Chapter 39 Part8 (2/2)

”So she put us into this situation because of some unclear expectations...”

”It's not like I don't sympathize with her at all though. Whatever the rule that's imposed on her, G.o.d definitely can't directly influence the world. And it's true that this world is really suffocating.”

”I still can't forgive her. I want to beat the c.r.a.p out of her.”

”I don't plan on forgiving that d.a.m.n woman either.”

Lee s.h.i.+n Woo smiled bitterly, and Jin asked him a question as if he'd just thought of something.

”But you said that living beings couldn't go to the surface, even with G.o.d's power. Then how did Pleine go to the surface?”

”You know that Pleine possesses an extraordinary power, right?”

”Yeah.”

”Isn't it the same reason that she can't directly intervene with matters regarding the Underground Empire?”

”Ah!”

If Pleine were here, then she'd say something along the lines of 'stop being a hero, lay down a mat, and watch the store for me.'. Jin immediately agreed with his easy to understand explanation.

”In other words, Pleine is also...”

”Yeah. She's either a G.o.d herself or a being like one. That's what I think. If I had to call her something, then... I'd call her an angel.”

”An angel? That really doesn't fit her.”

Pleine was Seira's older sister but was also a human at the time of the Empire's demise. At the time, something had happened that allowed her to keep her appearance. Even so, it was quite laughable. There was one brother and two sisters (Seagald, Seira, and Pleine), yet one of them was an angel, another was a hero, and the last one was an undead.

'Pleine must not know what to think. Since her brother and her sister have been reduced to that...'

Then, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo felt really curious. Pleine obviously knew, but did Retadane know the real reason as to why the Emperor had created the undead curse?

If he just took into account her desire to eliminate all the undead, then it might seem like she didn't know, but there was still a chance that she knew, yet she acted like that anyway. If it's the latter, then he had to recognize how strong willed she was.

[Paul Zero, are you ok?]

”Yeah. I feel great since you led me here.”

[Mm. I actually have a lot on my mind...]

”Don't worry. I'll protect you no matter what.”

[...Yeah. I trust you, Paul Zero!]

Now that he thought about it, there was another puzzle he'd solved. There was an order that every golem in the Magic Empire's golem network shared that was to be their top priority: 'spirits - search and destroy'. Of course, once he'd discovered it, he discreetly canceled that order.

When he'd first discovered the order, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo wondered why the Empire was going out of its way to look for and eliminate spirits. But it made sense if the Magic Empire always hated the spirits.

It wasn't enough that they slaughtered and chased out the spirits, they were still actively trying to find and eliminate spirits. He was speechless. Perhaps that was why the golems were so spread out across the Magic Empire... Wait a sec.

”Wait... Golems?”

”s.h.i.+n Woo?”

At that moment, a light bulb went off in Lee s.h.i.+n Woo's head. It was just a hypothesis, but when he combined everything he'd experienced and the memories he'd acquired from the golems, then everything made sense.

”The living can't go through the barrier.”

”Yeah, so what?”

”...But the golems can go through. Since they're not living.”

”Yeah, that's why Pleine said it was ok when you asked if you could bring Rem along.”

The magic engineering involved in controlling golems was advanced on the surface. It was probably much greater than that of the Underground Empire's.

And one day, one of the Underground Empire's 12 generals, Arema Steelworker, appeared out of nowhere, and greatly advanced their golem manufacturing technique.

”Arema Steelworker... He didn't betray the Emperor.”

”Why are you suddenly talking about him? Wait a sec, a golem?”

”Yeah. Arema Steelworker's a golem. He was probably a golem the moment he showed up in the Underground Empire. He coaxed the (Undead) Emperor, who wanted to leave, to help him develop golems, but he actually took full control over the golems...”

All the information he'd acquired on Arema Steelworker fell into place. Everything he'd done in the past, which he couldn't understand before, made sense when he took into account the circ.u.mstances on the surface.

”He's a spy that came from the surface. Perhaps he was sent to watch over, or even kill the (Undead) Emperor... He didn't betray the Emperor, he was always his enemy.”

He voluntarily placed his soul into a golem and entered the Underground Empire. Why? So that he could leave when he'd completed his mission! And he fooled the Emperor, who was studying golems so that he could pa.s.s through the barrier, and increased the size of his forces. Did he not get good results from his research into placing souls into golems? It's not that he couldn't, it's that he didn't!

And even now, he received orders from the surface and was staying underground. Arema Steelworker's true purpose wasn't to live quietly or to annihilate the undead. He was watching the Undead Emperor, and making sure that they couldn't leave the underground.

”Wait a sec. Then... This might get interesting.”

”Uwah, s.h.i.+n Woo, your expression's turned really evil... Turn back into an expressionless skeleton. Hey, turn back.”

Lee s.h.i.+n Woo completely ignored Jin, summoned Rem, and gave him an order.

Five minutes later, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo got his answer, and thought 'I won'.

[1] E/N: An example of a 3 step 1 bow ceremony.

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