Weapon Master of the Count’s Family

Chapter 91. Soul Separation Technique

I, Evan, had never heard of the Soul Separation Technique.

It was the same for the other mages.

Except for Ernst and Lilith, that is.

“The Soul Separation Technique is…”

So, we focused on Ernst’s words.

Even the divine Hel was listening intently.

Before us, Ernst began explaining what he knew about the Soul Separation Technique.

“To start with, it’s closer to shamanism than magic. Are you aware of the rituals performed by the tribes living in the southwestern jungles of the continent?”

“Yes, I’ve heard about those who practice shamanism before.”

“I’ve only read about it in books. They say the Zakarin Tribe practices a form of soul-related magic and shamanism called a taboo. Among them, the Soul Separation Technique is one such practice.”

The southwestern part of the continent, covered in endless jungles, was a land where shamanism thrived.

Even the Empire’s banners couldn’t reach that place. For ages, no outsider’s footsteps had touched it, and in its silence and darkness, unknown secrets took root.

The jungle, shrouded in mysterious fog, was a place where only unverified rumors spread, and the “Soul Separation Technique” Ernst mentioned was one of those rumors.

“It’s said that the Zakarin Tribe’s chieftains have always been the wisest. I read in a book that they studied a ritual to separate souls to pass down that wisdom. Of course, there’s no record of them succeeding.”

Lilith shook her head, chiming in at Ernst’s words.

“That’s impossible. Even though shamanism and magic differ in principle, their essence is similar. Extracting a soul is the domain of gods.”

I, Evan, quietly listening, raised a question.

“But why use the term ‘separation’? Wouldn’t ‘detachment’ be more fitting?”

“It’s because it’s not about gently removing the soul but forcibly tearing it away. Our body and soul are practically fused as one.”

The conversation then turned to why soul-related magic remained a taboo.

“Tampering with a soul inevitably causes damage. And to forcibly tear it out? That process could cause cracks in the soul or, in the worst case, its complete annihilation.”

Lilith gestured, taking over the explanation.

“Think of it simply. Imagine carving delicate patterns on an eggshell with a chisel.”

“There are people who do that, aren’t there? Those so-called artists…”

“With their feet. That’s what handling a soul is like.”

With that single sentence, I couldn’t continue speaking.

That was the danger of dealing with souls.

“A soul should never be touched. That’s why mages have shunned necromancers. They treat souls as tools, and as a result, they’ve destroyed countless beings.”

As she spoke, her cold gaze turned toward Ernst.

Her eyes were clear.

Reproach, condemnation, and anger.

“Come to think of it, there was someone who used soul-related magic on his own daughter.”

Ernst offered no excuses.

His brief silence spoke volumes.

“That sin is something I’ll never forget, even after I die.”

Hel, who had been listening to Ernst, stepped forward.

“I agree. Damaging a soul is an act that can never be forgiven, no matter the reason.”

Hel was the ruler of the dead.

Tampering with a soul was no different from insulting him.

Especially attempting to forcibly defy death.

“What are humans so afraid of? Do they think death is the end? In the end, they’ll live here eternally.”

He harbored disgust for those who defied the natural order, trying to persist beyond death.

So, if they crossed the boundaries of this world, Hel didn’t hesitate.

Immediate execution.

Without hesitation, he sent their souls to Ragnar with merciless judgment, as if they were worthless debris.

While a god couldn’t understand human desires, Lilith, a human, was different.

“No one knows about life after death. Unless they die and come back to life.”

Those with a certain level of knowledge, like Lilith, thought differently.

“The greater the attachment to life, the more likely they are to choose such methods. Whether it’s because they think too highly of themselves or simply out of a desire to live.”

“Tch.”

Hel and Lilith’s opinions clearly diverged.

What about me, Evan?

I spoke without hesitation.

“Whatever the reason, such acts only bring chaos to the world, don’t they?”

“Most likely.”

A shadow of doubt lingered in my eyes.

I had been harboring a single suspicion all along.

What if the Emperor is alive through such means?

Ernst, sensing the subtle atmosphere, cautiously spoke.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. Even if someone attempted soul separation and is no longer here, they might have succeeded, but it’s equally possible they were annihilated.”

“Because of the dangers you mentioned earlier?”

“Exactly. Separating a soul is an extremely risky endeavor.”

Though he hadn’t experienced it himself, he continued explaining based on knowledge from books he’d read.

