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Chapter 365: The Weight of the Soul (6)

If there was one thing to confess,

there had never been even a single moment when Oscar thought it was a good thing that he had been given a new life.

‘On the day the Emperor died, I should have died too.’

Together with the result of the choice he had made, and together with all those who had wagered their lives on that choice.

He had wanted to put a period on everything and make a beautiful exit.

But for some reason, he had been brought back to life.

‘From that moment on, I tried to find it.’

The reason he had been revived.

The first thing that had caught his eye back then was the state of the fallen White Tower.

That too was a result born of his own choice.

So, in order to correct his past mistakes, in order to restore the White Tower, he had devoted himself with all his might.

Because if there was a reason he had been given a second life, he thought it had to be that.

‘……It may still be a little early to say this, but I did succeed in restoring the White Tower.’

Only now did he feel that he could show his face, even if only a little.

Because even if he died, he now had at least something he could say when he met those guys.

‘And the demons.’

Recently, the demon race had started rampaging again, but thanks to that, he had been able to realize something instead.

The Empire had already been preparing for that danger in various ways.

‘The demons of the past were an unknown danger that no one had been able to anticipate, but not now.’

Facing an enemy one knows may be difficult, but it is not frightening.

It was truly different from the old days, when it had felt like walking through darkness so thick that one could not see even an inch ahead.

‘Even the current Heavenly Sword has become stronger than he was in the past.’

Though he had not said it to him yet, as a mage who had already reached Level 9, he could feel it.

That before long, the man would cross the wall of Level 9 and become the true strongest sword of humanity.

In other words, so long as he was there, there was no need to fear either the demons or a new Demon Emperor.

He would perfectly fill the vacancy left by the great mage Oscar Sage.

Above all, the Heavenly Sword he had known was absolutely not the kind of man who would betray humanity.

‘Humanity now is different from before. It’s definitely stronger.’

He had seen that fact with his own eyes and felt it on his own skin.

That was why he had been able to feel at ease.

Because he had become certain that even if he died, those who remained would not lose to the demons.

‘But…….’

His gaze met the hollow eyes of the one clutching his throat.

The First Demon Emperor.

If this bastard were to return, the entire story would change.

Even if the Heavenly Sword reached Level 9, even if the Empire had prepared perfectly, victory could not be guaranteed.

At the very least, he himself would never be able to feel at ease for even a single moment until this existence stopped breathing.

“……I see. You haven’t changed, but you have improved.”

He did not want this bastard to take anything more from him.

He had already had far too much taken away.

Srrrk.

The strength left the Emperor’s hand, and his body fell downward.

“Cough, cough!”

Even as he coughed out the breath he had been holding back, he did not take his eyes off the bastard.

Because he was the type who might do anything at any moment.

“…….”

But the bastard seemed to have no intention of pulling out the mithril flask embedded in his neck.

He merely stood there.

Then, after staring down at him in silence, he tossed out a single remark.

“You are a fool.”

“…….”

“But that is what makes you interesting.”

Thud!

As if his strength had given out, the Emperor suddenly dropped to one knee.

He lifted his head with difficulty and kept staring at him to the very end.

“If you intend… to devour me… then look… forward to it. The moment… you let your guard down… I will….”

With those final words, his eyes rolled back, and Chan’s body collapsed with a thud.

Clack, ting! Tiiing.

The mithril flask, its soul extraction complete, rolled across the floor with a pleasant sound.

A brief silence followed, and Itaca asked cautiously.

—Oscar, surely you are not thinking of putting that back inside your body.

“……There’s no helping it. Until I find a method, I have to.”

He had thought it was something simple, like a thorn lodged in a finger.

He had thought that if he pulled it out, that would be the end of it.

Who could have guessed that it was actually a bomb called the Emperor?

“If that thing is released into the world, people’s lives will be threatened just like before.”

Even then, it was only because this place was the countryside that the number had ended in the thousands.

If it had been released in a major city, he did not even want to imagine the scale of the damage.

Its power, which had fallen all the way to the bottom, would likely have recovered in the blink of an eye.

“I need a way to remove that safely.”

Wouldn’t it be possible if he died while still absorbing the soul?

Having read that thought, Itaca warned him.

—If you are thinking of swallowing that and killing yourself, I would tell you to stop.

“Why?”

—It would only result in your death. That thing would be delighted and seize your emptied body.

“Tch, figures.”

Clicking his tongue, Oscar picked up the flask and looked around.

The black lines that had occupied the area in every direction vanished the moment Chan collapsed.

The lines that had been stretching toward the city had probably all disappeared as well.

“……Itaca, I have one favor to ask.”

Oscar spoke with an unusually serious expression.

—What is it?

“The reason the Demon Emperor has not been able to seize my body all this time is probably because you exist.”

—Correct. I was suppressing that evil thing so it could not emerge.

“Could you keep doing that from now on as well? It won’t take that long. Just until I find a way to kill that thing.”

—Hm?

Itaca let out a puzzled sound.

—I had intended to do so anyway. It would not do for the vessel of divinity to be damaged.

“Oh, really?”

—I would rather ask you this. Why have you suddenly become so serious?

“No, it’s just…….”

—Because you are not the original owner of this body, and think you are unqualified?

At those words that struck straight at the heart of it, Oscar’s eyes widened slightly.

It was true.

From the earlier conversation with the former Emperor, he must have realized that he was Oscar Sage.

—Hmmm. This makes me feel a little displeased, as though my ability has been underestimated. Oscar, I am divinity. From the moment I made you my vessel, it means I was already aware that there was a gap between soul and body.

“What? Then why…….”

