Chapter 785: Ghostly Journey (11)
Grand Judgment Chamber on the first underground level of the Memorial Tower.
The eerie wails and the screams of haunted vengeful spirits overlapped, scattering an intense sense of incongruity.
A colossal Ghost Ship had shattered the hollow and burst in, simultaneously calling forth the spiritual records of the Tower.
Groooowwwwl…!!
“……”
But Lennok vaguely knew whose ship this was and why it had appeared here now.
“There are many powerful Military Spirit Wizards, but only a handful of monsters possess the will-thought of a ship that can oversee an entire sea area.”
The boy, perched on the debris of the shattered altar, spoke, his sharp gaze fixed on Lennok.
“Among them, there is only one Elder who achieved the feat of leaving an archetype in the Memorial Tower.”
Whoosh…!!
A chilling cold swept past Lennok’s spine and vanished.
By now, all traces of a smile had completely disappeared from the boy’s face.
“Masked one. Why is the scent of Onnion mixed within the shadow of your soul?”
“……”
Madrich Onnion, an 8-level Military Spirit Wizard.
The chief justice of the mega-city Vulcan and a powerful Transcendent who had reigned as the great war’s executioner.
A part of his Ghost Fleet, which was akin to his signature spell, had appeared in this very place.
Shhhhiiing…!!
To Lennok’s sides, as he stood with his arms crossed, dozens of rusty scythes lined up.
Like trapping a criminal in an execution stand, dozens of Myriad Ghosts surrounded them, emitting indescribable groans.
Bizarre screams reverberated, as if a chorus in unison, at the presence of the Ghost Ship that had appeared in the center of the judgment hall.
“Grand Inquisitor. It seems there’s no need to even observe this matter.”
The seven ethereal beings standing beside the boy began to express their opinions for the first time.
The Inquisitors, appearing again as indistinct spectral forms on the shattered altar, glared at Lennok with a somewhat overbearing and deeply worried gaze.
“Accessing the Memorial Tower is within your authority, but calling forth Onnion’s records is an entirely different matter.”
“……”
“Regardless of tacitly allowing the Guide’s spirit until the Night Parade, shouldn’t this incident be reported to the Court of Soul Pacification?”
“The upper echelons of the Memorial Tower have no time to consider variables outside the city right now. They’ll undoubtedly try to pressure those below to handle it.”
The boy shook his head dismissively, replying, “I absolutely loathe entrusting decisions to those old spirits only to have my authority diminish.”
Court of Soul Pacification, he said. The Memorial Tower located in the very center of Yorta.
Was that what they called the core leadership spirits residing in the upper levels of the Tower?
The term held a peculiar meaning when dissected, but Lennok didn’t have the luxury of focusing on it right now.
“Even so—”
“I will not hear objections.”
The boy, the Grand Inquisitor, waved his hand, dismissing the others’ words, and the collapsed altar began to restore itself on the spot.
Kugugugu!!
The altar rose again, surrounding the Ghost Ship, and the Grand Inquisitor, ascending his throne, looked at Lennok and spoke.
“There is only one thing I want to hear. What is the connection between the Guide, Onnion, and Yorta’s past?”
Whoosh…!!
Beyond the boy’s spirit, seated on the throne, a colossal shadow seemed to loom, incomparably larger than his small ethereal form.
“If you cannot explain him, I will have no choice but to sever your fingers, take your ring, tear your soul apart, and cast it beneath the river.”
“……”
Before answering, Lennok quietly looked around.
The boy’s chilling declaration and the Inquisitors glaring at Lennok from behind him.
Dozens of Myriad Ghosts screamed around the Ghost Ship, and a damp humidity pressed down like fog.
Depending on his answer, his objectives in Yorta could be greatly shaken.
But Lennok, aware of this, showed no panic or hesitation.
Instead, with a cold voice, he merely threw a question back at the boy’s interrogation.
“Why should I bother explaining Madrich Onnion’s accomplishments?”
“……What?”
Seeing the boy’s bewildered expression as he retorted, Lennok, arms crossed, slowly touched his mask.
Ever since he arrived in this city under the identity of Victor, dealing with such situations had been the easiest for him.
Immediately after hearing about the Memorial Tower’s archetype, Lennok had anticipated the worst possible scenario.
