It took Dominic a few hours to reach the village, even with Gabrielle popping up a map in front of him to show him exactly where he had to go. It’d been so long since he ambled through a forest peacefully. The last time he’d done so was probably before he’d become a Demigod.

  He skipped along through the trees, taking in the fresh breeze and the peaceful blue sky, the chirping of the birds overhead and the rustling grass beneath his feet.

  Once, he spotted a pack of wolves, which immediately made him want to pat them. Alas, they fled the second they saw him, robbing him of the chance to stroke their soft fur. Well, probably not so soft, considering that they were wild wolves. But still! They could have let him find out for himself without having to chase them down. He wasn’t in the mood for chasing. Maybe another time.

  Before exiting the forest to enter the village, he clicked his finger and changed his attire. Instead of his usual beloved regal black suit, he went with more ragged and dirty clothes, ones suitable for a normal poor traveler.

  He also donned a makeshift backpack, clearly giving off the vibe of a wandering merchant. A small scale, indie merchant, naturally. It wouldn’t do to seem too well off, then people would be more likely to bother him.

  First he could see if the village had any troubles—

  Gabrielle is scanning the village for its difficulties.

  The village is currently suffering from the onset of a deadly plague. The villagers are hovering between life or death.

  Potential karma gain: At least +10 to +100 karma for every healed villager!

  ^w^

  Right. He had an assistant now, didn’t he? So convenient.

  A plague, hm? It had been a long, long time since he’d tried to heal someone on a low level. He could probably just completely reconstruct their bodies, strengthening them fundamentally and making them immune to all viruses? Anything more controlled felt far too hard to execute.

  ^.^’’

  You are truly kind, Your Demi—Mister Dominic.

  Dominic nodded. That he was.

  Digby could barely think as he lay in bed, his vision swirling. He could vaguely feel his arms bleeding, having scratched at them in his delirious state, but couldn’t get himself to care.

  He could feel it.

  Death beckoned him, arms wide and open as it waited for him to reach it.

  He could see his family members—his mom, dad. Waiting for him next to the grim reaper, small smiles on their faces. His wife, having died during childbirth. His—

  The slow drift into cold nothing abruptly reversed.

  Warmth suddenly spread through his entire body. Peaceful, soothing warmth, like his mother’s warm hug when he had been so, so young, that lasted for both an eternity and a single moment.

  His vision cleared, allowing him to perceive his surroundings, the hut, his body—free of pain, more completely than ever before in his life—and the man standing next to him.

  Digby tilted his head towards the man. Holiness radiated around him, his short black hair, his pale face, his calming golden eyes.

  Instantly, he knew.

  This was what an angel would look like.

  “You’ve come to help us, oh angel…?” Digby murmured, reaching his hand out to touch the sacred existence. He held himself back when he realized how sacrilegious such an act would be, barely, but couldn’t help his plea. “Please, please save the rest of them…”

  “I already have. Be at peace.” The angel placed his hand over Digby’s eyes, and he slipped into a deep, deep slumber.

  +100 Good Karma.

  Dominic grinned as he sent the last villager to sleep, which would give their body time to acclimate to the improvements he’d made. It felt nice, doing good deeds like this.

  What now? He pondered as he walked out of the hut.

  Though he’d met everyone here, none of the villagers sparked any hint of shared destiny. His instincts told him they wouldn’t be good disciples for him. Not because of their talent or lack of talent, Dominic could create talent for them easily enough. Something more instinctive, a deeper lack of connection.

  He’d need to search farther afield.

  Gabrielle advises that Mister Dominic goes to the capital of the kingdom. As the most populous town in the kingdom, there are many opportunities for karma within the capital, and also higher chances that Mister Dominic will be able to find someone worthy to be his disciple!

  ( ????? )

  “True.” Dominic stretched and glanced around at the empty land that surrounded the village. “Point the way. I’ve had my fill of walking, so I think I’ll fly instead this time.”

  That was another thing he was a little out of practice at. Sure, he’d flown through the space between worlds and flown through the void, but it had been a while since he’d flown within a world.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  With the war always so urgent, he usually just teleported to his destination, missing out on all these small, beautiful moments.

  The wind against his face as he flew, the way the clouds looked like cotton candy he could grab and just eat...

  Gabrielle could probably make the clouds cotton candy for him to eat if he asked.

  Would you like me to? It might be a bit challenging to figure out the conversion, but I can try if it'll make Mister Dominic's flight easier.

  ( * ^ *) ノシ

  Dominic smiled as he leaned into a turn. "That won't be necessary, thank you."

  The sun warmed his skin, the breeze cooled his face, and everything smelled clean and fresh.

  Flying was a lot faster than walking. He’d be there in no more than a few hours.

  Whenever he started to see signs of life, he made himself invisible to avoid panicking the natives. He considered doing some flybys to tease them, but he wasn’t in the mood for pranks. Maybe another time.

  After a while, the sprawling capital city spread in front of his eyes. It couldn’t compare to some of the true metropolises he’d seen, but it had a sort of rustic charm. Almost nostalgic, in its way.

  Dominic descended to the ground and joined the line of people waiting to enter, blending in as he took in his surroundings.

  The line was divided into three, one on the left for VIPs, a much larger central gate for carriages and caravans, and another on the right for those on foot who didn’t warrant special shortcuts.

  He scanned the crowds as the line steadily moved.

