Ch.2424. Hell for Rest

“Deus!”

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

The carpet on the floor rumbles roughly. His footsteps were filled with mana from anger, causing a candle on the desk to nearly fall to the floor before Findenai quickly snatched it.

“Phew, almost had to go buy another one.”

After sighing in relief, Findenai immediately glared at the door, and right on cue, Darius flung it open and stormed in.

“What is this nonsense!”

I was arranging candles when I briefly glanced at Darius, then returned to my task.

This seemed to irritate him greatly as he stomped toward me.

“Ahem.”

Findenai naturally blocked his path with a shrug.

Having been thoroughly defeated by her twice already, Darius gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and shouted at me over her shoulder.

“Digging up the tombs of past family heads? You’ve truly lost your mind!”

Darius drew the sword at his waist, swung it through the air, and shouted until his veins bulged.

“I overlooked accepting foreigners into Norsweden, entering the forbidden basement of the family, and even hiring a damn street whore as a family maid! But this I cannot tolerate!”

Knowing he couldn’t get past Findenai anyway, I silently continued with my work.

There’s no time.

The moon will rise soon.

“Try to calm down.”

At that moment, Deia, who had been in my room, sighed and tried to calm Darius. He looked puzzled, wondering why she was here.

Deia slightly showed him the watch in her hand. It was that five-minute window of the day.

“Deus is just doing what needs to be done. The burden that the Verdi family must bear.”

At those words, Darius immediately scowled and glared at Deia.

“The burden of the Verdi family? Are you saying we need to dig up the graves of our family heads? Our father is buried there!”

“…It’s still necessary.”

Darius was actually taken aback by the sight of Deia biting her lip.

He couldn’t believe that Deia, who hated me more than anyone, was taking my side.

“Hah, explain. Damn it! Explain why you’re doing such a thing!”

Seeing that he was finally ready to have a conversation, I slowly turned to face Darius.

“I am a spiritmaster.”

“What?”

At this unexpected declaration, Darius stared at me with his mouth agape.

With just that one statement, it wouldn’t be strange if the magic inquisitors of the Griffin Kingdom came to arrest me.

“Numerous evil spirits wander this mansion. And it’s the Verdi family that has prevented them from resting in peace as the dead.”

I slowly step forward.

Findenai naturally moved aside, allowing me to face Darius and glare at him.

“Deia and I bear the sin of our ignorance. But you, as the family head who knew all the secrets written in the journals—”

“…”

“Help me. I’m giving you one last chance to take responsibility.”

“Take responsibility?”

Darius gritted his teeth, stabbed his sword into the floor, and glared at me with fury.

“You want me to take responsibility for what past family heads did! Do you think I feel no guilt? Do you think I believe their actions were right?”

“…”

“I too know they committed sins. But there’s nothing I can change! I’m just continuing to carry on the Verdi family as it has been passed down!”

After watching Darius for a moment, I calmly nodded.

“I understand.”

Darius looked at me with surprised eyes again, his expression unreadable.

“It’s karma accumulated over hundreds of years. So you, who just became family head, probably can’t change anything.”

Darius squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists. He seemed to be trying hard to suppress something welling up inside him.

“But you shouldn’t get used to it, eventually take it for granted, and avoid it as if it can’t be helped.”

“…”

“I’ll give you a chance. A chance to settle everything, wash away all sins, and start a new Verdi family.”

“A new… Verdi.”

“I hope you make the right choice as family head.”

With those final words, I walked out of the room, and Findenai gathered her things and followed.

I could hear Deia and Darius talking behind me, but I ignored them and went outside.

Most of the past family heads were buried on grounds not far from the Verdi mansion.

Some bodies couldn’t be found during wartime, or were lost due to unintended circumstances, but most were properly interred.

“You’ve arrived!”

The junk dealer members who had been waiting near the cemetery on my orders deeply bowed their heads as soon as they saw me.

Disliking this, Findenai immediately smacked the head of the one in front of her and snapped irritably.

“Hey, aren’t you going to greet me?”

“Urgh!”

“He’s the master now, isn’t he!”

“Thanks to you, we’re doing very well!”

People who had been slaves in the Republic before becoming rebels were all in similar situations.

Here, they were given jobs, shelter, and meals.

The discrimination from locals was merely ticklish to those who had experienced true class differences.

I simply nodded to them and entered the cemetery.

The cemetery prepared for past family heads was so meticulously maintained that not a speck of dust had accumulated, and the fences were sturdy.

I had Findenai place candles at the four cardinal directions, then stationed her at the entrance.

In the distance, the family servants came rushing in a group. The oldest butler among them was carrying a drum as I had requested.

“Findenai, please guide her as we discussed.”

“…Alright, I’ll take this one seriously.”

Findenai nodded and headed back to the mansion. I silently watched her back for a moment, then turned my attention to both the servants and the junk dealers.

They were looking at me without knowing what was happening, but I tapped the ground with my staff and ordered:

“Servants, welcome the guest who will be coming from the mansion. Make sure no one interferes with her journey here.”

Some of the less experienced ones looked puzzled, but most listened without question.

“She is someone to whom the Verdi family owes a great debt. Treat her as respectfully and courteously as possible.”

“Yes, understood.”

The head butler bowed deeply and answered on behalf of everyone.

Next were the junk dealers.

“You will protect these people. There will be many entities coming, but with your skills, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“We won’t let you down.”

The deputy leader of the junk dealers confidently answered, beating his chest.

