112.
It wasn’t the commonly known skeleton. No matter what method was used, the original appearance of the bones with flesh removed couldn’t be restored.
That’s why they chose the mental monster, Banshee. Banshees were monsters that led a semi-transparent body, crying sorrowfully and throwing people’s minds into confusion. Aksen used Asha’s bones and belongings to summon her soul.
“But I’m not sure if it will succeed,” Aksen said.
“Why is that?” his disciple asked.
Aksen replied, “Too much time has passed since her death.”
Even necromancer magic that revives corpses wasn’t omnipotent. To create a mental monster, a soul had to remain in the corpse. It meant the soul had to refuse to cross the river of the afterlife due to lingering resentment from their lifetime.
Usually, Aksen was good at reading others’ resentments, but in Asha’s case, there was some confusion. Although she died unjustly, her original nature was too kind. But the worry didn’t last long.
As the magic circle was completed, a woman with a semi-transparent form raised her head from among the pile of bones placed in the center. The heavens favored Leviathan’s hand, not Ruhan’s.
“Hahah!” Aksen laughed out loud and commanded the Banshee.
“Now, if you’ve awakened, move.”
The Banshee with milky white eyes immediately rose and floated in the air.
“Aaaaah!” A sorrowful and painful cry spread out.
“But will that be enough?” someone asked.
Due to the characteristics of mental monsters, physical attacks didn’t work on Banshees, which is why they were classified as strong. However, those who came to the demon realm this time were all capable of handling sword energy. They would surely cut down a Banshee in an instant.
“It will work. That cursed man won’t even need to lift a finger. The head of Lucid will lose his life to a mere Banshee. Because he’s human.”
With this method, Aksen had buried numerous strong individuals. Usually, those who trained enough to become strong also had strong minds. But even such people had weaknesses. Aksen typically used living weaknesses, but for Ruhan, he would fall for this too. Because he was that kind of person.
“This mission is a success,” Aksen said while yawning. Unchanging love was something he could never understand no matter how many times he saw it.
Ruhan chased the strange person, quickly rushing through the demon realm. Neither the protruding tree roots nor the poisonous insects that occasionally attacked could stop him.
“Wow, he’s fast.”
His only desire was to somehow catch that guy fleeing in front of him. But then, something jumped out in front of Ruhan with a scream.
‘A monster?’
Ruhan, who was about to quickly swing his sword to deal with the monster, suddenly twisted his body. As a result, his insides turned due to the tangled energy, but he didn’t care. Or rather, it would be correct to say he couldn’t care.
What blocked his path was the monster Banshee, but its appearance was that of his beloved woman.
“…Asha?”
As if answering Ruhan’s question, the Banshee cried with a sorrowful voice.
“Aaaaah!”
The pain and despair contained in the Banshee’s voice dug into Ruhan’s mind. But it couldn’t penetrate deeper than the surface of his mind. The power of the newly born Banshee was weak, while Ruhan, who had trained in swordsmanship for a long time, had a strong mind as well.
The beloved face shed tears profusely and desperately raised its voice. Seeing this, Ruhan finally fully understood the purpose of those who had hidden in the demon realm. They wanted Ruhan’s death. And if he died, the next target would be Yu Jin.
Yu Jin was the smartest among the children he had, but his physical abilities were poor. He was the optimal target to be used as a puppet. If Yu Jin fell into their hands, the history that Lucid had built up would crumble, and it would become a mere tool.
‘So I must return alive.’
Although he had handed over the position of acting head, it was still too early for Yu Jin. For Lucid to avoid ruin, Ruhan needed to be there. Even though he knew this well, strangely, his feet wouldn’t move. What was in front of him was a monster, but its foundation was undoubtedly Asha.
“Asha, you didn’t cross the river of the afterlife.”
Why hadn’t Asha, who smiled until the end even while being poisoned, left this world? Perhaps it was due to worry for her son who was left alone, or maybe because of the pain of being murdered.
But Ruhan thought. Perhaps Asha had remained to wait for him.
