Chapter 187

187th Episode

The New Paladin

187 – The New Paladin #1

Antiope was swallowed up by a mass of the dead, beads, traps, snares—call it what you will.

“Ugh, help, save me—!”

Zwoooosh, zwoooosh.

Every so often, a palm would escape the fissures and scratch the ground with its nails, but soon it was caught again by other hands and disappeared completely into the mass, leaving no nails visible.

Antiope had vanished entirely among the dead.

Now not even a single strand of her hair or a tip of her nails remained visible. The only thing left was her short blade sticking ominously out of the ground.

I was quite dumbfounded by the situation. Why had the dead, who were just standing in line, suddenly attacked Antiope? They were trembling and bowing their heads before her just a moment ago, weren’t they?

What I had planned on doing was to use the bone jar that Paranoi had brought out to create something—some kind of Bone Goblin—to take care of Antiope.

But somehow, I had received unexpected help and survived.

Could the kindness I had shown the dead have instilled courage in their hearts?

As I thought about what kindness I had shown them, all I could remember was making them crawl between my legs.

What the hell?

Gurgle. Gurgle.

I frowned as I stared at the giant boulder composed of human forms grotesquely entwined. Now, what had happened to Antiope after she was dragged into that thing?

Is she dead?

Though she was my adversary, she is Hippolyte’s younger sister, isn’t she? I worry that if she were to d*e, it might distance me from Hippolyte.

If she were to seek revenge for her sister and target Luna and me, things would get very complicated indeed.

With a slight mixture of relief and worry, I was interrupted when Paranoi, who was lying on the floor clutching the bone urn, exclaimed in admiration.

“That, that is not one of Master Hassan’s 24 supreme techniques, the d*ath Jail! How terrifying to use such powerful magic—truly you’re amazing, Master!”

Then she approached what she called the “d*ath Jail,” made of the dead, and fearlessly slapped it with her palms.

“I’ve never seen such perfect completion! That rotten Shrine Knight, good for her! Haha, you fool! What do you think of Master Hassan’s power—?”

It seemed Paranoi believed I was the creator of this strange sphere, the d*ath Jail.

Did I really make it?

Could my necromancy skills have grown so powerful that they can even command wandering spirits of the present world?

While listening to Paranoi, it did seem plausible.

However, for me to take her delusions seriously made me want to laugh and yet feel absurd at the same time.

I tried to steady my hazy mind to understand the situation.

Regardless, I’ve survived, Antiope has been subdued, and Luna is lying unconscious on the floor over there.

Swoosh.

“Paranoi, could you help me up?”

“Who better than me to help you up…!!”

With Paranoi’s support, I rose to my feet and slowly approached Luna, who was wriggling on the floor.

“Hassan! What the hell is going on? What’s happening!”

Luna’s body, bound by iron chains, seemed to be struggling as her face tried to face me, but she kept convulsing in strange directions, as if unaware of this situation.

“Luna, stay still. I’ll free you.”

I remembered Antiope’s ability—once the tattoos are drawn on the body, they leave a scar-like mark that can’t be erased, right?

However, I’ve had experience wiping those pictures from the tattoo artist’s body using my palm.

So, I slowly lifted my hand to Luna’s stomach.

“Huuu, hahaha, it’s ticklish, ticklish—!”

Swoosh, Swoosh.

As I caressed the soft and tender stomach to erase the tattoos from Luna’s body, she squirmed uncontrollably, finding it very ticklish.

Drip, drop, Chaing-!

Finally, the tightly stretched iron chains snapped, and Luna flailed her arms and legs as if she could no longer contain her laughter.

“Puhaha, hahaha, ticklish! It’s ticklish—! Hassan, this is not the time, Hassan! Antiope is after us… puhaa—!”

Soon Luna, clutching her stomach, giggled uncontrollably.

“Oh? Wow? What’s this? My body is moving!”

Luna sat up immediately and looked down at herself in wonder.

Thanks to being wiped clean by my palm, Luna’s body was now devoid of any tattoos—except for some dust.

I was incredibly relieved that we had prevented Luna from becoming a tattoo artist. And, in more ways than one, it’s a blessing that none of us were seriously injured.

Honestly, it was a fight where it wouldn’t have been strange if someone had died.

“Antiope? What’s that strange lump of the dead?”

Luna regained her senses, then brushed the dust off her clothes and looked around.

In her sight were scattered dead souls fleeing, the broken garden, and the strange and grotesque “d*ath Jail” where Antiope was enclosed.

