Chapter 124: Chapter 123: A Long Funeral

Pitter-patter, drip.

Consciousness slowly surfaced above the water.

Tashian Pheloi immediately realized that the sound accompanying it was the sound of her body collapsing.

She had always imagined that after everything, her body would collapse, and only worthless fragments would be buried within.

The irony was that she wasn’t the one leading that process.

“Is everything over?”

Even so, she, who had become aware of her own existence, took time to assess the situation by circling the pile of ashes.

She lost consciousness due to a surprise attack from behind, being manipulated against her will.

And all of it was thwarted by the man she had chosen.

The ghost of the child, who claimed to be the dragon’s reverse scale, was finally defeated by the hands of the man who inherited the child’s will.

“If everything is over, then why…?”

Why was she still remaining in this world despite that?

Even if one was bound to this world as long as the promise was not fulfilled, the condition of the contract was to clearly determine the victory or defeat with the subject.

As much as she had set that standard based on the traces left by her greatest enemy, the undead would not be an exception to that standard.

If the regret clearly lay with that child, she, who had resolved to accept it, should have acknowledged defeat and disappeared the moment she was backstabbed.

“Ah, aaaaaah!!”

Around the time she felt such doubt, a voice came from afar.

Tashian Pheloi’s gaze, unable to overlook that voice, quickly started moving toward the source of the sound.

Her vision was blurred by the ash carried by the wind, but still, she did not hesitate to proceed.

Because she always wanted to remember.

For that, she used the child’s name and endlessly refined it with her own hands for over half a century.

“It hurts, it huuurts…!!!”

Chasing such familiarity, she came face-to-face with the sight of a dead soul wailing, buried in the ashes.

However, most of the body, including the upper part of the head, had disappeared, leaving only the upper part of the torso and one arm that was only partially regenerated.

Of course, it would be impossible to be alive, let alone feel pain in such a state.

The voice heard now was likely nothing more than the regrets left behind by the living, expressed in response to the remaining magical power.

“Mom, Moooom. Where are you…? I’m in pain, it hurts so much!!!”

But how could she ignore that sound?

If what was uttered from those lips was the most vivid regret of a lifetime, then it also meant that it actually happened in the past.

“I’m so… scared. Everyone, they’re trying to kill me. Mom, save me…”

No matter how noble the end of that life was, if the most vivid memory was of being abandoned in childhood.

All the words being uttered now must mean they were repeated back then as well.

“Please, tell me. Why do I have to suffer this…? Say something, anything. Mom…”

Even with such dreadful screams stirring her heart, Tashian Pheloi wanted to head towards that place, breaking through the ashes.

It was just a clone, after all.

Even knowing it was nothing more than the ramblings of a dead soul that couldn’t even become a spirit.

“Is it a human child that was abandoned? Well, I’m a wandering soul anyway, so this might be alright.”

Just by looking at that figure.

The image of that child, buried in her memories, came to mind.

“Maa.”

“What did you say?”

“Mow, Maa~ Ma, Ma!”

“Heh, look at this; do you think I’m your mom?”

“Mama!”

At that time, she did not know.

That such a trivial beginning would create the roots of the feelings she has now.

“Now, try to say it. Tashian Pheloi.”

“…Dda?”

“Not ‘dda’, Tashian.”

“Dda… Ddajyan.”

“No…”

“Ddajiyan Phinyoi! Ddajiyan!”

“…Now that I think about it, did I not give you a name?”

Everything was awkward because it was all a first, and much was glossed over casually.

But looking back, even that could be called a memory.

Perhaps the relationship with that child was more comfortable because it didn’t need to be perfect.

“Mom, look at this!”

That was the reason she gave the child a gift that day.

Because the sight of the child engrossed in a fairy tale she happened to hear during her wandering life was very pleasing to see.

“Do I look good?”

“It suits you well.”

“Do I really look like a hero?!”

Hero.

The word used by the human who told the story back then to refer to a hero who defeats evil beings.

The child was particularly interested in that word and would recite her admiration for heroes every day.

“Hmm, maybe for now?”

“Why do you answer like that? Do you think I can’t become a hero, Mom?”

“Not at all. It’s rather because I think you can become anything.”

“…Anything?”

“Since you’re still young, you can do anything, and that means you have the potential to become anything you wish for.”

It was a sincere statement.

At that time, she truly intended to spend the rest of her life with her, wanting to watch over her.

So, no matter which path that child chose, she decided to help…

“Mom, when I grow up, I want to be a hero!”

No matter which path the child takes, she, who had become the child’s mother, had decided to protect that path, and that decision still clearly came to mind.

