I'm on Maintenance Duty

Arc 1.1 - Okay...

The Department of Fixing Stuff released astonishing news. It had opened its doors to the broke community. They offered jobs with no requirement. No one knew what kind of jobs they meant but the desperate ones immediately swooped in to take a bite of this precious pie.

The salary was pretty scammy though. One soul food for every task completion. Souls had to eat a minimum of 100 soul food a day to keep themselves healthy.

Popi rolled around on the ground that day. He had just applied for a job at the counter but the soul on the other side immediately approved it. It was the greatest news he had heard in a while.

"Ok. So you'll get one soul food for every task completed," that soul said. "Although it's pretty trash- ehem, insufficient, it's all the department can give."

"That's fine! That's perfect! I've been starving for a decade now! This will at least get me through the next day." Popi wiggled in excitement.

"How did you even survive living like that?"

"Through the kindness of the community! ＼(٥⁀▽⁀ )／"

Popi flew out of the building in glee. He didn't even bother relaxing for a single second. He immediately went straight to the gate that can teleport him to his task.

Popi read the task in his hands as he flew. It just wrote "Perform Maintenance procedures on XX". There were so many XXs in the universe so which XX was it talking about? Anyway, there was only one gate for all XXs so he didn't have to worry.

On the way there, he was greeted by fellow broke souls who were also rushing to their own gates.

"Dodo, got a job?" Popi asked.

"Yeah! One soul food for every task! After all these years, I can eat whole soul food and not just fragments of it!" Dodo laughed loudly.

"Same, brother. Let's eat some good food this time!"

Popi and Dodo entered their respective gates. The tasks in their hands melted away, swirling around their semi-transparent bodies and plunging them into the vast universe.

It had been a long time since Popi saw the universe. He relished the scene and closed his eyes peacefully. Things are going to be just fine.

When Popi opened his eyes again, he was no longer as light was a feather. He was a fleshy and heavy creature, one that he had not expected to become after so long.

"A human body! Heavier than a soul, but as weak as an ant. " Popi shook his numb hands.

Popi looked around to get an idea of what he was meant to do. The department didn't provide manuals or guides. It was completely up to him to figure out what the "maintenance procedures" were.

Oh well, he was already used to the harsh treatment.

...

Nigel felt like he could faint any minute now. The king had been infected with the curse the night before and now all the princesses were dying.

"Unholy witch! She deserves to get struck by lightning!" Nigel ran down the hallway as he uttered curses. He almost tripped multiple times but he had no time to care. He had to check if the prince was alive.

"Your Highness!! My prince! Hang on--" Nigel opened the door to the prince's chambers forcefully, expecting to see a dying body on the bed.

Instead, the prince looked at him with wide eyes. He held a piece of parchment in his hands. Overall, he looked healthy and full of strength.

Nigel patted his chest in relief. He could at least feel a bit at ease now. If something happened to the only prince, the kingdom would be doomed.

Popi wondered who the old man was. He was suddenly surprised when he heard him shout but it did let him know a bit about his current self. It seems that the department was kind to him for this task.

He would have been struggling over what to say if not for the newly-arrived task instructions.

"1. Don't talk
2. Treat the protagonist like sh*t
3. Die when required
4. Receive Salary ٩(ᐛ)و "

Therefore, Popi acted like he couldn't talk. If the task was just like this, he could continue for centuries, provided that he had extra pay.

Nigel walked up to him with a concerned look on his face. Despite the prince's healthy exterior, he did not believe that he was completely fine. That witch did declare that she'd curse the entire royal family.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

The prince did not utter a single sound. It was like he had suddenly become mute. Perhaps the news of his family's state shocked him to the core.

Nigel shed tears of blood inwardly. The prince wasn't unaffected by the curse after all. This was an disaster. The prince was bound to sit on the throne someday. A mute king can't discipline his subjects properly.

"Your Highness, speak to me please. You are the hope of the kingdom. Your father is already ill and can't do his obligations. You cannot be like this."

The prince still did not answer.

Nigel's hope crumbled. He patted the prince's shoulders dispiritedly and left the room. He still had to care for the other royalties.

Popi felt that the old man was a standard NPC; showing up all of a sudden, giving some context about the world, then leaving once his role was fulfilled. Now he had to dig deeper into his mysterious identity.

First, he had to find out what the heck his name was.

Popi was unsure of where humans usually stored their belongings. He had been out of touch for many years and he had spent most of his reincarnations as a poppy flower. He only remembered one life where he was a human. That one experience was also his last as a living being.

Popi spent his time opening cabinets and drawers. Surprisingly, the prince was very clean. He had almost nothing in his room except for the fancy bed, chair and a large table. Even his clothes weren't there. Was this really how a prince should live?

The parchment that he had been holding earlier lit up with a few more words.

"Go shop for items."

Finally! It seemed like he could finally get new clothes. Popi smiled happily and patted his chest.

Ah wait. Should I go out with these clothes?

Popi looked down at his clothing. Just one look and he could pretty much tell that he was dressed with kidnap material. Gold, silver, and was that obsidian in his ring? He felt that he wouldn't last a day outside with his current clothes.

Better than going naked at least...

Popi pushed the door to his chambers. He glanced from left to right before sneakily running away to the outside world.

When Nigel came back, the room was empty. He didn't know where the prince had gone off to. His knees went weak and he fell to the floor.

"Prince Nero, please come back!!"

...

[Thank you to @DiiscordIvy_ for the vote~! Much appreciated! ♡'･ᴗ･'♡]