Hearing his response, I turned and entered the burial ground.

The elderly butler I had spoken with earlier stood at the entrance holding the drum.

“Beat the drum rhythmically. If you get tired, you may alternate with someone else, but the drumbeat must not stop.”

“Understood.”

“Begin now.”

Boom.

The drumbeat begins to sound.

Simultaneously, the servants moved in perfect order to prepare for the guest’s arrival, while the junk dealers drew their weapons and formed a protective formation around them.

It’s convenient when people follow orders without needing detailed explanations.

I firmly planted the end of my staff into the ground. The soil was compressed, creating a depression into which I began channeling mana.

It wasn’t my mana.

It was all the mana of the evil spirits trapped within me.

Whoosh!

Blue flames ignited on the candles placed at the four cardinal directions. Those would serve as barriers to prevent the evil spirits from escaping.

[Screeeeech!]

[Freeeeedom!]

[Verdi! Verdi! Verdi!]

The screams of evil spirits rose up. I continued to release mana, condensing it to fill this place with the mana of the dead.

A type of magic I had seen many times through my grandmother, modified to fit this continent.

Yes, I was performing a ritual.

After death.

Summoning those shameless rogues who were sleeping too peacefully.

I slowly stand before a grave.

Then, as if waking them from sleep, I read the epitaph.

“Delmoen Verdi.”

Boom!

With the drumbeat, Delmoen’s soul floats up from the grave. Slowly opening his eyes, he looks around frantically.

[Wh-what? Did you wake me?]

Ignoring his confusion, I walked to the next gravestone and called another name.

Boom!

“Dolores Verdi.”

Boom!

“Terbite Verdi.”

Boom!

“Dupolian Verdi.”

Boom!

With each continuing drumbeat and name called, more souls awakened.

They were confused but angry at me for disturbing their rest.

“Ditros Verdi.”

Boom!

I continued awakening souls until finally, the last one.

“Damos Verdi.”

Boom!

A man rises up. He knew me.

[Deus? Is that you? Did you wake me?]

The family head before Darius.

Damos Verdi, father of the three siblings.

All the Verdis had gathered.

Among them were people like Ditros Verdi who had massacred countless others for his own greed.

And there were those like Darius Verdi who simply closed their eyes and mouths, pretending not to see and passing over in silence.

What difference does it make?

We will all be punished according to our sins.

[Deus! What on earth is going on!]

[My, waking the dead means you’ve taken the path of darkness!]

[Damos! Is this how poorly you educated him!]

The spirits of the Verdis gathered around me. The evil spirits filling the sky like a whirlpool were looking down at me as if they would tear me apart at any moment.

“All of you, be silent.”

I calmly addressed them.

“In some world’s scripture, there is such a verse.”

Boom!

“When the time comes, the trumpet will sound, and the Son of Man will descend from heaven, and the dead shall rise first.”

Boom!

“And they shall be judged according to their sins.”

Boom!

“I don’t know if that’s true. But I do know that there is no such savior in this continent.”

Boom!

A slight smile forms on my face.

Could they possibly imagine what’s about to unfold?

Probably not.

Having already closed their eyes as the dead.

Their future was as good as nonexistent.

Boom!

“If there is no such being, and if there is no afterlife, will your sins be buried and forgotten forever?”

[Deus! Mind your words!]

“Shut up, I am not your damn son.”

I rebuke Damos who glares at me with bulging veins. I completely seal his mouth with mana.

I already knew from the journals that he wasn’t exactly a great father either.

“Look at the sky on this late night. The resentment toward you has piled up to the heavens and is ready to fall tonight.”

[Delmoeeeen! Delmoeeeen! Delmoen who gouged out my eyes!]

[Is that Dupolian there! Is that the Dupolian who was my dear friend, who raped my wife, killed me, and cut off my son’s limbs!]

[Verdi! Oh Verdi! The Verdi who claimed to protect the mountains but stained them with blood!]

[Ditrooooos! Ditrooooos! Ditrooooos!]

The evil spirits looked ready to pounce at any moment. I calmly told the trembling souls of the Verdis:

“Of course, there might be some who were wronged. Among those evil spirits, there might be some too filthy to judge you.”

Indeed, among the mansion’s evil spirits I had seen were people who had lived wickedly evil lives.

Heirs of other families who had attacked the Verdi family.

Thieves who came to steal money.

Stalkers or sexual predators targeting maids.

Not everyone was like that, but there were plenty who were.

That’s why I was now responsibly setting the stage.

This place is not simply for tearing apart the Verdis.

“Let us shed all grudges, wash away all sins. Evil spirits filled with resentment! This is the place to resolve your grudges! Today is the day a new, pure history of the Verdi family begins!”

Boom!

“There is no savior to judge you! No matter how long you wait, no salvation or judgment will come! After death, there is neither eternal suffering nor eternal happiness, only falling into a completely silent sleep!”

Boom!

For the first time, I felt my blood surge with heat.

I couldn’t contain the explosion of emotion.

Grandmother always said that when performing a ritual, you can’t help but get caught up in the excitement.

“Now! Bite into each other’s sins! Do not repent! Point fingers and examine others’ sins! From this day forward, resolve all grudges and fall into eternal sleep!”

Boom!

I raised both hands high.

At that signal, the evil spirits swirling in the sky began pouring down like a waterfall.

“The Son of Man has come! The time has arrived! Sound the trumpet!”

Boom!

“For the sake of peace, let us judge one another!”