“Hey, Mister! There’s a weird lady standing outside!”
[Ahem!]
“…?”
A strangely familiar voice boomed throughout the entire estate.
Chills ran down my spine.
It was a voice I was hearing for the first time, and yet—I had a feeling I knew exactly who it was.
“Kali…?”
“If you mean Kali, the Evil God who claimed to have possessed the Count, then yes?”
“Claimed? What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden?”
“I thought the Count was simply suffering from a mental illness, hearing hallucinations of an Evil God named Kali.”
“Hey, you—”
I bit my lip in disbelief.
But Kali’s responses only ever appeared to me—in the form of a system message window.
Since Sylvia had only ever heard about Kali through my stories, it was natural for her to doubt whether such an entity even existed.
‘But no way… could it really be Kali?’
I rushed down the stairs, my heart pounding.
The day the ancients flung open a dimensional gate and the hands of the Evil Gods poured through it…
Kali had fought desperately to block the invasion.
After the gate closed again, all contact with her was completely cut off.
But what if that wasn’t because the possession ended—
What if Kali’s true form had descended into this world?
What if she had stopped the other Evil Gods from invading, only to secretly sneak in herself?
It was entirely plausible.
If it was childish old Kali, it was totally something she’d do…!
‘If it really is Kali… what does she look like?’
Laura looked like a balloon shaped like a ghost.
What about Kali?
How ridiculous would she look?
I forced myself to hold back the rising sense of excitement as I stepped out to the front gate—
“Mister! Mister! Over here!”
“…Huh?”
But at the tip of Charlotte’s pointing finger stood a tall, beautiful woman with long black hair.
The moment I saw her, I was sure.
Ah. That’s not Kali.
“Tsk… Who are you, and why have you come?”
[Ahem!]
“State your identity. Also, how did you even get past the front gate?”
[A-Ahem!]
“I’m ordering you to leave. If you don’t comply, we may use force.”
[“Seriously?! You still don’t recognize me!?”]
After all that ahem-ing, the woman suddenly looked at me with sparkling, pleading eyes and grabbed my hand.
…Was she mentally unwell?
Pity welled up in me on reflex.
“So, what exactly do you do?”
[“Even if no one else recognizes me, you have to! It’s me, Kali!”]
“The Kali I know is an Evil God. Evil Gods don’t look like this.”
[“Only weaklings like Laura look like that! I’m strong!”]
“Can you prove it?”
[“Proof? Hmm… How about this?”]
She rolled up her sleeves to reveal both arms, blackened like coal.
Her skin was otherwise pale, but her arms were pitch black, like they were made of charcoal.
She definitely didn’t look normal, that’s for sure…
But what does that have to do with being an Evil God?
“Hmm… How many milliliters of black tea do I drink every morning?”
[“How would I know that!? I don’t care about your tea!”]
“You’re clearly fake. Please leave.”
[“Wait, whyyy?!”]
I grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the gate. She began bawling so loudly it felt like the whole estate would collapse.
This woman… She looked perfectly sane, but her mental age seemed lower than an elementary schooler.
Her way of talking really did remind me of Kali though…
I was just thinking I should recommend her a good psychiatric clinic when—
“Aslan? What’s with all this noise…?”
[It’s Julia!!!]
“Eh? Who… who are you?”
[And the real Charlotte, in the flesh…!]
At that moment, the woman who had been clutching my hand vanished.
Literally vanished.
Startled, I turned around—and there she was, squatting in front of Julia and Charlotte, mouth agape, trembling with awe.
Even Sylvia seemed caught off guard—
She hadn’t sensed the woman’s movement at all, either. Clearly surprised by the speed.
[“C-Can I touch you…?”]
“Ugh. No. You give off this super creepy vibe…”
[Gasp…!]
“I don’t really like being touched by strangers either…”
[Gaaasp…!]
Julia and Charlotte both recoiled in horror.
The woman’s face turned deathly pale and she froze on the spot.
The pitiful sight… kinda did seem like Kali.
No way, right?
“Let me ask you something. What’s Julia’s favorite stuffed animal?”
[The shark plushie!]
“What’s Charlotte’s favorite snack?”
