Chapter 2: Truth or Lie

Bell Cranel checked his pack one more time, confirming that he'd need everything he would for the road. He packed in several servings of jerky and salt crackers for food; something I had complained about more than once.

Ghost: I can make better stuff than that, you know? And where's canned food when you need them? What about protein bars?!

Bell: Canned? You had food in cans in your world? And you can cook?!

Ghost: One of my many skills, really. And yes, we had ways of preserving food in cans.

Bell was slightly relieved to hear that I could cook, but I did admit to him that I normally cooked in abundance. I had very little idea of what to do when pantry was limited. Ergo, we're surviving on a diet of jerky, one of my least favourite foods. Seriously, jerky is like the worst flavours of meat compressed into a super chewy strip that refuses to leave from between your teeth. And those crackers he brought were dry as hell. I understood that they were very shelf-stable, but it didn't change the fact that I hated them.

In my short tenure in Bell's body so far, I managed to recollect quite a bit of information. To my knowledge, I remembered everything about my passions, such as cooking and anime. I could recognise that the world around me was outlined as it would be in an anime as well, but I couldn't remember anything about this world from what Bell told me.

I went through the worst isekai experience in the world all to share the body of someone who wants to die.

"Ghost, let's go!" Bell cried out. "Like I promised Grandpa, I'm going to be a hero!"

Ghost: … And how are you planning on doing this?

"By conquering the dungeon, of course!"

Ghost: The place that literally generates monsters every second that are all out for your blood?

"Yes!"

See what I mean?

I immediately wrenched control from him, speaking through his mouth. "Seriously, man, you're going to die like this."

Yes, I relearned how to speak with a mouth, thanks for asking.

Bell: I won't! I'm telling you, aren't I?

"Take it from someone who put himself down for how fat he was. Bell, not only do you lack the skill and knowledge to dive into the dungeon, but you also lack the physicality for it! You think these noodle arms are going to rip through beastman skin?"

Bell: Why would you kill beastmen like that?

"Gah, I don't know, I just named some random monster, but that's not important!"

Bell: Beastmen aren't monsters!

"Not! Important! Gah, I'd love to continue this conversation, but Old Man Fred's on his way here."

Bell: Chief's coming here?! You really need to tell me how you do that, Ghost…

We switched control for Bell to return to check on his pack, not being afraid of the chief noticing his activities. As Bell ticked off the tent and the firestarter, I once again went back to just how I noticed Fred, the chief of Bell's town.

I had already experienced what it was like to be without existence, that is an experience I would never forget. As such, I'd somehow retained that knowledge even after coming back to the real world. It's kind of like listening to your own heartbeat. You're so used to the sound that you normally ignore it, but it's there if you listen. Similarly, the world's experience is so commonplace that nobody recognises it. But I do. I've spent long enough away from this world to know that difference.

Moreover, every person has a different feeling to them as well, most definitely from the nature of their souls. Bell had one of the purest souls I'd ever experienced, even unconsciously in my previous life. There was a certain power to Bell's soul as well, something I'd never told him about. That reminds me of the time I tried to leave Bell's body.

I'd rather not recall it word for word, so here's the TLDR. I did leave, but then I suddenly felt the existence of Hell catching back up to me. Not wanting my soul to burn anymore, I immediately returned to Bell's body.

I knew that I was merely a parasite leeching on this odd nature within Bell's soul, but I had no other choice. It was all that I could do to keep myself as myself. Bell, being the angel he was, allowed me to live out the rest of his days in his body. He was too naïve to set conditions, but I vowed to myself that I'd keep precedence of Bell's body over myself.

Anyway, every person has a different existence in their soul. Normies would call it simpler words like Ki or Chi or whatever, but I didn't care for that. All that I cared for was that I could sense a person from their soul's existence.

Bell: Are you there, Ghost?

I was snapped out by Bell, who'd already left the house latching a satchel onto his hip.

Ghost: I never saw you packing that?

Bell used his inner voice to speak to me, a habit he learned after I continually told him it would be weird for him to be seen talking to himself.

