“It seems we’re here.” Belmare declared as soon as the Guard Drakes stopped moving.
Every part of this graveyard emanates mystique and tranquility comparable to stardust. A dwelling place of recycling life that leans toward the macabre or the joyful. Those who visit are the only ones who are capable of having a soulful reflection and hearing emotions with clarity in silence.
“Woah! I never thought wraiths can get this big!”, Izuna exclaimed.
The enormous size of this wraith is as big as the hills, soaring through the skies slowly. It is the same wraith that Gevanni saw recently at the Evanslei Royal Tower. It has an eerie and blank sculpted face that stretches through its long neck. Its non-functional bulky arms are covered in ancient mold and resemble a knight’s armor. The rest of its body does not have any armor, covered in black tattered fabric, and is composed of numerous long black tentacles which are used for grabbing corpses. There’s a huge metal pot with intricate details engraved outside and that is almost half of its body size, this is where the deceased are stored. Despite its overall appearance and commonly mistaken as a wild monster, the blue flames that sears inside their body ensure that it’s passive and can’t be damaged.
“We call them Corpse Collectors. A long time ago, King Nicholas The 1st spared a troublesome ghost until he domesticated it. Due to his love and will, the ghost became a wraith and now collects the corpses of people that are difficult to retrieve and bury in this cemetery,” Belmare explained.
“Are we here to mourn?” Gevanni asked.
“You both can stay in the carriage, it won’t take long,” Belmare said as he caresses the heads of Guard Drakes.
“Ever since those magic anomalies appeared, it cost his life. But because of him, we knew how to go inside it… No, if only the equipment I produce is strong enough, this won’t happen.” Belmare wondered meticulously.
“What are these funny-looking bright figurines for?” Izuna asked as she squats while resting both of her palms to her face. In front of her is an unnamed gravestone adorned with purple saxifrage—It is a low-growing, densely matted plant —At its side and a figurine at the middle.
“Ah! You surprised me.” Belmare instinctively covered himself with his hand. Upon realizing it was Izuna, he lowered his guard. “I thought you were in the carriage with Gevanni.”
“I noticed you need some company. It’s not like he’s been acting mean all day and leave me alone and I wanted to return the favor…. Ah! That’s not what I wanted to say! Anyways, just treat me as if I’m never here if you’d like.”
“Thank you…” Belmare expressed his gratitude by placing his palm on his chest. “Those figurines are the mascot and guardian of Evanslei. They are placed there to note that person is an orphan and lived their life in isolation.” Belmare explained as he looked to the figurine. It looks like a bright yellow duck-like without wings and beak. It has cute simple oblong eyes and a cat-like mouth. That same figurine is wearing some sort of orange top hat.
“Even so, I think it’s sad that no one is there to visit nor remember them,” Izuna commented as she put a grape on the gravestone. It might not mean anything to Belmare but that is the way how Izuna gives an honest appreciation of life. Godkins, like her, offers fruits as a way to bless the life of the deceased and their soul may rest peacefully in deep slumber.
From a distance, there is a man and woman around the age of forties. They almost have identical features such as a sharp nose and pointy chin.
“Hey, that’s not clean enough!” The woman said as she opened her stringed straw hat, revealing her grumpy face, and wiped the sweat of her face with her ragged shirt.
The man increased the effectiveness of his magic and water sprouted from the magic sigils. The moment he dries the gravestone with a cloth, he groans.
The woman immediately hugged the man and almost buried his head with her voluptuous bust.
“Don’t hug me so tight! We’re not children anymore, sister.” The man tried to push her sweaty sister away but he couldn’t.
“Ah. Nobleman Belmare is here.” The woman loosened her grip and the man sighed a breath of relief. “You’re early today. Thank you for visiting as always.”
“My pleasure is mine. I appreciate both of your works, caretaker siblings.”Belmare appreciated as he and Izuna walked past them.
“Isn’t it hypocritical for a merchant who sells tools of war to mourn for the dead?”
This question raised a lot of concerns to Izuna but she couldn’t help but remain silent. Without fully knowing what happened to Belmare’s past, she thought it’s best to let him vent.
Belmare kneels as he caresses the gear sculpted on the gravestone, and he sheds a tear. As soon as he sees its name, he hugged the gravestone dearly.
“Cheers, comrade!” Belmare offered his favorite beverage and drank it. “I miss your voice…” His eyes squinted slightly.
Belmare stood and stared blankly at the gravestone. After a few more moments, he forced himself to be okay.
“Are you sure that’s enough?” Izuna asked. The redness of Belmare’s eyes is still evident and even though he has no more tears to shed, he rubs his eyes gently.
