25. O Eclissi (7)
25. O Eclissi (7)
1 -
『Lord of Necropolis - The highest stats of the Skeleton army following you, my Lord, increase.』
『Member of Necropolis - This soldier receives your special protection.』
The trait shared between me and my soldiers, 'Necropolis'. I had only thought of it as one of the perks I initially received for choosing a Necromancer.
But now, seeing this, that didn't seem to be all there was to it.
『Job & Grade - Werewolf Berserker』
『Traits - ... Blood Blade, Member of Necropolis』
'Why was that there...?'
The information, in order, belonged to a wolf beastman who possessed a luxurious set of traits—Legendary, Heroic, and two Rare grades. Though detailed information didn't appear, perhaps because the contract with me hadn't been established yet, the colors alone were enough to catch my eye.
However, what actually caught my eye was the last, lowest-grade trait.
Well, sure.
Even if the name 'Necropolis' suggested a city of the dead, that didn't mean it was only full of ghosts and undead. The adventurers who came to deal with those undead could be staying there for quite a while too, couldn't they?
But the problem was that this trait explicitly stated that she was a resident of that city.
"Have you ever heard of Necropolis?"
"Necro...polis? It sounds like a dungeon name. No, I haven't... At least, it doesn't seem to be among the famous dungeons."
In case there was some setting I was unaware of built into my body, I asked Mari about Necropolis, but she also seemed completely ignorant of it.
Furthermore, even she, who had arranged that mercenary, didn't seem to have noticed that this 'Lin Xue' possessed that ability.
Actually, the latter was understandable enough.
Even if those who couldn't see status windows gave names to their own or others' abilities, that ability was something granted only to me, so how could they possibly know its official name?
However, it was just frustrating that even when I asked metaphorically if she seemed to have such-and-such abilities, she answered that she didn't know.
There was only one way to resolve this question.
"I'll accept the proposal. With personnel like this, it would be a loss not to accept."
Meeting her in person.
At the very least, if I met her when the safety was guaranteed by a company from one of the Seven Great Dukes of the Demon Realm, wouldn't I have some room to judge whether she was friend or foe?
"Yes...! Then here is the contract... The company will pay half of the mana upkeep cost... and the retainer fee is free, at the mercenary's request..."
"Free?"
"Yes... I don't know the reason, but... she requested it so strongly..."
"I see. That is very strange."
What's more, the conditions were so good—so good that anyone who refused would be a fool—and that only made it more suspicious.
Was the company truly trying to pull some kind of scam? Or did this mercenary harbor some cruelty towards novice Dungeon Lords? Thoughts like that crossed my mind.
But what overrode that suspicion was a certain 'premonition'.
"... It's truly strange."
A premonition that this mercenary and I were somehow connected by fate.
A premonition that if I met her face to face, all questions would be resolved, or at least I wouldn't have to worry anymore.
That inexplicable premonition was guiding me.
- 2 -
After sending Mari away, saying she would bring the other party to the contract next time, I moved to the room serving as the living room and examined the contract I had purchased from the trading company.
At the very top, there was a blank space to fill in personal details, and below that, a handwritten copy roughly stating that the Demon King certified this being had registered within the Demon Realm.
'The handwriting was nice.'
The Demon King's handwriting was quite fine. Whether it was the Demon King's own writing or that of a scribe, I couldn't tell.
But the mana contained within was real, so that wasn't my concern.
'Now then...'
"「Soul Contract, Imprint」."
When I scattered my mana according to the knowledge all Dungeon Lords were aware of, personal details began writing themselves onto the contract, following the handwriting of those provisionally contracted with me.
Furthermore, over those letters, strange symbols that were difficult to record by hand and hard to depict even in drawings began to shine and trace themselves out. This was, so to speak, a type of 'fingerprint'.
Not a 'fingerprint', but one that should properly be called a 'Soulprint'.
By engraving the traces of the soul onto the contract, and then, once the contract was completed, activating mana in a specific pattern, that soulprint was engraved into the Demon Realm.
Then, from that point on, the subject of the contract belonged not to the continent, but to the Demon Realm.
"Daniel."
- ...! Is that you, My Lady?
The completed contract had a dreamlike appearance, with glowing letters double-engraved over complex script.
The moment I placed my hand on one of those contracts and opened my mouth to speak, I heard Daniel's voice—he was still on the road.
Since the traces of his soul were engraved here, I could directly speak to the subject.
"Yes. I am about to execute the contract now. Check your surroundings, and respond only if it is a situation where you can afford to be paralyzed for a moment or faint."
- Ah, please wait a moment.
Currently, the subjects with whom I could establish the contract were Sonia, Leonis, and Daniel.
Since that contract was an act of forcibly separating the soul from the human world and making it belong to the Demon Realm, there was bound to be a shock.
Therefore, Daniel needed to prepare.
- ... Ready.
"Good. I shall execute it. Prepare your heart."
I had sent all the others away.
Because what was about to happen would be very difficult for an ordinary person or a summoned creature to endure.
"Now then, 「Contract Established」."
