Chapter 14

A search request initiated by a noble who lost his daughter’s remains. And the undead horde encountered while following the trail…

Unable to withstand the ensuing danger, the fixers of the Dietrich Office decided to leave the aftermath to me and return to the surface.

“Last time I’ll say this, but I don’t recommend going any further. You seem capable, but in this line of work, the more arrogant ones tend to have shorter lifespans.”

“Thank you for the advice, but rest assured. I too serve someone, and I have no intention of risking death without their orders.”

“…Right, that confidence must mean you have a way to escape. Best of luck to you.”

After parting ways with the fixers, I followed the trail of where the undead were presumed to have appeared and ventured deeper into the sewers.

Footprints, traces of filth fallen from bodies, and areas where corpses seemed to be concentrated…

“Something’s definitely off.”

While eliminating the undead I encountered along the way, I stumbled upon a puzzling observation.

The undead swarming underground.

Not only were their overall forms female, but there were also similarities in their appearances.

The shape of their facial features, body types, and other details were so similar that they could almost be considered twins.

Considering that the appearance of resurrected undead is usually based on the corpses used as material, it was a sight that couldn’t be explained by indiscriminately reviving different corpses.

“Could it be that instead of reviving multiple corpses, the information from one corpse was overlaid onto others?”

The skeletal structure from the corpses underground, the flesh from the filth, and the outer appearance projected from someone else’s likeness.

And judging from the circumstances so far, the target must be the noble’s daughter who requested the Dietrich Office’s help.

Indeed, the noble who made the request identified the undead that surfaced as his daughter, so it must be certain.

“A thief stole the remains, set up shop in the sewers, and is endlessly producing replicas… That’s the gist of it.”

Now, let’s find out who’s behind this and why.

At the end of my journey, I arrived at a half-open door, beyond which lay a place presumably used by former sewer workers. There, a scene of sorcery unfolded in all its rawness.

Undead with similar appearances crowded the area. At the center stood an altar-like structure with a magic circle glowing with black light, and in the middle, a man wrapped in bandages chanted incantations over a mass of filth.

“Bloom again, bloom once more. Return to the form you had in life…”

Creak, creak.

In response, a figure gradually took shape and rose, resembling the corpses around it.

Likely based on the appearance of the woman whose remains were stolen…

“…No.”

But seemingly unsatisfied, the man casting the spell violently swung his hand, collapsing the newly risen undead.

“This isn’t it! This isn’t enough to bring her back!!”

He then stomped on the crumpled mass of filth repeatedly before finally stopping.

After calming down, he reached for a jar presumed to contain the remains.

“Don’t worry, Isabella. I won’t give up because of a few failures…”

He caressed it tenderly, as if it were his lover.

“I will definitely bring you back…”

Though his voice was tinged with exhaustion, there was also a glimmer of hope and joy.

“And once you’re revived, we’ll fulfill our unfulfilled vows. In a place where no one can interfere, we’ll live together peacefully… Hehe.”

A weary chuckle escaped him.

He seemed to have already lost half his mind.

Indeed, the man’s appearance was disheveled, covered in filth, with an unkempt beard, exuding a sense of wretchedness.

He must have spent a long time underground, tirelessly creating undead.

All to revive the owner of the remains he held.

“W-who are you?!”

Around the time I pieced this together, the sorcerer noticed my presence and exclaimed in shock.

As if responding to his will, the undead standing idly around turned their heads toward me.

The moment a command was given, they would likely tear me apart greedily.

“…Pardon me.”

I decided to respond to such hostility with politeness.

“I’m just a humble servant passing through, visiting this place out of mild curiosity.”

“A servant…?”

“Yes, merely a traveler who serves someone and harbors a small curiosity about what’s happening here. If it’s alright, could we set aside our hostility and have a chat?”

Given the circumstances, it was clear that the man before me was the culprit behind the undead incident. However, jumping straight into a fight didn’t sit right with me.

I dislike fighting to begin with, and if there’s room for conversation, I can gather information directly from the source.

“A chat…?”

Fortunately, the man didn’t react violently to my words.

After staring at me blankly for a moment, he began to chuckle and showed a positive response.

“Ah, I see. You’re not here to chase me. You just want to talk… to hear my story.”

Perhaps it was because he hadn’t spoken to anyone in a long time?

Seeing his lonely demeanor, I felt a pang of pity and decided to continue the conversation.

“Yes, since we’ve met like this, let’s talk. My name is Sebastian. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask your name?”

“…David Hauer.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. David.”

After exchanging greetings, I raised my head and directed my gaze toward the jar of remains he held.

“From what I can see, you’re trying to revive someone here. The person in that jar must be very dear to you.”

“Yes. Isabella is my most precious lover.”

His bony hand gently stroked the jar.

Though trembling precariously, it was still incredibly tender.

It was hard to believe he was a corrupted being who indiscriminately revived undead.

“I fell in love with her at first sight, and she felt the same. The beautiful smile she gave me was something only someone who loved me could show.”

“Miss Isabella must have had a lovely smile.”

“But the world tore us apart. Her father wouldn’t forgive me and locked her away in the house. Unable to bear it, she ran away… and then, she was hit by a carriage…!”

“An unfortunate accident. How tragic.”

“Accident? No. It was murder. Her father’s stubbornness, refusing to accept our love, caused it!”

His face contorted with rage.

As his grip on the jar tightened, the magical energy within began to crack its surface.

“We just wanted to love each other. Why won’t the world allow that?!”

Just wanting to love…

So he stole her remains, set up deep underground, and began casting spells to revive her.