It was Lennok himself who had killed Madrich Onnion and heard about the Black Consumer Project from him.
Given the strong connection between Onnion and Yorta, he intuitively felt that the worst could happen, like this situation.
Yet, the reason Lennok had allowed the targeted resistance to be lifted and the archetype to be summoned was this:
Even if Onnion’s traces appeared, he was confident he could leverage it to his advantage.
‘Madrich Onnion was one of the very few individuals involved in both the Black Consumer Project and the Myriad Ghosts’ Night Parade.’
Lennok thought as he surveyed the chilling landscape of the judgment hall.
‘So many people are entangled that it’s impossible to deduce which side he was connected to.’
Unlike when Lennok encountered him, Onnion’s prime and his activities were concentrated decades in the past.
Myriad Ghosts’ Night Parade and Black Consumer.
He had not only participated in projects crucial to the fate of two cities but also played a central, extremely special role.
The number of individuals who had deep interactions with Onnion during this process would easily amount to hundreds.
Considering just the Black Consumer side, there were numerous monsters from various organizations like Olivera, Parden MacQueen, Gillian, and Krod Azlan.
If one were to consider those directly affected by Onnion’s actions, that scope would multiply several times over.
That’s why Lennok knew how to respond immediately after hearing the explanation of the ritual object.
There was no need to tediously prove his connection to Onnion here and argue his innocence.
He would merely prompt them to speculate on their own.
“Don’t misunderstand the situation, Inquisitor.”
Lennok let out a cold laugh from behind his mask and said, “I was listening to you until now because you said you would provide a new ritual object in exchange for concealing the Guide’s Ring.”
“……”
“As for Onnion’s ship, figure it out yourselves. Did you really believe I’d kindly explain my circumstances just for this one ship?”
“What blasphemy in this solemn judgment hall…!!”
“There’s only one thing I can tell you about this matter.”
Ignoring the agitated Inquisitor, Lennok looked directly at the silent boy and said, “I also came to this city for the Night Parade, and Onnion’s work might not be unrelated to it.”
“……”
“If you’re not satisfied with this answer and want meaningless questions and answers, then—”
Whoooooong…!!!
As Lennok spoke and drew upon his magic, the expressions of the spirits standing on the altar hardened.
Lennok laughed, liberally scattering the magic imbued with the incongruity unique to a Specialized System spellcaster.
“I’ll find it difficult to respect Yorta’s laws as well.”
Chilling silence flowed.
Even though they knew he was openly evading an answer, they couldn’t offer a single rebuttal to his detached demeanor.
Just as Lennok thought, Yorta’s ghosts couldn’t determine which city Lennok was associated with.
There was no reason to explain his relationship with Onnion at this point, or how his life had been influenced.
A vague counter-question often makes one imagine more than a clear answer.
‘Onnion was connected to the Myriad Ghosts’ Night Parade. If I feign that connection here, there’s a possibility of approaching the core much faster than planned.’
Lennok, standing on the deck of the Ghost Ship, shifted his gaze.
‘It’s a gamble worth taking, considering the risks. It’s not as if there’s no way to resolve the suspicion later.’
Even if all these tactics failed, any suspicion could be completely dispelled if he found and mastered the Incarnation Spellcraft in Yorta.
Given his knowledge of the Incarnation Spellcraft’s existence and origin, and how to master it, the assumed risk was extremely low.
Therefore, Lennok believed he could use this variable to his greater advantage on his journey through Yorta.
“Hmm… From what he’s rambling, it seems he really did meet Onnion.”
The boy, still unsure, muttered with an ambiguous expression.
“I thought perhaps the Guide’s spirit influenced it, causing an error in the Memorial Tower’s records.”
“……”
“Well, fine.”
The boy, who had been staring at Lennok with a complex expression, nodded.
“Regardless, it is true that Onnion’s will-thought was called forth using your spirit and body as a medium.”
“Grand Inquisitor!!”
“Therefore, this ship is indeed yours, as I publicly declared. However—”
Even as the startled Inquisitors called out to him, the boy looked at Lennok and asked, “To inherit Onnion’s legacy, you must serve the sentence he received before he left Yorta. Do you agree?”
“……A sentence?”
