Apostle of the Void

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 1 - The Beginning of an Empty Life

When I was around nine or ten years old, a group of incredibly powerful adventurers came to find me.

They said they were from the four major adventurer guilds, and that my father had died after incurring a large debt.

"So you have to pay off that debt, kid."

"...What does it mean to be in debt?"

"Your idiot father borrowed money from us and ran off to the afterlife."

I cried and asked if my father was really dead.

A muscular adventurer pulled out my father's keepsake ring and showed it to me.

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"Where's your mother?"

"...She died a while ago."

"Damn, this kid's just an orphan pauper? There's no money to take."

"Let's take him to a slave trader and get some money for him. His face is pretty like a girl's, so he'll be worth something."

"Will we get much money for that? Our loss is 50 gold coins. And it's so hard to deal in slaves while avoiding the 'Red Pilgrims.'"

A female mage stroked my hair.

As soon as a bluish mist flowed from her palm, golden electricity sparked from my forehead.

"Look. This kid, like his father, has incredible divine power. He's a half-elf."

"So what?"

"Don't you know how expensive healers with divine power are? It's a trait that almost no adventurer has. Witches are worth a fortune, and shepherds and priests are mostly cowards who don't even come to the front lines."

Aha!

The adventurers started laughing one by one. It was definitely the laughter of adults.

The giant who seemed to be the leader of the group stroked my head and said,

"What's your name, little one?"

"Yes...?"

"What's your name, brat!"

"...Um, my mother called me Arjen. The kids in the neighborhood called me the Underpass Kid."

"Alright, alright. Our Arjen, let's get you some adventurer combat training. You'll have to go to the battlefield as a healer. And let's change your name too. Al is good. It's just the right amount of insignificant, and it's a hassle if your real name gets traced and your identity is discovered."

"I don't want to be an adventurer. I'll die like my dad-"

Suddenly, I screamed in pain as if my neck was about to break.

The leader had grabbed my hair and jerked my neck back.

"-The only answer you can give is 'yes.' Understand? You have no choices in your life anymore."

"Yes...?"

"Yes, just answer like that. From now on, until you die, you just have to keep paying off the debt with that divine power of yours. With that backtalk just now, your debt has increased from 50 to 100 gold coins."

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]