Overgeared

“Congratulations, youngest. The temple has appointed you out as a sacrifice.”

“Oh, my! There is such a happy event in my house!”

“You’ve succeeded, Iwata!”

It was an era when death meant the gateway to paradise. The boy smiled widely as he looked around at his parents and siblings, who were rejoicing while shedding tears.

“Yes, I’m glad. Thank you.”

***

It was the first time since the boy was born that he had seen such a dinner. The bread and meat that his parents received from the temple were piled up on the table.

However, the boy couldn’t even touch the meat. It was because there was the possibility that he would ascend to heaven.

The boy's father spoke to the boy, who was looking down gloomily at the pile of grass in the old wooden tableware set, “Iwata, you might be young, but you have accumulated a lot of merit. Didn’t you join the Reflection Group early on and serve the poor?”

“I, Iwata, also saved the little fox cubs who lost their mother two days ago.”

“Did you? It is great that you didn’t dismiss it lightly just because the other party is a beast. The gods of Asgard will surely make you an angel. You will become one of the young angels who play musical instruments and sing for the gods forever. That is why you should refrain from eating meat. The gods might be reluctant if you have yellow lumps in your body.”

“Uwah, it reminds me of Taitta. I cut open the swollen belly and it was full of yellow lumps. I thought there were no intestines the first time I saw it, right?”

“Considering the priests who performed the ritual frowned, I wonder if the smell was also bad. How can you sacrifice the sick as a living sacrifice... The temple made a rare mistake.”

“It wasn’t a mistake. They knew and proceeded with it? Taitta was also a priest. Maybe they wanted to give someone who served his whole life a chance to go to heaven.”

“That is true based on what I heard.”

“Thank you for the meal. I’ll be going!”

The boy often hated his father, who always nagged him, and his older brother, who supported his father. However, that wasn’t the case since yesterday. The fact that he was chosen as a living sacrifice made the boy a more positive person.

The boy, who ate all the bland vegetables before he knew it, jumped up from his seat and left the house immediately.

It was around this time last year—the boy was called to the Reflection Group because he was fast and strong. From then on, he had been busy every day.

Sadly, there were many elderly people in this city. He didn’t know if it was difficult, but according to the explanation of his superiors, it was a disease created by peace. They were people who missed the time to die due to the disappearance of war. The number of poor people who couldn’t go to paradise was increasing every day.

“I heard that the shoemaker auntie, Domiri, has the hair at the top of her head turning white.”

“Is that true? It is my first time serving someone I know.”

“How pitiful... we should hurry and find her before she goes mad and hides somewhere.”

The boy mingled among the young men holding clubs stained dark red with blood and went out to serve the people. The destination was the shoe store. The young men dragged out Auntie Domiri and beat her with all their might. The auntie’s young husband and daughters cheered in congratulations while the auntie screamed. She begged for help.

The boy felt it every time, but elderly people were really strange.

‘Why are they afraid of death?’

The gates to paradise would only open when they died. According to the priests who received the divine message: Most people would go to the paradise that Yatan created underground and would be freed from all the suffering they had experienced as humans. Additionally, some chosen ones would go to the paradise that Rebecca created in heaven in order to worship the gods.

life on the surface where they suffered from

they would have to endure pain to reach death. However, the pain was only fleeting. If they endured for a moment, they would enjoy eternal happiness.

the seniors said. They must

waving her hands and feet to stop the clubs. It would’ve been better to obediently expose her stomach and head, rather

At times like this, I

That

intestines were crushed that there was a possibility of reflection and ascension to heaven. Even if the underground paradise

you have already reflected enough. There is no need to suffer any longer, so put away that rattling arm and

“Spare me… spare me...”

is this? Did you immediately go crazy the moment the hair at the top of

will starve to death under their immature father, who gambles with the money used

I don’t know what

is possessed by

and kill her before

auntie’s young husband took the lead. Domiri’s daughters, who had been

up. He used a much stronger force than his seniors to press on

Bam!

broken head, finally relaxed his hardened face. He approached

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you!”

girls also

the boy went to the temple. For the next month before the ceremony, the priests visited

“Drink.”

who was curiously looking at the liquid in the transparent glass bottle“It is a medicine that purifies the soul. If you take that medicine every night from today on,

ascending

“Um, that’s right.”

the medicine and felt his consciousness go dim. His heart fluttered and he burst out laughing for no reason. As his soul

skin of the priests who came closer after taking off their masks and clothes was wrinkled. How could a person’s body be like that? It was the first time

by the gods are different from ordinary

drugged boy smiled and fell into the arms of the priests. Thus, the priests visited the

around two

bald head of the priest, Gurada, when he felt a sense of beard-like roughness at the tip of his fingers. Then he looked closely and found that it was a white hair. It was thick and short, as if

old person who

Iwata! What are you doing all of a

course, I

he was doing now. He relied solely on

“This crazy guy...! Aaack!”

went

hard because the boy was very fast and powerful. He had delayed

“Hiik...”

rushed over after hearing the commotion. The huge temple at night was still. It was because the priests sent away

“Poor people...”

usually hidden under masks—their eyelashes were white when he

was too late. The boy blocked

the corpses of the priests referred to them as ‘very old people.’ The folds of their skin were like the

things started to change. People learned the truth that the priests who ruled the city were older than the elderly people

fine. He just

bars couldn’t withstand the boy’s grip, which was even more powerful than yesterday, and crumpled at once. The boy chuckled after killing the seniors from the Reflection Group who ran

seniors will go to heaven,

boy went straight to the temple. He killed all the soldiers protecting the entrance and also killed those who were investigating inside. He was glad that his father was there