“Fifty-five years’ imprisonment in the Frost Lord’s Tomb on the 5th underground level of the Memorial Tower.”
The boy said casually. “It was the punishment given to a meritorious contributor of the Myriad Ghosts’ Night Parade, and a failure who erased his own achievements and failures.”
“……”
“If you do not agree to this decision, I will have no choice but to withdraw all discussions we have had so far.”
He had to serve 55 years in the prison on the 5th underground level of the Memorial Tower to inherit the Ghost Ship? A strangely realistic sentence for someone of Onnion’s stature.
Perhaps it was a mere formality, a political decision made within Yorta.
However, Lennok pondered for a moment before grasping the helm of the ship he was standing on.
Snap! Crackle! Popping…!!
With the illusion of magic permeating the entire ship, its size rapidly began to shrink.
“……!!”
Seeing the spirits looking on in surprise, Lennok, who had turned the now miniaturized ship around, nodded.
“I accept.”
Regardless of the Ghost Ship appearing before him, there was no reason to leave this object behind.
Furthermore, taking over Onnion’s sentence might mean inheriting the status he held in Yorta during his lifetime.
Considering that, being imprisoned was no penalty at all for Lennok.
The boy also accepted Lennok’s decision as a matter of course, nodding towards the lined-up Myriad Ghosts.
“Take him to the 5th underground level.”
[……Esteemed one.]
“……”
Lennok did not answer the Shrine Maiden’s call.
Instead, he simply raised his gaze behind his mask and looked up at the boy watching him.
The boy, too, met Lennok’s gaze without averting his eyes, staring intently, a smile on his face.
That detached reaction, as if to say he wouldn’t avoid a challenge if one arose.
Lennok intuitively sensed from his relaxed demeanor that the boy was a very powerful spirit.
The Grand Inquisitor, who oversaw all of Yorta’s gates and determined the direction souls would take.
If he managed the city’s entire inspection process, he must hold immense authority within Yorta.
‘No need to fight now.’
Unless they intended to refuse him entry to Yorta altogether or kill him here.
Regardless of Lennok’s unexpected reactions and actions, the boy’s response was surprisingly lukewarm.
He didn’t seem to like the Guide’s Ring and Lennok’s presence, but he also didn’t treat it as overly significant.
For now, he seemed to be waiting for this new Night Parade to fully conclude, so there was no need to object to his decision.
Lennok thought so and slowly suppressed his will-thought, leaning back on the ferry.
Splash!
Lennok was dragged away through the massive hole in the judgment hall wall that appeared when the ship manifested.
“Grand Inquisitor.”
As the boy watched Lennok’s receding figure, another Inquisitor, who had been silent until now, carefully asked the boy.
“A while ago, we heard news that Madrich Onnion passed away peacefully in Vulcan.”
“……”
“Can you confidently say that this incident is unrelated to that?”
“Perhaps… like us, Onnion probably wasn’t greatly bound by the death of his physical body.”
The boy replied with an unreadable expression.
“Furthermore, that fellow seemed remarkably skilled at manipulating Onnion’s ship. Didn’t he freely control its size?”
“……”
The boy, who had been silent, then mumbled with a strange smile, “If Onnion’s will-thought, left in the Memorial Tower, responded, then it must be because that person was deeply influenced by Onnion’s ideology… or, conversely, because Onnion was influenced by him.”
Whooosh!!
The Myriad Ghosts, who had been walking along the river for a long time, stopped at a crude dock that could barely be called a building.
Beyond the narrow deck, just wide enough for a single boat, were dozens of rigidly frozen prisons.
Swoooooosh…!!
A massive prison filled only with bone-chilling cold.
This was the Frost Lord’s Tomb the boy Inquisitor had spoken of.
Was this where 죄지은 souls were confined to serve their sentences?
Following the Myriad Ghost’s guidance, he entered the deepest prison, and the frozen door slammed shut, emitting a burst of cold.
Clang!!
Immediately after, the entire prison bars froze solid, emitting a chilling cold so intense it was difficult to touch with bare hands.
The Myriad Ghosts, who had been silently staring at Lennok from beyond the prison corridor, slowly walked away and disappeared.
Only after the disturbing presence had completely left the prison did Lennok look around the cell and shake his head.
“What an annoying facility.”