“Not until the war’s over...” Belmare gave a heartless look that even Izuna stepped back. It was a look that no matter how many corpses piling up, Belmare will encourage war and hold no accountability nor regret the indirect deaths he caused.
“For Daerrougen’s sake, what the hell did False God do in this world when I was away looking for Gevanni?” Izuna murmured before she caught up to Belmare going back to the carriage.
“I hate this place. So crampy.” Lu manifested and thankfully they didn’t damage the carriage despite half of their body bending inside. When Lu manifests, they have total control over whether their form should be spiritual or physical at the same time. This is the reason why when Gevanni roamed the streets earlier, no one can see Lu despite being able to touch and grab things.
“Says the one who lives in such a tiny grimoire. Unless there’s a different world inside,” Gevanni casually commented as if he’s spending time with a pet.
Lu puts their legs over the table and their feet that resemble a goat’s almost pushed Gevanni. Fortunately, the carriage is wide and the seats almost double as a bed. Gevanni moved to the side as he watched the map intently.
Lu grabbed Gevanni’s beverage and drank it through the holes from their mask. “Yuck. Human tastes are truly weird.”
“If I am ambushed right now, how can I fend them off?” Gevanni thought loudly. “I can do a couple of martial arts and acrobatics but it’s hard to sync them with my tail. The delay between switching gives an opening for the enemy to attack.”
Lu taps their head with their finger.
“I can use magic but only if I recently see or know it… Wait a minute. Lu, you can translate everything, right?”
“Vai, without a problem.”
If the things that humans imagined of fantasy are a figment of reality in this world, theoretically, Gevanni indirectly proposes an innovation to the grimoire’s powers, albeit being skeptical of Lu’s supportiveness. “That means I also have access to runic magic.”
Lu laughs hysterically that it made Gevanni immediately cover his ears.
“I never imagine you’d think of that. Even Izuna didn’t come up with that plan.”
From the point of an acting representative of the cursed grimoire, it won’t take long for Gevanni to discover the realm inside of the grimoire and learn its secrets to fully utilize the unbreakable neverending bound rule to new masters—To locate other cursed grimoire users and kill them to obtain new and unorthodox magic.
Upon looking deep down at what Gevanni really thought in the future, Lu calms down. “Before you get excited, I only translate. If you don’t know the nature and concept of runes, it’s nothing but just a silly note.”
“If runic magic is possible and my thoughts can be written without me having to write it… I can use magic without chants.” Gevanni could hardly believe it, but he finally solved how he could fight when he transitioned from attacking using his body and his tail.
“You never cease to amuse me, brat.”
“The fastest way to learn magic is through elves, huh? If they are capable of killing their own kin for the sake of knowledge, that means their population is big or they have someone who can regenerate so fast.”Gevanni hypothesized as he laid his back.
“Assuming the latter, they have sacrificial goats or lifetime slaves… Their nation is the embodiment of what I hated the most. I will bring judgment.” Gevanni said as hunched forward and clasped his hands together.
“Won’t you become the very thing you hated the most?”
“No! Don’t make me a fool, Lu. Even I have standards. All I need to do is take their boss and the mobs will follow me.” Gevanni said with utmost confidence.
“Bold of you to say that when you are only capable of killing in games. In the end, you’re just a mere highschooler with trust issues.”
Gevanni felt insulted as he stared at Lu. However, he couldn’t display it due to still having fear of his own servant. A pitiful mindset chose by a foolish master.
Lu sees this as an opportunity to strengthen Gevanni’s resolve.
“Perhaps, you can’t kill because of what you did to your sister.” Lu lifts up Gevanni’s chin with their finger.
“Don’t remind me. Ever again. It was an accident.” Gevanni slapped away Lu’s finger. This time, he couldn’t contain his disgust towards Lu anymore.
He then remembers the last moments of his sister—screamed at the top of his lungs and pants heavily. Her mind-numbing shriek keeps replaying like a broken record. Every time he tries to forget that scene, the sound of her limbs being crushed makes it even more vivid. There, as he watched and repeated ‘it’s not my fault’ in his mind as he ducks down to the road.
“You are not special. You, alone, trapped in another world. Izuna merely helped you to further her own agenda.” Beneath the mask, Lu is savoring every negative energy Gevanni feels. Perhaps, they were returning the favor for how shitty humans can be. There won’t be suffering if they didn’t exist. There is no any justifiable reason why they revolted and fought for their selflessness against Gods.
Upcoming Illustrated Chapter Teaser
