When Tracy, who was summoned by Everis, entered the workshop, the room was in a strange state.
It was a messy room with rickety magic artifacts scattered about.
The whole place was dimly illuminated with a pale green light.
The source of light was not to be found. It was a huge magic artifact placed in the middle of the room.
Inside a cylindrical glass-like container.
René was floating in a luminescent light green liquid. Her eyes were closed and she looked like she had breathed her last peacefully.
René’s glossy, fresh, white n*ked body without a stitch of clothing was surrounded by her softly spread silver hair. In the issuing liquid, the silver hair was shining like light itself.
“Hey, is it safe for me to go into this room?”
“Well, I’m sure the princess won’t mind. Sit down at your leisure.”
Everis seemed to offer a chair to a quizzical Tracy, but Tracy decided to stand, not knowing which one was the chair because of all the strange things strewn about.
“What is this lovely aquarium?”
“The other day, when you were stuck in the battle, I heard that the Princess wounded herself as a distraction.”
“Yeah, I saw it.”
“The physical body can be replaced, but it seems that the main body was damaged as well. She’s recovering quickly because she feels like the battle is finally coming.”
“… Is there about five healthy people dissolved in this liquid or something?”
“Close enough! The correct answer is 10.”
“Uh…”
Although he didn’t know the details, it seemed to be a blasphemous recovery procedure.
Indeed, the battle was now close to a decisive end.
The Noacurio forces had no choice but to retreat.
Marquis Edfeldt would announce the Crown Prince in time before the retreat of Noacurio’s army to attract the cooperation of the lords by impressing them with Noacurio’s backing. Perhaps Noacurio’s army would retreat immediately after that, but if he could get the lords’ approval before then, he would be able to set the trend.
However, if the Noacurio army withdrew, René would attack Marquis Edfeldt’s territory.
She would destroy Terra Kaine and take out Lord Marks and Crown Prince (to be) Ghislain.
The only countermeasures the Marquis could take would be to call in adventurers or ask friendly lords to contribute troops to fill the gaps left by Noacurio’s army.
Even if the army left, it was highly likely that the holy beasts would remain.
As a side note, around the time of the retreat of Noacurio’s army, the anti-Hilbert lords were planning to install a different Crown Prince. The second Knight Commander Bertil was involved in this movement, and it was said that he had connections with the Gireshtal Federation.
“But … as a magic researcher by trade, it’s really interesting. I guess when you read the mind against magic of divine descent, you can probably see God more vividly than the person who has God in their mind. I had no idea about that either. I wonder how someone could look at something like that and not have a mental breakdown.”
“God’s enemy, huh.”
Tracy thought to himself.
Tracy’s faith was weak. It was weak enough tthat a duck probably had more. God would not help him when he was really in pain, she thought, and she was a little dismissive.
Even Tracy thought that gods (excluding the Evil God) were somehow good, benevolent, and worthy of reverence.
But from what René told him, they seemed to be incomprehensible monsters.
Or maybe it just seemed that way because René was an undead, an enemy of God.
“By the way, Tracy, I’d like to talk to you about what I called you here for.”
“Oops, what is it?”
When Tracy was about to change his mind and put off thinking about troublesome things for the time being, Everis introduced an even more troublesome topic.
“You know, you look like that at your age… Didn’t they give you 2 or 3 bad medications when you were a kid?”
Everis grinned, eyes twinkling with curiosity.
It was a terribly private topic, and the fact that she had seen through the circumstances was a shock in its own way. But Tracy did not show any sign of it, and responded with a smile at best.
“Half of it is true. The other half of the reason I’m so cute is because of my hard work.”
“Oh, excuse me. May I ask you a little more about that?”
“Well, there’s nothing to hide. My father…, or rather my foster father, was an evil sorcerer who lived in hiding in Ciel-Terra.”
A Sorcerer. It was a person who fulfills his desires by practicing magic that should not be used by humans.
Incidentally, women were called “witches” among the evil magicians.
“Father took in children who had no relatives, raised them according to the customer’s order, and shipped them out. …Well, to say the least, he was a scum of the human race. I am one of those people. You know, it’s pretty convenient to be a man when you’re really a girl.”
“There are some magic spells that work only on one gender.”
“Yes, that’s it. Whoever was the buyer, I don’t know. It seems that the skills of a Thief were part of the order, so I learned them there. But my father was killed by the Moon Eaters while I was still a child. And that was a blessing and a curse.”
