Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (LN) - Volume 19 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue

Satou here. It takes courage to attempt something you’ve never done before. Everyone is afraid of failure, but I think you have to overcome that fear and take the first step if you want to have any hope of grasping success.

“Brother Eruus.”

“Arisa!”

I went with Arisa and Lulu to visit Eruus in the viceroy’s manor in Kuvork City.

“So it really was you.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

Eruus looked at Arisa with increasing certainty, while Arisa played innocent.

“Last night, father visited me in my dreams. He told me that you freed him and the rest of our family who were imprisoned in the labyrinth.”

I was glad to hear that King Kuvork’s ghost granted Arisa’s request.

“Gotcha. I’m glad you were able to see him.”

“All thanks to you, Arisa. You helped us take back the capital from the shadows, too, didn’t you? You even got the hero’s attendants to help by freeing the knights and mages who were experimented on in the labyrinth. And they freed several hundred soldiers who were being enslaved and abused by Yowork Kingdom, too.”

“All I did was ask for help. If you want to thank anyone, thank the hero.”

“Well, I still want to thank you anyway. Thanks, Arisa.”

Eruus clasped Arisa’s hands in his.

Maybe now is a good time?

I looked at Arisa and nodded, and she turned back to Eruus. “Brother, let’s get to the main reason we came here today.”

“The main reason?”

“Yes, it’s an important step for you to become king.”

Arisa called me over.

“I’m going to free all of you from the Geist that commands you to be slaves until you die.”

“You can do that?!”

I unraveled the cloth that was wrapped around the staff in my hands.

“Yes, apparently the imperial mage Orchidee’s Geist spell is sealed inside this staff.”

“You can use Geist with that staff? And even if that’s true, how would that help you set us free from the Geists we’re already under?”

“It said in Orchidee’s research journals that if someone is given conflicting orders under a Geist, the stronger one will overrule, and the weaker one will disappear. We’re going to use that now. The Orchidee who was scheming in the labyrinth must be stronger than he was when he cast a Geist on all of you.”

Besides, since I was the one using the staff, my newly maxed-out “Geist” skill should be able to make things work.

We wouldn’t have to use this roundabout method if I could use chants, but we couldn’t exactly have Eruus wait around to be enthroned until I master the art of magical singing.

“Line up over there, please.”

“Brother, Lulu, come with me.”

Arisa linked arms with Eruus and Lulu.

“Here we go. You may stop being slaves whenever you wish…”

First, I stated the conditions for the new Geist.

“<Let the twilight dawn.>”

Next, I spoke the activation phrase for the Xanthic Staff.

The Geist charged within the staff activated, and an invisible wave enveloped Eruus, Arisa, and Lulu.

In the back of my mind, I felt something snap. My own “Geist” skill told me that this was evidence of Orchidee’s Geist being broken.

“There, it’s done.”

“T-truly?”

“Yes, just like that. Also, I have a message for you from Lord Kuro, Prince Eruus.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve taken back the City Core room beneath the royal castle. It’s now sealed with a barrier that only the prince can cross. Go and inherit rulership whenever you wish.’”

I’d already recharged the City Core with plenty of magic power so that he wouldn’t wind up being unable to do anything after becoming king.

“Oh, and take this.”

“The diadem of Kuvork Kingdom?”

“Yes. It’s a replica, though we remade it as closely as possible. It’s a congratulatory gift from Arisa and Lulu.”

I made this crown out of ingots based on the one the ghost of the king was wearing.

It might have slightly different gems inset than the original, but give me a break—I really splurged on the overall quality.

“And these are from me.”

I handed him a letter and several keys.

The keys were to the storehouses I created in an empty lot near the outer walls of Kuvork City using the “Create House” skill.

“What are they?”

“There are supplies and funds in these storehouses. Please use them to rebuild your kingdom.”

I’d also included at least five years’ worth of preserved foods, enough to last an extra year or two if need be, to make sure Eruus’s kingdom management wouldn’t be on hard mode.

“Your Highness! Come quickly! The castle!”

I heard the elderly consul come running from the hallway.

Before I came here, I used Earth Magic to do some emergency repairs to the castle. He was probably coming to report about that.

I also created eight large golems around level 40 to be used to defend the nation as needed.

However, there weren’t any signs of Yowork Kingdom striking back anytime soon.

The lesser dragon I freed had attacked Yowork Castle and went on a rampage against the army and the golems.

The king was in a state of shock over these events, and now the cheating knights’ captain and the queen were teaming up to support the king’s sons taking over, engaging in a family feud against the king’s side, which was led by the witch Myude—the Psychic Magic user sent by the Phantom Peach Orchard organization.

