TN: Please read my translations only on my website nyx-translation.com since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi, and join our Patreon to read up to 12 chapters ahead for this novel!
Sponsored chapter by Patreon. Enjoy~
TL: ALT
Chapter 186 – Day 17 of Management Life
From morning onward, the golems carried treasure chests filled with gold coins and supplies left behind from the wrecked ship. They conversed with skeletons and hooded ghosts along the way.
“I thought it was a good idea to send off those who seem ready to ascend.”
Hel gave instructions to the golems and skeletons. Even the ghost-type monsters obeyed Hel.
“We’re giving those stuck in this world a reason to leave.”
After sharing the current situation, some of the golems and skeletons began to lose their lingering attachments to the mortal realm.
Hel gave soup to the will-o’-the-wisps who wanted one last meal, placed silver coins in the hands of the hooded ones who wanted gold, and chanted prayers.
“They always end up coming back, though.”
“Huh!? They can’t ascend?”
“No way. It seems their desire to cling to this world is incredibly strong. Apparently, they want to see the port town rebuilt one more time. Still, if there’s even a sliver of hope, I guess they can’t just not do it.”
“I see.”
“I told the golems and skeletons to help rebuild the town. Monsters might attack them, but since they’re already dead, it won’t be a problem.”
While Hel and I were talking, a black wolf attacked a skeleton, bit off its arm bone, and ran off.
Ka-Ryu and the golems chased it into a pitfall trap Kahiman had made.
It seems the former inhabitants of Yggdrasil developed a sense of camaraderie after death. I hope the same can happen with the Sealing Clan.
“Also, the golems seem energetic.”
“Is their magical power high?”
“I can’t measure it, so I can’t say for sure, but maybe their old memories are coming back.”
In the military base dungeon, for example, the golem technician’s memories returned, and the ability to form hands improved. Memories that clearly identify them as more than just human-shaped clay figures are important for the dead.
“That’s good. Bringing them to this port town was worth it. Let’s keep our spirits up, too. What about food?”
“There’s plenty left over that the ghosts couldn’t eat. Sylvia’s making lunch boxes.”
It was unusual for Sylvia to make lunch boxes.
Hel and I headed towards the bonfire at the town square ruins.
The savory aroma of grilled meat mingled with the scent of spices. Sylvia sliced the meat she had cooked and mixed it with sanshō pepper and herbs. Kahiman wrapped the mixture in large leaves. Perhaps the smell was unwelcome to the dead because the ghosts didn’t approach.
“They can’t stand salt,”
Kahiman explained to me as he watched the ghosts.
“Even though they live in this port town with its salty sea breeze?”
“They believe the superstition that if they’re purified with salt, they’ll vanish.”
“So if I cover myself from head to toe in salt, they won’t come near me?”
As always, encountering incomprehensible beings sent a chill down my spine, even on a hot day like this.
Hel and the others laughed when they saw my goosebumps.
Breakfast was the soup used in the ritual and meat on the bone. Both were huge portions.
“I never ate this much, not even during my adventurer days.”
“N-no noble would eat this much either.”
Kahiman gobbled it down without a care. In the demonic land, it was considered proper etiquette to eat properly cooked and harvested ingredients.
“Let’s have the golems stand by in this ruined port town for now. I think we should meet the Magic-Sealing Clan, who are said to be at the Ten-Thousand-Year Turtle, first.”
“Let’s do that. If they’re hostile, the golems might get sealed.”
If Kahiman drives his magic-sealing stake into them, they’ll be put out of action, right?
After the meal, I tell Kariu, and she says, “Understood. We’ll wait in this town.” There are no objections.
“So Sylvia will go with the great owl and Hel with the door?”
“Yeah, there happened to be a door that was just right.”
Hel had recreated the magic circle from the Cliff Garuda carpet onto a large door panel. So far, however, no one could ride it. Ultimately, only Lipa could ride the flying broom.
“Um…”
Kahiman’s body was naturally drawn toward the Great Owl. Did he still not trust Hel’s magic circle? He wouldn’t die, though.