Bell: Chief gave it to me. It's some of the spare valis he could spare.

Valis was the currency of this world. Certainly an isekai moment there.

Ghost: Okay. How much is it?

Bell: About 10,000.

Ghost: Good. Take half of that and stash it someplace else.

Bell: … Why?

Ghost: A trick for bandits. If we're unfortunate enough to be intercepted and can't run away, just give them the smaller pack and get the hell out of there.

Bell: … Do you really think we'll be stopped by bandits?

Ghost: I hope not, but I'd rather you not be killed so soon.

Bell: We could just give them the valis instead.

Ghost: Give them an inch and they'll take a mile. Moreover, don't we need that valis to live in Orario? Do you really think we can survive off whatever change you find in the dirt?

Bell: … No, you've already told me.

Ghost: Good. Do you remember the first thing we need to do?

Bell: Find a job… But I still don't get why I can't be an adventurer instead!

Ghost: Please, you'll probably not even be let in at first without getting some meat on your bones. I'm not stopping you from it, but at least try to build yourself up some more before going in. Finding a familia willing to take you in is the first thing to do, after all.

Yes, familia. One of the most interesting things I've heard of from this world. Apparently, Gods from my world's mythology were roaming about freely in this world. Bell didn't tell me much about them because he didn't know much either, but I was certainly excited to meet some of the Hindu gods. I'm Hindu, what can I say? I was certainly not unwilling to meet the others, either. Are the Greek and Roman gods still as shitty as their mythologies made them out to be? Heck, do Roman gods even exist with Greek in the mix? Rick Riordan sponsored that thought.

Moreover, what about the 'One God' types? Will we find the Bible God or Allah in here? I have literally no idea.

Bell: … I understand, Ghost. I do wish I'd get accepted in some big familia, though. There will be some nice girls there too…

There's my next problem. Bell's inherited too much from his old man from what I've heard of him. He may not be outward about it, but he most certainly is a pervert.

He looks like a rabbit too. It fits.

I'm not saying that I'm not a pervert either, I've read my own fare of 'cultured' works. Heck, I've had an addiction for a while too. Although, my views are more geared to my preferences, which I'd rather not talk about.

Alright, screw being a pervert. Regarding Bell's familia situation, I've learned that real life is a place that will shit on you if you are not worth anyone's salt, so getting a girlfriend will be difficult unless you make a name for yourself.

In my case, I'd prefer to simply sit back and smell my cup of coffee than push myself into something I'd probably not be good at. Yes, I've never had a girlfriend, how'd you know?

Bell: O-Okay, where should I keep the valis?

Ghost: I dunno. Can you find someplace?

Bell: My pack?

Ghost: That'll be the first place they check. You leave some there and they'll check you even harder.

Bell: O-Okay, um… where?

Ghost: … I remember this series where this one girl stuffed money into some sewed skin on her boob…

Bell: Gross! What kind of story is that?

Ghost: Don't diss JoJo's, Bell. But anyway, you don't have any place to keep your money?

Bell: N-No, I don't. I don't think so.

Ghost: Then we'll just leave it in the satchel.

Bell: Huh? What if bandits do catch us?

Ghost: We Joseph Joestar the hell out of the place.

Bell: Has anyone told you you're weird?

Ghost: Stuck with you as 24/7 company does things to my hikikomori mind.

Bell sighed and finished strapping on the last of his getup. Bearing the weight of his luggage on his back, he started to walk.

"Time to go, Ghost."

Ghost: Yeah. Let's hope we don't find bandits.

We didn't find bandits! But we were feeling something worse.

"Isn't it your turn yet, Bell?"

Bell: Come on, it hasn't even been 5 minutes! You need to get used to walking for so long.

There was no question that I was still having difficulty with Bell's body. Walking was a pain, but I did agree to share the trip duration between myself and Bell.

However, it was much harder to walk all the way to Orario. We held out a thumb for every carriage that went by, but they always left us behind. There were no luxuries like taxis or buses and even if there were, we wouldn't have been able to afford them. As such, we were left drudging along the beaten path, carrying a load on our back with the sun weighing down on us.

