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Chapter 348: The White Great Sage (Fourth Part)
—King of Hades, Pluto.
The brother of the Divine Realm’s God King, the god that manages the dead.
His appearance: a tall kind-looking old man with gray hair, swept back, and silver-rimmed glasses.
“N-Nice to meet you! I am the familiar of the Goddess Noah-sama, Makoto.”
I hurriedly kneeled and lowered my head.
“Yeah, I know. I have heard of you from Eir. I didn’t know you were coming today though. Allow me to extend my apologies for not being able to prepare a welcome for you.” (Pluto)
A God with an extremely kind tone.
He might be the calmest God I have met until now.
The Goddess Proserpina-sama had a cold attitude, so this is unexpected.
“Sorry, it seems like my wife was rude to you. I have read the letter of Noah-kun, young Titan, Makoto-kun.” (Pluto)
“That letter…”
The letter of Noah-sama that should have been torn apart by Proserpina-sama.
It was for some reason in the hands of the Hades King, completely restored.
“I brought it back. That said, the only thing written was: ‘Makoto is heading there, so I leave him to you!’.” (Pluto)
“Noah-sama…” (Makoto)
Couldn’t you have written a more proper letter…? No, that’s more like Noah-sama.
Speaking of which, Proserpina-sama was pretty hostile towards Noah-sama.
Is the Hades King different?
He must have read my mind, the Hades King chuckled.
“Yeah, my wife apparently fought Noah-kun and lost really badly, you see. She holds a grudge from that.” (Pluto)
“Uhm…” (Makoto)
I don’t know what to say to that.
“Don’t worry, this was a story from before I married her. Youthful impetuosity or something like that. I don’t mind it.” (Pluto)
“T-That’s…very kind of you.” (Makoto)
Noah-sama, if you had such a past with the wife of the Hades King, I would like you to tell me beforehand.
“Now then, it seems like your wish is to revive that vampire girl, right?” (Pluto)
“Yes.” (Makoto)
“…”
Momo, who has been hiding behind me for a while now, quivered in response to this.
“Of course, I don’t mind. Not only did you go through the trouble of coming all the way to Hades, my wife seems to have asked for something unreasonable of you, too. That much is a simple request.” (Pluto)
““?!””
Momo and I look at each other’s faces.
“Isn’t that great, Momo?!” (Makoto)
“Yes, it is thanks to you, Makoto-sama!” (Momo)
“Is she the only one you want revived? The Trash Monstrosity must have been a lot of work, so I will hear you out if there’s anything else.” (Pluto)
“Anything else…” (Makoto)
The Hades King is far more generous than I imagined.
After hesitating for a bit, I spoke the name of a certain man.
“In that case, I would like you to revive a man named Cain.” (Makoto)
“Cain… I have heard that before. Ah, I remember now. The previous Apostle of Noah-kun and a Demon Lord, right? I have spoken to him directly before.” (Pluto)
“Then…!” (Makoto)
I can meet Cain once more.
If he can come back to life, it might even be a good idea to adventure together with him.
Just when my heart was dancing here…
“But he has already reincarnated, you see.” (Pluto)
“Eh?” (Makoto)
I was surprised by those words.
“…He has already reincarnated?” (Dia)
The Great Water Spirit by my side made a questioning look.
“Dia, is there something that bothers you?” (Makoto)
“It normally takes a really long time from death to reincarnation. You saw the many wandering souls on our way here too, right, Our King? All of them are managed in Hades. It is normally unthinkable for someone to be reincarnated this soon.” (Dia)
I checked the face of the Hades King after the words of Dia.
“Yeah, it is as Undine-chan says. Cain-kun is special. He was a former Demon Lord and the Apostle of the Goddess Noah. His soul is especially strong compared to his peers. If we kept him too long in Hades, he might get bewildered by people with an agenda. And so, I had him reincarnate sooner. His misdeeds as a Demon Lord have been abated with the good deed of fighting the Great Demon Lord in the Hero’s party. Goddess Noah-kun has returned to the Divine Realm, so the early reincarnation of Cain-kun was a sort of ‘amnesty’.” (Pluto)
“I-I see…” (Makoto)
So the effect of the return of Noah-sama has reached here as well.
