Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Vol. 9 Page 6

  “I mean, I knew there was no one left alive, but…”

  In the pit below, a huge amount of human bones was trapped in a cement-like substance along with pieces of junk.

  It was more like a landfill than a grave.

  “It looks like the survivors were killed in a pretty gruesome way.”

  In my mind, images of the events that must have transpired here arose unbidden…

  The floating city Nonolie must have fallen due to the anti-magic trap, and even those few people who survived were captured and killed.

  The sense of madness about this monument made it all too easy to imagine what kind of tragedies had befallen the people of Nonolie.

  It must have been the same kind of atrocities committed in the witch hunts of Europe in the Middle Ages.

  Imagining the kind of people who would invent such things made me sick to my stomach.

  Even if this had taken place a long time in the past, it was still horrible.

  Raising my eyes, I once again saw the twisted stone monument.

  After seeing the remains of this terrible tragedy, the word freedom now called to mind the demon lord–worshipping cult the Wings of Freedom.

  “I should at least bury them properly…”

  I knew this wouldn’t serve any purpose beyond making myself feel a little better, but it didn’t seem right to leave these remains tossed aside with the garbage.

  I sent my Magic Hand into the pit, collecting the bones, junk, and all into Storage, where I separated the human remains from the rest.

  According to the detailed information in my Storage screen, the cement-like substance was actually the solidified ashes of more of the deceased.

  I moved to an elevated part of the island near the city-rock, as far from the underwater monument as possible, and used the Earth Magic spell Pitfall to create a new grave, where I buried the massive amount of bones and ashes.

  One grave wasn’t enough, so I ended up having to make several large pits—since I was burying all the bones from the city-rock as well.

  It was easy to recover each one, since I found that I could successfully put the entire city-rock in Storage by touching it.

  But since I remembered that the city-rock was a historic landmark as well as home to countless birds, I decided to put it back.

  A few animals were sacrificed in the process, but I would make sure to use them for food in the future so they wouldn’t go to waste.

  I reinforced the base with the Earth Magic spell Wall, so there should be no risk of the city-rock falling.

  “This seems a little sparse…”

  I planted some of the flower seeds I’d received in the elf village in the earth above the graves, then used a Treespirit Pearl from the treants to speed up the flowers’ growth, turning the hill into a flower garden.

  Then I placed a meteorite from Storage near the graves and used “Spellblade” to carve the words HERE LIE THE PEOPLE OF NONOLIE into it.

  Finally, I said a silent prayer for the buried victims before leaving the place.

  Briefly, I remembered the bodies from the Valley of Dragons in my Graveyard folder, but I decided not to bury them here.

  Dragon corpses contained highly valuable ingredients, so if anyone found out I’d buried them, it could cause some serious problems. Besides, the high elf Aaze told me that the dragon god would eventually be revived and could use its power to revive the other dragons.

  They wouldn’t rot as long as they were in Storage, so I decided it was probably best to keep them there for the time being.

  “Welcome back, master!”

  After regrouping with the others on the beach, I found Arisa wearing sunglasses and relaxing in a beach chair. The other girls were still combing the shore for treasure.

  According to my map information, the rest of the younger kids had gone to an arch-shaped rock formation at the northern end of the beach, while the older group was at a cliff on the southern side.

  A bouquet of flowers was lying on the blanket set out next to Arisa.

  “Thanks… Were there flowers growing around here?”

  Arisa lowered her sunglasses. “These are artificial flowers we found in the flotsam. I figured we could leave them at those ruins later, so I washed them.”

  Arisa really was very considerate in her own way.

  She didn’t pry into what I’d been doing, so I sat down at her side, enjoying the sound of the waves and the distant laughter of Tama and Pochi. The soothing atmosphere was a balm on my soul after the atrocities I’d seen.

  As Arisa’s warm hand stroked my hair, I sorted through the articles and remains of the deceased from the sunken ships.

