Ch.254254. Let It Flow

‘Did I scare her too much?’

I felt a bit sorry for the child called Soho who was delivering food, but from my perspective, I couldn’t just let it slide.

After all, a non-human entity was passing near the scene of a murder where six people had died in a single night. I couldn’t just ignore that.

Well, whatever.

For now, I had arranged to meet with the child called Soho after she finished her delivery, so I was heading toward Lanlan Chinese Restaurant where she worked.

It’s been three months since I started my journey.

Honestly, watching over this land as Shinwoo Kim has been more enjoyable than I expected.

Seeing, feeling, and touching the continent as Shinwoo Kim rather than Deus Verdi has truly made my heart race.

Nominally, I was continuing this journey until Deus’s body stabilized and to confirm whether the souls in this land had properly departed.

But if I had to be specific, it wasn’t so much a journey as a return trip.

‘Nothing unusual visible here either.’

After that day, the continent became empty. Apart from those who died during the three months after I accepted the souls.

A continent so empty that I hadn’t seen a single soul while traveling around.

From now on.

For at least several thousand years, there would be no destruction of the continent by souls, and I had also warned many people about the dangers of the continent.

‘Now I can leave it to the next generation.’

Yes, even if souls accumulate again, that’s now the responsibility of that generation.

I’ve given them enough time to research and make efforts. I can’t and shouldn’t solve everything that might happen in the endless future.

Still, it shouldn’t be difficult.

I’ve already set a precedent.

‘Is that it?’

A restaurant with a sign that clearly read “Lanlan Chinese Restaurant.” It didn’t seem very crowded, perhaps because it was that awkward time between breakfast and lunch.

I’m currently in the Han Empire.

A country where I had minimal connections, perhaps only with Mushin Hanso, but the scenes reminiscent of martial arts and Eastern aesthetics were quite pleasing to the eye.

In the game, only items from the Han Empire appeared, with no separate visiting events, so this place was giving me a completely new feeling.

Ding-a-ling!

When I opened the door and entered, only the bell sound greeted me. No greeting or employees were visible.

‘Does that child work as the only employee?’

I tried to sit down at a nearby table to look at the menu, but.

“…There’s no menu either.”

A slightly sticky table for some unknown reason. Chopsticks that didn’t look properly cleaned.

I clicked my tongue at the hygiene conditions that made me wonder if this shop could actually do business.

“What is it.”

A large woman walked out from the kitchen area. A somewhat massive build along with an appearance that suggested a quick temper.

Judging by the huge Chinese cleaver in her hand, she seemed to be the cook of this establishment.

Probably the owner too.

“Get out, we’re not open for business.”

I sighed and slowly stood up at the woman’s bold exclamation.

“Can’t you tell just by looking? You look like a gentleman but have no sense.”

She threw one last comment at the back of my head as I headed toward the door. But instead of leaving through the wide-open door, I closed it and turned to face her.

“I have something to ask.”

“Didn’t you hear me say get out?”

Despite her rough manner, I didn’t feel much emotional fluctuation. I just thought it was pathetic.

Like being annoyed by a small child chattering in front of you.

“I said leave.”

She pointed her thick cleaver at me. As her expression gradually distorted, I could immediately recognize her true identity.

“So you’re a dokkaebi.”

I knew she was a monster, but wasn’t sure what kind, but now it was obvious she was a dokkaebi.

With many monsters similar to those from the previous world in the Han Empire, it wasn’t difficult to identify her.

“…!”

The moment she heard my words, the woman’s appearance twisted. Her molars protruded greatly, reaching her eyes, her face turned red like a ripe persimmon, and grew twice as large as before.

The Chinese cleaver had somehow transformed into a crescent blade that a ruffian might use.

“You smell like Soho?!”

Boom!

With just one step forward from her, the shabby tables around us were pushed away by the impact.

The interior of the shop suddenly became spacious.

“I don’t know what stray dog you are, but if you did anything to that child…!”

Crash!

In an instant, the dokkaebi was on her knees with her cheek touching the floor. I walked steadily toward her and sat down heavily on top of her.

“Thanks for clearing the space.”

Since I didn’t have emergency funds right now, it would have been difficult to compensate for breaking tables.

But since she had created the space herself, I could subdue her without hesitation.

With this body, I had little mana, which was somewhat troublesome.

Still, as a spiritmaster.

And as a necromancer, I had experience.

I had killed no less than five archdemons, so a peripheral monster like this was merely a warm-up exercise.

“Kee, eh! Eeeeeeeek!”

She began to sweep the floor with her crescent blade while letting out bizarre screams.

It seemed to be her form of resistance, but.

Crunch!

I pressed down harder with mana and warned her.

“It’s not easy to control my strength. Stay still.”

I was cautious too, as I could accidentally annihilate her if I wasn’t careful.

In any case, the threat seemed to work as she took a deep breath and slowly released her grip on the crescent blade.

Now she seemed ready to talk.

Still sitting on top of her massive head, I asked.

“Do you know much about the monsters in this area?”

“…Yes, I… I know.”

She seemed to be in considerable pain from being pressed down, intentionally taking deep breaths as she continued speaking.

“L-Lanlan Chinese Restaurant is a place that serves meals for monsters. S-so we don’t accept regular customers.”

