LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 93
Chapter 93: Reunion, and
“I’ll cast a protection spell, just in case. I don’t believe your father would harm you, but…”
Zilbagias cast a protective magic on Leila too.
“A calming spell for the dead. A soundproof barrier. While I’m at it, I’ll redo the protection spell on the door… I wonder if the bone barrier is okay. Alright!”
He meticulously double-checked everything, pointing as he went. His carefulness was so meticulous that it was hard to believe he was a prince.
“…Why?”
Leila couldn’t help but ask.
“Why… are you going this far for me?”
She painfully understood that Zilbagias was a “good person.”
But he shouldn’t have such an obligation to go this far. Treating Leila with kindness should have been enough.
This incident could have simply been something he kept quiet about.
No matter how you looked at it, for someone whose daughter he had inadvertently killed, this felt excessive as atonement.
He was a prince of the demon race. A being likely to rule the Demon Lord Kingdom someday.
Why was he so concerned about a trivial girl like her? Leila simply couldn’t understand.
“……”
Zilbagias stopped moving at her question, his expression distorted in distress.
What was wrong? It was as if a knife had been thrust into his chest.
“Have you heard that I fell in love at first sight with an undead?”
“…Yes.”
Within Zilbagias’s faction, there was no one who didn’t know that. Though it was under a gag order from Platy, it shouldn’t have leaked elsewhere.
— He seemed uncertain about how to articulate it, scratching his head while looking off into the distance.
“Honestly, being with her is fun. I realized she was bright and friendly even in her previous life. However…”
A dark shadow crossed his eyes.
“She had clearly changed. She was no longer like a… human. That’s how necromancy works. You can bring back the lost, but they can’t remain exactly as they were in life…”
Yet, if not too much time had passed since her death…
“That change could be minimized.”
Zilbagias’s gaze hesitated, landing on Leila.
“…Truthfully, I thought it might be better to just erase everything for both our sakes.”
Leila gasped.
That was precisely what she had been thinking just earlier.
“But—if we turn a blind eye, that opportunity will be lost forever. Your reunion with your father, as close as it can be to his former self, is something irreplaceable for you…”
He thought that… his voice fading away.
“…………”
Truly… for her sake…
“Ah…”
She tried to say thank you, but her throat was tight.
— I mustn’t say it! Leila panicked. After all, Zilbagias had only encountered her father by bad luck while hiding, and it was her father who had attacked first.
He simply repelled an attack from a traitor! Her father getting killed was his own doing! Yet, despite that, he cared so much for the daughter of that traitor.
She had to express her gratitude! She would become an ungrateful wretch otherwise…!
“Thank—”
“You don’t have to force yourself.”
He lightly patted her shoulder.
When she looked up, Zilbagias seemed genuinely apologetic, a faint smile escaping.
“…I understand.”
He whispered that and turned back to the bone barrier.
“Let’s go.”
Dark magic surged from his body.
“【Aoralat Teihosu Po Horijii—】”
Zilbagias began to chant loudly.
The portal to the spirit world opened.
Leila vaguely sensed the world being pierced within the bone barrier.
“【Inirie Enne Uosu Fapana—】”
And as he thrust his hand into the endless portal with dark magic…
“【Faravgi】”
He called forth that name.
—It’s coming.
That familiar presence over there.
But at the same time, it was overwhelmingly fierce—
An overwhelming feeling of danger rushed out from the invisible gate of the spirit world.
An untainted murderous intent.
“——Gaaaarrrrrrrr!!!”
A dragon’s head cloaked in pitch-black dark magic, utterly unlike the father Leila knew, appeared from the portal.
It lunged forward to bite Zilbagias, only to be immediately thwarted by the barrier. Due to its size, it couldn’t fully emerge, making it look like a grotesque dragon’s severed head appearing—Leila unconsciously covered her mouth.
“Ughhh—!”
Zilbagias recast the protection spell and groaned, infusing the barrier with dark magic.
“—Quickly! Leila! I can’t hold it back!!”
Desperate, Zilbagias said, and Leila snapped back to reality.
