Chapter 125: The King of the Dead (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 125: The King of the Dead (4)
"...What do you mean by that?"
Shock and bewilderment washed over the faces of everyone who heard my words. Abel, Shail, and even Mikellan, the long-time resident of this undead dungeon.
As if on cue, the three of them spoke in unison.
I spoke, my voice heavy.
"Exactly what I just said. Sealed beneath that doghole-like opening is an S-rank magical beast. And Abel, it seems your parents were trying to subjugate it."
"..."
I didn't beat around the bush. Originally, I had planned to subjugate it on my own, but I had now secured evidence that Abel's parents had headed down there.
So, rather than trying to persuade them with lies, I laid out the shocking facts.
Still, I could deeply empathize with their dumbfounded reactions. An S-rank magical beast sleeping in a mere D-minus rank dungeon? It was a bolt from the blue.
If I were in their shoes, I would have reacted the exact same way.
The three of them stared at me with expressions of utter disbelief. Meeting their gazes, I slowly continued.
"The magical beast is called 'Draugr.' He's a troublesome bastard who commands an army of the undead."
"..."
Silence fell over the area. The dungeon was already quiet enough, but now the silence felt even heavier.
Each of them was likely lost in their own thoughts and speculations.
From here on, I needed to deliver a series of shocks. That way, their attention would naturally focus on Draugr.
"For the record, being a magical beast, he can't use magic, but he wields a magical armament called the 'Staff of the Reaper.' Its effect is highly troublesome, as his forces only multiply over time."
"...If what you say is true, how do you know this, Lord Geomma?"
As expected, Shail questioned me. Her pupils shook violently with confusion. I replied briefly.
"Through research."
"..."
When Shail's eyebrows twitched, I elaborated a bit more.
"Before I subjugate a dungeon, I always look through all the books related to it."
Shail stared at me with a look that said, Are you seriously expecting me to believe that? But I had no intention of satisfying her curiosity.
At this point, we needed to discuss 'what to do,' not 'how I knew.'
Of course, unless they were idiots, they would feel a sense of incongruity about me. But what could I do?
I couldn't exactly announce, "Actually, this world is a game, and I'm a human who fell from another world."
If anything, that would be a bombshell declaration that would make their current confusion look like nothing.
"I understand how you feel, Shail. But right now, how we deal with him is far more important than the source of my information."
I smoothly shifted the topic. Shail, who had been staring at me for a long time, finally nodded.
The suspicion hadn't cleared from her eyes, but it meant she was agreeing with me for now.
Maintaining an expressionless face, I called out to Mikellan.
"Mister."
"Ah, yes, honored guest."
"...Just call me Kang Geomma. Anyway, do you happen to know anything about the magical beast I just mentioned? The information I have is limited to this."
"My... I have resided here for seven hundred years, yet I didn't even know such a magical beast existed. It is quite a shock to me as well. However..."
Mikellan trailed off. He furrowed his brow deeply, lost in thought, before speaking cautiously.
"Suddenly, the stone tablet near the entrance comes to mind."
"Do you mean the inscriptions written in runes?"
Shail asked back. At this, Mikellan stroked his chin with a surprised expression.
"Do people of this era know runes as well?"
"I just learned a bit out of personal interest. Runes became a dead language hundreds of years ago."
"...Haha, I see. Indeed, even when I was alive, the number of speakers was gradually dwindling. It was a difficult language in every aspect."
Mikellan smiled bitterly. It was a smile tinged with regret. A moment later, he spoke again.
"As you saw on that stone tablet, didn't the text concern a certain 'subject'?"
"Well... only the very end was intact. The upper portion was too severely damaged to decipher. It looked as though someone had intentionally defaced it."
"Hmm. Though we cannot know who did it, it is a tablet that has stood for centuries, so it wouldn't be strange for it to end up that way."
Mikellan shrugged as if he had expected as much. Then, he tapped his temple with his finger.
"But do not worry. Everything written on it is stored right here in Mikellan's head."
"...You remember all of it?"
