Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Netherworld Tour - 3
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Leon answered refreshingly.
“In my later years, this thought suddenly struck me. Leaving this beautiful world behind to head to the netherworld felt so unfair it was killing me. Well, I ended up dying anyway.”
It was a bizarre idea, as expected from a genius.
“As you know, when the body’s lifespan ends, the soul heads to the netherworld. And once you cross the Redbi River, you can’t return to the world without a necromancer’s help.”
“…….”
“But there have always been so few necromancers you could count them on one hand. They couldn’t just summon me whenever I wanted.”
“So?”
“That’s why I made this bell. I designed it so anyone, even without necromancy skills, could ring it and call forth any soul.”
We could only gape in astonishment.
Adwin was probably the most shocked right now, though he couldn’t express it since he was lending his body.
Leon spoke with an awkward expression.
“I entrusted the bell to my son and told him to ring it once a month. I made it so the soul could possess the body of whoever rang it.”
“…….”
“But by the third time, he got fed up.”
“That sounds about right for your personality.”
“Haha. Anyway, after the third time, I told him not to summon me anymore. The bell must have become a family heirloom after that.”
He tilted his head.
“Where did you get your hands on it?”
“Here.”
“Where’s here… Hm?”
He looked around and his eyes widened.
“This is where I made the bell, isn’t it?”
“Yes?”
“I was studying necromancy in a small rural village with no inns. I borrowed a civilian warehouse for my research. This place looks just like it.”
“…….”
“Ah, so this must be the place Grade mentioned. Underground in the imperial palace.”
He pieced it together on his own without any explanation from me.
Most of his deductions matched our current situation perfectly, leaving me quietly impressed.
Once Leon had convinced himself, he spoke up.
“So? What exactly were you planning to do with this bell?”
“One of my party members has her soul linked to a limb of the Demon King.”
“Oh ho.”
“To be precise, the two of them share a single soul. So when the Demon King’s limb’s soul was erased, my comrade was affected too.”
“Hm. And?”
“That’s why… I got advice that there might be a way to resolve this in the netherworld.”
Leon cocked his head.
“Resolve it by going to the netherworld? How?”
“I guess we’ll find out when we get there.”
“Then let’s go quickly. I’m curious too.”
Neril stepped forward.
“That advice was just a metaphorical expression. How could a living person go to the netherworld?”
“…….”
“Surely they didn’t mean for our leader to die…”
Before Neril could finish, Leon spoke up.
“Don’t worry. With this bell, you can visit the netherworld and come back alive.”
Going to the netherworld is no different from dying.
With my life on the line, Neril dropped all pretense of politeness and spoke coldly.
“Don’t lie. It’s just a bell that lets non-necromancers summon souls.”
“It was originally developed for that purpose, but it ended up with an unexpected bonus effect. Using this bell lets you go to the ‘netherworld alive.’ More precisely, round trip.”
“Then why didn’t you use the bell to visit the netherworld ‘alive’?”
“My lifespan had ended, so I died. My body to return to was already dead.”
Neril softened a bit and said,
“If you’re lying, die. You’re already dead, but die again.”
“Grade said you were cheeky, and he was right.”
“If you don’t like my cheekiness, explain properly.”
Leon scratched his head vigorously.
“I’ve never been good at explaining to others… Huh?”
Swish.
Adwin separated Leon’s soul from his body.
He rolled the soul around in his hand like a small orb, just like before.
“I know Leon isn’t great at explaining to others. He’d just go, ‘Uh, do it like this or that, and it works.’”
“Most geniuses have that flaw.”
“True, look at Sis.”
“You saying I’m on Leon’s level?”
“I-I meant it as a compliment on being a genius… Anyway, Leon, just tell me. I’ll translate it so we can understand.”
The soul writhed in Adwin’s hand.
It seemed to be explaining something fervently.
Adwin frowned several times, demanding re-explanations.
After about ten minutes,
“Whoa.”
He let out an exclamation of disbelief.
As a necromancer himself, he seemed struck by Leon’s genius that defied common sense.
Adwin spoke in a trembling voice.
“In short, while Maide hyung is in the netherworld, someone has to keep ringing the bell next to hyung’s body’s ear.”
“Why?”
