WE CELEBRATED ROSALIE’S 200TH DEATHIVERSARY
Muu was over to hang out with Rosalie again, so I took them to a town that was a bit out of the way in Nanterre Province.
After dropping us off, Laika went straight to another town to do some shopping, but she was going to come back when she was done.
I was tagging along because it was a little risky to leave Rosalie and Muu alone. Word would get around if Muu’s body physically fell apart like it had last time.
Incidentally, it was Rosalie who had suggested coming to this town.
At a glance, there was nothing special about it, nor had Rosalie ever been here before. I had been wondering why we’d come all this way, but the answer was soon clear.
“Cor blimey, that’s a disaster, innit? That’d make anyone stick around.”
“My thoughts exactly. Just coming here from home was a preferable experience.”
Rosalie and Muu were mingling with others, chatting up a storm. It was nice to see them so excited.
I was keeping an eye on them from a bench a little ways away.
I was glad there were places for people to relax. As a rule, I didn’t join in on these conversations. Strictly speaking, I couldn’t.
Then Muu turned to look at me. But it was a bit eerie, because only her head turned 180 degrees. It creeped me out…
“Oi, why don’t ya get off ya behind an’ come join the chin wag?”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but no thanks.”
“You nevah struck me as the timid type! The old biddies back ’ome would come right up an’ join in.”
Don’t treat me like an old lady! I still look seventeen.
And my reluctance to engage wasn’t because I was shy.
“You know…I can’t see anyone besides you and Rosalie.”
“That so? Lots o’ the lads ’ere don’t mind a livin’ person. Come on ovah.”
“I mean, I mind, so…”
That’s right—Rosalie and Muu were surrounded by graves.
The reason Rosalie had chosen this town was because it had an expansive graveyard.
Graves didn’t always guarantee the presence of ghosts (the majority of them were already “passed on,” as we’d say), but some still had regrets in this world, and so they had come to chat with those who remained.
As a living person, I wasn’t really sure how communication between ghosts worked, but observation alone told me that it wasn’t all that different from how living people communicated.
“Huh. Honestly, you’d ’ave more to talk ’bout wiv ’em than me—I was born in ancient times. Most o’ these ones ’ere are even youngah than us.”
That second “us” was specifically referring to me.
I was a three-hundred-year-old witch, so I suspected there were lots of ghosts younger than me.
What Muu had said made sense, but I remained hesitant.
“What are you talking about anyway? Local dishes?”
“How to forcibly make ghosts who cause problems for ovvah ghosts pass on to the next world; y’know what I mean?”
“Well, I have nothing to contribute there!”
That topic was genuinely for ghosts only!
Well, the living and the dead were basically like different species, and it was perfectly normal for different species to prefer different topics of conversation.
Everyone who lived in the house in the highlands had to accept such differences in order to thrive.
But I might want to think twice about making too many new ghost friends, considering how horribly I handled spooky business.
And that was why I stayed on the bench, watching.
I thought that it was enough for the dead to enjoy each other’s company.
Rosalie, too, was more animated than she normally was back home.
I didn’t think she was suffering there, but it must be like spending time at her parents’ house, while being in this graveyard was like hanging out with friends her own age.
It would be strange for someone to act the exact same way around both their family and their school friends, so I didn’t see anything wrong with that.
Here, Rosalie could enjoy herself like the ghost she was (whatever that means?).
I could hear what Rosalie and Muu were saying all the way from the bench if I concentrated.
“Oh yeah, that’s right. This’d be the year.”
“Well, aren’t ya glad you ’ad some mates from back ’ome tell ya? You’d bettah remember those fings. It only happens once in a lifetime, so you’d’a regretted it if ya forgot.”
It sounded like they’d gotten their hands on some information. Ghost communication was just as important as I’d thought.
But what was once in a lifetime?
I mean, strictly speaking, their lifetimes were already over…
I knew ghosts could only “ascend” (or pass on) once, but that wasn’t something they’d talk about so casually.
“Well, it’s not like I have any descendants or anything, so it isn’t a big deal.”