It was not something he would hide, but it was also not something he would take the initiative to tell others about. It would add a strange color to who he was. So he had only told this story to a handful of other people.
His relationship with Everis and René was only that of an agent and an emissary. That was the reason why he was able to talk to them like this without any hesitation.
“I don’t have any grudge against the Moon Eaters because I didn’t have any parent-child feelings, but they were only interested in killing the sorcerer, so they didn’t want to help me who stayed behind. I had no choice but to live a hard life. I got into everyone’s good graces with my charms and pretty face. I also became an adventurer, honing my skills as a trained thief.”
“Hmph, nice, nice, nice. I thought you had a spoiled sweet brain, but you have a hard upbringing and are a bitter sweet with a sleek look. I like that kind of witch.”
“Uhi.”
Everis’s eyes sparkled like purple crystals, and Tracy scooted up like a balloon rat staring at a fire python.
She might have looked like a playful and carefree lascivious woman, but his opponent was a fearsome witch who served as a general staff member in the Demon Lord’s army for many years. He could at least sense the difference in power just from a hint of her presence. If she wanted to, Tracy could always be taken in handcuffs.
“But that’s all right. You know you have a short life ahead of you, don’t you? I’ve always thought you were a little insensitive to life-threatening situations.”
Tracy was startled by this.
He was confronted with a doomed fate that he had been aware of for some time.
“Ah, so you know everything. …How many years do you think I have left to live…?”
“I won’t know for sure until I do some tests, but I’m thinking …5 years.”
“I knew it. I guess that’s not so bad.”
He knew that his body was deteriorating.
he had a girlish appearance and a body that never grew up. He did not know what effect the potions he had been given as a child had on his body, but there was no way that such recklessness could be good for it.
“What if I told you that I could prolong your life?”
Tracy gasped.
…It was always a mistake to express such a blatant reaction.
Everis’s mischievous grin deepened.
A devil’s grin that fools people? No, no, it wasn’t that big of a deal. This was just a kind of playful smile for Everis. She was simply enjoying Tracy’s reaction.
“If I’m not going to be freed and used to destroy the world, I’ll just die gracefully! It would be cool if I could say … I’m the best, so if I can prolong my life, I’ll ask for it.”
He had given up and was ready to accept his fate. But he didn’t want to die. Tracy wanted to look in the mirror tomorrow.
“I’d like it to be done in a less evil way if possible. Something that doesn’t kill people.”
“All right. Well, I’ll think of something.”
“But why do you want to prolong my life? Does the witch like me? Or maybe she thinks I’m too good a pawn to die.”
Honestly speaking, he didn’t really care about that part, but when Tracy somehow asked her about it, Everis answered in an amused tone.
“No. It’s a request from the Princess. Of course, the Princess will pay for it. I told her about your estimated life expectancy and she was intrigued. I must warn you, considering the price of the catalyst used for magic, it is not a ‘bargain’ to prolong your life. You’ll need to have regular treatments, and it would be better to find someone to take your place.”
“Eh?”
“This is your reward, instead of a salary.”
The answer was laughably unexpected.
“Reward? A salary? I don’t need to be paid, I’m forced to obey.”
Tracy poked himself in the chest with a thud.
The “S*ave Core”, an item with comparable binding power to the “S*ave Collar”, was created by Everis as an improvement. It was embedded in Tracy’s body.
Tracy, who was bound by orders, was unable to run away, disobey, or harm himself, and was forced to serve faithfully.
There was no need to give him money as a reward for his work.
“That’s the point. Undead are automatically imprinted with loyalty, but I and Mialanze are serving the Princess for our own reasons. But you are forced. I think that’s why the Princess is uncomfortable with you. It’s an unnatural state, so it’s not comfortable, and it seems like it will fall apart at some point. … So even if she’s forcing you to follow her, I think she wants you to serve her with a certain degree of conviction.”
“I don’t understand! What kind of world did you grow up in!?”
“I think that’s the world you come from. No kidding.”
Tracy thought he was going to be used like a good servant until the end of his life.
He wasn’t wrong. Just in a very different way than Tracy had thought.
This was how he was. He once searched for a magic item that would work, like a life-prolonging charm or something like that.
There were several ways to do it, but they were all rare and very costly. No matter how good an adventurer he was, it was not something he could afford. It was a question of how many years of income he would have to spend to extend his life by one year, and in the end, he had no choice but to give up. He wanted to enjoy the rest of his life to the fullest, and that was all he could do.
