I Defeated the Guide Angel and I Became a Necromancer ~ I Feel Like I'm Playing a Different Game from Everyone Else, but I'm Doing Fine ~ - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: In the Royal Capital of Stellavelce

◆ Stellavelce Desert ◆

The sense of unease dawned on us, triggered by a remark from Eris-san.

“…Indeed. Why aren’t there any monsters around?”

“Yeah, right? With all the commotion we’ve been making, running and flying around so conspicuously, they should be here, right?”

“Indeed, there’s absolutely no sign of them…”

In this desert, there’s not a trace of living beings. Not once have we encountered any monsters. While I’m dying to investigate what’s going on, we can’t leisurely gather information with sunset looming, and if we continue like this, we might end up stranded in this dark, freezing desert. We’ve been riding Don-chan for over two hours already, so it’s not like we can just turn back at the mere realization of this unsettling phenomenon. There’s nothing we can do but keep moving forward, so we continue to run for the time being.

…

And then there’s Lia-chan. Though she was her usual cheerful and bright self at first, now she’s silent and expressionless. There’s even a hint of anger in her demeanor. Somehow, upon closer inspection, everything feels eerie, almost as if Meltis Online turned out to be a horror game…? Don-chan seems to be sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere as well. Normally, he’d communicate with me about anything unusual he sees or senses, but now he’s keeping his mouth shut and running silently.

“It’s coming into view, isn’t it? The city by that riverbank over there?”

“…Yes, it is.”

“Even though we could see it from afar, it feels kinda… unpleasant, doesn’t it?”

The royal capital of Stellavelce has finally come into view for me too. It seems like we could already confirm it from above, but just as Laura-chan said, even from this distance, there’s an otherworldly aura emanating from it. It’s… odd. A shiver runs down my spine, as if a chill is gently caressing my back. It’s not Laura-chan’s joke, nor the pre-sunset chill. I feel sick to my stomach.

“…Could it be?”

“Grrrr…! (It smells terrible!)”

“This is bad…”

“What? Eris-chan, I still can’t see anything. What’s going on?”

“Well, it’s something I’d rather not say out loud…”

This… is so different from what I anticipated the Royal Capital of Stellavelce to be like before coming here… Lia-chan’s pale expression, Don-chan’s unpleasant smell, Chiyo-chan’s already visible sight. Gradually, I’m starting to see it too.

“It shouldn’t be like this…”

“Lia-chan, I thought about whether it was right to bring this up now, but I really need to know. Remember that part about being close with Detilich on past occasions… You lied about that, right?”

“Uh… but, um, I mean, back then, I had to say that, otherwise…”

“It’s okay. I won’t dislike or reject you for that!”

“I still can’t see what you’re talking about…”

Under different circumstances, I might have waited to ask Lia-chan about this later or not asked at all, but I have a feeling that if I don’t ask now, I might not get another chance. It turns out that some of the things Lia-chan said when she finally opened up to me were mixed with lies. I think back then, she had no choice but to say what she did, because if she had told the truth, it could have led to destruction.

“We’re almost there… There’s still a bit of time before sunset, so I’ll tell you everything. All of it.”

And now, Lia-chan begins to quietly recount the truth of her past.

◆ Aurelia Tells the Truth ◆

I first became aware of this power when I was nine years old. Having lost my mother at the age of eight, ostracized by my half-siblings, and with nowhere to belong, I found myself in front of a decrepit stone door in the basement of the palace. It was known as the sealed chamber, a place no one could open, and I was drawn to it.

“Huh…? It’s open…?”

When I touched the stone door of the sealed chamber, it opened on its own. I didn’t understand what was happening, but I thought that here, I could hide away from everyone without being bullied… so I went inside. There, I met the spirit of the first Queen of Stellavelce, Lady Echidna…

At first, Lady Echidna seemed greatly surprised, but after staring at my forehead for a while, she suddenly smiled gently and began to treat me like her own daughter. She then taught me magic as a means of protecting myself. Thanks to Lady Echidna’s gentle guidance, I came to enjoy learning magic and started sneaking off here whenever I could, away from prying eyes. Before long, I became the strongest among my half-siblings, and I was dubbed the Witch Princess, a title mixed with both praise and criticism.

And so, when I turned fourteen, Lady Echidna suddenly pointed to a necklace and said, “You are worthy of wearing this”, so I obediently put it on. At first, I didn’t know what it was, but it was my first gift, and I was thrilled… But then, at that moment, in this sealed chamber where no one should have been able to enter, I felt someone’s presence. I panicked and hid as Lady Echidna had told me to. Then, I saw who had entered, and I froze.

