I'm late.

Lifting myself out of the hole, I walked back over to the car. Doing this now was much more of a hassle. Back in the day, I'd have someone else to help out with this part, or at least get some prep work done. Really, there was a dedicated place for this sort of thing.

But all that was in the past now. I knew that, but couldn't help complain from time to time, even if it was only to myself.

I leaned the shovel against the car and opened the trunk. There was what I came all the way out here to these abandoned woods for. With the heavy tarp-covered thing in my arms, I walked back over to the hole.

It's a weird idea, woods being abandoned. It'd be more accurate to say people just don't come around here. Not that I blamed them. Shady shit happened around these parts. Like what I'm just about finished doing.

With the tarp on the ground, I unraveled it. There he was. Some guy, dead, hole in the back of his head. With a push from my foot, his body fell into the hole.

The job wasn't hard. Compared to all the killing I've done in my life, this was actually pretty easy. It helped he didn't look over his shoulder all that much. Guess he thought he didn't make any enemies.

The last part was filling in the hole again, then covering it up. Like stated previously, there weren't going to be many people coming around here, but better safe than sorry. Though, it wasn't like the guy had any teeth left once I was done with him. No dental records for you, sir.

All the while, I kept glancing at my watch. Had I known it'd take this long, I'd have left earlier. That's just how these things go sometimes.

With the ground restored to normal, I put away the shovel and got back in my car. Gloves off, mask off, and hair freed. The face in the mirror was presentable enough, so I turned on the car and drove off. I got a cigarette going before reaching the main road and picked up speed.

Still, I was late.

This was a bit of a last-minute thing, the minute in question being a couple days. I could have refused the job, but the pay was good and the guy was an asshole, supposedly. I try not to pry. Being a hired killer meant I didn't have to care all that much about those details.

But that was beside the point. There was a reason I took that job, the same reason I took many jobs like that.

About 20 minutes later, I pulled up to the cute little Cape Cod house. It was always funny to me that this was the house they decided on. They could have gotten practically any house they wanted, but they chose a small, two-story house in the suburbs with plenty of similar houses nearby.

I got out of the car and straightened out my leather jacket. The only evidence of what I'd just done—aside from the gloves, mask, hat, and shovel still in the car—was the dried mud on my boots. Seeing as I occasionally helped out with their yard, that wouldn't raise any suspicion.

Even before I started walking up to the house, my presence was detected. A mop of brown hair peaked up over the windowsill, a matching pair of brown eyes looking my way before disappearing. With a smile, I reached the door and unlocked it. The second it opened…

"Dante!" I heard a moment before a small body jumped up at me.

"Whoa, Mary, don't scare me like that!" I admonished jokingly as I twirled the girl around in the air.

Mary, my niece and goddaughter, who was as wonderful today as she was when I first held her in my arms as a baby. Nine years old and brimming with energy.

"You're late." I heard from down the hall.

Gloria peaked her head around the corner. My sister in all but blood. She gave me a knowing smile as I set Mary down, which meant I probably had a goofy smile of my own. I really couldn't help it. I saw my sweet little niece several times a week and she's always happy to see me. So of course I have to return the sentiment, not that I wouldn't regardless.

"Just got caught up in traffic." I told her. Not entirely a lie, since a few cars in front of me just had to match speed with the one next to them, but ultimately not the real reason.

"Excuses." She shook her head and disappeared around the corner. "Speaking of, my dear husband will probably say the same thing when he gets back."

That sounded much more truthful. Eddy drove like a retired driving instructor these days. Not to say he used to drive at high speeds, but speed limits were made to be broken.

"Dante, I learned how to braid hair! Can I show you?" Mary asked, looking up at me.

I smiled down at her. "I'd love that."

And that's how we spent the next 10 minutes, along with a cup of coffee provided by Gloria. My hair was long enough that I could pull most of it into a ponytail, so Mary had something to work with. The braids were simple enough, though she didn't use anything to secure them. She was still more than happy to do them again when they came loose.

"Hey, you're here." I heard the door open and close, Eddy soon walking into the living room.

"It would be a little hard for you two to go on a date if I wasn't." I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm, sure. You're doing this just for us." He walked over and kissed his daughter on the top of her head.

