After dropping off Findenai and Erica and entrusting them to Owen, I returned to Ophelia.

With an expensive bag slung over her shoulder, she already had a bright smile on her face.

It felt unpleasant seeing her expression as if she didn’t care at all about my being late.

After that, we continued to spend time together. Most of the places I visited were luxurious and extravagant, and the more money I spent, the brighter Ophelia's smile became.

Before I knew it, it was already late at night.

The densely packed stars covered the sky of Loberne, and the chilly night air of January brought a sense of calm to my mind.

"How was today?"

"I love it so much!"

There were no lies in her bright smile. Seeing how she hugged the items I bought for her today, of course she would be happy.

"Lastly, if there is a place you want to go, I will take you there."

We spent the whole day together, and once I told her I would take her to a place she wanted to go as our last destination for the evening, a glint of greed sparkled in Ophelia's eyes again.

Ophelia licked her lips like a snake and naturally turned her body.

"Actually, I took a day off today, but I need to tell my coworker something."

"..."

"Can you come with me?"

As she leaned her upper body forward, it slightly emphasized her cleavage.

Without saying much, I nodded and gestured for her to lead the way.

How shallow.

Ophelia was a hostess.

She encouraged customers she was serving to order a lot of expensive drinks. Through this, she would obtain her incentives and improve her job performance.

Seeing how I treated her today, it seemed she thought I liked her and had a lot of money, so while we were at it, she planned to take me to the bar and exploit me.

I followed Ophelia into Glass Avenue; I had only been here during the day, but visiting in the late evening, it transformed into a completely different street.

Contrasting the few people seen during the day, many were now roaming around in all directions as if they had just woken up, with both men and women actively touting for customers for a long time.

At least since I was with Ophelia, no one approached me. However, there were murmurs among those who knew I was the Soul Whisperer.

"Isn't that Deus Verdi?"

"Shh. When you see any high-ranking people, you're supposed to pretend they aren’t here."

"Well, he is a man after all."

I could hear annoying remarks, but rumors about me regarding this topic were already widespread in Norseweden.

Adding a few more within Loberne wouldn't make a difference.

[Oh wow.]

[Oh wow.]

Then, I heard identical reactions from two women.

It was the Dark Spiritualist and Stella, who had been following behind me at some point.

They covered their mouths with their hands while they quickly glanced around.

[Th-this is my first time in a place like this.]

[Me too, Senior. Is it okay for that person to only be wearing underwear?]

[Eek! Why is that man only wearing briefs?! Is he a beggar?]

[May the gods watch over him.]

"..."

It was the first time the Dark Spiritualist, who had spent her entire life studying Necromancy in her lab, and Stella, who had lived her entire life praying for others while remaining pure, had come to such an explicit and chaotic night street. They reacted quite dramatically.

[Eek! Those two people are kissing!]

[Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!]

"..."

Although they covered their eyes with their hands, they were both staring intently at the kissing scene through the gaps in their fingers.

The reactions of the two who suddenly appeared made me lose any desire to say anything to them.

[T-that’s amazing.]

[So, it can be this obscene.]

The Dark Spiritualist exclaimed in disbelief while Stella clasped her hands in prayer.

I understood their reactions.

Although I had never set foot in bars or red-light districts as well, especially not in my previous life, I knew this place was more sordid than they had imagined.

[Wah! Wah! Wah!]

[Mom, what are you doing?]

[Waaaaaaaah!]

The deeper we went into the street, the more cries we heard from all directions.

They were mostly from young children, and the majority were incoherent.

Hearing this, the Dark Spiritualist and Stella looked around in shock.

Souls of young children were everywhere, unable to find rest. They were clinging to their parents’ clothes or wandering around crying.

[This is...]

[O’ merciful Goddess Hearthia.]

I slowed down my steps and distanced myself from Ophelia before speaking.

"They are the souls of children who were either never born or abandoned after birth."

They were pitiful children.

Streets lined with bars, motels, and red-light districts would mostly prompt such scenes.

That was why I didn't want to enter them.

[Can't you provide comfort to them?]

The Dark Spiritualist’s question was a bit unexpected. Wasn't she a Necromancer who treated souls merely as objects?

This question indicated that she had significantly changed while being with me.

I shook my head.

"Most souls find rest after death.”

In other words, they fell asleep.

However, those who harbored such intense emotions, will, and resentment, to the point that they could not rest after death would awaken.

These were usually negative emotions, and if they progressed further, they could become evil spirits.

However, those children didn’t harbor any negative emotions. Perhaps the slightly older ones might have, but the newborns, who couldn’t even speak properly, were unaware that they had been abandoned by their parents or that they were already dead.

"It is an overwhelming desire that surpasses the impulse to find rest—there is only one thing those children wish for."