Their forces were fairly equally matched, and I’d sneakily exposed Myude’s Psychic Magic a while back, which should keep things balanced. The internal turmoil in Yowork Kingdom was likely to continue for a while yet.

On top of that, I’d also laid waste to any roads where Yowork Kingdom might send troops this way with all kinds of Earth Magic and attack spells, so they shouldn’t be attacking for a few years yet, even if things did settle down there.

“We’ll be heading out now, big brother.”

“What?! You’re not going to stay and rebuild the kingdom with me?!”

“I can’t. If I’m here, the nation will be divided in two. But don’t worry, I’ll lend you a hand anytime you’re in trouble.”

Arisa gave him the address of our mansion in Labyrinth City.

Just to be safe, I also gave Eruus a Space Magic–based emergency contact device.

“There you are, Your Highness!”

Just before the elderly consul came in, we put on our transparency cloaks.

“Old man! Talk some sense into Arisa, would you?”

“Lady Arisa? Why, was she here?”

“…Huh? Where’d she go?”

I scooped up Arisa and Lulu and used “Skyrunning” to leave out the window, without a sound.

“Arisa…”

For some reason, even though he shouldn’t be able to see us, Eruus happened to be looking right in Arisa’s direction.

“I’ll be a good king, I promise. And I’ll make our nation even better than the old Kuvork Kingdom! So please come back someday, Arisa. This place will always be your homeland.”

As I held Arisa close, tears dripped onto my sleeve.

“…Okay, big brother. I promise I’ll come visit with lots of new stories to tell.”

With that whisper, Arisa wiped away her tears.

“Let’s go, Master.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. It’s Eruus’s turn now.”

Arisa smiled at me, beaming as bright as the sun.

I used Unit Deployment to take us back to the rest of the group.

“Can we stop by the grave one last time before we go?”

At Arisa’s request, we returned to the royal family’s grave behind the castle.

“…I brought your favorite, Nisnarch.”

Arisa offered a cup of mead at the grave.

“Foggg?”

“That’s weird. It was clear just a minute ago, sir.”

As Tama and Pochi pointed out, there was suddenly so much fog that we could barely see the castle.

“It might be the work of an attacker. Stay vigilant.”

At Liza’s warning, everyone looked around the area sharply.

“Arisa, a person has appeared, I report.”

“Miasma.”

Nana and Mia pointed at one part of the fog.

“It’s Nisnarch,” Lulu whispered.

The traitorous vassal Nisnarch emerged from the fog.

“We broke the Dungeon Core and freed Father and the others.”

“…Thank you, Lady Arisa.”

Nisnarch bowed his head deeply.

“And Eruus chased out the Yowork people, and reestablished Kuvork Kingdom.”

As Arisa spoke, pure magic shone out of the castle.

“You can tell what that means, right? Eruus has taken control of the City Core and inherited kingship.”

“Lord Eruus…I could hardly have dreamed of such a happy outcome. Thank you so much, Lady Arisa.”

Tears streamed down Nisnarch’s face as he held back an expression of joy.

“Now I can spend eternity here, wandering the world as a sinner until the world ends, without regrets.”

“I swear. You’ve always been so stubborn about the strangest things, even though you act like you don’t care about anything.” Arisa sighed. “Sorry, but I’m not nice enough to go along with your whole tortured ghost act.”

“Lady Arisa…?”

“Pass on already, Nisnarch. I forgive your crimes.”

“But…what I’ve done can never be atoned for…”

“Oh, be quiet! I told you I’m forgiving you, and that’s that! Since you’re my retainer, just bow your head and accept it, got that?”

“…Very well.”

Nisnarch bowed before Arisa, accepting her awkward act of kindness.

When Arisa held out her hand and said “Master?” I gave her the Holy Stone, without a word.

A spire of blue light rose from the Holy Stone and enveloped Nisnarch.

“Your sins have been forgiven. So once you pass on to the other side, you’d better start fresh and serve Father and the others again.”

Nisnarch’s spirit rose and began to fade among the particles of light floating in the air.

He gave one last slight smile before he disappeared.

“Farewell, Nisnarch. My faithful friend…”

My “Keen Hearing” skill picked up on Arisa’s whispered words, but I pretended not to hear anything and watched in respectful silence with the others as the light drifted up into the sky.

“Lady Arisa, ya gotta let us come with ya.”

Just before we left Kuvork Kingdom, Arisa arranged a secret meeting with Ben and his family.

