Blood and Shadow (1)
The self-proclaimed princess's soul screamed for some basic courtesy. Comet scratched her cheek and gave the Soul Bead a slight, respectful nod.
"Hello, Your Highness. Nice to meet you."
Hmph. Your etiquette is utterly lacking in the fundamentals, but since your ignorance is so obvious, this body shall graciously overlook it. Consider yourself honored.
Comet stared at the Soul Bead for a moment, then smiled brightly.
"Your Highness, how exactly did you die? Maintaining your sense of self even in a soul state shows incredible mental strength."
There are profound reasons. Reasons a vulgar commoner like you could never comprehend.
"I see."
Comet accepted the answer without pressing further.
"Anything else you'd like to say?"
You show at least some respect for this body, however insufficient. Look to your left.
Comet turned as instructed and blinked at what she saw. The small corpse of a jellyfish dressed in luxurious fabric lay there. Tire tracks marked its body; it looked like it had been run over by a car.
I entrust you with the proper handling of my remains.
"...You're a jellyfish?"
A jellyfish?! What nonsense is this monkey spouting?!
Comet listened to the princess's furious outburst and pondered for a moment. She briefly worried whether it was safe to consume an unidentified expired product. It was probably fine.
Comet blew the dust off the Soul Bead containing the princess, then popped it into her mouth.
What?! You wretched thing, surely you don't mean—!
A crisp crunch echoed as she bit down. Tiny sparks flew. The bead, on the verge of shattering, repaired itself and fought back.
Gaaah! You insane bastard, stop it this instant?!
Comet infused the bite with spiritual energy, but the resistance grew fierce and her teeth began to ache, so she gave up. It seemed she'd need to draw a proper magic circle if she wanted to absorb it. She spat the bead out and wiped the saliva from her lips. The princess was panting heavily.
Ha! How dare you attempt to devour this noble body! Know your place!
"How would you like me to handle the remains?" Comet asked, approaching the tiny jellyfish corpse.
The princess faltered at the casual question, then spoke after a pause.
You'll... actually do it?
"Yes. You asked, so I'll take care of it."
After what you just tried?!
"That was that, this is this. If you don't want me to, just say so."
When Comet started to step away from the corpse, the princess spoke in a hurry.
Wait, wait! Water will do. Since you are a vulgar commoner who knows nothing of proper etiquette, I shall instruct you step by step. Follow carefully.
Comet obediently followed the princess's instructions.
First, wash this body's corpse with water.
There was no suitable water nearby. Comet picked up the dead jellyfish, looked around, and entered a collapsed restaurant. She turned on the faucet, removed the jellyfish's fine clothing, and washed away the dirt.
Washing a jellyfish in a ruined restaurant felt strangely surreal.
What is that look in your eyes? Washing a member of the royal family's naked body without the slightest reverence! How insolent!
"I wasn't taught how to be reverent, so it's a bit difficult."
Hmph. If you understand, that's enough. Still, try your best.
"Will do."
She finished washing every last speck of dirt from the tiny jellyfish.
Now submerge this body's corpse in still water.
Comet searched for a container large enough and paused. Was this really the right thing to do? When the princess urged her on, Comet pulled out a pot, filled it with water, and placed the jellyfish inside.
She stared intently at the jellyfish floating in the pot. This couldn't possibly be right.
Your gaze remains irreverent. Are you truly making an effort to be solemn right now?
"Sorry. It's difficult. I really am trying my best."
It seems the level of vulgar commoners is even lower than this body imagined.
"...We're not going to boil the water in the pot next, right?"
Now we simply wait. Do not rush me.
Before long, the jellyfish in the pot dissolved completely into the water. The princess's mood grew somber. It must have held some special cultural significance for jellyfish.
Carefully pour the water onto the roots of a plant.
Comet carried the pot outside, looked around, spotted a roadside tree, and walked over.
"This should work, right?"
Yes.
She poured the water with great care. Then Comet smiled at the Soul Bead containing the princess.
"Cheer up. Every life has its final stop. You simply arrived a little early. In the vast flow of the universe and souls, it's nothing more than a fleeting moment."
Hmph. You tried to eat this body and yet you console me so smoothly.
"I simply showed respect for your soul. Since that seems to be taken care of, let's get moving. Collecting souls got delayed while I was helping you, Your Highness."
A necromancer, are you?
"That's right."
You would do well to give up on the idea of consuming this body.
"Yeah, yeah."
Comet continued collecting souls while exchanging words with the princess. Once the situation had calmed down sufficiently, she returned to the National Assembly Building.
Comet stretched her arms.
"It's nice to be back in my room. I should take it easy tomorrow."
Now I understand why empires throughout history have persecuted necromancers.
"I see. I'm glad it was helpful."
You have quite the talent for interpreting others' words however it suits you, don't you?
Comet sat at her desk and picked up the liquid mana tumbler the chairman had given her. She coated her finger with mana and began drawing a magic circle on the desk with smooth strokes.
What are you drawing?
"A magic circle."
Comet completed the circle and placed the Soul Bead containing the princess at its center.
Wait...!
The princess, realizing her intent, cried out in alarm. Comet snapped her fingers, preparing to activate the circle. But before she could, the fluorescent lights went out.
