Chapter 46
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"Soul Rebirth"
When Yuurai cast the spell, Claire's body, lying down, began to emit an eerie glow. A chilling air, as if the gates of hell had been forcefully pried open, froze the surroundings.
"Claire... come back to me."
Claire's head began to regenerate. The cluster of light squirmed and writhed, and in about five minutes, Claire's original face reappeared.
"Claire. Can you hear my voice?"
Yuurai knelt beside Claire and traced her face with her hand.
Whether it was due to the cold winter sky or because she had just regenerated, her cheeks were terribly cold.
"Claire. Wake up. Please..."
This was her first time using Soul Rebirth. She still wasn't sure how effective it would be.
Would she really come back to life? As Yuurai began to worry, Claire's eyes slowly opened.
"Claire! Are you okay!? Do you recognize me!?"
"...Yuurai? Why...? I should be dead..."
"I couldn't accept that you died, so I brought you back."
"Brought me back...? You had that kind of power...?"
"Yeah. Somehow, it looks like I could do this too. I didn't even know myself."
"...I see. Your eyes are black though, are you okay?"
"Yeah! I'm fine! Ah, but maybe this state won't last long... I have to bring Lipia back too!"
Yuurai placed the robe soaked with Lipia's blood at her feet. When she used Soul Rebirth, the blood glowed eerily and began to transform into a human shape.
Perhaps because there was more to regenerate, it took much longer than with Claire.
However, in the end, Lipia's body was fully restored. Since only her body had regenerated, she was completely naked, but at least she had been brought back to life.
Yuurai dressed Lipia in the robe. After calling out to her several times, Lipia also regained consciousness.
"Nn... Yuurai? I... huh? I felt like I was crushed by some incredible force..."
"Lipia, thank you for saving me back then. Thanks to you, I was safe. So, Lipia, you did die once, but I brought you back with my magic."
"Eh...? You resurrected the dead...?"
"Yeah. That's right."
"Wha!? Th-that casually!? Resurrecting the dead is something only a god could do!"
"No, no, it was just a monster's doing. I'm not a god or anything."
"...Just a monster can't resurrect the dead. What even are you, Yuurai...?"
"I told you, just a monster."
With both Claire and Lipia revived, Yuurai felt a bit relieved. Also, perhaps due to the immense magic needed for Soul Rebirth, the magic power that had nearly reached ten million was now almost depleted.
When the effect of Corruption wore off, Yuurai collapsed on the spot.
"Ugh... I-I can't move my body..."
Gilka lifted Yuurai's collapsed body.
"After killing that many, resurrecting two people, and the backlash is just being unable to move...? Are there any other symptoms?"
"Nn... I'm fine."
"That's good. Since the battle is over, you should rest at the castle."
"I'll do that. Ahh... Seriously, I'm sick of fights like this..."
While being carried by Gilka, Yuurai gazed beyond the castle walls.
All the humans on the ground had vanished except for one. The only things left scattered around were corpses that had already died and weapons or armor that had lost their owners. She had even erased the monsters she had mentally manipulated in her frenzy, but that didn't matter. It was a bit surprising that even the Skeletons had disappeared, but that too wasn't a concern.
"Maybe I'll use Army of the Undead again to clean up the scattered ones..."
"That's your idea of cleanup...? That's pretty surreal. Should we just have them clean the whole town too?"
"Maybe I should've done that from the start... But they can't follow detailed instructions, so they'd probably destroy houses without a second thought... Guess we'll need manpower after all..."
"Understood."
As Yuurai and Gilka relaxed, Emma shouted in a voice filled with rage.
"You! Just how many people have you killed!?"
"Ah—Emma, you're still here? And you can talk again. Maybe the effect of Spell Word is wearing off... Well, if you want an answer, I'd say at least twenty thousand are dead, but I don't know the exact number."
"Twenty thousand...? There were originally only about ten thousand soldiers. Around eight thousand should've still been alive. Are you saying you killed everyone else too...?"
"Yeah. The parents, siblings, and children of the soldiers and Holy Knights. They should all be dead."
"W-what have you done...!? They had nothing to do with this battle..."
"I didn't mean to go that far either. But I needed it to bring Claire and Lipia back, so I had no choice."
"You think 'no choice' is a valid excuse!?"
Emma still seemed unable to move. She trembled, showing signs of aggression, but didn't act.
"Don't be so mad. I mean, thinking about it calmly, maybe it was overkill. But it's not like humanity went extinct. Less than one percent died—it doesn't affect humanity as a whole."
"What are you even saying...? This isn't about humanity as a whole. Don't you understand how precious and sacred each individual life is...?"
"Ah—yeah, yeah. I get it. Don't worry. I don't plan to do this again lightly. As long as you all don't come after me, I'll behave."
"Even so... you..."
"I'm not claiming to be justice. I know sacrificing ten thousand to save one isn't sane. But this isn't about justice. It's about something I can't compromise on. That's all. Justice means nothing right now."
Emma still looked unconvinced as she glared at Yuurai.
At that moment, Claire stepped in between them.
"Emma. I understand your anger. But for today, just go back."
"Claire... You're still siding with this monstrous being!?"
"...It's true Yuurai killed many. But she's not purely evil. What Yuurai wants is a peaceful life, not to plunge the world into fear. If that's the case, then I'll stand by her side."
"...She's a monster. Wanting a peaceful life? That's absurd!"
"...Emma. You're not thinking clearly, and you're seeing things through assumptions. Just go back for now."
Claire placed both hands on Emma's still-unmoving neck.
"If you can't promise to go back quietly, I'll break your neck."
"Claire..."
"Please. Go back. I don't want to kill you, Emma."
Emma's face twisted in anguish, but eventually, the strength drained from her expression.
"...We've truly chosen completely different paths now."
"...Yeah. Our paths probably won't cross again."
"I see."
Tears welled up in Emma's eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
"Today... I'll go back quietly. I can't defeat you all with my strength alone anyway. ...Goodbye, Claire."
"...Goodbye, Emma. Tell Emeralda too."
"...I will."
Claire turned back to Yuurai and the others, a fleeting smile on her face.
"It's settled. Let's go too. It's snowing, and it's cold here."
Claire descended the stairs first, and Yuurai and the others followed.
Emma still seemed unable to move, but she would likely recover within an hour.
"I did kill a lot of people, but can you just give up on trying to subjugate me now? I think if you realize it's better to get along than to fight, we can move closer to peaceful days..."
Yuurai sighed and murmured, closing her eyes.
Eventually, sleep overtook her, and Yuurai lost consciousness.
As the snow fell silently, Gilka's body warmth felt incredibly comforting.