"I'm already feeling thirsty again…"

Bell: We're not thirsty, Ghost! I can feel what you feel too, you know?

Ghost: Gah, spoilsport…

I grit Bell's teeth as I slumbered along. We noticed another carriage coming to us, so I immediately let Bell take over. There was a time when someone did actually slow down for us, but I was the one in control. They took a look at my demeanour and drove off without us. It was a blow to my non-existent ego, but I let Bell take over any hitch calls from then on.

Bell put out a thumb, asking for assistance. To our combined relief, the carriage slowed down. Coming to a stop near an expecting Bell, the door opened.

"So… need a lift? Who are you?" this extremely sussy looking blonde with a cowboy hat with a feather sticking out of all things asked us, having stepped out of his carriage.

"B-Bell Cranel!" Bell, in control of his body, bowed to the man. "It's an honour to meet you, oh Lord!"

He wasn't embellishing his title in any way by saying 'Lord'. He meant it.

This femboy-wannabe before us was a bona-fide God. Heck, I could feel it too. His soul, or spirit as I should probably call it for them, was enormous. His existence nearly filled up the area around us. Gods certainly have powerful spirits, there was no question about that. And to think they were holding themselves back because of those rules against their true power…

Hands down, Gods are terrifying. I'm pretty sure I ran away from one too, so I know what it's like.

"Lord Hermes!" the driver called out. "We'll be late for the next appointment!"

"Right, right! I'm coming!"

Hold the phone, Hermes?! The Greek Messenger God? The One who's supposed to be the fastest God of all, He who's literally the inspiration for The Flash?!

Yes, I know that Flash mentions Mercury specifically, but you already know my views on the Greek-Roman thing.

"Well, come on," Hermes nudged us, nodding to the carriage after. "We don't have all day. You do need a ride, yes?"

Bearing the perfect representation of someone purely innocent, Bell grimaced, nodded and climbed into the chariot after him. He did ask for help, after all.

The carriage wasn't gilded or whatever, it was a simple wooden cart with a dual set of soft cushions for seating and a pair for the backrest. The driver slapped the whip and got the horses to move.

Paired with the sound of horse clops, Hermes spoke. "Where are you heading again, Bell?"

Shouldn't you have asked us that before picking us up off the street?

"Orario!" Bell declared, balling his fists. "I-I'm going to be an adventurer!"

"An adventurer, eh?" Hermes chuckled; no doubt amused that such a skinny kid had such a dream. "You want to pick up weapons and charge into the dungeon like a hero? Maybe even pick up a few girls along the way?"

That was way too close to the truth to stick to my stupidity. Even I could find that suspicious. But maybe he was just lucky?

"E-Ehm, kind of…" Bell stuttered out, shyly blushing. "I-I've always wanted to be a hero, after all…"

Hermes nodded. "You know, I'd offer you a place in my familia."

Bell immediately perked up, looking at him hopefully.

"Unfortunately, we're not an exploration-based familia. We normally handle deliveries instead."

"B-But you can still enter the Dungeon, right?"

"Only on occasion, typically if we need to pick something up from within. Otherwise, you'd be out of luck with us, Bell."

Bell's expression fell, his face hanging low.

"Don't worry!" Hermes said, flashing him a thumbs up. "I'll put in a good word for you. Put in the effort and you'll be a perfect catch for any familia out there!"

A Reference Contact? That might make things easier for Bell's Resume…

"You're in luck, you know? Our destination is Orario as well," Hermes continued. "Say, do you have any plans outside of adventuring and landing girls?"

"U-Um, I want to find a job…"

"A job?" Hermes quirked a brow. "Seems like an odd choice for an adventurer…"

"I-It's just in case things don't go well. My – "

Ghost: Don't tell him about me.

"- umm, my, uh, village chief told me that I should have more options," he nodded way more than he should have.

Hermes grinned. "You seem to have forgotten something, boy," he said, leaning ahead almost dangerously. "We Gods know when someone is lying to us."

Bell's, and even my metaphorical eyes widened in shock. Gods could tell when they're being lied to? I'd never heard of something like that!

