LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 89
Chapter 89. The Consequences of Forbidden Practices
――Why is there such a cute space deep underground?
I’m not an expert on this kind of decoration, so I can’t say much… Is this what they call “girl’s tastes”?
The room itself has no sense of daily life, but overall it feels loose and fluffy, decorated profusely in white—
“P-Pink…!”
Antendeixis mutters in a voice that suggests fear.
“Hehehe… Since there wasn’t a guest room, I had it newly built.”
I turned around to see Enma blushingly smiling. Today, with makeup on her cheeks, she strangely radiates vitality and charm for a corpse.
“How do you like it? I incorporated my subordinates’ opinions too… But is it still seen as weak by demon standards?”
Enma fiddles with her fingers, glancing up anxiously at me.
What does she want me to say…? If I were to blow up and scream “It’s the height of weakness!” how would she react? A mischievous curiosity bubbled up, but worsening my relationship with Enma could yield no good outcomes.
“U-Uh, it’s fine… Quite innovative.”
I honestly replied, though confused.
“There’s a trend within the demon race to look down on decorations as weakness, but my father sees it differently. He believes the Demon Lord Kingdom should also be culturally strong.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Enma, regaining her composure, chimed in with interest.
“I personally think we can’t remain barbaric forever. So, I won’t criticize the decorations. This kind of room… surprised me, but I think it’s nice, it’s cute.”
“…I’m glad. The future of the Demon Lord Kingdom seems bright!”
Enma smiles with a gentle “ufufu.” Hmm. She seems a bit suspicious.
“Well then, Prince, please have a seat.”
As she gestures toward the seat in the center of the room, Enma pulls out a small bell.
“[Please bring tea].”
She rings the bell, and with a voice infused with magic, Enma calls out. If my senses are correct, a small [Gate to the Spirit World] just opened in front of her.
“…What was that?”
“Impressive, Zil-kun, you noticed right away!”
While sitting down, not at the opposite side of the table, but dragging her chair closer to sit diagonally next to me—Enma smirks lightly.
“It’s a communication method we undead often use. The concepts of distance and time in the spiritual realm are ambiguous compared to the material world. For distances like this within the base, we can cover it through the spirit realm. It’s often referred to as spirit communication.”
By the way, it seems to be quite an advanced technique. There are techniques to project solid thoughts to prevent interference from other souls, and arts that only receive a specific thought. Since the undead’s souls are completely separated from their bodies, it’s a piece of cake for them.
“It might require quite a bit of training for the living.”
“I see. I’m surprised the [Gate] opened without a spell.”
“Well, for someone like me, after opening it tens of thousands of times, I can do it without reciting the incantation.”
With a theatrical cough, Enma puffs out her chest.
…She’s certainly tough. Having learned necromancy myself, I realized that this system of techniques lacks the immediacy of other magic.
You can’t create an army of the dead on the spot and throw them into battle. You have to open the gate, summon the souls, negotiate or force them to obey, then possess corpses and instill commands… It’s a hassle, to say the least.
The basic strategy involves spending time creating an army and then unleashing it in one go.
However, Enma probably can do it on the spot. It’s unlikely that someone who can open a [Gate] without chanting would be limited to cumbersome rituals that others must follow carefully.
Of course, she could do it if she wanted, but ideally, taking time is better for results. Just like those sentinels earlier, she should be able to deploy powerful undead swiftly. The difference between being able to immediately request “more” if all her troops fall is significant.
When it comes down to it, if I want to take her out, it’s got to be in one decisive blow.
If I came to Enma’s base, perhaps I’d find out where her main body is hiding—but now that we’re closer, the magical connection feels more complicated.
“…What’s wrong? If you stare at me like that, I might get shy.”
Enma poses dramatically, resting her hand on her cheek right in front of me.
“Oh, sorry.”
I realized I’d been staring blankly and quickly averted my eyes.
“It’s fine. I wouldn’t mind if you looked a little longer!”
Enma spreads her arms wide. Which is it?
“By the way, this is quite a magnificent base.”
I leaned back and gazed around the room. Who would have thought I would one day find myself lounging in the lair of the undead…?
But seriously, it’s nice to have paintings, but isn’t it a bit ironic to have a painting of people sunbathing in a field in a room for the undead? Or is it a declaration of will to one day overcome the sun?
“It was quite the struggle to get here.”
Enma leaned back, gazing at the wall paintings alongside me.
“As you know, we undead can’t function well without an external supply of magic.”
“Right.”
For powerful undead like Enma, they can draw power from their own souls to some extent, but for lower-class undead whose wills are nearly stripped away, they can barely maintain their existence, let alone generate enough magic to move their bodies.
So, it’s necessary to infuse them with external power. They need to feed on magic as if it were food.
If you provide the spirits with an outer shell of dark magic, it seems any type of magic, as long as it’s not the opposing light element, works. Fire magic isn’t particularly recommended, though.