He never thought that would be saved in a place like this.
Tracy looked at the clear coffin-like tank in the middle of the room.
Floating in the light green liquid, René, eyes closed as if asleep.
The “Rose Princess of Hellrage”. A fearsome Named Monster who wanted to destroy Ciel-Terra and eventually the world.
Tracy became her captive and was made to obey her with a cursed item and fight alongside her. In the process, he learned about René’s existence, which could not be described in one word as “evil”.
Everis narrowed her eyes as she watched Tracy, who was having an inconclusive feeling.
“Did you fall…?”
“Ugh!? It’s not like that…”
“You should come over to this side. It’s fun, right?”
“No, no, no, no! I don’t want to be a serious villain! I’m a cute little devilish trickster adventurer who plays with and manipulates everyone for fun, but when push comes to shove, I show my competence and help others on a whim!”
“Hmm. Then, when you have a good track record, I’ll remove the ‘S*ave Core’. I picture you obeying the Princess of your own volition while giving all kinds of reasons.”
“…Don’t people say you have a bad personality?”
“Ahahahaha! I’m sorry, I just have a tendency to pick on cute boys. But I’m really more into the aesthetic type than the cute type.”
“Don’t play with meee!”
Shaking his clenched fist, Tracy protested.
He was not ready to become an enemy of mankind or even of God. Tracy was cooperating with René because he was forced to follow her via the “S*ave Core”. He wanted to believe that himself.
“Anyway, this is the deal. I’m going to do a thorough medical checkup later on, so please be prepared for that.”
“I get it… Please be gentle.”
*
As Tracy left the room, René spoke to Everis with «Telepathy».
“Everis.”
“What the …, Princess …, if you were awake, you should have told us. You’re a bad person.”
“I don’t sleep. I just stayed still because I couldn’t open my eyes or open my mouth and the water would come in and it is too small for me to move.”
People thought she was asleep, but she was just staying still.
René, whose main body was a spiritual undead, could perceive her surroundings with her magical powers like radar even with her eyes closed and her ears covered. The spiritual body did not have the capacity to process sight and hearing, so it was equipped with these perceptual functions.
“I think it’s a little bit unfair to use this kind of nonsense to gain favor with your subordinates, don’t you? It’s unaware and mocking.”
“I have a lot of questions about your knowledge.”
Everis’ words, like she knew what another world was like. That was not good to hear.
“It’s simple. If you live long enough, you meet reincarnations from Earth once or twice.”
Everis answered lightly.
She thought that even Everis might be a reincarnation from another world, but it seemed that she was wrong.
She heard that the Great God had called in many reincarnated people from other worlds and used them as needed. In other words, there were other reincarnations besides René. Among them, there might be those who played an active role in the battle against the demons in the past and eventually became prisoners of the Demon Lord’s army.
“If you live long enough…, did reincarnated people come over here that many years ago?”
“The way you are talking, I suppose you are from another world after all. The flow of time on Earth seems to be independent from that of our world. The paths of the gods are connected to a time and place called the 21 Seiki of Japan on Earth, and it seems that the people who are gathered from that area appear in the present, past and future of our world.”
“I don’t know what to say… So what made you think I’m from another world?”
“The gods have been unloading their Divine Protections on the people of Earth, including the Evil God, but that type of Divine Protection … that directly tampers with the soul seems to be difficult to achieve unless you are a reincarnated otherworldly being. The Princess is a perfect example of that.”
René became a spiritual realm undead through the Divine Protection of the Evil God. In other words, the soul itself had the Divine Protection.
If that was the mark of a reincarnated person from another world, then it was only natural that she would be noticed.
“Well, I’m sure Evil God-san didn’t pull any otherworldly reincarnations so far…”
“Great God, the one who brought me into this world.”
The stars twinkled in Everis’s twin eyes.
“Hoho, I had a hunch that it was something I like. If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear about it to pass the time.”
“All right.”
“Okay, wait a minute while I bring out the wine and snacks.”
With a movie-like attitude, Everis pulls out a mystery piece of jerky, a bottle of wine, and a golden cup from the corner of the room.
As she sank down on the sofa with a distressed gesture, the cup and wine bottle floated in the air on their own, and she poured the blood-red wine into it.
“By the way, Princess, were you formerly a man?”
“Goh…!?”
René nearly drowned in the solution.
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