The trek to the city wasn’t that bad. Actually, it was rather pleasant. The twirling birds that tweeted in the air as they flew and danced over head. The tree tops that provided just enough cover so the sun wasn’t beating down on me. This list could go on forever, but that wasn’t what was important. What was important was that I was enjoying myself. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt alive,” I told Rin.
“Ironic, considering.”
I rolled my eyes but conceded. It wasn’t wrong. “I’d like to paint sometime. You know, I used to do that in my past life. But…” I stopped, not wanting to get into past life problems. After all, this was a new start.
“Well, first things first and all. Let’s get a roof over our heads.”
“Can’t we just build a home?”
“Nobody would visit just a random home in the middle of nowhere.”
“Do I need people to visit my home?”
“You really don’t get it do you?”
“Get what? You’ve explained nothing to me!”
Rin sighed but said nothing more. We were approaching a city so I’d hate to look like a maniac talking to a slime.
There seemed to be a line piling up outside the gates. It seemed that a small handful of guards were checking out people’s ID’s and letting them pass or turning them away.
“Oh no. I don’t have an ID.”
“Why are you waiting in line?”
“I can’t just go up and call myself a god. They won’t believe me.”
“They can’t even see you. Only your followers can. And you can go through the door.”
“I can go through the door?”
“Yeah, just walk through it.” Rin said it like it was the most obvious and easier to understand thing in the world. I wasn’t going along in the same thinking direction, if that makes any sense.
“So, can people hear me?” I asked in a whisper just in case. I was walking through the city at a slow pace, casually taking in all the sites.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Only if they are your followers.”
“How do I get followers? Do I need them?” I wasn’t really interested in being pampered though the thought of big breasted women fanning me and feeding me grapes had a certain appeal. I didn’t want to be super relied on for miracles and the like either. I didn’t perform well under pressure.
Rin made a shocked face, “Of course you need followers! That’s how you stay alive!” I shushed him out of habit.
“Well… I mean.” I didn’t know how to put my thoughts. “I don’t think I can perform miracles and the like. But if I’m a god, how do I die?” A tall building stood to my right, I pointed to it and Rin said it was a guild’s branch office. I couldn’t yet read the language it seemed.
“You don’t have to worry about miracles. You’re the God of Death, nobody is going to be looking at you for miracles. And if you don’t have any followers you just cease to exist. Poof! You’re gone.”
I traded my body for a life I would want to live. I couldn’t die here without doing anything to its fullest. “Why aren’t I dead yet despite having no followers?”
“All new gods get a year to gather as much support as they can. You see, because the last god either failed to maintain their followers or became evil and was slain, the older gods give you time to make a name for yourself and gather your reserves.”
“I see. So I can become evil and slain by a mighty hero?” Well, wasn’t that a major video game like story line. Luckily it wasn’t my responsibility to subjugate any gods. That would’ve been disastrous.
“Yes. You’re catching on quick.” The slime smiled.
“Now, how do I get followers?”