“The Zakarin Tribe used other tribes as sacrificial lambs, attempting soul separation through human sacrifices. Countless lives were lost because of it.”

In the end, forces enraged by the Zakarin Tribe’s atrocities united and drove them out, and the defeated Zakarin Tribe vanished deep into the jungle.

“Is that also from the book?”

“Yes. I read it out of curiosity, but I don’t remember much beyond that.”

I asked again.

“Was there any information about where to find the Zakarin Tribe?”

Ernst furrowed his brow, falling silent for a moment.

The southwestern jungle remained an unknown realm.

Ordinarily, unless you were a promising explorer, there was no way to know where or how they lived.

But the explorer who wrote that book might have traced the Zakarin Tribe’s whereabouts.

It could already be written in there.

“I don’t know. It might’ve been written…”

Ernst muttered, trying to recall.

“What’s the title of the book? Where can I find it?”

“I don’t remember the title… but you can find it in the Royal Library.”

“Ah.”

The Royal Library, which I had visited in Gaiard’s trauma.

The palace housing the Royal Library was heavily guarded, so infiltrating it seemed daunting.

“If you ever get the chance to enter, make sure to say ‘Epherion Knock’ in front of it.”

“A spell?”

“You could say that. It’s a spell to enter the secret chamber of the Royal Library. That’s where the valuable books are hidden. If you just walk in, you’ll only find mundane texts.”

Lilith’s eyes widened at his words.

“You, a mage, use spells? Not magic circles?”

“What’s wrong with using spells? They’re more convenient sometimes.”

Lilith’s expression softened slightly.

In an era where high-level mages often dismissed spells, Ernst’s candid words were unexpected.

“If someone like you joined the research society…”

Still, she felt pity for him, bound to face divine judgment.

Though he himself seemed unbothered.

“I’d love to go to the library with you, but I can’t. Please understand.”

“It’s fine… I’ll find a way to get in. It’s not like it’s the Queen’s bedroom.”

At that, we both thought of Gaiard and chuckled.

“By the way, you seem close to Gaiard.”

“Well, if being stuck together counts as being close, then sure.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised. Not only enduring Gaiard’s wrath but traveling with him? I naturally thought you’d have killed him.”

“That was the plan. I meant to kill him completely, but because of a certain great mage, I ended up here.”

“That’s truly my fault. The dimensional transfer was a safety measure for Gaiard. By the way, what about the Hydra? What happened to it?”

“The Hydra? You’ll find out if you go to the Citadel.”

The ship we were on was already approaching the turquoise Citadel.

The wind gently brushed the waves, scattering mystical light.

***

The Giant Statue of the Citadel

Entering it, Ernst looked down at the Hydra, peacefully sleeping in a corner of the Citadel.

“To think it’s become a god’s pet…”

Ernst’s gaze shifted to the scenery beyond the window.

The city of souls.

A mystical sight he had never seen despite centuries in this place unfolded before him.

And his daughter, too, sparkled with awe before that wondrous view.

“It’s beautiful.”

If it had ended here, it would’ve been a happy ending.

But the world wasn’t that simple.

There were still unresolved matters.

And only Hel could put an end to them.

“Now, let’s finish this. All of it.”

In Hel’s domain, everyone entangled in these events gathered.

From his confidant, Nidra, to the instigator of this chaos, Ernst.

The time for reward and punishment had come.

“Some of you might know what I’m about to do.”

Who would be rewarded,

and who would be punished, seemed already clear.

But before passing judgment, Hel wanted to hear final pleas.

“Anyone have something to say?”

As expected, Ernst stepped forward.

His steps were heavy, his voice calm.

“I don’t seek forgiveness. But…”

“But?”

“For my daughter, who was used in my greed without knowing anything… please save her soul.”

His voice carried

guilt and desperation.

Veroni Romarn.

She had killed countless people and was already being punished here.

But her other personality had completely vanished by now.

That’s why Ernst sought forgiveness.

But Hel was cold.

He showed no room for sentiment.

“Denied.”

A short, resolute word.

“Even if her personality changed, it’s still the same soul. And what about those who were sacrificed because of her?”

Hel wasn’t swayed by personal emotions.

He was a being who upheld the order of this world and delivered just judgment to all souls.

“Thus, she cannot escape punishment. And you, Ernst, who disrupted this world and tampered with a tabooed soul, are no different.”

With that single sentence, their fates were sealed.

