CH 137

Whereabouts of the soul

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Senzaki-sensei and Ayako-sensei were scheduled to attend the on-site verification, but Senzaki-sensei seemed to have fallen asleep with a fever.

"I'm sorry. Senzaki-sensei seems to have been greatly shocked ..."

Ayako-sensei bowed her head to Morita-san, but she had dark circles under her eyes and her complexion was not good.

"No, Sugiyama-sensei is also looking tired, so let's get this done quickly."

From the entrance of the garrison where we met, we went up to the top of the ramparts along the path that Sekiguchi-san followed.

The bodies of the Orcs were all thrown into the sea, but the blood that was spilled when the Orcs were subjugated couldn't be cleaned up, so the west wind carried a fishy smell.

"Kokubu-kun, this smell is ..."

"It's the smell of the blood that flowed when we defeated the Orcs that attacked us the other day."

"Isn't this smell attracting other monsters?"

"Right now, the direction of the seasonal wind has changed and it's blowing from the forest toward the city, so the chances of attracting monsters from the depths of the forest should be low."

"Ah, Kokubu-kun, over there!"

"Ah, it's Goblins. I've neglected the ones other than the groups, but it seems that the number is still increasing."

"That's a Goblin, huh ..."

In front of Morita-san, who was looking curiously, the Goblin was looking at something that looked like a piece of Orc meat and put it in its mouth.

While Morita-san was watching the Goblin, Ayako-sensei turned her eyes to the inside of the ramparts and held her mouth.

Maybe she remembered the Goblin outbreak she encountered while escaping from Lastock.

Besides, even if you're not mentally damaged, you don't want to smell this rotten smell.

"Ayako-sensei, are you okay?"

"Huh? Eh, yeah, I'm okay. Kokubu-kun, aren't you overdoing it?"

"It's not that I'm not pushing myself at all, but I'm okay."

"I'm sorry. To be honest, we teachers should be doing our best, but we couldn't help either Sekiguchi-san or Funayama-kun ... Uuuu ..."

Tears fell from Ayako-sensei's eyes, and an uncontrollable sob leaked out from the hand that covered her mouth.

"It's not just Ayako-sensei's responsibility. Even though everyone tried to do something, it didn't go as planned, and it ended up like this, but that's not our responsibility."

"But ... But still ..."

"Ayako-sensei. If you still feel responsible, let's do our best to ensure that the rest of us can return to Japan safely. Otherwise, neither Funayama nor Sekiguchi-san will be happy."

"Kokubu-kun ... Well, it's the teachers' job to get the students home safely."

Ayako-sensei wiped away her tears, clenched her fists in front of her chest, and regained her spirit.

Ayako-sensei, who was older than me, but looked like a small child, had a brave appearance that made me want to protect her.

After guiding Morita-san to the place where Sekiguchi-san fell, Ayako-sensei put her hands together and prayed quietly.

At that time, an idea flashed into my mind.

"Ah, right! No, is it right ...?"

"What's wrong, Kokubu-kun."

"Umm ... No, I just came up with something, but I might be wrong ..."

"What is it, if you have something on your mind, I don't mind what it is, so please talk to me?"

"No, it has nothing to do with Sekiguchi-san's suicide ..."

"Hmm ... I'm curious. If you don't mind, can you tell me?"

I was a bit hesitant after being questioned by Morita-san, who was in police mode, but decided to talk.

"Umm, it's a bit unscientific, but it's about Sekiguchi-san's soul."

"Soul ...?"

"Yes, about the soul."

Since I suddenly mentioned the soul, Morita-san and Ayako-sensei looked at each other and tilted their heads.

"Yesterday, I brought Sekiguchi-san's body to Japan, didn't I?"

"Yes. We were watching too."

"In order to bring a living human into the shadow space, it is necessary to take their magical power and attributes and give them my magical power, but after they die, there's no need for that."

"Ah, I see. You thought it was because the soul had escaped from the corpse, right?"

