Chapter 8

"Long time no see, my son-in-law. Can you take over for Elise?"

"Yes, I understand. Elise, it's from Cardinal Hohenheim."

"Grandfather, is something wrong?"

* * *

We were having a meal at the mansion when I received a call on my portable magic communication device. When I answered, it was from Cardinal Hohenheim, and it seemed he had some business with Elise.

"It's been a while. Grandfather... Yes... Yes... Is it him? I've been designated... I understand..."

Elise started talking to Cardinal Hohenheim on the portable magic communication device, but gradually her expression turned to one of reluctance, as if she was being asked to do something unpleasant.

"I understand. I'll inform Wendelin as well."

After finishing the call, Elise began to explain the situation to me.

"You want me to take you to the capital, right?"

"Sure, but did Cardinal Hohenheim ask you to do something troublesome?"

"Yes, I think it's troublesome."

Troublesome... Since it's from Cardinal Hohenheim, it must be something related to the church.

"Is it something like purifying a particularly nasty undead?"

"You're right. You probably don't know about the 'Viscount Sherwood,' do you?"

"I don't... know..."

Viscount Sherwood... I feel like I've heard of it, but I'm not sure. In this world, it doesn't seem to be a particularly rare noble name.

"Elise, it's unreasonable to expect you to remember the names of nobles unrelated to Vel."

"You're harsh, Iena."

Well, I agree with Iena; I have no intention of remembering. My brain has better things to do. There's no point in memorizing the names of nobles who might ask for unreasonable things.

"Elise, what kind of person is Viscount Sherwood?"

"He died of illness about a hundred years ago."

Elise answered Louise's question.

"If he died a hundred years ago, is he an undead?"

"Louis, I don't think so. If he were an undead, he would have been purified by the church or Elise long ago."

"But, Iena, what could a person who died a hundred years ago want?"

"A memorial service? He must have been a very important person."

"No, he wasn't. He didn't have any particular achievements."

Elise directly contradicted Iena's theory.

"Then, what kind of person is he? Elise."

El, who seemed interested, asked Elise about Viscount Sherwood.

"Viscount Sherwood... The church doesn't talk about him much, but those who know do. It's not a secret, but..."

According to Elise, Viscount Sherwood was a noble who lived in the capital and wore a clerical robe. He wasn't a particularly bad noble, nor was he particularly capable or had any notable achievements. After inheriting the family name, he did his job as a bureaucrat without any issues, but one day he suddenly died of an illness.

"Just a typical noble."

"He was about thirty-two years old, and I heard he died of heart disease."

It's not uncommon in modern Japan for young people to suddenly die from heart failure. He didn't seem to have an unhealthy lifestyle or any pre-existing conditions, so people at the time were surprised by his death. It was a typical case of sudden death.

"Sometimes it happens, doesn't it?"

It's hard to say anything but 'I'm sorry for your loss.' Such misfortunes can't be prevented. Since he seemed to be in good health, it might not have been helpful to be more careful in his daily life.

There's no point in saying anything about a person who has already died. He's already gone.

"The problem is what happened after Viscount Sherwood died. His soul turned into an undead."

"Hmm. Did he have lingering attachments to this world because he died young?"

El's theory is probably correct. Also, since he died suddenly, he might not have realized he was dead. He might have mistaken himself for being alive and started acting as a wraith.

"He tried to live a normal life at home and go to work. Of course, it was a nuisance, so a priest who could 'purify' at the time sent him to heaven. However..."

Here, the special nature of Viscount Sherwood becomes an issue.

"Normally, purified spirits don't return to this world. They perform training in heaven to be reborn."

Training, Elise says definitively. Since it's part of the church's doctrine, she has no room for doubt. It doesn't seem wrong, and it feels similar to the concept of reincarnation on Earth.

"Exceptions are the 'hero summoning' like my master, or the rare occurrence of a medium."

"A medium can only let the dead speak through the medium's body. It's impossible for a spirit to appear in the real world after being purified."

"But Viscount Sherwood is an exception, right?"

"Yes, no matter how many times he is purified, he keeps returning to this world periodically."

In response to Iena's question, Elise answered.

"The church wants to keep his periodic return to this world as secret as possible. It's difficult, but..."

It's a matter of the church's credibility. If an undead that was supposed to be purified returns from the afterlife, it would suggest that the purification didn't work. This would affect the church's credibility, so they want to keep it as quiet as possible.

"Almost every three years, he returns to this world, and the church deals with it. I have also been responsible for purification, and my grandfather wants me to cooperate."

"Is that so? Huh? But..."

Since I met Elise, have I ever done a purification of an undead that doesn't disappear?

