The little reaper hugged the giant pudding container, bigger than its own body, with great delight and started eating it eagerly.

Omnomnom.

The sight of the little reaper slowly eating the massive pudding while holding it close was beyond adorable!

“I’ll ask again. Would you consider coming to the U.S., including bringing the Gray Reaper?”

The reaper, who seemed entirely focused on the pudding, waving its antennae lazily as if lost in the joy of eating, reacted to the mention of "the U.S."

The antennae, which had been swaying happily from side to side, began to tilt slightly towards us, moving more slowly now, as if listening more intently.

"Then let’s move to a more private space for this discussion," said Sehee, leading the way toward the reaper’s containment room.

Well, aside from the fact that it was a containment room, it had chairs, plenty of snacks, and was soundproofed… But is it really okay to use a containment room for this?

Since the Gray Reaper didn’t seem inclined to move, too absorbed in the pudding, I lifted it up and placed it gently on the bed inside the containment room, sitting down next to it. I hugged the soft and warm reaper.

Ah, so cozy.

The others took their seats. Sehee sat in front of James, and beside him was an interpreter who seemed rather unnecessary. James' bodyguards were stationed outside the containment room.

The golden reapers, who had been resting on the bed, seemed delighted by the increased number of people in the room. They huddled together, then hopped up onto people’s shoulders one by one.

Those that couldn’t find a place looked a bit down and flopped back onto the bed with disappointed expressions.

“So, can you tell us why you’ve invited us?” Sehee asked.

“It’s because of the 0-level relic,” James began, his expression serious.

“So far, the Gray Reaper has reacted to two 0-level relics, and we want to see if it reacts to other 0-level relics as well.”

0-level relics were something we hadn’t heard much about in Korea, but I’d seen one at the pudding factory once.

“Ah! You mean those Object-like items, right?” I chimed in.

“Yes, we generally refer to such Objects as 0-level relics,” James explained.

Sehee nodded and spoke. “If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to bring these ‘0-level relics’ to Sehee’s lab for testing? That seems more practical than transporting the Gray Reaper over long distances.”

“Well, there’s no fixed standard for what qualifies as a 0-level relic, and there are quite a lot of Objects classified as such,” James replied, clearing his throat before lowering his voice, as if to emphasize something important.

“And there are some Objects we simply cannot move. The one that sets the standard for all 0-level relics: the ‘Immutable Black Sphere.’ We need to test the Gray Reaper’s reaction to that.”

The 'Immutable Black Sphere' was quite famous—I knew all about it.

It was the first-ever Object to be classified, not just discovered, as a supernatural phenomenon.

Unbreakable, immovable, and its powers unknown, it was a large sphere that, during the early days when Objects were still a secret, had been disguised as a mere decorative structure in the city.

“Is the ‘Immutable Black Sphere’ also a 0-level relic?” I asked.

“We don’t know,” James said, shaking his head weakly. “We refer to Objects that existed before the ‘Immutable Black Sphere’ as 0-level relics, but even the ‘Immutable Black Sphere’ appeared fairly early compared to other Objects.”

“To confirm this, the Gray Reaper’s trip to the U.S. is necessary. As you know, the ‘Immutable Black Sphere’ is an immovable Object, so there’s no other way,” he continued.

Sehee thought for a moment before responding. “It’s true that the ‘Immutable Black Sphere’ can’t be moved. I understand the need. We’ll need to coordinate with the Korean Object Association, so let’s gather more information and finalize the costs and schedule.”

With that, James and Sehee shook hands and left the containment room.

I assumed they had reached a rough agreement and would now involve experts to draft a contract.

Poor Seoa, she’d be swamped with work again.

Omnomnom.

The reaper, who had shown interest at the mention of the U.S., seemed entirely uninterested in the topic of 0-level relics, focusing solely on eating pudding.

Still, the idea of the U.S. intrigued me.

I had never been outside of Korea, so this was somewhat exciting.

Not only was it an almost impossible overseas trip, but I would also be traveling with the reaper, something that would be even harder to arrange!

Ah, I can’t wait.

I should start making a list of places to visit with the reaper before we go to the U.S.!

Yerin had left to investigate something, and it was now lunchtime. Having finished the extra-large pudding, I lay in Sehee’s sunlit garden, basking in the warmth and enjoying the lazy afternoon.

The garden, decorated with grass and trees, and a spread of cookies and treats, was bathed in warm sunlight.

The golden rays soaked into my skin, bringing on a pleasant drowsiness.

The sky was a perfect blue, with soft clouds drifting by leisurely overhead.

The soft body of the Maw beneath me emitted a sweet scent, blending with the earthy smell of the leaves overhead.

It was a peaceful afternoon, where time seemed to slow down.

Occasionally, a gentle breeze passed through, rustling the leaves and brushing my skin with a refreshing coolness.

This tranquility, however, was soon interrupted by Junior Detective 2.

