Chapter 157
Chapter 157
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Gravekeeper of the Spirit Mausoleum (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Me, the gravekeeper…… you say?”
“That’s right.”
Dungyong nodded gravely and continued.
“Even though that lineage has shifted and they’ve gradually been sidelined, the position of gravekeeper is never a light one. Officially, in the ceremonial hierarchy, it’s on par with the heads of various halls and divisions.”
“……!”
“This will be the first ‘position’ you’ve ever held. You understand the weight it carries, don’t you?”
Theo nodded silently.
Gaining a position.
And becoming an officer.
It meant the same as acquiring power.
Finally, he would officially have the authority to establish his own foundation.
For Theo, who wasn’t even twenty yet, it was nothing short of an unprecedented appointment.
Dungyong was saying he would hand such an extraordinary role to Theo.
Regardless of Dungyong’s intentions, it was undoubtedly a tantalizing offer for Theo.
But there was a catch.
“Will the Tulip Pyrotechnics Guild continue to operate? It’s a rebel’s guild.”
The Ragnars never let the seeds of rebellion take root.
If they led an organization, it was either wiped out entirely or, at the very least, shut down.
“No. That won’t happen.”
Then?
“You’re not planning to make this public.”
“Of course not. Why would we go around blabbing about it and invite trouble?”
Dungyong clasped his hands behind his back and continued.
“Ode has already shouldered all the blame and closed her eyes to it, hasn’t she? And conveniently, she has no family or comrades left. That means no seeds of unrest. So why hand the Troyvans a perfect pretext to slander us or cause a scandal?”
So let’s use it.
That’s what Dungyong was saying.
“Ode tragically fell in battle against the fierce onslaught from the Troyvans and the Holy Demon Church. You were there at her final moments, guarding her passing, and she named you her successor.”
Dungyong grinned mischievously as he posed a question.
“And conveniently, it seems you know the sword she wielded.”
“……How did you know?”
He was referring to the Black Ice Perfect Moon.
Theo considered denying it to the end but read Dungyong’s eyes and surrendered.
He seemed to have some certainty.
“Ode’s grandfather was my old drinking buddy.”
Theo scratched his cheek with his index finger.
It was an answer he hadn’t expected.
“I know all his little habits, his footwork, even the way he sized up opponents…… everything. Though it looks like you’ve found the true heir who surpasses even him. Congratulations.”
As expected of one of the Nine Dragons.
He had already pierced through Theo’s achievements and the details behind them.
‘Black Ice Perfect Moon…… It’s similar to Black Flame Jade Sun, yet so different.’
Black Flame Jade Sun unleashed thermal energy wildly, shattering surroundings with overwhelming entropy.
In contrast, Black Ice Perfect Moon disrupted energy systems, turning the area into a realm of death.
That was the lunar eclipse.
Solar eclipse and lunar eclipse.
Theo planned to combine the two masterfully for real combat.
‘If needed, I could even deploy them in dual-wield form.’
If he could manifest solar eclipse on one half of his body and lunar eclipse on the other, the destructive power would be incomparable to before.
Theo was already rapidly establishing the theoretical foundations in his mind.
It was possible thanks to the inspiration from the sword’s orb.
So, claiming he had inherited Black Ice Perfect Moon wasn’t entirely wrong.
“So, you’ll take the gravekeeper position. If you don’t like calling yourself Ode’s successor, think of it as spoils of war under Ragnar law. What’s there to lose?”
Theo pondered briefly, then glanced back at the ghosts watching from nearby.
Seeing their oddly amused expressions sparked a sudden thought.
In the end, it made his decision easy.
* * *
Dungyong praised his wise choice, promised to handle all the necessary procedures himself, and left the room for a bit.
Theo scratched the back of his head vigorously and addressed the vice-captain and ghosts, who were still eyeing him curiously.
“So, this is what you wanted to ask of me.”
-Ahem!
-Hmm-hmm-hmm!
-W-Well, it’s not something we could just ask outright ourselves.
The ghosts turned their heads away slightly, clearing their throats.
The tips of their noses flushed a bit—even they, as brazen as they were, felt a touch awkward this time.
Fair enough. From an adult’s perspective, begging their distant descendant to keep looking after them wasn’t easy.
“But I’m still worried. I said I’d take it on, but I don’t have the spare time to manage the spirit mausoleum leisurely.”
The underground spirit mausoleum was nearly half-collapsed from the recent clash.
A gravekeeper naturally had the duty to restore it.
But Theo, for whom every day was precious, had no such leisure.
Dungyong said he could leave the aftermath to the pyrotechnics guild and that a little delay was fine.
Still, abandoning it didn’t sit right, especially with the ghosts watching.
-We don’t mind at all. We’ve managed fine on our own without you so far.
“How could I just leave it be?”
-No, really? The coffins are rotting away anyway—what difference does it make if we leave them?
“You elders at least deserve a proper resting place to enjoy some peace.”
-Huh? Why would we lie down?
“Well, so I can come pay respects now and then……”
-That’s what we’re saying—why pay respects?
