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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 12
[Ren Arzen]
-Trait: Grave Eye
-Skills: Necromancy, Hevenberg Swordsmanship – Beginner
-Strength: 7.3
-Agility: 7.3
-Stamina: 8.0
-Sense: 6.7
-Vital Energy: 0.6
-Spiritual Power: 2.1
My spiritual power has finally surpassed 2.
Maybe that’s why the goblin shaman in front of me feels even clearer.
—I can sense the power of the soul in you.
“Whoa!”
—Why so startled?
Well, wouldn’t anyone be startled if a terrifying face suddenly appeared upside down from above?
It’s only because I have a strong nerve that I didn’t wet my pants like others probably would have.
“What’s wrong?”
Raymond asked with a puzzled expression.
Right.
This guy can’t see spirits…
“It’s nothing. I just need to sort something out. Can you take that one and head outside first?”
“Understood.”
Raymond hoisted the unconscious Lynn onto his back and walked out of the cave.
—Thank you for resolving my wish. I am Gerugur.
“I’m Ren Arzen.”
Never thought I’d be exchanging names with a goblin shaman.
“But what do you mean by ‘the power of the soul’?”
—Exactly that. Souls have a power distinct from the living. Usually, the living don’t possess it.
It didn’t take me long to realize that the power Gerugur was talking about was spiritual power.
“Really? But if it’s ‘usually,’ that means some people do have it?”
—Yes. Rarely, but they exist. Like shamans such as myself.
Shamans using spiritual power?
That’s news to me.
—Shamans deal with the spirits of the dead and borrow their power to use magic.
Was I just ignorant of these things?
It sparked a curiosity in me I hadn’t felt before.
“Then how do you increase spiritual power?”
—By honoring the souls of the dead, or by lingering around them and slowly absorbing their spiritual energy. But shamans use shortcuts to take that power.
“You can do that? What kind of shortcuts?”
If I could learn how to use a shortcut, then I could do it too, right?
—That’s a secret.
Not quite the answer I was hoping for.
Then why mention it at all?
“Seriously? At least teach me.”
—Do you know how to perform rituals?
“…No.”
—Then even if I told you, it would be meaningless.
“Fine, whatever. Then just tell me more about spiritual power.”
—The stronger your spiritual power, the better you can control other spirits. For example, you could prevent malicious spirits—those that have turned into evil spirits due to intense hatred—from harming you, or even turn a benevolent soul into an evil one.
Control over spirits.
Now that I hear it explained, I’m starting to get what this power is about.
—There are also additional effects like sensing the dead more easily or having heightened perception, but I don’t know the details myself.
“That’s more than enough. Thanks.”
—Then I have one more favor to ask.
“…What is it?”
At my question, Gerugur pointed to the fallen goblin warrior.
—Please bury this child.
I nodded without hesitation.
I’d never made a grave for a non-human beast before, but it didn’t really matter.
After all, digging and making graves had always been my job.
“Hmmm…”
As I thought about burying the goblin warrior, the gruesome remains of others around caught my eye.
‘Guess I’ll have to bury them too.’
It felt a little contradictory—killing them and then burying them—but what can you do?
I rummaged through the bag Geron had carried.
Inside was a small portable shovel.
Seems like he planned to kill us, bury us somewhere hidden, and come back for us later.
The thought made me mad, and I almost left the graves unfinished, but I calmed down and got back to work.
It didn’t take long to finish.
Guess that’s the result of 20 years of experience.
—You’re good at this.
Gerugur muttered as he watched me work.
“It’s my profession. I’m a gravekeeper.”
—That explains it…
[Spiritual Power increased by 0.1.]
As I completed the graves, a message popped up saying my spiritual power had risen.
“This is…”
—Ho? You can feel the power of the soul? Impressive. To feel it from just making a few graves…
Gerugur looked at me with amazement as I stood staring at the burial site.
“Making graves increases spiritual power?”
—Yes. Like I said, honoring the dead builds power. Giving them a proper burial is the first step.
“I see…”
While I murmured, Gerugur approached again and bowed his head.
—Thank you.
His sincere gratitude filled me with a sense of pride.
I’ve made countless graves in the past, but no one ever thanked me like this...
‘I wonder… were they grateful too?’
I suddenly recalled all those graves I had made before.
—Gravekeeper.
Gerugur’s spirit began to fade.
“What’s going on?”
I looked at him, unable to hide my surprise.
—Beware the evil spirits. Not all spirits resting in graves are pure…
“Evil spirits…”
—It was the black-robed mages who turned me and the goblin warrior into this. They used a force more sinister than spiritual power.
“…What?”
Didn’t expect to hear about black mages again here.
—They seemed to be experimenting on the warrior. The stronger the being, the stronger its spiritual power. They were trying to extract it.
“Extract spiritual power? Is that even possible?”
—I don’t know. That’s all I’ve got.
[You’ve found traces of a Black Mage.]
[Main Quest – Traces of the Black Mage]
[The black mages are plotting something. Seek out their traces.]
[Traces of the Black Mage: 2/3]
Traces of them again…
Maybe Spencer being trapped in that grave, or their targeting of Decaine, is somehow tied to spiritual power.
“So you’re leaving now?”
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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—I’m going to where I belong.
As expected, the living world was never meant for spirits.
I watched Gerugur’s fading figure with a complicated expression.
— My soul has been sufficiently comforted...
With those final words, Gerugur vanished.
There was nothing left in the empty air.
“Farewell.”
The goblin shaman and goblin warrior.
And the graves where the four humans were buried.
I left that place, hoping that if anyone ever visited it, they would console their souls.