“Wow!”

A loud exclamation broke the calm.

It was Junior Detective 2, marveling at the golden reapers rolling around and playing.

Busy day today, huh?

First James with his dull talk, and now Junior Detective 2 had shown up.

Rising from my spot, I glanced down and spotted a golden-horned reaper.

It looked a bit lonely, so I guessed Junior Detective 2 had brought it to join the others.

As the golden-horned reaper cautiously stepped into the garden, the other golden reapers quickly gathered around it.

It seemed like a long time since they had seen each other, and the horn made the reaper even more popular.

All the golden reapers that had been resting came rushing out.

They surrounded the horned reaper, touching its soft horns and gazing at it with envious eyes.

The horned reaper seemed flustered, unsure how to react to all the attention.

Maybe it didn’t even know why it had horns?

Some of the golden reapers clenched their tiny fists and closed their eyes in deep concentration.

It looked like they were trying to will themselves to grow horns too.

Oh?

There seemed to be some changes in the concentrating reapers.

They didn’t grow actual horns, but a few strands of their hair twitched and twisted, rising into the air, mimicking horns.

It definitely looked like they had somehow copied my antenna movement ability.

The golden reapers, arms spread wide, proudly showed off their fake horns.

The garden now looked like a shrine where golden reapers gathered to meditate on growing horns.

Finally freed from the crowd, the horned reaper cautiously stepped onto the marshmallow terrain of the Mini Reaper Garden.

At first, it walked gingerly, but as it grew more confident, it began to run, beaming with joy as it bounded across the marshmallow ground.

Junior Detective 2, moved by the sight, snapped photos with an emotional expression.

In the heart of Seoul Forest, a log cabin belonging to a tattoo-covered woman stood.

Inside, her younger sister was complaining to her.

“Can’t we just move to Seoul, sis?”

The woman tilted her head and asked, “Is it really that uncomfortable?”

“Yeah!”

The younger sister nodded vigorously, surprised that her older sister, who had always insisted on growing herbs in Seoul Forest, was now being open to the idea.

“Then we’ll look for an opportunity to move,” the older sister said.

“Really? Really?!”

“Well, we don’t have much money, so it won’t be anywhere fancy.”

“That’s fine! Anything’s better than being in Seoul Forest, where we can’t even use electronics!”

The older sister had been determined to grow herbs in Seoul Forest, but after seeing that there was a place in Seoul called "Sehee’s Lab," which seemed to house an alchemist, she began reconsidering her decision.

Hearing this, the younger sister, who had been grinding herbs, seemed noticeably happier.

“Oh, by the way, you once said Objects were called ‘Grimoires’ where you lived. Does that mean someone created them?”

“I don’t know the origins of Objects, but I do know the reason they were called ‘Grimoires.’”

“So, was it because the first Object looked like a book someone wrote?”

“No, it’s because the first discovered Object took the form of a book. The appearance of that Grimoire was so shocking that the name stuck, even though most of the Grimoires found later didn’t take the form of books.”

Her curiosity satisfied, the younger sister quickly lost interest and began chatting about where they might live in Seoul.

Plop, plop.

I wandered around the Mini Reaper Garden, testing my new ability.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected to gain anything from the last encounter, but I’d acquired a peculiar power.

The ability to convey text.

It seemed to be the same ability I’d experienced when hearing the incomprehensible language from the lamp but still understanding it.

When I thought of the word "hello," a transparent gray orb appeared in my hand.

Inside the orb, I could see the word <Hello.>

Though it wasn’t in Korean or any language on Earth, I could still understand the letters.

A completely useless ability for someone like me, who was sticking to the whole mute concept.

That’s when a fun idea popped into my head.

A prank with text!

I carefully composed a long message, creating an orb that I then placed in the arms of a sleeping golden reaper.

The reaper, mistaking the orb for my finger, clutched it tightly in its sleep, smiling sweetly.

I lay down nearby, pretending to sleep, and waited for the golden reaper to wake up.

Now, I just had to wait.

Hehe.

The golden reaper woke up to find a mysterious orb nestled in its arms and tilted its head in confusion.

What was this?

Curious, the golden reaper peered inside the slightly transparent orb, where numerous letters floated.

What it read inside was terrifying.

<This is a cursed message.> <The golden reaper who reads this will have their beloved human die in three days.>

<To avoid this fate, you must split the orb in two and pass it on to two other golden reapers.>

The golden reaper, shocked, looked around in a panic.

Torn with worry, the golden reaper’s eyes welled up with tears.

Tears streaming down its face, it clutched the orb tightly and began walking with determination.

It headed deep into the Mini Reaper Garden, where no other golden reapers were.

In its heart, it apologized endlessly to its beloved human, who was doomed to die soon, and kept moving forward.

Finally, the golden reaper reached the deep end of the garden and, still holding the cursed orb tightly, plunged itself into the depths of a vat of hot chocolate.