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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 142
“Hilarious.”
Boom!!
The tentacles of the monster, presumed to be the King of the Forbidden Zone, lashed out like whips.
Fighting in the deep sea was far from ideal.
Just as I was about to summon necromantic mana to counter the incoming attack—
Thud!!!
With a heavy sound, something enormous in the darkness grabbed the tentacles with its massive hands and tore them apart.
Oh?
From within the darkness, another enormous being emerged, exuding an overwhelming presence as it passed over us.
This newly arrived creature was entirely different—a massive lifeform with multiple legs like an octopus, yet its head resembled a gigantic whale shark.
Booooooom…
Is this what a kaiju battle feels like?
At a glance, it was clear that the ruler of this domain—the master of the tentacles lurking in the darkness—was engaged in a territorial battle with this giant octopus-whale-like creature.
The moment they met, they clashed fiercely.
The deep, reverberating impacts and deafening roars that shook the entire area suggested that we had no need to intervene.
“This works. Let them fight while we continue searching.”
Whoever wins will be on our side.
As if we had never been preparing for battle in the first place, we seamlessly resumed our search among the mountain of corpses.
* * *
Thud!!!
"Anything on your side?"
"Nothing."
Thud!!!
"Leon, over here."
“No, that’s not her. But let’s at least gather these bodies properly.”
Thud!!!
Amid the relentless tremors, Luna and I frantically searched through the mountain of corpses.
This place made retrieving information about the Heart of the Machine God incredibly difficult.
One factor was the distortion of fundamental laws—the data we received was all jumbled together.
The battle between the two colossal monsters raged on for quite some time.
Yet, no matter how thoroughly we searched the entire area, we could not find Arsha’s body.
Finding my mother and father might have been pure luck.
Or perhaps we had already passed by Arsha’s remains before arriving here—hidden among the countless skeletons.
The skeletons were likely those already devoured and discarded, while the intact bodies here had yet to be consumed.
As we continued searching, the massive whale-headed creature that had charged in earlier was suddenly hurled out of the darkness, covered in countless wounds.
The impact caused a significant portion of the corpse pile to collapse.
Still clinging to its fighting spirit, the creature struggled to rise once more.
“If we leave it be, this fight will end soon.”
“Seems that way.”
After all, this was the tentacle monster’s home turf.
It was only natural that the intruder was at a disadvantage.
Of course, no matter which one won, things would get troublesome for us afterward.
In situations like this, there was only one thing to do.
“Luna, let’s balance the fight.”
“Power boost!”
At my words, radiant, multicolored light flowed from Luna’s fingertips, healing the wounded creature.
As our energy seeped into it, the massive whale monster emitted a deep ultrasonic hum.
Its enormous eyes fixated on us.
What now?
Was it seeing us as enemies?
That thought crossed my mind, but it turned out to be unnecessary worry.
The moment the tentacles from the darkness attempted to ensnare us, the whale monster intercepted them, tearing them apart to shield us before launching a counterattack.
At the very least, it was clear that this creature was no longer hostile toward us.
This thing was now on our side.
I immediately drew upon my necromantic mana and cast an enhancement spell over its entire body.
With its newly strengthened form, the whale monster, which had been on the verge of losing, began to turn the tide in its favor.
“Let’s resume.”
While the two beasts continued their ferocious battle in the shadows, we combed through the surroundings one last time.
And in the end—
One thing became certain.
Arsha’s body was not here.
Eventually, the fight reached its conclusion.
The thunderous roars ceased, and neither side made any further hostile moves toward us.
“She’s not here.”
“Let’s move on to the next location…”
Coming here and discovering my parents’ intact bodies was, in itself, a relief.
Melissa completely broke down upon seeing them.
Honestly, I, too, felt the overwhelming urge to let go of everything.
But if we stopped here, who would retrieve our youngest sibling’s body, abandoned somewhere out there?
In the end, we had no choice but to carry Melissa—who was sobbing uncontrollably—along with our parents’ remains and rise back to the surface.
“Good heavens… Are you all alright?”
Saintess Nabel, who had been waiting aboard the ship, looked at us with a frozen expression.
When she saw the two lifeless figures behind us, her eyes widened in shock.
Even by her understanding of the world, it was incomprehensible that bodies submerged for months could remain in such pristine condition.
Of course, once we explained, she seemed to grasp the situation.
“A place within the Forbidden Zone where time stands still… I’ve never heard of such a thing. But judging by their state, it doesn’t seem impossible.”
Even the holy knight were unable to hide their astonishment.
“Lady Nabel, I know this is a selfish request, but… could you use holy magic to preserve my parents’ bodies?”
I couldn’t bear to use necromantic magic on them.
“Yes. And I will also pray that their souls may find peace in the embrace of the divine.”