"Yes. It happened all of a sudden yesterday, and I couldn't think of anything because I wasn't feeling well and my head was spinning ... But, in that case, I feel like Sekiguchi-san's soul was stuck in Volzard."

"I see ... But, as expected, Kokubu-kun, it would be impossible to bring her soul back home, wouldn't it?"

Morita-san's police mode was also turned off as it became a story about a soul that was not directly related to suicide.

"No, it might have been possible."

"No, no, because if the soul is in the body, you can't enter the shadow space. Then you can't take it home."

"That's right ... But if they were my genus as an undead, maybe ..."

After I subjugated Zae and Art-tachi, I used Necromancy to make them my genus.

As a result, they were able to enter and leave the shadow space freely, and they seemed to have inherited their memories from their previous life.

If that's the case, I thought that the original soul had settled into the undead state of the body.

"But, Kokubu-kun, can you make a dead human into your genus?"

"Well ... I've never tried it, so I don't know if I can actually do it."(TN:What about Reinhardt/Basten/Fred? Sure, they're skeletons now, but they were human ... >.< )

"And even if you could, that person would become a so-called zombie, right?"

"Yes. I think it would be a zombie in shape."

"What would happen to people who became zombies when they return to Japan? Certainly, there is no such thing as magic essence in Japan, right?"

"Hmm ... For the time being, Mart-tachi said they were uncomfortable, but there weren't any particular problems ... But, it was a short time, so I don't know ..."

"Kokubu-kun."

"Y, yes, what is it?"

Then, Morita-san called out to me with a serious expression in police mode, so I was a little overwhelmed.

"Kokubu-kun, if Sekiguchi-san's soul is wandering around, I understand you are saying this out of goodwill, saying that you want to bring her back to Japan, but you shouldn't handle the dead in such uncertain circumstances."

"Y, yes ... I'm sorry."

"Because of my job, I get to meet the deceased more often than normal people. They should be treated with dignity, and should not be used as a tool for experiments except with the consent of the person, such as donating their body."

Due to his profession as a police officer, the words of Morita-san, who must have come face-to-face with corpses in tragic situations, conveyed a certain weight.

I thought it would be a good idea to make her one of my genus, but it doesn't necessarily meet Sekiguchi-san's wishes.

"I will pretend that I didn't hear what you said earlier. Sugiyama-sensei, too, is that okay with you?"

"Y, yes, I didn't hear anything either."

"Thank you, Morita-san, Ayako-sensei as well."

"Nn? What are you talking about, I didn't do anything. Now, let's start the on-site inspection."

Morita-san, who winks with a mischievous look, is obvious, but he's definitely more mature than me.

Ayako-sensei must have thought that Morita-san was someone she could trust.

Morita-san, who had finished inspecting the site on top of the ramparts, leaned over the parapet and spoke to me while looking down.

"Kokubu-kun, I'd like to see a little bit of the situation below, but is it difficult?"

When I see him looking towards the Devil's Forest, he must be worried about Goblins.

"No, it's fine as long as my genus are on guard. From the castle gate over there ... No, let's go down to the bottom with shadow movement."

"Ah, that's right, it's the way we moved here."

"Yes, then Ayako-sensei, could you wait for a moment?"

I put out a shield of darkness and tried to move out of the ramparts with Morita-san ...

"Ouch ... Kokubu-kun, I can't pass ..."

Morita-san hit his head against the shield of darkness very strongly.

"Eeehhh ... You were able to pass yesterday ..."

"Kokubu-kun, let's try the thing from yesterday."

"Ah, yes, then a knife ..."

Just like yesterday, we put our wounds together and I transferred the magical power, and Morita-san was able to enter the shadow space again.

"Yeah, is it the number of times, or the amount of time ... Either way, it seems that there's some sort of limit."

"I agree. But, it seems like it'll be fine if I transfer magic again."

"Otherwise, I'll be in trouble. I won't be able to go back to Japan."

We descended under the ramparts via shadow movement, and while Morita-san was conducting an on-site inspection, I had Zae and the others surround us and escort us.

