Chapter 174: Unpleasant Reunions and New Encounters
When I saw Orvo, I remained frozen in place, unable to move for a while. It was an unbelievable story to have a man who should have been dead right in front of my eyes.
However, it seemed that this was indeed a reality. Normally, I would have charged in driven by killing intent, but thanks to my initial paralysis, I managed to stay calm. I noticed something peculiar about Orvo’s body; it seemed to be somewhat translucent.
“You, what on earth is your body?”
“Oh? You can speak now. You’ve been practicing, haven’t you? Well done, well done!”
Without responding to my question, Orvo started clapping his hands and praising me. To be honest, I didn’t feel any joy in being praised by him, and most of all, his manner of praise got on my nerves. If he intended to provoke me, he was definitely succeeding.
Suppressing my frustration, I looked around the room with my compound eyes. First, I noticed that I was lying on a large bed. It was spacious enough to comfortably accommodate three adults, and the sheets were so clean that they seemed untouched.
The room, while not particularly spacious, was still immaculately clean. Apart from the bed, there was only a closet and a small desk, giving it the feel of a room meant solely for sleeping.
I heightened my other senses to gather more information. The sound of waves and a faint sea breeze wafting through a slightly open wooden window suggested that I was near the sea.
“…Is that one outside a guard?”
“Huh? You noticed Mr. Eins. How did you do it?”
“Well, I wonder how.”
What I did was lightly tap the floor with the tip of my tail, making sure it made no sound as it hit the floor, and I discerned that someone was outside the room by the way the vibrations traveled. Even though the person outside the door didn’t emit any heartbeat or breath sounds, Orvo displayed no attempt to conceal he was indeed there. It appeared that he was more concerned about the performance of his creation than keeping secrets.
Eins, whose presence was easily exposed by Orvo, let out a somewhat exasperated sigh outside the door. To be honest, I could empathize with the sentiment. I had a feeling that I might get along better with Eins than with Orvo.
“Hmm, I’m curious about the method… But first, let me answer your question. I’m dead. That’s a fact. However, my soul is tethered to the mortal realm.” Orvo said.
“So, you mean you’ve become a ghost?”
“Well, more like…bound to it, but roughly, you could say that. I had this in mind before I died, but you really are quick-witted.”
“Well, thanks.”
While casually responding to Orvo, I dredged up knowledge about ghosts and souls. When living beings die, their souls are said to dissipate and merge with the world. However, the souls of those who die with strong resentment and bitterness do not dissipate but become what is known as a ghost.
However, Orvo was no ordinary ghost. Going against the laws of nature, ghosts typically lose their sanity. My knowledge did not account for ghosts like the one before me, who behaved just as they did in their previous life.
The secret lay in the repeated emphasis that Orvo placed on phrases like “was done” and “was made to do”. Someone in this world was keeping him tethered as a sane ghost. I didn’t know who it was, but they’d done something unnecessary.
“I’ve told you the answer to your question, so spill the beans on your end,” Orvo insisted.
“Uh… Fine. I sensed him through vibrations.”
“Vibrations?”
“Even if the other party tries to mask his heartbeats and breath sounds, you can still figure out most things by sending vibrations from your end.”
I reluctantly shared the method, realizing that I might be persistently pressed until I did. Revealing my inner workings was less unpleasant than being hounded by Orvo.
Orvo was aware that my words and voice were very blunt when speaking to him, but he didn’t seem to care at all. In fact, he nodded repeatedly, seemingly impressed. He clearly had no concern for my feelings.
“I see. It sounds like you can do interesting things, but… it seems you don’t know much about how Mr. Eins really looks.”Orvo remarked.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because if you knew, there would be no need for words like heartbeats and breath sounds. Right, Mr. Eins?”
“Cut me some slack, Sire Orvo. Yer talkin’ way too much, ya know.”
As Orvo had rightly pointed out, I didn’t have a precise idea of the appearance of the person outside. If I had caused more substantial vibrations, perhaps I could have discerned more. However, a mere tap at the tip of the tail was my limit. That wasn’t my actual limit, but if they wanted to think so, that was fine.
More crucial than that was the person who entered the room, opening the door with a look of bewilderment. The person or thing that was called Eins shocked me so much that my eyes were glued to him. The reason for my surprise was that there stood a moving statue, dressed in clothing.
The body was almost entirely made of milky-white stone, with blue gemstones embedded where the eyes should be. There was no hair on its head, and it wore a hat on its smooth scalp.
The appearance was clearly far from that of any living creature, yet its movements were indistinguishable from a human’s. It was impossible to imagine that a person was inside, so how was this even possible?
“Don’t think too much of it, Mr. Eins. You were probably told to fetch him once he woke up by the president, right? Facing him a bit earlier won’t make a big difference.” Orvo said.
“Well, yes, but…”
“There’s a difference between coming out on your own and being exposed by someone else. He has been hiding for no one else but you, after all. There’s no way he’d take kindly to having that goodwill disregarded.” I said.
When I expressed my opinion, both Orvo and Eins seemed taken aback. It seemed like they hadn’t anticipated me saying anything. Eins was especially surprised when he felt like I was defending him.