Abel's eyes widened. Mikellan let out a hearty laugh, showing his teeth.
"I may not look like much, but I have quite a memory. Though lately, I have been forgetting things more often."
As he spoke, Mikellan cleared his throat. The raspy cough of a dead man leaked out.
"At any rate, let me tell you what was written on that stone tablet."
* * *
* * *
This place ahead was once a resting place for the dead, a palace of repose.
Yet, ■harm (■害) always strikes without warning.
A curse that binds and shackles death has arrived here.
It was a curse that caused one to rot alive under the guise of immortality.
Do you hear it?
The screams of the suffering dead.
The struggles of those yearning for liberation.
The cries of those longing for death.
O living one. Please break our curse, shatter our shackles.
Do not be deceived by what you see; listen to the whispers of the dead.
The essence of the curse lies not in the human (人), but in the demonic (魔).
The dead wish.
For a human to appear and break this curse.
For the Saint of ■ to descend and sever the bonds of immortality.
That person shall receive our infinite, myriad blessings and be enthroned as our ■.
Conversely, the foolish and ignorant shall suffer eternally within the shackles of immortality.
Therefore, we warn you.
He who disturbs the rest of the dead.
Shall share the same fate.
He who brings repose to the dead.
He shall be the King of the Dead.
* * *
* * *
As Mikellan finished speaking, Shail furrowed her brow slightly.
"The latter part was already a bit chilling... but the beginning is far more depressing."
"Indeed. When you mentioned it earlier, Shail, I thought it was purely a warning. But hearing the beginning as well..."
Beside her, Abel's face darkened as well.
She could clearly feel the sheer desperation radiating from those words.
...The undead I cut down were actually wishing for a savior.
Abel wrapped her arms around her shoulders. With trembling eyes, she hung her head deeply like a sinner.
She had tried so hard to erase her guilt through duty and calling. But Abel felt all of it crumble in an instant.
While Mikellan and Shail conversed, Abel stood there blankly, her face filled with grief.
Her chest felt tight. She felt as though she had committed an unforgivable sin.
Abel had resolved to prioritize her goal above all else. She had wanted to emulate the stubborn resolve of the Sword Emperor.
...Grandfather never held any regrets about what he did.
Yet, she was blaming herself. She was filled with regret. A dull ache throbbed in her chest, like a deep bruise.
Just as a dark shadow cast itself over Abel's face.
Squeeze.
A firm hand gently grasped her shoulder.
"...?"
It was Kang Geomma. He gave a soft smile and spoke.
"You worry too much."
Abel blinked at his words.
Worry? Her expression was far from one of worry. And there was no way Kang Geomma's sharp eyes would fail to distinguish that.
Then why? Abel and Kang Geomma's eyes met.
His eyes looking at her were calm yet gentle.
A warm gaze that chased away the negative emotions filling her mind.
Kang Geomma was someone who occasionally threw out silly jokes. Every time he did, Abel felt bewildered, but now she could fathom his faint intention.
Rather than half-hearted words carelessly thrown out, she found comfort in this quiet weight.
Confirming that Abel had calmed down, Kang Geomma smiled faintly and removed his hand from her shoulder. He then joined the conversation between Shail and Mikellan.
"..."
Abel watched his profile in silence. Then, she absentmindedly stroked her right shoulder.
A lingering warmth remained.
* * *
...A short while later, the discussion regarding the stone tablet's inscription concluded.
I hadn't expected much, but thanks to Mikellan, we had secured a fairly important clue.
He was someone who had lived for centuries, yet his memory and intellect were remarkably sharp.
Not only did he recite the inscription he had seen only once right off the bat, but he also generously offered various insights on it.
Suddenly, I wondered what Mikellan had done when he was alive.
However, the only answer I got was that he had no clear memories of his past.
He didn't even remember why he had entered this dungeon or how he had turned into an undead.
Mikellan only seemed to recall that he was somehow associated with the first Sword Saint, Aaron Nibelung.
Well, his past wasn't particularly important, so I let it slide for now.
