Authority Over the One You Murdered

Have you ever rehearsed something in your mind, and when the moment actually came, you froze up? That wasn’t what happened to me. I would never stoop so low. However, I did have a little trouble sticking to my plan. The sight of the girl before me, the new body of the Horseman of Pestilence, spurred a tingle inside me. No, this feeling must have belonged to Raven. Pestilence would never make me nervous. Besides, I already knew she was here, so there wasn’t even a surprise factor.

“Can I help you?” Pestilence yawned and spoke in a cutesy voice you’d normally only find in anime or maid cafes.

Raven sized up Pestilence, and her response wasn’t the slightest bit helpful. “Sorry, I must have gotten the wrong house. I’m so sorry.”

I snatched control of Raven’s throat before she could sabotage my goals further. “Forget what I just said. Can we talk inside?” A puff of fire lit up inside Raven’s chest right after I finished the sentence. This time, the sensation was definitely from Raven.

Raven couldn’t get another word in to contradict my request, because Pestilence already responded, “I would love to serve you some tea that I had delivered from Britain.” An innocent smile followed. Pestilence’s cheeks looked so soft when the wrinkle of her mouth puffed them up. Any mortal would be smitten with the urge to protect her, and the list included Raven.

“Sorry for intruding.” Raven nodded as she stepped into Pestilence’s home. If only she were this polite with me. The cream-white interior walls lacked any mold for bugs to snack on. The air had fewer floating dust particles than outside. A minty smell also hovered, but that could easily be masking something sinister.

Ideally, it would be safest to wear full protective gear. The whole place could well be a breeding ground for the fanciest lethal pathogens. I couldn’t tell, as the potential bacteria and viruses would originate from Pestilence, which meant an information blind spot for my quasi-omniscience.

Still, I took comfort in knowing Pestilence also wouldn’t be able to read my mind with her quasi-omniscience. She should know only that Raven wasn’t just a typical stranger. Must have been why she was so keen to invite Raven in for alleged ‘tea’.

Raven waited on the spotless leather couch while Pestilence went to the kitchen to prepare drinks. Drinks that I was sure would be mixed with something weird. Empty glass flasks organized on a shelf in the corner. Very much Pestilence’s taste. Otherwise, the place looked like a dollhouse on display at a toy store. Guess she played her role as a housewife well.

“Hey… Don’t drink the tea,” I told Raven. My voice only manifested in Raven’s mind, so there wasn’t a risk of Pestilence overhearing. The issue was with Raven’s response.

“Why not? She seems nice.” Raven didn’t even whisper; she spoke in a plain, conversational volume. It would be more surprising if Pestilence didn’t hear this. After all, that horseman could rearrange the structure of her inner ear to make her hearing borderline superhuman.

“Quiet down. She could hear you.”

Raven took out her phone and put it against her ear, somehow thinking that this pretense would solve anything. “How would I know? You are hush-hush when it comes to everything besides bossing me around. Does this visit relate to my story at all?”

“That girl is the Horseman of Pestilence, and I am the Horseman of Death. Are you happy now?” I had a feeling that Pestilence would expose my identity soon anyway, so might as well take the initiative here, especially if it would get Raven to shut up.

The revelation quieted down Raven a little. I could almost feel her mind churning.

“Are you lying?” This ridiculous doubt was the conclusion she reached. I had no words for such a comical question. What did she expect me to answer? Yes?

She didn’t expect anything from me, since she leaped off the couch and strode right to the kitchen. The area presented itself as something of a lab; condiments and bottles of spirits arranged by height and labeled in the glass cabinets; tools like knives and spoons aligned on racks. Against the wall on the counter stood a few flasks that held the viscous substances, ranging from modified juice to extra-hot chili sauce. Strangely, one of them held an acorn.

Pestilence leaned against the ceramic tiles on the wall, waiting for the water to boil. I wondered if she had deliberately posed. With her arms behind her back, she arched her chest and waist slightly forward. And judging by her chest size, she must have spent a lot of time directing fat to that area.

Raven couldn’t see through Pestilence’s performance. “Sorry, I should have introduced myself. My name is Midorikawa Karasuya. A freelance tutor.” At least she was polite enough to introduce herself. Maybe she was only impolite to me.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Sasaki Karen.” Nope. I wouldn’t memorize yet another temporary alias. I would stick to Pestilence, thank you.

“Sasaki-san. If you don’t mind me asking a weird question, answer only if you are comfortable, but does the name ‘Horseman of Pestilence’ mean anything to you?” This had the same vibe as a child asking how babies are made.

“Oh my. A horseman. Are you talking about horse racing? I have no interest in that.” Pestilence covered her mouth in the guise of elegance. This whole façade dragged on longer than I had planned, forcing my hand.

I took control of Raven’s left hand to clutch it into a fist and swung it at her own cheek. She reacted before the impact, retracting her muscles to soften the blow, but the thud was still enough force to squeeze an ‘ouch’ out of her.

And that was only a misdirection. I reached with her right hand to swipe a kitchen knife and throw it at Pestilence’s neck. By the time Raven noticed, the knife had already slipped out of her hand.

My knife-throwing skill was a little rusty, especially in an unfamiliar body, but the speed I mustered was enough to pierce skin and meat.

Indeed, it went through Pestilence’s hand. She reacted in time to block the knife. Her expression was a harmless grin. The innocence transitioned into eeriness. Even Raven started to sense it. “Sasaki-san?”

Pestilence pulled the knife out of her hand without a word. And dropped the knife on the counter with a clank. She slumped onto the floor; tears started flowing on command.

“Death, you big bully, why do you have to do this to me? You killed me the last time we met already. Are you killing me again? Please let me write a will first, and spare your host. Don’t kill her. Just kill me. I’m the evil you need to destroy!” I always wondered if Pestilence would be an actor in one of her lives, but then her co-stars would suffer from her melodrama, so maybe it was best for her not to be.

Raven turned away from Pestilence. She wanted to address me but couldn’t find a mirror to do so. The kindling within her faltered from lacking a concrete image as its fuel. She spoke under her breath, “Are you insane? Don’t ever do that again. Actually. Leave my body! I don’t want you here anymore. Please. This is too much for me. You will get us both killed and bring other people down with us.”

Honestly, her floundering speech almost made me laugh. Killed? I would get her killed? No, not almost; I was exploding with guffaws inside. Never. If she were to die, it would be because I sentenced her to death. Only because of that. Nothing else.

“If I wanted you dead, you would be dead already.” My voice lacked any jocosity, as the serious bug bit me or something. I was hoping to sound approachable, but an explicit statement would also do the job.

“I’m talking about your recklessness and… craziness. Jeez. It’s like talking to a wall.” Yep, labeling me as crazy. This nonspecific term communicated nothing. There was a saying that could apply here: what she said about me said more about her.

“What are you going to do about it? Pull your hair out? That won’t do anything to solve your problem. So what do you have that can shut me up or stop me?” This might not be the best time to say this to her, but it had to be said.

Some recollections of the past tried to burst into my mind, but this wasn’t the time for them, so I pushed them right back down. The important thing now was that I proved to her that this woman here was Pestilence, just in time for the next stage of my plan.

Raven was about to retort, but she didn’t have the chance to. The sound was faint, but even she heard it, and I was sure that Pestilence knew about it.

The front door clicked and opened.