…The interior of the Ghost Castle was surrounded by a mist that dulled the senses and wrapped around one’s body languidly.
In that hazy consciousness, Epherene was almost lost.
“Carlos! You were here!”
Then she heard a voice. Epherene hesitated, turning around. “You can’t lose!”
Ganesha, Lia, and Leo were holding the child named Carlos and shouting.
“Sister! Where are you, sister?!”
Jackal was still looking for his sister, and Epherene continued onward.
—…It is you.But a voice called out to her from somewhere. Epherene turned, her body moving on autopilot. -Nice to meet you. It was someone resembling Deculein, but older and smiling at her.
—Daughter of my favorite Kagan.He stretched out his hand, and Epherene slowly approached as if possessed.Then someone grabbed her wrist: Ihelm.He glared at Decalane, pushing Epherene behind him.
Decalane’s lips pressed up into a thin, subtly upturned line.—Is it Ihelm?
—I was thankful to you. For becoming friends with my son-
“Friends? We’ve never had such a dreamy relationship.”
“What the hell is going on? He’s dead. Where the hell are we?”
For a moment, Decalane’s expression hardened but soon turned into another wry smile.
—Ihelm. I am alive like this; I’m not dead.A delusion close to madness resided in Decalane’s eyes. He focused on Epherene.
—Luna’s daughter. Do you know what your father wanted?
“Don’t listen to him, Leaf.”
Ihelm gathered mana in his hand, constructing a destructive spell to crush Decalane’s spirit.
—If you know that…Yet the moment he was about to trigger the completed magic-The castle vibrated. Epherene and Ihelm glanced at each other.Decalane’s face grew heavy and hollow. He looked up at the sky, brow furrowing.
—My son is doing something strange.Ihelm deployed a shield over Epherene and everyone around him just as the whole world was shaken again with a roar.
* * *
Carla had memories of Deculein as a child. He was once called a prodigy then, but just that much. He was a pitiful boy.
-Deck, maybe you can do it like this?
-No. I don’t need that. Don’t call me Deck.
-You can do it like me, you know?
-I said no. And you, stop with the question mark after every sentence.
Stop talking like you’re asking me something.
It’s just confusing.He didn’t understand her teachings as a genius, and he wouldn’t admit that he didn’t understand because of his pride.
So, in the end, after being stubborn, he would accuse her of teaching him strangely. What a weird guy.But Carla was watching him now on this island that was fleetingly fragmented, collapsing, and sinking. This magician who wielded such powerful magic
– Deculein.The entire castle shook at random, a massive earthquake rocking the world. The dead souls were crying out, and Carla heard them.
Listened to their curses, pleading not to die. Or begging to be killed.Though useless to them, there was a ghost society in this world. Carla had visited them before.
They recognized those humans who killed souls, so this incident may cause Deculein to be hated by the spirits forever. There was no way Deculein didn’t know that.Nevertheless, he didn’t hesitate. Wasn’t he afraid of curses?
Or was he not thinking about the future?
Carla was suspicious of Deculein’s growth.The castle began to collapse.
The walls cracked and shattered into dozens of pieces as if ripping paper. The Psychokinesis generated created powerful waves that bent the space around it.Deculein was bleeding amidst the spell, blood leaking from his mouth to wet his clothes.
The mana that Carla offered was about 30% of her own, but the cost of borrowing from someone else was great.
“Are you okay?”
Deculein didn’t respond. He continued to sit in the chair and watch his student and assistant professor.Epherene was the first to respond. She frowned as her eyes fluttered open.
Those hazy eyes stared at Deculein, still contemplating whether it was reality or a dream.Epherene looked at Deculein. Seeing him drenched in blood and fatigue was so different from usual, she had no choice but to think of it as a dream.Then Allen awoke.
Deculein, on the other hand, closed his eyes for a moment. The two were astonished.
“Oh, he’s dead!”
“Epherene, don’t say that! Professor!”
“…He doesn’t seem to be dead.”
As Carla spoke, the two swiveled their heads.“Who are you?”
Next, Ihelm’s disciples opened their eyes, and in the distance, the sound of someone’s shoes resounded off the floor as Ganesha appeared.
“Whoa~, our professor is so wild. How many square meters was… this… castle?Ah, anyway.”
She laughed and picked through the remains of the castle. It was destroyed with the exception of this one area, which was maintained with Deculein’s Psychokinesis.
“Even with this much holystone, the people of the Imperial Family will be happy. Of course, I couldn’t catch the robbers, though~.”
Ganesha looked at Carla.
She was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.Epherene and Allen both looked astonished. Carla, like Rohakan, was a Black Beast-level criminal. She had erased a city from the map and was responsible for the deaths of thousands, the so-called Deadly Authority.
