Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 38 “VS [Life Grant]”
"Mika...! Mika Kisaragi!!──Is it really you!?"
Holder of the Unique Skill from the 'Special Bond Special Force'!!
"Mikaa? Are youu? My my, addressing me so casually? I don't recall ever being addressed so informally by youu~?"
In this underground space, a peculiar woman dressed entirely in white gothic lolita attire twirled a white parasol.
Mika, irritated, let out a haughty voice...
But then, with a flick of her finger, *snap!*, a swarm of corpses appeared behind Mika, making a rustling sound.
"What?! Ghoul?!"
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"Really... I trained those filthy ghouls, made them my little dolls to make accidents look like accidents by using them as bait... and you just defeated themー"
After saying that, Mika gracefully floated down and merged into the swarm of corpses.
(...T-this is insane! Am I going to get eaten?!)
"Well then, shall we overwhelm you with sheer numbers~?"
*Ufufufufu...* Mika laughed ominously, as if she were conducting a symphony, manipulating the corpses.
T-this is insane...! What is she thinking?!
Th-the ghouls are supposed to obey her, right──??
"Now, off you go~~ My dear little dolls~"
Uuuuuuh...
Uuuuuuh...
Uuuuuuh...
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*Creep... Creep...*
*Creak, creak...*
"N-no way... Th-this girl──!"
Under Mika's command, the corpses wriggled and squirmed.
No...
(This doesn't feel like the presence of ghouls... What is this!?)
Corpses?
Are they really just corpses?!
"Mika! What the hell are you doing here!"
"I toold you, stop addressing me so informally!... And besides!!"
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*Tch tch tch!* She shook her finger, smirking defiantly.
"And besides? I wonder if there's any reason for me, a member of the advanced party, to answer to you~?"
*Smirk...*
Dressed in her fluttering white gothic lolita outfit, Mika danced amidst the corpse swarm, her irritating smile never leaving her face.
"Don't get all high and mighty! You damn bitch!!"
"Hehehe. It just happened, it just happened! I happened to receive a request to clean up the underground tomb, and lo and behold, there were little ghouls~. I fed my precious, precious dolls to them, leveling them up~"
Seeing Mika laughing carelessly, Klaus felt a shiver of disgust run down his spine.
That's right, he remembered──...!
Her Unique Skill!
【Life Bestowal: Life of Live】!!
A monstrous skill that grants life to inanimate objects and allows her to manipulate them at will!
In other words...
"These...are your dolls!!!"
*Squirm, squirm, squirm, squirm, squirm...!*
*Creep, creep, creep, creep, creep...!*
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Monsters, yet the corpses on the tenth floor shed dry tears.
Oh, I see...
They died, slept, and were forgotten even by the church. Then this damned woman bestowed life upon them, resurrecting them as puppets.
And they ended up as food for the ghouls that lurked in the underground, used as fodder to gain experience points for rank advancement...
They were used as mere feed,
This damned woman, Mika Kisaragi, trampled upon the dignity of the deceased.
"This cruelty──!!!"
"Ahhahaha!"
Moreover, the idea of using corpses as toys to attack Klaus!
This isn't just mere obstruction!
This is now just an attempted murder!!!
"Oh my? Such rude language... I simply accepted a request from the guild, you know? It's just a coincidence, you see?"
"What kind of request is that!! If it's ghouls, I'll take care of them! Then the job should be finished!!"
Occasionally, the church issues a request for 'graveyard cleaning.'
Even though it's sealed, it's not uncommon to occasionally receive requests for high-level adventurers to exterminate powerful ghouls that emerge, as it would be troublesome if they were to appear. This includes clearing out the tenth floor of the underground catacombs, where ghouls of such strength might be found.
──But... it's not the case!!
"You know, it's just work, isn't it? But hey, there are still corpses left, right? You received that garbage Unique Skill and yet you, Klaus, a filthy lower-level adventurer, shamelessly live on!!"
... An absurd argument.
"You bastard!! That's cowardly! Come at me with your own hands!"
"Hahaha! Impossible, impossible~. I, you know, I don't like dirty things~. ...That's why I'll leave everything to my dear dolls~!"
And so, the woman named Mika laughed heartily.
*Slither, slither, slither...*
*Slither, slither, slither...*
*Slither, slither, slither...*
She releases skills one after another, controlling the corpses like puppets.
This woman, capable of bestowing life to any inanimate object, seems to be able to manipulate most things.
They multiply. They multiply.
The moving corpses multiply...!
"Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!"
Gradually, the number of corpses in the group increases.
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"So many dolls! So many dolls!"
The vile woman dances around, twirling.
"Uuuuuuuu..."
Crawling out of the grave,
tears streaming from dry eye sockets,
A voiceless cry escapes as the corpse follows Mika.
Awakened from a deep slumber, the corpse, like a caterpillar, crawls out of a side tunnel, approaching Klaus with more tears flowing.
"Tsk...!"
