Chapter 367: 193. The Boundary Between Life and Death -3

Chapter 367: 193. The Boundary Between Life and Death -3

Translated by A Passing Wanderer

Edited by RED

The Kingdom of Aihrance had fallen to the Jötnar.

Its verdant terrain was now gone, replaced by shifting sands, thick mud, and barren rocks. It was like looking at a barren planet with no lifeforms living on it.

There was no point in even mentioning the current state of Aihrance’s capital. All the buildings there were covered in mounds of sand. The environment had been changed to one where no vegetation could ever grow.

In front of the Aihrance royal castle was the Magic Giant, Utgar, grinning insidiously at his deeds.

-If someone among you manages to lift this cat up, I shall let all of you live.- .

Utgar, boasting a physique around thirty metres tall and seemingly made out of mud and tree vines, was staring at a group of humans before it.

All of them were magicians who looked emaciated and sickly. They were standing around frozen in place.

The magicians, who had been pushed to the brink of insanity from thirst, stared at a cat before Utgar. This little animal was sticking its belly tightly to the ground. At a casual glance, it didn’t even look thirty centimetres in length.

One of the magicians staggered towards this cat and tried to pick it up. However, it was like trying to lift a boulder; the damn thing didn’t even budge from the spot.

“H-how can it be this heavy…?”

-Oops, my bad. I forgot to say this earlier. All those who fail to lift the cat up…- Utgar’s insidious grin deepened. -…will become my nourishment.-

The Magic Giant raised its hand and lightly snapped its fingers.

At his gesture, the body of the magician who tried to pick up the cat suddenly floated into the air.

“W-what is going on?! What… What are you…?!” The magician gasped out and stared at his own hands, then at the rest of his body.

He was being broken down into particles of sand, only to be slowly sucked into Utgar’s mouth.

-You shouldn’t fret, for you’re merely returning to the embrace of pure Mana.-

“N-no, wait! Nooo…!”

In the end, the magician was literally wiped from the world. Only his empty clothes remained to fall to the ground in a heap.

The other magicians, currently bound in ropes as if they were slaves, stiffened up even further.

-Ahaha! I really like this place. Plenty of Mana, and that means lots of nourishment for me. Mmm, I’ll probably miss this place a lot when the world reverts to primordial nature later.-

Utgar voiced its thoughts aloud before shifting its gaze over to the other magicians.

-Alright, next. You, pick up the cat. Then I shall let you live.-

Just as the magicians cowered in fear, the oldest veteran among them stepped out from their ranks. “Y-you liar of a Jötunn, are you trying to deceive us all?”

-Oh? What do you mean?-

The old veteran, his face covered in cold sweat, pointed at the cat. “Stop thinking of deceiving us. That is no ordinary cat, is it not?”

-Oh-ho!- Utgar exclaimed in genuine admiration. The mud and wrinkled vegetation making up its face shifted around to create a human-like expression.

-Yes, that’s the correct answer.-

The Magic Giant lightly waved its hand around.

At that same moment, the ‘cat’ suddenly ballooned up.

The magicians stumbled back ungainly. In front of them now was a huge coiled snake lying on its belly. The creature was at least five metres in height, but almost eighty metres in length.

This giant snake was constructed out of mud and intertwining branches and vines. As for the ‘cat’, it was merely a small part of this huge creature’s tail.

-You have managed to solve the puzzle of Hjorth, I see!-

Hjorth seemed to be the name of this snake.

-As the reward for the correct answer…- Utgar clapped its hands lightly, -I shall now grant you an opportunity.-

Almost in the blink of an eye, a Warp magic circle was drawn up all around the magicians.

-I shall warp you all out of here. However.- Utgar narrowed its eyes to slits. -It all depends on you whether you can survive or not.-

The magicians were broken down into light particles, and their view instantly changed. All they could see now was sand-covered terrain.

“W-where is this?”

The old veteran magician hurriedly looked around and spotted the capital of Aihrance in the far distance.

