124 – Marriage (2)

Adora’s head tilts, cocked to one side.

[“Soul Marriage (結魂)?”]

[“Seems you’ve not heard of it before.”]

[“No, I know it. A sorcery that subjugates the soul.”]

It is, as the words say, a magic that binds souls. The methods of binding vary, but typically, the caster shaves away at the soul of the subject, then overwrites it with their own.

A gruesome act.

Doing so renders the subject unable to live without the caster. If the caster wills it, they can sever the bonded minds at any time. And then, the subject, with their mind already fractured, becomes a mere shell.

[“I heard it was used frequently on slaves of old.”]

[“You know the basics, then.”]

[“The magic the Führer cast on me… was something similar to that. So? What does that have to do with saving the Major?”]

[“You know the basics, but lack the ability to apply them.”]

[“What are you saying?”]

[“Since time is of the essence, I’ll provide the answer directly.”]

Salbira says.

[“I intend to cast the binding on you all, mutually.”]

[“……Ah.”]

Understanding dawns.

[“……The Law of Equivalent Exchange.”]

The grand premise of magic studies.

A law is called a law because even transcendents, be they goddesses or demons, cannot defy it.

[“Now you seem to be thinking straight. Indeed, be it a demon’s immolation or a goddess’s martyrdom, nothing beyond the contract’s terms can be demanded. That is a major premise that has never been wrong in the history of magi-studies.”]

[“I understand what you mean.”]

Marriage is a magic that whittles away the soul and binds it in servitude. It is called a restriction because it forces one party to depend on the other for survival.

But, what if those souls were whittled away bilaterally, then joined?

They become bodies unable to live without each other.

[“If we can combine our souls with the Senior’s, and simultaneously, offer the equivalent price for the Senior’s lifespan…”]

It is possible.

Theoretically, there is no reason it shouldn’t work.

But a question remains.

Adora raised her head.

[“Lifespan? Who will pay for the Senior’s lifespan? To save three people alone would require a price not so insignificant, no?”]

[“That can be taken care of. You needn’t worry.”]

[“What… what are you planning?”]

[“Enough. Just tell everyone. There’s no time.”]

Adora relayed Salvira’s words to everyone. Miyoo received it, informed Riyoo, and Riyoo, in turn, spread the word to all.

“I’ll do it.”

“No reason not to, is there?”

“If we do this, we can save Erich, right?”

No one objected.

“If we’re going to marry, I think it would be better to include Commander Giffold as well. Just weaving our souls together, us who were offered and barely survived, carries too much uncertainty.”

“That’s right. What if we do it just among ourselves and simply vanish?”

“Commander, I’m just asking in case. What is your opinion?”

Adora had no reason to hesitate. She nodded.

[“We’re here!”]

[“Beeeeeep!”]

Just then, the golems and spiders brought the tools for the ritual from the dwelling. Among them were tools for blood transfusions. Salvira, fiddling with a transfusion kit, cautiously brought up the matter.

[“Actually, there’s one more thing we need.”]

[“What is it?”]

[“Divine Grace.”]

“Luck, you say?”

“Even doing it this way doesn’t guarantee success. When calling forth the consciousness of my disciple… Erich Ronstein, that is… there will be significant blood loss.”

Adora sighed. She herself had coughed up so much blood when expunging the loneliness of her heart, she had required the blood of a beastman. It seemed a similar situation.

“Certain blood types are incompatible. If things go wrong, the two bloods can tangle together, leading to… complications.”

“Ah, I was worried it was something else.”

Thankfully, by modern standards, it wasn’t anything too concerning.

“There’s no need to worry about that.”

She relayed the information to the women of the Holy Spirit Nation. As expected, one stepped forward.

Valkyrie, Rachel Brokenheart.

“Erich and I share the same blood type. Use me. I can give you as much as you need.”

“Begin quickly. Any delay could make this irreversible.”

Tiria laid Rachel down and inserted the needle. Rachel slightly turned her head, gazing at Erich, who was lost in a deep slumber.

