Chapter 375
Chapter 375: The Guide
“…I was thinking of sending you back to the underworld.”
This soul, forcibly sustained by my magic, barely retained its sense of self.
If I were to release the reinforcement and send it back to the spirit world—its soul would naturally and swiftly extinguish. There would be no risk of information leaking.
‘――――’
The soul wavered slightly.
It remained silent, as if accepting its fate. Yet, the dark magic enveloping its soul shimmered like a lake’s surface before a storm.
“So, you still have regrets?”
I asked quietly.
Do you still possess enough of a self to feel regret?
‘I didn’t want to die.’
It murmured, just a whisper.
‘I can’t remember the specifics. But I had a reason for not wanting to die yet.’
The pressure from the soul suddenly intensified.
‘I can’t forgive it. I absolutely cannot forgive the one who killed me.’
The gaze of the specter pierced through me.
‘If it continues like this, I won’t even be able to die in peace. At the very least, I wish to take revenge on the one who killed me. You mentioned you would hunt down the vampires. I’m willing to cooperate with you with all my being.’
—The core of the soul is emotion. Undead that have lost their self are dominated by the rage and hatred they felt just before death, transforming into vengeful spirits. If a necromancer strengthens their self or reason, they can control their emotions and act rationally.
However, that doesn’t mean their emotions, their desires, will simply disappear.
Beneath this temporary reason, intense feelings swirl within—
And that essence inevitably touched a chord within me.
“I understand. I appreciate your cooperation.”
I nodded without hesitation.
“You vow, by your own will, to take revenge on the dark ones who harmed you. Is that so?”
‘Yes.’
“Then—”
—He is not an enemy of humanity.
[Holy Radiance, come to my hand.]
“It’s experimental, but I want to give you a choice.”
As I offered the light of the holy silver spell, the soul instinctively stepped back within the barrier.
“This light will burn your soul. However, if you truly are a guardian of humanity, I won’t immediately extinguish you.”
Even the soldiers of the human race whom I had killed for the first time in order to acquire [Name] had already seen their souls in tatters when summoned with necromancy.
Yet, they had touched the light of the holy silver spell and regained their reason without being burned.
If that’s the case, then for this soul, which possesses a clear purpose of striking back at the vampires—
Surely—he too—
“The holy light will use your soul as fuel and grant you the power to strike the dark ones. In its original state, it would be difficult for your spirit to inflict harm on the vampires. But if you can don this light, simply touching it will allow you to—”
Before I finished explaining, the soul reached out and touched the light.
With a rush, the soul, encapsulated in jet-black shadows, was suddenly dyed silver and regained a distinct outline.
‘What is this…? My thoughts are clear now.’
The spirit of a plump middle-aged man looked down in wonder at his silver-glowing hand.
“…That’s good. It worked.”
‘Was there a possibility of failure?’
“Yeah… In that case, you would’ve burned away and disappeared… I was going to mention that risk, though…”
‘That might be a little premature. I’m glad it didn’t fail.’
The old man spirit had a slightly awkward expression. That corpse wasn’t bloated from decay; it seems that was his original physique… His expressions were now clear, and his presence had thickened. The lake’s ghost transformed into humanity’s guardian spirit.
This is—huge. If it’s a spectral body, he can move freely underwater, and he’s acquired combat power through the holy silver spell.
There’s no stronger ally for hunting down vampires. I’ll search high and low, even parting the roots of water plants to track them down and wipe them out…!
“Is there anything else you remember?”
‘…………Unfortunately, nothing at all.’
The old spirit slowly shook his head.
‘I can’t even remember my name, much less where I came from… Ka… eh… Kaeh… I can’t recall.’
“I see… That’s unfortunate.”
Even the seasoned soldier couldn’t remember his own name. The amount of memories retained after death varies greatly among individuals.
‘In that regard, it’s good that you remember your name.’
…Indeed! I was on the verge of losing the ability to use [Name].
“Since being nameless would be quite inconvenient… If you don’t mind, how about I call you Martin?”
‘Yes, that’s fine with me.’
The old spirit, now Martin, nodded obediently.
By the way, this name I thought of on the spot belonged to a traveler of the human race appearing in an elf’s epic. He had fallen ill and died, only to be treated by kind-hearted forest elves, regained his health, and set off once again, but later washed up as a corpse downstream.
It seems he had been assaulted by robbers, as a rough-looking man’s drowned body also floated alongside him in a struggle with Martin, and the elf who helped him lamented his fate.
This epic was somewhat in the vein of “Humans have such short lifespans and die so quickly, it’s so sad,” but although it’s true, it’s infuriating—what struck me was Martin’s determination to take a thief down with him even while losing his own life.
I thought that this name suited the old spirit perfectly.
“Thank you, Martin. While you’re using that form, you’ll exhaust your very existence. So, I’ll have you rest for now, and I’ll summon you again when I have business—like when searching for vampires or when they appear.”
‘Understood. If you have any requests, just call for me.’
Martin placed his hand on his chest and gracefully bowed, almost like a merchant. Maybe he was quite a high-ranking merchant in life—
Anyway, Martin would temporarily inhabit a lock of hair to go inactive.
“I’ll help with the vampire hunt too. I can’t use the holy attribute, though.”
With Martin joining as a new specter companion, Barbara showed her motivation.
“Yeah, I’m counting on you!”
I’ve gained a source of information and a strong ally.
Now then, shall I go tell Arthur I’ll be accompanying him—along with the results of the divination?
—――――――――――――――――
The official Overlap publication features an illustration and preview of Zilbagias! Get an early look at the Demon Lord family ahead of character designs! You might even catch a glimpse of some illustrations in the preview…? For more details, check the author’s Twitter (@iko_ka) or their Kakuyomu updates!
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