#961 The Saintess’ Apprenticeship

By the way, the legendary figure known as Thomack Moore...

...Is actually Sensei.

Even though he’s now a Lifeless King, the most powerful undead around, he used to be quite famous in his living days. So famous that history remembers him as Thomack Moore.

And someone who admired him set out to defeat Lifeless Kings, only to find out their hero was the very undead king they aimed to destroy. How ironic.

“Hey, about this Thomack Moore person...”

Trying to untangle this mess a bit, I start talking to Maradona.

Of course, the topic is about the Lifeless King’s past.

But then, Sensei firmly stops me in my tracks.

“Lord Saint...! Please, keep this under wraps...!”

Wait, you mean your true identity, Sensei?

But why?

I don’t think it’s necessary to keep this a secret, is it?

“Indeed, there’s no harm in telling, but we keep quiet to preserve the dream. Look at her!”

At Sensei’s urging, I look at Saintess Maradona again.

Hmm...

Her eyes are sparkling like stars.

Makes you question if she’s keeping a galaxy inside those eyes.

“Um, do you have the heart to dim those eyes? Because I don’t.”

Yeah, I don’t either.

I’m more or less a peace-loving guy.

“To her, I...rather, Thomack Moore is a hero of justice. We can’t shatter that illusion.”

As expected of Sensei. He thinks things through.

So, it’s clear that he’s committed to keeping his identity a secret from her.

Now then.

It looks like I’ve got most of the info sorted out regarding Saint Maradona.

What’s next? Helping her rest in peace?

I mean, technically, she died 300 years ago, so she really shouldn’t be hanging around here.

Given that it was my mistake, a guy with cheat powers from another world, that brought her back, I should probably help her return to where she belongs.

“Yes, staying in this world against the laws of nature isn’t beneficial... Though, coming from me, that’s quite something.”

Another one of Sensei’s undead jokes.

I figure Hades, the god of the underworld, could probably sort this out nicely.

So, what does she want to do?

“Absolutely NOT!”

Why?

You’re already dead, so you should just go with the flow and follow the natural order.

“No, this resurrection must have a deeper meaning. I, the saintess, believe it’s divine guidance! All fate is led by the gods!”

She’s starting to sound a bit delusional.

“I’m sure the gods want me to defeat more Lifeless Kings! To bring peace to the world! To spread holy light! The gods are telling me to vanquish the evil darkness!!!”

But you haven’t actually defeated Lifeless Kings, have you?

With a record of zero wins and one loss, where’s all this confidence coming from?

Just now, you got thoroughly beaten by a standard Lifeless King, the Earl. How do you plan to achieve your goal?

“I was just having an off day! Watch, this Lifeless King looks pretty mellow; I’ll take him down in no time!”

Ah.

Before I could stop her, the saintess rushed to the nearest Lifeless King... which was Sensei.

Foolish move.

“Ugyaaaojibooooooo!”

See, I told you.

She got repelled by the constant protective barrier he always has up!

Just because someone seems mellow doesn’t mean they’re easy prey.

Haven’t you read enough shonen manga to know the quiet ones are often the toughest?

Sensei is one of the ‘Three Sages’ among the Lifeless Kings, feared as the strongest undead.

He’s over five hundred times stronger than that Earl.

The fact that she attacked him without any caution shows she has the situational awareness of a mohawked thug, thinking a master assassin is just an ordinary person.

“Grrr, I just let my guard down that time! Now you’ll see my true power!”

Ohh?

A pure white light begins to rise from the saintess’ feet…!

“The magic I, the saintess, use isn’t just any magic! It’s divine magic bestowed by the gods and passed down through the church for generations! It uses the world’s mana to perform miracles! Behold my ultimate attack, Holy Genocide Atomic!!!”

With that confusing battle cry, she unleashes a glowing orb.

It’s a blinding white, exuding pure holiness.

Naturally, the glowing orb shoots straight at Sensei, who takes it head-on without even flinching, let alone trying to block or dodge.

“Yes! A direct hit! First target eliminated!”

The saintess declares triumphantly, as if it were the end of a saga.

But things are never that easy.

Sensei, despite having taken the full force of the attack, stands there completely unscathed, not even a scratch on him.

“What?! How?! That was a holy attack, the undead’s greatest weakness!”

“I’ve recently become a Holy Lifeless King. Attacks of the same attribute are utterly ineffective against me. Even if I were still my old, corrupted, undead self, the difference in our power is so vast that your holy attribute wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.”

That ultimate move of hers was probably meant to be devastating, but it might as well have been a light tap.

Yet, the saintess, tough as she was, prepared to launch another holy spell…

“Stop.”

“Eep!”

Sensei’s glare alone froze her in place.

He didn’t even use magic; it was just sheer force of will.

“Thaumaturgy damages the earth’s veins. The gods who sent humans to the surface gave you this magic to conquer the land of Hades. It’s designed to wipe out us earth spirits and disrupt the flow of mana, ruining the land. It’s a double-edged sword that harms the earth.”

But for us, living on the surface, it’s nothing but pure evil.

“I thought the church and thaumaturgy magic had vanished, yet here it is again. If you want to defeat me, you mustn’t use such corrupt magic. It won’t work on me, and it’s a nuisance to everyone around.”

Indeed.

The land around our farm, nurtured over many years, is now partly in ruins thanks to that spell.

This is going to affect the crops in this area, you know?

“If you seek a way to oppose me, I’ll teach you a much better way to handle mana than those outdated spells. Master that, and you’ll stand a chance.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

The saintess looks bewildered.

“You’re going to train me? Why? Aren’t you my enemy? You’re supposed to be a dreadful Lifeless King, you know?”

“After living for a thousand years, hatred fades. Instead, I find it fascinating how quickly the young change. I thought you might surprise me, too.”

Sensei then raises his hand.

Towards the ground.

With a simple “heave-ho,” the ground explodes, creating a huge crater.

“Doeeeeeeeehhhh?!”

“I’m researching a technique that converts pure mana into physical power. If you master this, you’ll be far stronger than with those clumsy spells.”

Sensei is serious.

He’s always loved teaching, after all.

“Turning mana directly into attack power…?! But only a monster like you, with massive mana reserves, can achieve such power! How could a mere human like me…?!”

The saintess’ confusion is understandable, but Sensei’s response is unexpected.

“What are you talking about? You’re already a Lifeless King.”

“Huh?”

“You died once and came back to life with your consciousness intact. That makes you just like a Lifeless King, a half-spirit made of dense mana. You can easily reach this level of power.”

“Huh?”

The information Sensei shared shocked the saintess even more than the revelation of his true identity.

“I’m… a Lifeless King?”

Realizing she had become the very thing she was meant to defeat, she let out a long, “Ehhhhhhhhh?!”