I owed you so many times.

It’s my turn to repay you now.

And to show you.

That just as you have done so much for me, I am willing to give you everything I have.

Rachel tightly grasped Erich’s hand. She faintly felt that he was still breathing, and embarked on what might be her final journey.

*

I understand. My consciousness is about to embark on a distant voyage.

Is this death?

I expected pain, but it’s surprisingly peaceful. As if I’m ascending to Heaven, not descending to Hell. If this is Hell, then perhaps it is bearable.

“——.”

What is that?

“———.”

My skull resonates. A voice is reverberating directly in my head.

I can’t understand the words themselves. But strangely, the meaning is being conveyed.

So, this… this is paradise?

I tried to open my eyes. But I had no sense of opening my eyes, nor did I feel as if I could see anything around me. Only an incomprehensible, subtle sensation lingered.

It’s as if I’m all alone in a higher dimension.

Give up on seeing, and concentrate on the sounds.

“———.”

The voice itself, feminine.

Could she be some sort of goddess worshipped by the Holy Light Church? No, that wouldn’t make sense. Setting aside that I’m a mage, I committed a human sacrifice. Why would a noble goddess speak to *me*?

In any case, the other party seemed to have no intention of revealing her identity.

She only said this:

“—————.”

That you saved the Lower Realm from being nearly devastated.

And so, she wished to offer a reward.

She would promise a richer and more abundant eternal life here. Even if things below feel a bit regrettable, why not simply remain by her side?

“…….”

Words fail me.

Ah, is this perhaps a hallucination before death?

“——.”

The other party denies it, but I don’t know.

Whether it’s a hallucination or not, nothing changes. What can I do with a body that’s already dying? It’s just… it’s difficult to call this paradise. I don’t believe in the Holy Light Church, after all.

“——.”

It doesn’t matter what religion I believe in? Because *she* is that kind of being?

What, so it *is* a hallucination.

Thinking that, a short sigh echoed in my head. Not a sigh of looking down on me, but more like a sense of giving up trying to persuade.

When the other party asked once again what reward I desired, I replied indifferently.

There’s nothing I particularly want.

“——?”

I don’t know why, but I saved three lives with my single life. What’s more, it seems I’m about to depart for a place more comfortable than I expected.

I have no regrets.

Only, I feel sorry that I couldn’t escape the deserted island with those women.

“——!”

Any more than this would violate the law of equivalent exchange, wouldn’t it?

I already know that excessive greed is poison. The demons down below were destroyed by it, and the humans of the Eight Shadows Society and Admiral Dietz also died that way.

“———.”

Frankly, even now I think it exceeds my due.

If you are truly a goddess of impartiality, just send me where I need to go.

“—?”

Huh?

What is this suddenly? What’s going on?

Then, for a while, a refreshing laughter echoed in my head. I even heard cheers, like children giggling.

“—, —————, —.”

Wait a moment, did I mishear?

Save? Who saves whom? How to what?

So, does that mean I’m not dead yet?

I threw out questions wildly, but the other side didn’t answer a single one. From the intermittent voices, I could feel urgency. It seemed like they had pressing business.

Had it been a few minutes, as it felt?

“———.”

Out of the blue, they’re telling me they’ll send me back to this world.

What kind of near-death experience is this?

If I was dead, I was dead, but returning to the original world?

Yes. Maybe I did have lingering regrets. The regret that I wanted to be with those women a little longer. So, before dying, I’m seeing this kind of hallucination.

I could hear the other side chuckling. As she dropped my consciousness down below, she added one last word.

“—♥”

Go back and have lots of babies, okay?

*

I’m out of breath.

It hurts like I’m going to die.

The fact that it hurts is proof that I’m still alive.

“Haa, haa…!”

I opened my eyes, gasping for air. My senses are returning. As soon as I noticed the salty taste in my mouth, multiple voices pierced my ears like a lie.

“Honey!”

“Darling!”

“Senior!”