“What? Well, if you achieve Buddhahood, I won’t see you anymore, so we need a place to commemorate you.”
-No, why would we achieve Buddhahood?
“……?”
-……?
Only then did Theo and the ghosts realize their conversation was subtly mismatched.
「It seems we’re thinking of different things for what a ‘gravekeeper’ should do.」
Lordbroke chuckled cheerfully from the middle.
Theo startled.
“You didn’t just mean for me to guard the spirit mausoleum?”
The ghosts exchanged glances among themselves for a moment.
-Now that it’s come to this, let’s speak our minds openly.
The vice-captain cleared his throat a few times with a ‘ahem!’ and stepped forward.
-As you said, we originally planned to leave this world once the captain’s sword was restored. We’re not undead—wandering the underworld as lost souls forever isn’t ideal, right?
Theo nodded silently.
-But in the meantime, we’ve developed a new attachment.
“Attachment, you say……?”
-Not the grave-tending you imagined.
The vice-captain paused, glancing at the other ghosts.
They were so embarrassed to voice their true feelings that they all avoided his gaze.
These rascals. Always dumping the annoying stuff on their superior. And they never treated him like one otherwise.
-We want to watch over your growth a bit longer.
“Then……?”
-If possible, we’d like to follow you around. Is that okay?
“……!”
Theo’s eyes wavered for a moment.
More from bewilderment than joy.
『Looks like you’ve got a bunch of clingy barnacles hanging off you now?』
‘……Do you have to phrase it like that? It makes me sound like I see them as burdensome baggage.’
『Don’t you?』
‘I haven’t said a word.’
『Ufufu!』
Theo ignored Lordbroke’s amused telepathy.
But she wasn’t wrong.
Theo had envisioned the gravekeeper role as managing the mausoleum after the ghosts moved on.
The ghosts, however, wanted him to keep taking responsibility for them ongoing.
He didn’t dislike them.
But he knew all too well how noisy they were from the past few days.
The thought of enduring their chatter and nagging nonstop already made his head spin.
『On the flip side, the benefits are just as great, right?』
‘Yes. That’s why I’m hesitating……’
Each ghost was an exceptional master.
Their advice would undoubtedly be a huge boon for Theo’s growth.
And if their magical abilities developed? Like the Clockwork Array, they might even be deployable as actual forces.
‘But even if I agree to their request, it’s problematic. Dragging around 299 of them would be tough, and sustaining spirit forms is an issue too.’
Even if not earthbound spirits, non-undead souls required vast energy to maintain form.
Without a way to replenish it, they’d truly be dead weight.
『If there were a way, would you take them along?』
‘Is there?’
『Of course. The key is your will. Do you really want to be their ‘gravekeeper’?』
Not just tending the mausoleum, but protecting the ghosts themselves.
Theo pondered briefly, then nodded.
The Dragon Child Corps’ power was alluring enough to outweigh the drawbacks.
‘Yes.’
『There’s something called a Soul Sword.』
‘Soul Sword……’
『A kind of magic tool that can seal souls. Its rank rises with the number or caliber of souls it holds. Go get one.』
Theo wondered if a Soul Sword might be in the imperial vault, then thought of something else.
[Opening Shop Window.]
+
[Sealing Spirit Sword]
Its properties change based on the types of sealed souls. More like a magic tool than a sword.
· Type: Two-handed sword. Magic tool.
· Effect: Soul sealing.
+
‘It’s here.’
Theo bought the Soul Sword with his remaining coins and took it out of his inventory.
It looked like an ordinary iron sword.
Lordbroke’s eyes widened slightly.
『That subspace ability again. You’re definitely very different from other selectors in many ways.』
Theo smiled in response and turned to the ghosts.
They were trying to act nonchalant, but peeking at him, anxious about rejection.
Even as ghosts, hauling 299 around wasn’t trivial.
-This…… a Soul Sword? You want us to enter it?
“Yes. If you don’t want to.”
-We’ll enter.
The vice-captain nodded before Theo finished.
-Well, it might be a bit cramped.
-But no different from staying in the mausoleum forever.
-We can even tour the world together—sounds great?
The other ghosts were positive too.
Some were thrilled at not needing to walk.
Theo felt a bit deflated.
He’d worried they’d resent being treated like tools, but they accepted so readily.
-Like this?
When the vice-captain touched the Soul Sword, he was sucked in.
-Ooh, this’ll be fun!
-Wonder what the inside looks like?
The others followed one by one, and the sword’s form began to change.
Its scratched surface hardened, then gleamed purple, finally shimmering like a jewel.
Visually, it rivaled Dragon Slayer or Moonwhite Sword as a divine blade.
Hum! Hummm!
Each quiver sent waves rippling through the air, its power immense.
Theo caressed the Soul Sword with his fingertip and thought.
Soul Sword felt too impersonal.
He wanted to give it a new name.
Since it was like transplanting the entire ruined underground mausoleum here, the name was simple.
‘Spirit Mausoleum Sword.’
A smile formed on Theo’s lips.