Countless pairs of hollow, pitch-black eyes stared straight at her.
This situation…even Ireya had to admit she felt a little uneasy.
What do they want?
Could it be…that they intend to attack her?
The Lady instinctively took a step back, trying to assume a defensive posture.
Huff!
But before she could do anything, those wraiths suddenly surged toward Ireya at a speed no human could comprehend!
“Ugh!?”
Slap!
Like a withered mummy’s wrist, a dry hand grabbed Ireya’s wrist firmly…
Looking closely, the palm seemed almost tangible…
Because…it wasn’t just one hand…but countless translucent palms stacked atop each other!
And it wasn’t only the hands—the entire ghost before her was layered together…over a thousand faces piled in one spot, swaying back and forth silently but emitting a piercing shriek!
【So painful…so painful…】
【Save me…please save me…】
【Aaaaaaaah!!】
At that moment, agonized screams and cries endlessly looped in Ireya’s mind.
Like prisoners tortured in hell, desperately begging for release…
“Let go! You all—”
Ireya tried to resist, only to realize that not just her wrist, but her limbs and entire body were tightly gripped by countless palms, making escape utterly impossible!
Damn it…
Only now did Ireya realize she had indeed been too complacent…
Or rather, she had let her guard down too much regarding what Veil could provide, rushing impatiently—leading to this predicament…
But…what use was it to reflect on that now?!
Think of a way…how to get out of this nightmare…
“Let go…let me go!!”
Ireya struggled fiercely, and just when she felt as if her body—or rather, her soul—was about to be torn apart…
“Graaah—!!”
A hoarse crow’s caw echoed in her mind!
At that moment, Ireya seemed to see a black-purple crow fly out from inside her “body”!
Puff!
But the crow immediately exploded, turning into a plume of deep purple smoke in the air…
Huff!
At that very moment, the Lady’s crimson eyes abruptly snapped open atop the carriage! Her upper body instinctively straightened!
“Eh?! Huff! Huff…huff…huff…”
Huh?
She…was back…
Why a crow?
Why a crow?!
Because of the Lady’s sudden movement, Veil—who had been peacefully sleeping with her forehead resting against Ireya’s—was suddenly bumped aside, her head hitting the carriage window frame hard!
Bang!
“Ow!! (TAT) Ouch ouch ouch…”
The Goddess Young Lady instantly woke from her nap, clutching her head and glaring accusingly at the “bad woman” beside her…
That one really never helps at all!
Meanwhile, the Lady was still dazed, the previous scene leaving her a bit shaken.
But…after sensing the magical power within her body and glancing down…
It seemed she hadn’t suffered any physical damage?
However…although uninjured, a mark had appeared on the inside of her right wrist.
About five centimeters long…a tangled mass of lines forming the shape of a key.
The pitch-black mark was flat, with no raised texture—like a birthmark or a tattoo?
A key…what could it mean?
A key to open some great door?
Instinctively, she reached out to touch the mark, but felt nothing unusual…
“Hmph…huh?”
Veil obviously wanted to say something about Ireya just having been harmed.
But the next second, she noticed the Mark of the Key on Ireya’s wrist.
“The Key to the Land of the Dead.”
The Goddess Young Lady said somewhat absentmindedly.
“Why…would it appear on you?”
“What?”
Ireya blinked in surprise and finally looked toward Veil’s forehead, which had a red mark.
“What do you mean? Does this thing have some meaning?”
“Uh…the meaning is…it’s the Key to the Land of the Dead…but actually, it really shouldn’t be here.”
Veil opened her mouth but hesitated, then seeing Ireya’s serious expression, she finally spoke.
“This thing…usually, no—absolutely never—appears on living people. Its meaning is very special. Though I’m not well-versed in Necromancer’s Magic, it’s because my previous position was too high…The Empire’s Emperor naturally wouldn’t know about the mundane concerns of commoners. But if the world of the undead is like a nation, then the Goddess of the Dead is its born Emperor, and those who hold the Key to the Land of the Dead are the Lords, the feudal rulers of each region.”
“These existences govern their respective parts of the Land of the Dead and are called “Death Gods” by the living beings of that realm. And these creatures…are the pinnacle of undead beings, rulers who cannot be surpassed in the current plane. But…you, Ireya, are only an entry-level Necromancer with pathetic power at best. Most importantly, you’re a living person! How can a living person become a Lord of the Land of the Dead?! That’s completely illogical…”
“So…that world just now…was the Land of the Dead?”
Ireya murmured slowly, stroking her smooth chin, then looked back at Veil.
“But this world…doesn’t have a Land of the Dead, does it?”
Besides those eerie gaseous wraiths, there weren’t any other undead creatures in that place…
Not even the most common Skeleton Soldier.
“Hm…based on your description…the place you just visited—or rather inherited—is an ownerless, incomplete [Land of the Dead]…”
To Ireya’s surprise, Veil’s answer was not a vague “Hmm? I’m not sure either,” but instead she seemed to ponder seriously.
“In the Land of the Dead, darkness is the norm, but the absence of wind is strange. Normally, the Land of the Dead always has the Wind of Pity blowing through it. That’s why I said it’s incomplete…”
Noticing Ireya’s confused expression, Veil suddenly sat up straight and instinctively pushed her two small “mochi” breasts forward.
“Ahem! The so-called Wind of Pity~ Legend has it that it’s the great, beautiful, and merciful Goddess of the Dead’s undying breath, breathed out of compassion for those who have died! It’s the magnificent power that can grant new life to deceased remains!”
This is also why the Land of the Dead can continuously produce undead.
“So, is it really you who does that?”
Ireya tilted her head, raising an eyebrow at Veil.
“Uh…of course! Hmph hmph~”
Veil tilted her head with a “How about that? Come worship me~” look.
But the tiny beads of sweat at her temple clearly revealed she was bluffing…
The so-called Wind of Pity is likely a natural phenomenon unique to the “Land of the Dead” plane.
However…according to Veil, somehow Ireya has mysteriously become the Lord of this Land of the Dead…?
Although hard to comprehend, it didn’t seem like a bad thing.
Only…in Ireya’s mind, the image of that black-purple crow and the hoarse crow caw echoed again…