“C’mon, Rosalie, don’t go on wiv that gloomy nonsense in fronta me! I’ll make it ’appen. We’ll ’ave a big get-together. A shindig! Be a right bubble!”
Muu was getting excited over some kind of event. I wondered what it was.
A little while later, Muu approached me.
It took her such a long time to get to me, however, that I ended up carrying her part of the way… It was still difficult for her to get anywhere quickly using her own strength. She could move however she wanted with her magic, but she didn’t have any real desire to use it.
Rosalie moved over to the bench, too. Muu was so slow that waiting for her to finish her chat with me and coming back would take too long.
“What was that all about, Muu?”
“We were chattin’ wiv the ghoulies ’round ’ere an’ we got jawin’ ’bout our birth years, an’ then we realized that it’s Rosalie’s anniversary this year.”
“What? You mean some hundredth year since your birth?”
Rosalie seemed a bit shy about it, so I was probably right. We needed to celebrate.
“Aww, so close, mate, so close! You’ve basically got it! Barely touchin’ it!”
“Then if I’m wrong, what is it?”
“The correct answer is…Rosalie’s 200th deathiversary!”
“That’s very…dead!”
Rosalie was looking at Muu, as if begging her not to make a big deal out of it. Maybe she was a bit embarrassed to be the center of attention.
“It’s not that important. Any ghost would get there eventually. Two hundred’s just a passing point for someone like me. It’s not like I’m a saint or a hero.”
“Sure, that’s true. We couldn’t just celebrate every plebe, eh?”
She was right—if there was a special day for everyone’s two hundredth death anniversary, the whole world would be celebrating all the time.
“But there are a bunch of people who know you, Rosalie. Just the people in the ’ouse in the ’ighlands plus all your acquaintances outside is a big enuff number. And since you’re my mate, I could even throw you a big gala fit for royalty!”
She was right.
Rosalie was already very lucky to be celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of her death.
“Which means…” Muu turned to me. “We’ll ’old this shindig in the Thursa Thursa Kingdom! ’elp me make a guest list.”
“Is this a party the ghosts throw themselves, then…? I was under the impression that it was the living who celebrated for the dead…”
Though, I supposed there was no reason it had to be one way or the other.
“Got it. I’ll do everything I can. And you’re fine with us holding a party for you, right, Rosalie?”
“S-sure… I guess it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, as long as it’s not too extravagant…,” Rosalie said, scratching her cheek.
Maybe this kind of situation was just as embarrassing for the dead as it was for the living.
Asking someone else to throw your two hundredth death anniversary party was probably just as difficult as asking someone else to organize your own birthday party.
And so we made plans to hold a celebration commemorating two hundred years since Rosalie’s death—truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Even though I said I was going to help, there was only so much I could do.
First, I had to get the invite list ready. Muu couldn’t do that alone.
And there was one more thing only I could accomplish: I had to use my magic to get a new outfit ready for Rosalie.
“All right, here I go. What do you think?”
I changed Rosalie’s clothes into a glittering dress.
I’d gotten a lot better at the spell that let ghosts—specifically Rosalie—change their clothes.
It wasn’t like I could change any old ghost’s clothes, though. Rosalie had gotten really good at imagining what she wanted to wear and bringing it to life, and that probably helped.
“Isn’t this a little too much for me? It’s so extravagant…”
“I don’t think it’s too much at all. You’re the star of the show, you know.”
The outfit was a lot more poofy and big than the ones I’d dressed her in before.
It kind of resembled a wedding dress.
“I know it’s embarrassing, but I think you should really go all out. If you decide three years down the line that you wish you’d done this or that for your 200th deathiversary party, it’ll be too late.”
“Hmm… Well then, if anything, I wish the outfit had more of a focal point.”
“A focal point? Feel free to elaborate. We can still make edits and do a lot of fine-tuning.”
If Rosalie herself didn’t like the dress, then this would all be for nothing.
She turned to show me her back.
“Could you embroider a message back here? Something that says I’ve finally made it to two hundred years past death after living and dying in disgrace and causing you all so many problems. But I’m gonna barrel ahead along this VICTORY ROAD like a runaway horse, so THANK YOU!”
“I think that’s a bit too much for a focal point.”