"Huh?"
Darkness fell over the assigned room. Comet looked up at the ceiling. It was a power outage. The Soul Bead holding the princess began to move on its own, emitting a dark crimson energy. Shadows writhed.
You shall pay for insulting the royal blood with that very body!
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Comet kicked her chair aside and leaped up. Shadow tentacles rose and wrapped around her. She slashed at them with her knife, but left one strand intact, just in case. The tentacle touched her and exploded in a shower of sparks.
Gaaah!
The princess let out a scream and fell silent. Comet wondered what the hell that had been about. Soon the fluorescent lights flickered back on. The outage must have been resolved.
"Were you seriously trying to possess me?"
Ugh... damn it.
"Oh my god. I'm a necromancer. What kind of soul tries to possess a necromancer?"
You crazy... How is your soul this resilient...
"If you were going to possess someone, you should've tried it on someone else."
As if I would ever possess a vulgar commoner with no talent for blood and shadow!
"I see. I do have an abundance of talent, after all."
Comet twirled a strand of her side hair. The self-proclaimed Princess of Blood and Shadow had used a type of magic she'd never seen before. After a moment's thought, she activated the magic circle she'd drawn.
Wait, wait! I propose a truce!
Soul Binding Circle activated. Pressure bore down on the Soul Bead. Comet gripped her knife in a position perfect for stabbing downward. Spiritual energy flowed into the blade, making it gleam with a chilling light.
Do you not understand peace?! Just wait a moment!
The princess launched into a long-winded plea for reconciliation. It was pointless. The knife plunged into the Soul Bead, sending massive sparks flying. The princess screamed as the bead cracked as if it might shatter. Comet watched the result, then used her empty hand to tap the knife's hilt like a hammer. Each strike drew fresh screams and curses, but the bead refused to break no matter what.
Comet set the knife down.
"...Your mental strength is incredible."
You filthy vulgar commoner! Did you really think you could devour a member of the royal family?!
Though she sounded exhausted, the princess's voice had regained its haughty tone.
"Your Highness, why is your language so crude? And the way you refer to yourself is strange too."
Comet casually wiped away the magic circle with a few quick strokes.
Hmph! None of your business!
It looked like she'd need to get a Soul Compression Machine from the chairman. The chairman was extremely busy right now, so it would probably take some time before she could ask. Contrary to that expectation, however, she didn't have to wait long to meet him.
The next day, the chairman's secretary came looking for her.
The chairman? Is that vulgar commoner also a necromancer?
"No. She's an alchemist. She's been helping me in all sorts of ways."
Comet whispered so the secretary wouldn't hear. Since it was a soul, there was no need to speak loudly anyway.
Hoo. In that case, she could perhaps craft a new body for this one.
"Creating a homunculus isn't feasible under current conditions. If you need a body to possess, should I find you another jellyfish?"
A jellyfish?!
Comet scratched her cheek. Wasn't that what she was?
If you lost your body, would you try to possess a monkey?!
"Now that you mention it, I get it. Still, wouldn't that be better than getting absorbed by me? I was saying it out of kindness."
Hmph. That will never happen.
"Yeah, yeah."
The chairman wasn't in his office. He was in the situation room of the National Crisis Management Center. It looked like a meeting had just ended; secretaries were tidying up nearby.
"Did you hear about the power outage yesterday?"
"Yes. It caused me a bit of trouble."
"Trouble? What kind?"
"Nothing important."
This body is... nothing important?
The princess sounded somewhat shocked. Comet pretended to fix her hair and whispered to her that it was true. The chairman tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingers.
"If it's nothing important, that's good. Anyway, there was a power outage yesterday. It wasn't an accident or a mistake. One of the power plants responsible for Seoul was taken over by a high-risk monster."
"Oh..."
"We have generators, but they won't last long. What do you think? Would you be willing to join a small elite team for the subjugation?"
Comet scratched her cheek.
"It'd be hard to refuse. Who would be on this small elite team?"
"Public servant Dan Gayeon and..."
The chairman named a few people Comet didn't know. She twirled her side hair, thinking for a moment.
"In reality, you'll be the one doing the heavy lifting. The rest will just provide support."
"I don't think we'll need the others. Could I just go with Public Servant Dan? People I've never coordinated with before might only get in the way."
"You're very confident."
"I have plenty of souls right now. My synchronization rate hasn't increased yet, but that actually gives me more emergency reserves."
It was the difference between temporarily using spiritual energy beyond the maximum by consuming souls, or increasing the maximum capacity itself. The results differed, but the method was largely the same. The one-time method she'd used when catching the demon monster at Dan Gayeon's request was the former. Biting the Soul Bead or stabbing it with a knife to absorb the princess had been an attempt to use a high-grade soul to raise her synchronization rate. The actions looked similar, but the outcomes were completely different.
Since this was an emergency with cracks forming across multiple universes, she was prioritizing emergency reserves over future synchronization rate increases. Perhaps because she'd recovered so many souls, the chairman gave a slightly bitter smile.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Yes. Don't worry. Oh, by the way, do you have a Soul Compression Machine?"
"We don't, but I'll have one prepared."
What? What exactly are you planning?
As if she didn't already know.