The fox sisters, Tiria, and Adoraine, huh? Even if not by tone, I know who’s who just by the terms of endearment.

I straightened up, quick as a whip.

*Thud-thud-thud.*

A warm sensation dripped, dripped, dripped from my nose and mouth.

The crimson liquid’s identity was, needless to say, blood.

“Are you alright?”

Lost in a daze, Tiria dabbed at my face with something like coarse linen. Her face etched with sorrow, she only repeated the same words.

“Thank heavens, thank heavens you’re alive…”

What is this?

What in the world is this?

Why show me this at the very end?

Is this my life flashing before my eyes…just a bit longer than usual?

“…Erich? If you’re awake, say something.”

“Could he… could he be unable to speak?”

“No, not yet. Senior, do you recognize me? If you do, just nod. Please?”

Three women looked at me, on the verge of tears. The atmosphere had suddenly, completely flipped.

A strange sensation beneath my shoulder caught my attention, and I turned my head. Rachel was lying beside me. Her forearm and mine were connected by a thin tube.

A transfusion?

Why?

“You’re alive. That’s all that matters.”

Rachel managed a weak smile, then tickled my palm. Now that I looked closer, it wasn’t just our forearms connected, but our hands clasped together.

What is the context of this?

And why was I vomiting blood, anyway?

I did experience mana depletion before death, but I hadn’t suffered any internal injuries.

Ah, I see.

This is a dream. The brain’s last dream before death.

Dreams usually don’t have much coherence, do they? Once, I swallowed a stone and dreamed I became a golem for no reason. Maybe it’s because I have spent my whole life studying stones. Strangely, stones are always appeared in my dreams.

That’s why I can usually tell what’s going on. I always look for foreign artifacts related to magic stones around me.

Especially if a golem with an especially pleasing design appears, it’s almost certainly a waking dream.

Look at that.

Golems are lumbering toward us. See, this is a dream. My last dream, because I didn’t want to part with the women I had been with on the deserted island…

“Oh, oh, ohhh.”

“Eee, eee, eeeeee!”

“Oh my, oh my, oh my oh my oh my!”

“No way, no way, no way!”

…A touch excessive, wouldn’t you say?

“Oh, this is insane, how could this happen after writing a

ceremony?”

“I feel like I’m about to hurl the tuff I ate yesterday.”

“Me too. Bluuuaaargh.”

“Hey, Olivia! Don’t humour them! Honestly, men, no matter the

country, they never know when to read the room, do they?”

David, Callon, Olivia, Daisy.

And.

[“Bweep bweep bweep!”]

Bweep bweep.

The instant I saw those five, all sense of unease vanished.

“It’s… not a dream.”

The moment I forced out those first words, the faces of the valkyries lit up again.

“Erich!”

“What, you’re not mute after all!”

“You really gave us a fright…!”

All three pounced on me at once. Front, back, and side. Then they all burst into tears.

“Waaah, honey, I love you! We’re together forever now! …You

know? You’re responsible for having tamed us. You have to

keep your promise.”

“Uurghuurghuuurgh, *hic hic*, pllllrrrrsssmmmuuurgh…”

“…If we ever escape, I’ll definitely invite you to my place.

Senior.”

I said it was okay and calmed them all down as best I could. Patting three women with one hand was quite the feat.

It was then that Rachel tightened her grip on the hand she was holding. I thought she was weak when I saw her close her eyes, but she’s overflowing with strength. That’s a relief. Ah, hold on a moment. Isn’t she squeezing a little, no, a lot too hard? It hurts. I want to scream.

[“Disciple, you have awakened.”]

[“Master?”]

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Salbira appeared, exhausted and covered in blood. Before I could ask a thing, she got the jump on me.

[“Do not fret. It is merely your blood.”]

[“What on earth happened?”]

“It’s a long story…”

“Tell me the most important thing first.”

I needed to know how I survived, what method was used. Just a brief explanation, and then I’d decide what to do next.

“You are married to those four.”

And with my master’s next words, my mind froze.