NOVEL NEXT Ch. 80
Chapter 80: The Emperor’s Cause of Death
The revelation that the emperor’s death was unclear hit me like an unimaginable shock.
“Missing? Then why did people back then believe he died of illness?”
Considering his position as a nation’s leader,
it was hard to accept that his disappearance went unnoticed.
Especially since even neighboring nations, highly sensitive to the emperor’s movements, didn’t know.
“I heard it was due to orders from the crown prince, Tarkin II.”
“Orders? He didn’t search for his missing father?”
“I don’t know exactly. It’s what my husband told me. But it’s certain the emperor wasn’t ill.”
What were the odds a stranger, especially facing a Reaper, would lie?
Close to zero.
Yet, I couldn’t easily believe her.
“If that’s true, I need to meet this physician. Lead me to him. I’ll interrogate him myself.”
“That’s impossible. He chose reincarnation, unlike me.”
Her eyes were filled with deep sorrow.
Her tone and expression didn’t seem like a liar’s.
“So, only you and your husband knew this?”
“Maybe a few others, but I don’t know who.”
She seemed unsure how far or to whom this truth had spread.
“But why is a Reaper so interested in human affairs?”
“Just curiosity. One last question. Do you know any souls here who chose to stay, like Tarkin I or later officials?”
“Hm… As far as I know, none. Most probably reincarnated or vanished. Those who were prominent in life likely chose that due to lingering attachments.”
“Then why, including you, did some souls here choose to do nothing?”
“Who knows? Maybe, like me, they were tired of life? Felt the endless cycle was pointless. Look, everyone here’s a commoner.”
Indeed, most souls in the Citadel were commoners or lower-class.
Though rare cases like Robern’s knights existed,
most were disillusioned with life and abandoned reincarnation.
“And some knew themselves too well. They knew punishment awaited at the reincarnation gate. But those types don’t last long here.”
“Why?”
“They get caught by Reapers like you and thrown into the Black Sea. Are you new? Asking me this?”
Her curious gaze turned to me.
But I judged there was nothing more to gain from her and prepared to leave.
“I’ll come back if I get the chance.”
Leaving those words, I wandered aimlessly.
The unclear nature of the emperor’s death stirred confusion in me.
Missing? That’s unsettling.
I only wanted to confirm a villain’s end.
But an open-ended disappearance complicated my feelings.
Ernst was now beyond my concern,
and I drifted toward the clock tower without significant findings.
As the clock tower chimed noon, the souls on the streets vanished one by one.
Left alone in the empty street, a Reaper resembling Gaiard appeared.
“You’re early. I found where the kingdom souls live. Shall we check it out next time?”
“Uh…”
“What happened?”
“Oh, you’re here.”
Seeing my half-dazed state, Gaiard gave a puzzled look.
“Something did happen. What’s got you so out of it?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? You don’t look like it.”
Under Gaiard’s persistent probing, I hesitated before cautiously speaking.
“Gaiard, is it possible to check which souls came here?”
I had to seek help from him, who’d experienced this place longer.
“Of course. At the reincarnation gate, there are beings called Scribes. They record souls’ entries.”
“Scribes?”
“Yes. Every soul that dies and comes here gets recorded in their scrolls. Though, those like you, me, or Ernst, who arrive via unusual routes, aren’t recorded.”
Scribes.
They might hold clues to confirm the emperor’s fate.
“They’re at the reincarnation gate? At the end of the path souls walk?”
“Yes, so if you want answers, ask them directly. But thinking about it, there’s someone who could give a clearer answer.”
“Who?”
“Who else? The big guy.”
Gaiard pointed to the towering colossus statue.
***
“Does Lord Hel remember all the souls that stayed here?”
I dove straight into the point.
Hel smiled leisurely and replied.
“Me? Remember them all? No way. I leave that to others. But… some notable souls stick in my memory.”
I followed with my next question.
“Then, can I meet the Scribes?”
Hel tilted his head, puzzled.
“Scribes? Why?”
“I need to confirm something.”
His expression changed. His sharp gaze pierced me, as if demanding I reveal a hidden secret.
Doesn’t matter if I’m found out. I’m a man who does what he must.
Resolved, I spoke calmly.
“I want to know my enemy’s whereabouts.”
Hel smiled with interest and asked.
“An enemy from your past life or this one?”
“Past life.”
