Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Epilogue
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The moment I saw the reddish-pink hair visible from the rooftop, I already knew her identity.
The monster surgeon Dina, who had implanted a magic beast into her own body.
Among the monster surgeons belonging to Dante, she possessed a uniquely creative ability—she was a freak who devoured everything.
Back when I was playing Retry, she appeared as a named mob when facing off against Dante.
By that point in the game, I was skilled enough to handle her without much trouble.
But seeing her right in front of me, face-to-face, her presence was something else entirely.
Well, it made sense. After all, it was Aria who easily defeated Dina in the game.
[Has she implanted multiple magic beasts?]
The black necromancer returned, calmly observing Dina and offering her opinion. It was certainly convincing, but I shook my head.
"No, it's just one magic beast."
[What? But...]
"The human body isn't sturdy enough to withstand implanting multiple magic beasts."
Even so, the reason it looked like multiple magic beasts were inside her was because...
She had implanted that type of magic beast into her body. And from what I could see, it wasn't just any ordinary magic beast.
"It's possible for a magic beast to consume mana. But I've never heard of one that devours souls and digests them into its own."
As I watched Dina, who was turning into something grotesque amid crunching sounds, I continued.
"That thing isn't just a simple magic beast. It's got to be some kind of fusion between a magic beast and a yokai."
[And then she implanted that back into her own body? It sounds utterly ridiculous... but with Dante, who knows. It might be possible.]
"Yeah, probably."
If any group could pull off such an outrageous feat, it would be Dante, where numerous black mages gathered.
Take the bone centipede, for example.
It was a yokai, but it parasitized Emily's body and materialized.
They had fused a yokai with a higher-grade magic beast, and Dina had implanted that into herself.
An act of pure madness.
It perfectly fit the term "mad wizard," but Dante had the technology to make it possible.
It was probably something akin to Tan, the Chinese yokai. A monster that devoured everything, eventually even consuming itself.
Not only was its entire body a mouth, but it could devour intangible things like mana and souls as well.
[So, what are you going to do? Can you handle this?]
"It's surprisingly simple. You'll be shocked."
At my words, the black necromancer smirked from behind the black cloth. Feigning exasperation, she leaned against my shoulder.
[Then couldn't you have acted sooner? Pindenai and I went through hell.]
"If the goal had been to kill Dina, I would have."
But my objective was to see off the yokai. After realizing she was the mastermind, I judged there was no need to chase her down.
She would come to me on her own, drawn by the procession of yokai anyway.
So I escorted the yokai, and dealt with Dina as a bonus.
[So how are you going to do it?]
Dina was gradually transforming into something hideous. Her entire body turning into mouths was so bizarre that people screamed and backed away.
No one could smile at a sight like that.
That was why I planned to kill her as quickly as possible. Her mere existence was already disrupting the procession.
Once again, I drew Remegaton.
Normally, she would have been a tough opponent. Even as a named mob back then, her tenacious stamina and recovery were impressive.
But...
"I need to teach her that shoving anything into her mouth damages her body."
I pulled a black gem from my pocket. Unfortunately, games ultimately came down to item luck. And this world styled itself as a game.
I held a gem that could only be called cheat-level.
As Dina fully transformed into a monster and charged, having lost even the capacity for thought, I flung Remegaton straight into her mouth.
Gulp.
Her footsteps halted the moment she swallowed it. Black light began erupting from her body, and spirits poured out from the mouths across her entire form like they were escaping.
[...Is this for real?]
We had fought so hard, yet her end was this anticlimactic. From the black necromancer's perspective, it almost seemed unfair.
Pindenai and the black necromancer had risked their lives in battle, while I resolved it by casually tossing Remegaton. It must have stung.
"That just means she wasn't that important to this story."
Of course, there was a reason they had to fight her first.
If Pindenai and the black necromancer hadn't worn down her stamina and pushed her mentally beforehand, she wouldn't have fully monsterized her body like that.
And if she hadn't, she naturally wouldn't have swallowed my Remegaton.
In the end, solid buildup makes the payoff feel refreshingly effortless.
[Still feels a bit unfair.]
Ignoring the grumbling black necromancer, I sensed Remegaton inside her.
This was also something of an experiment.
I felt Remegaton's energy more strongly, certain it was seeking me out.
I also sensed my bond with Remegaton thickening even further.
And I knew exactly when this shift began.
'After Stella fell asleep.'
The former saintess Stella.
Once she began slumbering within me, Remegaton's assimilation rate started rising sharply.
I was convinced this was because the archdemon Belica had assimilated with Stella.
Before, it felt like I was merely borrowing and using Remegaton.
Now, I was its true master.
It wasn't intentional, but thanks to Stella and Belica, Remegaton had acknowledged me as its owner.
"Kiiiiiaaaaaack!"
Dina writhed, screaming as her body twisted violently. Her waist snapped with a crack after spinning a full turn, unable to digest the rampaging evil spirits inside her.
Of course.
"She claims to devour everything, but that's just hyperbole. She can't possibly eat the entire world."
If her stomach truly had no limits, she would already dominate this continent.
"Just a magic beast with a bit of a big appetite."
Dina, twisting in agony, finally collapsed, unable to hold herself together. The procession of yokai marched over her without even registering her presence.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
The yokai trampled her indifferently, and she gradually flattened, losing her human shape.