"What a waste... What a waste~. There are dolls in the 9th level too, you know. Mmm, I had them lock the door from there."
What did you say?!
*CRASH!*
Hastily grabbing onto the door, Klaus rattles the knob, but it remains steadfast, not budging an inch.
"Ugh...! Damn it, when did she...?!"
And it seems there's even a latch, making it impossible to force the door open with just a push.
"Open up! Hey, open the door! Is anyone there?! Open--"
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*BANG!*
"Aaaah!"
The crying face of a corpse peeks through the peephole.
"Eek!!"
It seems that indeed, as Mika said, the door was locked from the 9th floor side.
"Too bad for you~♪"
"Darn it!"
*Thud!*
"Ugh..."
With the obsidian dagger pushed through the peephole into the forehead of the corpse, it reverts back to its lifeless state. However, it doesn't make the door budge.
Yet, from this experience, Klaus gains some insight.
Mika's controlled corpses are not very strong.
...That's probably why she resorted to using them as bait for the advanced monster, the 'Insect poisoned ghouls.'
"Hehehe~ Weak but plentiful—quantity is everything. Now, it's time for you to go, my little puppets~♪"
The puppeteer corpses controlled by Mika approach menacingly.
"Alright! Shall I show you the performance of Klaus's unique skill? I'll teach you that the difference in monster abilities isn't the decisive factor in battle strength, you know♪"
But then, there!
Thud, thud, thud!
"Is, is someone there? Hey, Klaus, is someone there?!"
Huh?!
"M-Merim?!! O-Open the door, please!!"
"……………………Eh? W-What did you say? Y-You have an ally?!"
Mika was shocked.
And then,
With a slight sound, Merim showed her face through the peephole.
"K-Klaus!"
Merim's face, pale with fear, came into view.
Just when it seemed like she had fled in terror, she returned.
However, this was unexpected for Mika, who appeared genuinely panicked.
"No way?! I-Is this for real?! No way!!"
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"Sorry for running...! But, my 'Intuitive Inspiration' kicked in! Get down right now!"
"Oh, that's a really useful unique skill! Please, open it! It won't budge from my side!"
"I-I understand, but... There's a dead body stuck in there... It's impossible right away!"
Tch...!
"Hahaha! G-Good job, doll! It's okay. I can dismantle it into pieces in less than a minute."
...One minute?
Just one minute...?
With a slow, deliberate movement, Klaus raised his head and glanced back.
"...One minute. Hah! Just one minute, huh... ──────Well, that's my line. My cooldown time is already more than enough."
Not bad...
Thanks to that guy blabbering on and on, I managed to buy some time.
...I remember, the maximum number of entities Mika can simultaneously control with 'Life Bestowal' is supposed to be fifty.
Right now, it might be more than that, but... I can see about forty dead bodies!
So, assuming a maximum of fifty, let's go with that!
"W-What?! What can you do with your trashy unique skill?!"
"Hah! Want to find out?"
"...Y-You blabbering fool! There's no way my dolls would be defeated by someone like you! Go, my dear dolls!"
"Oh, they can be defeated... I'll show you right now! Prepare yourself, Mika!!"
Status open!!
Buzz...
"Automatic Battle"
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《Battle Targets: Puppet Corpse Puppet Bodies ×49》
⇒ Time required for battle: "00:05:34"
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"Ha! What a complete joke! Looks like it'll be over in five minutes, huh?"
"W-What?! What the heeeellllll!! ───Go! Tear him apart!"
Destroy that damn useless unique skill!
"”Gooooaaaaahhhhh......!”"
"Klaaaaaaaus!!"
Amidst Merim's echoing scream,
Klaus observed the approaching horde of puppet corpses with a cold, unflinching gaze.
Or perhaps, it was Mika who was looking at him with cold eyes.
Sliiide, sliiide, sliiide, sliiide, sliiide...
Sliiide, sliiide, sliiide, sliiide, sliiide...
And then, the cold gaze gradually transformed into anger, which, like a thread, turned into pity for the corpses.
"I'm sorry..."
A tearful corpse approached Klaus at an incredible speed, but it was nothing to worry about.
Just a sheer numerical attack, a group far inferior to the ghouls from earlier.
Simply a pitiful assembly of the dead...
Mika.
Mika Kisaragi...
Holder of the unique skill 'Special Bond Special Force,' and a high-ranking member of the same clan...
And yet, she's just a pathetic human scum.
Suuu...
"─Your skill is the real garbage hereeee!!!"
...Go! Me!!!
Skill 'Automatic Battle'...
"─Activate!!"
...In that moment, Klaus's consciousness faded away.
And then, the next time he woke up...
"Cough!... Cough."
Having back-to-back battles is truly exhausting...
But, the match is over.
With a thud, Klaus knelt down. The tip of the dagger he firmly gripped was impaled through the head of a corpse.
The moving corpses... were no more.
And what remained was...
T-The...
The…
“Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”
The woman, Mika Kisaragi, let out a scream that echoed throughout the cemetery...