After finalizing my contract with Kormi and discussing the specifics of the upcoming release, I returned to the front entrance. Glen-san was waiting just outside the wide-open gate. Kormi, displaying a sudden bout of shyness, hid behind my back and peeked out with only the top of its head showing.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," I said.
"Wasn't that long. I figured you’d pull it off, but… is that it? The monster that was haunting this place?"
"Yes. This is Kormi, a House Fairy. Once I suppressed its hostile side, we were able to communicate. I’ve decided to spare it on the condition that all the undead are released. It’s already under a taming contract."
"Hmph. Well, if you’re fine with it, I won’t complain. More importantly, the fact that this gate and the fence wouldn't budge until a moment ago—that was this squirt's doing too, right?"
"The gate? I assume so… Kormi?"
The small fairy nodded slightly. "This person… kept hitting it. Hard to fix."
"It kept repairing itself so fast I had a hell of a time trying to smash it down," Glen-san grunted. "I never would’ve guessed it was the work of such a tiny brat. So, now that you’ve come to an agreement, are we done here?"
"Actually, it looks like it will take a bit longer."
I explained the situation regarding the "souls awaiting release" that Kormi had mentioned. Apparently, a single Cannonball Rhino calf frequently visits this mansion. One of the souls Kormi is holding belongs to the calf's mother.
The pair had been attacked by a predator in the forest and fled to the mansion for safety, but the mother’s injuries proved fatal. Watching this, Kormi had turned the mother’s soul into an undead to allow her to remain with her child.
Since they were wild animals, they spent most of their time outside the mansion grounds, but the mother would come whenever called through necromancy. Kormi could release her at any time, but it wanted to allow the calf to stay with its parent just a little longer.
"So, the kid’s got you feeling sympathetic, has he?" Glen-san asked.
"According to Kormi, the mother has accepted her death since she lived her life in the wild. However, she’s worried about the calf she’s leaving behind. She wants it to join a new herd, but first, she wants to see for herself if that herd is strong enough to protect her child until it grows up."
"…What’s that about? Do undead monsters really think like humans?"
"Cannonball Rhinos are among the more intelligent species in the Sea of Trees," I noted.
"Kormi used illusions and Dark Magic to communicate with her," I added. "What I’m telling you is Kormi’s interpretation and translation of her will into human language."
"Ah, so it’s not like those were her literal words. Still, even monsters protect their own; I guess they’ve got feelings too. Being able to talk to them like that is impressive, though."
"With Kormi’s abilities, a 'language barrier' effectively doesn’t exist."
That power was likely superior to any translation technology from my previous life. Since thoughts were laid bare, there was little room for misunderstanding or gaps in perception. While the ability to extract an opponent’s memories would make it difficult to use in a professional setting due to trust issues, that was a bridge to cross later.
"According to Kormi, the herd they belonged to collapsed because their leader suddenly went berserk," I continued. "That rogue leader supposedly patrols this area periodically. Kormi believes that if I take it down when it shows up, it will serve as sufficient proof of my strength to satisfy the mother."
"Which means you’ll be sticking around for a while."
"Yes. Based on its past movements, it’s expected to visit the irrigation pond in this village within the next few days. Apparently, it goes on a noisy rampage every time it arrives, so we’ll know immediately… Will you be staying as well, Glen-san?"
"Yeah. I’ve still got room in my Item Bag, and I don't have anywhere else to be in a hurry. It’ll be easier for everyone if I just head back with you anyway."
"Well, compared to camping out in the dirt, I suppose it would be."
I might have inadvertently domesticated an S-rank adventurer with my cooking. Still, I could prepare meals quickly, and considering he acted as more than enough security to earn his keep, I didn't mind.
"Speaking of food, that reminds me—do you butcher the prey you hunt, Glen-san? From what I saw, it looked like you were just tossing everything into your magic tools whole."
"I just shove 'em in. I know butchering is better, but when I try it, my knives go dull instantly and the meat and hides end up in tatters. My usual buyers told me, 'If you’re just going to hack it up, bring it in whole!'"
To compensate for that, Glen-san’s storage magic tool had been enchanted with Ice Magic to prevent the materials from rotting. It wasn't just an Item Bag; it was effectively a walk-in freezer.
