He threw a bottle of potion to me.

"Seems like the girl won't come because you're already here. I'll use your suggestion to talk to him."

I grabbed the bottle and drank it. My wounds healed, and I felt a bit refreshed.

"He's not Nortis anymore. Is that okay?"

"I've already implanted Nortis back into him. Don't use the power of gods impulsively. Whoever the god is, they have limits."

"You know about authority?"

"It's not important. I warn you, never use that power again. We mortals aren't supposed to use such power."

He then walked away and stood in front of Alex. I decided not to meddle with them again and walked outside. At the cave entrance, I met the three adventurers again.

"Hello—whoa! What happened?" the mage girl asked, surprised by my blood-drenched appearance.

"Are you okay, child?" the old priest asked, worried.

"I say what! We should have accompanied her!"

"I'm okay. This isn't my blood," I lied a little, not wanting them to keep asking questions.

"That's good to hear. How's your friend?"

"He's with someone now. A person came to help him. I only killed some monsters."

"That's great. We're heading to the village. Wanna join?"

"No, thanks. I want to take a bath in the river."

"Then we'll go first. Take care!"

The three of them disappeared from my sight. I walked around to find a river. After a while, I found a stream. I used my mana to scan my surroundings, making sure there were no people nearby.

After confirming there are no people nearby, I walk to the river. As I'm about to undress, I spot a girl standing on the opposite bank. Surprised, I jump back onto land.

"Hello," she says.

"Hi..." I respond hesitantly.

She appears to be a young woman wearing a short, Gothic-style party dress that barely covers her chest, exposing most of it. She's perched on a giant scythe with a handle made of spine bones.

She stands up, her long red twintails lifting as if by magic. Her shining red eyes lock onto me as she raises her scythe and begins walking on water towards me. Strangely, I sense no danger from her. More puzzling is how I didn't detect her presence earlier.

"Hello, little girl," she says. "It's dangerous to bathe in a running stream."

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"Uh, thanks for the warning," I reply.

I struggle to focus on her face—her exposed chest is quite distracting.

"You look like someone I know," she said, looking at my face very sharply. "Yeah, you are his child! How old are you now?"

"Eight."

"Eight? Only eight? Sorry, you just look really like him."

"Can I know who you're talking about?"

"Just an old acquaintance. I haven't met him for decades."

What? How old is this girl? What race is she?

"Sorry, are you an elf?"

She looked at me, smirking.

"No, my ears aren't pointy. Try guessing."

"Dwarf?"

"Do I look like a muscle geek?"

"Undead?"

"Have you ever seen an undead as beautiful as me?"

"Uuh…"

I've never seen them with my own eyes.

"You're a high human?"

"High human? A human on hallucinogens?" She then laughed out loud. After a while, she calmed down and pointed her finger at my head. "What race are you?"

"I am human," I answered instantly. Her face became disappointed.

"Well, let's just pretend I'm a high human like you said."

"So I'm the same race as you?"

"Who knows? Oh yeah, my name is Malavar. What's yours?"

"My name is Ruby."

"Ruby, did your parents name you after your eye color?"

"Probably. Never asked."

A loud roar echoed through the air as she lifted her scythe.

"It's time for me to go, Ruby. You asked what race I am, right?"

Wings sprouted from her back—not flesh and skin, but bone. Their shape reminded me of a dragon's.

"I am a cursed being, cursed with immortality but not eternal flesh. For hundreds of years, I've watched my body rot, my skin melt, my tendons detach from my bones."

"Are you Rotten Doom?"

"No, Rotten Doom enjoys his rotting form. I do not. This must be my karma for taking too many lives."

She began flapping her wings, preparing for flight.

"Remember, Ruby, no matter how angry you become, don't kill the innocent. We learned that lesson the hard way. I don't want you to follow our path."

With that, she flew away towards the source of the roar. I stood there, silent.

"Ah, such misfortune!"

I turned to see Anima behind me.

"Why are you here?"

"I followed her soul, hoping to hitch a ride to Rotten Doom. Alas, she's already gone."

"Did she really receive her karma?"

"No, it's just her guilt. Like a hero who feels remorse after realizing the demons he massacred had feelings, or a demon lord regretting his existence, she regrets living her whole life as an Executioner."

Anima sat near the river, seemingly casting some magic.

"What did she do in the past?"

"She was the God of Justice's apostle. She killed anyone he commanded her to, hence her title of Executioner. The God of Justice she served is long gone."

The river shimmered for a moment, and I noticed it became cleaner.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You see, apostles tend to live longer than normal humans, as they serve a purpose in their life. You, chosen by Chronos, could potentially have an eternal lifespan. For now, you're not his apostle yet. In the future, you'll have to choose whether to accept his offer or not. In the worst case, you might end up like Haruto."

We both fell silent. She acted so differently from the last time we met.

"Are you mad at me?"

"…" After a long silence, she stood up. "I don't know."

She teleported behind me and pushed me into the river. The water was shallow, and I noticed my clothes became clean instantly.

"I'll take this as payment for my service. Bye!"

I watched her vanish with my money pouch. If I remembered correctly, it contained 20 gold coins.

"Hahaha! You had me for a while, pretending to care about me…"

I gazed at the sky.

"What are you planning, Chronos?"