It seems like the influence of Noah-sama was pretty big. It is simply that I didn’t know.
“By the way, where did Cain reincarnate? Is it a secret?” (Makoto)
I thought he wouldn’t tell me, but I still tried asking.
“Earth.” (Pluto)
“Eh?” (Makoto)
Earth?
“It was the wish of Cain-kun. He wanted to reincarnate in the world you were born in, Makoto-kun.” (Pluto)
“You can ask where you want to be reincarnated?” (Makoto)
“You normally can’t. More so when the one asking is a former Demon Lord.” (Pluto)
“Then, why…?” (Makoto)
“Cain-kun’s soul has strong power after all. I didn’t want to send him to a world with developed magic. A world with people who have low mana was the most desirable. Your world doesn’t have magic, right?” (Pluto)
“Yes, that’s right.” (Makoto)
The world I was in was a ‘science’ world.
There was no room for magic to exist.
“That fits right in with the conditions for the reincarnation of Cain-kun. As such, I had him reincarnated as soon as possible to Earth.” (Pluto)
The Hades King snaps his fingers.
A screen showed up in the air.
There’s a family walking down a path along the river.
A young married couple and a brother and little sister that are most likely their children.
The center of this footage was a single young man.
A good looking face and darkish skin.
That young man seemed to be having a lot of fun with his family.
And then, I noticed after seeing that face of his.
“That child is…Cain?” (Makoto)
“That’s right. It seems like the passing of time there is different from ours. This is footage of a bit in the future.” (Pluto)
“Eh?” (Momo)
“I see.” (Dia)
Momo and Dia raised their voices in surprise at what I said.
(…That’s the reincarnated Cain.) (Makoto)
I once again observed the boy in the video intently.
He is most likely 6-7 years old.
I think he is within the age just before entering elementary school.
He is pulling the hand of the kind-looking couple and the young little sister that’s around 3 years old.
I can hear sound from the video.
—“You are so admirable, Kaito. You are holding our hands for us, aren’t you?”
—“I am the big brother after all.”
—“Hehen!”
—“Nii-ni!”
That young boy showed a proud smile.
So that’s Cain’s…family in his new life, huh.
“Hades King, what would happen if you revive Cain?” (Makoto)
“Hm? The Cain-kun from that family…no, his name right now is Kaito-kun, right. He would be gone. Of course, it is not like he will disappear all of a sudden. Facts will be rewritten as ‘him not having been born to begin with’, so he would disappear from the memories of the family too.” (Pluto)
“I…see…” (Makoto)
“Now then, want to revive Cain-kun? If it is just Momo-chan and Cain-kun, I can end it real fast.” (Pluto)
The Hades King asked kindly.
I look at the video floating in the air once more.
The family was having fun inside of the screen.
They look really happy.
I heard all the family of Cain was killed in this world.
I remembered the time when he blurted out ‘I wanted to have a family again one day…’ while we were conquering the Deep Sea Temple.
(You…are already leading a new life, huh, Cain.) (Makoto)
I would like to talk to you again if possible.
But I didn’t feel like tearing away the young boy Cain from the family shown in the video.
And most of all, it was the wish of Cain.
He wanted to reincarnate on Earth.
—“The world Makoto was in, huh… I am interested in it.”
—“It is boring. There’s no mages and heroes.”
—“But no monsters and Demon Lords either, right?”
—“Yeah.”
—“I wanted to be born in such a world.”
—“You are a weird one.”
I remembered that conversation.
And then, I speak.
“Hades King, Pluto-sama, I am fine with Cain. I don’t mind Momo being the only one you revive.” (Makoto)
I answered.
This is the new life of Cain.
Let’s not intrude from the sidelines.
“I see. Understood.” (Pluto)
The Hades King snapped his fingers.
“Now then, reviving Momo-chan, was it… Hmmm, who was the one in charge of the trial now?” (Pluto)
The Hades King said this and a magic circle appeared at the place where he directed his gaze at, and the shadow of someone showed up at the same time.
“Did you call, king of Hades, Pluto-sama.”