Even if Reinhardt was just in front of us, Goblins wouldn't come near us, but it was a performance so that Morita-san could work with peace of mind.

Morita-san also took pictures from a distance so that he could see the place where Sekiguchi-san seemed to have fallen and the height of the ramparts.

He called out to Ayako-sensei, who was on top of the ramparts, but it was dangerous to see her leaning over the battlements, so I asked Reinhardt to help her.

After confirming where she fell and the orientation of her body, I returned to the top of the ramparts with Morita-san.

"From what I have heard about the circumstances, I don't think there is any incident, but depending on the situation, I may ask you about the circumstances again after you return to Japan, so please understand that point."

"Yes, thank you very much."

"I think Sugiyama-sensei is also in pain, but as Kokubu-kun said earlier, please think about how the remaining students can safely return to Japan."

"Yes, I will."

"Then, Kokubu-kun, is it okay if you send me to the Investigation Headquarters?"

"Yes, I'll send you before Morita-san can't come in again."

When I took Morita-san and dived into the shadow space from the shield of darkness and moved from the top of the ramparts to the Investigation Headquarters, disturbing words jumped into my ears.

"It's him! Kokubu Kento must be the mastermind behind the incident! He wants to hide it by becoming a group with the police!"

I was taken aback, but the owner of the voice was not from the Investigation Headquarters, but Funayama's father, who was shown on TV.

"Director, I've just returned."

"Morita, you had a hard time ... I see, Kokubu-kun is of course with you, did you hear what was just said?"

Sudou-san, who turned at Morita-san's words, smiled wryly when he saw me.

"Yes, for some reason I'm the mastermind ..."

"Seriously, Funayama-san is really troublesome. I explained it over and over again, but it seems that he still remembers the time when he collapsed. There was also a report in the weekly magazine, and a strange speculation spread on the Internet, seriously ..."

"Umm, was Sekiguchi-san's case made public?"

"That's right ..."

The reason why Funayama's father was yelling in front of the TV cameras was that Sekiguchi-san's suicide had become public.

After the autopsy was performed, Sekiguchi-san's body was handed over to her family.

At that time, Sekiguchi-san's parents were requested to refrain from publicizing the suicide, as it could have a negative impact on the rescue efforts of the remaining students.

"From the point of view of the family, after being unable to contact them for a long time, their safety was finally confirmed, and they thought that she would come back after a while. I don't think they could accept that."

Sekiguchi-san's parents told the mass media that Shiori had been kidnapped to another world and committed suicide because she couldn't come back to Japan, they talked to the mass media and loudly criticized the responsibility of the Japanese government and school officials.

At that time, it seemed that I was also targeted.

Come to think of it, it seemed that Sekiguchi-san didn't have a good impression of me.

"Kokubu-kun, I'm sorry to ask you something private, but are you dating three women?"

"Eh, eehh ... Well, that's right ..."

"It seems that Sekiguchi-san wrote about it in the letter she sent to her family. There is also the incident with your parents, and the situation is not very favorable."

"Huh, is that right ..."

The mass media covered the adultery turmoil, and the suicide of my mother, and it seemed that I was being bashed for dating three people.

"Regarding your relationship with women, it's a private matter, and it's probably not something we should interfere in, but could you please consider it so that it doesn't have a negative impact on your future activities?"

"Um, even if you say consider ..."

"Is it difficult to refrain from dating until you finish returning your classmates home?"

"I'll think about it ..."

"I'm sorry."

The TV screen changed from the image of Funayama's father, and the state of the studio was displayed.

Self-proclaimed experts in the field of education, celebrities who I don't understand what their connection was, it's the parent's genetics, it's thoughts because of anime, as if I was the cause of Sekiguchi-san's suicide, they were just throwing out ridiculous comments.

Hearing that story, I wondered if people in Japan would take it seriously, but I felt like the temperature around me had suddenly dropped by about 5 degrees.

When I was about to be overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness, I was tapped on the shoulder.