Hwaak!
The moment I bit my finger to draw blood, dropped it onto the contract, and chanted the spell, the contract momentarily emitted a powerful black light, and a white sphere was summoned above it.
A form now familiar to me.
Daniel's soul, or more precisely, the fragment necessary for the contract.
I immediately rose from my seat and prepared to pay my respects. The being that would appear next was one to whom respect must absolutely be offered, whether it was their main body or a fragment.
Kwang!!
A gigantic hand that rose up, tearing a rift in space through the floor.
At the fingertips of that hand, which seemed molded from rock and magma and blazed with black and red light, blue nails—seemingly carved from hellfire—stood out prominently.
Kurrrreung...!!
After that black hand firmly grasped the soul and dragged it away, a single eye began to appear in the hole torn in the floor.
By the time I felt the presence of that eye, I dared not even try to meet its gaze, and I bowed my head.
According to the 'lore', even just meeting its eyes could burn a lesser demon to death, after all.
'Kh... ugh.'
And as if to prove that, a pressure that could never be withstood with ordinary mental fortitude began to crush my body. So much so that my back was already drenched in cold sweat.
No matter how I thought about it, that didn't feel like the mere presence of a fragment.
'No way, the main body actually appeared here.'
This was completely outside my calculations.
- The contract is established. My child.
"I deeply thank you for your hard work. Your Majesty!"
The one who veils the sun of the surface. And the one who erects the black sun. The being who is defined by no name, and is merely called the 'Demon King'.
A conversation held under the pressure of just one eye of that Demon King.
Just the pressure from that conversation alone made my limbs tremble; I felt I should kneel.
I don't know where I found the strength, but I somehow managed to continue the conversation with only my waist bowed and without dropping to my knees, though...
Conversely, that was all I could manage.
- ... A fine soul. Both the contractor and the contractee. For such a young one to secure a soul like this... You show considerable promise. I shall watch over you.
"I shall never forget this glory...!"
I don't care about any of that, just get the hell out...!
- You know how to speak sweetly. However, you seem to be struggling.
"Not at all...!!"
- It would be better for you not to lie before me in the future. I go now. Next time, I shall send a fragment.
Kurrrreung...!!
The rift in the floor vanished like an earthquake fading away.
Only after the eye and its presence had completely disappeared could I release the strength I had been forcibly holding onto.
Beolkeok!
The door flew open as if it had been waiting.
Upon confirming that the figure beyond it was my first Skeleton, Eve, with a longsword at her waist, I felt my eyes close involuntarily.
'I need to... give the order to Daniel to do his job...'
This emotion that filled my heart deeply—its name was definitely 'relief'.
- 3 -
Teop!
'Haa.'
Evangeline, who had just barely managed to catch Rita before she collapsed, let out an internal sigh of relief and reached toward the contract that was still glowing.
Having seen the scene of 'contracts' countless times, she also knew well what the pattern of that mana signified.
- Lady? Lady? What's going on. Is it over?
As expected, it was clear that the Demon King's power hadn't reached all the way over there. If it had, Daniel would certainly have fainted too.
She let a held-back sigh color her voice as she conveyed her intent.
- Tak. (It's Evangeline. Continue carrying out your orders.)
- This voice... Evangeline? The Skeleton who's definitely beside the Lady...
After she imbued her mana into her soul voice and delivered the message, she heard Daniel say something else, but Evangeline ignored it and withdrew her hand from the contract, which had now split into two sheets.
Using only one hand to hold her precious master was an act of blasphemy.
There was also much to be done.
Her master's body, which normally never even broke a sweat, was thoroughly drenched in cold sweat.
'Though I still don't like it...'
- Tak.
After instructing one of the two soldiers always standing before her master's door to 'summon Sonia', Evangeline headed toward a facility recently built within the dungeon.
Deureureuk. Tak!
That facility was none other than a bathroom.
This magical bathroom drew up underground water from beneath the mountain, used it, and then purified the water again before discharging it. It was one of two facilities Evangeline had strongly advocated building, along with Rita's quarters.
It was because she remembered from 'before' that her master's condition always improved greatly after showering.
Seueuk.
Evangeline walked into the bathroom, set the master she was carrying down on a sofa against the wall, and waited for a moment until Sonia arrived.
Anyway, she couldn't carry out this process. She wanted to, but she couldn't.
Not because her body was bone, nor because her fingertips were sharp, but because it was obvious that it would lead to a situation where she would resent not yet having a physical body.
Someone who could calmly do what needed to be done even while seeing her master's bare body had to come.
"You called for me... Huh?"
- Dalkak.
"Uh... What happened?"
At Sonia's question, Evangeline quietly shook her head.
Meaning, don't ask the reason.
Sonia fell silent for a moment at that, then rolled up her sleeves and entered the bathroom.
"I understand. So I just need to do this, right?"
- Tak.
After Evangeline stepped aside, Sonia moved forward.
For a while, only the sound of water and cloth brushing against skin filled the space.
'Her sleeping face is so cute like this...'