Ghost: Did you forget to tell me that?

Bell: I-I didn't know!

Ghost: … sorry. Do you think he's playing us?

Bell: Playing? What do you mean?

Ghost: There's a way of catching a lie by giving a suggestion that you're already onto them. Their reaction is key, so we'd have already lost.

"This is no ploy, Bell," Hermes said, almost seeming to read his mind. "Gods can tell when someone is lying to them, no matter how good of a liar they are. So, tell me, just who told you to get a job?"

Ghost: … I'd come out and speak to him for you, but I don't want to trigger that lie detection anymore. This is on you, Bell.

Bell: W-Wha?!

Ghost: Just tell him that you aren't willing to say. Maybe something like it not being important right now.

"… it's just that I should get a job, right?" Bell said. "Someone told me, yes, but does it really matter for you to know them? I-I mean that in all respect, Lord Hermes! A-And I'm sorry for lying!"

Ghost: Good answer.

"… if that's the answer you're giving, then that's fine," Hermes said, laying back on his seat. "Say, did this someone give you a suggestion for a job?"

Ghost: I see. He means to check if we were being played into doing dirty work.

Bell: Really?

Ghost: You don't have the knowledge of fiction as I do, Bell. I've seen a story where a guy was told to do a delivery job by someone he trusted, only to later realise he was delivering weapons for terrorists and in the end, he unknowingly delivered a time bomb to a school, blowing it up.

Bell: That's… that's awful.

Ghost: And that's what Hermes is looking out for. You should respond soon.

"Ah! Um, no suggestion, no," Bell said, taking heed of my advice. "They just told me to get a job, that's all."

"That's good to hear. Say, I could help you with finding a job if you'd like. Do you have any notable skills?"

Ghost: … Let me take over for a moment.

We switched, and I spoke. "I-I can cook! I mean, I've only cooked for myself, but I think I can go professional."

"Hmm, that could be applied to some places. You can have a look yourself for restaurants, but I'll let you know if I find any vacancies."

"T-Thank you, Lord Hermes!"

Hermes shook his head. "Just know that this isn't for free, though."

Bell, who'd already switched back, widened his eyes. "D-Do you need money?"

Ghost: No, it's tit for tat.

"I scratch your back, you scratch mine," Hermes said, making me really suspect he was reading my mind. "I'll take repayment in form of a favour. How does that sound?"

Ghost: Tell him that you'll accept as long as you have the right to refuse and ask for other favours instead as many times as you like.

"Umm… Okay, but I want to be able to refuse!"

Ghost: As many times as you like.

"As many times as I like!"

Hermes quirked a brow and smiled at him. "You certainly are driving a hard bargain there, aren't you?"

I voiced my response to Bell word for word. "You're choosing what you're giving me. Don't I have the right to choose as well?"

"That you do, Bell. You're a lot shrewder than I thought. Most would simply take the offer with no question, you know?"

"Ehehe, I guess I'm just lucky…"

As Bell and Hermes carried out their small talk about their own lives, I thought back to what happened earlier. I could still sense Hermes' godly existence enveloping the carriage we were riding in. I couldn't help but wonder just how he was able to tell that Bell was lying. Was it something that every God could do, as he'd said?

Since I could feel people's souls, did that mean that I could as well?

I also thought about the events leading to Hermes' arrival to rescue Bell. Rather, the odd coincidence with his arrival and the things he'd said. I did feel like I was simply being paranoid, but I did want to try something.

Ghost: Bell, can you do something for me?

Bell: Sure?

Ghost: Ask Hermes if he was expecting you in any way.

Bell: Huh? Why would I ask him such a thing?

Ghost: Please, man. Just try, won't you?

Bell: Can't you take control and ask?

Ghost: I don't want to trigger his lie detection! The moment I say 'me' I may end up triggering it!

Bell: … Fine.

As Bell inhaled, I focused on my soul's senses, making sure to watch Hermes' soul closely.

"Umm, Lord Hermes?" Bell started. "I have a question… a rather funny one if I'll be honest."