[She doesn’t have one! Charlotte likes all snacks!]
“Last question… What’s Sylvia’s hobby?”
[Dunno.]
“Let’s rephrase. What was young Sylvia’s favorite hobby?”
[Borrowing pretty dresses from Julia and Charlotte, trying them on in front of a mirror, and giggling at herself!]
“…How do you even know that!?”
[Ahem!]
With a proud grin, the woman placed her hands on her hips.
My head started to ache.
She was a complete stranger.
Someone who didn’t live in this estate shouldn’t know any of that.
There was only one being who could possibly know those details—
The Evil God who had been watching us all this time: Kali.
“Are you really Kali…?”
[How many times do I have to say it before you believe me!? Ugh, so annoying!]
“You’re the same Kali who would throw a tantrum if I was just a little strict with the kids, and shower me with praise if I was even slightly kind to them?”
[Huh? How do you know that…?]
“…?”
[You don’t have the power to peek into that world! So how do you know I was reacting to everything!?]
Suddenly, her face flushed bright red.
Kali grabbed my shoulders tightly and questioned me, almost accusingly.
Her face was full of embarrassment, disbelief, and confusion.
‘Wait… did she not know I could see her reactions through the system window?’
Come to think of it, Kali’s responses had always only appeared via the system interface.
She had merely been possessing my body.
Aside from that supernatural system, I had no way of observing the world of the Evil Gods.
There were times I made decisions based on her reactions…
But I never actively tried to read her thoughts, nor did I initiate two-way communication.
‘So… she was just lying back like on a couch, watching us like a TV show this whole time?’
From her perspective, she had been watching us laugh, cry, and struggle like a drama series—cheering, clapping, yelling at the screen—
And now she’d met the “characters” from her favorite show in real life, only to realize all her fangirling had been exposed.
That thought made me dizzy.
“It just… sort of happened. I could see it all.”
[Nooo! My majestic, cool, and dignified Evil God image is ruined!!]
Kali wailed toward the sky in despair.
Julia and Charlotte, who had been hiding behind me, began peeking out, showing curiosity toward her.
It was their first time meeting her, but—
For some reason, they seemed to find her oddly familiar.
“I’m not totally sure… but you’ve been watching us for a long time, right?”
[Sniff… Not a person, but an Evil God…]
“Yes. Evil God Kali.”
[‘Evil God Kali’ sounds too stiff… I’d rather you just call me Kali…]
“Ah, alright.”
[Wait, you totally just thought, ‘Ugh, this Evil God’s such a hassle,’ didn’t you!? Didn’t you!?]
“…”
Julia had approached her gently at first—
But once Kali started clinging to her, crying and sniffling, Julia quickly backed away with a face full of regret.
“Mister says you’re the Evil God who’s been protecting us all this time. Is that true?”
[Well… I wasn’t trying to brag or anything… I just meant to drop by for a quick peek, really… but somehow my cover got blown… Ahem, ahem!]
“…”
Just moments ago, she looked like she wanted to die from embarrassment—
But now she had puffed up with pride again, standing confidently with a smug expression.
That settled it.
She really was Kali.
Only Kali had mood swings like this—and only she could get this full of herself with just a bit of praise.
[Now that you know who I am… Can I touch you guys a little? I want to squish Julia’s cheeks and poke Charlotte’s thighs…!]
“Ew. That sounds super creepy.”
“You’re radiating so much weird energy… I’d rather not.”
[Why!? It’s fine when Aslan does it, but not me!?]
Still not quite close enough for physical affection, Julia and Charlotte shrank back behind me again.
Kali burst into tears once more.
I could feel a sharp pain forming at my temples.
‘But… is it even okay for Kali to be here?’
Suddenly, I remembered the hands of the Evil Gods reaching through the dimensional gate.
Those things looked like they could destroy this world just by touching it.
And Kali had been strong enough to stop them alone.
Could someone that powerful really be allowed to stay in this world?
I started to worry—but then.
[So… can we start as friends, at least…?]
“Hmm. Sure.”
“I got another big sister!”
[Ehehehehe…!]
Seeing Kali giggling like an idiot, I felt sure.
It’d probably be fine after all.