"I can combine goals." I protested. It's not like I really needed an excuse to see Mary, nor did they demand one.

It took another five minutes for Eddy to get himself ready. He and Gloria had reservations for a nice restaurant tonight, though not one that needed them to dress up fancily.

It was pretty funny, actually. Eddy owned and operated his own restaurant, and here he was about to go somewhere else. It wasn't like he'd be cooking their meal if they went to his. He recently hired another chef, after all. He'd spent most days there before, but always made sure to take some time off for dates with Gloria or outings with their daughter. I helped out there, too, but mostly when he got it started, and much less after he got some more help.

Part of me was always jealous of that. Eddy was able to find something he could be passionate about after we left our old city, and our old lives, behind. While not quite passionate about it, Gloria was a good bookkeeper. As for me, well…

I've yet to find something I couldn't do adequately. When Eddy first bought the restaurant, I helped out with cooking and waiting tables, whatever was needed. I was a pretty good cook, thanks to his teaching, but not a master. I was good at math and decent at business, so I'd make a decent bookkeeper as well, but Gloria was close to becoming an accountant with her recent degree.

No, there was one thing, one career path that I was a master of. I was proud of the work I did, even if Eddy and Gloria got away from that life.

As the two of them neared the door, Gloria turned to Mary and me. "Now, we won't be out late. Mary needs to be in bed by 8, so make sure…"

Her voice trailed off slightly as she looked at me, my eyebrow raised and a smile on my face.

"I know you watch her a lot, but I'm still going to say this." She told me.

"Alright, alright." I held up my hands. Just as I was a doting uncle, Gloria was a concerned mother.

She gave me her usual instructions, ending it with an extra item. "Now, don't go spoiling her apatite."

Mary giggled, possibly at her mother, but more likely at her father, who just winked.

"Of course." I said as Eddy opened the door. The two of them walked out as we waved goodbye. Once the door was closed, I waited about 10 seconds before I looked down at Mary. The eager girl looked back up. "Who wants ice cream?"

It was rhetorical, of course. I'd take Mary out for a cone once or twice a week, and she loved the little ice cream shop that was on the way to the park. It worked out, too. She'd get hopped up on a little sugar, run around outside to burn it off, then we'd return.

She got her usual scoop of chocolate ice cream and enjoyed it as we walked down the street, her hand in mine. It was a nice, peaceful area those two picked out. Safe neighborhood, good school district, little crime. Except, of course, the ones I committed, though I did that far enough away to not count.

At the park, Mary played with the other kids there while I watched with some of the parents. More than once, I'd been mistaken for her father, but I was always quick to correct them. I loved Mary like she was my own, but I'd never dream of replacing Gloria and Eddy in her heart, even if the worst were to happen.

After playing with the other kids for almost an hour, and getting me to push her on the swings, we walked back to her home.

"Alright, go play for a bit while I make your dinner." I told her.

"Okay!" She said, bouncing off to the living room. "I have to show you what I made in Minecraft."

"Whaaaat~? You played without me?" I whined as I walked to the kitchen.

"But Uncle Dante, you were away for work taking down bad guys." She said, starting up the game.

That was fair. This week I was a bit busy. My front was a private detective and bounty hunter, which wasn't even a lie. It took up about a third of my work. The rest was more like what I was doing earlier.

Now it was time I demonstrated my superb cooking skills. Everything I could ever need was within my grasp. I gathered up the ingredients and got to work, getting the stove ready as well. The pan was sprayed. My creation was nearly assembled. With a spatula in one hand and the pan handle in the other, I began to cook the most delicious thing in the world.

A grilled cheese sandwich.

I was a good cook. That didn't mean my target consumer wanted a fancy steak. I'd make some enchiladas or empanadas, but I knew she had that last night. Eddy could make a mean empanada. It was all that Cuban blood in him. Incidentally, my blood was made of pasta sauce and Guinness. Regardless, I make grilled cheese fancy, and my food critic always gave me high praise.

Just as I was serving her dinner, the front door opened. In walked Eddy and Gloria, back from their date.

"You weren't joking about not being out late." I said, walking back to the kitchen to clean up. It was only a little after five, so they had an early dinner. Though, had they waited, they'd be in the thick of dinner rush.