One of the magicians cried out, “W-we are outside the city, Tower Master!”

The old veteran sighed in relief.

Although he was aware of how unpredictable a Jötunn’s whims could be, he never imagined in his wildest dreams that the giant would let them go this easily.

“Let’s hurry and escape from here! We should head to the Theocratic Empire at once. His Majesty said that he’d go there, so we must also…!”

The magician, referred to as the Tower Master by the others, issued new orders. But just as the group began hurriedly moving through the desert…

They all flinched in surprise and stared at the scene before their eyes. The shifting sands were slowly gathering up and soon, morphed into a massive tornado.

This sudden tornado’s fierce winds then began rumbling directly towards the magicians.

“…R-run away!”

“But, to where?!”

The Tower Master looked around urgently, but there was no other place to go, except back toward the capital city. In the end, the magicians had no choice but to make the difficult journey back to the city.

But then, their view suddenly changed once again.

Utgar was standing before them once more!

-Welcome back.- The Magic Giant pointed to a thin old man this time. -If you win in a wrestling match against this old man, I shall grant you all your freedom.-

The complexions of the magicians all grew deathly pale. They already knew that the old man was in fact, a giant that had been made to look small through illusions.

Just as Utgar was continuing on with its pranks, sand began rushing towards a spot. Even the boulders rolled in and combined into a solid mass, eventually creating a giant almost forty metres in height.

-Utgar!-

When its name was called out, Utgar replied with a slightly sullen expression on its face, -Been a while, Hrungnir. Has it been around a month now?-

-You fool, just how long are you planning to keep these insects alive?- Hrungnir pointed at the humans below. -Kill them all, now. Are they not disgusting, hateful insects?!-

-…What’s wrong with what I’m doing? It’s rather entertaining to keep around a few insects, after all.-

-You fool, you are not scheming of doing something behind our backs, now are you?!-

-No, of course not! Why would I?- Utgar dismissively shrugged its shoulders.

-Because, you punk, you love ‘nature’, don’t you?-

-That’s right. What I love is nature, not humans.- The Magic Giant shot back at the Earth Giant, Hrungnir.

The latter was about to say something in its defence, only for Utgar to suddenly flinch and stop. It raised its hand and stopped the Earth Giant from speaking.

-Hold on. Surtr’s aura… it has been severed.-

-What did you say?!-

Utgar waved its hand in the air. Sand swirled and spun around in a vortex before disappearing, only to be replaced by a lake filled with pristine water.

The Magic Giant stared at the water’s surface. -Hmm… Surtr has been killed.-

-What are you talking about?! You bastard, have you gone senile all of a sudden?! And you even said that Hrímr died not too long ago, too!-

-Truly incredible! Could there be someone in this world strong enough to fight against us?-

-…You were being truthful?-

Utgar’s eyes trembled in shock. -How powerful! Far, far stronger than us, no less!- Just as Hrungnir grew rather confused, Utgar began tilting its head this way and that and muttered, -However, also rather frail, too. That being seems to be unstable, incomplete.-

-Just who are you talking about?-

-It’s this one.-

Utgar shuffled away from the spot, allowing the Earth Giant to peer into the surface of the lake and see a certain human male.

He lay unmoving as if he had died already, while someone else was urgently pressing down on his chest to perform first aid.

Hrungnir asked, -Is he a Jötunn?-

-No, he isn’t.-

-Oh? Then, a very tall human? About thirty metres tall?-

-He’s probably not even two metres in height.-

The Earth Giant deeply scrunched up its face. -An insignificant insect, then.-

-Indeed, an insect. However, the power he wields is quite peculiar. Only one being can wield that kind of power, and that’s him. This punk possesses the ‘authority’ of the gods. Authority, to control both life and death.- Utgar narrowed its eyes. -Not only that, this monster can even steal away our own authority, too.-

-What do you mean by that?-

-Both Surtr and Hrímr have been devoured by this punk. Meaning, if we leave that human alone until he can recover, then we will be devoured next.- Utgar turned its head over the snake made out of mud and vegetation named Hjorth. -Go, and devour that human!-

The gigantic snake, Hjorth, raised its head as if to say it understood, then began burrowing into the ground rapidly.