“This is it. With this, I’ll have the ultimate power…”

It was my elder brother, Kashpa. But his appearance was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. His eyes glowed with a sinister purple light, and there was an aura about him that seemed inhuman. I was terrified. Kashpa took something from the sealed chamber and left. Lady Echidna looked at what was missing and seemed terribly flustered.

When I heard the story from Lady Echidna, I learned that what Kashpa took was an earring adorned with a purple gem called the “Eye of the Great Serpent”. It was said that when paired with the royal necklace I wore, it could resurrect a terrifying serpent that nearly destroyed Stellavelce in the past. He also took a book of legends that detailed the method, and if deciphered, it would undoubtedly lead him to steal my necklace.

I hastily decided to flee from the palace. Lady Echidna, taking a gamble, said she would “reincarnate as a servant of the demon lord” and, while I was still opening the door of the sealed chamber, flew out and disappeared… I only learned this when the Temple of the Demon appeared, but it seems Lady Echidna was successfully reincarnated by Babylon-sama. However, Babylon-sama did not allow Lady Echidna to intervene, saying, “Leave the problems of this generation to this generation.”

I digress. When I decided to flee and returned to my room to gather my things, intending to leave the palace with my knights, the second son, Detilich, suddenly visited me. Since I wasn’t ready yet and didn’t want to be found out, I reluctantly let him into my room to brush him off… This was a mistake. Detilich was clever with old words and seemed to have been entrusted with deciphering the legend book that Kashpa had taken. He figured out the truth and came straight to me.

“If you value your life, hand it over. I know what it is.”

When Detilich gestured for me to hand over the necklace, I gave a firm refusal. With a crazed expression, he attacked me, and I… defended myself and killed him. And then, as I told you before, the events unfolded as they did.

At that time, I couldn’t understand big sis Rinne’s intentions, and the thought of mercilessly killing monsters and resurrecting undead terrified me. I began to fear that big sis Rinne, like my older brother Kashpa, might be an evil person… Besides, fratricide is a serious crime. I didn’t believe thatbig sis Rinne would protect me, nor did I want to be exploited because of this power, so at that time… I lied to make things convenient for myself. I’m truly, truly sorry…

And now, I’ve come here and become convinced. Kashpa performed a ritual in an incomplete state, obtained the power of an incomplete serpent, and is wreaking havoc throughout the country! If we don’t stop Kashpa, this nation will be completely destroyed!

◆ ◆ ◆

“Hey, is there a sage who can just give me the key points in an easy-to-understand manner?”

“Woof woof! Arf? Woof! Woof woof! Woof woof woof! Arroo…? Grrr!! (Lia-chan is the successor of the witch! Kashpa? He’s the bad guy, the serpent’s successor! Lady Echidna, Lia-chan’s guardian! When everything’s gathered, the serpent will be revived! But incomplete? Defeating Kashpa will solve it!!)”

Don-chan’s spot-on response is refreshingly accurate… And then there’s Chiyo-san, who seems to be lagging behind in comprehension… Is she joking…?! Well, yeah, the story was certainly long, but to sum it up:

Only the successor of the “Witch” or the “Great Serpent” can enter the sealed chamber.
Lia-chan learned magic from Lady Echidna and received the “Royal Necklace” at the age of fourteen.
Later, Kashpa stole the “Eye of the Great Serpent” and the “Resurrection Legend.”
Lia-chan tried to escape, but her second son, entrusted with deciphering the legend, went berserk and discovered the scene.
Although she managed to flee, Kashpa found her in the forest, where she was poisoned.
I’ll skip what happened after I was revived, but the current situation in the Royal Capital of Stellavelce can only be described as a “sea of corpses.”
Kashpa likely resurrected the serpent in an incomplete state and absorbed its power…?
Lady Echidna seems to have been stopped by Babylon-chan, and all she can do is support Lia-chan.
So, yeah. Well, there was a reason why Lia-chan lied… If she had just honestly told this right after being revived, there might have been a possibility of choosing to say, “Ugh, too much hassle! Let’s abandon this quest!” But there was also a chance of just getting the equipment and bouncing. Yeah…

“Wow… That’s quite an intense story, isn’t it? I mean, Eris-chan, I thought there wouldn’t be any story in such a subquest, so I’m really surprised!”

“But, you know? Kashpa is the one who killed Lia-chan, right? If he killed her in that forest, why didn’t he take the necklace?”

