Chapter 348

Aphoom-Zhah had heard and observed everything from Yesung's sleeve.

As such, acting 'like Yesung' at this point wasn't particularly difficult. However, he had no intention of doing so.

He knew it was proper for a god to bless his believer with mercy.

Still, it was also true that the believer who had fled into his inner self and was curled up watching from the sidelines was somewhat irritating.

Having thought this, Aphoom-Zhah made an extremely reasonable and logical decision.

"Asking me to show you a miracle. How presumptuous."

At his sarcastic tone, one of the mages shouted.

"If you are truly the archmage's teacher, then reviving the dead should be—"

"Should be, yes. It's nothing special. Making the heart of such a charred corpse beat and hot blood flow is no task at all. But there's one thing that bothers me."

'Yesung' reached out and swept the hard altar. Dust clung to his black gloves.

A truly puzzled question flowed from beneath the veil.

"For what reason exactly should I have to 'prove' myself before vermin...?"

The air of madness in the cemetery instantly subsided.

'Yesung' slowly walked around the altar as he continued speaking.

"Vermin. None of you—not your magic, not your lifespans—reach even my toenails. You're gnats, maggots, walking specks of dust who wouldn't dare even touch the finger of my disciple Eibon, let alone me. So why should I have to prove my existence to you?"

"But if you're truly the great archmage's teacher."

"Teacher, teacher. That damned teacher. When I was teaching magic to Eibon, there wasn't a single bastard spouting such impious words."

'Yesung's' footsteps stopped beside the corpse.

His gaze looking down at what lay on the altar was cold and ruthless.

Though it was a damaged corpse, this was certainly a human containing rotting organs and congealed blood.

There were dozens of ways to revive such a thing.

"All of you, get this through your thick skulls. Proof is only necessary when one is weak. Each and every one of you here is nothing but irritating trash to me. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Such words!"

"If such creatures as you dare ask for 'teaching' from me, fine. I'll bestow upon you a teaching that comes only once in a lifetime."

Cold, sharp words. The mages hesitated at the suddenly changed atmosphere.

'Yesung' paid no heed and extended his hand.

"Bring me my book."

The mages exchanged glances with each other before presenting the grimoire Eibon had scrawled.

It was the book that had made Yesung turn pale and stagger earlier.

He opened the leather cover and turned the worn pages. Truths that were obvious to him but far too high-level from a human perspective fluttered by.

In truth, what was needed to manifest a 'miracle' was neither the grimoire Eibon had written after gaining enlightenment, nor the diary his believer had scribbled with fern-like hands.

The current 'Yesung' was a god dwelling in a human vessel.

A unique existence, miracle, and phenomenon that had existed since ancient times and would never exist again on this planet.

He was the beginning and end of all things.

"[He■■■sha■■biki-■rm■■■......]"

Wicked whispers flowed from behind the veil 'Yesung' wore.

It was neither the language used by Aquilonians nor tongues from across distant seas.

The mages could understand it sporadically, but that was all. In the incantation beyond their comprehension, 'Yesung' commanded the flesh whose rest had been disturbed.

I say unto you, arise and don the old flesh once more. As with all who emerge from death's boundary through me, all glory and sin you perform shall return unto me.

The mages watched in awe filled with spine-tingling terror. Each word of the incantation felt like something scraping down their spines raw.

Dust began to scatter from the corpse fragments sprinkled in a circle around the altar.

The dust gathered toward the Queen Dowager's corpse, replacing the burned skin and reconstructing the damaged body.

A true miracle.

The black-gloved hand moved as if caressing the pale corpse that had returned intact from thin air.

When the ritual's offerings had become handfuls of white bones with nothing remaining,

The moment 'Yesung's' fingertips slid along the Queen Dowager's jawline,

Murky eyes without clear focus slowly opened.

"She has returned..."

"Her Majesty the Queen Dowager has returned."

Murmurs spread widely.

Those standing beside the altar gasped and stepped back,

While those who had been far away approached closer to see this.

The corpse that had been the Queen Dowager raised herself up. She slowly turned her stiffened neck and awkwardly moved her creaking joints as she descended from the altar.

A strange miracle.

Wicked magic that revived the dead.

One of those trembling with awe approached and draped a mage's robe over her while whispering.

"Princess, no, Your Majesty the Queen Dowager. Do you recognize us? His Grace the Duke gathered the Mage Tower's mages and revived Your Majesty."

"......"

"Ah, of course. Your Majesty. You seem confused having no memories from the intervening time. But Your Majesty, please look at His Grace the Duke over there."

The blank-faced Queen Dowager raised her head.

Nearby, Duke of Ophir was looking at her as if he couldn't believe it. The lamp fell from his hands.

-Clatter.

"He-Heira."

He staggered forward. His thinly trembling hands cupped the cold Queen Dowager's face.

"Do you remember me? Can you see me? Have you truly returned?"

"......"

"I, I am here. Your father. Can you see me?"

Duke of Ophir slowly embraced the Queen Dowager.

Though her body was cold as a corpse, he could feel a faint pulse beating within his daughter's body.

Ah, you have finally returned. You should not have died like that. Now it's fine. Everything will be fine.

The Duke, holding his daughter in his arms while looking up at the sky and muttering words of relief or gratitude over and over,

Suddenly looked at 'Yesung' standing beside the altar.

"You really... could revive her. I still can't believe it."

"I kept my promise. Now it's time for Your Grace to fulfill your debt. Where is my book?"