"I had to make sure you didn't fill my daughter's stomach with sugar." Gloria playfully said as she and Eddy moved in.

"Rude." I stuck out my tongue. "I'm filling it with bread and cheese."

"Done!" Mary called out, taking her plate and putting it in the sink.

"Wha…" This time, my reaction wasn't acted. I was genuinely surprised at her speed.

"I have to show you what I made before you leave." Mary said, rushing into the living room.

"You have time…" I tried to say, but she wasn't listening.

"It hurts, you know." Eddy placed his hand on his chest and turned up his nose. "My precious daughter is more excited about seeing you than me."

I smiled at him. "Might help if you play that game with her a bit."

Eddy sighed. "I've tried. I just can't get into them anymore. How you still play them just baffles me."

"Excuses." I walked over to the sink to clean up. "Anyway, I'll play with Mary a bit more, then fix your sink, and then I'll be off."

"What's wrong with our sink?" Gloria asked, taking a seat at the table.

"It's got a drip somewhere underneath." I answered. "I swear, if I didn't come around, you'd let this place fall apart."

"Ooh, someone thinks highly of themselves." Gloria laughed, leaning on her hand. "I think you're the one causing problems to fix."

"The accusation!" I replied, setting the pan to dry while I worked on the plate.

"I don't know~. I seem to remember a certain cake…"

"Marble cake takes two great things and makes it terrible. Everyone knows this." I argued, finished with the plate. I swear, Gloria will never drop the issue.

"Be that as it may, you don't need to make up excuses to stay longer." She stuck out her tongue at me.

"Excuses." I scoffed, hands on my hips. "You don't hear that?"

"I think Dante's making fun of our hearing now. It comes with our age, I suppose." Eddy chimed in. The both of them were only one year older than me.

"Fine, I'll show you nonbelievers." I said with enough dramatic flair to silence their unjust ridicule.

I opened up the little cabinet and looked around. The sound was pretty consistent, so it was likely where there was a dip in the pipe. Only, it wasn't there. The spot just below the drain was completely dry, yet I still heard the sound. I looked around a bit, trying to find it, but also thinking about the noise. Now that it wasn't muffled, it didn't sound like a drip.

It sounded like…ticking.

Then, I saw it. In the corner, behind some cleaners, was…

"Shit!" I yelled, standing up. "Get out! Everyone, get—"

And then, everything went white.

~The Right Man~

There was darkness all around me. I felt weightless, as if I was floating in water, yet nothing touched my body.

I couldn't see anything but the void…no, that wasn't true. I could see my body, or at least part of it. Some of my hair was in front of my eyes as I stayed still and let my eyes wander.

"What…" I found my voice, and was more than a little surprised I still had one. What I just went through…

"Wow." Another voice said just above me. "That was much more violent than I thought your death would be."

I looked up and saw a woman standing there. It was a bit hard to tell with the endless void, but I'd say she stood about a foot away from my head as if my back were on the ground.

She held out a hand to me. I wasn't really sure what was going on, but I saw no reason not to accept. After she pulled me up, I got a better look at her. Or, I tried to.

She wore a black power suit. It looked more tailored for a man than a woman, though still something a CEO would wear. A white shirt underneath and flat shoes on her feet. That was the extent of what I could see of her.

Her face wasn't discernable at all. It's not like it was blurred out or obscured. There was plenty of light—or lack of darkness, I suppose, since I could see clearly—but I couldn't make out her face at all. The only impression I could feel, not see, was that she was beautiful.

"Who are you?" I asked the first thing that came to mind.

"An important question, and an equally important answer." She gestured to the side where a desk sat. One that definitely wasn't there before. There was a chair on either side of it and the whole thing looked like something out of a CEO's office. Almost fitting, really. "Have a seat."

Going along with the absurd situation I found myself in, I did as she said. As she sat across from me, she interlaced her fingers and placed her hands on the desk. I still couldn't see her face, but I could just tell she was smiling.

"So, let's get the obvious points out of the way." She spoke.

It wasn't hard to piece together what happened. "I died."

Her invisible smile widened. "It would be rather difficult to survive an explosion so close."

"My family is dead, too." I added.

"Very much so, yes."

"So…this is it. This is death." I gave a cursory look around me before settling on the woman again. "This isn't what I imagined."