“Hmm?”

I see.

So that’s why the tables and basic tableware were so poorly maintained?

‘Then was that child earlier delivering food to monsters too?’

What a strange shop, I thought. A monster selling food to other monsters.

“Why are you doing this?”

Monsters wouldn’t buy and sell food among themselves for money. Besides, given a dokkaebi’s nature, it didn’t seem like something they would do.

At my question, the dokkaebi gulped nervously, hesitated for a moment, then finally squeezed her eyes shut and exclaimed.

“I-I received orders! From the guardian deity of this land!”

“…”

“H-he hates noise, so he told me to prevent monsters and evil spirits from causing disturbances on his land! That’s why I’m in charge of stopping them!”

Guardian deities were beings I had already met a few times.

The Mountain Lord of the Norsweden Mountains.

Horua of the Marias Great Forest.

It seemed there was a guardian deity living in this land in a similar context.

‘That’s unexpected.’

Usually, guardian deities don’t move much unless their land is being damaged, calling it the way of nature.

But the guardian deity of this land appeared to be ruling quite strictly.

“B-but recently… haven’t all the souls disappeared somewhere?!”

Though unintended, as I continued my contemplation, she seemed to take my silence as an ominous sign and hastily continued.

“So monsters have been running wild lately, and I’ve been busy working!”

“…What does that have to do with anything.”

I wondered if there was any connection between the disappearance of the dead and monsters running wild.

The dokkaebi immediately answered my question.

“T-the monsters of this land usually survived by eating human souls! But…!”

Crunch!

“Aaaaarrrggghhhh!”

The dokkaebi’s agonized screams poured out. I don’t know if she realized, but.

“You’ve told me something difficult to overlook.”

A deep sigh escaped me.

I had told the delivery girl Soho that I was just passing through.

But it seemed like passing through would take a bit longer than expected.

* * *

In the dark and somewhat nauseating underground sewer of the city.

Soho, the delivery person and server of Lanlan Chinese Restaurant, carefully extends the food she had been carrying on her shoulder toward the flowing sewer.

“Here it is!”

Then a snake’s tongue shoots out from inside the sewer. Since she could easily be eaten along with the food if she wasn’t careful, she quickly jumps up and sticks to the ceiling.

‘Ugh.’

She disliked the sticky, damp feeling of the ceiling and wanted to wash her hands immediately, but she had no choice.

If she stayed with the food, she might become the guardian deity’s special meal.

The snake’s tongue swept away the food and devoured it in about 3 seconds.

Soho came back down, bowed her head somewhat urgently, and said.

“Then I’ll come again tomorrow!”

She wanted to leave, and because of what happened today, she didn’t want to speak, but.

[Who has come to this land?]

The voice echoing from the flowing sewage causes the surroundings to vibrate slightly.

At such an unexpected question, Soho momentarily thought of the man she had passed earlier, but quickly corrected her thinking.

“W-who do you mean?”

She was worried about the possibility that monsters were involved in the incident where six people had died, which she had seen on her way here, but.

The guardian deity was asking about something else.

[The heaviness of the land means someone who shouldn’t have come has arrived. Go and tell the monsters my words.]

“…”

[A master of one world is passing through, so just let him flow by.]

* * *

“Sniff.”

Findenai smacks her lips, wondering if her nose is tingling because of the spicy fried chicken she just ate.

Deia, sitting across from her and wobbling, giggles.

“What? Hey, are you crying? She’s crying! Sevia! She’s crying!”

“Sevia fell asleep so we sent her home.”

Illuania sighs as she responds to Deia, who is talking to an empty bottle of alcohol as if it were Sevia.

She was the one who had offered them alcohol because both Deia and Findenai were so depressed, but now that the drinking party had escalated like this, she was somewhat regretful.

She wondered how she had endured such things in her days working at the brothel.

But it was also evidence of how much Illuania’s life had changed.

“I’m not crying! Damn it! Ai doesn’t cry!”

As Findenai bangs on the table in protest, Illuania hurriedly places the empty bottles on the floor.

They almost broke.

‘But Ai?’

She had heard that people change when they drink, and now she saw it was true as she stared at Findenai.

Whether it was due to the alcohol, the spicy fried chicken she just ate, or because she truly missed him.

Her eyes were slightly reddened.

“Puhoooo! You’re so lucky! Both of youuuu!”

Just as the shock from Findenai’s unexpected side hadn’t worn off, this time Deia sighs deeply and plants her face on the table.

“Him and, huh? Haaaa.”

“Excuse me?”

“In this world… I wish only two guys weren’t my brothers!”

She hiccups, and her hair falls messily, covering her face.

Despite this, Deia’s hands remained stuck between the chair and her buttocks without moving.

“Deus! And the other one is Shinwoo Kim!”

“…”

“You know whyyy!”

Why indeed.

Illuania felt she shouldn’t hear this story.

She urgently tried to cover the woman’s mouth, sensing that she was thinking something inappropriate, but.

“Hiccup.”

Before she could explain why.

After hiccuping, Deia closed her eyes and fell asleep.

“Phew, it’s fortunate she fell asleep before the master arrives.”

Since Darius had said he would come to pick up the two when it was time, Illuania started to clean up around them.

“Ai is not drunk!”

“You’ve really become like a child…”