Chapter 348

Surprisingly, truly bizarre things could not enter the Oasis’s domain.

Whether we were delaying the journey despite saying we would hurry to the Demonic Realm, or if it was thanks to the remnants of the god’s power still existing in this desert, was unknown. However, I felt truly fortunate that Elwin had observed the paths the oases moved along well since the days he wandered the Saturn Desert.

I taught the group members how to face Jiangshis whenever there was a free moment.

The memories I had buried for over a dozen years surged up unexpectedly regardless of the time, but the time when such things would agitate my mind had long passed. Whenever the weaknesses of Jiangshis, which I couldn’t see at the time because I was filled with spite, came to mind, I gathered the children and taught them well.

Of course, it wasn’t only peaceful like that.

Right after we stepped outside the first safe zone, five Jiangshis attacked. All were Iron Jiangshis.

Leaving a few behind to guard the camels and children in the rear, Hugh Benson, three mercenaries, and I each took on one. As I had instructed in advance, we cut off both arms first, severed both legs, and then cut the neck.

The reason for severing the head last is because it’s easier to confirm which direction it’s aiming for that way, and the reason we left the head intact without crushing it was to confirm its appearance and clothing.

We already knew that Jiangshis have no sense of pain and attack without an inch of hesitation even if their limbs are cut off, and thanks to the fact that all those who stepped forward to attack were absolute pinnacle martial artists capable of using sword energy, no one was hurt.

The faces of everyone in the group looking down from afar at the heads thrashing around while chattering their teeth were clouded.

“It’s really… a person, isn’t it? I don’t know how long it’s been since they died, even the eyeballs are intact.”

“Seeing as the blood is completely coagulated, it does seem like it’s been quite a while, though.”

“Did they become mummies or something because they came to the desert?”

Seeing them look into the corpses without the slightest hesitation, or subtly poking them with the tips of their longswords to check, it was even eerie. Even if Hugh Benson had seen all sorts of things, I wondered if Marianne’s liver hadn’t popped out of her belly.

The only ones distressed watching this sight were Benjamin, Giselle, and Peter, while all the rest were calm. I didn’t know whether to be surprised by the fact that as many as two of the mercenaries were not used to murder, or by the children examining the corpses without a bit of fear.

Seeing even Ruben meticulously examining the corpses with a serious face without avoidance made me feel even more troubled.

“…Are you okay?”

“…Huh? What is…. Ah.”

The greatly startled child smiled awkwardly and vainly adjusted his collar.

Didn’t Walter Orgen say so in the past. The coroner who examined corpses found in the Imperial capital was a profession shunned by many. There weren’t many corpses in the capital. Leaving me aside, what business would Ruben, who would have only lived in the palace, have looking at corpses.

At my suspicious gaze, the child returned a hesitant and shy answer.

“Well, you see… I guess I’ve gotten used to these things too.”

“What reason is there for Ruben to be used to these things?”

“Well… There was that thing in Professor Mustang’s office.”

“That?”

“The transparent…”

Ah.

A dry laugh escaped me automatically. Come to think of it, at least Jiangshis didn’t show all their insides. There wouldn’t be many things in the world gross enough to beat Mage Boulder’s transparent golem. If he had seen that golem several times and gotten used to it, he might not be surprised seeing a corpse.

However, why did a guy who isn’t even a mage go around looking for that? [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Puzzled, I asked again.

“How did Ruben come to…”

“Just, I was curious about you back then too.”

“…Pardon?”

“Excuse me! This is not that kind of atmosphere right now!”

Marianne abruptly cut off Ruber’s words.

Ruben felt greatly awkward and let out dry coughs several times. Feeling embarrassed for no reason too, I examined the Jiangshis again as Marianne instructed. Their appearance was not much different from what I saw in the Central Plains. The only difference you could say was that the corpses used were people of this continent.

“How is it?”

“It is an Iron Jiangshi. The fingernails being black and torn at the ends, the eyeballs being attached but the pupils being cloudy, and the fact that they keep trying to bite people until their heads are crushed.”

“This gives me the chills… Please deliver the final blow now.”

“Sure.”

Leon and Hugh, who were watching from the side, split the heads of the Jiangshis that were chattering their teeth once again. Marianne gathered the corpses well with magic and set them on fire.

Burning the corpses of unidentified people as we pleased was a very uncomfortable thing to do, but no one was surprised even by the soaring flames.

It was thanks to having talked in advance during our rest about holding a Yulan or Biban style funeral. In Yulan and Biban, there was originally a funeral custom of burning the corpse well, grinding the bone fragments finely, and letting them flow down a high mountain, river, or sea.

We mourned the end of the nameless people with a silent tribute.

While heading to the next safe zone, we encountered groups of Jiangshis several times. Still, thanks to not encountering a group with more than six gathered at once, we easily dispatched them all.

Because the Sylphs immediately informed us if they saw Jiangshis approaching from afar, we didn’t even bother getting off the camels when moving. After punishing one group, we got back on the camels.

“What could be the reason they come in such small numbers?”

“Well… It could be that the number of corpses to make into Jiangshis isn’t sufficient.”

At Giselle’s question, Marianne answered quickly.