This wasn’t supposed to be an over-the-top sweet sixteen.
“But, Big Sis, I want to express my gratitude to everyone. I’ve only stuck around for two hundred years because of you all.”
She was a ghost, so she would have made it to her two hundredth even without all of our support, but that wasn’t the point.
“I know what you’re trying to say, but you should use your voice and tell everyone out loud. It’s kinda weird to show your gratitude to all your guests by turning your back on them. It might even seem a little rude.”
“You’re…probably right.” She seemed to understand. “I should have the embroidery on the front, then. Maybe you could write UR ALL THE BEST, THX XOXO—”
“Writing it on the front isn’t any better! Besides, I don’t know anything about clothes like that, so I can’t make them.”
I’d never worn that kind of outfit in my past life, and I didn’t have any friends who would have, either. What could I do?
Afterward, I got Laika’s and Halkara’s thoughts on the matter and settled on a dress that was decently fancy but that Rosalie could agree to compromise on.
It took a bit of pushing on my part, but I managed to sell her on a dress that was both beautiful and elaborate.
Deep down, Rosalie wanted to wear a pretty dress, too. I’d sensed it the previous times I’d dressed her up. However, she had a hard time saying it out loud—even more so now that all eyes would be on her.
I know I’d probably hesitate if I were in her shoes.
However, accounting for her reservations about such things had made the process a little difficult.
Once I had solved the dress conundrum, my job was done.
Muu was organizing the event herself, so there was nothing for me to check on. The only thing left was to take the whole family to the Thursa Thursa Kingdom.
We were finally making our way, as a family, to the Thursa Thursa Kingdom for Rosalie’s two hundredth death anniversary party.
As we were flying, Laika asked, “Will I be able to fly into the Thursa Thursa Kingdom, Lady Azusa?” She was currently in dragon form.
That was a good point—they usually had measures in place to prevent people from entering.
“It should be fine. Apparently, they’ve made it temporarily accessible. They said you could land near the ruins.”
“Understood. I will continue under the assumption that I can enter directly.”
We neared the kingdom without any trouble.
“Hey, Big Sis? Was that statue there before?” Rosalie asked me. When she pointed it out, I spotted what looked like a massive stone statue.
If I was to compare it to something from my previous life, it reminded me of the Great Buddha of Ushiku, one of the tallest statues on earth.
I knew Muu liked to go overboard, and I found myself wondering what she’d done this time.
Knowing her, it’d probably have the face of some strange mascot character…
Once we got closer, however, I realized what it was.
It was a statue of Rosalie!
The massive Rosalie had both arms raised in the air. Why was she posed like she was about to get attacked by a bear? Couldn’t the artist have gone with something a little daintier…?
“Hey! What the hell was Muu thinking?! I didn’t hear anything about this!” Rosalie’s face was bright red.
If the same thing had happened to me, I’d be pretty angry.
“We’ll be landing soon, everyone… Hold on tight, please.”
Laika followed Flatorte’s descent, and we landed in the Thursa Thursa Kingdom.
When we reached the ground, Muu and her minister, Nahna Nahna, were waiting for us.
“Hey, you made it! Today we’re celebratin’ someone’s 200th deathiversary!”
“We built that statue as a surprise—Her Majesty’s idea. I simply did as I was told,” Nahna Nahna greeted us, skirting all responsibility on the matter.
“Muu, seriously?! Don’t do things like that! At least keep it small! There’s a point where it gets too big!”
“But what’s the point if it’s not massive? At that size, anyone can see how amazin’ it is. You gotta leave an impact on the viewer.”
“I’m not trying to leave an impact. Who were you expecting to wow with that?!”
Ah, they didn’t see eye to eye on the matter.
“Look, ya life lasted less than twenty years, yeah? An’ not only that, ya spent most of it cooped up in ya ’ouse, right? You didn’t really ’ave any great accomplishments in life, so words alone ain’t enough to express what you’ve done. That’s why I’m aimin’ to overwhelm with sheer size.”
“I’m not here to look back on accomplishments! I just wanted a little celebration!”