This is the business suit ferryman that guided us a while ago.
“Charon-kun, can I request one thing from you?” (Pluto)
“Anything.” (Charon)
His way of speaking is different from the time he was speaking with us. He is responding with a formal tone.
It seems like he is nervous being in front of his superior.
“It has been a while since we have had challengers for the Trial. Escort them to the Mortal Realm.” (Pluto)
“…Understood.” (Charon)
The old ferryman directed his gaze at us.
“Looks like you safely managed to have an audience with Pluto-sama.” (Charon)
“Thanks, old man.” (Makoto)
“You will escort us back, too? Thank you very much.” (Momo)
“Aah, about that, there’s a number of warnings…” (Charon)
Just when the old man was about to say something…
“I will explain.”
“““?!”””
The Hades King was right by our side by the time we noticed.
I didn’t notice at all.
The Hades King snapped his fingers and a small boat shining golden showed up in front of us.
“I will have you all ride this small boat… Aah, the Great Water Spirit-chan can’t since she is not a resident of the Mortal Realm, I guess. You will be waiting in the Spirit Realm.” (Pluto)
“N-No way!” (Dia)
“Okay?” (Pluto)
“…O-Okay.” (Dia)
The Great Water Spirit said something, but disappeared afterwards as told by the Hades King.
“Now then, I have already casted the Miracle spell on Momo-chan: the Miracle to return to the living once you return to the Mortal Realm… However, there’s a condition for that.” (Pluto)
“Condition?” (Makoto)
I have a bad feeling about this.
Is he going to give me another unreasonable task?
“Hahaha, I am not going to be that bad natured. This is a set rule in the ritual to revive the dead. The ones that have come here must all fulfill that condition.” (Pluto)
“What…is it?” (Makoto)
I asked.
“Just two things.” (Pluto)
The Hades King raised two fingers.
“①You must not talk to the ferryman by any means until this small boat reaches the Mortal Realm.
②You must hold the hand of Momo-chan and not face back by any means.
That’s all.” (Pluto)
“That’s all…?” (Makoto)
“That sounds easier than I thought.” (Momo)
Momo and I looked at each other’s faces in relief.
It is not as unreasonable as the one from Proserpina-sama.
“Uhm…Pluto-sama, with just that…” (Cerberus)
The Hades Watchdog that was silent the whole time until now wanted to say something.
The Hades King stopped him with his gaze.
“Now, get on, get on. Charon-kun, I leave it to you.” (Pluto)
“Y-Yes!” (Charon)
The Hades King pushed the backs of me and Momo, and we boarded the small boat.
The Hades King spread both arms with a smile.
“Now then, we will now begin the Trial of Resurrection! Do your best!” (Pluto)
The golden boat slowly floated in the air and advanced through the castle.
We were at the Sanzu River not long after.
I feel like there’s more souls than when we came here.
The ferryman hasn’t said anything at all for a while now.
He wasn’t someone who talked a lot to begin with, but he was facing his back at us as if he were a statue.
This is boring.
The rules are that we can’t talk to the ferryman, so I simply observed the scenery of the Sanzu River absentmindedly.
Momo is holding my hand and standing a bit behind me.
I can’t look back, so I can’t confirm her state.
At that moment, I noticed something off.
The hand of Momo I am holding is steadily getting colder.
It is as if she is frozen.
I would like to confirm, but I can’t look back.
But it bothers me…
Then, letters showed up in midair.
[Do you want to set your Clear Mind at 100%?]
Yes ←
No
It has been a while since the RPG Player skill activated.
This is its way of telling me to make it 100%, right?
I trust RPG Player.
—Clear Mind…100%.
The dim Hades scenery got even darker.
My heart sank and my vision turned gray.
No matter how many times I do it…it always feels off to use Clear Mind.
It feels as if my heart has stopped.
At that moment…
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
I heard a scream that pierced through the air.
It is the voice of Momo coming from right behind me.
I turned around by reflex…or at least I would have, if I hadn’t activated my skill.
I can feel the sensation of a small hand on my right hand.
I am holding hands with Momo.
It is okay.
She is by my side.