"Oh? I love funny questions," Hermes said. "They tend to crack me up."

Bell chortled but then continued. "Umm… I want to ask. Were you, by any chance, expecting me on that road in any way?"

Hermes blinked in surprise. "Oh? And what prompted this question?"

"U-Uh, just… can you please answer my question first?"

Hermes raised a brow. "Making such demands of a God? How uncouth of you, Bell…"

"I-I mean no disrespect, Lord Hermes!"

Ghost: Switch.

Bell: R-Right!

"I-I was just curious…" I looked to the side all embarrassed like I imagined Bell would do. "I-I just… um… it felt a little weird that you'd show up so soon after I left the village…"

I quickly withdrew into Bell's body, leaving him in control again. Thankfully, Hermes didn't bat an eye at the question. I was afraid that if Bell spoke those words for me, he'd trigger a lie because Bell was not the curious one.

"Interesting observation… but I'm sorry to say that there is no funny business here," he waved him off. "You were just lucky to have met me on the road."

Bell responded to him, but I didn't care for that. I was far too stunned at what I felt.

There was a flicker in his spirit. Something resembling a lack of will in those words.

Souls are made up of a person's very being. Souls attain certain properties from the host body, not even a God's spirit ignores this fact. I imagined that was how karma worked, mainly because the soul bears the properties of their previous hosts despite the brainwashing process of Heaven and Hell. As such, the soul 'reeks' of a particular sin or glory that the user committed, so the soul draws less or more influence from the surroundings respectively.

I never knew any of this, by the way. I'm just coming up with it as I go. These are all theories, but I've backed them up with evidence.

Take Hermes' spirit. It is no regular soul, that is obvious. However, even as a God, he had to maintain his own sense of self. Lies are possibly the smallest application of deviations from the soul because at that moment you lie to yourself as well. Your soul obtains property from that single lie like Yudhishtira speaking only one lie in his life and that was enough for him to spend some time in hell. That's Hindu Lore, by the way.

That must have been how Gods tell lies in mortals too. Mortal souls attain a property from the lie, meaning that the slight shift in their existence triggers a God's lie detection. Surprisingly enough, Gods are not immune to that either. I could tell by seeing how Hermes' spirit flickered when he spoke his words.

He lied. He lied about not waiting for Bell.

Basically, I am now God.

No, I can see more than a mere God! Hermes couldn't tell that a completely different soul was talking to him for a moment! He can't detect mass changes in souls, but he can only detect that tiny little shift with lies! I'm better than a God!

I'll accept offerings in the form of good stories and snacks, thank you very much.

Wait, that's not important right now! Hermes lied about not waiting for Bell? He was actually expecting him for some reason? Why? How did he know about a nobody from a backwater village like Bell Cranel?

This… This makes absolutely no sense. Pretty much any theory I can make from this is just far too fantastical to be true. Is Hermes from the future? A prophecy where this white-haired kid from this village will be a hero? I can't back any of these up! Maybe… Maybe Bell is the reincarnation of some great hero? He already has an unnaturally divine soul, so that might be the most probable answer. Hah, his soul took the properties of his previous life's glory and turned into this! But how would Hermes know about that? Because he's from Heaven? Maybe. I don't know. I hate this.

Ghost: Bell.

Bell: You're finally speaking! I was waiting for you. What was that all about?

Ghost: Nothing. Nevermind. I was wrong.

It hurt to lie to Bell, but I promised myself that I'd tell him later. I could not tell him this in front of Hermes lest he reacts too loudly.

Moreover, I looked through Bell's eyes at Hermes once again. He showed no reaction to the lie I just told him. Perfect. That means that while I'm inside Bell's mind, I'm unseen by that lie detection.

"Ah! We're almost here, Bell," Hermes said.

Looking out, I was immediately greeted by an inclosing set of walls that made the border of the city known as Orario. More importantly, from that distance, I could make out a massive tower, comparable to some of the buildings I'd seen in my previous life.

"It's huge…" Bell commented, widening his eyes in shock.

Ghost: What, never seen a skyscraper before?