"It's okay, Kokubu-kun."

"Kajikawa-san ..."

"I will be returning to the Prime Minister's Office soon, and I will advise him to release your history and the video you brought the other day. I'm going to show them how hard you've worked so far, and how you're still working hard. We absolutely cannot allow such a ridiculous evaluation go unnoticed."

Kajikawa-san, who usually had a somewhat frivolous image, had a quiet anger on his face.

"We will do our best to protect Kokubu-kun's honor. So, don't worry about anything, just do your best so that everyone can return to Japan safely."

"Yes, please treat me well."

While being sent off by everyone in the Investigation Headquarters, I returned to Volzard in the shadows.

[ Kent-sama, it would be better if you could take a rest after having lunch. ]

"But, I have to tell Camilla-tachi that the First Prince faction and Havre Calvine have started to move ..."

[ You should tell them that, but, unlike us, both factions take time to move. You don't have to panic so much. ]

"I see ... For the time being, they received the news from Camilla that the Second Prince-tachi had died, and I have to see their reaction."

[ That's right. Besides, since you went out to scout the First Prince's faction early this morning, it would be better if you could rest your body a little and prepare to return the next person. ]

"That's right. The best way to shake off the notoriety in Japan is to bring everyone back."

To be honest, I feel a little sleepy, and I feel like my core is still dull.

It was a little before noon when I returned to Volzard, so I decided to have lunch with the chairman and Manon.

I decided to wait outside the clinic until the morning's examination was over.

When I chose a sunny spot and sat down leaning against the wall, sleepiness suddenly hit me.

"Mart, Mirt, Murt."

"Wafu, Goshujin-sama, did you call?"

"Goshujin-sama, pet me, pet me."

"Me too ..."

"Yes, yes, come on everyone. If I fall asleep, wake me up if Yuika or Manon comes."

"Nya, Nero sleeps with you too, nya."

"I'm sorry, it's going to be a big fuss if you're here, so I'll see Nero later ..."

"Nyaa ... Boring, nya ..."

After lunch, I'll invite the chairman and Manon to have nap time with Nero.

Surrounded by Mart and the others, I immediately fell asleep as soon as I leaned against the wall.

"Kento."

"Kent."

"Hmm ... Ah, good morning, Yuika, Manon."

When I woke up, the chairman and Manon were looking at me with a worried look on their face.

"Isn't Kento overdoing it already?"

"You look really tired."

"Yeah, I'm going to take a little rest after lunch ... Would you like to take a nap with Nero?"

"I will, I want to, I want to!"

"I want to take a nap on Nero's fluffy belly too!"

"Then, let's go have lunch first."

"Yes!"

Both the chairman and Manon were unanimously in favor of taking a nap with Nero.

When I visited the garrison's cafeteria, the lunch menu was gyoza, and stir-fried pepper steak, along with ramen-style pasta.

When I looked at the kitchen in surprise, I saw a female classmate.

"Children who love cooking asked for the taste of home and borrowed a kitchen, and they asked them to help them because they wanted to learn new tastes."

"Is that so. It's been a long time, so I'm looking forward to it. Let's eat quickly."

When I was eating with the chairman and Manon, the young members of the garrison glared with resentment, but I don't care, I don't care.

Sudou-san told me to restrain myself, but I will refuse.

Because if I can't interact with them, the stress would crush me.

"Here, Manon, aah ..."

"Eh, a, aah ..."

"Yes, Yuika too, aah ..."

"Aah ... Hmm, it's delicious."

The boys in my class also looked at me with resentment, but I don't care, I don't care.

The gyoza, stir-fried pepper steak, and ramen all had a different flavor from Japan, but they were still delicious.

After eating, we moved to find a sunny spot in the training grounds.

The chairman wrapped herself around my right arm, and Manon took my left.

I was so excited by the warmth of the two of them that I thought I wouldn't be able to take a nap, but when I leaned against Nero, I fell asleep easily.

Fuwafuwa, mofumofu, nukunuku ... It was already a blissful nap time.