"What did you think would happen?" She asked evenly.

"Fire and brimstone, mostly." I answered honestly. I knew what I was about. There was no way I'd end up in heaven, assuming the place existed.

"What, forever?" I could feel her raising an eyebrow. "You mortals have such strange ideas about the afterlife."

I had the nagging feeling of just what I was speaking with. "Are you the Grim Reaper?" I started relatively low on the list.

"Well, that's not a flattering title at all." She said, waving her hand off to the side dismissively. "And no, I'm not. I'm much more than…whatever that is."

I took another guess. "An angel?"

Her 'smile' grew again. "Think bigger."

I sighed. "A god? Or, rather, a goddess?"

"There we go!" She tapped the arm I had resting on her desk.

I could only guess which religion got it right at that point. "So, that's 'who', and 'what'. I suppose I should ask 'why' next."

She gave a light laugh. "Well, you are here for an interview."

I didn't really have a response for that. That feeling was compounded when an open folder appeared in front of her. There was no sound or motion, as if it was always there.

"Dante MacRory, age 28. Former hitman, muscle, and all-around mobster of the Murello Crime Family. Started at the age of 17, was active until 4 years ago. Went into hiding with your friends Edmundo Murello and Gloria Murello, and their daughter, Mary Murello. You continued a few of your activities on your own, mostly hired killing, though sometimes bounty hunting and legitimate private detective work." She spoke as if reading a summary of my life, which was accurate.

"I'm sorry, I'm a little confused." I didn't want to interrupt her, but this was important. "Are you…trying to hire me as an assassin?"

"A killer, actually." She responded without missing a beat. "Methods and targets don't particularly concern me, so long as it's a lot. It'll be a bit out of your usual skillset, but I'm sure you can adapt."

"This is moving a bit quickly." I said. "How could I kill…I mean, I really don't understand."

I was dead, so I didn't have a body. Probably. I still wasn't all that clear on what my current physical situation was, since it all felt the same.

"My apologies." She said. "I only have so long to make this pitch before other interviewees arrive, and you're actually the first one. Perhaps I should begin with the benefits?"

"That…sure." Fast-paced or not, I still wanted to understand just what the hell was going on.

"Very well then." She slid the folder aside. "All of my 'employees' will receive the same package: immortality. So long as you serve me, your soul will remain as it is with your current consciousness."

I didn't really know how else a soul would exist, but I nodded all the same. Then again, I remembered bits and pieces of Buddhism and Hinduism, their varying degrees of reincarnation and the like.

"You, however, have a bit of extra incentive." She held her hand up slightly. Three yellow flames appeared above her hand, set up in a line. "I believe these three are quite important to you."

My eyes widened as I looked at what was before me. There was nothing physically familiar about them, but all the same, I could feel what they were. "Are those…?"

"The souls of your family." She quickly held up her other hand. "Let's not start our relationship off with any threats, whether direct or perceived. If you don't wish to take the job, the souls of your family will simply go back to your world and be recycled, as is the norm. If you do, and you succeed, they will live again."

I relaxed my hand, which had balled into a fist on the table without me realizing. "Okay, you have my full attention."

"Excellent!" She waved her hand and the three flames, the souls of my family, vanished. I only gazed where they last were for a moment before I refocused on the sharply-dressed woman.

"So, what do you want me to do?" I asked the goddess.

"The short answer is to save the world while killing as many things as possible." Once more, I felt a smile on her face.

I thought about what she said for a few seconds. "That has to be the strangest combination of things I've ever heard, only because I think you're serious."

"Well, it's not your world you'll be saving. It's one where the rules are very different from what you're used to. To better explain, I have here what you'll be using to do the killing."

She gestured to the side with her hand. This time, something appeared without seeming like it was always there. An axe floated in the 'air'. It was long enough that it could be wielded with two hands, something that wouldn't be too out of place on a medieval battlefield. The only strange thing about it was the red gem set in the head that covered part of the shaft.

"Look at this Axe. What do you think of it?" She asked as she looked at it.

"It looks…ornate?" A second look made me think it was something someone important would have. Not a general, per say, but still finely crafted. "Maybe ceremonial if it was fancier."

