Karl rubbed the sleep from his face and pushed himself off the bed.

  It was a new day, and he had to be ready to handle the bodies as they came in.

  With a reluctant sigh, he pulled open the curtain.

  The sun cast a subtle orange glow through the window as it gently rose above the horizon.

  Regardless of whether the sun was a god, it didn't change the fact that he couldn't see in the dark.

  Luckily, the previous owner had left rice husks in the kitchen, sparing him the effort of traveling back to town.

  Ding! Ding!

  While finishing his grainy breakfast, a sharp whistle cut through the air.

  "A bell at this hour?" Karl was momentarily dazed before quickly remembering the guidelines.

  A bell meant a body was ready for burial.

  He quickly donned the provided clothing: a cotton shirt, suspenders, and a cheaply made bowler hat.

  Yet just before heading out, he lingered by the gas-powered stove, hesitating for a moment before twisting the knob to keep some embers alive.

  Hurrying outside, he spotted the burial procession waiting beyond the iron fence, with a convoy of three carriages trailing behind.

  A middle-aged man near the front frowned as Karl approached, tucking an expensive pocket watch into his vest. His sleeves casually rolled just above the wrists.

  "Hmph. Took you a whole ten minutes to come down." Taking a puff of his cigar, the man eyed Karl with disdain. "This is exactly why you vagrants are stuck leeching off society. That Luscious must have lost his mind to offer you the job."

  Karl's eyebrows twitched as he listened, but he swallowed his emotions and stayed quiet.

  The guidelines strictly prohibited gravekeepers from acting out of line. A single compint could mean a pay cut—or worse, dismissal.

  "Pah. Whatever, just take us to the site," the man grumbled, noting Karl's ck of response.

  Karl forced a smile. "My condolences for your loss. Please, this way, respected sirs and madams."

  Gesturing with his hands, Karl led the procession deeper into the graveyard, towards the easternmost zone.

  Arriving at the location, he pulled back a tarp that had been nailed to the ground, revealing a pre-dug hole six feet deep.

  "Move aside, boy." The same man from earlier impatiently shoved Karl away.

  Following his words, two men slowly walked out from the crowd, holding a wooden coffin as they made their way to the grave.

  Karl kept quiet throughout the ordeal, watching from a distance as the grieving family handled the coffin.

  Once the coffin was situated inside, a clerk handed him a piece of paper. The paper contained a summary of the victim's life, meant to be read aloud.

  Having vigorously studied the guidebook, Karl seamlessly accepted the paper and adopted a mournful expression.

  "Elizabeth was born in the year 304 of the New Calendar. She faced many challenges... where, by a stroke of misfortune, passed away after falling from her chair."

  As Karl concluded the speech, he quickly skimmed through it from the start.

  And as he did so, a disappointing reality dawned on him.

  That's right... most people live ordinary lives.

  His goal had never strayed from completing the ritual, and with his current position, the first two steps were easy enough.

  It was just that, for the third step, there was nothing to condemn!

  What, was he supposed to condemn the woman for working as a tax clerk?

  "Ahem. Street boy, recite the prayer." The impatient voice of a man echoed in his ear.

  Snapping out of his reverie, Karl smiled apologetically.

  With a nervous chuckle, he csped his hands and prepared to recite the prayer he'd memorized st night.

  "O Lord of Eversting Light, you who watch from the heavens and burn away the shadows—"

  He had just started when, mid-sentence, he found his jaw inexplicably frozen in pce.

  "Uh... duh... aauh."

  His face reddened from the strain, and cold sweat started dripping from his forehead as his tongue refused to move.

  He tried to say the next word... but nothing came.

  The silence attracted the attention of the crowd, who had redirected their focus from the casket to the stumbling Karl.

  As time ticked by, more and more of the procession gazed at him with a complicated look.

  From his peripheral vision, Karl could see the shift taking pce.

  He forced the rising panic down as his mind raced to find a solution.

  There was clearly something wrong with this prayer.

  "Why isn't he saying anything?" a confused murmur came from the crowd, just loud enough for others to hear.

  Yet those innocent words immediately sent a shudder down Karl's spine, and his already flushed face turned beet red.

  Just as the tension reached a breaking point, a soft sound broke the silence.

  "Sniffle... sniffle..."

  In front of the coffin, Karl suddenly colpsed to his knees, looking at the grave with teary eyes and red cheeks.

  "Ah, Elizabeth! Reading your life story, I don't think I have the strength to send you off right now. You deserved to live a longer life, a fuller life..."

  Standing to the side, the crowd watched in stunned disbelief as Karl rested on his knees, his every word trembling with heartfelt grief.

  "This..." Even the man who had berated Karl minutes earlier faltered, his eyes lingering on Karl with a conflicted flicker of guilt and pity.

  There was only one thing Karl could do.

  Bluff. Bluff like his life depended on it.

  To seem too grief-stricken to perform the prayer and make them leave without suspecting a thing.

  He pressed himself against the soft soil, immersing himself in the grand act.

  A series of soft footsteps approached from the crowd, and shortly after, a rough hand fell on Karl's shoulder.

  Puffing out some extra tears for good measure, Karl deliberately slowed his pace as he turned to the hand.

  Standing next to him was a familiar man, pocket watch still faintly visible in his chest pocket.

  Squeezing Karl's shoulder, the man's scowl gave way to a gentle smile.

  "You have a good heart, boy." With a look of appreciation, he continued, encouraging the shaken Karl. "Don't take my earlier words to heart. I let personal bias cloud my judgment of your character."

  With that, he reached for his coat pocket and pulled out a business card, handing it to Karl.

  "Kirk Willis – Secretary of Internal Affairs for the Town of Huddersfield."

  Karl's heart skipped a beat as he read the card, but he stayed true to the act, shakily picking up the card while wiping away his "tears."

  Kirk nodded. "It's hard to find decent people these days. If someone gives you trouble, just swing by the town hall."

  "Thank you. I just need some time to collect myself, but I promise Elizabeth will receive her rites." Karl gave a grateful smile, still dabbing his tears. "Really, there's no need to stay here. Please feel free to head back to town."

  Hearing his words, Kirk's lingering doubts finally faded. Maybe he really had misjudged the boy.

  "It wouldn't feel right leaving you alone for the prayer. My schedule's free, we'll wait right here with you." His tone softened as he patted Karl's back.

  The resolve in Kirk's eyes made it clear — he was not leaving anytime soon.

  Looking up at those fiery eyes, his smile stiffened.

  Did he... did he maybe bluff too hard?