LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 49: Burial
"..."
A silent stillness fell between the two girls. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
I saved you, and now you want to kill me because I called him Big Brother?
What kind of dark American humor was this?
Shigure Kira realized that her physical condition was excellent after waking up, even better than before she started this mission.
Saori Tsuruyo also understood that Shigure Kira was definitely not the kind of person who would kill someone just because of how they addressed someone. The reason why this was happening must be because of that pure white strand of hair.
After a long silence, Shigure Kira explained, "That's not what I meant. I don't want to kill you. I…I don't know how to explain it. That thought just suddenly appeared in my mind. I couldn't control it."
"I'm afraid that I can't control that thought and will end up being controlled by it and killing you. But I don't want to kill you, so please don't call him Big Brother anymore. I'm sorry."
Shigure Kira explained in a fluster, desperately trying to prove her innocence.
Saori Tsuruyo shook her head and said guiltily, "I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I took the liberty of using bizarre methods to revive you, causing your consciousness to be a bit strange right now…I didn't have any other choice. I promised Big… him that I would definitely complete the burial."
"That's why I revived you. I'm sorry!"
Shigure Kira: "Was I completely dead?"
Saori Tsuruyo: "No, but you were close."
Shigure Kira: "Then I have to correct you. This isn't called reviving, it's called healing. Or you can say it was an operation. I know better than you how serious my injuries were. Since it was major surgery, then the failure rate and aftereffects are inevitable. How can you blame the 'attending physician' for not completely curing me?"
"I don't blame you. You were the only one left, but you didn't choose to leave by yourself. Instead, you tried to find every possible way to carry out the final ritual. You did a great job."
Shigure Kira walked to Saori Tsuruyo's side and gently stroked her head, like a caring older sister.
"Tell me, what do I need to do? Don't worry about my status, or rather…"
Shigure Kira glanced at the entrance, where a pile of stinking corpses were lying. Her former teammates, and the brave Valkyrie trainees of St. Freya, were all there.
Seeing this, Shigure Kira couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She revealed a wry smile filled with complex emotions.
Except for her and this girl, everyone else was dead.
If the mission still couldn't be completed, then everyone's sacrifice would have been a joke, an insignificant number, completely meaningless.
Saori Tsuruyo understood this as well. For the living, striving to make the deaths of the deceased valuable and meaningful was what they, the survivors, should be doing.
"Captain Shigure Kira, there's something that I need to remind you about. There are still some risks if we go outside. Although… he resolved most of the ghosts before he died, there's still a ghost, or perhaps even several ghosts, wandering around outside of the auditorium."
"He risked his life to go to the infirmary to look for medicine that could heal you. He brought the medicine back, but it seems like the infirmary is very dangerous."
"Something happened. Six of the survivors caused the bizarre entities in the infirmary to escape…"
Hearing that the bizarre entities in the infirmary had escaped, Shigure Kira's face darkened. She said grimly, "That's a huge hidden danger. Hopefully, it won't cause too much of an impact on the outside world. After I return to Schicksal, I'll truthfully report the situation to the bishop. Matters related to the bizarre need to be dealt with carefully."
Saori Tsuruyo nodded. Shigure Kira's strange behavior just now had really worried her, but it was just a small change in her speaking habits, not too much to ask.
As long as they could successfully complete the burial.
"You carry the coffin, and I'll hold the grave incense. I believe in his judgment. Nothing will go wrong."
Saori Tsuruyo walked to the grave incense. She didn't let her guard down, still holding the grave incense with both hands.
"Okay, let's go," Shigure Kira said, easily lifting the black coffin and carrying it on her shoulder.
It was unexpectedly heavy, as if it wasn't filled with a shriveled corpse, but was a solid coffin instead.
But to Shigure Kira, this weight wasn't anything.
The noon sun was very bright, shining on the ground that was littered with corpses, like a confrontation between the sacred and the evil, vowing to eradicate all filth.
Saori Tsuruyo held the grave incense and walked in front. She knew the layout of the school better and also knew the most suitable place for the burial.
The light from the grave incense seemed very weak under the dazzling sunlight. The faint flames were exposed and almost invisible.
So, Saori Tsuruyo didn't notice that every time Shigure Kira took a step toward her, the grave incense would shake violently, and the rate at which it burned would fluctuate wildly…
Shigure Kira carried the black coffin and followed closely behind. As she stepped out of the auditorium, she occasionally had a look of yearning on her face. Like caressing a lover, she gently stroked the black coffin.
Even she herself didn't notice that the hair on the back of her head was gradually turning white, looking crystalline and translucent under the brilliant sunlight. Her waist-length hair spread out on the ground, and continued to grow longer.
The auditorium could block the ghosts' perception, but not outside the auditorium. The grave incense could only suppress the ghosts' actions.
And after leaving the protection of the auditorium, the two were exposed to the sight of the bizarre entities.
But they were not attacked.
The road to the burial site was very quiet. Saori Tsuruyo held the grave incense and didn't speak because there wasn't anything important to say.
She also wasn't sure if speaking would attract anything, so silence was the best option.
At 2:05 PM, Saori Tsuruyo and Shigure Kira arrived at the woods behind the school. This place was quieter than any other place. The deathly silent atmosphere made it the perfect choice for a burial.
Even though it was once a place for students to have secret rendezvous.
"How…how is there a hole here? This size, it seems like it's a perfect fit for the coffin."
Saori Tsuruyo turned to look at the black coffin, roughly comparing them. Indeed, the sizes were very similar, as if it had been deliberately made for burying the black coffin.
But there weren't any other living people at the school. This hole was definitely not dug by a human. No one would have the time or energy to do that.
There wasn't even any piled-up soil around it. It was as if it was naturally formed.
It had taken her and Shigure Kira almost half an hour to walk here. The notebook had given the time for the burial as 2:12 PM. With only the two of them, it was impossible to dig a suitable hole in that short amount of time.
Perhaps Shigure Kira could use brute force to blast a big hole in the ground, but that was definitely not suitable for a burial.
"Captain Shigure Kira, your hair… how did it become like this?"
Saori Tsuruyo suddenly realized that Shigure Kira had changed quite a bit. Her sky-blue hair had completely turned into a waterfall of pure white hair that spread across the ground.
Shigure Kira was stunned for a couple of seconds. She reached out, grabbed a handful of her hair, and examined it. There was also confusion on her face.
"This isn't my hair."