"It's a real weapon. One that perhaps looks fantastical." She looked back at me. "Did I get that right? Wordplay can be hard to translate depending on the language. What I'm trying to say is it looks like something from a fantasy story, does it not?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it does."

"That is the type of world you'll be going to." She folded her hands together on the desk again. The axe moved closer to us, taking up position at the side of the desk.

"So, a sword and sorcery type of world?" I asked. The fact that other worlds with life on them wasn't a new concept, so I didn't question that part. I highly doubted we were alone in the universe.

"Yes, with a little gimmick to it." She said. "From your file, I know you understand the concept of levels and stats."

This was starting to sound like an isekai story, like any of the dozens I've watched. "The more things I kill there, the stronger I get."

"Exactly." She nodded. "You will be my champion in this world. The Vassal Axe here will set you apart from most people. A few bonuses I included will set you apart from others who wield similar weapons."

"The Vassal Axe?" I questioned. Something about that seemed familiar.

"Yes. It's one of eight weapons with comparable abilities. Well, 12, if you include the Holy Weapons. Although, one vassal weapon isn't known to most in the world, so the other vassals are locally called 'Seven Star', with the heroes wielding them having a similar title."

'Seven Star' and 'hero' were more than enough to tell me what world this was, but I wanted to confirm it. It just sounded to crazy to be true. "This world…is it under threat of something called the Waves of Calamity?"

There was a pause before she responded. "Something like that, yes. How did you know?"

"And the Holy Weapons are a sword, spear, bow, and shield?"

She verified that with a nod. "You didn't answer my question."

This was surreal. She was asking me to go to this world as a hero to fight for it, but that couldn't be the truth.

"It's a book series." I sighed as I leaned back in my chair. "And a manga. And an anime."

It was one of my favorites, actually. I watched the anime a few years ago and then moved on to the light novels. The manga, too, as well as the web novel. People didn't seem to like the last one for some reason, but it as a good read. I read the spinoff of it as well, but only the manga and web novel versions. Things got weird later in the web novel and the translations weren't all that good, but I remembered more than enough of it.

"Wait, you engage in recreational reading even though you have such a fulfilling career and strong familial bonds?" She asked.

I looked at her blankly. "I have hobbies, yes."

"More importantly, this actually is a fantasy story for you?" Her hands separated, laying flat on the desk now.

"Yeah." With my elbow on the armrest, I leaned my chin on my hand. "So, this is a joke or something, right? You tell me I'm supposed to save the world, but I'm actually going to doom it with my actions? If that's the case—"

"Of course not." She interrupted sternly. "I don't have the leeway to throw away capable personnel for something so ridiculous."

I blinked but kept my face neutral. "You aren't trying to destroy this world?"

"I have better use for it living than it dying." She assured.

"Are you not Medea?" I asked, remembering the name of the last villain in the original web novel. She wasn't in the light novel, but I figured I'd ask anyway.

The goddess scoffed at my question. "That crazy bitch has been dead for a long time, and that is from someone who is eternal."

A little paradoxical, but that told me even gods could be killed, assuming that was in fact what she was. Even if things were closer to the light novel, that was still the case, even if the gods there weren't actually gods in the traditional sense.

I was pretty doubtful of her words, but she still had the souls of my family with her. Without being able to properly see her face, it was hard to tell if she was being dishonest or lying. She also wasn't human, and had far more experience in life, so I wasn't sure I could detect that anyway. "Assuming that's all true, there are others in that world trying to destroy it, though they think they're real heroes. One of them will probably kill me soon after I get there and take my weapon, adding it to the others he has."

"How pointless." She shook her head. "You can only bring out the power of one weapon at a time."

That sounded about right, from what I remembered. The guy didn't seem to care. "It's what happened in the books. Takt, the Whip Hero, killed heroes and other reincarnated and took their weapons."

"The Whip Hero…" The goddess turned slightly and started tapping on a laptop.

"How did…" No, I wasn't going to question it. I didn't question anything else she did do so far, not really, so why start now?

"Do you know when this 'Takt' started collecting weapons?" She asked, still facing the screen.

"Sometime before the Waves started, I think. He got the Whip and was made a prince of Faubrey." As far as I recalled, he had the Whip, Axe, and Claw before the story started, though I must have been mistaken.