“Is it because I’m a bad child?”

How come those remains have now become the dragon itself, embodying evil, receiving the judgment of the hero she always admired, and lying miserably scattered?

“Did I carelessly reveal something that Mom wanted to hide…?”

She knew.

Whatever the process or intention, she understood that the current outcome originated from the fight she started.

“Tacchia.”

Even with such awareness, lest it be forgotten with the flow of time, she wanted to use that name to refer to herself, to ensure she would never forget.

Perhaps she would be the only one in this world who would remember the appearance of that child when she was alive and endlessly reminisce without forgetting.

“…Do you remember my voice?”

“Mom, my…”

The moment that meaningful name was uttered, the screams ceased, and soon, the remaining half of the dead’s arm began to reach out to her.

“…Mom, Mom.”

Most of her body was destroyed, leaving only a mouth and one arm capable of crawling.

Even such a rotten piece of flesh was her daughter, and she, the mother, had already accepted that.

Whatever came from that mouth, she must accept the price of her sins that she had ignored up until now, using this moment.

“Ehehehe.”

With that resolve, what she heard near her ear as she embraced her was, ironically, not the same screams or resentment as before, but a faint laugh.

Not a laugh uttered in madness, but a laugh that felt as innocent as the memories of that day.

“Mom, look at me…”

The dead, immersed in such emotions, having lost even the awareness that she had become a disaster herself, projected memories of her time as a girl, whispering to her.

“I have become a hero…”

Linking the achievements made at the end of her life with her own memories, as if trying to resolve her regrets through the presence of her mother, who embraced her, even with such tattered memories.

“I also have comrades now. Besides Mom, people I can rely on… People who need me, have appeared in abundance.”

Why does the sight of her daughter so happy feel so agonizing?

“Now, am I… a proper, adult?”

Just this was enough.

She only knew that just embracing like this was enough.

“When I become an adult, can I go see Mom?”

“…Tacchia.”

“I want to ask… Just one thing, to Mom… I have something I want to ask…”

To the question asked so feebly, she couldn’t give any answer.

Just holding her in her arms, patting the piece of flesh that now didn’t even have a back left, listening to the words coming to her ears.

“…Mom.”

Towards such a cruel and foolish mother, the daughter whispered.

Perhaps in the past, if she had approached the young girl who was left alone, she might have said the same thing.

“Do you love me?”

Pitter-patter.

It rained.

The moisture still lingering in the clouds, evaporated by the heat, came together to form a temporary downpour.

“…Yes.”

In the scene where the downpour washed away the dust scattered by the wind, Tashian softly conveyed the words that had always been buried within her to her daughter’s remains.

Perhaps the words she needed now…

“I love you. Always…”

What this child from the past needed was probably just these words.

As if proving those thoughts correct, the strength left her continuously stirred arm, and soon it drooped to the ground.

It wasn’t that the magical power had run out. Rather, if there was remaining magical power, this child would have instinctively released it, choosing her own end.

A dead person lives by their regrets, and it was natural that resolving those regrets led to salvation.

“…Tashian.”

Yet, behind Tashian, who couldn’t leave the vicinity, someone began to reveal their presence.

Immature, but an entity that could be called a demigod, much higher in rank than herself.

After everything was over, it was easy to guess why she had come here.

“Don’t worry. Now I’m a body that can’t do anything anymore.”

She had used up all her remaining strength, and the vessel that could contain power had completely broken as a result of overexertion.

Now, as long as the conditions of the contract were met, she could disappear at any time.

Tashian, feeling that only one step remained to meet those conditions, still looked down at her daughter’s corpse and quietly asked,

“That guy?”

“The surviving priests are looking after him.”

“…That’s good.”

The evil dragon fell by the hero’s hand, and humans won the war against the dead.

From that outcome, the survivors’ task was to tend to the injured and manage the corpses. Among them, distinguishing the dead would not be difficult.

Even if they were only corpses before, they moved actively, so those who fell after exhausting their strength naturally gathered around them.

“…To the humans.”

So, a funeral would soon be conducted.

No matter how desperate and tragic the fight was, it was human nature to honorably adorn the end.

“I can’t leave this child’s funeral to the humans of today.”

But could her daughter really be included in that?

The kingdom that should spread the story of the hero who opposed the dragon had been destroyed by a plague, and the comrades who joined her journey and survived have been killed by the harshness of the world.

Since all the humans who encountered her life have died, to the current humanity, the woman known as Tacchia Pheloi would be remembered not as a hero but as a great disaster.

“…No, it’s fine. A funeral now, of all things.”