  The local economy seemed healthy, plenty of caravans coming and going. How much would it cost to buy a house here? Maybe he could put up a shop in the capital. Perhaps a cafe? Or he could specialize in artifact creation. That would be amusing, making unimaginably complex artifacts and developing this world, savoring the natives’ reactions.

  Mmmm, well, it’d all depend on his disciple’s preferences. If they wanted a calm, shop life, Dominic could provide that. If they wanted to actively change the world, use their powers for good, that would be what Dominic enabled.

  There weren’t very many people traveling armed, which spoke well to the peace of the kingdom.

  The guards had carefully blank faces and wore plain metal armor so flimsy Dominic had to stifle a laugh. Even a basic warrior could bend it in two… but Dominic’s standards might be rather broken. It’d probably be effective against the locals… after all, this was a young universe that probably hadn’t needed to defend itself against anything serious yet.

  A-anything serious?

  “Nothing you need to worry about. I’ll be here to handle it.” He should have plenty of time to increase his divine connection to the place before any emergency came up. And if not, the disciples he trained would be strong enough to hold their own while he speedran a few extreme karmic events.

  Extreme? Why do I get a bad feeling about that, Mister Dominic?

  “I’m sure it won’t come to that. There’s plenty of opportunity to improve things long before then.”

  “What brings you to the capital?” one of the guards asked, squinting at Dominic with confusion, then beckoned his partner closer and whispered something.

  The other guard’s face scrunched up into confusion too, his gaze wandering over Dominic’s body—his clothes and appearance, if Dominic were to guess, unless the man was gay. “Um, are you perhaps a Rift Sealer?”

  Rift Sealer? Not familiar with that term.

  A Rift Sealer is someone who suppresses the randomly occurring rifts in this world, Mister Dominic! They are the warriors of this world, and are highly respected. Rift Sealers specialize in a whole lot of things, ranging from healing to spells, so they can be anything from a mage to a healer! They are classified into ranks, commonly from F to S!

  The guards are unable to see your status even if they use their Inspect Ability, and hence they are assuming you are an accomplished Rift Sealer with proportionally higher stats.

  Gabrielle out!

  ????(??? ,<)~???

  “No, you must be,” the guard rambled on while Dominic read the information. “Which rank are you? Why is someone like you in this… well, there could be many reasons, perhaps you’ve had a long journey.”

  “Ah, yes.” Dominic smiled reassuringly. “Long journey, long journey. Just conquered a rift solo, you see.”

  “S—Solo?” One guard stared like he’d told them the world was flat, eyes wide in shock.

  The other guard, however, nodded like everything made sense. “N—No wonder, you must be one of the—” he lowered his voice, seeing that the other members of the line were peering at them curiously, “hidden cards of the kingdom! Please, go in! I admire everything you do for us. If you need any help—not that anyone of your strength will ever need it—please, please let me know!”

  With a small, dignified smile, Dominic nodded. “And I appreciate what you men do for the kingdom. Being a guard is no easy job, yet you two dedicate yourself to our glorious kingdom.” The guard had clearly made a few assumptions and leaps in logic there, but it worked well for him. Honestly, he should have just become an actor instead of a demigod.

  The guards nodded fervently, touched by his declaration, and waved him through with such stiff respect he half expected them to start saluting.

  The peasant gate led to a small, cramped corridor with barely any light. A few seconds of walking and he emerged into the capital, the busiest place in—

  What is this kingdom’s name, again?

  Nohl, the Empire of Rift Sealers! Even the royals are Rift Sealers, with the king famously being an SS Rank Rift Sealer!

  ( ? ?ω?? )?

  Mhm, thank you.

  Nohl, the Empire of Rift Sealers. How exciting! What kind of opportunities would he find, in this little place? Would the food be worth sparking his appetite over? He hadn’t bothered with eating anything for so long.

  He pondered over that question for a few seconds as he walked, taking in the mixed aromas of the area, then decided against it for now.

  Dominic strolled through the capital, immersing himself in his surroundings. It was primitive, but that was what was so rustic and beautiful about it! Life's enjoyment lay in the little things. The normal things kept adding up, forming life’s vast, beautiful canvas.

  Cobblestone roads infused with mana, towering, multi-story shops and alleyways that led to residential areas…

  He was passing by one of those countless alleyways when something caught his attention.

  A bony, emancipated hand reaching out. Dominic paused.

  It was a kid, blood leaking out of his eyes, bumps oozing pus filling his face. He tried to call for help with the remaining energy he had, but only managed a weak gasp. His eyes pleaded, desperate to find a way to survive, to escape his wretched fate, to thrive, and everyone was simply… ignoring him.

  No, as he looked at the expressions on the faces of those who passed by, it was… disgust. The boy’s attempt at survival disgusted them. Inconvenient. Pathetic. Unnecessary.

  Dominic could already see what would happen. The kid lay next to a shop. The shop owner would inevitably come outside, see a ‘messy, disgusting distraction’ lying next to his shop, and call the guards. The boy would be moved if not disposed of in some or the other manner.

  And for the first time since Dominic had arrived in this world—for the first time since Dominic became a demigod—he allowed himself to feel it.

  Empathy.

  In the boy, he saw himself. The way he had once called out for help desperately, how he too received only scorn and hatred from the world. Refused any chance of help, given only further trials and tribulations.

  If not for his master… Without him, Dominic would’ve…

  A smile spread over his face.

  He found his first disciple, didn't he?