[It is to be with their parents.]

Stella bitterly interjected with the answer.

I nodded and turned my gaze away from the souls.

"Regrettably, there is nothing I can do for those children."

Even if I wanted to comfort them, all they wanted was their parents.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fill that void.

[Can I stay with them for a while?]

Stella stopped walking.

With a wry smile, her hands were neatly folded together as if in prayer.

[Even if I cannot comfort them, I want to be with them for a moment.]

"Alright, please do so."

Stella bowed her head in thanks and walked towards the childrens’ souls.

As the woman who hadn't lost her nature as a Saintess even after death, she looked truly beautiful.

After a whole day of staring at Ophelia, seeing Stella made my heart become calmer and warmer.

It felt like the weariness of the entire day was being healed.

[...I'll go too.]

"Do you have something on your mind?"

While I anticipated such behavior from Stella, it was rather surprising when it came from the Dark Spiritualist.

Perhaps she had a lot on her mind; the Dark Spiritualist deeply lowered her head while clutching her robe with both hands.

[I just want to see what Stella is doing.]

If the Dark Spiritualist truly wanted that, then I didn't bother to respond to her words.

I gestured for her to do as she pleased and she calmly followed after Stella.

It seems like she has a lot on her mind.

The change in the Dark Spiritualist wasn't bad.

"..."

However, if this change happened after she had already lost everything, I was worried that the enlightenment she gained while wandering as a soul, a being who would eventually need to find her eternal rest, would leave her with deep regret.

No matter how I put it nicely, in the end, the Dark Spiritualist was already dead.

Being able to change through enlightenment and influencing others through that change was something granted solely to the living.

A case that previously happened like Deus was quite exceptional.

"Soul Whisperer! Over here!"

Suddenly, Ophelia's voice interrupted my train of thought. She had somehow walked far ahead, raising her hand to call me.

Flashy signs of the quite extravagant store and the employees standing in front of it greeted me with big smiles as they bowed 90 degrees.

"Welcome!”

"Welcome!"

"..."

I didn't even want to respond to them.

As we passed them and entered the store, Ophelia naturally guided me into a room.

Suddenly, I wondered if I had really won her love.

Did I fail?

Maybe I gave her the impression of being a convenient pushover.

Perhaps my charm had diminished in her eyes for being too accommodating.

While sitting on the sofa, I recalled the events of the day in my mind like organizing incorrect answers in a notebook.

It was a plush sofa and there was a huge table commonly seen in movies or dramas.

There were no windows to perceive the time outside, and the orange-hued lighting made it ambiguous whether it was day or night.

Although the lingering scent of burnt candles on the sofa was unnecessarily unpleasant, I didn't show it on my face.

The person who entered through the door had a threatening figure and a tough-looking face. However, while vigorously rubbing his hands together, he wore a bright expression and slightly bowed his waist towards me.

"My goodness! Soul Whisperer, thank you so much for coming to this humble place!"

Behind the man who clearly seemed to be the owner, massive plates were brought in.

Various snacks, ranging from sashimi to nuts and assorted fruits, were served alongside drinks. Liquor was also included, which was brought within baskets filled with ice.

She really planned to thoroughly exploit this opportunity.

"I have so many fans of yours among my girls!"

When the waiters carrying the snacks and drinks left, women in revealing clothes entered right away.

When they sent me subtle yet direct glances, I could see that their makeup was done extravagantly.

Did Deus entertain himself like this in Norseweden?

Such thoughts suddenly flashed in my mind.

"Ophelia alone is enough. I do not want anyone else to enter until I say so."

"Oh, of course! I, Fotton, will guard this place like a fortress!"

At my command, Fotton and the rest of the women immediately exited.

Ophelia, now left alone, had a satisfied smile on her lips.

She must have been anxious that if the other women also entertained me, the rewards would be divided accordingly.

She attempted to approach me. However…

"Sit there."

When I pointed towards a slightly distant sofa, Ophelia flinched and naturally took a seat.

Since the bill wouldn’t be settled unless drinks were poured, her hands seemed restless, wanting to reach for the alcohol and glasses.

"Have you fallen in love with me?"

As I bluntly questioned her, Ophelia's lips trembled slightly. However, she quickly brightly smiled and replied.

"Of course! You're the first person to treat me so well!"

"Well, it seems like I failed."

As I calmly laid out the truth, Ophelia's expression stiffened.

Indeed, it seemed that doing everything exactly as she wanted was the issue. By taking this submissive approach, I appeared more like a pushover rather than a man, a fact now glaringly evident in the scene before me.

Without touching the food and drinks placed before me, I asked with crossed legs.

"Today, I contemplated various matters while spending time with you."

