༺ An Unexpected Encounter (1) ༻
A week had passed.
Vera, who had been traveling and training alone, had a meeting with Renee for the first time in a long while.
It was for a progress report.
In the reception room that she now frequented like her own home, Renee took a sip of tea and asked Vera.
“How is everything going?”
She was asking if there had been any progress.
Her face seemed calm as she spoke, but her inner feelings were completely different.
It was the first time they had been alone together after parting ways in such an uncomfortable atmosphere the previous day. An inexplicable awkwardness, regret, and nervousness filled Renee’s heart.
“…I can’t say it’s going smoothly, but there’s definitely progress.”
Vera, who was answering, felt the same way.
Since he had never been apart from Renee for so long after being by her side, Vera felt a sense of awkwardness upon seeing her.
For some, it was only a week, but for the two who had always been by each other’s side, it felt like an eternity.
A not-so-unpleasant tension swept between the two, and Renee, who had been choosing her words for a while in that atmosphere, suddenly blurted out.
“You’re eating properly, right?”
Although she wanted to have a conversation, she couldn’t think of a topic so she could only come up with ordinary small talk.
Vera, who was feeling a similar sentiment to Renee, was happy to hear those words.
“Yes, thankfully I’m eating well.”
“Thank goodness. You’re not sick, right?”
“I don’t tend to suffer from minor illnesses. How about the Saint? You’re not troubled anywhere, right?”
“I’m always healthy.”
Silence followed again.
Renee’s fingertips nervously fidgeted.
Vera couldn’t bear to look at Renee and was staring at the table instead. Soon, he asked.
“How is persuading the Apostle of Death going?”
Right after speaking, Vera involuntarily thought, ‘Isn’t this a bit of a dry topic?’
…Actually, it was natural to ask this because it was a progress report, but that thought came to his mind.
However, even a dry question like that was sweeter than silence. Renee answered Vera’s question with a brighter face.
“Oh, I’m getting along well with Jenny! At first, we couldn’t even speak properly, right? But now when we meet in the hallway, she greets me first…”
She rambled on, thinking it was a perfect topic.
Vera listened to her with a faint smile on his face, but his expression hardened at the words that followed.
“…So, Krek and Marek gave Jenny a slime as a gift, and she really liked it.”
It was because of the disgusting combination of the words ‘twins’ and ‘slime’.
“…Slime, you say.”
“Yes! Oh right. Jenny invited me to see something fun today. Would you like to go with me if you have time?”
Renee energetically asked, not knowing what Vera was thinking.
Vera agreed to this without any hesitation.
“Yes, I need to check this out.”
“What? Check?”
“…Nothing. It was a slip of the tongue.”
Vera’s expression as he spoke resembled that of a murderous demon. His forehead and the back of his hand were full of tense veins.
It probably wasn’t, but in the unlikely case that slime was the one he had disposed of, he wouldn’t let the twins off the hook.
His mind was filled with such thoughts.
***
It was the first time Vera had met Jenny since the first day at the old castle.
It was partly because Vera had been separated from the group the entire time, so they had no chance to meet. However, more importantly, it was because Jenny had been avoiding all the paths Vera took.
“Eek…!”
However, all of that ended today. Upon seeing Vera barge into her room, Jenny trembled out of fear, her legs shaking.
It was only a natural reaction for Jenny.
After all, her first impression of him was terrible.
He had charged at her, emanating a golden divinity from his entire body. Suddenly, he grabbed her arm, pulled up her sleeve, and forcefully dragged her in front of everyone despite her protests.
Given Jenny’s timid nature, it would be strange if she wasn’t afraid of Vera.
As Jenny felt cold sweat trickling down her body, she quickly walked over to Renee and hid behind her, looking like she was on the verge of tears.
Vera felt unjustly accused.
Not knowing what Jenny was really thinking, Vera was left with the impression that he was being hated without a reason.
Nevertheless, there was good news.
Vera didn’t make a more intimidating face in front of Jenny, who was already afraid of him.
It was because the slime wriggling on Jenny’s shoulder was a different color from the one he had disposed of.
Vera exhaled a sigh of relief at the realization that it likely hadn’t been used ‘yet’, while Renee, oblivious to their standoff, cheerfully stroked Jenny’s head.
”Hela was busy today, so I came with Vera. I hope you don’t mind?”
Feeling the soothing touch on her head and the sweet scent that wafted through the air as she came closer, Jenny found her heart calming down and shook her head.
“…It’s okay.”
Renee’s smile deepened.
“Thank you! But what were you going to show me today?”
“Necromancyy…”
“…What?”
Renee’s smile froze in place. Wondering if she misheard, she asked again, but the response was the same.
“Necromancyyyy…”
The answer shyly uttered while clutching Renee’s collar was indeed ‘necromancy’.
Where did it go wrong?
Maybe I should have refused Miller’s gift after all?
As numerous thoughts raced through Renee’s mind, Jenny quietly added more.
“…A while back, a new kid came, started bullying the others, and ran off. I’m going to summon and scold them.”
Renee tilted her head at the incomprehensible words as Jenny continued speaking.
“An e-evil spirit… used bad words towards His Majesty, and… more bad words towards Master and… even hit Kiki and Toby…”
Renee could only vaguely realize the meaning behind her words that continued in a weak tone.
‘Ah, she’s talking about a newly arrived wraith.’
It was one of the things that could only be understood upon coming to the Cradle.
