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Chapter 26: New Followers x Information about Sebdola, the World of Spirits

Immediately, I decided to try out the skeleton ring.

A jet black skull. The helmet covering it makes the design look strong.

It has a pair of small red jewels embedded in the eye sockets that glitter.

For a moment I remember the program about special effects that I watched in my previous existence.

The talking ring that comes out of the golden ki○.

I put the skeleton ring on my finger.

Nothing happens at first.

Zoru touched it with a finger.

I guess I will try that. Will it react if I will it?

While pressing a finger to the “ring” I try to channel power to it.

The moment I try to will it- my mana is lost and the ring splits open.

The skeleton ring shakes with a *buru*.

Without thinking I stretch out the hand wearing the ring.

From the red eye jewels in the sockets of the skeleton ring two strings stretch out, two thin line of red and black expand into the air, completing an arc the land on the ground.

This is how it happened when Zoru did it.

The bone knights appear to be summoned.

Rollo’s fur begins to bristle in surprise.

Meanwhile, the ground where the threads landed begins to boil.

It boils loud, and the air fills with clouds of smoke.

Once the smoke is blown away by the wind, the figure of the bone knights become visible.

※ Pikon ※ Skill Acquired※

※ Pikon ※ Conditions for Magic User Met ※ Battle Occupation Class Up ※

※ Magic Apprentice Class Up to Magic User ※

Ooh, I became a magic user and acquired a skill by summoning the bone knights.

The summoned bone knights stand still, unmoving.

Maybe I need to give them instructions.

“Oi, move to the right.”

Responding to my command, the bone knights begin to move to the right.

It also works when I tell them to move to the left.

When Rollo sees the strange movements of the bone knights her tail puffs out and the fur on her back stands up.

Crouching, Rollo begins to slowly and cautiously approach the bone knights.

And then, she delivers a cat swipe to the tibia bone and escapes, demonstrating a boxing hit and away. (TL: Rollo is so cute. Also, “Hit and Away” was in English.)

“Haha, you don’t need to be on guard. Rollo, these are like pets. It’s okay.”

“Nya.”

Rollo the black cat hides behind my back while her puffed out tail returns to normal.

I should look for an explanation of the skill.

“Skill Status.”

Acquired Skills:＜Throwing＞:＜Secret＞:＜Cerebral Demon Speed＞:＜Blood Banquet＞:＜Thrusting＞:＜Meditation＞:＜Magic Beast Riding＞:＜Life Magic＞:＜Guidance Moji＞:＜Fighting Moji＞:＜Magic Thought Guidance Hand＞:＜Fairy Moji＞:＜Summoning Magic＞

I check *Click*

※Summoning Magic※

High levels of mana and mental fortitude are required for a summons. If conditions are met, by using a special dark magic tool as a medium to cross over the threshold, it is possible to summon an existence designated to the magic tool from a different dimension. Also, by performing a naming ceremony and consuming one’s own mana it is possible to cause a further evolution of the tool.

So the black and red bone knights are the designated existences of this magic tool.

A naming ceremony.

Even if it is mentioned I do not know what it means.

Since it is special should I name it?

While thinking something so casual I touch a finger to the bone ring-

“Black Zemeckis, Red Admos.”

Without putting too much thought into it, I speak the names I chose smoothly, and then, again, the ring reacts.

The ring I am touching suddenly draws up my mana.

Eh, uo, the ring transformed?

, The ring is moulded by a rising wave that covers the dark skull and helmet, moving and changing.

This, did it only suck in mana?

The change stops after the foundation of the ring covers my finger from the first joint to my nail. (TL: Artefact evolution is so cool.)

The design of the helmeted skull has changed; the helmet has become more elaborate.

It feels like the red jewels in the eye sockets are glittering more than before.

At which point, the eyes begin to actually shine.

Two thick red and black threads spring forth.

The thick threads that came from the ring stretch out to the bone knights, connecting with the stomachs of the bone knights and forming bold lines.