“Please, Ben. Do me a favor and support Eruus however you can. You’re needed here the most, where you can be of real help rebuilding the kingdom.”

“But…”

“Ben, Arisa’s asking us a favor.”

One of Ben’s cousins scolded him as he tried to protest.

“Besides, Lady Arisa ain’t gonna abandon us forever, you know that.”

Ben looked at Arisa beseechingly.

“He’s right, of course. I’ll come back and visit once Eruus’s rule is a bit more established. Now, would you mind if I asked you for some help if anything comes up?”

“Don’t be such a stranger, Lady Arisa.”

“Uh-huh! If yer ever in trouble, we’ll come runnin’ even if yer on the tippy-toppiest peak of the Fujisan Mountains!”

Ben and his family seemed exceedingly attached to Arisa.

“What about you, Ben? Will you help Eruus rebuild the kingdom for me?”

“Oh, all right. You know I cain’t turn down a favor for you, Lady Arisa.”

I wonder what kinds of favors Arisa asked for when she was a princess.

Maybe I’ll ask Lulu about it sometime.

“All right, then, we’re off. I’ll send you some letters from the road, so feel free to write back if you’re so inclined.”

“’Course we will! We’ll be waitin’.”

Ben and his family saw us off as we left Kuvork City.

They kept waving until we were out of sight, and Arisa and Lulu kept on waving back.

Despite this parting with her loyal vassals, there were no tears in Arisa’s eyes.

“I can see them all again anytime, after all.”

With that, Arisa turned back toward the road.

“All right! Let’s head for our next destination!”

“Aye-aye siiir?”

“Pochi wants a place with yummy meat, sir!”

“Mr. Mushrooms.”

At Arisa’s cheerful signal, the rest of the group started making enthusiastic suggestions for our next stop.

I flipped through the sightseeing materials I got from the prime minister.

The small central nations, which included Kuvork Kingdom, had no shortage of spots that were famous for furniture, rock formations, and all kinds of other tourist attractions. It’d also be fun to go see some cheesemaking in Nolork Kingdom, the home of one of our friends from Labyrinth City, Princess Meetia.

Once we did a lap around the central nations, we could either make west toward places like Parion Province and the Garleon Alliance; south to the sandy Sania Kingdom and the coastal home of the leprechauns, Blybrogha Kingdom; east to the minor eastern nations and Makiwa Kingdom; or it could be fun to check out Siruga Kingdom, home to the dragon worshippers.

Of course, stopping by the Saga Empire in the northern part of the continent was a must. I would like to look into Hero Summoning circles and find out if there’s a way to get back to my old world, even if I don’t really want to return for a while yet.

Oh, I know.

On my journey, I should try gathering information about turning the “chimera-fied” people back to normal, too.

Though the likelihood was low, they played a major part in helping Eruus take back the kingdom. They ought to be rewarded with hope for a peaceful future as humans, I think.

Since there were so many places we wanted to go, we had a hard time deciding on our next destination. Even after we ate lunch, we still hadn’t made a final decision.

In fact, maybe we should even travel from Seiryuu County to Ougoch Duchy again, saying hello to all our old friends before we leave for a long trip.

As I thought about this, I saw the beastfolk girls chattering happily out of the corner of my eye.

Come to think of it, Liza’s hometown was destroyed by the Weaselman Empire and her tribe scattered. Maybe we should gather up all the survivors and other slaves and help them all migrate to Muno County, where there was very little discrimination against demi-humans.

“Li…”

Just as I started to call out to Liza, my vision suddenly went black and white.

“What in the world?”

I couldn’t hear anything. Or smell.

Warily, I peered around.

At some point, the map name in my AR display had changed to “no map available.”

“Hero.”

A young voice spoke from behind me.

“Y-you…”

When I turned around, I saw the mysterious young girl who had once waved to me from a painting and had appeared when I fought the Dogheaded Demon Lord.

No, wait. Although her appearance was the same, she seemed weakened, her presence fainter than before.

“Go to Parion Province.”

Shaking out her hair, a pale blue that was almost aqua, the mysterious young girl spoke.

“Save the hero of this age.”

With that, she dissipated into particles of blue light and vanished.

Moments later, my monochrome vision regained its color, and the sounds and smells returned.

“Everyone, I know where we’re going next.”

Whatever the mysterious girl’s motives might be, if Hayato the Hero needed help, I wasn’t going to refuse.

You’ve got to be there for a friend who’s in trouble.

“Really? Where?” Arisa asked on behalf of the rest of the group.

My answer was loud and clear.

“Parion Province. Hayato the Hero and his party are there.”