Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Dead-Spirit Realm

―……The manifested ancestor’s soul is worn away a little.

“How much is a little?”

―Less than half.

It was an ambiguous answer. There was a simple solution I could use at times like this.

Putting myself in another’s shoes.

If we switched positions, the answer came surprisingly easily.

“What if I found your descendants and manifested you through ‘Bloodline Reversal’?”

Abdul’s eyebrows twitched. He let out a faint sigh.

―……I would become a blank-minded fool. Not that I would truly become stupid, but I would lose many memories and functions, and end up wandering.

“I want to try it once someday.”

Abdul nodded, but his hands trembled faintly. Judging from that reaction, it seemed the summoned ancestor’s soul would definitely be ruined.

―If I were to speak of the secret art called “Nurturing the Black Fetus”…….

It was an extremely dangerous secret art that gathered the remnants of dead spirits and created a new existence.

“Does it create a living being?”

―Extremes meet. If one studies death, one inevitably reaches creation. Unfortunately, “Nurturing the Black Fetus” did not reach the secret of creation.

It might have been an interesting secret art for a necromancer, but none of it particularly drew my curiosity. It was obvious that if I used it thoughtlessly, I would be branded a demon and end up pursued by the Church and the royal family.

“Is there anything like storage magic?”

―Do you mean an art for storing objects beyond dimensions?

“Whatever it is, it would be nice if there were a secret art that conveniently stores objects.”

After thinking for a moment, Abdul gave an answer.

―……With the Dead-Spirit Realm, Master could comfortably store or retrieve objects.

At that moment, information from the Akashic Records about the Dead-Spirit Realm was heard.

―The Dead-Spirit Realm is an abyssal realm sunk at the boundary of dimensions. The living cannot cross even its boundary, and only those belonging to death and sacred objects can enter and leave it. This place, where the essence of necromancy flows and souls and impure energy are tangled together, touches Yog-Sothoth’s domain, but his gaze has not yet lingered there. However, if an existence that draws his alien interest remains there, the Dead-Spirit Realm shall no longer be a refuge.

“How many sacrifices are needed to perform the Dead-Spirit Realm secret art?”

―A generous estimate would be 100 people.

The old man was polite, but the meaning contained in his words was brutal.

“Would that much be enough? There is also the blood the Necronomicon drank before.”

The place I pointed to had prey piled high.

They were things Karkash and Baluka had hunted. Not only Vulfs and horned rabbits, but giant rats and insect-type monsters could also be seen.

When I stared at the insect and focused, the voice of the Akashic Records sounded.

―The Shaiov is a spore-type insectoid that appears in the abandoned mine region north of Azif. Adults measure 1.5 meters in length and weigh around 80 kilograms. They scatter hallucinogenic spores in response to mental instability. Once exposed to the spores, one’s sense of reality blurs, and they can act as a dangerous factor for necromancers. By Deville’s classification standards, they are classified as “small C- Grade monsters,” and they sometimes show group behavior.

There was only 1 Shaiov, but it was a monster comparable to the Vamp I had faced before.

Its spore attack had not worked on Baluka, so it seemed he had been able to hunt it without difficulty.

―The Magrat is a strange creature that inhabits the wetlands of southern Rubalt. Adults measure 3 meters in length and weigh around 250 kilograms. Their internal organs possess the trait of absorbing and altering magic power. By Deville’s classification standards, they correspond to “medium D+ Grade monsters,” and their strength is estimated at the level of 3 horsepower.

‘There must be an abandoned mine region nearby. I should make time to search it later.’

The information the Akashic Records occasionally provided contained secrets of this world.

―Caught it, Master!

Karkash approached with heavy thudding steps. In his hands, he held a bear that was still alive, but it stopped resisting and went limp.

Life Force Absorption!

It was the necromantic secret art engraved into the artifact Grok Naal that summoned Karkash.

‘I wonder what grade Karkash is.’

As if reading my thoughts, the voice of the Akashic Records sounded.

―Karkash is a Lizardman warrior who reigned beneath the desert flames, and a medium B Grade dead spirit manifested beyond death. After being invoked through necromantic secret art, he became bound to Grok Naal and shares existence with it. Through the secret arts of “Spirit Invocation” and “Life Force Absorption” engraved into that relic, he can continue survival even without sacrifices. Originally, he was fated to fail in summoning, but an exception occurred because the dead spirit’s master permitted it. From now on, his survival depends solely on the preservation of Grok Naal. If it is destroyed, his soul shall be extinguished with it.

Surprisingly, Karkash was an existence approaching a high-grade Vamp, and he could survive without my help.

With Karkash and Baluka alone, it seemed possible to clean up the area around Azif. Perhaps even the subjugation of the Poison Goblins, the target of the promotion request, would be possible.

I placed the Necronomicon atop the pile of corpses. Since I could not take the monster corpses back to the Barony of Azif anyway, I used them as food for the Necronomicon for now.

The Necronomicon sucked the blood from the freshly dead corpses in streams, and it gleamed with more luster than ever before.

And the skin of “Abdul Alhazard,” who was subordinated to the Necronomicon, grew taut along with it.