I see.

The undead weren’t meant to form an army; they were just failed attempts at reviving her, left abandoned.

“You seem to have learned dark magic to revive your beloved. Where did you learn it?”

“Ah, yes… Someone introduced me to this book.”

David eagerly answered my question and pulled out a book from his belongings.

Its old, dark cover gave me an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

Come to think of it, Jeremiah also spent a fortune buying a dark magic book from a merchant. Could there be a connection?

“According to this book, I should be able to revive her. But for some reason, I keep failing. The outer shell looks convincing, but the inside is hollow…”

“May I take a look at the book?”

“Huh?”

“I have some knowledge of dark magic. Perhaps I can offer some advice.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Dark magic is essentially demonic sorcery adapted for human use.

“Ah, sure. Here…”

Fortunately, David’s guard was down.

Relieved that the conversation was going well, I compared the contents of the book with the traces of the spell before me.

I see why the spell kept failing.

“The rune scriptures inscribed on this magic circle are incorrect.”

“What? Incorrect?”

“Some rune scriptures look similar. Also, the material combination should be adjusted like this…”

“Oh, I see. It feels like it’s clicking now.”

David followed my instructions and began to show signs of joy.

As he waved his hand, the materials, responding to his magical energy, began to take shape.

But that alone wasn’t enough. His spell lacked the most crucial element to awaken the consciousness of the deceased.

“Now, finally, mix her remains directly into the vessel.”

“What?”

“To awaken the consciousness of the deceased, you need something imbued with their lingering thoughts… something that carries their essence.”

Until now, David had only replicated the traces from the jar, never using the remains directly.

Naturally, replicating them diluted the essence, making it impossible to firmly establish consciousness.

So, to ensure that part, I advised him, and David began to hug the jar tightly with a conflicted expression.

“But if I do that, and if it fails, she’ll…”

“Don’t worry. I’m here, so it will surely succeed.”

Encouraging him, David looked down at the jar with hesitant eyes.

Then, as if making a decision, he nodded and opened the lid.

“Alright. I’ll trust you.”

The bone powder from the jar poured into the vessel, and as his magical energy reacted, it began to mix.

Following that, I lightly infused my own magical energy to assist his spell.

“With this, I can see her again…”

“Yes, it will surely work.”

I didn’t lie.

If his will is strong enough and the method is correct, the spell will succeed.

-Hummm!

As the ritual began and the space was enveloped in light, I quietly closed my eyes and focused on the magical energy used in the spell.

To read the lingering thoughts within the remains mixed into the vessel.

In response to my will, a voice began to echo in my mind.

‘I am Isabella…’

Isabella.

The moment her most vivid memory from life manifested as a voice.

‘I had someone I loved. I dreamed of an eternity with him and wanted to live happily.’

I quietly listened to the voice, trying to understand her heart.

And from it, I felt that her love was genuine.

Lingering thoughts… the traces left by the deceased that transcend even the fear of death, can only remain in this world if there’s a strong attachment.

‘But he tried to interfere with our love.’

From the lingering resentment, I could sense hatred directed at someone.

Was it her father?

The incompetent father who locked her away to keep her from her lover?

‘I was locked up by him, but I wanted to see my beloved again. I didn’t want to let our anniversary go to waste… So I secretly left the house and headed to where he was.’

The memory became clearer, and the final moments before her death became more pronounced.

‘And he tried to interfere again.’

The relentless pursuit of her as she sought her lover.

‘He chased me relentlessly, and as I fled, I was hit by a carriage on the street. I felt excruciating pain as my consciousness faded.’

The end was accompanied by immense sorrow.

All because she wanted to love a man, but someone persistently interfered, turning everything to ruin.

‘I want to see him again.’

And as her consciousness gradually awakened, her lingering thoughts turned into longing, slowly raising her body.

The stronger her feelings for her lover in life, the stronger her will became.

‘If I wake up… if I wake up here, can I see him again?’

Having read the memories of the gradually reviving deceased, I couldn’t help but voice the unease rising within me.

“…So that’s how it was.”

What a pitiful woman.

Unable to hide my sympathy, I opened my eyes to find Isabella, revived through her lingering thoughts.

A revenant created from the bones and filth scattered underground, and her remains.

The emotions in her gaze were clear, unlike the undead I had encountered before, indicating a distinct consciousness.

“Isabella.”

Yes, she was Isabella.

A being revived based on her memories from life, something that wouldn’t be strange to consider a resurrection from death from a human perspective.

“Do you remember me? Isabella.”

“…You.”

“Yes, it’s me. The one you love… the one who loves you, David.”

A familiar voice.

David responded and slowly closed the distance between them.

“Don’t worry anymore.”

Rejoicing in the reunion with his beloved.

Imagining a future filled with unparalleled joy.

“No one will interfere anymore. From now on, we’ll be together forever…”

“Kyaaaaaaah!!”

But what Isabella let out upon recognizing him was a horrifying scream.

It was not something one would utter upon meeting a beloved lover.

Having read her memories, I immediately understood why.

“What? Why are you here?!”

She had a lover.

Locked away by someone who interfered with their love, she secretly left the house to celebrate their anniversary but met with an accident.

“Isabella. Have you forgotten me?”

“Eek! Stay away!”

Yes, there was no lie in his story.

David loved Isabella, and Isabella had a lover.

But…

“How far will you go to torment me? How much more will you interfere between me and him, you stalker?!”

A woman who fled from a stalker, met with an accident, and even had her remains desecrated.

What a tragic tale.

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