Chapter 25

"Hehehe, from today, you are my loyal servant... Come over here."

Jean said it as if he were calling a small child. I responded with magic.

"Fireball!"

"...Huh?"

Yeah, apparently nothing happened. If I had been under his control, I wouldn't have been able to attack like this.

"Kyaa!?"

Jean dodged the fireball that suddenly flew at him by crouching down.

Surprisingly quick.

It seems he has some combat experience.

Well, I don't want him to die just yet, so I intentionally threw it in a way he could dodge.

"Wh-What nonsense!? Why can you attack me!? I'm sure my spell worked!"

Judging from his shocked expression, it doesn't seem like it was just a failure. In other words, it didn't work on me.

...Huh?

Does that mean it's impossible to purify me...

Completely disappointing.

No, it's too early to conclude that.

Let's hear him out first.

"...Hey."

I called out to Jean as I approached him.

But it ended up sounding like a threat...

"..."

Maybe because he's human, I got nervous.

Right, I won't think of him as human.

I'll think of him as an undead.

If I think of him as an undead, I should be able to have a normal conversation.

But unfortunately, my nice idea was ruined.

"～～～～!"

The last remaining female undead stood in front of me.

"N-No... I... I won't... disappear..."

But her face was crumpled with tears.

She probably can't disobey Jean's orders.

...This is tough.

Even if she's an undead, I can't bring myself to kill a crying woman.

As I hesitated, Jean saw it as an opportunity and took out something that looked like an old pot from his cloak.

"...Right, I have this! I wanted to keep it, but there's no choice now!"

He then threw the pot with all his might. It broke on the ground.

A terribly ominous presence burst out.

It was pitch black and ominous.

Though it had no physical form, it was a definite presence, and it was writhing in countless layers.

'Hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate'

'Can't forgive can't forgive can't forgive can't forgive can't forgive can't forgive can't forgive can't forgive'

'Die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die'

A flood of terrifying grudges was scattered.

Just hearing them made me feel like I was going insane.

"Ghost...?"

Ghosts are a type of undead that wander the world as spirits without physical bodies.

What emerged from the pot was a mass of countless ghosts.

"Hahaha! This is a mass of ghosts I secretly collected and carefully raised! About three hundred! Isn't it a magnificent grudge, even for me? I had a hard time collecting this many!"

If you're going to collect something, collect something better.

That's what I genuinely thought.

The mass of ghosts clung to the body of the nearest female undead.

"Come here."

"Come over here."

"You'll be one of us."

"No, stop! Let me go! Don't involve meee!"

It seemed her spirit was being dragged out of her body.

Is that even possible...

The female undead, with tears and snot streaming down her face, pleaded with Jean.

"Master Jean, please! Help me!"

"You're no longer needed. You'll become part of it."

"Why!? You said we'd be together forever before, didn't you!?"

"Hahaha, I don't remember that."

"Such a thing—No, noooooo!"

With a particularly loud scream, the female undead's body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

"NOOOOOO!"

On the other hand, her spirit was absorbed into the mass of ghosts, screaming until the end.

"Hahaha, this thing feeds on spirits and grows eternally!"

"OAAAH!"

This time, it headed towards me.

...Scary!

After all, countless ghosts were approaching with faces that seemed to curse the world.

If I were my former self, I might have wet my pants.

I shouted in my mind.

Don't come here!

"OAAAH...?"

For some reason, the mass of ghosts stopped moving.

Huh?

Did they listen to me?

No way.

Besides, I only shouted in my mind.

...I'll try it once more.

Spin three times, bark.

Well, a mass of ghosts wouldn't—

Spin, spin, spin.

"Woof!"

Did they really do it!?

They definitely spun three times and barked, right!?

Okay, let's try something else.

Sit!

The ghosts all sat down on the ground at once.

Lie down!

The ghosts all lay down on the ground at once.

...They're like well-trained dogs.

And because they're a group, it's quite a sight.

"!?! What, what's going on!? What are you doing!? I didn't order you to do that!"

Jean was panicking.

For some reason, the mass of ghosts was completely ignoring his orders and obeying me.

Hmm...

At that moment, strangely, I could sense their emotions hidden deep within the grudges.

"Kill me."

"I want to die."

"Please forgive me."

...I see.

They didn't choose to be in this state.

Jean used necromancy to forcibly keep them in this world.

I now understand how despicable that is.

"...You all want to rest peacefully, don't you?"

When I asked, they nodded vigorously.

In response, I cast a spell.

"Fireball!"

I made the fire burn in place without direction.

While it's common knowledge that magic doesn't affect spirits, the magic I use is probably different.

The ghosts rushed into the burning flames one after another.

"Ah..."

"Finally, I can rest..."

"Thank you..."

Then their forms faded and eventually disappeared.

It seems my fire magic has the power to purify ghosts.

...It doesn't work on me, though.

"Such... such a thing..."

Jean's lips trembled as he watched the scene.

"Communicating with ghosts and controlling them at will... Could it be, you are..."

When all the ghosts had disappeared, I glared at Jean with anger.

"Kyaa?"

Just that made him collapse on the spot. I approached him and grabbed his throat.

"A, a, a..."

"Before you die, I have one last question. Do you know how to purify... me myself?"

"Uhaha... Uhahahaha!"

...He suddenly started laughing strangely.

"Even I can't do that! Hehehe! But, you know, the capital! The capital of this country might have some answers! Uhahaha!"

The capital, huh.

It seems this necromancer can't meet my expectations.

"I see... Goodbye."

I tightened my grip and crushed Jean's throat.

Just as the necromancer's body collapsed to the ground,

"I, I found you!"

—I was caught by the holy knight girl.

The second volume of "The Reincarnated Hero's Leisurely Journey" will be released tomorrow by Hero Bunko! Thank you for your support! (Clicking on the cover illustration below will take you to the official page.)