At that moment, I suddenly worried whether Luna had realized the taboo of necromancy. What should I say to cover up? Should I claim it wasn’t me but Paranoi?

While I was lost in thought, Luna said,

“Did the dead help us?

“Uh, yeah, something like that.”

“The dead repaid us for helping them cross the river! It proves that good deeds do bring rewards!”

Hearing Luna, it seemed she perceived it as simple assistance from the dead in our fight, rather than anything related to necromancy.

Listening to Luna, it did seem reasonable.

Paranoi seemed to want to say something, but after I nudged her ribs, she reluctantly shut her mouth.

“So, Antiope isn’t dead, right?”

“I don’t know. I can’t tell what happened since she went inside.”

“Hmm-.”

Luna stared at me for a while, then took off the horned helmet on her head. She widened her already round eyes even more and said,

“She’s still alive!”

Now that I remember, she mentioned that if Luna took off her veil, the dead wouldn’t be visible to her. It seemed Luna could see Antiope trapped in there.

“Antiope… she’s turning completely white! It looks like all her vitality has been drained! If this continues, she’s going to d*e, right?”

Luna trembled violently as if suddenly seized by fear. Despite attacking us, she still seemed to have an aversion to killing others. I was touched by her innocence.

“We’ll get a great punishment if we k*ll a Shrine Knight! Hurry, we need to save her!”

On closer inspection, it seemed Luna was more worried about Antiope’s life out of sheer functionality and practicality.

After all, that girl Antiope is one of only ten elite members in the kingdom. If we were to take her life, we would undoubtedly become criminals beyond redemption, and we would end up no different from cultists as she had warned before.

Still, I had no idea how to deal with these dead who had bunched so tightly to form such a solid rock. So, I tapped the surface lightly and addressed them.

“That’s enough, all of you.”

Slurp.

As if those wriggling things had been lying this whole time, they began to separate. Slurp, slurp…

Soon, Antiope emerged from deep inside.

“Whoa, whoa…”

Her body was curled up like a fetus in the womb, tightly embracing her knees as she shivered and whimpered softly, clearly terrified.

Her once radiant hair, which shone like the night sky, had turned completely white, a sign of a great mental shock.

Honestly, if I had been grabbed and dragged by ghosts, I would have probably fainted from fear. Perhaps I would have suffered a heart attack.

“Whoa, please help me… Sister, anyone, where are you? Please don’t leave me here. I’m scared…”

Looking at Antiope muttering something, the hostility she displayed during the fight was gone, and a slight sense of pity crept into me.

“Her condition… looks really bad.”

As I extended my palm to take her pulse, thinking of checking her vital signs,

“Hiiik, Heeeeiik! Please, save me! Save me…!”

She shivered violently like a person possessed and soaked her legs in a puddle. How scared she had become.

Ding.

『Name: Antiope Keeper of the Pictures Lv. ?? ??

Condition: Twin Dogs’ Curse』 Irregular Menstruation』 Extreme Fear』

When I took her wrist to check her pulse, an additional category, ‘Extreme Fear,’ appeared. It must be the reason she’s trembling as if broken and even experienced incontinence.

“Hassan, did you find anything?”

At that moment, Luna asked me while looking concerned.

“She’s really scared.”

My simple evaluation made Luna tut in disapproval.

“It’s because you angered the dead. This is why spirits and the living must respect and coexist with each other.”

“Master Luna’s words are a hundred percent correct…! The knights of Jupiter see anything related to the underworld as evil, which is why such a fate befalls them…!”

That was Luna and Paranoi’s one-sentence reflection. But I didn’t know what to do next.

Though Antiope was alive, it would be a real headache if she were to speak up: “Hassan, that guy, was actually a cultist!”

Was there any good solution?

I mulled over it and focused on the pictures drawn on Antiope’s body. Maybe I would get some good ideas.

*

“Hassan, are you sure it’s okay?”

Luna looked at me anxiously, but ignoring her question, I wiped away all the pictures on Antiope’s body using my palm.

“Huuung, Ahng-!”

Soft. Soft.

“Hassan, why, why do you keep touching her br*asts? That place, you’ve already wiped it!”

“Not really, I thought there was still a bit left. It must’ve been a mistake because her skin is so dark.”

“Liar!”

Luna eventually hit me on the head with a punch.

“Grgh!”

Lately, I’ve realized that Luna is quite observant. With her level rising, her touch has also become harsh, and it hurts quite a bit.

Still, Antiope’s bust is a little smaller than Hippolyte’s. There is a difference, even among sisters.

Anyway, all tattoos on Antiope’s body had been wiped off. As a result, my hands were covered in black ink.

