Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Hell for Repose
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“Deus!”
Thud thud thud thud!
The carpet on the floor rumbled violently. His footsteps were infused with mana from how furious he was, nearly knocking the candle on the desk to the ground—only for Pindenai to swiftly catch it.
“Phew, that was close to another shopping trip.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, Pindenai immediately glared at the door, and right on cue, Darius flung it open.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing!”
As I casually glanced at Darius while tidying the candles, then returned to my work.
That seemed to irk him even more, as he stormed toward me with heavy thuds.
“Tut tut.”
Pindenai naturally stepped in his path, shrugging her shoulders.
Having been thoroughly beaten by her twice already, Darius ground his teeth, clenched his fists, and yelled at me over her shoulder.
“You’re digging up the tombs of our past family heads? Have you truly lost your mind!”
Darius drew the sword from his waist and swung it through the air, shouting until veins bulged in his neck.
“Bringing in outsiders from Northsweden, entering the family’s forbidden basement, hiring a damn street whore as a family maid! I overlooked all that, but this—I can’t let this slide!”
Knowing full well he couldn’t get past Pindenai anyway, I silently continued my tasks.
Time was short.
The moon would rise soon.
“Calm down a bit.”
At that moment, Deia, who had been in my room, sighed and tried to soothe Darius. He looked puzzled as to why she was there.
Deia subtly showed him the watch in her hand. It was exactly five minutes into the hour.
“Deus is doing what needs to be done. What the Verdi family must bear.”
At those words, Darius scowled and glared at Deia.
“What the Verdi family must bear? You mean digging up the family heads’ tombs? There’s our father in there too!”
“……Still, it’s necessary.”
Darius seemed taken aback by Deia, who bit her lip tightly.
It was unbelievable to him that Deia, who hated me more than anyone, was taking my side.
“Ha, explain! Damn it! Explain why you’re doing this nonsense!”
Only now did he seem ready for a proper conversation, so I slowly turned to face him.
“I’m a necromancer.”
“What?”
The abrupt declaration left Darius gaping at me like a fool.
It was the kind of statement that could summon the Griffin Kingdom’s Magic Inquisitors to drag me away on the spot.
“This mansion is crawling with countless evil spirits. And the Verdi family is the one that turned them into restless souls, denying them repose.”
I stepped forward slowly.
Pindenai naturally stepped aside, allowing me to stand before Darius and stare him down.
“Deia and I bear the sin of our ignorance. You, as family head, knew all the secrets recorded in the journal.”
“…….”
“Help me. This is your last chance to take responsibility.”
“Take responsibility?”
Darius stabbed his sword into the floor, grinding his teeth and glaring at me as if venting his rage.
“You want me to take responsibility for what the past family heads did! Who do you think has no guilt? Who do you think believes their actions were justified!”
“…….”
“I know they sinned too. But I can’t change it! I can only carry on the Verdi legacy as it is!”
I gazed at Darius for a moment, then nodded calmly.
“I understand.”
Darius stared at me in shock, his expression unreadable.
“It’s karma built up over centuries. A new family head like you can’t change it.”
Darius squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists. He seemed to be suppressing a surge of emotion from within.
“But you can’t grow numb to it, accept it as normal, and just avoid it as inevitable.”
“…….”
“I’ll give you a chance. To clear it all away, wash away every sin, and start a new Verdi.”
“A new… Verdi.”
“I hope you make the right choice as family head.”
With that, I walked out of the room, and Pindenai grabbed her things and followed.
From behind came the voices of Deia and Darius, but I ignored them and headed outside.
Not far from the Verdi mansion was the burial ground where most past family heads lay.
Some were lost in war, their bodies unrecoverable, or due to unforeseen circumstances, but most were properly interred.
“You’re here!”
The Scrap Merchants, waiting near the graveyard on my orders, bowed deeply upon seeing me.
Pindenai, displeased by their demeanor, smacked the one in front on the head irritably.
“Hey, no greeting for me?”
“Urk!”
“Isn’t she the boss now!”
“Thanks to her, we’re doing great!”
Former slaves from the republic turned rebels—they were all in similar straits.
Here, they had jobs, places to rest, and meals provided.
The locals’ discrimination was mere tickles compared to the class divides they’d endured.
I gave them a brief nod and entered the graveyard.
The tombs for past family heads were impeccably maintained—no dust, sturdy fences.
I had Pindenai place the candles she’d prepared at the four cardinal directions, then stand at the entrance.
In the distance, the family servants came rushing over. The eldest butler, as requested, carried a drum.
“Pindenai, guide her as we discussed.”
“……Yeah, I’ll take this seriously.”
Pindenai nodded and headed back to the mansion. I watched her back silently for a moment, then took in both the servants and Scrap Merchants.
They stared at me in confusion, but I struck the ground with my staff and commanded.
“Servants, prepare to receive a guest from the mansion. No one is to interfere with her arrival.”
A few green ones looked baffled, but most listened obediently.
“The Verdi family owes her a great debt. Treat her with utmost courtesy and respect.”
“Yes, understood.”
The head butler bowed deeply on their behalf.
Next, the Scrap Merchants.