Both of them.

Ernst and his daughter, Veroni Romarn, were destined to sink into the Black Sea.

His face was stained with deep sorrow and despair.

He accepted his punishment as just, but the harsh fate awaiting his still-young daughter tore his heart apart.

But as Hel said, the suffering of the innocent souls sacrificed to her was no small matter.

“However, considering that all those sacrificed to Veroni Romarn have already sunk into the Black Sea, there’s room for consideration.”

His voice, echoing through the space, was cold but left a strange aftertaste.

“For the ten souls Veroni Romarn killed, I’ll assign 100 years per soul. Even excluding the time already passed, hundreds of years remain.”

Nidra flinched at his judgment.

The punishment for those who sank into the Black Sea was always eternal.

There had never been an exception.

Yet now, Hel had imposed a finite sentence.

And that wasn’t all.

“Ernst, you too shall endure the same period of punishment alongside her.”

A being who disrupted order and nearly caused a war of annihilation.

Even annihilation wouldn’t have been surprising, yet he received the same punishment.

“Lord Hel?”

Nidra looked at Hel in disbelief.

Ernst, too, was dumbfounded.

“Why me…”

But Hel wasn’t done.

“There’s a condition. After that time is served, return to me and serve as my aide. You will become a Scribe, recording the souls of this world. This is an offer made in recognition of the ability and wisdom with which you toyed with this world.”

Hel had initially intended to annihilate Ernst.

But over time, watching Ernst face Nidra, a part of his power, he changed his mind.

There was no guarantee another like him wouldn’t appear.

If so, using his abilities was the wiser choice.

“You may refuse. But if you do, you’ll face annihilation.”

Hel’s offer.

Ernst had no reason to refuse.

“I’ll comply. I vowed not to leave my daughter’s side. But whether the god below will allow it…”

At Ernst’s cautious concern, Hel snorted without a smile.

“I, too, am a god. If I will it, it shall be.”

He was a god of this world,

and if he willed it, his will would be enforced, even against the god of destruction and annihilation.

“Then prepare to spend your final moments before going to Ragnar.”

The one day Ragnar had previously permitted.

Hel intended to grant them that time to the fullest, like a condemned prisoner’s last meal.

“Nidra, keep a close watch on them.”

“Yes, I obey your command.”

In case Ernst harbored any other intentions, Nidra decided to stay by his side.

But Ernst had no thoughts of fleeing.

If he made such a choice, the harsher punishment his daughter would face terrified him more than anything.

And so, they vanished with Nidra.

All that remained were those who would receive rewards.

“The mage souls who helped Evan and Gaiard find Ernst—what do you desire?”

As Hel’s heavy voice resounded, a brief silence fell before Lilith stepped forward.

“A physical body would be ideal, but that’s impossible.”

She paused, gauging Hel’s expression.

“Could you perhaps give us parchment and quills?”

It was a humble wish.

Yet, for those unable to properly record in their soul state, it was a desperate longing.

“As many as you want.”

With a light snap of Hel’s fingers, the space rippled, and the room filled with parchment and quills.

In that moment, the mages’ physical forms faded, returning to their soul states.

But astonishingly, they could still touch the paper and quills.

“Good heavens!”

“With this, we can properly record our research!”

The mages’ faces were filled with

joy and relief.

Their research would not vanish in vain but remain forever.

“That settles them.”

The mage souls and their desires vanished.

Now, only Evan and Gaiard remained in the space.

“You two need to go, right? Back to where you came from?”

Their only wish was one thing.

To leave the Coast of the Dead and return to their original world.

I’ve grown as strong as I could, and not everything goes my way yet, but I’ve gained comrades. Of course…

At the edge of that thought lay the uncomfortable truth of the Emperor’s life or death.

But despite carrying all those anxieties and doubts, this journey was a valuable experience for me.

Things I could never have experienced without dying.

“Feeling reluctant to leave? If so, you could stay…”

Hel said with a slight smile.

“We have to go.”

“I’ll go.”

At our resolute answers, Hel couldn’t hold back a hollow laugh.

“Pfft.”

Then, extending his hand, he added,

“If you’re not in a rush, why not stay a day? I think this place is pretty livable.”

The reluctant one was Hel.

It was a pity to let go of such interesting beings so soon.

Evan and Gaiard exchanged glances.

“No urgent matters… I suppose.”

“A day won’t hurt.”

And so, we decided to spend our final day here.