Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 17: The Guardian of Eternal Sleep
Under Sheriff Bernard’s arrangements, Weina Lister’s funeral was held outside the slums, in the public cemetery on the hillside near Alonsos, the Sea God.
Beside this public cemetery stood a temple of the Earth Goddess Krogia, currently under reconstruction. She, like Alonsos, belonged to the Quin pantheon. Owing to the Earth’s inclusive nature, one of the key duties of her mortal priests was to safeguard the eternal rest of the dead, ensuring that spirits were free from harm or the harassment of necromancers.
For this reason, on the continent of Karpas, home to the Loring Empire, almost every sizable public cemetery had a nearby Earth Goddess temple, large or small.
However, in the last millennium, priests of Chackson—the God of Fire and Radiance within the Quin pantheon—had slowly begun encroaching on this sacred duty, employing cremation as a method to dispose of the dead. Yet habit and tradition still held strong, and people, unless forced otherwise, preferred to let the deceased rest in the deep, comforting embrace of the Earth Goddess.
Following the millennia-old customs of Earth Goddess temples, Weina Lister—whose death was considered unnatural—was placed in a pure white, square coffin. Two pallbearers, whose professions had never caused harm to any sentient beings, carried the coffin slowly to a pre-dug grave in the northwest corner of the public cemetery.
A priest of the Earth Goddess, dressed in earthy yellow robes with black trimmings, intoned in a low voice the funeral rites said to dissolve the resentment lingering in the hearts of those who died unjustly.
Then, Weina’s blood relatives, Marlon and little Anvi, each laid a brightly colored bird-of-paradise flower beside her body inside the coffin—a body that would never awaken again.
Traditionally, this duty would fall to the deceased’s spouse, accompanied by their children.
But Marlon’s poor aunt Weina’s utterly worthless husband, Red-Nosed Ianwan, was probably off somewhere indulging himself in drinking, gambling, and women. How could he possibly attend his wife’s funeral?
In fact, apart from Marlon, Anvi, Sheriff Bernard, and the little fox girl Amy, only a few longtime neighbors who had been close to Weina had come to pay their respects.
So, who else could lay the flowers beside the deceased with Anvi if not Marlon?
Looking at his aunt, lying in the coffin with her gaunt, pale face—her hair streaked with gray despite being only thirty—Marlon gently placed the bird-of-paradise flowers down and sighed.
“Auntie, rest easy. I’ll make sure Anvi grows up healthy and happy.”
After speaking softly, Marlon patted his cousin Anvi on the shoulder, signaling the boy to place the other flower.
“Mom.” Standing on tiptoe, Anvi leaned halfway into the white coffin and laid the flower beside his mother. Mimicking Marlon, he added, “Mom, go enjoy the blessings of Goddess Heralis’ divine realm. Marlon will take care of me. He even told me a really nice story today…”
Watching Anvi struggle not to cry, Marlon’s chest tightened. He recalled the memories inherited from Marlon Lister—how this departed aunt had cared for him, even during the twenty-plus days after his transmigration, secretly bringing him warm food, helping him wash clothes, drying his bedding, and checking on him.
Yes, Aunt Weina was neither particularly clever nor beautiful; her personality even seemed weak. But without a doubt, she possessed a truly kind heart.
Her kindness… was almost excessive.
Hmph. Indeed, kind people cannot afford to be weak, lest they suffer the wanton abuses of rotten scoundrels like Red-Nosed Ianwan, and descend into endless misfortune simply because of their goodness.
Marlon sniffed and realized something. His anger at Red-Nosed Ianwan wasn’t misplaced—kindness and humility were not meant for evil people. Such individuals deserved punishment severe enough to leave an unforgettable mark, so they would never dare harm anyone again.
Perhaps it sounded extreme, but Marlon truly thought this.
As Marlon pondered, a gentle tug on his sleeve drew his attention.
Turning, he met a pair of gem-blue eyes, pure and beautiful, silently conveying: “Don’t be sad anymore.”
“I’m not sad. I’m just thinking about how to make auntie happy, even in the realm of the dead,” Marlon replied, a clear smile on his face.
The gem-blue eyes shimmered, then changed to a new expression, which Marlon read easily: “So… have you figured out what to do?”
“Yes,” Marlon nodded. “I have.”
The beautiful gem-blue eyes narrowed slightly, radiating delight. “Good luck!”
Marlon instinctively nodded firmly in return.
The sound of metal on wood rang out—the pallbearers were securing the coffin lid with long nails.
“Weina Lister, your name shall be forgotten in the mortal world. Your body shall return to dust and soil in this coffin, and your resentment from an unjust death shall transform, under the light of our Lord, into a power of protection. Your soul shall return to the embrace of the deity you believed in. Rest, poor and humble woman. Transform your resentment into a power to protect those who laid paradise flowers in your coffin, for they are your blood, your kin…”
The low, calming voice of the priest, accompanied by the clinking of nails, intoned the final lines of the funeral rite.
The few neighbors present lowered their heads and echoed the priest’s solemn words.
Even the little fox girl Amy, who had been speaking silently through her gem-blue eyes to Marlon, bowed her head, her eyes misted with tears.
Little Anvi, prematurely mature from poverty, had been holding back for so long, but the priest’s voice finally broke him—he wept uncontrollably.
Only Marlon remained, stunned, his eyes wide with shock.
For he noticed that with each deep recitation, the priest’s voice carried a cold yet mysteriously beneficial power that seemed to settle over him, attempting to merge into his mind.
What… is this?!
Marlon’s heart swelled with confusion.
At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly spoke inside his head:
“Young boy with elven blood flowing through your veins, I can… answer your questions.”