The souls with lingering regrets were naturally guided to the Cradle and became fixed there as wraiths.
The ‘His Majesty’ Jenny mentioned was Maleus, the ‘Master’ was Hodrick, and Kiki and Toby were the caretakers who helped out at the castle. So, it meant that she was planning to take revenge on the newly arrived wraith for harassing them.
Only then did Renee breathe a sigh of relief, realizing that Miller hadn’t been a bad influence on Jenny.
“I-I see…”
“Yes… O-Originally, I couldn’t do it, but I can do it now… because of the gift big sis gave me…”
Jenny led Renee to the center of the room very carefully, sat her down and sat next to her.
Vera, standing behind Renee, began to narrate every action Jenny was performing.
“The preparations for necromancy are ready. There is a summoning circle drawn on the ground, and a ragdoll is placed on top of it. Three daggers are stuck at uniform intervals above the summoning circle, and various chemical mixtures or auxiliary materials decorate the area around the doll.”
“…Wait.”
In the middle of the explanation, Renee interrupted Vera with a trembling voice.
She had noticed something odd in the ongoing explanation.
‘…What is he describing now?’
She had a sneaking suspicion that the materials for necromancy being described were the very same ones they had prepared as a gift.
Renee’s head involuntarily turned towards Jenny moving about.
There was evidence that could turn her simple speculation into certainty.
-I can do it now… because of the gift big sis gave me…
‘So the reason she liked the gift…’
She wanted the materials for necromancy.
As a belated realization began to settle in Renee, creating an inexplicable emptiness within her, Jenny, oblivious to such changes, busily continued her preparations.
Vera resumed narrating Jenny’s following actions.
”She’s cutting open the doll’s stomach and removing the stuffing. Ah, she’s using the slime here. She’s stuffing the slime into the ragdoll. Most likely, this slime will act as the power source enabling the soul summoned with necromancy to animate the doll. That’s a good idea. Now she’s sewing up the stomach of the opened doll… It seems like the preparations are complete.”
There was sincere admiration in Vera’s voice that continued the explanation.
After all, whether he was an Apostle or not, the preparation for necromancy was quite meticulous.
Moreover, there was something he could definitely feel during this.
The utmost certainty that this would be successful.
‘…Is she using her power as an Apostle?’
A somber divinity was seeping into the doll.
The Power of Death.
It was a reaction that surfaced while dissolving that power in divinity.
Vera recalled everything he knew about the Power of Death.
‘The power to use the abilities of the soul contracted with oneself.’
A power that, depending on how it was used, had limitless possibilities, had greater potential than even his own Power of Oath or Vargo’s Power of Judgement.
Naturally, it also had the most annoying penalty among all of the powers, and required a contract with a soul possessing such abilities. However, it was undeniable that this power was the most versatile and there was no better aid for summoning a soul.
Of course, Renee, who had no way of knowing such facts, was focused on shaking off her rising complex feelings.
‘…Let’s think positively.’
Isn’t it enough for the recipient of a gift to like it?
And it didn’t seem like the candies she had given as a gift were one of the necromancy materials, so there was no need for her to worry unnecessarily.
‘I-If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean I won?!’
She switched her thoughts, deciding that her gift, which was not sacrificed and was instead delivered to Jenny for its original purpose, was the best gift of all, and that she, the sole survivor, was the victor.
With such thoughts, Renee maintained her position.
“All done…”
Jenny’s exhausted voice flowed out as she finished her preparations, sparking curiosity on the faces of the two.
“They’re quite brave. I never thought there would be a soul who would dare curse Maleus in the Cradle of the Dead.”
“Yes, I am certainly curious.”
Of course, it was a curiosity about the identity of the soul who was said to be causing trouble.
The fact that this soul was insulting Maleus, the King of the Cradle, in none other than the Cradle of the Dead itself was quite shocking.
As their curiosity arose, a slightly tense atmosphere began to build. When Jenny clapped her hands three times with a ‘clap, clap, clap’, the summoning circle glowed a dark color.
Thuuud—
The room shook violently.
Mana raged around.
As the room quickly became chaotic, Vera, who had swiftly protected Renee, stared wide-eyed at the doll.
‘A lunatic…!’
What kind of soul was being summoned to cause such a reaction?
As Vera was having this thought, he protected Renee with his golden divinity.
[This damned Apostle bastard…!]
A high-pitched female voice burst out from the doll.
With a jolt, the doll moved.
“Bad kid…”
As Jenny’s sharp voice continued, the two of them held their breaths.
They already knew the owner of that voice.
“Vera…”
Renee said in a trembling voice, her hand tightly gripping Vera’s collar.
Vera too, looked at the doll with his eyes wide open, not feeling much different from Renee.
It was an unforgettable voice.
And for good reason, because that voice belonged to someone they had encountered just a few months ago.
[There’s really not a single thing I like about these Apostles. Do I have to suffer such humiliation even in death?]
The owner of that voice, hurling curses as they were gradually getting up, was…
“…Annalise.”
Annalise, the Tower Master of the Aurillac, whom Vera had personally killed by beheading.
The doll’s head suddenly snapped back.
Its button eyes glared at Vera.
[Huh?]
The doll let out a hollow laugh and then began to cackle loudly.
[Look who it is…]
The gaze of the doll who was exuding a deathly aura, the soul of Annalise, clashed with Vera’s.
[So this son of a bitch is here, huh?]
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