"Huh?"

Ophelia's expression hardened upon seeing the situation unfold differently from what she expected.

"At Clair's General Store, you bought 'living with your true love.'"

"Uh, yes. That's right."

"But the store granted your wish in quite an extreme way. Instead of making you fall in love, it cleared away your past romances right in front of you, making it possible for you to find someone new if your feelings for them were to fade."

"..."

"If I think about it that way, I can understand why you have a tattoo on your chest that bewitched the opposite sex—it makes it easier for you to find your next love.”

Ophelia fidgeted her fingers while sitting on the sofa. Her desire to leave this place was evident.

However, I had no intention to let her go.

"The method is quite unconventional: the daughter, who became the price you paid, is now roaming around killing these men."

It was a disgusting method to the extreme.

Demons, who considered humans as mere toys, naturally emerged as the suspect.

"I asked Captain Paul to investigate all sudden deaths from disease in Loberne for over the year."

"...!"

Ophelia's eyes trembled.

"When we narrowed it down to men in their 20s to 30s, we quickly found them. There were a total of seventy-seven deaths."

"Th-that doesn't mean I killed them all!"

"That is right, but your involvement must have been significant, right?"

Tap.

I presented the list of deceased individuals that I had carried with me all day.

"How many names do you recognize from this list?"

Ophelia bit her lip as she looked unkindly at the list.

"Since your daughter’s case could be disguised as an accident, the number you killed might actually be double the number of the names you recognize from this list, right?"

"Th-that's not true! You can't say I killed them all!"

"Do not beat around the bush. You know the truth."

I suddenly stood and approached Ophelia step by step.

It frightened her as she hurriedly stood up and attempted to flee the room. However…

Clang!

I reached the door before her; when I touched the doorknob, it melted under the heat and hardened in an instant.

"Ah."

Ophelia was bewildered upon seeing the door with the doorknob fused in place. I shook my head and clicked my tongue.

"You are the only foolish one here. You knew those innocent souls would die without any fault."

"N-no! It's not my fault!"

"Those people died without even knowing why they died. They fell asleep without realizing the injustice they faced. They never had the chance to hold any grudges."

Ophelia trembled against the door as she stared at me, but I wasn't finished speaking.

"You indulged in luxury and pleasure by using others as mere tools. Furthermore, all while claiming to be a victim.”

With anger slowly rising inside me, I clenched my fist.

It wasn't just influenced by today's events.

"On the other hand, you may have enjoyed this entire thing, acting like you were a god yourself."

Flinch.

Ophelia's shoulders twitched.

As if I hit the bull's eye, she trembled and shouted.

"G-Get away! If I loved you, then would it matter? If my feelings for you fade, it's your death!"

"Do you enjoy it?"

I couldn't help but uncontrollably laugh at this absurdity. Ophelia seemed utterly puzzled by my question.

However, I neatly drove verbal daggers into her heart.

"Did you enjoy turning your deceased daughter into a murderer?"

"Ah..."

“You are a despicable woman."

"N-no."

As if her entire world was collapsing, Ophelia slid to her knees with her head in her hands.

"You are a vile woman who fed her husband and daughter to satisfy her greed."

"Nooooo! I didn't!"

Thud, thud, thud!

What's going on?

Fotton knocked on the door from outside since he heard Ophelia's screams.

However, the noise only served to agitate Ophelia even further.

"And yet you console yourself by saying you don’t have a single drop of blood on your hands?"

With messy hair and tears streaming down her face, Ophelia lifted her gaze to meet mine.

The tattoo on Ophelia’s chest, which longed for affection, loudly cried out for me to wipe away her tears and embrace her roughly.

However, this was nonsense.

"Deep down, you know too, do you not? How vile and disgusting you actually are."

"...Heu…ugh."

"Do you still love yourself, despite all that?"

Snap.

It felt like I could hear something breaking.

As Ophelia was driven to extremes, she shook her head...

"Gaaaarrrghhhh!"

And black threads spewed from Ophelia's chest.

I immediately retreated as the threads began to coalesce back to where I stood, bending at the height of a waist and gradually taking on the form of a skinny figure.

"If you had taken my words lightly and genuinely tried to solve the case, none of this would have happened."

However, Ophelia had only thought about how to exploit me. She wanted material gains and considered me a convenient financial backer.

"I already gave you a chance. You were the one who wasted it."

In that case, I had no choice but to resort to the final option.

"When your love fades, your daughter appears and kills the target."

Just because the tattoo only reacted to men; just because Ophelia claimed to be heterosexual—it didn't mean her daughter's execution was limited to men only.

"You have to pay the price for falling out of love with yourself."

The crimson eyes of her daughter, who had killed countless men, were now fixated on her mother.