes was enough to captivate the crowd—people who had wandered the desert of life, yearning for the oasis of happiness, found themselves entranced.

Ordinary citizens were transformed into fanatics, ready to surrender their very souls.

“Grim Reaper! I’ve gambled away all my savings—please, just one more chance!”

“Grim Reaper! My guild is about to go on an expedition. Please, ensure we return safely!”

“That bastard boss of mine...! No, just get rid of this cursed shackle!”

"Silence."

With a single word, the murmurs that had seemed impossible to silence instantly stopped. Everyone waited with bated breath for the Grim Reaper to speak again.

Finally, its jaw moved slowly, uttering:

"If you wish to become a follower of mine, you may join the Church of the Reaper immediately."

“““Join! We’ll join right now!!!”””

On the very day the Grim Reaper made its appearance, the Church of the Reaper gained nearly 2,000 new followers.

Perched on the reaper’s enormous shoulder, Lin and Mirabel observed everything. They exchanged a glance and gave each other a thumbs-up.

++++

Seira's House.

On the second floor, Karami’s old bed had become the shared territory of Mirabel and Lin.

Using magic, Mirabel amplified Karami’s scent and warmth lingering on the bed, making it feel as though they were sleeping in his embrace.

It was the only place where they could still feel Karami’s presence. Naturally, Mirabel and Lin fought constantly over who got to use it, bickering nearly every day.

In the end, under Seira’s mediation, they agreed to share it, dividing it in half.

That night.

After causing a commotion that had thrown the entire city into chaos, the two girls retreated to the room to sleep.

Normally, they would have started squabbling again by now, but tonight was unusually quiet. Curious, Seira cracked the door open just slightly to take a peek inside.

What she saw made her pupils widen for a moment before a soft smile spread across her lips.

“Slime... tempura...”

“Mmm, Master... Sora’s chewing on Lin’s tail... Lin’s evolving...”

Mirabel was sleeping soundly, using Lin’s fluffy tail as a pillow while absentmindedly nibbling on its tip. Meanwhile, Lin, seemingly trapped in a nightmare, groaned and scrunched her face in distress.

It was a scene that naturally brought a motherly smile to Seira’s face.

Watching them sleep, they looked like nothing but angels.

The next morning.

A crowd of hundreds gathered outside, all eager to join the church. But that’s a story for another time.

Meanwhile, in the Everfrost Region of Eisengar.

[A new system feature has been unlocked: Church System.]

[Church Name]: The Church of the Reaper

[High Priest]: Karami

[Followers]: 2,781 (+2,781/week)

“...Excuse me?”