The temperature inside the prison was so low that the floor was covered in thin ice, making it impossible to sit properly.
There wasn’t even enough space to lie down comfortably, and it was so unclean due to the lack of proper cleaning.
[I feel a slight chill myself. This is no ordinary prison.]
The Shrine Maiden turned her gaze as if sensing something around the prison.
[It seems to be a prison that affects the soul itself….]
Despite saying that, the Shrine Maiden herself didn’t seem to feel the cold at all.
In fact, Lennok would freeze to death before her if he didn’t protect his body with magic.
Lennok roughly swept the prison floor with his foot and replied, “It’s the Property Transformation of Military Spirit Spellcraft.”
[Military Spirit Spellcraft, you say.]
“They magnify the cold felt during the process of commanding spirits and refine it into a branch of an attribute.”
[……]
“Doesn’t matter. I’ve secured a boat and ritual objects, so there won won’t be any problem moving around inside Yorta.”
Lennok said, sitting on the prison floor and leaning comfortably against the wall.
“All that’s left is how to escape this prison.”
[……You never intended to serve out the sentence, did you?]
“Did you think I would serve someone else’s sentence for them?”
Naturally, Lennok had no intention of being stuck here for decades, as the Grand Inquisitor had stated.
From the very beginning, his acceptance of the offer was based on his certainty that he would escape and ascend to Yorta’s upper echelons whenever he wished.
“But whether it’s a coincidence or not, this is….”
Lennok chuckled, looking at the handcuffs on his wrists, and tilted his head back.
In Machina, he was imprisoned for his crimes after everything was over, but in Yorta, it was imprisonment from the start.
The sequence itself was different, but ultimately, the task at hand was the same—an irony.
As Lennok, finding a strange sense of amusement in that fact, pushed his mask up with one shoulder, the Shrine Maiden asked,
[Frankly, your failure to fully grasp the power within your ring seems to be the misstep. Won’t this cause problems?]
“I’ll handle it myself. Don’t meddle.”
[……]
The Shrine Maiden fell silent with a bewildered expression, but her words weren’t entirely wrong.
Indeed, Lennok himself hadn’t expected the Guide to be treated so subtly in Yorta.
‘Come to think of it, there were signs….’
During the Rebatenon Treaty, the spirit of Yorta summoned by the Necromancy Department professor had displayed extreme hostility towards the Guide.
At the time, he thought it was simply a personal grudge or due to the Guide’s abilities.
But if it was because the Guide’s spirit was considered a traitor in Yorta, wouldn’t that make sense?
[Esteemed one. Are you listening to me?]
Of course, the Shrine Maiden’s spirit dwelling in the ring was also too valuable to simply discard right now.
Lennok thought so, slightly lifting his eyelids within the mask.
“I’m listening, so be a bit quieter. You’ve talked a lot already, I’m tired.”
[……You seem to have a thicker skin than I thought. Not even the devotees of my temple are like this.]
“Strictly speaking, I’m quite sensitive and delicate.”
[……]
The Shrine Maiden silently shook her head, as if she found his answer nonsensical, but Lennok wasn’t lying.
He simply tilted his head back and retorted indifferently, having no reason to explain it.
“If you have advice on how to escape this place, I’ll listen. Have you finally decided to cooperate, even if late?”
[I once spoke to you about the Revelation Ability, did I not?]
The Shrine Maiden glanced around and said, [Now that we’ve entered Yorta, my spiritual essence is rapidly stabilizing, and it seems I can keep my promise.]
“……You can use the Revelation Ability now?”
[Yes. I believe I can help you understand the internal structure of the Memorial Tower and confirm information that will aid in your escape from here.]
“Hmm, so the troublesome cultist spirit might finally be helpful for once?”
[……]
However, instead of focusing on Lennok’s words, the Shrine Maiden silently watched him.
Lennok belatedly noticed her strange reaction and frowned.
“What now? Do you want to make another deal?”
[There is something I wish to confirm first using the Revelation Ability. It is one of the most important reasons we came to Yorta.]
“……”
[The Infinite Void, the topmost floor of the Memorial Tower that observes the flow of all curses on the continent.] The Shrine Maiden asked, seeing Lennok unconsciously stand up. [I intend to use the most powerful Revelation to peer inside. Will you help me?]