Chapter 24: Hell for Rest
“Deus!”
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
The carpet on the floor quivered with intensity. Consumed by fury, he strode hastily, each of his footsteps reverberating with a volatile surge of mana. In response, Finden Ai swiftly reacted, catching the teetering vase on the edge of the desk and preventing it from crashing to the floor.
"Phew, I almost had to go shopping again."
Finden Ai released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and shot a piercing glare at the door. As if on cue, Darius swung open the door with a creak, entering the room at the perfect moment.
"What nonsense is this?"
As I arranged the candles, I glanced briefly at Darius before refocusing on my task.
It seemed to irritate Darius’ nerves so much that he stomped towards me.
“Nope.”
Finden Ai shrugged her shoulders and stood between us, naturally blocking the way.
Darius, who had suffered two humiliating defeats at her hands already, gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and shouted at me from beyond her.
“Digging up the tombs of previous family heads? Have you truly lost your mind!"
Darius drew his sword from his waist and swung it in the air, his veins bulging as he yelled.
"Accepting the immigrants into North Whedon, entering the forbidden underground of the family, hiring a damn prostitute as a maid! I let everything slide, but I can't tolerate this!"
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get past Finden Ai anyway, I remained silent and continued with my task.
There's no time. The moon is about to rise.
"Calm down a bit."
At that moment, Deia, who was in my room, sighed and calmed Darius down.
He looked at Deia with a puzzled expression, as if wondering why she was here.
Deia subtly showed the clock she held in her hand.
Today’s five minutes were not over yet.
“Deus is doing what needs to be done... The task that Verdi should bear.”
Upon hearing those words, Darius immediately scowled at Deia.
“The task that Verdi should bear? Are you saying that it must be done even if we have to dig up the tombs of the previous lords! Our father is there too!"
“……It is… still necessary.”
Darius was taken aback by Deia who was biting her lip, looking determined.
It seemed unbelievable to him that Deia, who disliked me more than anyone else, was siding with me.
"Ugh, explain it. Damn it! Explain the reason for doing such a thing!"
As I was also ready to have a conversation, I slowly turned around and looked at Darius.
“I am a necromancer.”
“What?”
Darius looked at me with a gaping mouth, completely surprised by the sudden declaration.
His reaction was understandable. It wouldn't be too strange for the guards of the Griffin Kingdom to come and take me away due to such a statement.
"Numerous spirits are wandering in this mansion right now. And the Verdi family is the one that has prevented them from finding peace as the deceased."
I stepped forward slowly.
With Finden Ai naturally stepping aside, I glared at Darius in front of me.
"Deia and I bear the guilt of ignorance. But you, being the head, knew all the secrets written in the journal."
“…….”
"Help me. I'm giving you a chance to take responsibility one last time."
"Take responsibility?"
Darius, understanding the situation, slammed his sword onto the ground and glared at me, as if releasing his anger.
“You want me to take responsibility for what the previous lords have done! But let me ask you, is there anyone in this world who is truly innocent? And who can claim with certainty that our judgment against the previous lords is justified?"
"..."
"I, too, know that they committed sins. But there's nothing I can change! I can only continue dragging Verdi along as it has been!"
After looking at Darius for a moment, I calmly nodded.
“I understand.”
At my understanding, Darius looked at me with surprise and confusion in his eyes.
"It's already been built up for hundreds of years. So, as the newly appointed lord, you probably can't change anything."
Darius tightly closed his eyes and clenched his fist. It seemed like he was struggling to hold back something rising inside him.
"But you can't just get used to it and eventually consider it natural. We can not simply avoid it saying it's inevitable."
“…”
"Give me a chance. A chance to settle everything, cleanse all the sins, and start a new Verdi."
"A new Verdi."
"Yes. I hope you’ll make the right choice as the family head."
With those words, I walked out of the room, and Finden Ai followed behind me, carrying our belongings.
From behind, I could hear the voices of Deia and Darius, but I simply ignored them and stepped outside.
Most of the previous lords were buried on a site not far from the Verdi mansion.
