Chapter 98
With that, Otto’s sword cut Quinon in two.
[Necromancer Quinon].
Life force : □□□□□□□□□□
*Swoosh.*
Quinon’s form vanished without a trace.
[Notification: You have gained 0 experience!]
Since Quinon is an endlessly reviving evil spirit, no experience was awarded.
However, Quinon was a very powerful evil spirit, so it would require quite a bit of time before he regenerated.
And so?
Pow!
Otto stomped on Quinon’s skeletal remains, shattering them, and then kicked the <Phantom Armor> he had been wearing with his foot.
*Rattle, Rattle!* *Rattle, Rattle!*
The <Phantom Armor> rolled around in the overgrown grass.
*Ssshhh!*
It constantly emitted a haunting aura that was enough to drive anyone nearby insane.
[Phantom Armor]
An armor with the power to control spirits.
It is a chestplate that protects the upper half of the body.
It is imbued with potent evil energy, and the power it can exert varies depending on the user’s ability.
However, if the user does not have complete control over the energy, the soul may be consumed by the energy.
Class: Legendary
Durability: 2,783 / 3,500
Level Limit: None
Effects :
– +25% to all wearer’s stats
– 700% Affinity with Spirit-type Beings
Otto didn’t touch the <Phantom Armor>.
‘It’s too incompatible with me, and I can’t sell it.’
Otto de Scuderia and the <Phantom Armor> were the worst pairing in the game.
Otto’s character is so dedicated to his own desires, and he’s so far removed from ghosts, that donning it would only exacerbate its side effects.
In fact, wearing the armor in-game caused the character to become progressively insane until he was possessed by a spirit and eventually committed suicide.
All it took was one wrong item and he’d be dead.
‘I have no use for it, so it’s better to destroy it.’
Even the thought of having such an unpleasant object in his inventory was unpleasant.
Raising his sword, Otto attempted to destroy the <Phantom Armor>.
Only then would the evil spirits in the Ghost Forest no longer be able to rise and would go to the afterlife.
“It’s not time yet.”
“Stop.”
“Give us a little time.”
Just then, Agato, Hildegard, and Maximus appeared, obstructing Otto’s path.
“Ah.”
Otto was unable to destroy the <Phantom Armor> at their request.
It had only been a short time since they and Kairos had been reunited, and it seemed cruel and heartless to not even give them time to say a proper goodbye.
“I can’t give you that long of a time.”
With that, Otto sheathed his sword.
* * * patreon.com/SchattenTranslations/ * * *
The time they were apart was long, and their reunion was short.
“You guys have done enough. It’s time to rest.”
Kairos tried to let his old comrades go without regret.
“They say it’s better to be dead than rolling in dog shit, but you guys are already dead, so go ahead and rest in peace, and don’t worry about me. I’ll catch up with you soon.”
Kairos looked relieved.
After fighting alongside his old comrades in arms, his longing was alleviated to some extent.
“I may not be able to get revenge on that Argonne bastard, but I’m sure I can get a little revenge on him, so don’t worry.”
But Agatho, Hildegarde, and Maximus had a different opinion.
“No.”
“As my brother says, it’s better to stay in this world, even if it means rolling in dog shit, even if it means being a wraith wandering the realm.”
“I won’t.”
There was a good reason.
“How can we go to the afterlife when that Argonne bastard is still alive with his eyes wide open?”
“I’m going to rip that bastard’s tongue out with my own hands.”
“I will have my revenge.”
Kairos did not understand the words of Agatho, Hildegard, and Maximus.
“Have you guys forgotten the concept of time after wandering the land for so long, you fools? Do you know how much time has passed? That bastard Argonne has long since turned into a skeleton. How do you expect me to get revenge, dig up his grave and crush his remains?”
Kairos didn’t want to pursue revenge that far.
The grudge was bone-deep, but he knew that even if he dug up the grave and crushed the skeleton, it wouldn’t really be true revenge.
That wouldn’t settle the score.
“He’s alive!”
“That’s right, the bastard Argonne is alive!”
“I can tell, Argonne the fucker was wandering around here not too long ago, we felt it!”