The thick lines are just like umbilical cords. They look like blood vessels.

While I think of the lines like that, they begin to pulse and beat *dokudoku.*

Every time they pulse the bone knights lean back *dokun* in response.

Is it giving them nourishment?

The moment I ask such a question,

-Uha, a rib is protruding from its chest. A round hole in the chest of the bone knights, opens to the left and right.

The ribs branch off to the left, right, up and down and begin the to dance like a peacock’s feathers, the hole in the chest begins to breath like the bellows of an accordion. (TL: So gross and so cool.)

Uhi, what…

The bone knights seem to still be changing.

From the breathing hole, something new like big bones and steel flesh is produced. (kotetsu -> steel, niku -> meat/flesh; kotetsu no niku -> steel of flesh(?), steel-like flesh?)

Then like watching a rewinding video, their bodies are regenerated.

Furthermore, black and red steam begins to rise from the two regenerating figures and obscures them so that I can no longer see.

I make out something like an evaporating sound.

“Nya, nya, nyaaa.”

Becoming excited by what is happening Rollo cries out several times and turns around me, round and round.

The evaporating sound fades and when the smoke blows away the figures of the bone knights appear.

The two bone knights go to one knee and lower their heads.

Is it done now?

Just now, wasn’t a considerable amount of mana used?

After a long time, I once again taste bile in my mouth.

The feeling is slightly better than when I used fairy moji for the first time.

“Your Highness, the Boiling Black Knight, Zemeckis. Is here.”

“You Highness, the Boiling Red Knight, Admos. Now, here. Give us any order.”

Uhaa, they talked…

These guys, they’re intelligent?

I look at the bone knights that introduced themselves.

Their frames are pretty thick…

Their chests have changed into a rough armour made of bone and muscle.

A black and red thread connect to the respectively named bone knights, and on their head their cheek bones thicken out and become like a thick helmet.

Their shining red eyes do not seem to have changed.

“The bone knights scale-upped. This ring is awesome…”

While looking at the changed helmeted dark bone ring, when I mutter, the Boiling Black Knight immediately reacts.

“Your Highness, the ring has transformed from the Darkbone Helm, and it is now known as the Hellish Darkbone Knight.” (Editor: doesn’t flow to compare “Darkbone” and “Dark Hellbone” though it may be nitpicky…while I also thought about “Dark Bone Helm” and “Dark Hell Bone Knight”, later on Shuya does call them “Darkbone Knights”(?))

“Hou, with such a name…when this ring was transformed, the name changed too. Well, you were also just bone knights until a little while ago.”

This time the Boiling Red Knight responds.

“Your Highness. We will no longer be low-class bone knights anymore. With his Highness’ naming ceremony, I was granted the name Admos-”

“I am Zemeckis.”

The two bone knights, no, now, Zemeckis and Admos.

Those are names I gave them based on feelings, but they match quite well.

“Okay then, Zemeckis and Admos. Thank you for your work from here on out.” (TL: So glad I don’t have to write “bone knights” anymore.) (Editor: when will he name popobumu so that it evolves??!?)

The Darkbone Knights respond to me with voices full of fighting spirit. (TL: God damn it.)

“-Ha.”

“Haha-”

They lower their skulls in harmony with a *gotsu*

“So, the ‘naming ceremony,’ is that the reason my mana was consumed?”

“That is the reason.”

“That is the reason.”

They speak in harmony with deep bass voices…

“So, you two are people that live in a different world?”

“Yes. Rather than living, we exist. That would be correct way to say it.”

“By the way, is the world you guys come from something like the world of spirits?” (TL: Back in chapter 16 I translated something as spirit world, but that wasn’t right, it was more like boundary of gods. In this chapter the world of spirits is 魔界 or “makai” and can also be translated as hell. I may decide to change to translation to hell depending on how it is used in the future.)

The Boiling Black Knight Zemeckis answers my question.

“Yes. The Spirit World, Sebdola, is one of the godly domains bordering this world, Sera.” (TL: I’m also not sure how to translate about the god worlds. The author uses 神界 or “kamikai” here, which is what I miss-translated before.”