“This place is a sweet spot for the earth’s magic to spill out. The dragons call it the ‘dragon vein’.”
“Oh, the thing that supports the nesting grounds…”
That’s why dragons can’t leave the Demon Lord Castle.
“Yet, I don’t feel much magic in this base?”
“I’ve properly cut it off and transported it to the nesting grounds. We only get the necessary leftovers.”
Saying this as if it’s not as good as it should be, Enma seems neglectful.
I see. To the undead, this base must be essential, something they wouldn’t even think to destroy.
“…Aren’t you already quite satisfied, Enma?”
I suddenly asked.
“This castle is near your ideal paradise, isn’t it?”
“…That could be true. Among my long, long memories, this is the most comfortable environment I’ve had.”
However, as she brushes her hair aside, Enma stares off into the distance.
“Still, it’s far from my ideal.”
Oh boy, could you not ask for more right here…?
I think knowing when to retreat is important. Really.
But wow, today’s hairstyle is really intricate…
“…Huh? What’s wrong? Aah, maybe you can’t help but be captivated by my profile!?”
Enma strikes a haughty pose.
“No, I was just thinking about how elaborate your hair arrangement is.”
“Ah, well…”
Suddenly, she begins to look flustered, her eyes darting around.
“…W-Well, actually… there’s a girl among my subordinates who likes that sort of thing. I got her to help me…”
“Oh really? It must have taken a lot of effort.”
“Well, yeah, but it looks good on me, right?”
Even I know how to answer that correctly here.
“Yeah. Very much so. It has a noble atmosphere, calmness, it feels great.”
I’d question if it matched her insides, but…
“Ehehe… I guess the effort was worth it today.”
“Hmm? Don’t you put in a lot of effort each time?”
“Eh?”
Enma’s eyes widen at my words.
“You’ve been styling your hair since the first day of the necromancy course.”
“…You noticed?”
Now Enma’s eyes are round. Of course, I noticed; I’m observant.
“Of course. The way you tied it back and let it fall in front of your shoulders felt very homey and calm.”
“Hmm, I see… You were paying attention, huh? I thought you weren’t concerned at all…”
Fidgeting with her pendant, she seems to become increasingly flustered.
“Of course I noticed. You change accessories and nail polish, too…”
“Eh? Oh! You noticed that much…!? You really did…!?”
“Uh, well, I guess…”
What’s got her so flustered?
“Eh? So, what did I wear for accessories on the first day…?”
“A silver necklace with pink quartz, wasn’t it?”
I thought it might be some magical item and had been checking it out. She doesn’t seem to go unarmed…
“Ah… Amazing… You were really watching…”
As Enma murmurs, looking down, it’s clear I can’t win with her…
…Wait, was she testing my observational skills? I can’t let my guard down. It’s only natural as a hero to understand what kind of equipment the Undead King would wear. If I recognize familiar artifacts or magical items, it could help with my countermeasures…
“Zil…”
Huh? What’s up, Antendeixis?
“…Nothing, never mind…”
What is it with you? That vague way of speaking, so unlike you…
As I spent time silently with Enma, who suddenly grew quiet and started fiddling with her hair or smoothing out her clothes—
Knock knock.
“Bringing the tea!”
A muffled voice could be heard through the door.
“Oh! Tea! The tea is here!”
Enma jumped up as if about to kick her chair over.
“Actually, this body can drink tea! It’s been adjusted for that!”
“Wow, really…”
Surely, that must have required effort too. She’s putting in too much effort just to have tea with me. Is she obsessive about details? I wonder if poison would work if she drank tea…
“Master! My hands are full, please open it!”
“Ah, okay, okay”
Flustered, Enma approached the door and grasped the knob—
“—Whoa, what a handsome guy!”
Then the door swung open, and a girl holding a tea tray peeked in.
My vision turned to pure white.
The fading memories, the dwindling imagery that was slipping away—
Suddenly, it exploded into vibrant color like a flash of light.
“This person is… your desired one, Master…?!”
“Stop it!! Don’t say anything so misleading!!”
Enma exclaimed indignantly, snatching the tea set from the girl’s hands.
Striding over to the table and placing the tray down, with a deep sigh, Enma donned a smile and spoke again.
“Hey, sorry about that, Zil-kun. This girl is one of my younger apprentices, not yet even thirty years undead. She may be a little rude, but please forgive her.”
“Ah! Master! How terrible! Revealing a lady’s age in front of a gentleman is the worst!”
Dramatically, she puts her hands to her face and acts comically.
Too much, by far too much.
“That’s exactly the problem! …Ugh, seriously, what a hassle. Let me introduce you again, Zil-kun—”
Before Enma could finish her sentence, the shameless girl boldly stepped forward.
“Nice to meet you!! Prince of the Demon Race!”
—With a smile as bright as ever, untouched by the passage of time—
“I’m Claire, the Apprentice of the Undead King!”
—There she was, my childhood friend.