Kairos frowned as he saw his men’s eyes blaze with cerulean fire.
It must be frustrating to have someone who was already dead calling him alive.
“We can’t go like this, we’ll definitely get our revenge!”
“Even if we’re just wraiths roaming the realm, do you really think we won’t feel the presence of that bastard Argonne?”
“Damn it, you don’t believe me?”
Agatho, Hildegard, and Maximus gnashed their teeth and argued with Kairos.
“You bastards, he’s already dead, don’t you hear what I’m saying, eh? You want to get your asses kicked today, just like old times?”
Kairos rolled his eyes.
“Go ahead and punch me. Why don’t you give me a slap or two?”
“Are you going to beat me up again? Why don’t we just line up and get a beating like the old days?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been beaten by you, and I was just dying for another!”
Otto was dumbfounded at the scene.
“When did you say you were the emperor of the empire, all dignified and majestic, with all the stuff you say about burdens whenever you open your mouth, but that’s no emperor, just a mercenary leader and his minions.”
“I agree.”
Camille looked at Kairos and his men and shook his head in agreement with Otto’s words.
Otto and Camille didn’t know much but that was the daily routine of Kairos and his men.
It was how a man named Kairos was made.
A former laborer doing odd jobs for an obscure third-rate mercenary organization, Kairos had lived a very rough and simple life.
To put it mildly, he was impolite, disliked formalities, and was far from formal.
At worst, he was a stubborn, ruthless thug without a shred of dignity or character.
As a result, even as he ascended to the throne, Kairos interacted with his subordinates as if they were friends, sometimes squabbling with them.
* * * patreon.com/SchattenTranslation * * *
Kairos remained at odds with his men for some time afterward.
An argument ensued between his men, who insisted that Argonne was alive, and Kairos who insisted they were talking nonsense.
“You stupid bastards! You were so stupid in life that you couldn’t read a word, and now you’ve got dementia! Argonne the fucker is….”
“He’s alive.”
Otto chimed in.
“Alive… Huh?”
Kairos snapped at Otto.
“What are you talking about, Argonne is?”
“He’s alive.”
“You’ve got dementia now, too, huh? Tsk, tsk. You should’ve been more careful, you must’ve gotten it from hanging out with that demented lizard fellow.”
“What the hell, you know, you can be as ignorant as you want to be.”
“Excuse me?”
“Is dementia contagious? Why don’t you think about your own intellectual level instead of calling your subordinates ignorant?”
“Oh, wasn’t it?”
“… …”
“Yeah, right.”
Otto was at a loss for words at Kairos’ ignorance.
He knew he was a bit ignorant, but he didn’t realize it was more than he thought….
“In case you didn’t get it, I’ll say it again. Emperor Argonne is alive.”
“……!”
“Reincarnated. Or possessed. Or maybe he’s been switching bodies for years, I don’t know, but either way, he’s alive.”
“W-What do you mean, that Argonne guy is alive!”
“I’ll keep it short. We don’t have time right now.”
Otto told Kairos what had happened.
The fact that Julius the merchant was actually Emperor Argonne..
“Argonne, this bastard was alive… He… Hehehehehehe…”
Kairos laughed in an eerie, creepy way, like a madman, no, truly like one.
“Okay… that’s a good thing… hmmm… hmmm… hmmm… hmmm…!!!”
Then Agatho, Hildegard, and Maximus turned to Kairos, arguing with him.
“Look! What did we say?”
“You don’t believe us, but you believe that skinny little bastard, do you?”
“Is this the first time you’ve ignored us? I’m not even upset anymore!”
Agatho, the most rational and calm of Kairos’ three men, spoke to Otto.
“We have no intention of leaving this world and resting in peace just yet.”
“So?”
“Please allow us to stay in this world and take our revenge with the Emperor.”
“Are you asking me not to destroy the Phantom Armor?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not a request I can’t fulfill, but… I don’t think I’ll be able to handle the Phantom Armor, it’s not compatible with me.”
“You won’t have to deal with it.”
“What…?”