“Why?! It’s ya 200th deathiversary! You’ll regret it if ya don’t go all out for these once-in-a-lifetime milestones! It’d be better to go too far an’ wish you ’adn’t than to not go far enough an’ wish ya ’ad!”
“So you know you went too far!”
She was right… It was almost a nuisance at this point.
That was when Nahna Nahna stepped in.
“Additionally, the eyes of the statue…”
A red light shone out of statue Rosalie’s eyes.
“…Light up.”
“That has nothing to do with me!”
“It alerts us to six PM, seven PM, eight PM, nine PM, ten PM, and eleven PM. It’s very convenient.”
“Totally irrelevant!”
“Well, only ghosts are going to be seeing it here, so it’s not like it matters.”
As I watched them converse, a thought occurred to me.
I was very lucky not to have had such a statue made of me…
Just then, I felt an odd chill.
“Elder Sister, Elder Sister~”
Pecora had approached me. I guess demons were attending, too.
They did have relations with the Thursa Thursa Kingdom, and they were acquaintances of Rosalie’s, so it wasn’t a surprise to see them here.
The problem was, now Pecora had seen something I wished she hadn’t.
“You know, we could build a statue like that of you in Vanzeld Cast—”
“If you do, I’ll never talk to you again.”
Despite the result, Muu had built the statue with good intentions. Pecora, however, did everything with evil intentions.
“Right, let me take ya to where the action’s happenin’. Come on, follow me.”
Muu had said the words, but it was Nahna Nahna who ultimately ended up carrying her. I really thought she should go ahead and use her magic to get around, but it seemed her pride wouldn’t let her.
The whole family had started to move, but I noticed Flatorte seemed lethargic for some reason.
“What’s wrong, Flatorte? Tired from flying?”
“We’re in the kingdom of the dead, Mistress. It’s hard to get excited knowing there probably won’t be very much to eat…” However, seconds later, she started sniffing the air. “Hey! Something smells good! They must be cooking!”
“Of course. We made sure the livin’ could enjoy themselves, too. We’ve got both you lot and the demons ’ere, after all.”
As we approached our destination, we found a gate.
The positivity was nice, but something was off…
Beyond the gate was a proper setup, including accommodations for the living.
The ghosts were standing in rows, manning what looked like food stalls.
At almost every stall, there were hot plates lined with little depressions and filled entirely with…takoyaki.
“We’re making tons of gems of the crimson devil. It’s a gem of the crimson devil party!”
Wasn’t it an Osakan thing to make takoyaki at house parties?!
That said, the gems of the crimson devil went over well with all the guests.
The fillings weren’t limited to octopus—some had cheese and others ham, so there was something for everyone.
“How many have you had, Laika? I, the great Flatorte, have had two hundred and eighty!”
“A party like this does not call for a competition of numbers—we must think only about eating each piece as graciously as possible. I have had two hundred and sixty.”
As usual, the dragons were eating an absurd amount of food…
The girls and I munched on our gems as we took Sandra to a spot of dirt that seemed like it was full of nutrients; she couldn’t eat, so I wanted to make sure she didn’t get bored. It was tough being a mom.
“Yes, this is good earth. I’ll stay here until the event starts.”
“Okay. Come find us later, Sandra.”
When we returned to the area where they were serving the gems, I noticed the arrival of other demons and spirits I knew, including Godly Godness and Nintan.
This really was a full-blown party.
“’Tis quite festive, no? Almost difficult to believe this was once a forgotten kingdom.” Beelzebub came over, holding a plate full of gems.
“Yeah, that’s true. I mean, I put the guest list together, but I didn’t think we’d get such a good turnout.”
As I looked across the venue, I saw Pecora chatting with Nintan, and Canimeow the moon spirit doing the same with Eno, the “Witch of the Grotto.”
This 200th deathiversary party was really bringing people together.
Beelzebub elbowed me, a cheeky look on her face.
“What do you want, Beelzebub?”
“You have real charisma. Without Azusa, the Witch of the Highlands, we never would have had a party of this caliber.”
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think? All this proves is no one had anything better to do. Or that a lot of people were interested in the Thursa Thursa Kingdom.”
There were probably a lot of demons who had heard of the kingdom but never visited.