“It requires exquisite control of magic. I’ll do my best!”
“I believe in you!”
Sylvia and Kahiman mounted the great owl while we temporarily boarded the flying door.
“My lord! Monsters lurk within the mist. Even for us dead ones, the sky and sea are dangerous. Please be exceedingly cautious!”
The skeleton in the triangular hat saw us off. Ka-Ryu and the golem waved, swaying. What are they laughing at?
Hoo!
The great owl hooted and spread its wings.
At that moment, I channeled magic into the flying door.
Whoosh!
The view of the ruined port town turned completely white in an instant.
The great owl that had been beside us was gone. When I turned back, I saw Hel clinging desperately, her eyes wide.
Bang! Bang!
Something was popping nearby.
I imbued my fist with wind magic in the fog and hurled it forward.
Boof!
Gyaa! Kyaa-laa!
The screech of a flying monster echoed through the air. Immediately after, a wooden-textured wing and a spray of blood fell from the sky.
“Is some kind of tree bird flying around?”
“Makyo…!”
I turned back and saw Hel, looking strange and tangled in tree roots, unable to move. I wrapped fire magic around my fist, struck it, and tore the roots apart, burning them as I did.
The next instant, I felt the door falling. Of course, it would fall if I didn’t keep infusing magic into the flying artifact, but I was too busy slapping Hel’s cheek to snap her out of her daze.
“Snap out of it!”
Hel woke up and started firing her crossbow wildly in all directions.
“Spores are flying! It’s a hallucinogenic poison!”
Just as I went to slap her again, she screamed.
Looking around, I saw spores the size of chests floating in the air and rising upward.
“Aren’t we falling?”
“Yeah, right!”
I channeled magic into the flying door once more.
Splash!
The door regained buoyancy just as it hit the water’s surface, spraying water as it charged straight ahead.
Splash!
A giant shark lunged at us, opening its huge mouth to swallow us whole.
“Well, that’s clear enough!”
I channeled magic through my legs to keep the door afloat, spinning it in my lower abdomen.
From deep within the shark’s maw, I heard crackling sounds like thunder.
GOUU!
Lightning shot straight toward us from the shark’s mouth.
“I didn’t sign up for this!”
I imbued a defensive spell into my rotating magic in my fist and deflected the lightning upward.
Crack!
A completely charred wyvern plummeted down.
Spinning the cube of magic, I sliced off the tip of the giant shark’s snout. It had been waiting with its huge mouth wide open.
Unable to bear it, the shark dove back into the sea.
Countless pure white jellyfish, each as big as a horse, began rising to the surface of the sea, which turned a deep crimson.
“Let’s get out of here!”
Sensing danger, we flung the door skyward.
After piercing the spores and scorching the wyvern subspecies, we slowly drifted through the white mist. Gradually, the fog began to clear.
“A tower!”
Hel pointed ahead and shouted.
A light brown tower came into view. Several towers of varying heights stood amidst a mountain covered in dense trees.
“No, that’s strange. We should have been crossing the sea.”
Hel still seemed confused.
“So it’s definitely the Island of the Ten-Thousand-Year Turtle, right?”
“Yeah.”
We slowly lowered the door and landed on the ground. Or rather, on a turtle’s shell?
The area was overrun with trees like those in the demonic land, and cam berries attacked us aggressively, biting at our feet. We were worried about Sylvia and Kahiman riding the giant owl, but with this many towers, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a place to land.
“Finally, a breather.”
The flying door was so battered that we worried it wouldn’t be able to get us back to the demonic land properly.
“It doesn’t seem like it.”
Minotaurs, goblins, and orcs are peering at us from behind the trees, holding clubs. They’re wearing leather armor, so maybe we can communicate with them.
“Hello.”
“…”
No response.
“We’ve come to meet the descendants of the Magic Sealing Clan. Do you have the ability to locate earth veins?”
For now, I’ll state our purpose.
“We do. But where did you come from?”
The minotaur asked in a deep voice.