"In that case, would you like my goblins to handle the butchering? One of them practically lives for the task; he’d be thrilled to have the work. Removing the unnecessary parts would also free up a lot of space in your storage. We can take the scraps as feed for my slimes, and I can use the processing fees to reward the goblins."
"Seriously? Then I’ll give you all the Raptors for a start. Just leave me the scales, claws, and fangs. I’ll hand over the rest once I’ve organized my bag. Where should I put them?"
"For now, in the Dimension Home—"
Just as I started to speak, I felt a tug on my left sleeve.
"Kormi?"
"There is a warehouse," the fairy said. "Equipment for butchering, too."
"Ah, right. This place was a development base for the Sea of Trees once."
"It was a military base and a refuge, too… I think it has almost everything Ryoma needs."
And so, we decided to use the mansion’s facilities to process Glen-san’s catch.
Before we entered, I instructed Kormi not to use its abilities on Glen-san without his consent and made it promise. I also warned Glen-san that while Kormi was currently tamed, it was still physically capable of casting illusions and mental attacks if it chose to.
"Eh, it’ll be fine," he grunted, walking in without a second thought. "It doesn't feel dangerous like it did before."
Inside the mansion, Kormi’s regeneration and the maintenance work of the undead had kept the structure in remarkably good shape. It felt old, but it was well-tended and fully functional. Since it was in a condition where we could stay comfortably, we decided to make the mansion our base of operations for the duration of the mission.
"Kormi, are you ready?"
"Yeah…"
Leaving Glen-san in the warehouse, Kormi and I stood with the Grave Slimes in a corner of the courtyard. Long ago, this area had been used for the aerial transport of supplies via monsters, much like my first forest base, but now it was just an overgrown garden. It wasn't particularly large, but it would suffice for a soul release.
"What should I do first?"
"If you bring out the undead, I can release them. But it only means I will stop holding them here."
"Then I’ll prepare the ritual fire… Do you understand how my magic works? You can read my memories for the details."
"…I understand. Shall I convey the meaning of the ritual to those being released?"
"Hmm… No, just praying for their peaceful passing is enough."
With the preparations for the final send-off complete, I had the Grave Slimes gradually release the undead they had stored. The first to emerge were the zombies and skeletons—undead whose appearances were no longer human. They seemed different than they had been this morning; though they showed signs of confusion, they didn't resist. One by one, they were bathed in the purifying smoke and vanished into light.
"Is this okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. The people who vanished are gone now."
Kormi looked a little lonely, but it was seeing them off with more composure than I had anticipated. Given how much it had agonized over the release during our negotiations, I had been worried it might get cold feet at the last second.
"Say, Kormi… can I ask you about your memories of them?"
"Memories…"
"You don't have to if you don't want to."
"It’s not that. It’s just… there isn't much to say."
As we spoke, I learned that while Kormi had bound these souls to this world out of loneliness, it hadn't actually interacted with them much.
Even after capturing the souls, turning them into undead meant they retained memories of their lives—specifically, the traumatic memories of their deaths. Many were deranged or embittered by the hardships they suffered before being consumed by the forest. Even when they could communicate, none of them were friendly toward the monster that Kormi was at the time.
Consequently, Kormi had begun showing them illusions of their deepest desires or happiest memories. While this stabilized their mental states, the residents became so trapped in their own personal heavens that they stopped acknowledging Kormi’s existence entirely.
Even so, Kormi hadn't been dissatisfied. While it would have been happy to interact with them, it was content simply to gather them and "observe" their presence.
I had assumed Kormi’s loneliness meant it craved "interaction," but the sentiment was actually closer to "wanting someone to live here."
"I suppose that makes sense," I mused. "Kormi is a house, after all. It’s only natural for a house to want inhabitants."
Whether it was natural or not, our perceptions of the situation had been slightly off. It explained why Kormi had been hesitant at first but readily agreed to the release once I promised that my goblins and I would be staying here.
"In that case, you have nothing to worry about. The goblins are only going to keep increasing from here."
"I’m looking forward to it."
"They’re probably butchering right now, and eventually, they'll start doing things like brewing alcohol. Is that alright?"
"There are plenty of empty rooms. I’ll know the moment pests or monsters sneak in, and I can drive them off with illusions as long as they’re on the grounds. It’s fine."
"As long as we don't exceed the capacity of the mansion, we should be good, then."