It’s natural to be surprised when a perfect stranger empathizes with you. However, between Orvo, whom I disliked, and Eins, who was a stranger to me, I had no hesitation in choosing the latter. I held a certain level of resentment towards Orvo, to say the least.
“Hmm, I see… well, never mind. I’ll go on ahead.”
Orvo said, nodding his head a few times as if impressed. After that, he departed for somewhere; he did not leave through the door, but actually through the wall. Watching him do that only reaffirmed the idea that he might indeed be a ghost.
With Orvo gone, it left just Eins and me in the room. It felt… awkward. How should I approach this situation?
“Ah, lemme introduce myself again. I’m Eins. Nice to meet ya.”
“I’m likewise pleased to meet you. However, I’m sorry. I don’t have a name to introduce myself with, so feel free to call me whatever you like.”
“No name, huh? Well, ain’t that somethin’ pitiful.”
“Pitiful, you say? It’s never been a problem for me.”
I honestly admitted that I didn’t have a name to offer, and Eins looked at me with a sense of sympathy. Despite having a face that resembled a human’s with gemstone eyes, it was quite remarkable how emotions seemed to be conveyed so effectively. Why was that?
“It ain’t about bein’ in a problem or not, ya know? Names, they’re important. It’s ’cause havin’ a name, it helps you recognize yourself and understand that you’re you, all on your own.”
“Is that so?”
“Yup, that is so.”
According to Eins, names were evidently something of great significance. I had never had a name before, so I couldn’t fully grasp the sentiment. However, the way Eins passionately spoke about it indicated that names held some value.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t bring myself to give myself a name. Should I ask Tigar and the others for help? No, when I once requested that they give me a name, they declined, deeming it presumptuous. Hmm, what should I do then…
“Ah, that’s it! Perfect, how ’bout ya meet my master right now, and let my master give ya a name? Yeah, it’s a right good idea! Once it’s decided, let’s get goin’ quick!”
“What!? Hey, wait! I can walk on my own, you know!”
After finishing his words, Eins tried to carry me on his shoulder. Feeling embarrassed, I hastily asked to be put down on the floor. The floor was adorned with a plush carpet, and my feet sank into it, giving the impression of a luxurious mansion.
Walking behind Eins with my steps sinking into the soft carpet, I couldn’t help but notice that this mansion was likely larger than the mansion of the noble who housed me when I was just an ordinary scorpion.
My judgment was based on the width of the corridors and the spacious courtyard. The courtyard was beautifully arranged around a large fountain in the center, so grand that even I could appreciate its beauty. It seemed that Eins’s master was a person of considerable wealth, surpassing even the nobility of smaller countries.
“Here we are.”
“I see.”
After strolling through the vast mansion for a while, Eins led me to stand before a pair of imposing double doors. I couldn’t discern anything about what lay beyond the doors, even with my keen senses. It appeared that there were spiritual circuits inscribed to prevent anyone from probing the interior.
This master that we were meeting seemed to be both affluent and cautious in nature. As I pondered these thoughts, the moment Eins touched it, the heavy-looking door began to open on its own. I sensed a faint spiritual power movement from Eins; he had probably activated some kind of spiritual circuit. Quite convenient, I must say.
Beyond the door lay a large room with high ceilings. Unlike the hallways and the room where I had awakened, this room had no carpet on the floor. Instead, intricate patterns that appeared to be spiritual circuits were densely inscribed.
What was astonishing was that these patterns were constantly in motion and ever-changing. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the technology at play here.
A huge crystal ball hung from the ceiling, with complex numbers and symbols projected as flowing light within it. Orvo was floating next to it, looking inside the crystal ball with a serious expression.
“Master, I have brought ’em.”
“You’ve done well, Eins.”
The man who uttered those words was a man with long white hair, which seemed like it could touch the ground. His hair was entirely white, yet strangely, he didn’t appear to be an elderly man. He looked only slightly older than Orvo.
His facial features were refined, and his elongated eyes exuded a surplus of intelligence. He wore loose-fitting white attire and held a staff longer than his own height. There was no doubt that he was an excellent spiritualist.
However, the moment he entered my field of vision, I couldn’t help but break out in cold sweat. There was one reason for my unease. It was the overwhelming disparity in power between the seemingly slender and physically unassuming man before me and myself.
In terms of physical abilities, I felt confident that I wouldn’t be outmatched. I also believed my fighting spirit was strong enough. However, the sheer magnitude of spiritual power contained within the man before me was indescribable, and he had perfect control over it. I hoped we wouldn’t have to fight, but if it came to that, I had to be prepared for the possibility of death.
“And so, let us welcome you, the primordial and strongest demon. This one is known as Aiwass El Regis. I am the founder of the secret society “The Seventh Pillar”, to which the floating Orvo over there also belongs.”
Aiwass introduced himself with a smile, spreading his arms in a gesture of welcome. For the time being, it seemed there was no immediate threat. Nevertheless, this man was someone who was even superior to Orvo, so I decided to listen without letting my guard down.
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TN: Secret Society seventh pillar has been introduced many times throughout the story; what I remember is that both Orvo and Karelvo are members of it and that their own parents were also members of it; which means this founder guy is hella old. Btw, this is not spoilers, only facts from the story.
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