“That’s not it. Tashian. You know as well, her last moment was…”

“Once dead, it’s all over.”

And the one who made that end dishonorable was none other than herself.

If, by any chance, she had given up her life in that day’s fight…

If she hadn’t made any promise and hadn’t maintained her life up to this point… If she had cremated that body to erase its existence, that child’s remains wouldn’t have met her and awakened as a great disaster.

“No matter how grandly the funeral is conducted, it’s ultimately just consolation for the living. Whatever that person’s life was like and how their end was, it’s merely processed and interpreted as the remaining people see fit.”

Even the soul, in the end, was just a plausible extraction of the records left in the body, a modification to have a self without a physical form.

Yet, she, who even gave meaning to such an existence, dragged out that child’s death.

Having heard the words of the being that projected the most cruel times of that child, how could she interpret them comfortably?

“It’s already too late to undo what I’ve done.”

She must acknowledge what had to be acknowledged.

That child was abandoned due to her foolish impulse, and that pain was everything the corpse that appeared before her showed.

Despite feeling such pain, she forgave her in her last moment.

“…Even so, have you accepted it?”

The tragedy that arose from different lifespans, and the era when humanity was most engulfed in madness…

And the distortion created by the continuing disasters that even they couldn’t deal with…

Even if nothing went according to their will, what happened happened.

The fact that she, as an immature and foolish mother, killed the child she cared for, was something she herself must acknowledge the most.

“Yes, I can’t hold on any longer.”

But now, she was a body that wasn’t capable of correcting anything anymore.

The best she could do was not to continue any regrets further and to fully accept that child’s death.

“It’s time to end this. This long funeral as well.”

So that her own regrets no longer taint that child’s death, she carried the sins she had committed in her heart, preparing to embrace even the grave that would soon appear before her.

At the same time. In the plains located in the center of the continent.

Amidst the fierce battle between the Demon King’s army and the Undead Legion over the expansion of power, the Blue Knight, who was fighting the enemy’s general at the forefront, stopped swinging his sword.

Because he sensed something was off in the signal sent by his master, the Corpse Lord, who was commanding the main force.

“…Why stop fighting all of a sudden?”

The opponent, seemingly concerned by such behavior, stood still and heightened his vigilance.

Even though they had been fiercely fighting until a moment ago, from the moment he sensed something was off, the murderous intent directed at him gradually dulled.

A very calm demeanor for a high-ranking officer of the aggressively militant Demon King’s army.

This was invariably applied in his assessment of the person before him as well.

“The direction you’re looking is where the ruler of the force you belong to is located… Has something happened?”

There was no sign of the Demon King’s army directly invading.

Rather, the army on the opposite side of where he was fighting, led by their officer, was in disarray due to another of the Four Knights.

“…No, continue.”

So, thinking calmly, it would be right to hold this position and create an opportunity to solidify the advantage gained on the other front.

It was merely that something happened that could emotionally shake her.

Even though something odd occurred, she didn’t request a retreat, so the priority now was to drive away the enemies.

“Is acting in your lord’s interest more honorable than a duel to the death?”

As he made that decision and raised his weapon, the opponent gradually relaxed his stance and asked in a calm voice.

“…What do you mean by that?”

“If acting in your lord’s interest is more honorable, I won’t stop you from leaving this place.”

As soon as the answer was given, the officer of the Demon King’s army put down the club he was holding onto the ground.

The Blue Knight, surprised by that firm attitude, stared blankly, but there was absolutely no hostility towards him in that demeanor.

“…Are you serious?”

“You, unlike the others, did not mock me and engaged in the duel seriously.”

It wasn’t a lie.

The demons in the Demon King’s army were all arrogant, but more importantly, they valued the desires they pursued.

The more distinct their desire, the stronger the power they possessed, and it was natural for them to rise to a higher position.

“If you respected my honor, it’s only natural that I, too, provide you with the opportunity to pursue your own honor.”

Especially for those who pursued honor, there could never be falsehood in words accompanied by honor.

Feeling that sincerity from the battles thus far, the Blue Knight hesitated for a moment, then prepared to sheath his sword and turn away.

No matter how important it was to seize the momentum in war, the Corpse Lord was the core of the legion.

If something happens to her, even if they win this fight, it could greatly hinder their future objectives.

“…What is your name?”

As they reached a standstill, the Blue Knight paused his steps toward his lord and turned to look at his opponent.

To that question, the officer of the Demon King’s army, who had already turned away, quietly answered.

“Helkrai.”

Born an orc, not a demon.

The strongest warrior of the Demon King’s army had risen to the newly established position among the Four Great Kings.