“Or it might be a trick to drain our energy, trying to keep us from resting…”

“With just this much?”

Benjamin also added a word, but Hugh Benson immediately scolded him.

Everyone nodded their heads without hesitation, I did too.

Although I hated Jiangshis pathologically, the situation was different now.

In the Central Plains, the gap between masters was exceedingly large.

Actually, in sects other than the Nine Great Sects and One Clan and the Five Great Families, producing a first-rate martial artist was considered a great feat. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] The supreme arts of each sect and family were not things that could easily be leaked outside, and it was only natural that those who learned good mental methods and sword arts reached higher realms.

Moreover, it was a common occurrence for exceedingly transcendent figures not to step up to the front lines, saying it was proper etiquette for their steps to be heavy. The masters occupying high positions in the Alliance only raised their bodies when a master of a fitting caliber appeared.

Therefore, those who faced the dishonorable corpses, the Jiangshis, pouring out in swarms everywhere, were usually martial artists of first-rate to third-rate levels. To those who couldn’t use sword energy, an Iron Jiangshi was an existence as terrifying as a mountain lord (tiger), so wailing sounds rang out in every battle.

However, those gathered here, excluding Benjamin, Ruben, and Marianne, were all Sword Masters. Something like an Iron Jiangshi was more than dealt with in three breaths. So, it wasn’t hard in the slightest, and there was nothing to fear.

We had enough leeway to defeat a group without much worry, burn them, and offer a short prayer wishing for their rebirth in paradise.

The only thing our group was worried about was one thing.

“…Will Cieron be safe right now?”

“Once we arrive at the holy site of the Sun, Ranunculus will be there. We’ll be able to know the situation then.”

“What if he says it’s not safe?”

“…Then well, we have to go right away. As fast as we can…”

Suddenly feeling curious, I asked abruptly.

“…Perchance, Ruben. Do you know what kind of ability Cieron’s divine relic has?”

“…That is.”

Ruben couldn’t answer right away.

Did I ask something I shouldn’t have asked? Flustered, I was about to swallow the words I just spat out when Ruben smiled affectionately and shook his head for me. It means it’s okay.

The other guys also stopped chattering and quietly listened to Ruben’s voice.

“Cieron’s divine relic… plays the role of controlling the Empire’s Mana concentration.”

“Eeeek?”

Marianne was more surprised than I was. When the child suddenly tried to stand up on the camel and staggered, Benjamin caught her. Even while being held by the scruff of her neck like a kitten bitten by its mother, as if she wasn’t uncomfortable, Marianne’s gaze wouldn’t leave Ruben.

“The Mana concentration? No, that was this time…!”

“Ung. So, when we first received the report that the capital’s Mana concentration had increased, Father checked the divine relic first. But… there was nothing wrong with the divine relic, you see. So, he agreed to dispatch the Imperial Knights for investigation combined with volunteer work, thinking there must be something else.”

“Are you saying that’s the reason the Empire was perfectly fine even while so many demi-humans were appearing in Owen?”

“…Probably…. Yes. That should be it.”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt Hugh Benson’s voice sounded sharp. When Ruben got flustered, Hugh Benson narrowed his eyes, looked at the distant sky for a long time, then slowly rubbed his face to organize his expression. The sound of his sigh sounded exceptionally thick and deep.

Hugh Benson waved his hand to scatter the gazes gathered on him.

“No, well…. It’s not like the Prince did anything wrong. Don’t be scared, I was just surprised.”

“…Yes.”

“Can I ask more?”

“Yes.”

“How do you operate it?”

Ruben hesitated for a very short moment, but answered readily.

“The Cieron Empire’s divine relic…. is in the shape of a crystal with no angular parts on any side resting on a square pedestal. On the pedestal below, there is a scale needle attached, and inside the crystal above, light dust is always moving fluidly in its shape.”

“Like some kind of snow globe?”

“Mm…. It looks similar. If you smear divine blood near the scale mark corresponding to the desired Mana concentration, it operates perfectly fine for the next two or three years.”

“What does it mean to smear divine blood?”

“You just have to prick the fingertip of Father, Richard, me, or Lucilla…. the current direct Imperial family members, with a sterilized needle to draw blood and press it on the scale mark once. As soon as I turned ten, Father taught the three of us how to handle the divine relic. Just in case.”

Just in case.

For the past 400 years, the Mana concentration of the Cieron capital was identical at 13.4mp. Right now, some guys used Aventa Bumps to play tricks here and there and raise the Mana concentration. Even now, the Emperor must be controlling Cieron’s Mana concentration. However, the ordinary Imperial citizens don’t know any of that…

If there is no one with divine blood in the Imperial Palace, what will happen to the Cieron Empire?

Hugh Benson tore at his hair with both hands.

“Fuck, if something happens to the Empire, we’ll have to go straight to the capital.”

“…Probably…”

“What kind of,” The moment he was about to say something more, a Sylph quickly stuck onto the top of Ruben’s head.

[They’re coming! They’re coming again! Four this time too!]

“…This is driving me crazy.”

This time, the three mercenaries and Elwin drew their weapons. Ruben looked down at the sand floor with a heavy face. Just in case, I drew my sword and looked around. With an unknown sense of duty, a corner of my heart grew heavy.