“All these people are here because they trust you. And the Thursa Thursa Kingdom opened their doors to them because they trusted your judgment.”
Why was I getting so many compliments all of a sudden? Something was fishy.
“…I’m not giving you my daughters.”
“That is not the point!” Beelzebub protested. “I am genuinely offering you my highest praises! Do you not trust me at all?!”
My reaction was based on her usual behavior, so there wasn’t much I could do.
“But if I said I was sending Falfa and Shalsha to live with you, you’d agree right away.”
“I would say yes, even if it meant the whole world turned on me,” she said, face earnest. That was exactly why I couldn’t trust her.
As we chatted, a light fell on the stone stage—probably a kind of ancient magic.
Nahna Nahna took Muu and ascended the platform.
“Thank you all for coming today to Miss Rosalie’s 200th Deathiversary Celebration. I am certain our dearly departed would be delighted to see just how many people are in attendance.”
Wait, Rosalie is here, you know! Don’t talk like this is a funeral!
“The sheer number of her close friends and family present today is simply a testament to how active she was in life.”
She met all these “close friends and family” after her death, not in life!
This eulogy-style speech was turning the whole celebration on its head!
Nahna Nahna wasn’t smiling, but she was definitely joking. She had to be…
“First, a word from Her Royal Majesty, Queen Muum Muum, former sovereign of our country, on behalf of the departed’s friends on her two hundredth deathiversary.”
Nahna Nahna placed Muu down on the stage and left.
Once she was alone on the stage, Muu’s expression turned stoic. A queen was a queen, after all.
I could tell that Rosalie was looking right at her.
“Lessee ’ere then, the gems of the crimson devil you ’ad today were fantastic, made wiv the ’ighest-quali’y flour, the ’ighest-quali’y leeks, an’ the ’ighest-quali’y octopus thanks to the ’elp of key supportin’ members.”
“Don’t start off talking about the food!”
I couldn’t help but comment…
But—
Muu looked at me and gave me a thumbs-up, her expression saying Nice one!
I guess she was giving me her approval for interjecting.
Come on; stay on track.
“Well, Rosalie’s a mate. And to be honest, she’s a valuable companion to me, considerin’ ’ow long I’d been cooped up alone.”
This was more like it. She was finally getting serious.
“I bet there’s a lot of ya ’ere who are thinkin’ ‘Just two hundred years? I been dead much longer than that.’ I bet most of you lot from the Thursa Thursa Kingdom fall under that category. I’m the same, me. Two ’undred years pass while you’re yawnin’, really—wait, that’s a pretty long yawn.”
Oh no, she was starting to banter with herself…
“But when you live a meanin’ful death, you can experience so much in those two hundred years. So the fact that we’ve got all these people ’ere for your two hundredth means you’re right chuffed, aren’t ya, Rosalie?” Muu turned to look at Rosalie. “I bet you’re thinkin’ ’bout ’ow ’appy you are. You’ll be thankin’ all these people ’round you as ya keep on bein’ a ghost. You know, there’s way more ghoulies out there who don’t get a two hundredth deathiversary celebration.”
There was a heat glinting in Rosalie’s eyes as she nodded.
I guess ghosts cried, too.
But it wasn’t real water, so it vanished once it hit the ground.
“Me own two hundredth deathiversary—two hundred years in general, really—passed in the blink of an eye, so I won’t say this is a replacement for me own, but I want to go all out in celebratin’ my mate’s two hundredth. Both the dead and the livin’—enjoy! This will be the greatest funeral in ’istory! Funeral? I mean party! Thanks for listenin’!”
It wasn’t a bad speech at all.
But then a red light washed over the venue.
It was still a little early for sunset. A murmur rippled through the crowd.
The Rosalie statue’s body had lit up!
Not only that, we could now see the words WORLD’S BEST ROSALIE.
“Come on! This is so embarrassing I could die! Why is this happening?!” Rosalie protested, her face bright red. She was under the statue’s light as well.
“That’s all right! You’re already dead! May as well give wha’evah ya want a shot an’ experience all the regret an’ embarrassment ya like!”
“You’re the one embarrassing me and making me feel regret!”
