Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Incidental Reunion - 3
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The soul's Blood Letters were red.
I checked the body's Blood Letters again.
These were black.
Now everything made sense.
[What the hell is it? Tell me too.]
‘I told you Ophelia's Blood Letters were black, right?’
[Yeah. So I thought she was dead.]
‘Right. Ophelia’s body is definitely dead. But what about her soul? Is the soul in a dead state too?’
Trail had no idea.
[If only the soul remains, isn’t that still dead?]
‘What do you think it means when we say someone is "dead"?’
[Philosophy in the middle of the night...]
‘No. It’s a practical matter.’
In general, we call the death of the body "dead."
But necromancers express death a bit differently.
-The soul has crossed the Redby River.
In other words, it means the soul has entered the underworld.
According to necromancers, the underworld exists on the other side of the Redby River.
‘Well, it’s practically the same thing. When the body dies, the soul immediately and inevitably crosses the Redby River.’
[...]
‘The only thing is, my Blood Letters judges "dead" based on whether the soul has entered the underworld. It’s a bit strict, you could say.’
[Hmm.]
‘In other words, to my Blood Letters, Ophelia’s soul is still in a "living" state.’
That’s why her body is judged dead—black.
And her soul is judged alive—red.
‘A living soul dwelling in a dead body.’
What a contradiction.
What a lie.
A thought and craft truly worthy of the Demon King of Lies.
Ophelia herself could be called Idria’s "masterpiece."
[Ah, so that’s why Adwin said her soul wasn’t dead when he saw it.]
‘Yeah. To achieve such an unbalanced yet exquisite adjustment—it has to be Idria.’
[Then what the hell is Ophelia’s current body? Look, she’s breathing just fine.]
Sure enough, as Trail said, Ophelia’s breathing looked steady and calm.
A dead body breathing didn’t make sense, of course.
What exactly had Idria done?
Hmm... Ah.
Suddenly, lightning flashed through my mind.
‘What if...?’
I swallowed without realizing it.
The sound of saliva going down my throat rang unusually loud.
That was when it happened.
Swish.
Someone appeared beside me.
It was bright and enormous first of all.
Pure white, with a distinct form.
I knew what it was at a glance.
‘You Trail?’
[Huh? You can see me...? Oh right. Adwin cast that spell.]
‘It looks way different from what I imagined. Uncharacteristically holy.’
[The first hero should look plenty holy.]
I glanced upward.
And sure enough.
-Idria and one other: sins committed.
Blood Letters were visible on Trail too.
I chuckled inwardly.
‘Your Blood Letters are black.’
[Your guess was right. Souls that crossed the Redby River appear black. Looks like when Kild killed me, I crossed into the underworld.]
‘"Looks like"? You don’t remember?’
[I told you. I came to in your body. During the final battle with Idria before regression.]
I nodded and changed the subject.
‘Anyway, you’ve been pretty upright. Only two people you sinned against.’
Idria and...
I spread out the Blood Letters.
...
Kild?
‘It says you sinned against Idria and Kild?’
[Hmm. About what I expected.]
‘No. Idria makes sense—you said you killed her countless times. But what sin against Kild?’
[I took over his body.]
He explained simply.
Originally, when Trail was born as a hero to kill Idria, his soul entered an empty body.
But before regression, for some reason, he ended up in Kild’s body.
[At first, I felt sorry for the guy. From his perspective, I was a body-snatching thief.]
‘Hmm.’
[But I had to kill Idria, so no choice. I told him I’d leave when the time came, please understand...]
‘No way he did.’
[Right. But on this point, I don’t really blame Kild.]
I pondered for a moment before asking.
‘So Kild forced you out of his body?’
[Yeah. Don’t know how, but my memories cut off suddenly.]
I clicked my tongue.
Trail didn’t seem keen on the topic and changed it.
[Enough about Kild. Killing the Demon King counts as a sin? Your Blood Letters are too much.]
‘...Yeah.’
Right.
Why did killing a Demon King-like being count as a sin?
I couldn’t see my own Blood Letters.
Blood Letters that counted even slaying the Demon King as sin.
‘Then how many sins have I committed?’
A chill suddenly gripped my chest.
Just then, light leaked from the communication orb in my pocket.
Worried it might wake Ophelia, I checked quickly. It was Neril.
I hurried out of the room and activated the orb.
“Why. I’m busy right now.”
-I know. Standing in front of sleeping Ophelia, swallowing hard.
“Sounds weird when you say it like that. Oh, right—you’re on watch duty. Where are you?”
-My room. I set a simple surveillance spell in that room.
“Offense snuck in directly?”
-A mage using brute force like that?
I smirked and asked.
“So? Why contact me.”
-I’ll handle surveillance, so go sleep. Thought you were up to something big, but you’re just gulping saliva.
“That’s not it.”
-Can’t sleep? Come to my room. I’ll brew some black tea.
I nodded lightly.
“Sure, one cup then.”
-Yeah. Hurry.
Click.
Communication ended.
Pocketing the orb, I was surprised at myself.
The eerie chill from moments ago had vanished like a lie.
The next day.
I shared what I’d figured out yesterday first.
Jenia gasped in horror.
“Ophelia is dead?”
“Just the body.”
“B-but doesn’t that mean she’s dead?”
“Her soul hasn’t crossed the Redby River. There’s still possibility.”
But Jenia’s complexion didn’t improve.
Adwin eyed her face and asked me.
“How can a soul remain in a dead body? Normally, when the body dies, the soul automatically crosses the Redby River. Or it becomes a lingering ghost like Iori.”
“Idria’s handiwork. She created the lie of a living soul in a dead body.”
“But Ophelia was definitely breathing.”