“Why don’t we make a deal? Take only 5%.”
“This holystone is made of people.”
There were many different types, with the most natural and popular holystone being a mixture of earth, mana, and soil.
Other top grades included deep-sea stone that grew inside humpback whales’ bellies and mountain stone that could only be found deep within the mountains.“Can I sell it to the Floating Island?”
Among them, holystones that bloomed from human corpses were called human holystones.
Most were reluctant to use them, but they liked them in the Floating Island because they were good for experimentation. But Carla shook her head.
“I don’t like it. They’ll hate these.”
Ganesha watched Carla as the child ran to her side. It was Lia; she wanted to remember the Named’s face.
“Carla, may I ask why?”
Carla looked at Ganesha and Lia without a word.
“Why did you… work with the Altar?”
As Ganesha asked, she continued to pick through the debris, grabbing a branch she found.
“…I don’t know. Is it because I don’t want to die?”
At that moment, an intangible blade cut through the air.A blow delivered by Muramasa, Jackal’s wicked blade. Ganesha just managed to block it with the branch.
“Wow! As expected from Ganesha, huh?!”
Jackal guffawed from the other side. Ganesha looked toward him, shaking her head.
“Sister! You were here.”
Jackal moved closer. Then, he pointed to Deculein, who was resting in the chair.
“Is the Professor sleeping?”
At that moment, Deculein opened his eyes.
“Oh, I guess he’s not. Hehe.”
He looked around without a word at those gathered.
“Ganesha. I didn’t know you would carry a demon with you.”
“He’s not a demon; he’s half-human-“
“It’s the same.”
His body creaked, and his muscles screamed, but he cleaned the blood and dirt on his clothes with Cleansing.
He also didn’t forget to adjust his clothes, smoothing them.
As he was about to say something to Ganesha, someone interrupted him. It was the kid called Lia.
“I swear. A promise is fine too, but if Carlos turns into a demon, I will kill him with my own hands. So-“
Lia bit her lip as Deculein slowly got up. Epherene and Allen followed, standing nearby him.
“He is going to be a demon.”
“No. If we do well-“
“If you can hide him, you can hide. But no oath is necessary. You don’t have to beg me either. If he catches my eye, I will surely kill him.”
Lia looked up and bowed her head. Deculein glared at Ganesha instead of the child, eliciting a bitter smile from her.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. He’s part of my family now.”
“Do you think a demon can be family?”
“…I will make sure he doesn’t turn into a demon.”
Deculein’s expression changed violently. He shook his head.He didn’t want to be in the same room with him for too long. Deculein, who was about to leave, noticed Ihelm staring blankly somewhere.Ihelm’s face remained slightly blank, and the two of his disciples stood by him.He looked back at Deculein and nodded.
“Right. What, let’s go? Is it all over… what’s this? What’s going on here?”
Belatedly, he checked the smashed ruins and put on a stupid expression.
As he dug through the castle’s ruins with Psychokinesis, a message floated in the air.
[Main Quest Complete: Altar and Ghost]
◆ Mental Strength +1
[The body of the Iron Man Understands the magic of the Authority.]
◆ New traits, circuits, and physique begin to flower.
* * *
On the way back by boat.[The body of the Iron Man Understands the magic of the Authority.]I turned to Carla while reading the system message.
She was drinking wine with Jackal and Ihelm. It was so leisurely a sight that it would be easy to forget she was a Black Beast-level criminal.
“…P-Professor. Can you leave her like that?”
Allen asked, her body shaking.
“It’s okay. She’s not the type to kill people as she pleases.”
Authority Carla. Her mana neared the hundreds of thousands in units, an incredibly huge reservoir possible thanks to her trait.
Carla’s unique trait.
As her lifespan neared its end, that is, as her death drew near, her mana grew in strength.
Carla’s life expectancy was less than two years now in exchange for a talent that ordinary humans couldn’t dare to achieve.
She was suffering from an incurable disease that made her strong.
I turned to Epherene. She was biting her nails as if she were thinking about something. It was bothering me.Her nail broke. I let out a sigh.
“Five penalty points.”
“Eh? Why?! Suddenly?!”
Epherene looked at me as if it were unfair, her eyes growing large.
“No~, you can’t~. You can’t~.”
As if persuading me, she tried to explain.
“If I get more this time, I get 15 points. Then there is a fine.”
“Good. If you guess what you did wrong, I’ll take your penalty points back.”
Epherene frowned and pondered, then glanced at me, mumbling.
“Have you developed mind-reading…”
“Five penalty points.”
* * *
It was autumn when we returned to the continent.
The university campus was covered by fallen leaves, and a shrill wind whipped past my skin.