I knew they were friends, but they were on such different pages!
Nahna Nahna appeared again and carried Muu off the stage.
It seemed even she had been overcome with emotion; her eyes were watering.
“That one has quite the heart at the end of the day,” Beelzebub said, impressed. I’d been thinking the same.
“Yeah. The statue was a bit much, but it does demonstrate some real motivation and decisiveness.”
Then Nahna Nahna, master of ceremonies, called out, “Next we have our star of the day, Rosalie, on her two hundredth deathiversary.”
Everyone clapped.
All the spirits started making ghostly tapping noises in celebration.
“I’m going to have to talk, aren’t I…?”
Rosalie seemed nervous, so I gave her a gentle nudge in the back.
My hand went right through her, though. Obviously.
“It’s all right. Just express your gratitude, and everyone will understand. We’re all on your side here.”
“That’s what I was thinking on the way here, but then I saw that statue. Now I’m beginning to think I may have some enemies disguised as friends…”
That statue really was an unwelcome favor!
“But there’s no point in getting upset about it. I’m gonna go up there and give it my all, even if it kills me!”
“That’s the spirit, Rosalie!”
She floated up to the stage.
“Uh… Hi, I’m Rosalie. Um… The two hundred years since my death sure have gone by quickly, huh…? I’m going to keep giving it my all… Uh… And being a good ghost…”
It wasn’t very often that the subject of a two hundredth death anniversary could give a speech themselves, so I wasn’t sure if she was going about it the right way.
“I’ll do my best so we can celebrate three hundred years the same way… Though, maybe by then some of the living people here will already be dead…”
That was an ominous thing to say, but this wasn’t a wedding, and today was all about her anyway…
“Th-thank you all for everything! I didn’t organize this party, but have fun today!”
For her final lines, she shut her eyes and yelled.
Well said, Rosalie. Well said.
I gave her heartfelt applause.
Falfa, Shalsha, and Sandra (who had come back) all applauded her with big smiles.
Here’s to the next one hundred years, Rosalie.
So now the most important part of the event was over…but then MC Nahna Nahna announced what was next on the program.
“Next, the Royal Choir of Thursa Thursa will sing a song celebrating Rosalie.”
I felt a strange pressure, then I realized all the ghosts present were surrounding us. So they’d decided to show themselves…
“The Royal Choir of Thursa Thursa is our country’s sole professional choir, masters of the unique way spirits manifest their voices. Today they will be performing select pieces from the opera Glory and Downfall: ‘Decline,’ ‘Repent,’ and ‘All Returns to Earth.’”
It must have been obvious to everyone present, but those were some ominous song names.
And then the choir began to sing.
“Ooooooh… Ooooooh… Aaaaaah… Uhhhhhh…”
A shiver shot down my spine.
“The music and voices are even more horrifying than I had imagined!”
Even Beelzebub’s expression had clouded over.
“This music sounds like a curse. Even the most cheerful would lose their energy hearing this.”
“So even demons have the same reaction.”
“’Tis not as though demons enjoy dreary music. Some songs do indeed have dark lyrics, but the fast-paced melodies have quite the opposite effect.”
She was right—this music could hardly be considered rousing.
The rest of my family looked similarly depressed.
Even Laika and Flatorte had stopped eating their gems of the crimson devil.
“I have lost my appetite… How despondent I feel…”
“I don’t wanna eat anymore… I think I wanna throw up instead…”
It seemed the music was super effective against them.
But I figured the event would liven up again once the song was over.
…Or so I thought, but the song was still going thirty minutes later.
“Ooooooh… Ooooooh… Aaaaaah… Uhhhhhh…”
A leaden atmosphere had settled over the entire crowd.
The kids were leaning up against a tree, asleep, and Halkara sat huddled in the tall grasses, almost like she was hiding.
This music was way too powerful!
This was getting out of hand, so I went to Muu to tell her just that.
“Hey, Muu? Can’t you do something about this…?”
“I don’ fink I care ’bout the event no more…” Muu’s eyes were glazed over.
It was even having an effect on the ghost queen!
Then Nahna Nahna staggered over to me.