“Idria made a black sun in the capital.”
Somewhat out of left field, everyone tilted their heads.
“We got the real Withering Jewel, but she made a fake black sun like it was nothing.”
“Yeah...”
“And this hero’s sword too. We all know it’s Idria’s fake.”
Neril’s face changed.
In a trembling voice, she asked.
“You’re saying she made a "fake body"? And put Ophelia’s soul in that fake body?”
“Yeah.”
A fake body isn’t "alive."
Just a mock heart and lungs made by the Demon King’s power.
In other words, a doll.
No one calls a doll alive.
That’s why my Blood Letters judged that body dead.
I said.
“Why do some mages make golems?”
“Yeah. Super inefficient, mostly academic now.”
“We don’t call golems alive. Ophelia’s body is in that state.”
“Then the real body? Hidden nearby like Adwin’s father?”
“Probably not.”
Harsh to say, but hiding Adwin’s father in his own room was just a game to Idria.
Ophelia’s case is far more significant, so she wouldn’t handle it playfully.
[Or maybe she smashed the real body.]
‘Save that talk until we’ve checked every possibility.’
[Every possibility?]
‘Idria and Ophelia’s secret was A-rank.’
[Oh. Right, level-up’s close.]
‘Yeah. Handle this well, level up, check their secrets. Then we’ll know if she hid or destroyed the real body.’
Trail nodded as if convinced.
I said.
“Anyway, find Ophelia’s real body, and we can smash that fake one without worry.”
“...”
“Then her soul will cross the Redby River as the heavenly god intended. Adwin can...”
“Yes. I catch the soul and put it in the real body.”
I nodded.
Relief flickered on Jenia’s face.
Seeing some chance of success eased her mind from the hopelessness.
She bowed her head to me.
“Maide. Sorry to keep relying on you...”
“You’ve helped me way more times than I’ve helped you. We’ll definitely restore Ophelia, so don’t worry too much.”
“Thank you truly. Save Ophelia, and I’ll give you half my meals forever.”
Our jaws dropped.
“That serious, huh.”
“You sure about promising that, Jenia sis?”
“But half is still a full serving anyway.”
Risel and Serein, newer members who only saw Jenia as a big eater, tilted their heads.
They looked at each other and said.
“What’s with these people.”
“Some code?”
“Sounded like a joke...”
“But their faces are too serious for a joke.”
Spend more time together.
We went to find Ophelia first.
But she’d gone out early morning with David.
Not just them—Count Akain was absent too.
“Oh. Right, it starts today.”
Harvest Festival in Dronoer territory.
Lasts a week from today.
Risel spoke up.
“Big problem. Festival means huge crowds—how do we find Ophelia there?”
“You don’t know yet, huh.”
“Huh?”
“Jenia’s amazing at finding people.”
Risel tilted his head to ask Jenia.
But he couldn’t.
She’d vanished in the meantime.
She must’ve been pretty urgent.
“Huh? She was right here...”
“Jenia can share vision with Agril. She’ll find most things that way.”
“Feels like Offense would be better at that. Vanishing without a sound— you okay like this, Offense?”
Offense replied.
“Why do I get flak for just standing here.”
“Not flak. Genuinely worried.”
“Worse than flak.”
Anyway, waiting a bit, the window rattled in the wind.
Opening the door, a massive divine carriage loomed before us.
Jenia’s voice came from atop Agril.
“Hurry and get on!”
“You convinced Agril to carry us?”
“That the issue now?”
Poor Agril, turning into more of a side dish.
Ophelia was enjoying the festival with David.
We dismounted Agril and tailed them.
Pushing through the throng to get closer, their conversation drifted over.
“How is it?”
“Hm? How what?”
“Doesn’t it feel good seeing your hometown so bustling?”
“Ah.”
“Father worked hard on it. I proposed tons of policies to help the territory folk as much as possible.”
“...”
“Wanted to see you smile happily when you returned.”
Ophelia’s cheeks flushed at that.
David glanced at her and continued.
“But you don’t seem as happy as I thought.”
“What... I’m enjoying it plenty now.”
“No. You look burdened. Ever since you first came back. Especially.”
He lowered his voice.
“Especially a few days ago with the headache.”
He’d noticed too, huh.
That it wasn’t just backlash from lost memories.
Surprised, I focused on his face.
Unlike potbellied Count Akain, David still bore traces of a four-hero party member.
David kept going.
“Conveniently, the northern hero’s here. Father and our territory clearly follow Lord Kild, but a hero’s fame isn’t for nothing.”
“...”
“How about consulting Maide? I’ll set it up.”
Such a good kid.
Ophelia wouldn’t refuse, so no need to tail hard—we’d meet soon.
That’s what I thought when.
David’s body froze.
Light faded from his eyes.
His mouth gaped, face stiffening like a corpse.
We gaped at the change.
“What did you just do? Ophelia.”
“Nothing, right?”
“Then why’s that David kid suddenly like that. Ophelia do something?”
“But Ophelia isn’t skilled enough to fool all our eyes, is she?”
Serein’s last words were wrong.
Ophelia might’ve fooled my comrades’ eyes, but not mine.
Specifically, not my Blood Letters.
I checked Ophelia’s black Blood Letters.
A new name had appeared there, mere seconds ago.
-David de Hoffman.
‘She committed a sin. Just sinned against David.’
[What sin?]
‘Let’s check now.’
At my words, Trail used the Eye of Omniscience.
[Used Eye of Omniscience.]
[Current Eye of Omniscience level is 3. Can view up to B-rank secrets.]
[Selection condition: "Secret between Ophelia Mace and David de Hoffman."?]
[That secret is C-rank. View?]