—Because what mattered to me was not your name, your origins, or your age.

In a voice more serious than ever before, Itaca spoke firmly.

—Do you perhaps remember what you said when we made our contract?

“……What was it again?”

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—You said that later on, I was not to think of calling you a saint or anything of the sort and forcing sacrifice upon you.

Right, he did remember that.

Even now, he did not think of himself as someone kind enough to contain divinity.

—At that time, I said this. That even if I did not force you, you would do so of your own accord.

“…….”

—I was right. You were thinking of disappearing together with that thing, even at the cost of your own life.

“That’s only because you don’t know how dangerous that bastard is.”

—Correct. I was sealed away on an island while that Emperor was active. But while holding back that thing as it gnawed at your soul, I was able to glimpse at least a little of how great its power was. Certainly, that thing is a fearsome and powerful existence. But Oscar. Ordinary people, you see, the more frightening and dangerous their opponent is, the farther they run. Those who instead think first of embracing such a being and dying with it—people call them heroes.

“…….”

A hero.

That word, made up of only two syllables, still felt a little heavy.

“I don’t know.”

Whether he deserved to be called that.

* * *

Director Makile, having regained his senses, was completely shaken.

“I-I had never even imagined that such a dangerous soul could exist.”

As he pushed up his cracked square-framed glasses, he spoke.

“To think that a being that is no more than a soul could exert physical force. Are you saying that such a line had truly been embedded in my forehead?”

“Yes. Don’t you remember?”

“I don’t remember anything at all.”

According to Makile, the last thing he remembered was before the experiment had begun.

Chan likewise answered that the last thing he remembered was being out on patrol.

‘At least that much is fortunate.’

That meant the citizens of Rangle City would not be left with needless trauma.

At that moment, Makile stared at the mithril flask containing the Emperor’s soul.

“M-more than that, how are we supposed to deal with something like this…….”

“Please put it into my body.”

If it was left like this, the bottle would only break again and the same thing as before would repeat itself.

Makile’s eyes widened into circles.

“In-into your body, Mr. Oscar? But…….”

“I’m fine. There was no problem when it was actually inside my body, was there?”

“……Are you truly alright with this?”

“Yes.”

Meeting Oscar’s unwavering gaze, Makile immediately began preparing the procedure.

Fortunately, he turned on the machine that was still functioning normally and put the damp oxygen mask back over his face.

“……The injection has been completed.”

“You did put all of it in without leaving any behind, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Even though the Emperor’s soul had entered him, he did not feel much of anything.

When it had been extracted, there had been something like a sense of release; now there was only a faint discomfort left in its place.

Rising from his seat, Oscar asked,

“Director, is there any way to remove this soul? There is no need to worry about my life.”

“Hm. Normally, spirit-world monsters are eliminated with attacks imbued with mana, but…….”

“As you saw, it seems difficult to kill it that way.”

“I agree. Would it be alright if I looked into it further and contacted you later?”

“Go ahead.”

After exchanging personal identification numbers with him, Oscar said,

“However, I would appreciate it if it did not take too long. There is a chance I may not be able to endure it.”

“Understood. I will look into the relevant materials as quickly as possible and contact you.”

If it was Director Makile of the research institute, then there was no greater authority in this field within the Empire.

Before long, he would surely come up with some sort of solution and contact him.

“…….”

As he stepped out into the corridor, he saw the experiment volunteers walking about in the empty lot outside the window.

Among them was Randy, with whom he had spoken.

Unlike how he had looked with a black line embedded in his forehead, he now seemed very healthy.

—It is the peace you protected.

“……Do you have the leisure to be talking to me? Aren’t you supposed to be holding back the Emperor?”

—Perhaps he has not awakened yet. He is rather quiet for now.

“Hmm.”

He did not know about that embarrassing word, hero, but he thought he understood at least one thing.

That he had protected a household that had not even finished its honeymoon yet.

* * *

Two days had passed since he returned to the White Tower.

When Sasha asked why he had gone to the research institute, he simply told her that he had gone there for a tour.

Because he did not have the confidence to deal with the worry and nagging that would follow if he told her about the Demon Emperor’s existence.

‘If there were already a method to remove it, that would be one thing, but as things are now, I need to be a little careful about saying anything.’

Judging by how much less talkative Itaca had been since the morning, it seemed the Emperor had awakened again.

The two of them were probably locked in a battle of wills, while Ice Spirit was likely trembling beside them once more.

“…….”

After facing that tiresome ill-fated tie called the Demon Emperor again, it felt as though cold water had been poured over him, jolting him fully awake.

‘And I was criticizing those people of today for being soaked in peace. To think that those words applied to me as well.’

It might simply be impatience, but he felt the need to become stronger even a day sooner.

‘What methods are left? Elixirs are essentially meaningless now.’

Having consumed a Dragon Heart, taking other elixirs now would be little more than throwing money onto the ground.

Of course, it would still be better than not taking them, but he would not see any meaningful effect.

‘Then the only thing left is to hone my skill…….’

His magic was already complete.

It was not arrogance.

In his previous life, he had truly honed it to its limit, so in technical terms, it was perfect.

“Hmm?”

No, the more he thought about it, the more that was not quite right either.

What he had honed was only the magic he had handled in his previous life.

‘Spatial magic.’

When it came to this magic, he was still far from being able to call himself perfect.

‘Then first, I should go into closed-door training…… ah.’

Come to think of it, the spaces his master Ado Vail had created still remained.

When he had entered one before, he had met his master in his younger days.

‘In that case, might there also be one from when he was older?’

The surest path would be to watch how his master used spatial magic.

Oscar immediately left the room.

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