ITCP Ch 1.1

The initial plan was clear.

Amidst an impending war, we’ve successfully captured the crown prince of the enemy nation.

The idea was to keep him well-fed, ensure his comfort, and subtly gather intelligence on their movements.

It was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement— or so I thought.

“Sid, you’re all I have.”

“…….”

“Don’t leave me.”

Yeah, honestly, I hadn’t anticipated this.

This was bad.

I had tamed the crown prince of the enemy nation.

And I had done it too well.

* * *

“Congratulations! You’re dead.”

“…….”

Yeah, everything started from here.

One day, a “god” appeared before me and said:

“Hey, didn’t you hear? You’re already dea—”

“I heard you, so can you please be quiet? I’m thinking right now.”

I asked the “god” to stay silent because I needed a moment to myself. The deity made a face that clearly said, What kind of human is this? But that wasn’t important right now.

Let me think for a moment.

I was definitely on the battlefield just a while ago.

The country I live in, Kalix, has been at war with the enemy nation, Dorzen, for five years now.

Our relationship had always been rocky, but there was an incident five years ago that pushed both nations to the brink of catastrophe.

Five years ago, the Emperor of Dorzen and the Princess of Kalix had announced a political marriage to foster peace between the two nations.

But on the day of the wedding, they were assassinated by an unknown assailant.

Both countries accused each other of the crime, and the conflict escalated into a full-blown war.

And I, Theodore Lille Kalix, the younger sibling of the late Princess Cassandra and a member of the Kalix royal family, was…

“You bastards of Dorzen! Today, I’ll finally end this war!”

Once again, I charged across the battlefield with vigor.

“Your Highness, look! The Emperor of Dorzen has appeared!”

“Finally, he’s  shown himself.”

At the soldier’s shout, I looked up and saw a man in the distance, riding a massive warhorse.

With hair as black as obsidian and eyes as red as blood, he was none other than my longtime nemesis and the murderer of my sister— Theodore Dorzen.

“Theodore Dorzen! Today, I’ll take your head!”

With that, I charged straight toward him.

And then—

Boom!

A blinding light flashed in the sky, and a massive beam of light crashed down in front of me.

The light shattered upon hitting the ground, scattering into countless fragments before forming a swirling vortex accompanied by a deafening roar.

“Your Highness Theodore!”

“Princess!”

Knights rushed toward me in alarm, but it was of no use.

The rapidly expanding light began to engulf the area, and before I knew it, I was sucked into the vortex.

And now…

“I am one of the three gods who sustain this world. Specifically, I am the god who governs the life and death of humans— Valois.”

“…….”

“It might be hard to believe, but you just died.”

For some reason, I was being informed of my death by a being who claimed to be a god.

Wait, hold on. What kind of situation is this?

“Um, excuse me, but I think there’s been some kind of a mistake here.”

“A mistake? Gods do not make mistakes.”

“Yes, but it seems like you just did, so I’m pointing it out.”

It didn’t make sense. Me, of all people, dead? That couldn’t be right.

Convinced there had to be some kind of error, I protested vehemently. The man who had been glaring at me let out a deep sigh, then pulled out a book from somewhere and handed it to me.

“Look here, Maelin Bell. You were killed instantly when a soldier from the enemy nation pierced your heart with a spear. It’s written right here.”

Huh. It really was written like that.

But here’s the thing.

“My name is Theodore Kalix.”

“Yes, Maelin Bell.”

“It’s Theodore Kalix.”

“Maelin…”

“Theodore.”

The god, who had been indifferent throughout this repetitive exchange, suddenly paused, looking startled.

Soon, it seemed he realized that something was wrong. His golden eyes began to waver.

How long had we been like this?

“Hmm. It seems… I’ve brought the wrong person.”

I knew it! I knew something like this would happen!

So much for “gods don’t make mistakes”!

“Send me back to where I came from, right now!”

Overwhelmed by frustration, I leapt onto the desk and shouted at him. But that wasn’t enough to vent my anger, so I grabbed him by the collar and shook him, his arms flailing in panic.

Of course, it didn’t do much.

“Hurry up and send me back! The war is still raging, and with the commander gone, it must be chaos over there!”

Of all times, why did this have to happen at the most critical moment?

I kept pressing him, demanding he send me back before it was too late. Half-choked, the man finally blurted out in desperation:

“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible!”

“Why not?!”

“Once a human sets foot in this place, they can never return to their original world. So, as unfortunate as it is, you’ll have to stay here.”

“What… what are you talking about?!”

Is this god messing with me?

As I continued to shout, demanding an explanation, he hastily raised his hands in defense.

“N-Now, don’t worry! It’s not much of a consolation, but I’ll specially send you to heaven, alright? So please, calm down and…”

“Heaven isn’t the issue here! A perfectly good person is about to die because of this!”

“Ahem. My apologies. These delivery mistakes happen from time to time… Anyway, that’s how it is. Theodore Kalix, I, hereby grant you passage to heaven!”

The flustered god hurriedly declared his verdict.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a white spirit appeared out of nowhere and enveloped me. It began dragging me off somewhere, but… wait, I can’t die like this!

“Hey, you fraud! If I go to heaven, I’ll tell all the other gods about this! I’ll expose how you dragged the wrong person here and killed them!”

“Wait. Stop. Hold on!”

At my threat, the god, who hadn’t even been looking at me, jolted in surprise and shouted.

Seizing the moment, I quickly shook off the spirits and climbed back onto the desk.

“…Death is the eternal rest, and sometimes, death can be better than life…”

“Oh, really? Then why don’t you try dying yourself?”

“Such insolence from a mortal.”

At my question—whether he’d like to experience the “wonderful” death he was praising—the god frowned. But it didn’t last long.

Soon, he clutched his head and let out a deep sigh.

“Ugh. Bringing a human back to life is no simple task. The paperwork alone requires hundreds of documents…”

“Well then, I guess I’ll just have to report this to the other gods…”

“Fine, fine! I’ll send you back, alright?!”

Bang! The god slammed his hand on the desk and shouted.

Anyone watching would think I was throwing a tantrum to force him to bring me back to life.

“Alright. Here’s what we’ll do. As I said earlier, sending a human who’s already set foot here back to their original world is no easy feat. So, here’s the deal…”

The god took a deep breath and spoke cautiously.

“From now on, it’s as if you never set foot in this place. I never saw you, and you never saw me. And you must never, under any circumstances, reveal this to anyone. Understood?”

“Understood.”

I nodded without hesitation. There was no need to think twice.

If it meant I could go back, I’d agree to anything.

I urged him to send me back quickly, and the god wiped his face with his hands, looking exhausted, then raised his arm.

In a weak voice, he said:

“…Just go through the door on the left.”

Huh? The door on the left?

As soon as he finished speaking, two doors appeared behind him.

What? All I had to do was walk out? What was all that fuss about?

I had a lot more to say, but I decided to save it for when I officially visited him again.

Right now, the war was what mattered.

Left. He definitely said the left door.

Following the god’s instructions, I opened the left door, and a bright white light spilled out.

Clenching my fists, I bravely leaped inside.

“Just you wait, Theodore Dorgen. I’m coming for you!”

I swore to myself that this time, I would end him for good.

* * *

Boom!

With a deafening sound, the door slammed shut.

“Haaa… Finally, that noisy one is gone.”

The god, Valois, slumped over his desk with a sigh.

As he did, the long strands of white hair draped over his shoulders fell to the floor.

“I glossed over it well enough, so I shouldn’t have to report this to the higher-ups, right? They’re already breathing down my neck as it is. If this gets out… Huh?”