From the moment they first met, they fell in love and married despite opposition. Some poet sang about the expiration date of love, but for Ruhan and Asha, such a thing didn’t exist. Their love only grew bigger as time passed. Even though some of Asha’s affection was directed towards Yu Jin when he was born, she still loved Ruhan.
The mind that had remained steadfast all along began to crumble with Asha’s presence alone.
“Aaaaah!”
The Banshee’s cry didn’t miss this gap. Ruhan knew this too, but he didn’t stop Asha. The sword he had been holding in his hand had somehow fallen to the ground. Reason told him to turn back immediately, but he couldn’t. If he turned back now, he could save Lucid. But how long would it take until he could meet Asha again and be together?
Reality without Asha was hell for Ruhan. He felt sorry for Yu Jin, to whom he had just started to give his heart, but Asha was his top priority.
“Yes, it’s time to rest now.”
The feelings that had been suppressed by strong reason all this time burst out.
“Actually, when you died, I wanted to die too.”
What meaning would the world have without you? In her dying moment, Asha had asked him to protect Yu Jin. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to keep that promise. But Asha was a kind person, so maybe she would forgive him once for breaking the promise.
Ruhan slowly walked towards Asha. Even the endless screams were familiar now. The Banshee’s curse that had seeped into his weakened mind showed him repeatedly the moments he regretted the most.
“I love you, Asha.”
Ruhan opened his arms towards Asha.
“I truly love you.”
Asha, who had been floating in the air, slowly descended and embraced Ruhan. The purpose of the action wasn’t important. The only thing that mattered to Ruhan was the fact that he was embracing Asha. Even as the semi-transparent nails dug into his mind, Ruhan smiled until the end.
How was Asha at the end? It might have been his imagination, but it seemed like she smiled too.
Rector, who was watching them from a tall tree nearby, unconsciously blurted out:
“Have you ever seen such a madman?”
A person of that level of skill died by a mere Banshee. Since he died by the Banshee’s ability, his last moments must have been extremely painful. Mental pain sometimes dominated even the physical body. That’s why the term ‘phantom pain’ existed. Yet Ruhan smiled until the end.
“Aaaaah!”
The Banshee that had killed Ruhan cried out while holding his corpse. It wasn’t crying out of sadness, but out of joy for achieving its purpose. Banshees lived hating all living things and could only smile at the moment of killing something alive. After enjoying a moment of joy, the Banshee tried to float its body back into the air. But at that moment, a person who sprang out from the bushes split her body in half.
“Master!”
It was the late arrival of a knight.
“Hmm.”
Rector scratched his chin with his finger. If it were the usual him, he would have been crazy about fighting and would have gone down to clash with the knight. But somehow, he wasn’t in the mood for it now. He didn’t know why. He silently jumped across the trees and left the place.
He heard the knight’s shout from behind, but he cleanly ignored it. Then he joined up with Aksen.
“So, what happened to the head of Lucid?”
His grinning face wanted only one answer.
“He’s dead.”
“Then the operation is a success. I’ll be heading back now.”
Aksen gestured to his disciple and subordinates, preparing to leave.
“Me too.”
At Rector’s response, Aksen’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You? With knights still remaining? What’s wrong with you, a pervert who usually trembles with joy at the thought of killing?”
“Somehow, I’m not in the mood for it today.”
“What? Don’t tell me…”
Aksen looked at Rector with narrowed eyes and then shook his head.
“No, it can’t be. You’re not the type to feel something after seeing the death of people who loved each other.”
“Your evaluation is harsh.”
“It’s not harsh, it’s the truth.”
Aksen, who replied calmly, turned his back.
“If you’re going, hurry up.”
“I will.”
Rector also set out to leave the demon realm along with Aksen.
Adan and the remaining knights managed to recover Ruhan’s corpse and successfully escape the demon realm. However, Adan didn’t immediately inform the main house of Ruhan’s death. Despite having a messenger bird, he decided not to use it. Knowing the repercussions that the head’s death would bring, he planned to secretly inform only Yu Jin, the current acting head.
So he silenced the others. But even in this situation, there was someone in the main house who received news of Ruhan’s death.
[For that reason, it’s now your turn.]
It was Keith, Rector’s disciple.
