Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 438



Only Noblemtl

438. The Immortal Secretary (11)

Martha has always been helpless in the face of violence. She was quite accustomed to being exposed to absolute violence that she could not fight against with her own strength.

A person who has experienced complete despair becomes numb. This is something Martha had to personally learn in a not-so-pleasant way while she was still alive.

But here, in the realm of rest, things were different. Every soul could rest as long as it wanted, and even while asleep, it was assured of absolute safety under the protection of its master.

Martha was still numb to violence, but this was not a reaction of despair like before, but rather a reaction of solid stability. That is why, even when such a tumultuous world-shaking event occurred, she was able to remain calm, unlike before.

Whirlyrick-

Thud! Thud!

The corpses caught in the explosion flew like fallen leaves. Then, they were thrown violently to the ground along with the broken tombstones.

Ah, rest! Fortunately, those weak souls were still safe and sound in their peaceful sleep.

However, if the commotion continues, they will eventually wake up from their sleep being disturbed. It is by no means desirable for the two to continue their conflict.

[… They will start to appear soon.]

Martha held her breath and waited for the giant spirit to appear a moment later.

Now, mediocre souls like Haze and Belinda are fighting each other, claiming to be better than others, but as far as Martha knows, there are some truly powerful servants of the master. Each of them has tremendous power that can match the power of a lesser demon lord.

They usually fall into a deep sleep like their masters, and when there is a disturbance in their realm of rest, they return from their rest and easily sort out the situation.

Just like right now.

Woof woof woof… … .

With a bone-chilling sound, a gaunt giant corpse slowly rises.

The antique lace wrapped around her dry, tree-like arms has faded to a grayish hue, as if to show the passage of time. Next, a dusty muslin dress and a dark, powdered face are revealed.

Beneath the flesh rotting here and there, you can see hardened muscles and fat dried like wax. It is a sinister and creepy sight, as if death itself is being embodied.

Squeak.

The giant rolled his dry eyeballs and looked around for a moment, then he clapped his bony hands together hard.

Bam-!

In an instant, tremendous pressure came from above and below at the same time.

[… … !]

[… … !]

The souls of Hayes and Belinda were flattened and crushed. They were buried between the broken tombstones and fell into silence. They were forced into a restful sleep against their will.

It will probably take some time for them to wake up. By then, their heads will have cooled down a bit.

[… It’s finally quieter now.]

Ddddddddd… … .

With a sound like a huge iron frame collapsing, the giant’s corpse slowly lies back on the ground.

[Let’s stop making a fuss for the sake of this miserable old woman. Perhaps because a part of her soul keeps being summoned somewhere, this old woman never feels refreshed no matter how much she sleeps.]

It was a grandeur far from pitiful, but no one could refute that statement.

[… … .]

Martha, who had been observing for a moment, flew in front of the giant woman with her soul in a whirlwind. It was an assertiveness that could only be shown because she was guaranteed absolute safety by her master.

[Who are you?]

[Hmm?]

[I have often seen the brave wolf king and the wise orc king here, but today is the first time I have seen someone like you awaken.]

Then the giant corpse woman slightly raised her wrinkled eyelids.

[Oh, human! Since your physical form from before life is still preserved, you must be a soul that flowed in from the real world! Are you perhaps a human from the Delcross dimension?]

[Yes, that’s right.]

[How strange. An innocent and pure soul like yours is extremely rare to find here. Could you please tell me your name?]

Her tone was old-fashioned, almost old-fashioned, but her thoughts conveyed a deep favor toward Martha. It was as if Martha felt a subtle affection from her gaze, despite the fact that her corneas were horribly clouded.

[Of course, great one. My name is Martha.]

[Martha! How glad I am to see you. This poor old man is called Hexenjabarth.]

Hexenjabad.

As Martha repeated this to herself, a bitter echo came from the giant’s corpse.

[Unfortunately, my true name could not survive the long years and faded away like dust. All that remains now is a gruesome nickname that terrified everyone even after death.]

[Does that mean Hexenjabad isn’t your real name?]

[No, that’s not true. It’s not that beautiful, it doesn’t suit me at all, does it?]

The corpse winked playfully at Martha, but the blackened eyes only served to make the effect even more sinister.

[That is why the Master of my soul often calls me ‘Repentance’. If you do not like that ominous nickname, you may call me that too.]

The woman who had spoken thus far laid her head on the floor and slowly closed her dry eyelids.

[Ah, what a pity. I wish I could talk more, but it seems like our meeting has come to an end. I must rest again now. I feel the breath of a cruel yet merciful peace close to my ears.]

[… … ?]

Martha approached the decaying woman’s face, puzzled.

All souls here are free to rest as much as they want. That was what Martha had known until now.

But for some reason, isn’t that giant talking as if he’s being forced to rest?

[Can you give me a moment to tell me about yourself, about this place, and about our master?]

It was only after her death that Martha began to realize that this passion lay latent within her.

[I have escaped the shackles of the flesh, but there are still many things I do not know. I have overcome the barrier, but there is another wall blocking me in front of it. So, even now, I want to learn more and overcome the limit someday.]

Then the giant looked down at Martha with a gentle gaze. What he actually received in return was a gentle rejection.

[That seems impossible. I am a prisoner here, and therefore cannot resist the ‘rest’ that has been pronounced upon me.]

[A sinner… you say?]

Martha was quite taken aback by the unexpected information.