“We’ll enter the Phantom Armor, and then His Majesty will wear the Phantom Armor, and then you can call us out at any time, right?”
“Uh…?”
Otto was taken aback by the unexpected suggestion.
‘Kairos’s men will inhabit the Phantom Armor, just like Kairos inhabited the mace? Does that make sense?’
It seemed possible, he thought.
‘Now that I think about it, Kairos wasn’t reincarnated, he just took over a human body and possessed it, so I suppose he’d be a good match for the Phantom Armor. Maybe I could even give the subordinates a body like Kairos.’
It was certainly a worthy pursuit.
“Hey. What do you say? Your men want to inhabit the armor. They want to take revenge with you.”
“Mmm.”
Kairos could not make a quick decision.
He didn’t want to leave his men to wander the world.
“Are you sure you guys will be okay?”
Kairos asked his men.
“I’ll take care of the revenge, and you three can rest peacefully.”
But the men were very determined.
“I don’t like it. Even if I can rest now, I will still take revenge on that bastard, before resting.”
“How many times have I suffered as a virgin in my life? I will definitely take revenge on that bastard who made me die without being able to marry.”
“I’ll ascend to heaven after seeing that bastard die.”
That wasn’t all.
“Your Majesty, please don’t abandon us.”
“Your Majesty, do not forsake us.”
“Your Majesty, do not cast us off.”
Hundreds of other wraith knights appeared, all kneeling on one knee before Kairos.
All of them refused to go to their final rest, wanting to join Kairos in his quest for vengeance against Emperor Argonne.
“Is this all right?”
Kairos asked his subordinates.
“I am an incompetent bastard. I promised you riches, and I failed to fulfill that promise. I was betrayed by my brother, whom I trusted like a fool, and I ruined not only my life, but yours. I’m the one who made you suffer all your lives, who took you for granted, and who made you meet a miserable end. And yet you still want to follow me, even though you know you’ll only suffer in death?”
And the men answered in unison in a thunderous shout.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Despite the passage of hundreds of years, their loyalty to Kairos was such that not even death could stop them.
Chapter 98
With that, Otto’s sword cut Quinon in two.
[Necromancer Quinon].
Life force : □□□□□□□□□□
*Swoosh.*
Quinon’s form vanished without a trace.
[Notification: You have gained 0 experience!]
Since Quinon is an endlessly reviving evil spirit, no experience was awarded.
However, Quinon was a very powerful evil spirit, so it would require quite a bit of time before he regenerated.
And so?
Pow!
Otto stomped on Quinon’s skeletal remains, shattering them, and then kicked the <Phantom Armor> he had been wearing with his foot.
*Rattle, Rattle!* *Rattle, Rattle!*
The <Phantom Armor> rolled around in the overgrown grass.
*Ssshhh!*
It constantly emitted a haunting aura that was enough to drive anyone nearby insane.
[Phantom Armor]
An armor with the power to control spirits.
It is a chestplate that protects the upper half of the body.
It is imbued with potent evil energy, and the power it can exert varies depending on the user’s ability.
However, if the user does not have complete control over the energy, the soul may be consumed by the energy.
Class: Legendary
Durability: 2,783 / 3,500
Level Limit: None
Effects :
– +25% to all wearer’s stats
– 700% Affinity with Spirit-type Beings
Otto didn’t touch the <Phantom Armor>.
‘It’s too incompatible with me, and I can’t sell it.’
Otto de Scuderia and the <Phantom Armor> were the worst pairing in the game.
Otto’s character is so dedicated to his own desires, and he’s so far removed from ghosts, that donning it would only exacerbate its side effects.
In fact, wearing the armor in-game caused the character to become progressively insane until he was possessed by a spirit and eventually committed suicide.
All it took was one wrong item and he’d be dead.
‘I have no use for it, so it’s better to destroy it.’
Even the thought of having such an unpleasant object in his inventory was unpleasant.
Raising his sword, Otto attempted to destroy the <Phantom Armor>.
Only then would the evil spirits in the Ghost Forest no longer be able to rise and would go to the afterlife.
“It’s not time yet.”