As the undead ascended into the sky with the smoke, a new group emerged from the Grave Slimes. As we chatted, individuals whose appearances were almost indistinguishable from living humans began to appear.
"What?! Are we outside? No, is this the courtyard?"
"We were supposed to be at the gates!"
"Dammit! Where are my men?!"
"Oh! Lord!"
Perhaps because they had retained their consciousness while inside the slimes, they were visibly startled by their sudden displacement. However, it didn't take long for their attention to fixate on us.
"Hey, you! Where did you put my subordinates—"
"Kormi?" I prompted.
"They are getting violent… I will explain."
They clearly thought the battle at the front gate was still ongoing. They all directed their hostility toward me, but Kormi froze them with an illusion before I had to intercept. Their souls were likely already being released, just like the others, but they remained still. I decided to simply watch over them.
"It’s a lie… I won’t believe in some hallucination! I am the Great Thief whom even kings bow before!"
The explanation seemed to have finished, as the dozen or so undead were buzzing with commotion. One was being particularly loud. He was likely a former thief who had been exiled to the Sea of Trees. He had apparently found some measure of "success" in his life—though it was debatable if a thief could ever truly be called a success—and he was refusing to accept the reality that his recent existence had been an illusion.
Just as I was preparing to put him through a forced exorcism, a man in full plate armor stepped forward and grabbed the shouting thief by the shoulder. I recognized him—it was the one who had warned us at the gate earlier, identifying himself as Baron Destria.
"Be silent," the Baron said. "You are making a spectacle of yourself."
"Let go! Who the hell do you think you’re touching?!"
"I know neither your name nor your face," the Baron said calmly. "But surely you understand that you are dead?"
"Ugh, th-that’s exactly what I’m saying is a lie! That monster is just trying to trick me!"
"Pathetic… I understand now. I died that day. And this sensation of being guided… is it your doing?"
The Baron’s eyes turned toward me.
"May I ask your name?"
"I am Ryoma Takebayashi."
"A name I have not heard… No, I shall not pry. I am Ars Destria. You have my thanks for releasing me. My time in captivity was not entirely unpleasant, but I have kept my subordinates waiting long enough. I shall depart now. If it is within your power, I would ask you to tell my family of my passing—and that I fought until the very end."
"Fortunately, I have connections to the Ducal House," I replied. "While I have no personal ties to House Destria, I will make sure the message is delivered through them."
"I am in your debt. It is a poor repayment, but rest assured that I shall take this man with me."
"What?! Don’t go deciding things on your own! Let go! Dammit!"
"To think you called yourself a Great Thief when you cannot even shake off a dead man's grip."
"Hey, help me! I’m not ready! Stop it!!"
Baron Destria vanished into the ritual smoke, dragging the self-proclaimed Great Thief with him. As silence returned to the courtyard, a woman in religious vestments softly approached.
"Please, allow me a word," she said. "I also wish to offer my thanks to the Saint."
"The Saint?" I asked, caught off guard.
"I feel the presence of the great gods strongly within you."
Ah, the gods' presence. I recalled Gain mentioning that some rare individuals might notice.
"It is true that I recently received divine protection from Meltrize-sama, but…"
"Ah! To think that at my journey's end, I would be seen off by a Saint—one who carries the protection of the Goddess of Death herself. It is the greatest honor for a servant of the gods. They have not abandoned us after all!"
"Wait, I—"
Before I could say anything else, she vanished, ascending with an ecstatic expression. She seemed satisfied to have found her own closure. I had wanted to ask her opinion on how divine protection affected magical theory, but I suppose I would just have to ask the gods directly next time.
"Hey."
Hearing a voice that sounded familiar, I turned to see an old man speaking to Kormi. It was the form Kormi had borrowed during the battle. I didn't know who he had been in life, but he was looking at Kormi with a stern expression.
"…I’m sorry for leaving you all alone," he said.
Kormi’s eyes widened.
"Everyone, let's go," the old man announced, turning his back on the fairy. "By order of the Village Chief."
As the old man faded away, the remaining villagers vanished one by one as if following him. When the last of them was gone, the ritual fire suddenly lost its intensity. Kormi stood in the quiet courtyard, watching in silence until the fire died out and even the last thin trail of smoke vanished into the sky.