So that is how it is.

But, this world, Sera? This is my first time hearing about it.

I ask them for more details.

“Is Sera the world we are in now?”

“Yes. That is correct.

“Then, once more. There are different godly worlds?”

I can predict the answer, but I ask anyways.

“Yes. We know of the godly world Seurosu as well.” (just a guess)

Yup. After all, this is how it is. So, like heaven and hell?

Shisho mentioned it before.

“…Are there other worlds like that?”

“I have heard that other dimensions and worlds exist, but I do not know the details.” (another guess based on the content of the next edit)

I direct my eyes to get a response from the Boiling Red Knight.

“Similarly, I do not know.”

Anyways, aside from different dimensions, different worlds seem to exist as well.

In essence, not only heaven and hell, but other worlds seem to exist too.

“Then, does a God exist in each world?”

“Hai.”

“That is correct.”

Ho, I wonder what they look like. Could I summon them?

“…Having summoned you two, could I summon a god from your world? Is something like that possible?”

“It is physically impossible.”

“Impossible, but… this Sera? The gods seem to want to influence this world, and they seem to have rules.”

Boiling Black Knight Zemeckis talks with a deep solid voice.

“Yes. Certainly. The things ruling Sebdola have feelings beyond obsession for this world, Sera. They desire faith and want sacrifices made to them. And, they live off feelings like fear and hatred.”

Boiling Red Knight Admos continues talking this time.

“Also, by tempting magic users there are gods that make wounds in the veil to create slight connections between their worlds and the world of Sera. The gods then send their retainers through the wound to this world. In addition to allowing the summoning of servants, every person who uses a magic tool or demon tool is destined to be tempted, resulting in indirect domination. Or, there are gods that directly suppress and dominate the mind.”

Hee, these are dangerous beings.

Though I say they are dangerous, I am already an existence people would call a demon.

“Well then, since you feed off negative feelings, do you also want to take over my mind?”

In response to my question the expression of the Boiling Knight breaks and cracks apart, its bone lips pulling into a grotesque smile, and it answers by moving those strange bone lips.

“No, such a thing cannot happen. We are certainly beings that exist in Sebdola’s world of spirits. Negative feelings can therefore become power. However, we cannot even construct psychic waves, much less attack using magic. And though there are numerous demonic existences there the ‘connection’ with your Highness is the same even in the world of spirits. That is to us ‘His Highness’ surpasses god and when we pass over becomes the greatest existence.”

So our strange connection is the reason I can feel their loyalty.

“”Our existence was created by His Highness.””

The voices of the boiling black and red bone knights overlap one another.

“For us His Highness’ word is absolute. We Boiling Knights live on the mana supplied by His Highness.”

I can tell these are their true feelings.

Is this because of the “connection?”

“I see, understood. But, I was able to summon you easily, yet summoning gods is impossible.”

“Yes. Gods are powerful and complicated. Our existence is equal to dust when compared to their magic essence. We are not something that can be compared to gods. His Highness also possesses our magic essence inside the ring type dark magic tool, so the dimensional veil can be crossed using the ring as a medium to transfer us Hellish Darkbone Knights.”

The Boiling Red Knight talks while looking at my ring.

“Hou, the reason is related to magic essence. Then is it the stronger the power, the harder it is to pass through the dimensional veil?”

“That is correct. The dimensional veil is called the dimension boundary; it is said that it repels powerful existences like gods. So it is impossible to directly summon a ‘god.’ However, depending on the circumstances…”

Is it hard to say? The figures have fallen silent together.

“Didn’t you just say it was impossible?”

I remember the words “physically impossible” but do not mention them.

“That is correct. However, if severe conditions are met it is possible for a ‘condensed portion of a god’ to appear.”

“What condition?”

Like before, the Boiling Black Knight Zemeckis talks first.

“As far as we know…the first is that the summoned god controls a very large domain in Sebdola. Second, the god must hold sway over the majority of believers, adherents or fanatics in Sera.”

