NOVEL NEXT Chapter 0
“That’s impossible! No way!”
The old man with his gray hair, known to the world as the ancient archmage, Makarov Willett, exclaimed.
“How could a human even touch the existence of the Underworld…?”
“Old folks always say that.”
Is there truly anything in the world that’s impossible? Only the things that are believed to be impossible exist.
Hoo!
“Is there nothing more to show me?”
The Seal of the Underworld, said to only be wielded by those who are closest to death in this world.
A symbol of the God of Death.
I pointed at the floating seal in the air and grinned.
“You’ve… already stepped beyond the path of humanity. Don’t shatter the laws of the world any further! Don’t you understand? This power is not granted to humans!”
“Of course, I’ve stopped pretending to be human. What nonsense is this, after you killed me fifty years ago?”
That was the last thing said.
Clank!
Splash!
As the hand of Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld whom I summoned, swung, the neck of the ancient archmage flew high into the sky.
“…Had you simply handed over the goods, I might have had a mind to spare you.”
He was somewhat necessary for the balance of the world.
He was a being that once killed me, but now, I didn’t care much for him.
After all, I had long become an existence transcending even death.
Anyway, I finally obtained it.
Hoo.
“The Goddess’s Tear.”
An artifact imbued with the power of miracles.
With this last ingredient, I would finally fulfill my long-standing wish.
‘It has been a long time.’
Really long.
From the day I fell into this inexplicable world, I’ve faced death countless times, and now I have reached this point.
‘I even actually died.’
All because of that damn old man who kept babbling about maintaining the world’s balance.
At that time, his magic seemed divine, but now it was no different from a clown’s trick, which was truly frustrating.
“Serejia.”
“…Did you call?”
Known as the counterfeit god, or rather, a demigod.
Serejia, who was worshipped as the goddess of harmony in this world.
“There shouldn’t be any more ingredients needed, right?”
“Yes! Yes! Of course!”
“Why are you grinning again? Do I look like I’m all giddy because I’m leaving?”
“Ah, no. I’m just happy that you’ve achieved your purpose…”
Of course, now she was my loyal minion.
Was it around 70 years after I fell here that I first met her? Acting all mighty as a goddess, she trembled, but after getting stripped of her soul, she turned into just a cute little nerdy girl.
“Tsk.”
As I clicked my tongue, Serejia flinched.
Come to think of it, it wasn’t just a few times that I had to suffer because of her, so maybe I should set some rules one last time?
“By the way, shouldn’t we start soon? Your Death Energy is so powerful that there’s a risk the Goddess’s Tear might go bad!”
It was a blatant excuse, but at this point, it didn’t matter.
Returning to the hideout via teleport, Serejia immediately placed me on the magic circle she’d prepared for decades.
“I believe the core of the spell is secured, so the transfer itself should go smoothly, but… as I mentioned, there will be side effects. There are records of rulers who reigned over a dimension losing their power after dimension hopping. I’m warning you, so don’t come back here and take it out on me, okay?”
“How many times do I have to say? Got it. Our relationship ends here. Cleanly.”
That’s right.
It truly ends here.
“Hah.”
Finally, the long curtain falls on the ages.
Here, on planet Thebes, a necromancer once hailed as the living embodiment of death will finally return to where he belongs.
“Farewell.”
“Huh?”
“Now that you’re a demigod, try not to get beaten up wherever you go.”
“……”
“Honestly, when I first heard you, I thought you were just babbling to get out of the situation.”
Still, in the end, I really could return.
“Thank you.”
Hoo.
That day, the Lord of Death, who had once reigned over an era, departed from planet Thebes.
And then—
“If you suddenly say that, I feel a bit guilty for having been a bit of a brat…”
Serejia, who had played a little trick on the dimensional transfer magic circle, mumbled as she gazed at the vacancy left behind.
“…Well, if I were a bit prickly, having a rounder appearance wouldn’t be so bad, I guess?”
And so, a story came to its end.
#
After a little while following the incident on Thebes…
In South Korea, on planet Earth.
Somewhere in a police station in the capital city, Seoul, a woman muttered with a confused voice.
“…Did this child really say for himself that he is my brother?”
“Yes! That’s correct! Hunter Baek Seo Ha! We knew all of Hunter’s personal details.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to a corner of the police station, where a silver-haired girl was curled up in a blanket, trembling.
“To be made into a Skeleton… how dare… the Lord of Death… hic.”
Rejecting human touch, that frail demeanor trembling in fear was surely pitiful to anyone who saw her there.
“…Let’s first hear the details.”
This was definitely my brother, who was reported dead ten years ago.
As I thought that this was a troublesome matter, the current A-class hunter, the top promising candidate, Baek Seo Ha murmured.