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Chapter : 21
Unlike the typical lord-type Demon Kings who sought self-fulfillment through ruling and dominating humans, the Demon King of Eternal Life was one who had little interest in governance.
There was only one thing the creature enforced: a complete ban on all passage to and from the outside world. Aside from that, it left its territory entirely unattended.
As a result, the Kamum Territory became completely cut off from the rest of the world.
“That’s why, among the confiscated lands, Kamum is an exceptionally unusual place. The residents of other confiscated territories can still maintain some level of contact with the outside world.”
“Mostly for trade or diplomacy.”
“But still, that’s something. It’s better than having all outside news completely cut off.”
“It really is a strange Demon King of Eternal Life.”
At that moment, Renel cut in.
“And we’re heading off to deal with that strange Demon King.”
“I told you, we’re not dealing with it. We’re just going to look for someone.”
“Like the Demon King of Eternal Life is going to cheer us on and tell us to search carefully? That Demon King sealed itself and its territory off for three hundred years. We’ll die the moment we step inside.”
“Don’t worry about that. We have Arwen.”
After regressing, I had roughly laid out a plan for my future actions.
The basic premise was to gather all the party members again.
There was just one important condition: searching for the Kamum Territory was something I had decided must be done only after the Saintess had joined.
I shifted my posture and spoke to Arwen.
“Please offer a prayer of blessing.”
“I figured you’d ask. Ever since you said we’d boldly march straight into Kamum Territory.”
“Can you do it?”
“Yes. A blessing prayer isn’t particularly difficult.”
Renel’s eyes widened.
“It’s not difficult? I’ve heard that every Saintess before you was bedridden for a month after performing a blessing.”
“I’m a once-in-a-generation Saintess.”
“……”
“Don’t look at me like that.”
At that moment, Chris asked cautiously.
“The blessing prayer…”
“Oh, you mean what a blessing is?”
“I know that much. Why would you assume I don’t?”
“Well…”
“It’s the descent of divine protection through the Saintess, right? A miracle that temporarily nullifies the authority of all Demon Kings.”
“That’s correct.”
“But I was under the impression that it could only be bestowed on one person at a time.”
“I’ll answer that the same way as before. I’m a once-in-a-generation Saintess.”
Arwen continued in a playful tone.
“Besides, I already bestowed it on all of you once before.”
“When was that…?”
“During the incident with the Demon King of Disease. While you were investigating the territory, I included a blessing along with the dinner prayer.”
“Hey, that’s not something you can just do every time you eat!”
“But I can. I’m a Saintess. What’s the problem?”
I let out a quiet chuckle.
That golden rainbow I had seen before—the so-called Barrier of God—was a miracle impossible for an ordinary Saintess.
Looking back through history, that barrier had only ever been deployed twice, and both times the Saintess of the era had died as the price.
The Papal State had concealed that fact, so it never made it into the historical records. That was why Renel and Chris didn’t know what the golden barrier truly was.
Before my regression, Arwen herself had told me this story.
When she did, she added a cynical remark.
—This is why the Papal State…
In any case, it was common knowledge that Arwen was the strongest Saintess in history.
“Well, that applies to all our party members too.”
I looked out the carriage window and spoke.
“Now you get it, right? As long as Arwen is with us, there’s no need to worry that much. And like I said, we won’t be confronting the Demon King of Eternal Life directly.”
“…Alright.”
“Good. Then let’s get off here. I don’t think the carriage can go any farther.”
The road leading to Kamum Territory had been completely severed.
After three hundred years without maintenance, that was only natural.
We got down from the carriage after taking only essential supplies and weapons. Renel lightly cast a protective spell over the carriage.
Chris stroked the horses’ manes and said,
“Let’s meet again, alive.”
“Neigh.”
At that moment, Arwen let out a small grunt as she hoisted the luggage onto her back.
I spoke up.
“It’ll be heavy. Give it to me.”
“No. I’ve always wanted to try this.”
“……”
“More importantly, once we cross this hill, we’ll be within the Demon King of Eternal Life’s domain. So I’ll bestow the blessing now.”
As she spoke, Arwen removed her gloves.
The mark of the Saintess was, as expected, hidden beneath a quad-rangle seal.
I pretended not to notice and asked,
“How long will the effect last?”
“For an ordinary Demon King, it would last about a month. But for a Great Demon King, you’d need to receive the blessing once a day.”
“Will you be okay? We don’t know how many days we’ll be staying here.”
“No problem at all. So I don’t forget, I’ll give it to you once every day at lunchtime.”
She talked about God’s blessing as if it were medicine taken after meals.
Arwen calmly began her prayer.
“O great being who dwells in the heavens. Your servant humbly beseeches your grace…”
During the tedious prayer, I once again let my thoughts wander irreverently.
“That kid was from Kamum Territory.”
Before my regression, that person had been the last to join the party. This time, I intended to bring them in much earlier.
But the only thing they ever revealed was their place of origin. They never said where in Kamum they lived or what they had done there.
To be honest, they were the quietest member of the party after me.
Even to the friendly Renel, the kind Arwen,
or to Chris and the other party members who naturally inspired familiarity,
they never truly opened their heart.
On the rare occasions they spoke, it was always directed at me alone.
“That’s it! Prayer complete!”
“I don’t feel anything.”
“Divine power isn’t the same as mana. You can’t feel it because you lack faith, Dail.”
You don’t exactly seem overflowing with faith either.
I swallowed that thought and turned away.
“Shall we go, then? To Kamum Territory.”
We entered Kamum Territory.
Thanks to the blessing, nothing happened to our group.