  For those who could be identified, I decided to mail them along with a letter to the families, saying that I’d acquired them from salvagers.

  For the ones I couldn’t figure out, perhaps I could find a way to put the information out for families to find.

  Arisa frowned up at the sky, holding out an open hand.

  “Is it going to rain?”

  Looking around, I saw gray clouds on the other side of the city-rock.

  Large, sparse raindrops began to hit the beach here and there, sinking into the sand and tapping on the parasol.

  Before long, the light rain became a squall.

  The older group seemed to have found shelter from the rain, but the younger kids were getting soaked as they ran back toward us.

  Danger.

  My “Sense Danger” skill suddenly kicked into action, just as countless red dots appeared on my radar.

  Fortunately, they weren’t too close to any of the girls.

  “Enemies! Everyone, get to the ship!”

  I used my “Amplification” skill to relay a warning to everyone.

  “Enemies? What kind?”

  I could barely see anything through the heavy rain.

  “Hang on a second.”

  I opened the map to get more information.

  A dozen or so large red dots, which hadn’t been anywhere on the map before the rain started pouring, had appeared around the city-rock.

  “…Ghost ships?”

  The dots were evidently undead monsters called “ghost ships.”

  Their levels ranged from the low 30s to the high 40s, with skills like “Float” and “Spirit World Passage.”

  As I was watching these ghost ships, I saw new dots appearing on my radar near my companions and myself.

  These smaller red dots were appearing from the large dots of the ghost ships closest to the city-rock.

  The ships were producing various kinds of skeletons.

  Once that ended, the ghost ships floated upward as if they had no other business here, joining the rest of the ghost fleet patrolling around the city-rock.

  I quickly searched the skeletons by level, checking for any that were too strong for the girls to handle.

  Luckily, the only ones that were level 20 or above, and therefore a potentially serious threat to my comrades, were all near the ghost ship fleet.

  I decided to keep an eye on those while supporting the rest of my party, letting them take the lead so they could get stronger.

  “Master, skeletons are coming out of the rain!”

  With that, Arisa produced a Fire Rod from her Fairy Pack and fired at the head of an almost-ten-foot-tall skeleton soldier.

  The creature emerged from the steam and smoke with a single skull, while more skeletons dressed in tattered pirate clothes leaped out from behind it, brandishing rusty cutlasses.

  “There’s quite a few of them.”

  I selected Remote Arrow from the magic menu, wiping out most of the lesser skeletons.

  “Come on—leave some work for your beloved Arisa, would you?”

  “Don’t worry. I left five or so for you.”

  “Oh, master! You’re so thoughtful!”

  Her mood improving considerably, Arisa fired off some chant-less Space Magic.

  I didn’t know which spell she used, since the
re wasn’t any incantation, but five of the big skeletons hit the ground, their shins shattered.

  “Masterrr!”

  The rain was starting to let up as I heard Tama’s voice approaching.

  Her Magic Sword glowed red as she cut through the skeletons blocking her path. She seemed to be using the Soft Stun effect on the skeletons, since their resistance to blades was high.

  Tama was followed closely by Pochi, who was carrying Mia over her shoulder.

  “… Create Swamp Sokonashi Numa.”

  As Pochi held her up, Mia waved her staff.

  The rain hitting the sand swirled into a whirlpool, forming a bottomless swamp that swallowed the skeletons chasing the three.

  “Made iiit?”

  “Good job, you three.”

  As I praised Tama and the other two, I operated my magic menu.

  “I’ll take care of the rest.”

  My Remote Stun spell rained down on the skeletons who had avoided the swamp, evaporating bones and blades alike into dust. Technically, this spell was supposed to be for knocking people out, but its power was equivalent to being hit by an average soldier with a mace, so it was very effective against brittle bones.

  “Mia, use Water Hold, please!” Arisa called out, pointing at the large skeletons that were dragging themselves along with their arms.

  “Mm.”

  Mia nodded and began the chant.