“Stop.”
“Give us a little time.”
Just then, Agato, Hildegard, and Maximus appeared, obstructing Otto’s path.
“Ah.”
Otto was unable to destroy the <Phantom Armor> at their request.
It had only been a short time since they and Kairos had been reunited, and it seemed cruel and heartless to not even give them time to say a proper goodbye.
“I can’t give you that long of a time.”
With that, Otto sheathed his sword.
* * * patreon.com/SchattenTranslations/ * * *
The time they were apart was long, and their reunion was short.
“You guys have done enough. It’s time to rest.”
Kairos tried to let his old comrades go without regret.
“They say it’s better to be dead than rolling in dog shit, but you guys are already dead, so go ahead and rest in peace, and don’t worry about me. I’ll catch up with you soon.”
Kairos looked relieved.
After fighting alongside his old comrades in arms, his longing was alleviated to some extent.
“I may not be able to get revenge on that Argonne bastard, but I’m sure I can get a little revenge on him, so don’t worry.”
But Agatho, Hildegarde, and Maximus had a different opinion.
“No.”
“As my brother says, it’s better to stay in this world, even if it means rolling in dog shit, even if it means being a wraith wandering the realm.”
“I won’t.”
There was a good reason.
“How can we go to the afterlife when that Argonne bastard is still alive with his eyes wide open?”
“I’m going to rip that bastard’s tongue out with my own hands.”
“I will have my revenge.”
Kairos did not understand the words of Agatho, Hildegard, and Maximus.
“Have you guys forgotten the concept of time after wandering the land for so long, you fools? Do you know how much time has passed? That bastard Argonne has long since turned into a skeleton. How do you expect me to get revenge, dig up his grave and crush his remains?”
Kairos didn’t want to pursue revenge that far.
The grudge was bone-deep, but he knew that even if he dug up the grave and crushed the skeleton, it wouldn’t really be true revenge.
That wouldn’t settle the score.
“He’s alive!”
“That’s right, the bastard Argonne is alive!”
“I can tell, Argonne the fucker was wandering around here not too long ago, we felt it!”
Kairos frowned as he saw his men’s eyes blaze with cerulean fire.
It must be frustrating to have someone who was already dead calling him alive.
“We can’t go like this, we’ll definitely get our revenge!”
“Even if we’re just wraiths roaming the realm, do you really think we won’t feel the presence of that bastard Argonne?”
“Damn it, you don’t believe me?”
Agatho, Hildegard, and Maximus gnashed their teeth and argued with Kairos.
“You bastards, he’s already dead, don’t you hear what I’m saying, eh? You want to get your asses kicked today, just like old times?”
Kairos rolled his eyes.
“Go ahead and punch me. Why don’t you give me a slap or two?”
“Are you going to beat me up again? Why don’t we just line up and get a beating like the old days?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been beaten by you, and I was just dying for another!”
Otto was dumbfounded at the scene.
“When did you say you were the emperor of the empire, all dignified and majestic, with all the stuff you say about burdens whenever you open your mouth, but that’s no emperor, just a mercenary leader and his minions.”
“I agree.”
Camille looked at Kairos and his men and shook his head in agreement with Otto’s words.
Otto and Camille didn’t know much but that was the daily routine of Kairos and his men.
It was how a man named Kairos was made.
A former laborer doing odd jobs for an obscure third-rate mercenary organization, Kairos had lived a very rough and simple life.
To put it mildly, he was impolite, disliked formalities, and was far from formal.
At worst, he was a stubborn, ruthless thug without a shred of dignity or character.
As a result, even as he ascended to the throne, Kairos interacted with his subordinates as if they were friends, sometimes squabbling with them.
* * * patreon.com/SchattenTranslation * * *
Kairos remained at odds with his men for some time afterward.
An argument ensued between his men, who insisted that Argonne was alive, and Kairos who insisted they were talking nonsense.
“You stupid bastards! You were so stupid in life that you couldn’t read a word, and now you’ve got dementia! Argonne the fucker is….”
“He’s alive.”
Otto chimed in.
“Alive… Huh?”