‘Just by looking at Abdul’s appearance, I can tell how much blood the Necronomicon has absorbed.’

―Ughhh. My apologies, Master. I have committed a discourtesy.

Abdul swallowed a burp while covering his mouth with his arm.

A flush settled on his cheeks as he politely apologized to me.

“Can you make the Dead-Spirit Realm with that much?”

―You ask if I can? The power of dead spirits is overflowing so much that I feel I will lose my mind if I do not do something.

Abdul gripped his staff with both hands, lifted it slightly, and struck it against the ground.

THUUUD!

Black liquid wriggled up from the ground touched by the staff.

‘Blood?’

It was rotten blood that reeked. It began to move in writhing masses, and before long, it drew a large circle.

Inside the circle, geometric letters that seemed to be Arabic filled it.

‘A magic circle?’

When the circular magic circle was completed, heavy energy settled around it.

It was probably “magic power” extracted from blood.

Thanks to reading the Necronomicon steadily, I could understand how necromantic secret arts were performed.

FLAAAAASH!

The magic circle emitted light, then disappeared without a trace before long.

“Did it succeed?”

Abdul Alhazard, who had once again become wrinkled, looked back at me with a somewhat exhausted expression. He leaned on his staff and nodded, then stabbed the air with the staff that was taller than himself.

Then space split open.

From the side, there was nothing on the opposite side. Yet when I looked at the torn space from the front, a hazy world could be seen translucently.

I reached out and touched the space.

My hand passed right through the split space, and just then, Baluka and Flambeju, who had finished hunting and were returning, approached this way.

―What have you done while I was gone? The earth is crying! The sky is spewing wrath! Necronomicon, is this your doing?

Abdul could not see the blond Flambeju, and seemed able to hear only his voice. He spoke politely toward empty air.

―I am called Abdul Alhazard, not the Necronomicon. I am a necromancer who answered Master’s call.

―Why did you call something like this? Am I not enough by myself? I staked everything to bring you here! And yet you give your heart to someone other than me!

The blond young man scolded me, veins standing out in his neck.

The old man, who had passed sixty, could not even make a sound and only bowed his head.

Baluka seemed to have no interest in the old man and looked back at Karkash while swallowing his drool. It seemed he was imagining slaughtering Karkash.

Karkash stood still with a blank expression.

“I’ll be taking him around too. Abdul has also rendered merit in bringing me to this world.”

―Y-You……! I am the first! Whatever else happens, you must not forget that I am the most precious sacred object to Master!

“Of course.”

Flambeju’s face reddened. As if that was enough for him, he puffed up both cheeks and stepped back.

When I gestured, Baluka handed me the Holy Sword.

When I pushed the Holy Sword into the split space, the blond spirit sulking beside me vanished.

When I pulled the sword back, Flambeju’s spirit appeared with a crackle, like an old cathode-ray television breaking down.

―W-W-What did you do? Where did you send me?!

‘Necromantic Secret Art: Dead-Spirit Realm’ was a success.

“You said living beings cannot be stored, and it seems that is really true. Can these things be stored in the Dead-Spirit Realm?”

―Of course, Master.

Abdul thumped his lower back with a small clenched fist and walked toward the monster corpses that had been stripped of all their blood.

Every time he poked a corpse with his staff, it vanished with a whoosh, like dust being sucked into a vacuum cleaner.

As if he could not endure it any longer, Flambeju widened his eyes and shouted.

―Not a living being? I am alive! I have lived longer than any living being!

Tears gathered in Flambeju’s smooth face. No matter what expression he made, his appearance was perfect enough to make one stare blankly.

I stroked his head.

“You are special in many ways, so you probably do not belong to ordinary living beings. By any chance, did you feel some special gaze when you went inside?”

Flambeju’s expression melted softly. He deliberately made a sulky face and replied.

―Who would see me? Across my long years, Master is the only one who has ever been able to see me.

“I’m glad there was nothing. In any case, from now on, I’ll refrain from storing you in there. You are special, after all.”

―T-That is right! You finally recognize the true value of this great self! I am the sacred object of the beginning and the first Holy Sword. I am not an existence to be treated like some trivial object. Now that you understand, serve me properly even now.

The reason I decided not to store Flambeju in the Dead-Spirit Realm was because of the Akashic Records’ warning.

‘If an alien existence or object capable of drawing Yog-Sothoth’s interest stays there, the Dead-Spirit Realm may no longer be a safe place.’

In a short time, the pile of corpses disappeared.

“Can Karkash be stored too?”

―It is possible, Master.

Abdul poked Karkash’s long tail with his staff, and he vanished without a trace.

“Bring him back.”

―Yes, Master.

Karkash staggered, then looked around quickly.

―Here! Was gone, but here! Master!

Karkash ran to my side. He stood beside me like a spire, and he was fairly reassuring.

―Protect, Master. Master here, Karkash here.

Those summoned by me clearly knew that they could exist because of me.

“We should subjugate the Poison Goblins before going back, shouldn’t we?”

―Do not worry whether those pathetic things number 200 or 300! If you command these ones, you can win easily!