  “Tama, Pochi! Take out any skeletons Mia’s spell doesn’t reach!”

  “Aye-aye!”

  “Yes, sir!”

  At Arisa’s directions, Tama and Pochi readied their Magic Swords and glared at the big skeletons.

  My companions weren’t wearing armor today, so I used Enchant: Physical Protection on all of them.

  Okay, looks like these four can take it from here.

  “Master! Requesting backup, I entreat!” Nana called out from elsewhere in the rain.

  I thought that Liza and Nana should be able to handle all the monsters near them easily, but when I turned, I saw a giant skeletal snake chasing the three older girls. It was a level-30 monster called a “bone snake.”

  Nana, who was bringing up the rear, was using her Foundation abilities to keep the snake in check, and Liza protected Lulu from the front while fending off any other enemies who got in their way.

  Even Lulu, in the middle, wasn’t just letting herself be protected. She was screaming, yes, but she was also shooting at a kangaroo-like skeleton monster called a “skeleton hopper” with her Magic Gun.

  I was impressed she was able to hit her target while running.

  I selected Short Stun from my magic menu and used it to take out the skeletons, starting with the bone snake. I hadn’t intended to defeat them, but they ended up getting reduced to specks of dust.

  Next, I produced a large shield from Storage and held it out to Nana as she rushed over to me.

  “Master, I am terribly sorry to have troubled you.”

  “Master, thank you for the shield, I declare.”

  Liza and Nana handed Lulu to me, then ran to help the others fight off the large skeletons.

  Lulu seemed to be panicking, so I held her steady as I instructed the Scarecrow golem to prepare the ship for departure.

  “Mere piles of bones should not be working together, I exclaim!”

  With her shield at the ready, Nana used her “Taunt” skill to draw the monsters’ attention.

  The five large skeletons had somehow fused together, turning into a single bone snake. Combining seemed to raise their level, which had gone from somewhere in the teens to level 30.

  I didn’t want anyone to get hurt, so I used Enchant: Physical Protection on the older girls, too, and prepared to intervene just in case.

  “Shield!”

  Nana combined her Foundation shield and her real physical one to parry the bone snake’s attack.

  Then Mia’s Water Magic came in.

  “… Water Hold Mizu Shibaru.”

  The rain hitting the bone snake’s body merged into watery tentacles, wrapping around the monster and holding it in place.

  “My turn! Dimension Pile!”

  Once the bone snake was immobilized, Arisa’s magic created invisible poles that pierced through the creature, rooting it to the ground.

  “Good work!” Liza called. “Tama, Pochi, aim for the core!”

  “Aye-aye, sirrr!”

  “Roger, sir!”

  Liza, too, came in to attack the snake head-on.

  Tama and Pochi attacked the glowing red core from either side, but the bones transformed to defend it, then shot at them with bullet-like bone fragments.

  “Whoosh, whooooosh!”

  “Waaah, don’t attack so much, sir!”

  Tama managed to dodge all the bones, but Pochi wasn’t so lucky and wound up falling back to a nearby rock.

  Her Enchant: Physical Protection was in danger of breaking, so I recast it right away.

  “It is cowardly to split in two, I declare!”

  The bone snake’s head had split in two, with one half attacking Liza, the other attacking Nana.

  Liza twisted around to dodge the oncoming head-butt and tumbled onto the sand.

  “Aah! Take this!”

  A part of the snake’s tail had been sneaking up on Lulu, but she shot it down with her Magic Gun.

  The two magic users, Arisa and Mia, were too busy keeping the snake trapped to do anything else.

  “O Magic Spear, feel my burning blood—”

  Liza stood, kicking up sand, and started weirdly muttering with her spear in hand.

  “—pass through my arm and gather at thine spearhead!”

  Liza’s body let off a faint red glow, and the patterns on the Magic Spear pulsed with red light.

  “Come forth, ‘Spellblade’!”

  With that final shout, the light on the spear gathered at the tip, turning into the bright-red glow of “Spellblade.”