-We should also get ready. Let us march out.-

-Hmm, you are suddenly overflowing with enthusiasm,- the Earth Giant Hrungnir spoke with a somewhat surprised face.

That prompted the Magic Giant Utgar to reply sourly, -If Hjorth fails in its task, then we will have only one chance left.-

While saying that, Utgar snapped its fingers. Sand gathered in one mass before water was added to create thick mud. The giant began carving and shaping it.

It was obvious that Utgar was trying to create something. While in the middle of its task to create a mud doll, the Magic Giant turned its head. -You fools should also get ready to mobilise.-

Utgar’s gaze shifted lower and stared at a certain vampire below. -Oh, the king of all vampires.-

The Vampire King, Vlandmir, grasped his spear tightly.

**

“Everyone, leave! You’ll only be a hindrance!” Alice yelled out while shoving other people outside the hastily-constructed barracks.

Charlotte hesitated, an expression of worry still etched on her face.

Alice addressed her resolutely, “Please believe in me.”

Charlotte nodded silently and exited the barracks as well.

On the other hand, a large contingent of Priests donning the distinctive bird-beak masks streamed inside. They lifted up their staves before slamming them down on the floor to signal the start of their prayers.

Divinity gushed out from them, helping to extend Allen’s life.

“E-excuse me, what about us, ma’am…?” Laurence asked cautiously, with Roy standing behind him.

Inside the large tent, Allen was lying on an altar, while Priests were standing on either side of him. Laurence and Roy were progressively getting more flustered by this heavy and awkward atmosphere.

“As you can see, your son Roy is nervous right now. You need to stay with him to calm him down,” said Alice.

“I-I shall do so, my lady. H-however, Roy is a just normal child. Surely he can’t do something strange as you have said…”

“No, not true. Your son is a very special person.”

Even during her replies, Alice didn’t let go of Allen’s hand. Cold sweat drenched her body as she continued to drive divinity in his body.

“I’m s-special? B-but, I’m just a regular servant, miss,” said Roy.

He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

All those bird-beak masks looked scary, and even though today should be his first time seeing this person called the Holy Emperor, he still felt this instinctive fear.

Alice reached out with her free hand and grasped the boy’s shoulder. “Roy, we need your help. You must call His Majesty’s soul back.”

“But, how can I do that…?”

“Roy, you’ve been studying magic in the local church, haven’t you?”

The boy nodded. Although his family was poor, for some reason both the Frants Royal Family and the Theocratic Empire supported his studies.

Not only did he receive an endless supply of holy water, he was even gifted several valuable books containing magical knowledge, and a Paladin named Harman even taught him swordsmanship techniques, too!

“B-but, I’m still not good at anyth…”

“And now, I’m going to tell you about the theory behind Necromancy.”

Alice patiently explained the simplified version of the theory. It shouldn’t be too complicated, since the boy’s role was to simply bring Allen’s soul back.

As the boy used to be a vampire, he should be able to control souls, at least subconsciously. Her job was to make Roy realise that.

“E-excuse me… Lady Saintess? I know my son is a genius, but even then, he still won’t understand that quickly just by listening to the explanatio…”

“…I understand it all now.”

Laurence was taken aback by Roy’s reply, and looked at his son. Even the boy himself was inwardly flustered. He wondered how he could have already known about such things.

“Very good. From this moment on, you have only one role.” Alice nodded before shifting her attention over to the Priests.

One of them pushed forward a silver bowl filled with holy water; water created by Allen. It was basically the same as the gateway connecting to the Heavenly World.

“Please, you must call out to His Majesty Allen’s soul.”

