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TL: ALT
Chapter 172 – Day 3 of Management Life
I woke up next to a barely standing wall in the collapsed port town. The area was covered in rubble, with grass growing between the gaps.
Last night, I saw a ghost-like monster, and without knowing what was happening, I tried to blow up the entire town. It seems that Sylvia managed to stop me. I don’t remember much.
“I-I controlled your blood. Please don’t do anything reckless.”
With that, Sylvia broke off a piece of dried meat and handed it to me.
“Did you drink my blood?”
I asked, eating the dried meat.
“I-it was an emergency.”
I touched my neck. Although it didn’t hurt, there were two small scabs. I’d better not lose control in front of the vampire clan.
“W-what does Makyo see? Your memories and powers don’t match.”
“Did you drink my blood and see my memories?”
“J-just a little bit.”
“It’s no big deal.”
“What you see with your eyes.”
Sylvia approached me without hesitation. Had she found out?
“What the hell is this power? This magical power! How did you do this?”
She seemed confused by the magical power spinning inside my body.
“Your posture. Relax your whole body, and stand up slowly.”
Following my instructions, Sylvia slowly stood up.
“Try spinning the magical power in your lower abdomen.”
I placed my hand on her stomach to show her the position.
“A-ah…”
Sylvia seemed confused by the spinning magic. She leaned her pelvis forward, keeping her back straight.
“Now, punch with your fist.”
I showed her my palm.
Sylvia threw a punch at me.
Smack!
It was a good punch, with her whole body behind it.
“Now try punching with the magic you’re spinning.”
Bam!
The power increased so much that my right arm almost got blown away.
“Fuh… Hahahaha! Is this what you’ve been doing all this time, Makyo?”
“That’s right. The power of magic depends on your imagination, and you can increase its power as much as you want. If you observe it closely, I think you’ll understand how magic flows inside your body.”
“A-ah, damn it! I’ve digested Makyo’s blood. But I think I figured out how to do it.”
Sylvia smiled happily as she drank some water.
“So, I can’t move…”
Ghost-like monsters passed by on the road in front of the rubble. They seemed to greet each other with “Hey” and “Hi,” though they weren’t really talking.
The ghost that had passed by earlier passed by again in the same way.
I wonder if they have a will.
“A-are you scared?”
“Of course I’m scared. I don’t know what they’ll do.”
“B-but you’re okay with the bones, right?”
“Bones are just calcium.”
“F-from observation, it seems that will-o’-the-wisps and ghost-like monsters only perform the same actions. The bones are moving around. Moreover, the ones wearing clothes seem to be able to communicate with each other.”
“I see. If they have bones, they should be okay. Ugh!”
I can’t help but avoid the will-o’-the-wisps as they approach.
I want to get out of this place as soon as possible.
“All right. Let’s go where the clothed skeletons are. I don’t want to stay here, not even for a moment.”
I climbed over the wall and surveyed the ruins of the town. All I needed to see was the walking clothed skeleton. I ignored everything else. I focused intently, not letting the singing I heard distract me.
A chilling wind blew past my ears.
When I turned around, a skull was staring at me from close range. Without thinking, I stuck two fingers into its empty eye sockets and flung them out.
“Oh, I was trying to listen…”
Sylvia seems fine with ghost-type monsters.
“Sorry. You should have told me beforehand.”
“W-well, it’s okay. I heard there are pirates near the port.”
“Sylvia, how can you be so calm?”
“I-I’m a vampire. The souls who failed to reach the Underworld are like my brothers and sisters.”
“So, when I die, I’ll haunt Sylvia?”
I said this jokingly, but Sylvia’s expression turned serious.
“If Makyo dies, we’ll use forbidden magic to bring you back. Don’t think you can die so easily.”
“What? Really?”
Sylvia laughed softly.
“People never know how others see them. Even after death, we plan to make you work for about a thousand years.”
“That’s too much work.”
“I-is that so? But it seems that some are still working even after 1,000 years. Look.”
We headed west, avoiding ghost-like monsters, and came to a ship graveyard.
Large ships were overturned on the sandy beach. Some were broken in half, their bows pointing toward the sky. Torn sails flapped in the wind. Even though it was morning, light leaked through holes in the ships’ hulls.
Wooden planks had been laid out to form paths to prevent the ships from being buried in the sand. Skeletons with swords at their waists carried wooden boxes along these paths.
“Dead pirates…”
“Are they just bones? Are they harmless?”
“Yeah.”
I took a deep breath.
“Let’s go!”
When I shouted, the skeletons turned toward us. The ones inside the wrecked ships crawled out and stared at us, too.
“I am the lord of this demonic land! I want to talk!”
Swosh!
A rusty spear flew toward my feet.
I pulled out the spear, infused it with magic, and threw it back with all my might.
Hmph!
The spear pierced the wreckage of the connected ships and flew into the sky.
“Would it be quicker to fight and show them?”
I put on my crocodile leather gauntlets and asked Sylvia.
“I-I don’t know…”
Swish, swish, swish, swish.
A hand axe flew toward me, so I blocked it with my gauntlet and deflected it. It seemed to have cleanly pierced the skull.
That must have been the signal because swords, candlesticks, pots, tridents, shovels, and other weapons flew toward me. I deflected them all. Their aim was off, and the objects landed on the sandy beach, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The wind blew away the sand, clearing my vision.
“These gauntlets are pretty useful. All right, let’s do this.”