“My, the pictures I diligently collected for five years… Ugh, ughh!”

Realizing that what seemed to be her five years of diligently collected Karma was gone, Antiope made even more frenzied noises, and it seemed like she had completely lost her faculties.

Of course, in her position, it must be a truly shocking experience to lose everything.

I wouldn’t have said a word either if I had accidentally erased everything that I had collected diligently in my D-Drive for five years.

Thinking of it, what happened to my D-Drive? Who knows, screw it.

Ding.

『Name: Antiope Keeper of the Pictures Lv. ?? 27

Condition: Twin Dogs’ Curse』 Irregular Menstruation』 Extreme Fear』

Her level had dropped significantly due to the removal of the tattoos, now within a range where she could be beaten by me.

But I felt it was insufficient, so using the ink on my hands, I tied a choke-like ring around her neck.

“This is a fetter, Antiope. If you tell anyone about what happened between us, this fetter will twist your neck.”

“Kh, khuhh, huuu….”

But Antiope seemed unable to gather her wits. It must have been due to the immense fear she experienced after being dragged by the ghosts.

Or maybe it was the shock caused by losing all the tattoos drawn on her body.

To this confused her, I said,

“Antiope, swear by the River Styx that you will not disclose what happened between us to anyone.”

“Huuuugh, I, I don’t like it. I don’t want to beg for life from such a dirty and hideous cultist…! Rather, rather k*ll me! Haha, my comrades will chase you if you k*ll me!”

Oh.

Until just now, I thought she had lost her mind, scared out of her wits. But evidently, she still had some pride left in her mind.

Yet it felt like she didn’t fully grasp the current situation, so I decided to instill a bit of fear.

“This isn’t discussion; it’s an order. If you go against us, I’ll throw you back into that d*ath jail. This time. I won’t let you out, so think carefully.”

“Kh, I don’t want that! I don’t want to go back to the d*ath jail! Huh, huuuu…!”

Being surrounded by the dead must’ve been a considerable trauma for her. Despite acting quite strong a moment ago, she curled up and trembled violently again.

“I don’t want to go to jail…. I don’t want to be sacrificed….”

Sacrifice? What sacrifice? As I wondered, memories of Antiope being nearly sacrificed as a human offering to Pluto’s cultists in her childhood surfaced.

Had that intense experience triggered a flashback of her past trauma?

“If you swear by the River Styx that you won’t disclose what happened between us until the day you d*e, I won’t sacrifice you.”

“Huuu, I, even then, I cannot kneel to a cultist…”

“Hassan, it won’t work! Just sacrifice her! Because we’re terrible cultists, we have no choice but to sacrifice you if you don’t promise!”

At that moment, Luna shouted from behind, wearing a horrifying horned mask and holding up an obsidian dagger, waving her arms up and down in a grotesque dance.

Since Luna often performed such dances during her voodoo rituals, I didn’t find it unusual.

“Hiieeeek!”

Antiope, on the other hand, was utterly terrified, believing this was truly some kind of sacrifice ritual conducted by a cultist. It seemed Luna was pretending to be a cultist just to scare Antiope.

“I’ll swear, I’ll swear! I swear! Swear! Swear! Spare me! Spare me…!”

It worked quite effectively, and eventually Antiope sprawled on the floor and wailed loudly.

“Spare meeee!”

For some reason, we felt like we’d turned into real bad guys, which made us awkward.

Screw it. Initially, it was her who had attacked us, intending to lock us up or even k*ll us.

Oh, tears from a beauty truly reverse the cause and effect of sin.

“Stop crying for what you’ve done wrong! Sacrifice! If you don’t stop, you’ll be sacrificed! This is a voodoo ritual for human sacrifice!”

But as a fellow woman, Luna seemed completely unaffected.

Eventually, Luna and Paranoi circled around Antiope, who was curled up on the floor, shouting loudly, “Sacrifice! The sacrifice offering!” and “Sacrificed offering you shall be…”

Luna and Paranoi, who had not yet resolved their anger from the attack, seemed to be taking the opportunity to fully tease her while they could.

“Huuuuh….”

Their strategy was extremely effective, and finally, Antiope collapsed, losing consciousness.

[Author’s Afterword]

There are often comments from people who wish to travel to another world, so I’ve decided to select a few people who have given generous coupons and feedback and send them off…

At some point, if you see that someone hasn’t caught up with the latest chapter, it may not be because they’ve left, but because they’re traveling to another world! They’ve surely gone to the Gaia Continent… T_T

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