“But, mister, how are we gonna get out of here?”

  “I have an idea! I’m gonna buy you! So your departure from here felt official!”

  “I-Is that allowed, mister?”

  “Even if it doesn’t, I’ll force them to accept the money! Money isn’t a problem for me, see! I’ll pay for however much they want!”

  “. . .”

  Once again, this all feels too good to be true, but I did not want to trust these doubts of mine. Someone offers me a way out of this place, I'm not gonna waste this opportunity!

  “I understand! What shall I do?”

  “You just stay put and follow me! I paid you for an entire hour after all, so we can relax until then. If you have any questions, start asking!”

  “Then, what kinda job are you offering me? You said an assistant, right? I have no idea what that means.”

  “Hmm, you’re still nine years old after all! I’ll teach you all about it when we’re home. But in general, you’re gonna help me with my work and whatnot! In other words, you’re gonna be with me almost an entire day every day. But don’t worry, you get break time properly. It’s not gonna be a job that only tires you out for no reason.”

  “I see. Then, what exactly is your motivation for wanting me, specifically? I reckon there’s something about me that stands out compared to anyone else. After all, the job you’re offering, I bet there are other people who could do it better than a 9-year-old like me.”

  “. . .Yeah. True. I have an ulterior motive. But it’s not something major or life-changing. You see, I have a family heirloom that has been passed down for hundreds of years, it is called a Relic Faith power. And I want you to have that power. Please don’t refuse this offer.”

  “Relic Faith power?”

  “Long story short, it’s a power that was manifested physically when a Believer dies, leaving behind a relic that we called Relic Faith power. Anyone who accepts this power into their heart will inherit the Faith power that belonged to the dead Believer, turning them into a new Believer. And since you’re a Lunehart, I believe you’ll turn out to be a strong Believer.”

  “And what is your purpose for wanting a strong Believer?”

  “I have a goal. I wanted to become a big name in the Underworld! Right now, I am very rich and wealthy, but my life is constantly in danger every time I go overseas for business trips. Inheriting the Faith power for myself would be a waste for me. I am a 34

  -year-old Non-Believer, after all. I wouldn’t even have the time to take care of my business if I’m busy protecting myself.”

  “. . .I see.”

  I stop asking questions. I already got the answers to things I wanna know.

  “There’s still a lot of time! Do you not have any more questions?”

  “Hmm, one question, but this is not about our deal if that’s alright.”

  “Yeah, I don’t mind. Go ahead.”

  “I heard that you sold your own wife and daughter. Can I ask you why?”

  “. . .”

  The middle-aged man stayed silent for a few seconds before answering my question.

  “My wife’s been carelessly spending my money without asking me first. This has been happening quite a lot before I decided to sell her here. She never listens and never changes. She kept doing it over and over again until my patience ran out. My daughter was the same. She followed after her mother and even quit school. She said she doesn’t wanna work for the rest of her life since she’s rich anyway. She didn’t realize that I was the rich one, not her. I kept scolding her, but she never listened, just like her mother. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. My love for them wears out eventually. The more I spent time with them, the more I realized that this is not the kind of people who care about me. They only care about the money that I have. This wealthy empire that I have built for years upon years. I can no longer see them as my family, and I have no use for such leeches.”

  “. . .”

  I was a bit surprised to see him talking about them. It’s the most emotion I’ve seen from him, just for the past few minutes I met him.

  We continued talking about various topics right after. It’s so strange to have a conversation like this with such a middle-aged man. It kinda reminds me of how I used to talk with my father, though it’s not like I remember him much either.

  It’s just. . . the atmosphere. Something about him awes me, and I can’t properly explain it. We continued to talk so much to the point that we started throwing jokes here and there, and I got to see his giggles and small laughter. This feels so surreal.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  An hour has finally passed, and it’s time to go with the plan. He told me to lie down with my back facing the ceiling and act like I am very exhausted after servicing him, as long as the door is open to avoid unnecessary suspicion. This room has proper AC, so the lack of sweat should be fine. He also told me to act sad that this isn’t something that I wanted to happen. I quickly understand why.

  The middle-aged man opens the door and talks to the two guys guarding the door. There were two guards in each room to prevent the female workers from being abused past a certain threshold, or so the manager explained to me, a long time ago. He spoke to them about wanting to buy me, saying stuff like I was his favourite amongst everyone else. The two guys left to call the manager about this topic. The middle-aged man closes the door and tells me to get ready to leave.

  Hm? Now that I think about it, after having a long talk with him for an entire hour, I still don’t know what his name is.

  “Mister, what is your name?”

  “Hm? Oh, right! I never introduced myself, did I? The name’s Bomn. Please to meet you!”

  “Please to meet you too, Bomn-san! That’s a bit hard to pronounce!”

  “Ahahahaha! I get that a lot!”