After that, I would suddenly feel intense pain on my arm, hear the groans of demonic beasts in my ears, and the screams and roars of a wide array of people.
Even within that time, the boat slowly crossed the Sanzu River and went up the Abyss.
(It is like a ghost house in an attraction.) (Makoto)
I faintly thought this as half a day passed, most likely.
Bright sunlight finally came into view.
Looks like the surface is close.
“…Mako…to…a…void…”
I heard the voice of Momo, but something similar has happened more than 100 times now, so this must be an auditory hallucination too.
The 1st floor of the Abyss.
This should be the nest of Shadow Dragons, but there was mysteriously no dragon approaching the boat.
We got through the 1st floor and the boat slowly landed at the edge of the giant hole of the Abyss.
“We are here. You have passed the Trial. Congratulations.”
The ferryman that didn’t say anything for more than half a day turned around and spoke.
Our bodies floated in the air and we were put down on the ground.
I undid the Clear Mind 100%.
“This is a boat for the dead to ride on, so give me a call again once you die. I will come get you.” (Charon)
“I won’t go in a good while. Thank you very much for bringing us back.” (Makoto)
“Alright. It has been a while since I have ferried people who have succeeded in the trial.” (Charon)
The ferryman left with a smile.
…And then…
“Momo.” (Makoto)
I slowly turn back towards Momo who I am holding hands with.
“……Momo?” (Makoto)
The one standing there was…the black haired Momo that I met 1,000 years in the past for the first time.
And she had an incredibly displeased expression for some reason.
“Excuse me~…Momo-san?” (Makoto)
“……”
Momo is facing away.
“Did you…return to being human?” (Makoto)
“………I have.” (Momo)
She mumbled.
She doesn’t look that happy.
“What’s the matter?” (Makoto)
“Don’t ‘what’s the matter’ me! Did you not get bothered by my screams?! You would normally turn around!! Why were you so calm?!!” (Momo)
“Well, I was using Clear Mind after all.” (Makoto)
“Even if so!! Please worry about me a bit!!” (Momo)
“Could it be that you really suffered a lot there?” (Makoto)
“I didn’t suffer at all! It was all an illusion, but…but shouldn’t it be fine to be worried about me?!” (Momo)
“But the trial was to not look back.” (Makoto)
“Uuuh…” (Momo)
Momo glared at me with unconvinced eyes.
Not only that, she was hammering my chest.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt.
I hugged Momo.
Her body is warm.
“Eh?” (Momo)
*Throb*
I could feel the pulse of Momo.
“U-Uhm…Makoto-sama? What’s this all of a sudden?” (Momo)
“Isn’t this great, Momo?” (Makoto)
Momo, who had no choice but to drink the blood of people after becoming a vampire 1,000 years ago, has returned to being a human.
“………Yes.” (Momo)
Momo hugged me back tightly.
“Let’s go back…to the Sun Country of Highland.” (Makoto)
“Eh, we are going back at once? I finally managed to return to being a human, so I would like to take some detours.” (Momo)
“Then, let’s go to Makkaren first. There’s a tasty eatery there.” (Makoto)
“That sounds good! I would like to confirm what’s going on with my taste buds!” (Momo)
“Yeah, I would like to use Teleport, but…” (Makoto)
“Makoto-sama, you still haven’t been able to master it? Haah, it can’t be helped~.” (Momo)
She was baffled as we moved to the Water Country with Teleport.
Let’s leave the story about how Fuji-yan was super flustered at the sudden visit of the Great Sage-sama in Makkaren for a later date.
This is how my adventure with Momo finished safely.
■Comment Response:
>I like how the afterstories have the protagonist being strong.
-Afterstories are fun because I can write freely.
>The atmosphere of Makoto and his group reminded me of 1,000 years ago.
-I am writing the second half of the 1,000 year arc for the 11th volume, so it is easy to write the conversations with Momo.
■Author’s Comment:
There were a lot of people asking about Cain-kun when talking about the revival of the dead, so I wrote about it.
I might feel the urge to write a modern era love-comedy about Cain-kun (after reincarnation) eventually.
I will be writing about Anna-san separately!
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