Now was not the time to be trembling!!
“Father!”
She cried out, squeezing her voice to call to her father’s spirit. However—
“Garrrr!”
With a crashing, clashing sound, the entity threatened to break through the barrier with its jaws.
It was in a frenzy.
“I will definitely kill you!!”
“F-Father!! It’s me!!”
“Graaaarggghhh!!”
The air vibrated violently. It was as if it had an existence of its own; the soundproof barrier was about to break in front of the barrier meant to contain the spirit!
“Return everyone! Return my wife! I won’t forgive those demon races or dark dragons—!!”
With eyes devoid of reason, Faravgi glared at Zilbagias, baring his fangs.
“Garrrr—”
This is bad.
“It’s about to breathe fire!!”
Zilbagias, sweat glistening on his forehead, raised a shaky voice.
If it did that, while being a spiritual body given shape by dark magic, if it breathed light—
The soul would vanish!!
“Father! It’s me! Listen to me!!”
Desperately waving her hands in front of him, Leila tried to grab his attention. But Faravgi was utterly indifferent.
Is it because she was in human form?
Even after calling out this much, he didn’t notice?
Her father, raging without reason, the futility and sadness of necromancy all surged forth—Leila was half in tears.
“AAAHHHHH! Return everyone—my Leila, my daughter—!”
Yet, unbelievably, even in front of her, he called her name.
“F-Father!! I’m telling you, it’s me!!”
Feeling her despair and helplessness peak, Leila—
Snapped.
Now that she thought about it, her father had always been like this.
He had a tendency to be oblivious at crucial moments and wouldn’t listen!
“That daughter is right in front of you!!”
Leila glared at Faravgi with tearful eyes, the emotions bubbling inside her.
Because of that! Because of that!!
“—You idiot, Father!!”
At the same moment as Leila’s soul cried out.
A small burst of light magic radiated from her mouth.
A shower of light magic that broke through the barrier poured over Faravgi’s spiritual body.
With a sizzling sound, like dousing hot iron with water. “Gahh!” He recoiled with a scream, while Zilbagias turned in shock, “What!?”
And Leila, with a face that showed she didn’t understand what had just happened, covered her mouth.
“…Can dragons still breathe fire even in human form?!”
“I-I don’t know…?”
With wide eyes, Zilbagias looked at Leila, who was tilting her head in confusion.
“No, it’s not like…”
That was basically fire breath, after all… Zilbagias muttered in a daze.
It truly seemed like a weak breath that resembled a baby dragon’s…
But she had never heard of anyone breathing fire in human form. Leila exchanged glances with Zilbagias.
“…Leila…?”
—And.
A metallic, creaking voice.
“…Father!?”
Looking over, she saw her father’s spirit shaking his head as if just awakened from slumber. He emitted wisps of dark magic smoke from his scorched face—
“Is that you, Leila? That voice…”
Overall, he was coming back to his senses. He was staring at Leila in disbelief.
“Yes! It’s me, Father… I’m so glad…”
With relief flooding her, Leila slumped to the floor in relief.
“Where is this…?”
“The Demon Lord Castle.”
Taking a step forward, Zilbagias spoke.
“I summoned your spirit using necromancy. The White Dragon’s Leader, Faravgi.”
“Y-You…!”
Faravgi snarled, baring his fangs.
At any moment, she feared he would start raging again, but her father, while showing hostility, appeared somewhat bewildered.
Having just been awakened from slumber in the spirit world, naturally, he’d be confused—
No, even so.
Something about his confusion felt—
Different…?
“—I see you are Prince Zilbagias.”
As if the earlier frenzy was a lie, Faravgi cautiously opened his mouth.
“…That’s right.”
Zilbagias nodded back with a tense expression.
“…What do you mean?”
Faravgi murmured as if to himself.
“I saw you last, Zilbagias.”
…What did you mean? Leila tilted her head next to him.
She noticed Zilbagias stiffened.
“You… must be a demon. Why then—”
Faravgi eyed him suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.
“—Why did you use holy magic?”