“The bell’s sound echoes through the netherworld via hyung’s soul. It means… ‘This person is not a deceased soul. This person will return.’”
Offense said in bewilderment,
“Is that even possible?”
“Hm. Hold on.”
Adwin rang the bell.
Twice to the left. Three times to the right.
Five times side to side.
Soon his mouth gaped open.
“Ah… It’s real.”
“Adwin.”
“One ring equals over a hundred lines of incantation. Wow, how did he compress all that into this sound?”
He seemed excited and ready to explain further.
But I waved him off firmly.
“I felt the same when Neril gave me the headband with the Hero’s Mark. Some people just can’t understand it, no matter what.”
“Ahaha. True, I had no idea what it meant back then either.”
“Yeah. Just tell me if it works or not.”
“It does. Completely.”
He spread his fingers.
“I’ll separate your soul from your body. After that, it’ll automatically head to the netherworld if we leave it be.”
“…….”
“Then one of us just keeps ringing the bell next to your body’s ear. Until you finish your business there and return.”
“Hm.”
“And if Jenia noona keeps healing the soulless body with spells to prevent any issues… You’ll be the first person in history to experience the netherworld ‘alive.’ It’ll go down in the books.”
I’m not particularly interested in making history like that.
But for my comrade’s safety, I’d do more than that.
The problem is…
Offense voiced my thoughts exactly.
“The problem is why go to such lengths for the netherworld. Can you really save Serein there?”
“Impellium said he’d give advice again once I reach the netherworld.”
“That guy exists in the netherworld too?”
“He’s a mysterious being to begin with.”
Adwin then inserted the soul back into his own body.
Soon Leon’s voice emerged.
“This kid’s scary. I’m a hero too, but handling my soul so easily…”
“Adwin’s a genius too. Not a genius in every field like you, but still.”
“Ahaha. Thanks for the praise. I am pretty great, huh?”
“Yeah. Everything except your personality is excellent.”
“…….”
“Anyway, thanks for the help. We’re good now.”
Leon shrugged.
“I have a lot I want to say and hear, but we’ll save it. You can tell me in the netherworld.”
“Huh?”
“If you really come to the netherworld, you’ll meet me and the other heroes. We can talk there.”
“…….”
“Nice meeting you. See you soon—after you die.”
Swish.
Adwin sent his soul back.
All that remained was the bell in Adwin’s hand.
The group fell silent for a moment.
A while later, Offense spoke.
“You’re really going to die?”
“According to Leon, it’s not dying—it’s a round trip. Adwin agrees.”
“Ha, but still.”
“A hero should at least be able to visit the netherworld and return alive.”
“…….”
“Think about what’s at stake here.”
Jenia murmured,
“Serein’s life…”
“Yeah. Honestly, I don’t even know if Serein will really die.”
“Huh?”
“Why would only half her soul be erased? That’s what Phirensha asked for.”
“…….”
“No matter how you look at it, Phirensha didn’t want to die. Trading her life just to tie our feet doesn’t add up.”
So she must have asked Bellosian to erase exactly half her soul.
Then Neril muttered,
“Or maybe she didn’t want to die before Idria.”
“Huh?”
“Just a guess. She followed Idria like a mom.”
It did seem that way… Nah, probably not.
I continued.
“Either way, we can’t leave Serein comatose forever. We can’t leave her side like this.”
“Right. That’s what Phirensha’s aiming for.”
“Yeah. So I’ll make a quick trip. To the netherworld.”
“You’re really going all the way to the netherworld now? No hero in history has done this.”
I chuckled at that.
Then I looked at Adwin.
“Adwin. Let’s start.”
“First, let’s get out of here.”
“Hm?”
“When I separate your soul, you’ll collapse, hyung. And this place is…”
“Too cramped. Yeah, let’s go outside.”
Clack.
We stepped out.
The vast white space with tens of thousands of doors greeted us again.
I nodded toward the red door from earlier.
“Let’s head to the entrance.”
“Huh? Why bother?”
“This is too close to the ‘special room.’ No—let’s get completely outside.”
“Because of Bellosian?”
“Yeah. Let’s faint on Agril’s back.”
Everyone nodded.
We hurriedly escaped the imperial palace underground.