Tears welled in Nabel’s eyes as she gazed at Melissa, who clung to our parents’ bodies, sobbing uncontrollably.
Without hesitation, she agreed to my request.
“It looks like we’ll have to resume our search for our youngest sibling tomorrow.”
“You’ve done well. Get some rest.”
* * *
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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That night, the quiet sea was filled with more stars than usual.
With only the sound of small waves in the background, staring blankly at the water made it feel as if one could slip away from their thoughts.
Leaning against the railing of the deck, silently gazing beyond the sea, I noticed Nabel slowly walking out.
I wasn't sure when she had arrived, but she was dressed in an elegant, old-fashioned high priestess robe.
“The night breeze is cold.”
“It’s fine. I rarely get to see such a view, so I should take this chance to fully enjoy it.”
If she were a Saintess, her reaction wouldn’t be hard to understand.
She was likely the most sacred girl in the Holy Kingdom, and they must have gone to great lengths to shelter her.
Just coming out here with only a single escort must have been a huge deviation from her usual life.
“The Holy Kingdom must be in chaos by now.”
“I’m merely a high priestess. There are plenty of high priests in the Holy Kingdom, so something like this wouldn’t cause much of an uproar.”
“Ah, I see…”
So that’s the story she’s going with.
“You may relax and enjoy yourself.”
“…Pardon?”
“You can’t seem to rest easy because this is where my parents’ bodies were found.”
“That’s not it. I just…”
“It’s alright. If you were too considerate, that would actually make me feel uncomfortable.”
“…I’m sorry. It seems I still lack discipline…”
A girl who hadn’t yet completely shed her innocence, spending her entire life in the Holy Kingdom, must be excited to see a place like this.
But right beside her was someone clutching their parents’ remains in anguish, so she must have been caught between excitement and solemnity.
“There’s no reason for you to feel conflicted over my parents’ affairs.”
“That’s not possible. To enjoy myself while someone grieves beside me… I couldn’t do that.”
“Thanks to you, we were able to find my parents’ remains. Of course, I do feel some sadness, but in truth, this is also a joyous occasion.”
At least we were able to find their bodies intact.
In that sense, Nabel was someone to be grateful for.
Hearing my words, she blankly stared at me before giving a beautiful smile.
The night breeze gently stirred her blue hair, making her seem even more divine and beautiful.
Perhaps angels in sacred texts looked just like that.
For a moment, I recalled an actual angel lazily rolling around in bed while munching on snacks.
But still, this image was much closer to what one would expect.
And then…
“Hmm…”
“…What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing.”
No matter how I looked at it, she definitely carried the genes of someone violent.
Even though I tried to avoid looking, my eyes kept getting drawn to a certain area, so I closed them and turned my head away.
It was then.
A chilling laugh echoed right behind me.
“Leon.”
A sweet, sultry voice.
“…”
It was soft and gentle, but it filled me with an intense sense of déjà vu.
“Leon, if you keep acting like this, I don’t know what I might do.”
“Why? Are you jealous?”
On impulse, I teased her lightly, and she confidently nodded.
“Of course, I’m jealous. Are you crazy?”
She was so bold about it that I was the one left speechless.
Not too long ago, she wasn’t like this.
I had no way of knowing what had changed.
Could it be because of Nabel’s presence?
Thinking back, Luna had never liked Nabel much, especially since she wasn’t fond of holy relics.
At the same time, Nabel covered her mouth with one hand and gazed at us with sparkling eyes, like a young girl encountering a romance novel.
“Oh my… Is this a scene straight out of a novel? Could it be that you two are in love?”
Luna didn’t deny it.
Instead, she responded with a playful smile.
“I liked him a lot.”
With the flirtation becoming bolder, I rubbed my face in frustration and turned away.
It was hard to adjust when the girl who had fallen for me at first sight acted like this.
Wait a minute—she said ‘liked’?
Past tense?
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, I’m not used to speaking this way. I mean, I like you a lot.”
“Don’t joke around.”
Luna’s eyes held nothing but me.
“I like you a lot.”
“Uh…”
“Isn’t it the same for you, Leon?”
“…When you put it like that, I don’t really have an answer.”
As I averted my gaze, Nabel’s eyes sparkled even more.
“Oh my, oh my.”
Then, Luna slowly approached and wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me into an embrace.
From the outside, it must have looked like a deep, romantic scene—but a chill ran down my spine.
“Then why were your eyes looking over there?”
Luna looked up at me, her eyes suddenly turning ice-cold.
“Huh?”
Thunk! Splash!
Where on earth did she get this monstrous strength from?
Without hesitation, she dove into the calm night sea—dragging me along with her.
* * *
After receiving an actual confirmation rather than just playful banter, things could never go back to the way they were before.
Crossing a river of no return—this must be what it felt like.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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