#496 The Emperor’s Revival

“It’s been a hundred and fifty years since we recovered his skull from his ruined castle...”

“It’s only been two years.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Why are you the one making jokes about immortals instead of me, a genuine Lifeless King?”

“Well, it is quite common for immortals to lose their sense of time.”

How can they just exchange snarky comments so casually? 

“But two years seems to be enough.”

“Enough for what?”

“For his revival.”

“Whaaaat?!”

According to Belphgamilia, he tossed the Emperor’s skull that he had retrieved into his attic.

“Just like that?!”

“The after-measure was a bother, okay? I thought I’d put the skull away and think about what to do with it later, but then I completely forgot about it...”

Totally something a lazy person would do!

And so, the Emperor’s existence was forgotten.

While in the attic, unnoticed by anyone, he absorbed the surrounding mana and gradually restored his body to complete his revival.

“When he came out of the attic revival, I was so surprised I almost went back to sleep!”

“That’s not a typical reaction to being shocked, is it?!”

Belphgamilia lives in the capital, right?

It’s almost a blessing in disguise that he discovered the skull first since a Lifeless King running rampant in the largest city on earth would definitely send the country to the brink of ruin.

But if it’s Belphgamilia, he could beat the Emperor up like it’s nothing.

“And so, here he is again with just his skull.”

“Tsk... How could you trounce me? I am the Emperor Lifeless King!”

Does this mean the Emperor Lifeless King is weak, or Belphgamilia is just crazy strong? 

My perception of the threat of the World’s Two Greatest Calamities is becoming distorted.

“No, no, don’t get the wrong idea here. A Lifeless King is still a catastrophic monster. You must never take their likes lightly.”

“I don’t know if I should be convinced or not if that’s coming from you...!”

“This skull is incorrigible, even for me. I can kill him in an instant, sure, but I can never get rid of him. He just revives time and again. Dealing with him every single time is bothersome.”

“Your last sentence sums up your true feelings, huh?”

I think we’re finally getting to the main point of the story.

“I consulted with His Majesty, and he introduced me to this place. He said you’ll devise a good plan to consign this guy to oblivion.”

And that’s why he came all the way to our secluded farm.

Well, if he used teleportation magic, he must’ve gotten here in a heartbeat.

“Heh... Lowly creatures! No matter how much you mortals try to use your wits, you’ll never exterminate me!” fearlessly and audaciously says the Emperor. “I am the Emperor, the ultimate invader. I am eternal because I have broken the yoke of life through a forbidden art and have become a Lich King! Those who are within the finite time of life can never reach the unbound likes of me!”

“See? That’s what he keeps saying. What should I do with him, honestly...”

Belphgamilia looks troubled, but not truly troubled.

I bet he can accomplish anything if he really wants to. Except that he’d never want to be bothered to do that even if it costs him his life.

“I couldn’t leave him be because of my position in the army. Even if I dumped him on a distant mountain, things could get ugly if he revives there and causes mischief again. According to His Majesty, there is nothing you, Lord Saint, can’t do. So please, can’t you do something about this...?”

No, I myself am not that versatile.

I’m just a man who is good at tinkering with soil and nothing else.

I get help from those who live with me, such as Platy, Veil, the orcs, goblins, elves, satyrs, and Garra Rufa; that’s why I’m able to do a lot of things.

“Nothing is impossible as long as we work together...!”

“I see...cooperation is what matters, huh?”

Belphgamilia and I are starting to form a bond.

I feel relaxed with this person. But as if mocking this...

“Nonsense! People flock together because they’re weak! I, who have transcended being a human, am more than enough to do whatever I want!” 

What a yappy skull.

“If you’ve got a problem, go get one of your so-called ‘trusty’ friends who can do something about me! Not that there is one, though!  No one can control the eternally existing Lifeless King!!!”

Then, shall I summon one upon your request?

I did not include this person in the names I mentioned earlier because I wanted him to appear here.

He’s an ally who has been with us since the establishment of the farm and has helped us the most.

Let’s call him!

***

“Sensei the Lifeless King!”

“It’s an honor to be invited by you, Lord Saint.”

He’s a Lifeless King with whom we have had the longest relationship.

We call him Sensei.

I think it’s best we leave Lifeless King-related matters to him.

“Guooooooh?!”

“Oh? So, this is why you called me here today.  For a Lifeless King, he’s in pretty good shape.”

Sensei arrogantly looks down on the Emperor, who is supposed to be his equal.

The Emperor is only a skull and as white as a bone, whereas Sensei’s skeleton is thinly covered with a layer of skin.

In other words, a mummy? Or, more specifically, a Buddhist mummy?

There sure are all sorts of Lifeless Kings.

“I-I-Impossible... There’s another of my kind here...?!”

“Please don’t treat me like we’re equals,” harshly replies Sensei. “Lifeless Kings are monsters whose very way of being is out of the norm. They have strayed the path of life, and their half-astral bodies are unaffected by material deterioration—beings who have attained a near-perfect eternity... But...”

But?

“The only thing you want to achieve is world domination... What close-minded thinking.”

“What? You dare speak ill of my grand ambitions?!”

“This ambition you’ve been wanting to fulfill to the point of giving up your mortality has already been realized by Demon King Zedan. The living world is beautiful only when the living rules it. You are a fool if you, who have taken a needless detour, do not understand that.”

“How dare youuuuu...!”

“Or is this your grudge for not knowing your place? People become distorted the more they aspire for something they don’t deserve.”

Sensei’s tone is harsher than usual today.

Is it because he resents the Emperor, who is causing trouble to the people of this world as a Lifeless King?

“Spending infinite time to arrive at truths that cannot be unraveled in a person's limited lifespan is what it truly means to be a Lifeless King, meow!”

“Uooooogh?! What the-?!”

A small shadow appears out of nowhere and smacks the Emperor(‘s skull), its momentum making him roll away.

“Nyaaa! Mreowow! Hisssss!!!”

“What the hell is this cat? Stop it! Don’t cat-punch me!”

It was a cat attacking the Emperor, enticed by the peculiar trajectory of his skull and chasing after it.

“Phew... Feline instinct, meow. Whenever I see something rolling, it activates my hunting instincts, so I can’t help but chase after it, meow.”

“You’re the one who sent me rolling in the first place!”

Now, this cat seems to have appeared unexpectedly, but his appearance is expected.

After all, he’s another Lifeless King who recently took up residence on the farm.

He is an immortal king, yet he looks like nothing more than a cat.

In short, another oddball.

“Haa... You’re such an ugly botch. It’s no wonder Sensei is irritated by you. Try-hards like you are nothing but a disgrace to actual hardcore people.”

“While I don’t consider myself hardcore, I still cannot tolerate this kind of people, especially when they cause trouble to the living. Let us make arrangements so that such evil will be destroyed and never resurrected again, even if Lord Saint does not ask us to do so.”

Sensei is getting more and more fired up...!

He’s ready to kill the Emperor at any moment!

“Every last one of you only looks down on me...!”

Hm? Something’s going on with the Emperor...

He was only a skull until a second ago, but now, a tail-like structure grew from the bottom of his head!

Sproing!

As it turns out, it’s his spine—complete with the cervical vertebrae, thoracic vertebrae, and lumbar vertebrae!

Then, from the spine, ribs, pelvis, and limbs grew out, and in no time at all, the entire skeleton was complete.

Wait a minute... Do bones grow just like that?!

It’s not like they’re cheap parts purely made of calcium!

“The Emperor has been revived! Know the horrors of this Emperor, the ruler of the whole world! This place will serve as the starting point of my reign!”