* * *
After returning to Francis's house with Raymond, I delivered the results—telling her that all the goblins had been dealt with.
“Well done,”
she said bluntly,
as if it had been the most natural thing in the world.
I wasn't particularly upset since I already knew her personality.
Besides, she was someone I needed to stay on good terms with.
But I started pretending to be very angry.
“That’s it?”
“What? What more do you want me to say? You just fulfilled your end of the deal for the treatment I gave you.”
“Aren’t you curious about the others? Whether they’re alive or not?”
“They probably made it back safely. You two did, after all.”
That’s what she said, but her eyes wavered slightly, perhaps sensing something was off.
“They’re all dead. Except for one.”
“What? Dead?”
Her eyes widened as she stared at me and Raymond.
The two of us were alive, while the others were dead.
That was certainly suspicious enough to warrant doubt.
“You two—”
“We killed them. You know why?”
At my bold declaration, Francis faltered, sensing something was seriously wrong.
“Why, why would you...?”
“They tried to kill us.”
I spoke in a cold, controlled tone, as if restraining my emotions.
“They were human traffickers who secretly killed people and sold their corpses. That’s what they were.”
Francis’s pupils trembled wildly.
Her shifting gaze and confused expression, not knowing how to respond, were quite amusing.
I waited patiently, hiding my true feelings.
“…Don’t lie. Where’s the proof? You should have proof before saying something like that.”
“You’re doubting us—the victims—right now?”
“Well… am I wrong? You could be lying to me!”
My expression twisted at her response.
Tsk.
She had a very strong sense of pride.
She probably couldn't accept that an assignment she initiated had gone wrong due to her own ignorance.
Her words weren't entirely unreasonable, but if she had commissioned this request, the first thing she should’ve done was apologize.
She could've verified the facts afterward.
“We took on this job because we trusted you. And we were ambushed by those bastards, nearly killed.”
“Do you have proof? Do you?”
Raymond, who had been quietly watching the exchange between me and Francis, clicked his tongue.
‘If anyone ambushes someone, it’s our senior—not the other way around… right?’
There was never even a close call.
Just thinking about how our leader sliced off Baskit’s arm and head in one stroke still gave Raymond chills.
“Proof? Yeah, we’ve got proof.”
I pulled out a small token from my coat and showed it to her.
“What’s this?”
“A symbol used by a depraved group that experiments on humans. Take a good look. And if you still don’t believe us, you can investigate it yourself.”
“…Fine. I’ll look into it. But for now, I still can’t believe you.”
That was the reaction I expected.
I knew all too well she was someone who never backs down without solid evidence.
“That’s why we brought her.”
Raymond, hearing that, rushed out and brought in Lynn, who had been tied up.
“That person is…”
“Ah, hello.”
“Alright. Tell her everything. Don’t leave anything out.”
Lynn glanced at me, then slowly recounted everything that had happened.
Including what they had intended to do.
“…Is that true? Think carefully before you answer. If these two threatened you, don’t worry—I’ll protect you.”
Her fury was clear to everyone present.
“But if it’s true, I might just kill you myself…”
She truly looked like she was ready to kill Lynn right then and there.
Lynn glanced at me one last time and finally spoke.
“It’s true…”
“Unbelievable, you disgusting—”
“Wait.”
I stepped in between them.
“Because of you, we were put in danger. Right?”
“…I admit it.”
“Then I deserve compensation. Not just because of these guys, but your whole request was a mess from the start.”
The request from the village was only to deal with goblins, but it turned out there was a goblin warrior among them, and the other mercenaries with the same task were traitors.
It was only right that the compensation be increased.
“So what are you going to do?”
“We came at your request, so we can’t ask the village for more. But she can.”
My greedy gaze turned to Lynn.
“She’ll collect the full reward for all five of them, plus extra compensation. We’ll take all of it. Clearing the goblin village repays my debt to you.”
“Still…”
“And didn’t you say you wanted to keep quiet about all this? If this blows up into a human trafficking case, the mercenary guild that organized the job will definitely launch an investigation. Are you okay with that?”
Francis, not having considered that, fell silent.
“So just do as I say. Raymond, go finish things up.”
“Yes, sir!”
I left the rest to Raymond and got up from my seat.
“Wait.”
Francis stood up and grabbed my arm.
“What?”
She hesitated for a long moment before finally forcing out the words.
“…Thank you.”
Coming from someone as prideful as her, it must have taken a lot, but my voice remained cold.
“…No, that’s wrong.”
“What?”
Francis looked confused at my unexpected reply.
“You should’ve said ‘I’m sorry,’ not ‘thank you.’”
With that, I pushed her hand off my arm and headed toward the door.
“I’m sorry! Really…”
Francis called out her apology too late, but my expression didn’t soften.
“It’s too late.”
“Huh…?”
“You should’ve said it when I first brought it up. When your actions put others in danger, the first thing you do is apologize. Not demand proof.”
With those words, I shut the door before she could say anything more.
Creak—
“Sir! Wait for me…!”
Raymond hurried out with a surprised look on his face.
I smiled as I casually threw an arm around his shoulder.
“What do you think?”
“Eh? Think about what?”
“Francis. What do you think of her?”
My sudden change in tone made Raymond tilt his head in confusion.
“She looked… like she was about to cry.”
“Really? Haha…”
“…Weren’t you angry?”
“Why would I be angry? She didn’t know anything.”
I had to play it like this to make sure Francis wouldn’t complain when we claimed the whole reward.
Hehe.
Normally, she would’ve taken half of it for herself.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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