CHAPTER 4: Revenge

Neriko turned in surprise and quickly raised Riru in a defensive stance.

"Hey, hey, that's disrespectful."

Before him stood a woman dressed in various robes. Neriko didn't see anything dangerous about her, but he kept Riru raised—he was scared just by the fact that a woman was standing here who completely didn't fit the surroundings.

"I am the goddess of time."

For some reason, Neriko immediately believed her. Riru slipped from his hands by itself, and he sat on the ground—no, he fell.

"I want to tell you the truth because I'm curious about what will happen. Although we agreed not to interfere with the course of history, I can't wait," her voice was colder than the night air around them.

It had long since gotten dark. Neriko was silent.

"The president killed your parents. He wanted to raise you as a warrior who would unquestioningly kill anyone he pointed to. Do you think he would have invested the money from the wars he won into the country? No, he would have built a new palace and killed the parents of a few more children to awaken their blessings."

Neriko listened, absorbing the information as if he couldn't make his own decision.

"Thanks to your special blessing, you can gather one blessing from each god and become a god yourself. Then, together, we'll destroy all the disgusting people who think only of themselves."

She fell silent, and Neriko pondered.

"Goodbye. We'll meet as equals."

She disappeared. From that moment on, Neriko acted almost instinctively. No one was controlling him, but it seemed his will wasn't his own. He cut through the White House using Riru and his blessing. He only came to when he heard a familiar voice full of weakness and pain.

"Neriko, I'm not guilty! Please don't! Did I do something bad? Then forgive me, please!"

Neriko stood in Soly's bedroom, and she was clinging to him, crying. Blood dripped from him onto the bed, and the blade of the sword, which had just awakened her, was more red than the shiny metal it once was.

"No, Soly. I won't hurt you."

He stepped away, and Soly, stopping her crying, sat down on the bed.

"Do I have to leave now? Will they start hunting me?"

"Yes, probably."

Seeing him leave, Soly said:

"Take me with you. Otherwise, I'll be accused of murder. Even though it's impossible, they'll do it when they can't catch you. I think it'll be safer with you."

After a few seconds of thinking, Neriko decided that a person with useful knowledge of the world would be helpful to him.

"Alright. But there's no time to pack. Just put on whatever you have and let's go."

She quickly put on her daytime clothes—shorts and a turtleneck—and threw on a cloak as she went out. Neriko smiled.

"Now you're being guided by common sense, not beauty."

"Stop it!" Soly laughed lightly, but her mood changed as soon as they stepped into the hallway.

She took his hand and closed her eyes, but even so, she could sense the dismembered bodies of her acquaintances around her. She was trembling.

Once outside, Neriko said:

"Let's take a horse. We won't hide, but we need to make sure the army or a particularly strong squad can't catch us. I can't handle them."

Soly nodded.

"We'll share one. You lead, I can't ride."

Soly nodded again.

Half an hour passed as they rode through the dense forest. Neriko sat behind her, holding her waist. He was sure she was blushing and embarrassed, but he couldn't see it.

"Alright. Are there any places nearby, like labs or bases, where we can take shelter?"

Soly shifted slightly and replied with a tired voice:

"Yes. The nearest place is five hours away." She yawned.

"I understand. I need sleep too. Stop."

No reaction.

"Stop! We need to sleep!" He shook her, and she stopped the horse.

They built a fire, tied up the horse, who was also exhausted, and lay down under their cloaks. Soly slowly scooted closer to him. Feeling her near, Neriko began to cry and blame himself for the killings. The thought that he was a killer was tearing him apart inside.