  Afterwards, the manager came by and discussed all the papers and whatnot with Bomn-san. Bomn-san turns around and gives me a thumbs up. I wanted to smile as wide as I could, but I had to act like this was something bad for me, so I showed a frown the whole time. I quickly ask for permission to pack up my belongings, and I keep showing a sad face for everyone to see.

  After a while, Bomn-san and I finally exited the building, and we went into his car.

  Finally, a whole new life begins ahead of me.

  .

  .

  .

  I have arrived at his mansion, and it is so large and spacious. It just dawned on me how wealthy the person who saved me is. I feel lucky and overwhelmed at the same time.

  He led me into an empty room that used to belong to her daughter. I was so reluctant of accepting it. It feels like such a waste for me. But he insisted heavily to the point it felt like I was not appreciating his gesture, so I had no choice but to accept. He excuses himself and lets me spend some time alone in this room.

  I run to the bed and jump onto it, falling with my back hitting against it.

  *BOING BOING*

  It’s so soft. This is the comfiest bed I ever felt in my whole life. I look around this room and see how expensive everything looks. I feel so lucky to be here after escaping that soon-to-be hell.

  He also bestowed upon me a new last name, Coldhart. It’s a bit edgy if I may say so, but I’m still happy that he even thought of one for me. I accepted this new last name for the rest of my life.

  And so my new life begins from here.

  For the first month I was here, he didn’t give me any tasks and asked me to use this time to get adjusted to this new lifestyle. And I did as he asked. I learned everything I could about his former daughter and his former wife to learn not to repeat their mistakes.

  There are also other maids and butlers here, about 40 of them in total. Understandable for such a big mansion. I also started working as his assistant, as he told me before. I helped with some paperwork and whatnot, but I mostly just do file management at most.

  I was so shocked and surprised by the way he treated all of his butlers and maids. I often heard loud shouting from behind the door to his working room. He scolded his maids and butlers so often for the smallest of mistakes. They often came out of his room, holding back tears for how cruel his wording was. I felt scared whenever he asked me to do something since he’s so often in a foul mood, but as soon as I entered, he felt like an entirely different person.

  “Ah! Kasumi! Can you prepare my monthly finance report for January of this year?”

  “Yes, boss!”

  “Great! I want it be done by today! Can you do it?”

  “Yes, boss!”

  I started calling him boss. He’s my employer after all. I immediately went ahead and did the task he gave me.

  A year later, I am 10 years old. The boss finally asked me to inherit the Relic Faith power. Since he finally has a business trip overseas next month. He wants me to get accustomed to this power first, so I don’t get nervous during combat.

  The boss led me into a basement, where the door is hidden in his room, under a shelf of files. I never knew about this, and he told me nobody else knows. Not even his former wife and daughter. We walked down the stairs for almost 30 seconds before the staircase ended quickly, and a dimly lit tunnel appeared. We walk through the tunnel for another 30 seconds before we finally reach a small room with only one entrance.

  “What’s all this, boss?”

  “I don’t know which of my ancestors first built a structure here, but this wasn’t always a mansion, and I have no clear clue what kinda building it was before. It was already a mansion hundreds of years before my time. But they protected this mine for generations without letting anyone know. I was supposed to pass down this information to my son, but I haven’t had any yet. And since you are someone who’ll get the most use out of this, I’ve decided to give it to you.”

  “Hmm, what an antique then!”

  “Yeah! And don’t you dare be reluctant to receive this! We’ve been talking about this since that day.”

  “I understand, boss! Thank you for this generous gift.”

  We walk towards a certain something located in the middle of the room. There is a big stone with a flat top surface, and there is a shiny black sheathed katana lying there that has never been touched once ever since its discovery.

  “A katana?”

  “Are you familiar with Faith power types?”

  “Yes! This should be an Armament type!”

  “So I heard! Relics like these are all Armament type, but I cannot confirm the viability of this information! We shall see.”

  “Specifically, what do I need to do?”

  “That part is what I have no idea about. My father told me that part of the story was lost in time hundreds of years ago. For now, try picking it up in your hands.”

  “Alright.”

  I lean down and pick up the sheathed katana with both of my hands. I inspect it carefully with my eyes and feel its texture with my fingers.

  *ZRNG*

  I unsheathe the katana to inspect the blade inside.

  “(Hmm, I have zero idea of what makes a good katana. . .)”

  “Boss, I feel like you should’ve informed me first that this is a katana beforehand, so I can learn a few things about it for this moment.”

  “Is that so? You’re right. My bad! How was it? How does it feel in your hands?”

  “It’s heavy, but not to the point that I can’t swing it! I might have to train my body first before I start practicing with this.”

  *!!!*

  All of a sudden, I was engulfed by a bright white light that formed into a sphere.

  “K-KASUMI?!”

  *GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

  There is a bright white light shooting out from the top of the sphere. It shoots through the ceiling of this room without actually making a hole in it. The bright white light slowly changes into a lilac purple color, and the sphere begins to crack. The lilac purple sphere disintegrated and vanished completely, and I emerged from it as a Believer.