Bell: You've seen towers that tall before?!

Ghost: I've seen bigger. This one is tall, but how many floors does it have?

Bell: 50, if I remember correctly.

Ghost: A fair number, but I've seen more. The biggest tower in my world was over a kilometre in length and had about… I don't remember the exact number, but it was something between 200 and 300 floors.

Bell: … You must be joking.

Ghost: I kid you not. It's called the Burj Khalifa. I'd ask you to look it up, but there is no internet in this world. How sad.

Bell: …

Wisely, Bell stayed silent as he kept looking at the tower in the distance. Hermes went into more facts about Babel Tower as we made our way to the gates, but I was withdrawn into my mind thinking about how I could tell Bell about what I discovered about Hermes during the ride.

Hermes waved the cute white-haired boy off his carriage, letting him stand in the queue for new entrants. He may have been pretty callous to entry regulations due to his rank as the God of Messengers, but that didn't mean he should promote such behaviour in someone so young. So, he dropped off Bell Cranel at the back of the queue like a good boy while he took the expressway in.

However, even as he entered Orario, he couldn't help but wonder about what he'd just seen.

'Bell Cranel… you're not exactly what I'd thought of,' he wondered. 'How had you grown suspicious about my intentions? He never told me of you being so wise…'

Hermes looked up at the sky, keeping the memory of the white-haired boy in his mind. 'Is that really the boy you spoke so highly of, Zeus?'

A/N: Don't ask me to keep up the Japanese honorifics. I don't want to keep doing that in this story.

Now, it's pretty clear that Ghost is rather different in this chapter than he was in the first one. He'd recalled quite a number of his own memories, so I modelled him on my own personality. That being said, he does have a confidence boost due to the ego boost of being the one to escape Hell itself. Even with that boost, though, he's still pretty shy. If you've noticed, he only comes out to talk to people only whenever necessary. Of course, these are things he has to change. These are thing I have to change too, but that's a completely different matter.

Oh, and I just realised that I forgot to say it in this chapter, but I'm too lazy to add it in now. Ghost still doesn't remember anything about himself as a person. His name, his body, nothing of that sort. He knows certain things only because of inferences. He knew he was fat because he remembered following diet charts and calorie counting. He knew he was Hindu because he knew far too much Hindu mythology to be anything but.

Now, I don't know how you might feel about the 'soul sensing' stuff. It's not really something that will give him power in any way, it'll just let him detect people more closely. The actual thing sounds really impressive, but the application isn't very great. And yeah, Ghost shares the lie detection abilities that Gods have. I always thought that one of the conditions given to the Gods as they entered Genkai was this ability to detect lies. As such, they do not have it as an innate ability, or they'd all be able to see souls like Freya. They only have access to detecting that one, tiny change and nothing else. Case in point, Hermes noticing Bell's lies but not when he switched out with Ghost.

Also, I've added pairings. Ghost and Lili are pretty much confirmed. Those two are just way too compatible. Bell, I'm not really sure. I just put Ais in there because A. I'll get an audience, B. It's the common sense answer and C. I might end up doing it. Bell will definitely have a harem, though, as he's wont to. The second possible spot in Bell's Harem is Ryuu. Ghost... I'm not so sure. Lili will definitely be there, but I don't know about any others. Ghost shares my own beliefs on harems, naturally, which will shift him away from that turn of events. I'll go into further detail on that when I reach that topic.

If anyone asks me if this story is an extended twitter opinion post, I'll agree. That's exactly what this is.

Also, about the Burj Khalifa. I wrote this story off the top of my head, which is where those 'facts' of the building came up. The actual height is 830 metres and there are 163 floors. I was way off, so don't go dissing me in the comments. I'm not changing it because I want it to be natural. I already looked it up for this a/n so I can easily replace it if I wanted; what I said is a bonafide reason, not an excuse for laziness.

Review!

that guy who existed: As you can see, he's already recollected a lot of his memories, and they're already serving him well. As for the falna, you'll have to see. It's coming up very soon, so you won't have to wait for long.

Right, that's it from me! I'll see you next chapter.