“You all guard them. Many will come, but it won’t be too hard with your skills.”
“No problem at all.”
The Scrap Merchants’ vice-captain thumped his chest confidently.
Hearing that, I turned and entered the tombs.
The elderly butler I’d spoken to beforehand stood at the entrance with the drum.
“Beat it rhythmically. Switch with others if tired, but don’t let the drumming stop.”
“Understood.”
“Start now.”
Thump.
The drum began to echo.
At once, the servants sprang into action to prepare for the guest, while the Scrap Merchants drew weapons, forming a protective circle around them.
It was convenient how they followed orders without needing details.
I firmly planted the staff’s tip into the ground. The soil cratered, and I began infusing mana.
Not my mana.
All of it was mana from the evil spirits contained within me.
Whoosh!
Blue flames ignited in the candles at the four directions. They would serve as the barrier to keep the evil spirits from escaping.
[Kieeeek!]
[Freedom!]
[Verdi! Verdi! Verdi!]
The evil spirits’ screams surged. I kept releasing mana, condensing it to fill this place with the mana of the deceased.
A type of magic I’d seen many times through Grandmother, adapted to this continent.
Yes, I was performing a gut ritual.
Summoning the brazen scoundrels slumbering so peacefully after death.
I stood before the tombs.
Then, as if waking them from sleep, I read the epitaphs.
“Delmoen Verdi.”
Thump!
Delmoen’s soul floated up from the grave with the drumbeat. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around frantically.
[What, what is this? Did you wake me?]
Ignoring his confusion, I moved to the next tomb and called the name.
Thump!
“Dolores Verdi.”
Thump!
“Terbite Verdi.”
Thump!
“Dupolian Verdi.”
Thump!
With each drumbeat and call, souls awoke.
Bewildered, they grew angry at me for disturbing their rest.
“Ditros Verdi.”
Thump!
I continued awakening them, until the last.
“Damos Verdi.”
Thump!
One man rose. He knew me.
[Deus? Is that you, Deus? You woke me?]
The family head before Darius.
Damos Verdi, father of the three siblings.
All the Verdis had gathered.
Among them were those like Ditros Verdi, who massacred countless for their greed.
And those like Darius Verdi, who simply closed their eyes and ears, pretending not to see through silence.
What did it matter.
We would all receive punishment fitting our sins.
[Deus! What the hell is going on!]
[Tut, disturbing the dead’s slumber means you’ve turned to the dark path!]
[Damos! Is this how you raised him!]
The Verdi spirits swarmed me. The evil spirits filling the sky like a vortex glared down, ready to devour us.
“Silence, all of you.”
I opened my mouth calmly toward them.
“There’s a verse in some scripture from another world.”
Thump!
“When the time comes, the trumpet sounds, and the Son of Man descends from heaven—the dead shall rise first.”
Thump!
“And they shall be judged according to their deeds.”
Thump!
“Whether that’s true, I don’t know. But I do know this continent has no such saint.”
Thump!
A faint smile crept onto my face.
Could they glimpse the future about to unfold?
No.
Their eyes were closed as deceased.
They had no future left.
Thump!
“If no such being exists, and there’s no afterlife, will your sins just be buried forever and forgotten?”
[Deus! Watch your words!]
“Shut up. I’m not your damn son.”
I snapped at Damos, who glared with bulging veins. I sealed his mouth with mana.
I already knew from the journal he hadn’t been a great father.
“Look at that sky, this deep night. Resentments piled toward you have reached it, ready to fall tonight.”
[Delmoooooen! Delmoooooen! The Delmoooooen who ate my eyes!]
[Is that Dupolian? My old friend, who raped my wife, killed me, and chopped off my son’s limbs—is that you!]
[Verdi! Verdi! The Verdi who dyed the mountains red claiming to protect them!]
[Ditrooooos! Ditrooooos! Ditrooooos!]
The evil spirits poised to charge. To the trembling Verdi souls, I said flatly.
“Of course, some might be wronged. Some among those evil spirits might be too filthy to judge you.”
Indeed, among the mansion’s evil spirits I’d seen, some had lived utterly wicked lives.
Verdi family intruders from rival houses.
Thieves sneaking in to steal.
Stalkers of maids or would-be sex offenders.
Not all, but plenty.
That’s why I was taking responsibility, setting this stage.
This wasn’t just a place to hound and tear at the Verdis.
“Let’s shed all grudges, wash away all sins. Resentful evil spirits! This is your place to resolve them! Today marks the start of the Verdi family’s new, pure history!”
Thump!
“No saint will judge you! No salvation or judgment comes, no matter how long you wait! After death, no eternal torment or bliss—just silent slumber!”
Thump!
For the first time, hot blood surged through me.
I couldn’t hold back the emotional surge.
Grandmother always said that during a gut, you get caught up in the fervor without realizing.
“Come! Bite at each other’s sins! No repentance! Point fingers and judge others’ wrongs! From this day, resolve all grudges and enter eternal slumber!”
Thump!
I raised both hands high.
At that signal, the evil spirits swirling in the sky cascaded down like a waterfall.
“The Son of Man has come! The time is now! Sound the trumpet!”
Thump!
“For repose, judge each other!”