A brief silence.
Hel’s eyes gleamed curiously, studying me.
“Do you know why I left you alone? You died but didn’t, living a new life.”
As expected, Hel knew everything.
That I carried memories, perhaps the soul, of my past life.
It wasn’t surprising, given he was a god.
But Gaiard beside me couldn’t hide his shock.
“I figured some god or fate had a purpose for you. So I let you be. I wanted to see how far you’d go.”
To Hel, I was an anomaly outside rules and order.
Yet, he hadn’t interfered for one reason:
He didn’t want to defy fate’s flow.
“So, I’d rather not hinder you than earn someone’s ire.”
Hel nodded, deciding.
“Meet the Scribes.”
I bowed in gratitude.
“Thank you.”
Hel responded with a light gesture.
“If you want to meet them, you should. Not sure if it’ll help.”
His tone was casual, but it hinted at knowing much.
As long as I didn’t greatly disrupt order, Hel would leave me be.
His focus was solely on protecting his domain.
“Go to the reincarnation gate. Tell the Reapers I allowed it.”
“Yes, understood.”
With a god’s permission, Gaiard and I headed to the bridge leading to the reincarnation gate.
As we walked, Gaiard glanced at me and cautiously asked.
“You… had memories of your past life?”
I paused, then nodded heavily.
“Yeah. Unfortunately.”
“Amazing. The world’s full of unbelievable things.”
“Like where we are now?”
Our gazes fell on endless rows of souls.
All awaiting judgment, heading toward a massive gate.
The gate exuded an oppressive aura, its opaque surface revealing nothing inside.
Guarded by ten Reapers,
a small desk nearby was piled with scrolls.
Behind it sat a woman embodying exhaustion itself.
She was the Scribe.
The Scribe radiated lethargy and boredom.
Her eyelids drooped heavily, and she seemed too tired to move a finger.
In her place, a quill moved on its own.
It flipped through scrolls, writing ceaselessly.
Gaiard and I watched for a while before approaching quietly.
The Reapers blocked us, but we mentioned Hel’s permission, and they stepped aside.
“Are you the Scribe?”
At my words, she slowly raised her head.
Instead of speaking, she blinked, as if even breathing was a chore, staring at me.
“I came to ask something. I want to know if a certain soul passed through the Coast of the Dead.”
She stared blankly, then nodded slightly.
“Tarkin I, Tarkin Callistras.”
Her eyes rolled.
The quill moved across a scroll, writing something.
[No soul by that name is recorded.]
I was momentarily speechless, then questioned.
“That can’t be. He’s definitely dead. Did you miss something?”
Her eyebrow twitched slightly.
[Scribes know every soul’s trace.]
Shocked, I pressed.
“So, Tarkin Callistras' soul never came here?”
She nodded again.
My mind tangled, my heart quietly pounding.
“What about Robern Falken?”
The quill moved again, writing on the scroll.
[Robern Falken died. Cause: drowning. His soul was punished and sunk in the Black Sea.]
The fate of Robern, thought missing, was clearly recorded here.
Yet, Tarkin Callistras' soul had no trace.
“Understood.”
I turned to leave, but doubts lingered.
The whereabouts of Emperor Tarkin I remained a mystery.
Where was he, then?
Gaiard, following, spoke with interest.
“From what I heard, this Tarkin I sounds human, but from long ago. Could he still be alive?”
“Yeah, that’s why it doesn’t make sense.”
“Hm…”
Gaiard offered hypotheses.
“I don’t know the situation, but not dying could mean he was sealed, like I was.”
“He was just an ordinary emperor… Who’d seal him?”
“Hm… Often, those with much to lose pursue immortality.”
Gaiard spoke from centuries of experience.
“But that’s impossible. No matter the creature, time slows but eventually kills.”
Gaiard shook his head.
“No soul means he didn’t die.”
I shook my head, incredulous.
“So, impossible.”
Gaiard smiled meaningfully.
“Not necessarily.”
I froze.
“What?”
He looked like he’d realized something, his words confident.
“Think about it. Isn’t there a human who’s lived ages?”
I paused, then said in a low voice.
“…Ernst?”
Gaiard nodded.
“Yes. Him. Ernst is the living proof of immortality.”
Ernst, the one we were tracking.
He’d lived centuries, near immortal.
“Then we have one more reason to find him.”