  Liza charged toward the bone snake, leaving a streak of red light like a comet.

  With the help of her “Blink” and “Body Strengthening” skills, Liza moved far faster than the scattering of the snake’s bone bullets, leaving a spray of sand in her wake as she leaped toward the heart of the bone snake.

  The monster attempted to counter her with a head-butt, but—

  “Not a chance!”

  Arisa’s spirited Space Magic blocked it.

  “Begone, bone beast!”

  Liza’s “Spellblade” pierced right through the bone snake’s skull, the overflowing magic cracking it into pieces.

  “There’s that legendary move!”

  “Mm. Awesome.”

  Arisa and Mia praised Liza’s “Spellblade.”

  Evidently, Liza’s bad-fantasy-novel-sounding chant was actually a spirit-focusing incantation taught to her by the elf Gurgapoya, her spear master.

  Deliberately invoking “Spellblade” could be difficult when one was still learning, so he suggested using keywords like those to help activate it.

  “Miss Liza, watch out!” Lulu cried.

  The snake’s other head was going straight for her.

  “Do not get distracted, I warn.”

  Nana fired a Foundation spear at the skull, using “Taunt” to draw its attention from Liza back to her.

  “Pochiii!”

  Realizing the snake was no longer focused on them, Tama called out to Pochi.

  “Charge, sir!”

  Using the “Body Strengthening” and “Blink” skills, Pochi came in at incredible speed from the bone snake’s blind spot to stab through the bone protecting its heart.

  The bone shards flew across the beach, and Tama dodged among them like a shadow.

  “Now, Tama, sir!”

  Having lost her momentum, Pochi shouted at Tama.

  “Nooo problemooo!”

  Tama leapfrogged over Pochi’s back, sneaking through the gaps in the bone snake’s body to arrive directly at the core.

  “Meowly Stone!”
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  With this joking cry, Tama poured magic into the Holy Stone, and a pillar of bluish-white light enveloped the glowing red core.

  HISSSSHAAAAAAAAH!

  The bone snake let out an angry roar at the unexpected attack.

  “You are wide-open, I report.”

  Nana’s large shield smashed into the bone snake’s unprotected jaw, and Liza’s “Spellblade” slashed through its neck.

  With its head gone and heart purified, the bone snake fell apart into smaller skeletons.

  “Finish it!”

  “  Ice Koori.”

  Arisa’s Space Magic and Mia’s Spirit Magic delivered the finishing blows to the remaining skeletons.

  “Good work, everyone! We’ll take a break once we return to the ship.”

  I led everyone back toward our ship as I praised their teamwork.

  “Master, the ghost ships are coming this way.”

  Sensing a change, Liza alerted me.

  Evidently, defeating the bone snake had drawn the ships’ attention to us.

  “Don’t worry, Liza.”

  Once we got off the coast, I could use my intermediate attack magic to wipe them all out in one go.

  If I did it here, I might accidentally destroy the city-rock of the grave of the Nonolie people in the process.

  “Master, we are prepared for departure, I report.”

  “All right, let’s set sail!”

  The skypower engine let out a roar, and our ship took off into the sky.

  By now, the rain had let up from an intense squall to an average downpour, but in exchange, the wind had gotten much stronger and stormier.

  “Dome, close!”

  A transparent dome covered the helm and the other seats on the deck.

  It was a powerful defensive dome made from the cornea of the giant monster fish Tobkezerra. It could ward off even my Fire Ball or a concentrated Laser.

  “Shiiips?”

  “There are lots and lots of them, sir!”

  Tama and Pochi, who had changed into armor and fastened their seat belts, pointed frantically back in the direction of the city-rock.

  The ghost ships were approaching through the curtain of heavy rain, wreathed by black clouds. It was hard to see clearly in the rain, but the silhouettes of the ships ranged from small sailing ships to galleys.

  “Big.”

  “Th-they’re quite fast.”