Her head was bowed so deeply I couldn’t see her face; she was like a phantom right out of a horror story.
“My apologies, Miss Azusa… The choir’s power is much too strong—it has stolen the will to perform from all of our subsequent acts. So once this song is finished, I hope you do not mind being left to your own devices to eat, drink, and head home as you please.”
“That’s fine, but you might want to rethink the program order for next time.”
“The choir had not sung in earnest like this for such a long time… I am certain they put their all into choosing the most depressing music.”
I wished they hadn’t.
In the end, once all the songs had finished, most of the guests—the living included—sat lifeless in their chairs or on the ground, as if they, too, had become ghosts.
There were a few exceptions, however.
Like the two goddesses: Nintan and Godly Godness.
“Gods do not fear the cries of the dead.”
“Oh gosh, what an effect it’s had on everyone~ But what sinks must float back up. Let us look on the bright side!”
As I had thought, it had no effect on the divine.
Additionally, it seemed to have invigorated and inspired the two artists.
Curalina, the jellyfish spirit, was concentrated on her painting.
“Death may seem to be the end of everything, but more lies beyond. I have seen a world free from the chains of brightness. Jellyfish-fish-fish!”
Her brush dashed across the canvas, a ghastly look on her face. Maybe this was a valuable experience for her.
Then there was Kuku, feverishly jotting down music as it came to her.
“This is wonderful. I think this song will be on a scale I’ve never approached before! Totally new territory!”
It seemed the music had no effect on people who were gloomy to begin with!
Despite all the problems, we had still managed to hold a celebration for the two hundredth anniversary of Rosalie’s death, so all was well.
The red light from the Rosalie statue washed over the sea of lethargic guests.
It wasn’t terrifying per se, but I was willing to bet that once they woke up, the experience would linger at the back of their minds like a half-remembered nightmare…
That said, we were unaware that trouble had been brewing at the event.
A few days later, Eno, the “Witch of the Grotto,” brought me a book when she dropped by the house in the highlands. She had been present at the event as well.
The title of the book was Ruins of the Ancient Rulers: A Continuation.
“I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before…”
“Apparently, it’s about an adventurer who returns to a place where he once had a terrifying experience and comes across something new. I believe it’s about the Thursa Thursa Kingdom.”
Curious, I flipped it open.
—I had previously visited a ruin that was home to rows of strange box-shaped buildings that differed from any culture with which I was familiar. Perhaps “visit” is not the proper term, as I simply happened to stumble across it. The air had been much too cold for any living being, and it was there that I found a profane, howling beast, difficult to describe in words.
Though I miraculously survived the encounter, I was compelled to once again see this strange, abominable land. I decided to attempt a return.
“Why do people like this always want to go back?”
He wouldn’t be in any trouble if he had just given up…
“If the place had rare herbs found nowhere else in the world, then I would want to go, Miss.”
“That’s because you’re a consummate professional, Eno…”
I read on.
—My attempts ended in numerous failures, however. The paths through the deep forest led me astray, as though the trees themselves mocked my efforts. Over and over, I would find myself back at the mundane, rural village from which I had set out. I would ask the locals for information, but they could tell me nothing.
Well yeah, that was because the Thursa Thursa Kingdom used magic that prevented people from coming in most of the time.
—But after countless ventures, I at last arrived at what I believed was the place I sought.
Though what I saw first were not the box-shaped buildings, forged in an aesthetic sense so alien to our own; something else caused me terrible vertigo.
There stood the towering statue of a girl, carved out of stone, so tall it was as though the sole purpose of its creation was to pierce the heavens themselves.
He had seen Rosalie’s statue!
“The spell over the kingdom had been turned off so that we could attend Rosalie’s two hundredth, Miss Azusa. Isn’t that why this person managed to get in?”
“Yeah, I think you’re right, Eno.”
And he had come at another very bad time. I hadn’t heard anything about a random outsider infiltrating the crowd, so he probably ran away.
I figured I’d find out if I kept reading.
—I felt as though I would be crushed under the weight of all of my questions. I could not fathom why someone would carve such a massive statue of a girl in a place like this—though, judging by its sheer scale, I suppose the term constructed would be more apt. It was, without a doubt, the largest man-made structure I had ever seen in my life.