The Boiling Red Knight also talks.

“Third, a strong dark magic must be prepared that has more influence on the spirit world than the dimensional veil. Fourth, massive amounts of magic essence, souls, and feelings of fear and hatred must be poured into the dark magic tool, and finally, the fifth is to complete a ‘ceremony,’ only then it is said that one may summon a god.”

Basically you need vast amounts of intermediaries and other things.

“Huh, even if I go that far, only one portion…”

“Correct.”

“Yes.”

“But, what we talked about before, you said there are magic users who make ‘wounds’ in the veil that create a way to Sera from the world of spirits? Please expand on that, don’t evil gods appear from there?”

“Impossible. In the first place, making a “wound” from this world is already nearly an impossible feat. And, even if a wound is made it cannot be widened.”

The Boiling Knights continue talking.

“Even with a “wound” usually only races with small amounts of magic essence are chosen from Sebdola and sent to this world. Besides, the “wounded place” in the spirit world will become an area highly fought over, a source of fights between gods and lords. Without arranging the conditions we listed before, if a god tries to force their way through the wound, its energy will disperse in the dimensional veil, so the god’s power would be substantially reduced. That may lead to the annihilation of the god.”

Ho, something like that can even happen to a god.

However, about the wound in the dimensional veil.

Considering the image of a connection, is it unrelated to the Zararapu ring I saw underground? (The Sci-fi Star Gate.)

I do not understand it, but I will try inquiring about it for now.

“This is sudden, but does Spirit World Sebdola have anything to do with a black Zararapu ring?”

“A black Zararapu ring?”

“I do not understand.”

Neither Red nor Black seems to know.

It seems unrelated to the gate underground.

“Deep underground I once saw a black ring. It was something like a gate, of which there should be countless ones in this world…”

“Such a thing in Sera…”

“I do not know.”

They do not seem to know about the black rings.

Even though demonic beings should appear from Zararapu.

“Does Spirit World Sebdola not have such a black ring-like structure that can warp?”

“There is not.”

“There is movement magic using transfer formations.”

There is magic for it, but there are no black rings.

“Is there not, even though some guys called demonic beings seemed to have appeared from the black ring, do you really know nothing?”

“I do not know of it. That there is such a structure…”

“Demonic beings…I could guess…it may be demonic beings from a different dimension’s world.”

A different dimension’s world.

It is possible.

Ma, even if I conjecture there is no point in it.

I will try returning back to something more basic.

“Understood. Thank you, and now, are you aware that you are summoned by this ring?”

“Yes.”

“That is correct.”

“You were successfully summoned this time, but do you have trouble crossing the dimensional veil?”

“It is alright. As we said before, we are connected to His Highness and have a special ‘way’ to cross over.”

After all there is such a feeling.

But, it is a little difficult to understand. Special?

“You already talked about us being connected, but what about the special ‘way?’”

It was the Boiling Black Knight Zemeckis that answered my question.

“It is related to the summoning magic and the ‘naming ceremony’ His Highness performed. In addition, it is because of the ‘mana’ which is the power of His Highness.”

Mana.

“As proof that the abundant mana His Highness possesses is permeating the magic tool, it has changed. The ring reacting and changing is proof of the mana His Highness gave to us. Thanks to you, and because we became strong as well, in Sebdola the magic tool serving as the symbol of the Hellish Darkbone Knights was driven into the ground and created a small domain in the spirit world. Furthermore, in that domain only we may easily pass through the dimensional veil, and furthermore keep the strength we have in the spirit world when we come to the world of Sera. This is what we called a ‘way.’”

With this dark magic tool wedge, I created the way.

…A domain?

“E?to…in the first place I do not understand the spirit world very well, what is a domain?”

“In the spirit world it could be called territory, and when a domain is secured in the spirit world it becomes relatively easier to pass through the dimensional veil to this world. Things like sacrifices, hatred, greed, lust, fear, and piety also all become easier to secure alongside magical essence and souls.”