[That’s right. I and the Wolf King and Orc King that you met earlier are people who committed terrible sins long ago, consumed by the desire to become immortal.]

[… … .]

[So, ‘rest’ is a rest for my soul, but at the same time, it is a prison to forgive my sins.]

I felt the giantess’s consciousness sinking deeper and deeper. Even though she was already a dead body, her soul was falling deeper and deeper into death, turning white. Like a giant ghost ship sinking into the deep sea.

As Martha stroked the giant’s eyelids with an inexplicable feeling of longing, the thoughts, now fainter than before, came to her mind again.

[But, gentle soul, do not worry about me. The merciful Rest will save even us. He said that our sins are only due to fear, so there is room for pity.]

[… fear?]

[is it so…….]

The last thought came like a sigh from the giant who was slowly falling asleep.

[Yes. It is fear. How can our souls be so fragile… … .]

* * *

-How can the soul be so fragile?

The form that resembles the physical body is truly nothing more than an illusion, but at the same time, it exists and is bound by the physical body as if it had substance.

First, the body cannot be a perfect wall for the soul, because the body is bound to eventually decay, and the soul can never escape the wounds received by the body.

What if the soul were to break free from the shackles of the body?

If only I could build a more solid substance to envelop the soul, a more solid shield that would surpass the body. If only I could anchor the soul in that solid fortress, and furthermore, completely align the body with it!

Ah, if only it could be so, then having an immortal body would not be a vain dream at all!

Seongjin, who was roughly flipping through the pages of a book, checked the worn-out book cover with a slightly indifferent expression.

–

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. You like secretaries. I don’t remember seeing it on the list of banned books, so it’s probably a general miscellaneous book that the Holy Assembly doesn’t even handle properly.

‘Why did the status window give me a quest to get something like this?’

The reason Sungjin received this book from Owen was because he was extremely bored. There is a limit to how much a person can meditate, and it has been several days since he was stuck in the wagon, bored.

-Then, newbie, are you reading this? No, you can just keep it.

-What? You said it was an important quest item? Why are you giving it to me?

-It seems like all the recent quests revolve around you anyway. So I think it would be better for you to just keep this one.

-?

Still, it was a book brought from the evil wizard’s laboratory.

I was expecting that there would be some interesting parts, but what the heck, it was just a bunch of nonsense about the composition of the soul and the limitations of the body.

“hmm…….”

But after closing the book without any regrets, Seongjin fiddled with the worn cover again.

Sitting on a rocking wagon all day can cause a person to develop a new addiction to writing.

[What is it? What is it about?]

When Seongjin finally opened the book again, the Demon King, who was acting as a stand next to him, flickered his flames violently as if he was curious.

The guy was probably more frustrated than Sungjin. He couldn’t fly freely and was stuck in the lamp for days.

Seongjin kindly explained the content to the boy who couldn’t read.

“I don’t know for sure. They say that if you build a strong wall to protect your soul, you can obtain an immortal body.”

[What? Is that true?]

‘Immortal’ is clearly the most interesting topic regardless of time and place. The Demon King’s lamp suddenly comes to life and shines brightly.

[So? How on earth do you make that soul wall?]

“To prepare it, you first need to grow special flowers… … .”

[Flower? A flower?]

“Yes. It’s a rare flower that grows wild in cold regions. Dry it well, then grind it with the scent of the white-bellied raccoon, angelica leaves, and a few other herbs… … .”

[Hmm? That’s how you build a soul wall?]

“That’s right. But the next part is more important. After mixing it well with fish glue and maturing it for 240 days using a special secret method, you get a very delicious herbal medicine… … .”

[Euuuum… … .]

The Demon King’s interest is visibly fading. Of course, it is rare for the lamp’s flame to dim like that.

[That sounds like some kind of ridiculous folk remedy. How can you strengthen your soul by taking herbal medicine?]

“Well, even putting aside the effects, it’s not like there are no advantages at all. First of all, it’s delicious.”

[What do I know! No matter how delicious that is, I don’t want to grind up and eat the scented sachet of an unknown animal!]

“That’s true.”

As Seongjin nodded his head, someone cautiously intervened in their conversation.

“Perhaps the contents of that book are not true, my lord, the prepared one.”

It was Giacomo Milo.

He was still tied up, but at least he seemed to have regained some of his sanity, unlike before.

“That’s not true? How do you know that?”

Despite Seongjin’s blunt question, he still nodded his head in a somewhat reserved manner.

“Well, that secretary is something I personally prepared in exchange for the leap.”

A leap. An object that could have brought about a great disaster on the continent.

Seongjin carefully felt the small vial he had kept in his bosom for a moment.

“It is an ancient book that was kept in the Milo family’s library for generations before the deal was made with the wizard of Furiano. Therefore, there is no one on this continent who knows more about that book than I do.”

“okay.”

Seongjin had a feeling that this would be a slightly sensitive topic, so he glanced around to check for any signs.

Fortunately, the driver of the cart was nodding off, holding the reins loosely. It seemed that he had complete confidence in the mule, which had a history of carrying people back and forth between bases.

Owen is also connected to the Pangea Chronicle to procure food.

And Sir Marsain-

“… … .”

I was really in a deep sleep, exhaling evenly.

Of course, it was Seongjin who volunteered to stand guard first, but no matter what, I never thought she would fall asleep so obediently while leaving the prince behind.

Suddenly, a sentence I had read from the secretary flashed through my mind.

-How can the soul be so fragile?