He didn't seem to be lying, and above all, he actively volunteered to help us.
"I, too, have always wondered about the inscription on the tablet. But thanks to the information you provided, Lord Kang Geomma, the pieces seem to be falling into place."
Mikellan raised his index finger to emphasize his point.
"Of course, this is just my personal opinion, but I suspect the 'curse' mentioned here refers to that magical beast, 'Draugr.'"
"I agree. At first, I wondered if it referred to the 'King of the Dead,' but the characteristics of the magical armament Lord Geomma explained seem to align closely with the description of the 'curse.'"
Shail nodded in agreement with his words.
Mikellan picked up where she left off.
"If our deduction is correct, the phrase we must pay the most attention to is 'The essence of the curse lies not in the human (人), but in the demonic (魔).' This part is essentially a hint left by whoever carved the inscription."
"The demonic..."
As Shail muttered this, she suddenly whipped her head toward me.
She stared at me with narrowed eyes for a long moment before shaking her head.
The complex emotions of someone caught in a dilemma were written all over Shail's face.
Meanwhile, Abel, who had remained silent, spoke up cautiously.
"But isn't it too dangerous for us to subjugate it ourselves...? It's an S-rank magical beast. No matter how strong you are, Geomma, and even with Shail, who is a senior-class hero, the risk is just too high."
I had expected this question to come up. Indeed, the risk was immense.
An S-rank beast, which was practically considered a natural disaster, and Draugr, who could overwhelm us with sheer numbers.
Even with this lineup, there was absolutely no guarantee we could successfully subjugate it.
As Abel said, the normal course of action would be to report it to the Association.
However, I completely ruled out that option.
If we informed the Association, they would undoubtedly launch a large-scale investigation.
That would naturally delay things, and they might even catch wind of the magic stone.
I had heard that the Association's research institute was desperately searching for magic stones with bloodshot eyes.
That was how rare and precious magic stones were in this world.
That was also why I had kept my mouth shut and planned to subjugate it alone.
There is a saying that even a single bean should be shared, but that didn't apply to magic stones.
Because magic stones have a property where they explode like bombs if any attempt is made to process them artificially.
The only exception was when they were 'crafted' to be used for enhancement. It was a vague distinction, but hey, if that's how the system worked, who was I to argue?
Anyway, on top of that, there was a high probability that Abel's parents were down there. For these reasons, we had to prevent any outside intervention.
And above all, I already had a strategy in mind.
"I disagree with that."
"Then, are you saying the three of us should subjugate an S-rank magical beast?!"
I briefly explained the reasons to the bewildered Abel and Shail, while keeping the details about the magic stone to myself.
I also made it clear that if they felt burdened, I would go alone.
That had been my plan from the start anyway, and there was no need for them to share the risk.
...About thirty minutes passed before they finally nodded.
Presumably, it was to fulfill Abel's goal—to confirm the fate of her parents' remains.
"...Let's do it. It's an S-rank magical beast, but we have you, Shail, and Geomma too. It's not completely impossible."
Shail hesitated slightly. But as they say, no maid can win against her master, so she soon nodded.
"Understood. But please promise me that if it is deemed too dangerous, we will flee immediately."
"Of course."
Finally, I had obtained everyone's consent.
"Mr. Mikellan, please lead us to the doghole you mentioned earlier."
"Ah, understood. This Mikellan does not forget a favor. I shall guide you there without fail."
Guided by Mikellan, we headed toward our destination.
After walking for about ten minutes, Mikellan pointed to a spot surrounded by a pile of stones.
In the center was a doghole leading underground, firmly blocked by a pitch-black door and secured with six padlocks.
However, the hinges were slightly loose, suggesting it had been opened before.
Not many times, maybe twice at most. But seeing as it was still closed, it seemed no one had ever succeeded in subjugating what lay beyond.
Normally, you'd have to find those six keys to enter.
But I already possessed a master key.
"Everyone, step back for a moment."
Saying so, I immediately drew my Sashimi.
Ching—
[The Blessing of the Sword God is activated.]