Renel let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness. We didn’t drop dead from our hearts exploding the moment we stepped inside.”
She wasn’t exaggerating.
The authority of the Demon King of Eternal Life allowed it to freely manipulate the human body.
The heart of a targeted human could be made to beat fast enough to burst—or to stop entirely.
The lungs could be forced into hyperventilation, or prevented from taking in air at all.
Every internal organ involved in bodily function could be controlled by its power.
Arwen spoke.
“It uses that authority to make people unable to die. The Demon King of Eternal Life.”
“……”
“It keeps the heart beating forever, forces the brain to control the body indefinitely. It even ensures continuous cell division to prevent aging.”
“What’s a cell?”
“Chris… after spending the past few weeks together, I’ve realized something about you… never mind.”
Honestly, I don’t know what a cell is either, but now’s not the time to admit that.
Renel picked up the thread.
“Everyone who’s ever stepped into Kamum Territory had their heart burst and died, right?”
“Yes. That’s why the Empire abandoned the subjugation, and Kamum became confiscated land.”
“That may have been true in the past, but things are different now. We have a Saintess who can bless multiple people once a day.”
Arwen gave a bitter smile.
“I actually made that suggestion to the Pope several times. I told him that with my current abilities, the Demon King of Eternal Life wouldn’t be a problem—that we should send a subjugation force back to Kamum.”
“And?”
“The Pope… and the Emperor as well, really—the people at the top of the Empire have already abandoned Kamum Territory. Kamum being prosperous was a story from three hundred years ago. Now it’s just a backward region that’s been left behind for centuries, with no real benefit to reclaim.”
Renel crossed her arms with an indifferent expression.
“So it all comes down to money. Figures. I wasn’t wrong.”
“How did you even arrive at that conclusion… huh?”
That was when I noticed something and stopped walking.
A group of figures was visible ahead.
Judging by their clothes and farming tools, they appeared to be farmers heading out to work the fields.
Renel cried out in surprise.
“People!”
“They’re obviously people. Why are you so shocked?”
“Then why aren’t you surprised?”
“People live even in the territories of other lord-type Demon Kings. They don’t massacre the humans in their domains. They’re scum who derive pleasure from ruling and dominating.”
Renel didn’t argue, but muttered defensively.
“Still, this place was isolated for three hundred years. It wouldn’t have been strange if something terrible had happened inside.”
“Fair enough. Anyway, let’s try talking to them.”
We approached the group cautiously.
Chris stepped forward and spoke.
“Excuse me for a moment. May we ask you something?”
“……”
“……”
They showed no reaction and simply continued on their way.
It was as if they couldn’t hear Chris’s voice.
No—rather, it seemed as though they couldn’t even see us.
We exchanged glances, then nodded simultaneously, as if by prior agreement.
And we slowly followed behind the residents.
Soon, a wide rice field came into view.
They took out their tools and began plowing methodically.
“They’re working.”
“Indeed.”
“But they look completely lifeless. Not a single one is making a sound.”
“Farming is exhausting work, yet not a single groan or complaint. That’s unsettling.”
We stood there for a while, observing.
In addition to the people we’d seen earlier, many others were working in the fields.
Yet not one of them paid us any attention.
“….”
After watching for a bit longer, we realized we wouldn’t get any information here and turned away.
For the next half day, we wandered around Kamum Territory.
Considering it had been isolated for three hundred years, daily life was surprisingly well maintained.
The clothing was old-fashioned and the architecture outdated, but the roads and roadside trees were better preserved than expected.
At the market, there were merchants and customers.
Tool shops, herb shops, and blacksmiths were all functioning normally.
Overall, it was no different from the outside continent.
Except for one thing.
“No one talks.”
They made no sounds at all.
They paid no attention to their surroundings.
Everyone’s eyes were empty, as if only their bodies were moving while their souls had already left.
Renel murmured.
“Living beings that maintain physical activity without consciousness. Academics call those zombies.”
We entered an inn.
Despite us clearly being outsiders, the innkeeper showed no sign of suspicion.
The money we offered was Imperial currency that had gone through several reforms—something that shouldn’t even be in circulation in this territory anymore.
Yet the innkeeper accepted the coin and handed over a room key.
Watching this, Arwen said,
“You should give us change.”
The currency units were completely different, so there was no way to know whether change was even necessary.
Arwen wasn’t actually expecting the change—she just wanted some kind of reaction.
But the innkeeper scooped up a handful of coins from the till and held them out.
Without even checking the amount, he turned away the moment Arwen absentmindedly accepted the coins.
“Well, this is something.”
After taking a seat at an empty table on the first floor, Chris spoke.
“Honestly, this is frightening. They show no emotions, no desires at all.”
“Hmm.”
“They’re like living corpses. It’s as if they have no will to live, no purpose whatsoever.”
That was when—
“That’s only natural. They’re already as good as dead.”
A voice suddenly spoke from behind us.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Right. Even before my regression, you spoke to me for the first time from behind, just like this.”
The party jumped in surprise and turned around.
I followed, slowly turning as well.
Standing there was a small child with black hair.
Her unkempt hair brushed against her shoulders.
Her eyes were as dark as her hair, and a small beauty mark sat beneath one eye.
Expressionless. Indifferent. Emotionless.
Exactly the same as the illustration on the adventurer registration card I had made for her before my regression.
And most importantly—
“She’s not quad-rangled.”
So you weren’t the Demon King of Absence either.
Honestly, I thought the odds were pretty high.
Then Renel spoke.
“You’re the first person here who can actually talk. Who are you?”
The girl glanced over us briefly before answering.
“Atricia Rimea.”