I manipulated mana to spread a light mist, preventing the onlookers from witnessing her gruesome fate.
"Picky eater too, apparently."
In the end, all that remained amid the sodden corpse chunks was the Spirit Stone, ominously glowing amidst the mess.
No wonder it rivaled the Holy Grail.
Its effects were undeniable.
[Now Dante knows everything about you.]
"Yeah, they probably do."
Dawn was gradually breaking. The yokai procession was nearing its end, and despite their exhaustion, the people applauded us for the magnificent show.
[They know about Remegaton now, and my existence too. Next time, Dante will come fully prepared to face you.]
"I know."
I reached out my hand, and Remegaton, recognizing me as its master, coiled back into my grasp. Slightly soiled, I conjured water with magic and rinsed it lightly.
"But I'll keep getting stronger too."
I extended Remegaton to absorb the soul of the freshly deceased. That made two.
Now I had a soul I had bound of my own volition.
To fight Dante, I needed to replenish my forces, and the soul of a black mage like Dina would be a great boon.
[...Be careful.]
Seeing this, the black necromancer looked at me with feigned worry. I thought it might be about the battle with Dante, but her next words proved otherwise.
[I hope you don't get too immersed in black magic, like me or Dante.]
"..."
[Dealing with souls, even those with iron wills eventually start seeing them as expendable.]
I understood her concern. She feared I might abandon my current convictions and become like ordinary black mages.
[When power falls short and you start breaking, you end up forgetting your humanity, like that monster surgeon.]
"Yeah."
[Don't become a monster to fight monsters.]
"I'll keep that in mind."
At my words, the black necromancer cautiously embraced me before fading away gently.
The festival's end.
As the rising sun emerged, people laughed and chattered about how enjoyable it had been, cleaning up.
Savoring the memories from just hours ago, they expressed gratitude to the yokai for the unique experience.
And amid the crowd.
A boy approached me.
He had shed his disguise—no more wig or skirt, now back in pants.
Looking at Owen, I asked.
"How was it?"
Before the festival began.
I had told Owen to observe today's event and learn from it.
"Now I think I understand why the yokai couldn't leave."
Owen spoke, and I listened calmly. I was prepared to wait patiently.
"They wanted more from me than just Grandfather. They had that much expectation. Not mere consolation—they wanted to depart in joy."
Owen had always just followed in his grandfather's footsteps, never thinking or acting independently regarding the yokai.
That had been the boy's fatal misstep, leading him astray.
"You showed me that. It was the first time I saw those children smile like that, or depart satisfied."
The corners of the boy's mouth subtly lifted. Gazing at the brilliant sunlight, he smiled, recalling the departed souls.
"Thank you for granting me this realization."
I stroked Owen's head once more.
"Your grandfather Oster was a pianist who consoled."
But Owen was different.
Recalling that the final piece Oster left for Owen built to an exhilarating crescendo.
"You are a pianist who plays joy."
"......!"
His small fist clenched tight.
But it held a sense of mission.
With those tiny hands, I could already envision how many smiles he would bring to people's faces in the future.
"Come with me, Owen."
"Huh?"
"I think highly of your talents. You have the ability to walk the same path as me."
Though in a different way. That was why I needed him.
"If I ever lose my way, I might need your music."
Owen swallowed hard, reaching for my hand but hesitating.
"B-But if I leave, yokai will appear in Claren again."
After all, Claren was a city of artists.
Yokai born from their imaginations would keep emerging.
"That's why we held this festival."
The opposite was also possible, of course.
"I'm planning to turn today's event into a thoughtform called the Parade of Hundred Ghosts."
"Huh?"
Thoughtforms weren't limited to yokai. Unique phenomena could also accumulate thoughts.
School ghost stories were prime examples of that category.
"Just as artists' imaginations become yokai, people's anticipation for this annual event will recreate today's spectacle."
Once a year.
Exactly one day when yokai would appear.
"Ah......"
Owen let out an exclamation. He realized that vanishing yokai each year would no longer be an issue.
"You no longer need to stay here."
Just as Oster had wished.
I wanted to show the boy a wider world.
I would teach and show him as much as he needed me.
"I see."
Squeeze.
Owen's hand slowly extended, gripping mine firmly. It carried his resolute will to journey with me.
And so, we headed back to the hotel. The tale of the artists' city Claren had reached its conclusion.
It was time to depart once more.
But like an epilogue, Owen suddenly flinched and turned to me.
"By the way, why did Grandfather and I develop these abilities?"
To him, who couldn't comprehend this at all, I answered gently.
"What was your ability?"
"Huh? When I play piano, spiritual bodies become visible."
To the bewildered Owen, I continued questioning.
"What did you intend to do with that ability?"
"Uh, help the yokai achieve Buddhahood."
"Right. Then think about who needed that ability the most."
"......The yokai?"
Owen stared at me with wide eyes. Seeing the innocent boy's expression filled with emotion, I gave a slight smile.
"It's not that they came to you because you had the ability."
The elderly master whose exquisite technique and soul-stirring performances could even console yokai.
And the boy who empathized deeply with them, possessed pure kindness, and would never abandon the piano.
"They chose you."
Moreover, it would be the yokai's final gift to the boy who never gave up on them until the end.