****(POV)

In a small camp that was so destitute it could barely bear this appellation, there were villagers hiding. At first, they had been filled with rightful fury, for they had been chased away from their own land, and their houses had been destroyed along with everything they possessed.

Now, the anger had settled a bit. As much as they collectively called for revenge, no one wanted to truly go through with it. The devil with the undead steed was way too strong to be fought. They had also realized that he was on a journey and would likely be leaving soon.

So they simply waited. But they were hungry, so hungry. That is when they began catching bugs to fill their stomachs. To a starving man, anything that can be eaten will sound like a delicacy. There they were, slowly roasting them on the fire.

One lucky man had even found a snail. Usually no one would care, but on this peculiar day, it felt like being a king for it was definitely more delicious than anything else available. He could be seen smiling from ear to ear, already salivating as he roasted the little creature.

But then, something unexpected happened. The mayor just happened to pass near him as his stomach grumbled loudly. In fact, it reminded them of a roaring beast. Just as the man was happily about to dig in, piercing looks of disapproval were sent his way.

The mayor was a hero, after all. Wouldn't they be worse than animals were they to let him starve? Most indubitably! (Not that they knew such a long word) They were especially motivated by the fact that it wasn't their snail in the first place.

"Are you really going to eat it?"

"Look at the poor mayor."

"You should share some with him."

"No way, he deserves it all. While we didn't know what to do, he organized the camp all by himself by guiding us."

"True, so true!"

At that moment, the appetizing snail looked more like a curse than a blessing. A very nice smelling curse, that is. But seeing everyone intently staring at him reproachfully made the man shiver.

Were he to eat that tiny snail, he would be socially doomed. He somehow instinctively understood that. It's with great regret that he finally handed the whole snail over to their chief. He couldn't help but dream of better days.

The mayor, of course, made a show of refusal.

"What? No way! I can't! This is too much. You need some nutrients too!"

But on the side, the other villagers weren't in approval with such statements. Even the mayor himself knew clearly that he'd eat it all alone in the end. It's with great regret that the one that had just had his food stolen watched the chief take a huge bite of the soft flesh.

CLANG!

"Ah- What the hell is that?!"

His scream was as strong as the enthusiasm he had put into trying to bite. Not only was it loud, but it was also filled with pain.

"Are you alright, mayor."

"Was there a problem with that guy's snail?"

Was the man about to get blamed for something he hadn't committed? Then the mayor opened his mouth again only for the spectators to gasp in shock. His front tooth had shattered, giving him a very ugly look.

He started screaming. He was mad at the man, mad at the snail, and mad at the world. He blamed them all for bullying good people. Never did he take a moment to think that perhaps this was all Karma.

But was it?

In fact, he had simply tried eating the wrong snail. Anotoki had lied there on the ground thinking. It had been found by a villager but did not care. It had been thrown in a fire but did not react. It had been bitten by an idiot but did not care either.

Now, there was something else weighing on its mind. A while back, it had been keeping tabs on that man, the one and only it couldn't see through for some reason.

It had followed him as he had wreaked havoc on Eaglevein. Anotoki couldn't help but think that the man was perhaps a natural disaster that had taken human form, but that was beside the point.

It had followed him as he joined a group of actors and showcased the worst acting of all time. The ending of that one had been truly cruel and had almost made the snail cry, but it couldn't change it, for it was only an observer.

It had followed him as he went to the Village of the End, destroying their barrier and then going to great lengths to repair it. It had also witnessed him enter a portal that everyone considered a death sentence.

That's when it had lost him. Yes, Anotoki (7/10) had lost its target. It couldn't see in the other realms, not currently at least. Thus it was forced to remain behind. As it did, there was a white wolf nodding at it.

Somehow that single look made Anotoki freeze in wonder. It wasn't supposed to be possible for anyone to realize how special it was. But then it understood. The wolf was no regular one but a reincarnated expert from ancient times, one that especially knew divination.

For an instant, they shared a helpless look, for there was nothing they could see about the man's fate. It was almost as if it was yet to be written.

But Anotoki had a plan. It left behind the wolf that was just guarding the portal area and eating carrot soup. It then began to set up a crazy spell across the entire continent that took it a year to complete. Had the target been anyone else, it would have been done in an instant. But he was too hard to find.

What Anotoki had done was extremely complex, but the effect was simple. It had enchanted the wanted posters that were already circulating with the man's drawing. As soon as someone showed a hint of greed toward it, it would know.

That moment had actually just happened, in many places at once to boot. It seemed like someone out there was actually fanning the flames. But that was perfect for the snail. It would make finding him even easier.

The bigger the disturbance, the more pleased it would be…