"The last time I purified Viscount Sherwood was about three months before I met you. Since then, I've been busy, so someone else must have been doing the purification."

No matter how many times he is purified, he occasionally returns to this world. It's a significant exception, but exceptions exist in every era.

"Can other people do the purification? Why does Elise have to do it now?"

"Indeed, it's strange."

Iena is right. If other people can do the purification, there's no need for Elise to do it. In fact, since Elise has not purified Viscount Sherwood since she was twelve.

"It seems he was designated."

"Designated? By who? Cardinal Hohenheim?"

"No, by Viscount Sherwood himself."

An undead designating someone to purify them? It's a bit confusing.

"Although he is an undead, Viscount Sherwood looks like a living person and can talk normally. He doesn't cause any trouble. He says he occasionally returns to this world to report the state of this world to other dead people and the gods."

Was he asked by a god? Is that really possible?

"He says so, and there are no records of such a regularly returning dead person in the old church records."

Viscount Sherwood is an exception among exceptions. Since it's true, it's hard to completely deny it. Perhaps the gods in the afterlife also listen to Viscount Sherwood's reports about this world. It seems like the gods could see this world themselves, but...

"We'll see when we get there. Elise, shall we go?"

"Please."

With this, Elise and I headed to the capital using 'instant teleportation.'

* * *

"Grandfather, it's been a while."

"Oh! I'm sorry, Elise, and my son-in-law. If it weren't for this matter, I would have brought Friedrich to see you..."

Cardinal Hohenheim welcomed us in his office at the church headquarters. Usually, we meet at the mansion, but since the undead Viscount Sherwood is being hidden in a room at the church headquarters, we were called here.

"Elise was designated?"

"Viscount Sherwood is a man, so he probably prefers to be purified by a young woman rather than a strange male magician."

"I see."

While saying this, Cardinal Hohenheim couldn't hide his displeasure, as if to say, 'I understand your feelings, but don't look at my precious granddaughter that way!'

"Will you not entrust the purification to someone else?"

"Well, my son-in-law, Viscount Sherwood is special."

According to Cardinal Hohenheim, there are things that need to be done before purifying Viscount Sherwood.

"Things that need to be done?"

"If he is purified immediately, he will return to this world in three days. His wish must be granted before purification."

"Troublesome."

"Yes, it's troublesome, but it would be even more troublesome if he returned every three days. Therefore, his wish must be granted."

The dead person asks for a wish to be granted, and the living person fulfills it. It reminds me of a TV special on the paranormal, but in that case, the dead person never returned after their wish was granted. Viscount Sherwood, on the other hand, might be a bit presumptuous.

"There's no point in just talking. Let's meet Viscount Sherwood."

Saying this, Cardinal Hohenheim led us to a room that is not often used.

"What is this room?"

"The church has rooms that are not used regularly. This one is suitable for keeping Viscount Sherwood."

When Cardinal Hohenheim opened the door to the room, a young nobleman in his early thirties was there. At first glance, he doesn't look like an undead. He looks like a living person. Even though he is a wraith, he doesn't seem to be a typical one.

"Elise, it's been a while."

He called out to Elise in a familiar and smooth tone, which is quite unusual for a dead person. Viscount Sherwood is a very special case.

"Hello, Viscount Sherwood."

Elise greeted him with her usual smile, but I could tell she didn't like him.

"Really? You've become even more beautiful. You got married and had a child, right? Your breasts have gotten even bigger. I wish I could have touched them once if I weren't an undead."

"..."

He was a terrifyingly lecherous man. This is bad. If I worked for a trading company, he would have been fired immediately. I can understand why Elise doesn't want to see him.

"Can't you show a little restraint?"

"I decided not to be considerate when I died."

Cardinal Hohenheim's reprimand had no effect on Viscount Sherwood. Indeed, he was a normal person in life, but after death, he lost all restraint. In life, he wouldn't want to make an enemy of a powerful church figure like Cardinal Hohenheim, but in death, it doesn't matter. It's like a 'posthumous debut.'

"Who is this dull man?"

"He is Elise's husband."

Viscount Sherwood asked who I was, and Cardinal Hohenheim answered briefly. Still, to treat someone as a dull man... He himself looks like a dull man.

"Elise, did you marry such a boring man? Did your grandfather force you?"

"Lord Wendelin is a very kind husband."

"Being kind is not enough."

This guy is really annoying. Boldly harassing Elise and treating people as dull... I was getting increasingly angry, and I unconsciously released magic.

"Ouch! It's hot!"

I recently improved 'Holy Light' to be able to fire it like a beam from my fingertips. I developed it to be effective for sniping undead from a distance, and it seems to work well.