Before leaving, I glanced back at the red door.
Will I ever enter that room someday?
Once mounted on Agril, we first explained everything to Risel.
She rolled her eyes this way and that before saying,
“Ahh. I understand perfectly.”
“You said the same about the headband.”
“So you’re saying Maide’s going to die, right?”
“Clearly, you don’t understand at all.”
Adwin said,
“It’s not dying. It’s visiting the netherworld alive.”
“Sorry. My head hurts a bit right now.”
“It’s fine. We all feel that way.”
That’s when it happened.
“Ha. To think that in my lifetime…”
It was Serein!
She struggled to open her eyes.
Risel desperately stopped her from sitting up.
“Cough. Hack.”
Serein coughed violently several times.
Risel wiped her mouth.
Blood stained it.
A quick glance aside showed two more bloodied handkerchiefs scattered around.
Serein spoke with difficulty.
“I heard from Risel that I share a soul with that wretch Phirensha. But going to the netherworld because of me…”
“No other way.”
“Maide. Don’t.”
Her eyes trembled as she said,
“You don’t need to take that risk for someone like me.”
“Someone like you?”
“I’m all fake on the outside, obsessed with money, always drinking too much—for a cute party member like that, you don’t need to…”
“Didn’t you sneak in something weird at the end?”
“I don’t want to be a burden to you or everyone.”
She took ragged, labored breaths before continuing.
“You’re all too good for me.”
“…….”
“My weird parents basically imprisoned me at home… So I had no friends from childhood. By the time I ran away from the abuse, my head was already too big.”
“…….”
“Even after relying on the temple, I only ever dealt with people calculatingly. They smiled at me, I smiled back, but inside I was figuring how much I could squeeze out of them.”
Moisture crept into her voice.
“You don’t need to go to such lengths for someone like me.”
I looked around.
Everyone wore faint smiles.
Serein noticed and choked up.
“This is the part where you’re supposed to be moved, right?”
“How could anyone be moved by that corny speech?”
“Huh?”
“Are we supposed to be saints? Pure souls?”
No way.
Not one of my party members lacks Blood Letters.
Neril and Offense are packed full of them.
By my Blood Letters standards, none here were saints.
“We look after you not because you’re good or great. We don’t even expect that.”
“E-expect a little…”
“Not because we need your abilities. Sure, we do—of course—but that’s not the only reason we’re jumping in.”
“Then what? Why throw away your precious reputation for this?”
I scratched my head and answered.
“Because we like you.”
“……!”
“We all like you. That not enough?”
“M-Maide.”
Even in her weakened state, Serein clutched the blanket tightly.
She turned her head away from us.
But right before, I clearly saw tears streaming from her eyes.
Swish.
As I stood,
“Get some good sleep. If you can, despite the pain.”
Normally Adwin would put her soul to sleep, but with half erased, messing with it might be dangerous, so we didn’t try.
Same with Neril’s sleep magic or Offense’s sleeping pills.
Then Risel spoke.
“Want me to sing you a lullaby, Serein?”
“Don’t treat me like a kid just because I’m sick.”
“From my age, you are a kid. Whatever.”
“Risel… Sniff.”
“Thanks, everyone. Leave her to me now.”
We nodded and stepped out of the carriage.
Before closing the door, I heard Risel’s lullaby mixed with Serein’s sobs.
Clack.
Outside, I said,
“Let’s leave the capital. As far from the special room as possible.”
“Yeah.”
“Be careful. Even weakened outside the special room, Bellosian’s a monster.”
Everyone nodded.
I said to Trail,
‘Trail. Need a favor. If Bellosian shows up while I’m gone…’
[I’d step up even without you asking.]
‘Phew. Thanks.’
[Don’t thank me for the obvious.]
I smiled softly.
Neril said,
“Don’t worry. We’re heroes too, even if not quite like you.”
“Neril.”
“Go without worry. I’ll protect it—your body, and Serein—until you return.”
“…….”
“Just come back safe. Maide.”
I nodded with a smile.
A faint smile appeared on her face too.
Alright. Time to go.
I signaled Adwin.
He chanted the spell.
My mind suddenly blurred.
And my influence on this world was completely severed.
An indirect experience of death, huh.
What haven’t I been through?