Looking at the sleeping Libertas, Sonia suppressed her complicated inner thoughts.
Skin so flawless it seemed to reflect light like glass and a dazzling appearance were certainly astonishing, but the body revealed beneath the voluminous black dress was simply slender and delicate.
A fairly small body even by human adult female standards.
The owner of this small body had 'dealt with' them, who boasted a more advantageous force, through deception, ultimately subdued them, and also succeeded in 'owning' them.
And though she looked small, the power she actually possessed was overwhelming.
She literally seemed like a perfect being—on the outside.
'... If that were true, how should I treat her?'
But Sonia didn't forget.
That previous 'hypothesis'.
'Perhaps...'
The thought that maybe what she had to do to this woman wasn't revenge or anything of the sort.
Saaaak...
Suppressing those complicated thoughts with effort, Sonia continued washing Rita's frail body with clumsy hands.
Like that, a little while later.
"You still can't tell me what happened, can you?"
After laying the wiped-down Rita on the bed in her quarters, Sonia faced Evangeline.
- Tak.
Evangeline nodded decisively.
Sonia simply nodded back.
She was in a position where she had only just barely escaped being a prisoner. Even if her feelings toward the dungeon's owner were complex, that did not automatically serve as a sign of trust.
"Got it. Still, call me if anything happens. I'll help."
- Tak.
After Sonia left, having seen Evangeline's nod, Evangeline made sure there was nobody—not a single soul—who could remember anything nearby, and then re-entered Rita's quarters.
This time, it wasn't for personal feelings.
It was because she had to stay by her side.
And sure enough, at the heavily suppressed sound from the bed, Evangeline quickened her steps and hurried to her side.
"I..."
There was Rita, tossing and turning and mumbling words that couldn't be properly understood beyond the first syllable.
Evangeline's gaze trembled violently as she looked at Rita. Something sparkling flowed from the corners of her eyes, and she wiped it away with the soft cloth she had brought beforehand.
"How..."
A voice, trembling powerlessly. And small hands wrapping around her own arms as if she were cold.
The moment Rita fell asleep, the 'ability' that always enveloped her body lost its power. It wasn't completely gone, so it minimized reactions, but that very fact made her current appearance all the more heartbreaking.
Didn't it look like she was trying to suppress pain?
"I, uhh..."
[What dream are you having?]
This very state was exactly why Rita couldn't be kept confined within the dungeon just yet.
Right now, it was best for her to be moving about, suitably busy.
Even without strenuous physical activity, it was best for her to be able to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep at night, within the limits of what was most comfortable for her heart.
Wiping the sparkling tears from the corners of her eyes once more with the cloth, Evangeline sat beside her and carefully reached out her hand.
Kkwahak...
[It's probably not a pleasant thing.]
The Dungeon Lord's body grasped that hand tightly, as if having found something to lean on.
A small hand. Yet a grip strength utterly disproportionate to it.
Kkudeudeuk...
[I was foolish. It's alright now. Don't worry.]
Though the sound of her own hand creaking could be heard, Evangeline had absolutely no intention of pulling that hand away.
Even if it meant it might break.
"...What should I have done..."
[Like this, having you and the others here.]
Because she already knew what Rita was going to say next.
In this early phase, after having undergone mental strain, the dreams Rita had converged into only one thing.
Nightmares.
Nightmares about the time she was separated from her family.
Whether it was when she first killed someone, or recently when she bound Sonia and her group to the dungeon.
"How..."
[It can't be helped anymore.]
Dreaming like this, she shed tears that she hadn't been able to shed in those days.
Tears that should have been applied as balm to her unhealed wounds back then.
And that had been the anchor that tied her to this self who hated the Dungeon Lord, until she could truly reconcile with her.
- ...
'This time, a little more...'
For a long while, Evangeline held the hand that grasped her tightly with both of her own.
'... May my master be able to escape from those days a little faster.'
It was not just a pose, but a prayer filled with sincerity.
"I..."
[It's all thanks to you. Everything.]
In that room, there was only Rita's shallow sleep, silently sobbing and mumbling, and Evangeline's vigil, holding her hand and watching over her until she woke.
"Eve...? Why am I here... Ah."
That still space didn't last long.
Because this fainting spell was merely due to a sudden mental shock, the Dungeon Lord's resilient body and Rita's mentally resilient nature could exert their recovery power quickly.
"You... saw, didn't you...?"
Nod.
Rita's face, guessing what had happened just from Eve being there, was momentarily colored with realization before quickly softening into comfort.
Lying down, Rita reached out towards Evangeline's jaw area with a faint smile.
And Evangeline took that hand in hers, rubbing it against where her cheek would have been if her face were intact.
The sight of the small woman and the tall, white skeleton would have looked exceedingly grotesque to a third party, but in a space just for the two of them, it didn't matter at all.
"Thank you. You protected me again."
- Dalkak.
Over their faces, a low indirect lamp meant for sleeping cast a dim light upon them, like the sun during an eclipse.
Now, in this moment.
In this small, dark world, there were only the two of them.