Further, the great statue of the girl had both its hands raised, in much the same manner as a beast might use to intimidate a human; there seemed not a hint of intention to convey the girl’s beauty.
He was panicking over the Rosalie statue!
—All I could do was stare up at the statue of the girl, awestruck. What was its significance? I stepped beneath her skirt for the sake of research and looked up to find that the statue had not been built in complete detail—all I found was crude stonework.
“What is this guy doing?!”
“He was so driven by his desire to discover an ancient civilization that he even checked her skirt.”
“What kind of interpretation is that?!”
—It was then that the girl’s eyes shone a bright scarlet. In turn, her body also shone, illuminating the area around it. All I could do was stare up at it in horror.
I did not run; instead, my fear spurred my thoughts into action. Perhaps this statue acted as a guard, one that alerted the residents of the presence of trespassers from the outside. But its size was much too big to fulfill that role. Nay—I would certainly have spotted a structure of this size among the dense trees, but I could not remember ever having seen it.
For what reason did this statue exist here? No being appeared to provide me with the answer. I should perhaps count myself fortunate that neither did anyone appear with the intent to do me ill. The megalith’s eyes simply glowed scarlet.
I was pretty sure the statue had been built because “it seemed kinda cool.”
Similarly, it was given glowing eyes because “it seemed kinda cool.”
—I did not feel the deathly chill I had experienced on my previous visit. Perhaps now was my chance to fully explore these ruins. Excitement and expectation filled my breast as I proceeded forth.
But it was not long before I found myself needing to plug my ears lest I go mad.
I heard a strange, dreadful song wafting my way from the ether.
“Oh no, he heard the choir!”
—Was it indeed a song? This sound could not possibly have risen from any creature’s throat, but neither was it the rustle of feathers or leaves rubbing together. It seemed to follow a human melodic structure.
The tune had echoed in my ears for a mere few seconds when I suddenly felt the well of my adventuring spirit shrivel. I lost the strength to place one foot in front of the other; I fell to my knees. How unholy that music was, as though it thoroughly and fully held all life in contempt. Both the melody and production of the sound itself were powerful enough to destroy the very will of any living creature.
Oh yeah, I guess it would be pretty terrifying for a normal person to hear that song…
—I crawled through the dirt as tears streamed down my face, no choice but to put the music behind me. Had I remained standing where I was, covering my eyes in horror, I would have become unable to move a muscle until my final breath.
It was then that I felt a shadow cover me, and I looked up.
The massive statue of the girl was glowering down at my minuscule self.
In that moment, I finally understood.
This was no statue. It was a titan.
Though it was not human, it still stood in this spot of its own will. Even though it seemed to be made of stone, that was not proof that it did not live.
I sensed the titan warning me that this was no place for a mere mortal, and so I left the wood and never looked back.
“So in the end, that song kept out an intruder…”
I closed the book.
I was glad it hadn’t led to any unnecessary trouble. However, it seemed the ancient civilization did get the occasional adventurer seeking it out, so it was probably for the best that they took precautions.
I felt eyes on me from the ceiling and looked up to find Rosalie. She had apparently been reading the book, too.
“Big Sis, he described me like I was a beast… Am I really that scary?”
“I mean, if you’re already spooked, anything you see immediately afterward would look scary…”
I decided I would ask Muu to destroy the statue.
“By the way, Eno, did you come here just to tell us about the book?”
“No. As it happens, I have developed a new medicine!”
With a self-satisfied smirk, Eno placed a bottle on the table.
The label on the bottle looked like this:
“What do you think? I made a thorough check for any usable herbs when I visited the Thursa Thursa Kingdom! It has been such a long time since any person has visited, you see! The plants had all evolved in a very unique manner!”
“You absolutely cannot put that on the label! People might figure out where it came from!”
Afterward, I had Eno change the label.
Maybe I really had invited too many people into the Thursa Thursa Kingdom…?
Later that night, when Halkara saw the Ancient Power bottle, she yelled, “That woman! I must make my own new product!” and proceeded to get very fired up about it.
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