Some bodies couldn't be found due to the war, and some were lost due to unforeseen circumstances, but most were properly laid to rest.
"He has arrived."
The members of the Gocheolsang crew, who were already waiting near the cemetery by my command, lowered their heads deeply as soon as they saw me.
Not liking their attitude, Finden Ai immediately grabbed the head of the person in front and expressed her annoyance.
“Hey, won’t you greet me?”
"Ugh!"
-"But, isn't he the master now?"
-"Thanks to him, we're doing great!"
Having been slaves and later becoming rebels, their situation hadn't changed much in the Republic. But here, they were provided with jobs, a place to rest, and meals. The discrimination they faced from the locals was only a mild annoyance for those who had experienced the true disparities of social status.
With a simple nod to them, I entered the cemetery.
The cemetery prepared for the past lords was meticulously maintained, with not a speck of dust, and the fences were sturdy as well.
Once Finden Ai meticulously positioned the candles I had prepared beforehand in the east, west, south, and north directions, I proceeded to place the remaining ones at the entrance with great care.
The family servants gathered from afar. The butler, the eldest of them, was bringing a ceremonial drum as I requested. Well, I’d requested a trumpet, but they didn’t seem to have one.
“Finden Ai, as I mentioned, please guide her.”
"...Yes, I'll do my best at least for this."
Nodding her head, Finden Ai headed back to the mansion.
I quietly watched her back for a moment, then took note of the servants and Gocheolsang crew members.
They were looking at me as if they didn't understand what was going on, but ignoring that I tapped the ground with my cane and gave an order.
“From now on, the servants will receive the guests who will come from the mansion. Don’t let anyone get in the way of them getting here.”
Some of the less experienced ones looked puzzled, but most of them listened attentively without a word.
"The Verdi family owes a great debt. Treat them as politely and courteously as possible."
"Yes, understood."
The head butler replied with a deep bow.
Next was the Gocheolsang crew.
"You guys, protect them. The number of approaching beings may be large, but with your skills, it shouldn't be too difficult."
"Of course."
The vice-captain of the Gocheolsang crew confidently replied, thumping his chest.
Upon hearing that response, I turned my body and entered the cemetery.
The elderly butler, as we had agreed beforehand, held the ceremonial drum and stood at the entrance.
“Beat the drums regularly. If it's difficult, you can take turns with other members, but the sound of the drum must not stop."
"Understood."
"Start immediately."
Bam.
The sound of the drum began to resonate.
At the same time, the servants, bustling about in preparation to receive the guests, and the Gocheolsang crew members, who drew their weapons and formed a protective perimeter, moved in a coordinated manner.
It's very convenient when they follow the orders without needing detailed explanations. I thought and firmly planted the tip of my cane into the ground.
The earth gave way, creating a hollow pit, and I began infusing mana into it.
It wasn't my mana.
All of it belonged to the spirits trapped within me.
Whoosh!
Soon, the candles placed in the four directions were lit with a blue flame.
It would serve as a barrier to prevent the evil spirits from escaping.
[Ke Ke Ke!]
[Freedom!]
[Verdi! Verdi! Verdi!]
The screams of the evil spirits rose in a crescendo. I continued to unleash mana, condensing it and filling this place with death energy.
It was a kind of magic that I modified to suit this continent, based on what I saw multiple times through my grandmother.
I was performing a ritual.
I was summoning the shameless ghosts who were sleeping so peacefully. After death…
Slowly, I walked to the individual graves.
Then, as if awakening from a deep sleep, I recited the names engraved on the gravestones.
“Delmoen Verdi.”
Bam!
Along with the sound of the drum, Delmoen's soul floated above the cemetery.
Slowly opening his eyes, he looked around in surprise.
[What, what? Did you wake me up?]
Ignoring his confusion, I walked to the next grave and called out a name again.
Bam!
“Dolores Verdi.”
Bam!
"Tervite Verdi."
Bam!
“Dupolian Verdi.”
Bam!
.
.
.
.
