Delicious Praise

“Yah.”

At the end of the sensation of passing through space, a sensation that even she did not understand, she found herself on snow.

Iris (René) was transferred to a forest not far from the city of Wesala via ≪Mass Teleport≫. The trees were even blacker in the nighttime darkness, blocking even the slightest moonlight or starlight. It seemed like a place where something unexpected might appear, but … Iris (René) herself was representing that.

Slightly behind Iris’s (René) shadow, the bodies of the dead, still dripping with blood, were raining down on the area. They were magically teleported together.

Among them were the corpses of the Duke and the leader of the Night Pythons, whom she had searched for in a very indirect and roundabout way.

“Well, come on out.”

Iris (René) called out, and a few pale blue demonic flames floated in the air.

As they gathered in a cluster, the blue-white light gradually took on a human shape.

There was a pale, translucent woman.

Her eyes were wet and sorrowful. Glossy hair and lips. She was not a particularly beautiful woman, but even in her traveling clothes, she exuded a certain appeal.

This is Miriam, a pro*****te who died with resentment toward the Night Pythons.

Miriam’s soul had been tied to René since the moment she signed the contract to take revenge on her behalf. She could call upon her anytime she wished.

“At your request, the corpse of the big boss of the Night Pythons.”

Miriam’s eyes widened in surprise as she pointed to the corpse of the old monster who had died out in anguish.

“You really did it…”

“Well, it was a struggle, a hard struggle.”

“Thank you. Now my parents’ souls will be at rest. … No, I am sure that justice has been brought to many people living in this country. My brother and sisters may also be saved.”

“Haha…justice, huh.”

All she could do was laugh. It was not an act of justice.

Even if it temporarily benefited many people, after all, Iris’s (René’s) ultimate goal was to destroy it all. At the very least, Ciel-Terra would be destroyed.

To do so, she simply needed to obtain Miriam’s soul.

Once again, Iris (René) observed Miriam. Not visually, but magically.

It was as if the surface of her skin was being burned.

She felt a tremendous surge of power that had never been unleashed until the end of her life.

–This girl had an amazing talent. If she had trained to be a magician instead, she might have become the best user in the country…

They say that magic users are precious. There are only a few who have the gift.

But then, Iris (René) wondered if it would be possible to implement a system to search for those with talent, for example, to measure the magical qualities of all citizens, like a medical checkup. It would be a great loss to let a valuable talent be buried without even knowing about it.

Well, that was why it was such a convenient bait for René. If she can eat this many souls and turn them into power, then all the hard work of going undercover will be rewarded.

Miriam cowered, a little frightened, as Iris (René) looked at her.

“Now then, it’s time to collect the payment.”

“Ah…”

Miriam backed up just a little.

Just a little bit, a ghostly ‘step back.

“Ta, what exactly does it mean to have your soul eaten? What does it feel like…?”

“I don’t know what it feels like to have your soul eaten, because I haven’t experienced it, but I can explain what happens. Your soul permanently loses its individuality and becomes a part of me. Souls don’t usually disappear or lose their shape that easily. Even if you lose your memory in reincarnation, you will continue to be an individual. But from now on, I will disassemble your soul, absorb it, and use it to strengthen my own spirit body. Your existence will disappear from this world and reincarnation cycle forever.”

“…!”

Overt fear and disgust flashed in Miriam’s eyes.

In this world, it was believed that the souls of mortal mankind would return to the Great God and eventually be reborn in this world again. This belief in reincarnation constituted the core of the faith. Since it has been proven magically, it may be more of a “theory” than an “idea”.

This is why the Evil God had been despised, who takes souls and creates monsters and the Undead to form an army of its own. However, the temple preached that even the souls that became monsters could return to the Great God again if they repented their deeds.

Iris’s (René’s) words about eating the soul and erasing it even from reincarnation were the height of blasphemy. It was more blasphemous than burning a scripture, insulting a saint.

There was quite a bit of magic that used the soul, but it was ‘use’ in the sense of, say, making soup stock. To tamper with or erase the soul itself was in the realm of the gods. It was only possible for René, who had been granted the cheat of a Devine Protection by the Evil God directly.

Miriam seemed to have understood this after all this time. What had she done to herself out of resentment?

She realized. She put her trust in something she shouldn’t have put her trust in, and wished for something she shouldn’t have wished for.

“This is it. It’s disguised as a contract, but in reality, it’s a soul hijacking, exploiting a security hole called the ‘unredeemable resentment’.”

“Eh…? Eh…?”

“The process of clearing up the resentment is called ‘prying open a hole and eating what’s inside.’ … Yeah, well, in a nutshell.”

Ten or twenty thin gold chains sprang out of Iris’s (René’s) body and wrapped around Miriam’s body.

These were not actual chains. It was merely a visualization of the connection between Miriam and René’s souls.

“No matter how scared you are, you won’t get away anyway, so feel free to scream and cry.”

“…!!”

Miriam let out an inaudible scream.

She turned her back and moved her legs desperately to escape from Iris (René), but they only clawed at the air and made no progress at all. The moment the contract was fulfilled, Miriam’s soul was already trapped by René.

“Yes, there’s a saying that we say in times like these. Gratitude for those who nourish me.”

“Wh-what…!?”

In this world, … at least in Ciel-Terra, there seemed to be no such culture, but even so, Iris (René) dared to put her hands together in the style familiar from her previous life.

“Itadakimasu.”

“No, no… no… no…! Noooooooooooooooooooo!!”

A wind sprang up in response to Miriam’s scream.

It was not a real wind, but an attraction towards the spirit.

Miriam soared up like a leaf being hoisted up by the wind, and was reeled in by a chain of gold, diving toward Iris (René).

The screams died down, and Iris (René) felt warmth seep into her body.

Miriam’s existence turned to nourishment, and she ceased to exist.

“That terror, it’s sweet to the palate… Fufu, thank you for the meal.”

Tasting Miriam’s end and the fear that was released from her soul at that moment, Iris (René) clasped her hands together in a happy manner. It was in her nature as an Abyss Spirit to find the fear and despair of others ‘delicious’.

Inside her body, … to be exact, the soul of René, the main body, was filled with an exuberance of increasing power.

–… Okay, the look was right. Quite good! If eating souls normally is a slime experience, this was about as effective as defeating the Metal King!?

Iris (René) sensed the flow of magical power within herself.

She could feel the rush of power roaring through her like a torrent of blood. The approximate sensation was about double what it had been up to now.

It was difficult to say that this did not mean double the MP or double the magic damage, but instead, she obtained a new technique, just as she had hoped. The new abilities are familiar to her like she had them since she was born.

Anyway, there was no doubt that René had stepped up significantly as an Undead.

–I can beat him now. To that Lawrence … I mean, this country!

“Well, now I’ve accomplished my original goal, but …”

No matter how much she has improved her level, she wasn’t going to go straight into the royal capital. The first step was to make the appropriate preparations.

What she needed was Duke Gerald to do that. It didn’t have to be him, but it’s a good thing she got him while she worked on the Night Pythons boss.

Iris (René) contemplated her future plans while looking at the scattered corpses.

However, she suddenly sensed approaching emotions and braced herself.

–Who’s–who’s …? Out of town and coming straight here …? Did they notice anything? Did they hear the screams earlier? It can’t be … This forest is also surrounded by a barrier.

Someone was coming straight for the woods, where no sound or presence should have leaked out, as if they had sensed something.

There were three of them.