“From the eastern demonic land. Or should I say, the ruins of Yggdrasil?”
“You are the original race, aren’t you? I thought you were extinct?”
“Original race?”
“Humans and elves. The pure, unmixed original race, right?”
A goblin in a robe asked in a high-pitched voice.
“That’s right. We have no monster blood in us. A few months ago, Makyo—this man beside me—became the lord of the demonic land. The only survivors were the golem soldiers from the base, the descendants of Beast Disease patients hiding in the dungeons, and the skeletons and ghosts in the port town.”
“That means almost everyone is dead.”
An orc interjected.
“Hold on. When you say ‘lord,’ do you mean owner?”
The minotaur stepped closer. As he emerged from the shadows into the light, his bulging muscles stood out sharply.
“That’s right. The land he bought happened to be demonic land. It was so vast that the King of Estinia made him its lord.”
“Is that magic a curse?”
The pig-headed orc stepped into the light and asked. He had impressive tusks, but speaking seemed difficult.
“The magic came naturally from living in the demonic land. I don’t know if it’s a curse. The fact that Hel can’t use magic is a curse, though.”
“I was exiled from the elf kingdom.”
“A criminal?”
“If seeking the truth is a crime, then perhaps.”
When Hel said that, the minotaur and the orc looked at the goblin.
“This elf woman, Helgen-Turoon, isn’t lying. See the protruding bones?”
This time, Hel and I exchanged glances. Neither of us had mentioned Hel’s real name before.
“Incidentally, the human calling himself Makyo isn’t lying either. Did he abandon his real name? It’s faint, though. I don’t know if the original species adapts to the environment this much.”
“No way! How could this amount of magical power be normal?”
The orc was shocked by the goblin’s words.
“Both of them have abnormal skills and levels. There’s nothing we can do. Let’s contact the elders.”
The goblin told the minotaur and the orc, sounding resigned.
“I see, Makyo, You’d better learn to control your magic better. Otherwise, you’ll end up like our ancestors.”
“I certainly don’t want that. I went there the other day. I went to the Sealing Clan’s village and the dungeon.”
“A visitor after so long. Living beings… even recorded ones are few. Tell us your story. Tell us about the world beyond this island.”
“You’re welcome. This way. We’ll prepare whatever you desire.”
The minotaur and the goblin seemed to be guiding us toward a nearby tower. The orc still watched us with a puzzled look.
“I think two more are coming, riding a large owl.”
“I see. They might have reached another island. I’ll inform the Dragon Riders.”
A unit that rides flying dragons?
As we approached the tower, we saw a wyvern circling high above.
Goblins, orcs, minotaurs, centaurs, and others watched us from the tower.
“Brother, are they truly the ones from the prophecy!?”
One of the minotaurs in the tower shouted.
“I cannot say yet! Calm yourselves!”
The minotaur replied.
“I’m sorry. The islanders have never seen living humans from outside the island. They mean no harm.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
As I answered the minotaur, Hel tugged on my sleeve and pointed to the ground.
A large magic circle was drawn on the ground. I had seen one like it before, but what kind of magic circle was it?
“It’s a curse-removal magic circle. You saw one at the border with the Elven Kingdom, right?”
“Come to think of it, yes.”
“But this one looks more complex and has more restrictions…”
“That magic circle doesn’t have any binding effects. It only removes curses that aren’t ingrained in the body.”
The goblin explained.
“How much magic can I pour into it?”
“Any excess magic will simply flow toward the island’s master.”
“The master?”
It might be the giant magical beast that travels through time in the demonic land. I should at least greet it.
I refined my magic, adding stickiness and sweetness, like honey, then poured it into the magic circle.
The magic circle glowed, and the ground trembled.
“The Master Turtle has moved!”
The wyverns resting in the tower flew out at once.
The goblins and orcs hiding in the forest rushed toward the tower.
“It’s been years since the Master Turtle moved. Perhaps the time has come.”
The minotaur looked up at the sky, where the wyverns were flying.
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!