With each continuation of the drum sound and the invocation, the spirits awakened.
Even though they were confused, they were mostly angry at me for disturbing their peace.
“Detros Verdi.”
Bam!
I continued to awaken the spirits, one by one, until the last one.
“Damos Verdi.”
Bam!
A man emerged. He knew me.
[Deus? Is it Deus? Did you wake me up?]
Damos Verdi, the previous head of the Verdi family and the father of the three siblings.
All the Verdi family members were gathered now.
Among them, there were those like Detros Verdi who slaughtered countless people for their own greed.
And there were those like Darius Verdi who simply closed their eyes and mouths, pretending not to see or hear.
What does it matter? After all, we will all receive punishment according to our sins, they thought.
[Deus! What on earth is happening here!!]
[Oh, isn't it a sign that we have also entered the path of darkness by awakening the dead!]
[Ke Ke Ke! Damos! Is it time to educate him!]
The apparitions of the Verdi family gathered around me. The evil spirits, swirling like a whirlwind, filled the sky and glared down with a ferocious intent to tear them apart.
"Shut your mouths, all of you."
I calmly opened my mouth toward them. The atmosphere suddenly turned serious with my next words.
"In a scripture from another world, there is a passage like this."
Bam!
"When the time comes, the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise when the Son of God descends from heaven."
Bam!
"And they will be judged according to their sins."
Bam!
"I don't know if it's true. However, I do know that there is no such saint in this continent."
Bam!
A slight smile formed involuntarily.
Can they imagine even a little about the future that will unfold from now on?
Probably not.
They have already closed their eyes as the dead.
Their so-called future is already nonexistent, or close to it.
Bam!
"If there is no such individual, and if there is no afterlife, will your sins be buried and forgotten for eternity?"
[Deus! Watch your words!]
“Shut up! I'm not your damn son.”
I retaliated against Damos, who glared at me with anger.
I used mana to seal his mouth completely.
I already knew from the diary that he, too, was not a great father.
"Look at that sky, on this ambitious night. Resentment towards you has accumulated so much it has reached the sky… and you will have to bear its weight tonight."
[Delmoennn! Delmoennn! Delmoennn, who devoured my eyes!]
[Is the person over there really Dupolian? My long-time friend, the one who raped my wife, killed me, and severed my son's limbs?]
[Verdi! Verdi! Verdi, who stained the mountain range red with blood to defend it!]
[Detrossss! Detrossss! Detrossss!]
The spirits were on the verge of rushing towards them. Calmly, I addressed the trembling souls of the Verdi family.
"Of course, you may feel wronged. Among these spirits, there may be individuals too filthy to judge you."
Indeed, among the spirits I had seen in that mansion, some people had led wicked lives.
Members of other families who invaded the Verdi family.
Thieves who came to steal money secretly.
Criminals who stalked maids or committed sexual offenses.
Not everyone was like that, but there were enough of such individuals.
So, I took responsibility and unfolded the exorcism as fairly as possible.
This place was not merely a venue for tearing apart and devouring the Verdi family, after all.
"Let's shed all resentment, wash away all sins. Oh, resentful spirits! This is the place where your resentment will be released! Today is the day when Verdi's new history of purity is written!"
Bam!
"There is no saint to judge you! Even if you wait and wait, there will be no salvation, no judgment! In the afterlife, there is only eternal suffering! No eternal happiness! You will simply fall into sleep!"
Bam!
For the first time, I felt my blood boiling.
I couldn't contain the explosion of emotions.
My grandmother always said that when I get involved in an exorcism, I can't help but get excited. It seemed true…
"Now! Accuse each other of your sins! Without repentance! Point fingers and judge others' sins! From this day on, let's release all resentment and fall into eternal sleep!"
Bam!
I raised both hands high.
From that moment, the spirits that had been swirling in the sky began to pour down like a waterfall.
"The Son of God has come! The time has come! Blow the trumpet!"
Bam!
"Let us judge each other! For our eternal rest!"
As I shouted, the spirits finally descended upon us.
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