It was a quiet and lonely season for no reason, showing a landscape not very different from Earth.
—Huhu, today is Veron’s funeral. I’m so glad you came on time.While organizing class materials in the Magic Tower, I received a call from Josephine.
—Come to the funeral~ It’ll be at the Knights of Freyhem commandery.
I also ask you to prepare to do some acting~.If the snake that lured Eve spoke, would it sound like this?
I put the crystal ball in my pocket and went out to the parking lot outside the tower. I climbed into the car with Ren, who was waiting at the wheel.
“To the Knights of Freyhem.”
I looked outside the window, capturing the passing landscape and feeling a little strange.
But it was clear that this was the right way.
Even if the process weren’t right, even if I were hated, it would be right in the end, as it was the only way for Julie to live.I could tolerate the emotions that were rising from my heart.
No, I could endure it because I loved Julie.
I didn’t know this kind of love, but it had become part of my personality. Deculein loved Julie.So, even if Julie became unhappy because of me, even if she hated me enough to kill me… if she could only live in a world with me…
Tap, tap— Tap, tap—
Some creature touched me.
Tap, tap— Tap, tap—
The red-haired Munchkin was scratching my sleeve with his claws. I looked down at him and then back to Ren.
“Yes. All right.”
Ren immediately stopped the car and went outside.
The cat looked at Ren with a grin.
“…Your Majesty. What’s going on?”
—I heard you did a great job with the Ghost Castle.
“Is that so?”
—There were so many appeals from the soul wizards who called you a genocidal maniac and wanted punishment.
“Is that so?”
—Hmm. Are you in a bad mood today?
I nodded slightly.
“The demon is coming.”
—Your body can’t endure that much.Emperor Sophien, borrowing her cat’s body, yawned.
“If your Majesty is faithfully learning the runes, I think I will be able to lighten my burden a little.”
-Oh. About that. I want to learn it, but I’m trapped.“…What are you talking about?”
—Ah, a treasure was presented to me last night. But while playing with it out of curiosity, I was trapped inside. It’s a really strange thing.I was disconcerted, but it was a very good sign that the Emperor was showing curiosity.
—So, I need you to save me. Keiron doesn’t seem to be able to do anything because he’s not smart.
“Yes. But there is a contract.”
—A contract that takes precedence over the Emperor… hmph. That five years in prison… The cat murmured with dissatisfaction and licked his front paws.
“I’ll make sure to leave as soon as possible.”
—Bring me ice cream when you come.It was a difficult development for me to adapt to. —It is an important process for attaching affection to life. I don’t know what suits my tastes.
“…Yes. All right.”
-Good. Keep this cat with you.The cat cried out as the possession was released. I glanced at Ren still standing outside.
“After the Knights of Freyhem… stop by an ice cream parlor.”
“…Yes? Oh, okay.”
Ren asked back, which wasn’t like him. Maybe it was because I’d never been there before. I felt a heat flushing inside me.
* * *
The Knights of Freyhem held their funeral ceremony in a cozy and secluded atmosphere. Although there weren’t many guests, each was gathered in the hall, a soft and sorrowful song playing overhead.
Julie looked at Veron’s remains in the coffin, feeling conflicted emotions wrangling inside her.Josephine called her. Julie sighed a little before looking back.
“Yes. How about you?Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. Rather, I feel lighthearted. Thanks to you, we recovered his remains.”
Julie displayed the courtesy of a knight to Josephine. Josephine tapped the crown of her head and smiled softly. The crystal ball in Josephine’s pocket vibrated, but her expression remained unchanged.
“Then, Julie. I’ll go out for a little while.”
Josephine waved as she walked out. Julie watched her until she moved out of sight before looking around the hall.
There were many knights with tears in their ears and rolling down their cheeks. Julie was strangely proud of their crying. It felt that the sense of companionship and bond she wanted as a knight was expressed in those tears.
Vice-captain Rockfell, who had been outside for a while, approached with his cloak flapping behind him. Julie cleared her throat with a cough.
“Ahem. Yes. Rockfell. What’s going on?”
“There is one luxury car outside.”
“Yes. It was parked a little farther away, but it seems to be Professor Deculein’s.”
Julie exclaimed without realizing it, eliciting a soft smile from Rockfell. They both had the same opinion, but Julie said it first.
“Did the Professor also come to pay his condolences…?”
“Probably. Regardless, if nothing else, he’s the knight who died trying to save him.”
“…He must be tired, coming here so soon after his mission concluded.”
Julie muttered a little and smiled warmly.
“Then, I will go first. With the Professor’s personality, it will be difficult for him to come alone.”
“Yes. Please, go.”
They could pretend it was a coincidence and sit together. Professor would want that too…Julie took a deep breath and opened the door to the funeral home.