I waited in silence while she tapped away. Honestly, it felt like a bit of a show for me, but I didn't say anything about it. After about a minute, she looked up at me.

"I found the Whip Hero." She stated. "It's a man by the name of Lloyd."

She turned the screen to face me. Names could be different, I suppose, so that wasn't enough to convince me. On the screen, I saw a man playing with some griffins on what I assumed was a ranch of some sort. The man wore leather armor with browns and greens mixed in and sported a ponytail.

"Is this who you were thinking of?" She asked me.

"Well…" Whatever I was thinking of saying was cut off as the man leaned down and blew a raspberry on the stomach of one of the griffins. It batted at him lightly, squirming on the ground and giving off what sounded like a laugh.

"My last champion met this man on a few occasions. They didn't fight alongside each other, nor against each other. He doesn't strike me as much of a killer. Does he to you?" She asked, pointing at the screen.

"No." There was no room to argue. Despite the situation I may or may not have found myself in, I was actually a little jealous. Those griffins looked pretty cuddly.

"I'd love to inquire more about what you know of this world from your stories, but…" The goddess had one fist in her other hand, resting both on the desk. "My time is infinite, but the time I have for my current goal is not. Before anything else, I need to know if you will accept my proposal.

There was a lot to consider, and no telling what else was different in this world. She said nothing when I mentioned Faubrey, so that was probably still a country. With no Takt, I stood a better chance at surviving, but that also opened up a lot of uncertainties.

But, none of that was going to change my answer. "I'm in."

If I wasn't going to be killed the second I came into contact with that deluded reincarnated, then I had a chance. A chance was all I needed. I would bring my family back.

"Excellent." The goddess stood and extended her hand. "Then we have a deal."

I stood as well and took her hand in mine, shaking it.

She smiled again. "Now that we have a covenant, I can be a bit more forthcoming with my thoughts. You were our first pick, so I'm glad you accepted."

"Really?" I asked as we both sat again. I certainly wasn't a heroic person.

"Well…" She glanced over at the Axe, which floated over to hang in the air next to me. "These weapon spirits have their own criteria. It loosened its restrictions somewhat, added in my own requirements, and, well, you were the first to die. Really, you were in the top five." She smiled. "But that was just for the weapon with the modified criteria. You are indeed my first choice. You have the drive, and the stomach, to do whatever needs to be done."

"I have my own code." I told her. "I hope you don't ask me to break it."

She held up her hand. "Such incidents will be rare and entirely circumstantial. I don't want any resentment from my champions, the few that I have."

"You have others in that world?"

"In others." She answered. "They are doing the same thing you will be: collecting XP from the world to increase your level while also fighting to protect it. You can think of it as harvesting crops while keeping the field safe from pests and thieves. The crops, of course, can be of any variety you choose, except monsters from the Wave. Those I can't use."

A somewhat condescending view of the people there, but that didn't really bother me. Monster, human, or demi-human, it didn't matter where I got the XP from. "So, I can't gain XP from Wave monsters?"

"You can, and it will benefit you, but not me. At least, not for my ultimate purpose. I'll explain more, but the short of it is I can provide bonuses to you from those monsters."

I felt like I should start taking notes, but a stapled packed appeared in front of me on the desk.

"Now, just in case you have some strange ideas about your situation, I'll tell you this: don't die." She warned. "While I grant you immortality, I can't bring you back right away. My last champion in that world was killed and will be unavailable for at least a year. You only have your body now thanks to the Axe."

"Good to know." I wondered why I was being brought in if she already had a champion there. That also answered my unasked question about my body.

"You will start in the country of Faubrey. I'll go over your main objectives before diving deeper in." She began. "First is to reach level 300. It will take quite a long time, especially given what a competitor of mine has done in this world."

I already had an idea of what that was. Some sort of machine in one of the world's deserts…I think. Translation issues and time made me forget a little, but I think it absorbed XP from the land. That's basically what allowed Takt to get to such a high level in the story.

"Second, you will need to ally with at least one of the Holy Heroes. I'll have need of their weapon, and being in the party of one will increase XP gains from monsters."

I thought the Holy Heroes and their parties gained XP faster, though I wasn't certain. "Real quick, when will I be arriving? When is, or was, Melromarc's first Wave?"