"The book. Yes, I promised to return your book."

The Duke nodded and spoke.

"Since it's no longer needed, use it for research."

It wasn't said to 'Yesung'. The heads of the mages surrounding him all turned at once.

The Duke, holding his daughter while staring at 'Yesung', continued speaking.

"I acknowledge that you are Eibon's teacher, and perhaps a great mage with abilities surpassing the archmage. But you should not have shown how to use that book before me."

"Oh. Are you saying you'll break your promise?"

"Your flesh and the legacy you leave behind will be put to good use by Aquilonia's mages. So that you cannot even regret it. Perhaps my daughter too, as a result of the miracle you manifested, may be worth observing."

"Your revived daughter would be deeply saddened to know that."

"My daughter also understands the great cause of myself and the mages. I am very grateful that you revived my daughter. Normally I would have offered whatever you desired, but please consider the special circumstances."

Duke of Ophir with a shameless face, giving an excessively shameless answer.

'Yesung' simply laughed. His current self—no, his believer's body—lacked the force to defeat all these mages.

Of course, freezing all these bastards with ice would be simple,

But instead of sweeping away the rude vermin, 'Yesung' offered the Duke a word.

"I understand the greed to both revive your daughter and continue your ongoing research."

"You understand?"

"What to do about this. You'll have to pay a great price to maintain that. Didn't I tell you?"

"What do you—"

Duke of Ophir suddenly felt the daughter in his arms trembling.

Was she cold? Her body temperature had not yet returned. Moreover, this was a cemetery at night—it wouldn't be strange for her to be cold at any time.

Duke of Ophir held the Queen Dowager closer. His daughter pitifully leaned her light head against his shoulder.

No. He thought she was leaning.

Right up until Duke of Ophir's neck was about to be torn by neat teeth.

"Your Grace!"

Dark fresh blood spurted out as Duke of Ophir's aged body collapsed.

The mages screamed, but the Queen Dowager's neck snapped sharply to the left as she chewed on the dripping flesh.

Her still murky eyes rolled around. Up, down, diagonally. Blood that had flowed down to her chin stained the white burial clothes.

-Gak gak, ga ga ga ga gak.

She crouched down. Her bent back and patches of charred black flesh were exposed red.

With the whites of her eyes dyed red, she 'ran' on all fours while making cracking sounds throughout her body with her neck broken.

"Wh-what is that, what is that!"

"That's not the Princess! Run!"

"Leave everything! Leave it all!"

"Help, save me, sa— aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

'Yesung' climbed onto the altar one step ahead of them.

Though he had no interest whatsoever in the anatomical structure of vermin, the pandemonium viewed from above was particularly special.

A god looking down at things being torn, ripped, eaten, and constantly screaming and shrieking while exposing entrails and dangling cartilage and muscle.

Fresh flesh and blood splattered everywhere, staining the cemetery. The white bones offered as sacrifices were drenched in hot blood.

The soggy ground turned red as it swallowed the fog.

In all that slaughter, only he in his veil stood mocking the humans.

"Reviving dead people isn't difficult, but maintaining 'being alive' requires a great price."

"Help me, someone anyone, ah, aaaah!"

"Living humans contain magical power. But from the moment of death, most magical power scatters. So naturally, a revived body should have no magical power."

"Princess, Princess! It's me, don't you recognize me? I am, I aaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"So it's natural for a revived human to wander seeking what is lacking among the elements that compose them. Of course, since a dead body cannot contain as much magical power as needed, that body will always crave magical power. Like pouring water into a container with a hole in the bottom."

"Save me, Princess, huk, heuk, please save me, no, die, die! Damn it, fuck, fuck, die!"

"The unfortunate point is that even causing such damage to the surroundings, it doesn't die... Whether you strike the head or pierce the heart. Unless you counter with magic, it's completely invincible."

Between his soliloquy, screams and the sounds of dying people crawling and requesting rescue mixed in.

'Yesung' turned his back on the Queen Dowager's body chasing the scattered mages and lightly jumped down from the altar.

"Isn't this what you all wanted? An individual that doesn't die, is young, and strong. How about it? Answer me, Your Grace. Am I right?"

The veiled figure looked down at the dying Duke of Ophir and slightly bowed his waist.

The blood gushing from his torn neck had weakened considerably,

But the fact that he was facing death was certain.

Duke of Ophir's wavering gaze turned toward the veil.

"You... bastard..."

"You don't need to show gratitude for completing Your Grace's research. Wasn't it Your Grace who tried to deceive me first?"

"I will... surely... kill..."

"I'd welcome such a day. But this body has no intention of dying so easily. I've made many arrangements, you see. I plan to live eternally until this world ends."

"Surely..."

"Surely what? Come to think of it, humans are truly sad. To not be able to enjoy such interesting moments for long and die so quickly. Your Grace is the same. Of course, knowing that is why you researched for eternal life. Your Grace, you probably don't know well, but human life is amazing. Don't all sorts of emotions twist and tangle as they bloom? This is the first time I've had such an entertaining time. What do you think, Your Grace?"

"......"

"Your Grace?"

'Yesung' urged an answer, but the Duke could not speak.

Only then did he straighten up and look around. Looking at the completely ruined cemetery, 'Yesung' suddenly seemed to realize something and covered his mouth.

"Ah. The vermin ran off with the book."

Since things had come to this, what could be done?

Speaking to himself quite comically, he walked briskly in the direction the mages had disappeared.

The cemetery he left behind contained only the dead, fitting its original purpose.