Kairos snapped at Otto.
“What are you talking about, Argonne is?”
“He’s alive.”
“You’ve got dementia now, too, huh? Tsk, tsk. You should’ve been more careful, you must’ve gotten it from hanging out with that demented lizard fellow.”
“What the hell, you know, you can be as ignorant as you want to be.”
“Excuse me?”
“Is dementia contagious? Why don’t you think about your own intellectual level instead of calling your subordinates ignorant?”
“Oh, wasn’t it?”
“… …”
“Yeah, right.”
Otto was at a loss for words at Kairos’ ignorance.
He knew he was a bit ignorant, but he didn’t realize it was more than he thought….
“In case you didn’t get it, I’ll say it again. Emperor Argonne is alive.”
“……!”
“Reincarnated. Or possessed. Or maybe he’s been switching bodies for years, I don’t know, but either way, he’s alive.”
“W-What do you mean, that Argonne guy is alive!”
“I’ll keep it short. We don’t have time right now.”
Otto told Kairos what had happened.
The fact that Julius the merchant was actually Emperor Argonne..
“Argonne, this bastard was alive… He… Hehehehehehe…”
Kairos laughed in an eerie, creepy way, like a madman, no, truly like one.
“Okay… that’s a good thing… hmmm… hmmm… hmmm… hmmm…!!!”
Then Agatho, Hildegard, and Maximus turned to Kairos, arguing with him.
“Look! What did we say?”
“You don’t believe us, but you believe that skinny little bastard, do you?”
“Is this the first time you’ve ignored us? I’m not even upset anymore!”
Agatho, the most rational and calm of Kairos’ three men, spoke to Otto.
“We have no intention of leaving this world and resting in peace just yet.”
“So?”
“Please allow us to stay in this world and take our revenge with the Emperor.”
“Are you asking me not to destroy the Phantom Armor?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not a request I can’t fulfill, but… I don’t think I’ll be able to handle the Phantom Armor, it’s not compatible with me.”
“You won’t have to deal with it.”
“What…?”
“We’ll enter the Phantom Armor, and then His Majesty will wear the Phantom Armor, and then you can call us out at any time, right?”
“Uh…?”
Otto was taken aback by the unexpected suggestion.
‘Kairos’s men will inhabit the Phantom Armor, just like Kairos inhabited the mace? Does that make sense?’
It seemed possible, he thought.
‘Now that I think about it, Kairos wasn’t reincarnated, he just took over a human body and possessed it, so I suppose he’d be a good match for the Phantom Armor. Maybe I could even give the subordinates a body like Kairos.’
It was certainly a worthy pursuit.
“Hey. What do you say? Your men want to inhabit the armor. They want to take revenge with you.”
“Mmm.”
Kairos could not make a quick decision.
He didn’t want to leave his men to wander the world.
“Are you sure you guys will be okay?”
Kairos asked his men.
“I’ll take care of the revenge, and you three can rest peacefully.”
But the men were very determined.
“I don’t like it. Even if I can rest now, I will still take revenge on that bastard, before resting.”
“How many times have I suffered as a virgin in my life? I will definitely take revenge on that bastard who made me die without being able to marry.”
“I’ll ascend to heaven after seeing that bastard die.”
That wasn’t all.
“Your Majesty, please don’t abandon us.”
“Your Majesty, do not forsake us.”
“Your Majesty, do not cast us off.”
Hundreds of other wraith knights appeared, all kneeling on one knee before Kairos.
All of them refused to go to their final rest, wanting to join Kairos in his quest for vengeance against Emperor Argonne.
“Is this all right?”
Kairos asked his subordinates.
“I am an incompetent bastard. I promised you riches, and I failed to fulfill that promise. I was betrayed by my brother, whom I trusted like a fool, and I ruined not only my life, but yours. I’m the one who made you suffer all your lives, who took you for granted, and who made you meet a miserable end. And yet you still want to follow me, even though you know you’ll only suffer in death?”
And the men answered in unison in a thunderous shout.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Despite the passage of hundreds of years, their loyalty to Kairos was such that not even death could stop them.