"In two weeks from now." She answered.

It didn't even take a second for me to decide. "I'm thinking I'll go for the Shield Hero. If circumstances are the same, he'll need a good friend."

While I had no ill will toward Naofumi, the accusation would leave him isolated, and easier to scoop up. He would be the easiest to sway after earning his trust. Or, show him I mean him no harm while killing his enemies. He'd have plenty of those early on, people to kill for XP. The others would be too engrossed in themselves, assuming most things from the books were the same. Ren might work as an alternative if I can't get Naofumi, but I'd worry about that later.

"Oh?" I could feel her raise an eyebrow.

"The Shield Demon in Melromarc won't have many people to turn to. He'll turn away the people who do want to help him, thinking they're trying to trick him. Assuming everything happens the same, that is." I told her.

There was always the option of trying to change things beforehand, but I doubted I actually could. What would I even do? Tell the king of Faubrey to summon all the heroes before Melromarc did? I'm pretty sure they were already trying and just couldn't get the ritual to work right. Maybe. I think the queen said something like that once. Events outside of Naofumi's direct focus weren't given a good timeline. Motoyasu's wasn't much better.

Besides, I'd rather spend as little time around the Pig King as I could.

"Getting a hero indebted to you is a smart move." The goddess nodded.

I'll just have to make sure Naofumi doesn't find out I could have possibly prevented the whole thing.

"Your third and final objective is…" She paused, the unseeable smile on her face again. "Have fun."

"Have…fun?" I repeated.

She pointed to the laptop. "I won't be able to see what you're doing while you're there, but I'll have your memories once you finish your job and return to me. I am immortal, and thus like to have sources of entertainment." Setting her elbows on her desk, she rested her chin on her hands. "If you enjoy what you do for a living, you'll never work a day in your life. And I know you enjoy what you do."

That was a big part of why I kept on doing what I did, why I continued to take hit jobs. I was good at it. I enjoyed it. I'd never been caught by the authorities, so I could keep doing it. It's part of why Eddy was able to grow his business so large and so quickly in under seven years, to say nothing of his own skills in business. The rate he was going, I was sure he'd own a few representatives and senators in congress by the time he was 30, if he was so inclined.

But he reached too far too quickly. Our competitors made a move against us, and we were forced to flee. We lost a lot of associates that day, and a few friends. But we had everything we really needed: each other.

And now, here I was. I didn't doubt the bomb that killed my family was from someone I worked against recently. I made a powerful enemy and didn't even realize it. Their deaths were my fault, and my responsibility to make right.

If this goddess wanted me to put on a bit of a show for her, I'd do just that. I had a job to do, the job of a lifetime, in more ways than one. The reward would be beyond anything I could get myself. I would do as I've always done and enjoy my work. I would have fun.

Then, for the first time since I woke up in this void, I smiled. "I'll make some pleasing memories for you, my goddess."

"I look forward to them." She laughed. "Now, for some of the particulars…"

Author's Notes:

A twist on the usual replacement fics, this one using a vassal hero instead. Off the top of my head, I can only think of maybe 3 that do something like this with varying degrees of success. We'll see how I do in that regard, and how Dante handles the differences in a world he thought he knew.

So, as some of you have noticed, this is a spinoff of my first fic "The Wrong Hero". For those who are new, no need to worry. You don't need to read that one to understand this one, though I'm sure there'll be callbacks to that fic in the form of a joke that gets played around with here or something. I'm trying to make this one so you could read them in any order, though some things here will be reveals in the other fic. You'll be able to see how some situations play out and how some characters get moved around differently.

Also, I'm writing this one in first-person. I want to get some experience in that form as well and see how it flows. In some ways, it's a little freeing. I normally write in third-person limited, which I treat as having a camera over the shoulder of one person. Basically the same, but I don't feel as much pressure, I suppose, to describe details about things. It helps to keep things goings.

Since I'm here, I'll give a shoutout to my 1-hero fic, "Forging Legends". 1 holy hero, 2 vassal heroes, different world with its own monsters, magic, demi-humans, and all that good stuff. Part of the Many Worlds Project, where other authors are doing the same. We'll eventually combine worlds, first to 2-hero, then to 4. It's quite a ways away, but could be quite fun.

Long notes over!