Chapter 84

The blood-soaked messenger of the church had the soldiers from the castle apprehend him.

He could have been kicked out, but his actions had all been a disregard for the kingdom, especially his impersonation of a certain duke and posing as the messenger, which was a clear crime.

This crime must be exposed by the law, and the entire church, which stands behind him, must be firmly restrained.

I had just vowed to obstruct them at every opportunity.

And then...

The two troublesome things left behind by that bastard...

Two heads.

What to do with them...!?

Even if they are just corpses now, they were once a part of people with dignity.

Moreover, quite a significant part.

Once dead, whether good or evil, it no longer matters.

They should equally welcome the peace of their souls.

For now, I entrusted the head of the priest to the soldiers, and arranged for it to be identified by the state's investigative power and returned to the family.

The problem is Libel's head.

"You've really shrunk, haven't you...!"

I made a light remark to the corpse, and a hollow laugh escaped me at the same time.

Indeed, this head is even smaller than when we first met as children.

I want to give this guy a proper funeral to the extent that the guilt of the living can be alleviated.

But how can I do that?

We were in the same situation, orphans without parents.

We spent our childhood in the same orphanage, and when we grew a little, we left the orphanage together, saying, "We can't stay in a place like this!" and "We're going to become bigger!"

Since then, many things have happened, but what I want to address here is that Libel, like me, had no family, and if he died, there would be no family to accept that fact.

Or, in the five years since we parted, he might have married someone and started a new family, but if that were the case, he wouldn't have proposed to Reslaze, so he probably ended his life alone.

It's unlikely that he had any friends or acquaintances who would mourn him, given that he was shunned by the church and his social circle was probably limited to church-related people.

If that's the case, there would be no one in the world to mourn him.

"You... are really a lonely guy."

I spoke to the bucket containing Libel's severed head.

It's not good for the mind to keep a severed head in sight for too long.

"Even in death, no one will grieve for you or mourn you. Is that what you wanted?"

My friend, who no longer answers.

But you are barely saved.

There is one person here who wants to mourn you.

"Alright."

I stood up with the bucket of heads.

"Noem, I'm going out for a bit."

I called out to Noem, who was engrossed in alchemy research at home.

"Oh, then I'll...!"

Noem, who always wants to be with me, naturally tried to go along, but...

"I'm sorry, but I need to go alone today. You don't have the right to mourn this guy."

I shook the bucket of heads under my arm.

Noem flinched at the ominous presence.

"I don't think it will be dangerous in the capital, but if something happens, I'll come running. You focus on your work."

Noem has grown even more through her experiences in the kingdom of Rurum and the headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild.

Her handling of the "Alchemy King" skill is excellent, and she produces various potions and alchemy items without any hesitation.

She is currently busy mass-producing high-level potions for an order from the production guild.

Such meaningful work should not be interrupted by mourning Libel.

I also feel like it's been a while since I went out alone... but it doesn't seem to be the case.

A ghostly woman appeared with a "doron."

"Surely you don't mean to leave me behind? I'm always free, you know?"

The demon spirit Abinion.

She really has nothing to do. Does she have no ambition to work for the good of the world?

"I want you to follow Noem in case of an emergency."

"You are really overprotective of that girl, aren't you? Don't worry, she has accumulated experience and grown. Her abilities are world-class. The title of Esquire is not for nothing."

Well, Noem is now an S-rank adventurer...

"She has even defeated a girl with the power of a beast in a one-on-one match. There are not many strong people who can do that to her."

"Maybe, but..."

The reason I worry so much about Noem is probably because of the circumstances of our meeting?

After all, she was being transported as a "product" by slave traders.

The pain I saw in her at that time still clings to the back of my eyelids.

"I'll have one of my familiars possess her to protect her in case of an emergency. If it gets too bad, I'll get the news and fly to her rescue."

"That's reassuring... reassuring...?"

"You are really too worried."

Maybe I rely on Abinion more than I thought.

My ability is only to crush opponents at an overwhelming level, a narrow power.

In contrast, Abinion's power is broad, almost omniscient and omnipotent.

How many times have I been saved by Abinion's versatility in the various troubles I've encountered?

Noem's alchemy is the same.

Even with over eight million levels, there are limits to what a person can do.

The most important power a person needs is to borrow the power of others and build trust for that purpose.

"Why didn't you do that? That's why you ended up as just a head."

I spoke to the bucket of heads in my hand.

As expected, there was no answer.

"If you want an answer, I can use my <Spirit Manipulation> ability to make it talk a little."

"No, that's fine."

Abinion's omnipotence sometimes ruins the mood.

Anyway, I should hurry and mourn him. I don't want to carry a severed head for too long.

◆

"So, where are you going to bury that head?"

"Can you phrase that a little better? The purpose is not to abandon a corpse."

I think mourning should have a certain atmosphere.

Just digging a hole and burying it can be done anywhere, but it wouldn't be satisfying for those left behind.

"I have a place in mind where this guy can rest. He might not like it, though."

"Dead people can't dislike anything. Once they die, they feel nothing."

"Hey, ghost."

Is that something you should say?

Well, this guy is just a ghost in appearance, but in reality, he is far beyond that...

"Here we are."

We arrived at our destination while talking.

This is where Libel will rest.

"What is this place?"

"It's an orphanage."

On the side of a simple wooden building, several children were playing in a small open space.

Yeah, this place hasn't changed.

"I was taken in here without parents and spent my childhood here until I was about ten. I met Libel here."

"Hmm, the place where your journey began!?"

"It's not that grand..."

However, children's bodies are weak, and many of them fell ill and never grew up.

Since they had no family, they couldn't be buried in the city cemetery. Therefore, there should be a mound in a corner of the orphanage where children without family are buried.

It's not clear if they will accept Libel, who left the orphanage.

"Excuse me, is there anyone in charge here?"

"What the hell are you!?"

"Oof!?"

I was punched as soon as I greeted.

One of the children playing outside, the height difference made the child's fist hit my crotch.

I had the image of something important being squished in my mind.

"Oooh!? Master, hold on!?"

Wait, Abinion, being shaken now is even more painful!

There are parts that can't be trained even with over eight million levels.

"...!? What is Tom doing to the customer... Ah?"

The woman who came running was an adult with a mature air.

Moreover, from her attire, I could tell she was a nun.

When I was a child in the orphanage, the nuns took care of us, so she must be in charge here.

However, there were no young nuns like her when I was here, so she must be a new addition.

I need to introduce myself in order to avoid confusion...

"Nice to meet you. I was once taken care of here in the orphanage..."

"...Ryuya?"

"Eh?"

Why does she know my name?

Did we meet somewhere... Ah?

I also recognized the face of the young nun.

"Zeta? Is it really you, Zeta!?"