I channeled magic into my fist. Wind magic should suffice.
“S-something’s coming out?”
Looking in the direction Sylvia pointed, I saw a skeleton wearing the clothing of a nobleman, complete with a triangular hat, emerging from a lit ship.
“What the hell? You guys, the flesh…!”
The skeleton in the hat seemed to say something, but I couldn’t stop.
BANG!
The half-destroyed ship is blown toward the horizon.
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you. Did you say something?”
When I turned around, the skeleton wearing a triangular hat stood upright as if bowing. The other skeletons stood frozen, staring at the remains of the ship.
“Who are you? From the looks of it, you’re not a golem; you have flesh on your body…”
“I am Makyo, the lord of the demonic land. Nice to meet you. This is…”
“I-I’m Sylvia, a member of the vampire clan. I believe you are pirates from the nearby seas. We would like your help opening trade routes to the demonic land.”
Sylvia explained their business to the pirates.
“Lord? Trade route?”
The skeleton with the triangular hat seemed confused.
“Where does the lord belong?”
Beyond the mountains lies a desert, and to the north is a forest. That is the border with the Elven Kingdom.”
“What happened to Yggdrasil? What became of it?”
“It’s gone. Now, a dragon clan has established a kingdom called Estinia in the west. My land is part of that kingdom.”
“T-this is part of his territory. I don’t think pirates would have to obey the lord, but you can see for yourself how powerful he is.”
Sylvia pointed to the remains of the ship.
“I see. What about the conflicts between the dungeons?”
“They’re over. The botanical garden dungeon was destroyed, and the genetic research institute is now inhabited by the descendants of beast-demonic disease patients. The military base is now occupied by golems, and we’re collaborating with them on technical matters.”
With just skeletons around, it’s surprisingly easy to talk.
“Are there any dungeons?”
“There are several in the archipelago.”
He seemed to be gradually understanding the current situation.
“I want to establish a trade route through the archipelago.”
“Impossible! It’s not just an archipelago!”
The skeleton with the triangular hat raised his voice.
“Have you ever seen the giant magical beast that transported Midgard?”
“I’ve encountered it twice. The second time, I landed on it, but I didn’t enter the dungeon.”
“That was the right decision. Does the lord use time-space magic?”
“No, I just jumped on it normally.”
The skeleton with the triangular hat repeated “What?” and “Huh?” several times, looking like a broken toy.
“I-it’s understandable that you’re confused, but you have to accept that such strange beings exist.”
“I see. He’s the kind of person who can blow up a ship with a single blow. Anyway, it’s best not to get involved with Midgard. Or the archipelago, for that matter.”
“Why?”
“Although it’s called an archipelago, it’s not actually islands. It’s the remains of a giant magical beast. It’s constantly moving.”
It’s hard to believe that only one giant magical beast was created. Have these turtles, which live for thousands of years, been living in this sea?
“Those exiled from their country, those who have committed great crimes and fled, and those abandoned by their clan choose these islands as their final resting place.”
They’re almost like us.
Since the islands are constantly moving, the waves are rough, and storms blow frequently. If you accidentally fall into the sea, you’ll be thrown overboard and disappear into the seaweed. If you understand, then hurry up…”
The skeleton with the triangular hat raised its head, but we weren’t listening anymore.
“Can we walk there?”
“M-maybe we should bring Chel. I think we could fly there with Lipa’s broom.”
“Can we lure the giant magical beast away somehow?”
“L-let’s ask at the military base.”
“Did you hear me!?”
The skeleton with the triangular hat approached us.
“Oh, we didn’t hear you. But this archipelago seems like the perfect place for us, so we’ll get ready and come back.”
“Don’t come back! You could die!”
“It’s okay. If we die, we’ll just be revived.”
“You guys don’t understand! When you die, you gradually turn into bones. Your clothes will wear away and disappear. What do you think will happen then?”
“What will happen?”
“After about 500 years, you’ll start to forget who you are. You’ll forget who you are. Haven’t you seen people like that in town? The ones who keep repeating the same things!”
“I have.”
“Without flesh, clothes, or bones, you become a being with nothing. The gates to the underworld are open, but you don’t have the courage to jump in. You just keep repeating the same things you did when you were yourself, barely holding on to your identity. If only I could turn into a monster. How much easier it would be…”
I think I’m starting to understand what he’s afraid of.
“If you’re going to die, trade places with me!”
“That’s impossible.”
“Then don’t say you’re going to die so easily.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
I bowed my head in apology.
“So, what do you want?”
“Huh?”
“You’re clinging to this world instead of going to the underworld. You must want something.”
The skeleton with the triangular hat seemed confused again.
“Pirates! If you help me establish trade routes, it’s only fair that I reward you. Think about what you want until I come back. I am the lord of this land, after all. I might be able to grant your wish!”
He shouted to the pirates.
“I-is it really okay to say such a thing?”
“Dreaming is free, after all. Besides, dreams are different for everyone.”
“That’s true.”
Sylvia laughed quietly.
“Tell everyone in town, too. Maybe I can send you to the underworld properly. Well, then.”
With that, we left the port.
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read up to 12 chapters ahead for this novel!
[Last night, I saw a ghost-like monster, and without knowing what was happening, I tried to blow up the entire town. It seems that Sylvia managed to stop me. I don’t remember much.
“I-I controlled your blood. Please don’t do anything reckless.”]
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