“B-but, I…”

“You can do this!” Alice spoke in a firm tone. But when Roy’s expression stiffened, she inwardly went ‘Oops!’ and quickly took a deep breath to slow herself down. “I’m sorry. I was being too emotional just now.”

“N-no, it’s fine.” Roy shook his head, then turned to look at Laurence.

The boy recalled all those stories his father told him over the years. Like how the Holy Emperor rescued Laurence from the lair of a vampire called the Farmer, and how he had saved Roy from the potential misery of living with a broken body.

It was all thanks to the Holy Emperor that Roy got to hold his father’s hand like right now, or how he got to see his mother’s happy smile.

Roy gripped Laurence’s hand tightly, before speaking up in a determined voice, “I’ll try!”

“Thank you.” Alice smiled faintly, then held Allen’s hand even tighter. She pressed her forehead against the back of his hand. ‘I pray that you safely return to our side, Your Majesty.’

**

(TL: In 1st person POV.)

I glanced down at my right hand.

It kinda felt like someone was holding my hand. Was I mistaken, though?

I returned my gaze back ahead of me. There was nothing here beside sand, and that got old real fast.

I couldn’t help but quip, “…You know what, grandfather? I enjoy travelling and sightseeing, but never in my wildest imagination did I think that I’d get to sightsee the attractions of Hell like this.”

I was still sitting on the beach, and Kelt was standing next to me.

“Not only that, a reunion with my dead grandfather, too.”

Technically speaking, he was my grandpa only biologically, but still.

I smacked my lips a little. Even though the soul in the body had been swapped out, to think that the appearance would remain the same…

Did this qualify as a fortune among misfortune, then? If not, I could’ve experienced some serious… ‘friction’ with Kelt right about now.

“All of this is the will of the gods.”

I looked at Kelt after he said some things I couldn’t quite understand.

After taking a good look at his current state, I realised that he looked completely fine to me.

“Grandfather, you’re not a skeleton.”

Kelt shrugged his shoulders. “In Purgatory, you are left with only your bones. The sinners have had their flesh stripped away from them and become the walking dead, the creatures who are lost to their hunger and primitive instincts. However…” He pointed beyond the boundary, to the Heavenly World that was infinitely brighter than the opposite side. “When you go that side, you acquire a new body. Either the body you used to possess back when you were still alive, or a new one that you will reincarnate into. That is how the cycle of life works, grandson.”

I glanced at the Heavenly World beyond the boundary.

For sure, the energy of life overflowed in that place. Divinity also existed there, too. I could see some souls occasionally flying around, but I didn’t spot anyone with solid physical bodies made out of divinity.

Actually, most of them seemed to be souls formed out of Mana.

“…Are there no skeletons in the Heavenly World? But, I’ve been summoning those types of undead a lot, you know?”

“That’s because you are a special case. I mean, really. You summon the dead through the will of divinity, don’t you?”

I suddenly remembered the Dark Elf, Tina. Now that I thought about it… Didn’t she tell me something similar back then? After she had a chat with one of my holy undead?

Right, she told me that those holy undead didn’t have souls bound to them, and that they were soldiers constructed through the will of divinity.

“And in the case of Rahamma, Kasim, Nasus and Mikael, you summoned their souls after purifying them, so they are now bound to you.”

Man, so complicated…

While listening to Kelt, I looked up at the sky dazedly. But rather than an actual sky, there was a surface of water brightly glistening up there.

It almost felt like I could hear this strangely nostalgic voice calling out to me.

“In any case, am I dead, grandfather?”

“What, you?” Kelt shook his head. “No, you are not. However, you’re indeed stuck at the boundary between the worlds of life and death.”

“Well, that sends a nasty chill down my back, alright.”

Did that mean I could cross the boundary at any moment now?

Well, damn. Then again, considering everything I had done so far, it would be more strange for me to not die, actually.

“Indeed, grandson. You are currently…” Kelt narrowed his eyes, “…in a very precarious state.”

Fin.