Hou. Sacrifices…

“Those ‘sacrifices’ have a great influence in Sebdola. After all,, negative feelings in Sera are an important source of nourishment for those who reside in Sebdola.”

Their energy source, nourishment. Something like food.

“…that is easy to understand.”

The Boiling Red Knight begins to speak instead.

“The negative feeling creatures in Sera hold, piety, magic essence, and souls, all are food for us, and these offerings all become the source of the activity in Sebdola. Devils, Evil Spirits, Demon People, Shadow Wolves, Shade Moths, Undead, Wicked Souls, Kaima, demonic beings, evil gods, etc, these demon armies of man-eating fiends will fight day and night, no, there is only night, fighting to expand their domains in Sebdola.”

Sacrifices from their domains?

They seem too occupied to be worried about here…

“With a domain to take care of, you’ll be busy.” (guesswork)

“-Yes, especially since it is in a condition of conflict between lord Yoji and feudal lords.”

“I see, because of this situation in Sebdola…” (because their domain was originally so stricken, they were in a bad state)

“Yes, originally, we were existences at the end of the end of the world in Sebdola. However, because His Highness gave us names, our existences are now worthy of being the vanguard of His Excellency’s retainers. Thanks to that, we are no longer existences living at the edge. In Sebdola we can now easily slaughter ‘first class warriors’.”

Even if you say first class warrior I do not understand.

“That is correct. We are now the vanguard of His Excellency’s household. In this world and in Sebdola, we will follow any order.”

I can also give orders in Sebdola…I am suddenly told.

I can become the King of Sebdola! No, that is impossible, wrong.

…Sebdola, seems complicated.

Ma, it will be said that the talk about gods has no relation to me.

“…By the way, the conversation suddenly changed, but can you fight?”

“-Ha.”

“Any order.”

“Then I want to see your power right now. I will you have you accompany me in training- Rollo, will you behave yourself? You can go back to Yui.”

“Nya.”

Rollo replies simply and shaking her rump in the air walks over to the garden and begins digging up the garden plants.

Making a small indent in the dirt she sits her own butt down.

Then I can hear *shaaaa* her peeing. (TL: I didn’t need to read this.)

Rollo has an indescribable expression on her face. (Shuya levelled up and can read cat expressions now…)

After she finishes peeing she gets up and kicks dirt back over the spot to clean up. She then returns to the storage shed Yui is in.

Cute. (TL: What is cute about a cat peeing.)

“…Well then, is it fine if I break your bones?”

I pull myself together and ask the Boiling Knights.

Then the Boiling Knights quickly respond.

“It is okay, there is an interval, but even if we are broken we will perpetually restore with His Excellency’s ring. Even if we separate from His Highness, we will automatically return to Sebdola and when His Highness ‘wills’ us to the ring, we will immediately return from Sebdola. And, again as long as you touch the ring and will it while saying ‘come’ we will appear after a brief interval.”

“Understood. Then, shall we start training?”

And thus I fight the Boiling Black Knight Zemeckis and the Boiling Red Knight Admos again.

There is a tremendous difference in their strength from when they were bone knights.

The deep black and bright red bone armour is hard and their reflexes are fast too.

Their skill with the long sword and shield leaves me speechless in admiration.

When one extends the long sword the other one goes around to defend with the shield. The quality of their combination is abnormally high, and their movements respond to one another wonderfully.

Obviously, they are stronger than the monsters I have fought so far.

With the appearance of a monster and the skilful movements of a knight.

The quality of their movements make you feel that they are students of the school of sword and shield.

Though the extent of their sword skills is not that much.

Comprehensively their strength could be said to be a little more than Yui.

The Boiling Knights are finally shattered and the training finishes.

I touch my finger to the ring and will (come) but the bone knight did not return.

Is it because an interval is required?

Ma, they do not need to come back so quickly, if they do return, since their strength is sufficient.

Well then, I learned about Sebdola, and it dragged on a little.

Time to return to Yui.