“Well, Lia-chan buried it in the ground on the spot…”

“I bought a flashy gemstone bracelet in Tarlash, you see. Kashpa didn’t realize it was the necklace, so he took that instead.”

“Ah, that Kashpa guy might be quite the idiot…”

I see… But I’m finally getting a clear picture of the Stellavelce story! I’ve been feeling like things were off in terms of timeline and contradictions, like why Lady Echidna was in the Temple of the Demon God, why Lia-chan has the royal necklace, and Kashpa’s mysterious tracking ability! It feels like various explanations have fallen into place!!

…Well, not that it’s completely satisfying when looking at the dire situation in Stellavelce.

“But still, why are there so many corpses…”

“There are no bodies of strong men. They might be using them as slaves to dig a large pit. Everyone knows the legend that says the Great Serpent appeared from the depths of a large pit, so Kashpa, who isn’t satisfied with his incomplete power, probably thinks the source of power lies there.”

“Oh, wasn’t it only the second son who could decipher the legend book? But couldn’t they just decipher it again?”

“I destroyed the book with magic when he attacked me, so…”

“Ahh… That’s… sigh…”

“Woof…”

Well, um, yeah… I get it… Kashpa may have obtained incomplete power and might be digging a large pit because he’s not satisfied with it… But what should we do? I never thought it would come to this, so we can’t just rent a guildhouse now…

“Ahh… Alright, Eris-chan, you came up with a good idea!”

“Yes, Eris-san, please go ahead!”

“Since nobody owns this house, let’s just take it. Unauthorized house borrowing, yay!”

“Eeeeeehhhh!”

“Eris Margaret has borrowed a guildhouse (without permission) in Stellavelce Royal Capital.”

“Henceforth, the guildhouse can be used as a teleportation point.”

“This guildhouse can be destroyed without declaring war. Please be cautious.”

“All right.”

This isn’t good. Well, umm… I guess there’s no other choice!

“Oh… This… smells like a bad death. Maybe we should sing a requiem to calm the spirits.”

“Could they… rise up…?”

“Maybe… If they died so horribly, they might hold a grudge or two. They might turn into stray undead.”

“G-Ghosts are going to come out…!?”

Chiyo-chan, here come the ghosts! Oh, right! Let’s scare her a bit…

“Summoned Frioniel.”

“Eh!?”

“Chiy-ochan, stop!! It’s Oniichan, it’s Oniichan!”

“I-Ikuh… Ikuuuu…!”

Even tough Chiyo-chan is afraid of ghosts! That’s so cute! And I’m sorry for using you like this, Oniichan… But I just couldn’t resist… The atmosphere was so heavy…

Anyway, umm… When the sun sets and it turns night, do NPCs turn into undead and wake up to attack? The outside scene must be like a horror movie… But, you know, it’s sad… If they died because of something bad they did, it’s one thing, but those poor people who were probably killed by Kashpa…

“Laura-chan, I don’t want to kill the residents here if possible. I want to find another solution.”

“Hmm… Then, I’ll… refrain from singing.”

“But what do we do? There are so many dead bodies. Even Rinne might not be able to raise them all, right?”

Yeah, we definitely can’t raise this many corpses, but… I think we can figure something out. It’s impossible right now, but… I believe it’s worth trying after we defeat Kashpa!

“I’ll think about it until then!”

“Alright. So, for now, should we head back to Lorelei before we get attacked by undead? It seems like we can’t change channels here, right?”

“Oh, you’re right… It seems like the channel is fixed until we clear this story…”

“Yeah…”

For now, let’s head back to Lorelei. It’s already 7 p.m.! We’ve been riding through the desert for 3 hours… I was feeling hungry, but…

“For now, let’s head back. Let’s save exploration and conquest for next time. Is that okay with you, Lia-chan?”

“Yes… It’s frustrating, but I don’t think I can do it alone.”

“Let’s cooperate together. We are, um…?”

“Wan!! (Family!!)”

“Yeah, like a family. Huh? The owner being called family by a pet in the pet slot… Huh…?”

“Hehe…! Got it. We’ll rely on the power of our family when we’re in trouble! Let’s head back this time!”

Hmm… I didn’t expect to be called family by Donta…! Oh well! Let’s go back and have a nice family dinner time. And the ladies with dirty faces, please use the big bath on the second floor of the temple… I’ll go back to reality and take care of dinner and bath time.

“Oh yeah, don’t forget about the auction at 9 p.m., okay? You haven’t forgotten, have you?”