outlawandlychgate

[outlawandlychgate]

Directory

For those on mobile who can't access the index page

Opening

Prologue–The Story of the Third Period

Chapter 1–Gate of the Dead

Scene 1—-Scene 2

Chapter 2–King of the Dead

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4

Chapter 3–Funeral Procession of the Dead

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6

Chapter 4–Determination of the Dead

Scene 1—-Scene 2

Afterword

[outlawandlychgate]

Afterword

Outlaw & Lychgate, afterword

Up to this point I’ve released about 12 VOCALOID doujin CDs, but when it comes to the novels I’ve only been active in business.

Around now I’ve completed the Deadly Sins novel series, and so for the first time I decided to try writing a doujin novel too.

.

Outside of the illustrations and printing I did all of it on my own; actually, making a novel is a lot of bother.

I wound up realizing that when I was working in business I had just been going at it haphazardly without giving any thought to layout and page count.

I managed to make it somehow with my amount of writing this time, but I think for next time I might try to get someone else to help me out.

Like I just said, this book was made entirely on my own, so please forgive me any misspellings or typos or mess-ups in the layout.

(If you could point them out to me on Twitter I’ll quietly fix them when I republish it…)

Anyway, on the book itself, its main contents ended up being “A character who existed in concept from the beginning but ultimately didn’t appear much” and “a character who was originally conceived as the final enemy but then had his role mostly usurped by Ma and thus isn’t very well known”.

Though well, that being said it also sort of has a redemptive meaning for this unlucky character too.

It also includes content established not just in the novels but also the specially-granted email stories, so there might be some parts that are confusing depending on the person.

(Like the part about Keel being a clone)

Please just skim over those bits.

Since this is a doujin for a change maybe I ought to have put in some porn or something, but most of the characters showing up in it are men.

If I had put in any erotic scenes that would have changed the genre.

.

I’ve been thinking that maybe after this I could write about Banica and her crew’s travels to parallel worlds, and also the original sin story.

.

AkunoP (mothy)

directory

[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 4-Determination of the Dead; Scene 2

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 80-84

When he reached the belfry, it was Banica who spoke up first.

“Lich—where had you gone?”

She appeared to be displeased, but for some reason Lich felt a bit glad at seeing that.

“My apologies, Madam. It seems we missed each other for a moment.”

“Very well…What do you think of this theater? It looks like a good place to live, doesn’t it?”

“It does. But it also seems a little bit dreary.”

“True. We’ll have to get some furniture.”

He wondered if they’d even be able to find such things in this ruined world.

Or else did she intend to gloss it over with illusions?

Whatever the case it was clear that she was intending to make this theater into their new home.

“Lady Banica…do you intend to stay in this world?”

“Why do you think that?”

“I’d wager there was no need to go to the trouble of finding a house if you weren’t.”

“…Guess again. There’s no use in sticking around this empty world.”

“Then—”

Would she be going through the gate to go to a new world?

Appearing to have guessed what Lich was thinking, Banica slowly shook her head. “I’m sure that the world Allen prepared will be little different from this one. After all, it can only be something within the realm of his imagination and knowledge. Similar people, their ethics, their food…It’d be so tedious.”

“But we have to pick one of them. Either staying here or what’s beyond that gate.”

When he said that, Banica heaved a sigh. “Haa…I would have thought that you of all people would understand.”

“What?”

“That I am not the kind of woman who goes along with the rules of other people. If you tell me there’s only two paths to take—” Banica raised her hand and pointed to the sky. “—Then I’ll just build a third path myself.”

And then she lightly struck the bell with her fist.

“Do you know what this is?”

“A hanging bell—”

  No, it wasn’t.

It wasn’t just a bell.

It was—

“—A Blackbox. So there’s still one here.”

Not just that.

Before making it up here, Lich had seen several strange devices inside the theater.

Items that couldn’t exist with this world’s technology.

The person who created them must have been—

Seth. It has to be.

So, that meant.

This third path that Banica spoke of—

“Lady Banica…Are you planning to go to parallel worlds?”

“Yes, correct.”

Banica nodded in satisfaction.

“That’s dangerous. I’m sure the changes in this world must undoubtedly have reached the parallel ones too. You don’t know what awaits you there.”

“Ha ha…You dummy,” Banica tapped Lich on the nose, in an innocent, girlish gesture. “—That’s why it’s interesting.”

.

…Yes.

She’s always been like this.

Curious about the unknown.

Chasing after it, purely and genuinely.

It wasn’t out of bravery.

For her it was only natural.

.

That’s why—

I was drawn to her.

.

“I wonder what food is waiting for me there?” Banica laughed, truly enjoying herself. “…So then, what will you do?”

“Me?”

“I won’t force you. If you want to take a different path—”

Lich knelt on his knee without hesitation, lowering his head. “I—will always be by your side.”

“—Yes. Thank goodness. Then I’ve a task I’d like you to make haste with. Even if I make it to a parallel world, I can’t eat anything without a body, yes? So I’d like you to make me a new one. Nothing like your dead soldiers. It has to be more elegant. And make bodies for not just me, but Arte and Pollo too. I have a lot of work I need them to take care of. Also Eater; that giant body is much too big to enter the theater, you’ll have to make it much more compact. Oh, and after that you also—”

.

Just as Seth said, I am a timid man.

But as long as I’m with her—

.

I’m sure that I can advance through any path.

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 4-Determination of the Dead; Scene 1

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 76-80

When Lich and the others arrived before the Lucifenian palace, they were greeted by Arth and his retainers.

“I’ve already received word from Keel…Seems you’ve successfully pulled it off, Lich.”

“Yes, well…” Lich responded, his expression a bit down.

“Are the ones behind you the souls that have been freed from the dead soldiers?”

“Yes. They’re still a little bit confused.”

“I see…Mariam, can I entrust them with you?” Arth said to a silver-haired woman standing in wait behind him. She nodded, and stood before the souls.

“Come, this way.”

The souls were led by her into the palace.

“Oy…I see one here who still hasn’t been released,” a man in red armor said, pointing at Ron.

“He’s a special case…Might I take charge of him myself?”

After hearing that, the man in armor shared a glance with Arth.

Arth gave Ron a once-over, then shifted his gaze to Lich.

“Hmph…Very well. This dead soldier looks harmless enough.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“It’s a bit strange to hear you thanking me, Lich. …Oh, that’s right. I hear Lady Banica has returned." Arth turned around and looked to the palace. “She’s at the back gate of the palace…And apparently she brought something odd back with her.”

“Oh…?”

“It’s enormous, whatever it is. That giant skeleton was carrying it. It looks a bit like a mansion…”

How interesting.

After exchanging a brief farewell with Arth, he headed toward the back gate with Ron.

.

Eventually, just as Arth had said, they were able to make out a large building.

“Phew…It looks like that floating theater…”

Come to think of it, Banica had tried to get her hands on it.

Though that was an impossible request now that it had vanished…Perhaps she’d found a replacement.

As Lich got closer, he suddenly realized that Ron was no longer with him.

He was standing trembling in place a little farther away.

“What’s wrong?” Lich spoke up, approaching Ron.

“I…I can’t go over there,” he replied, pointing toward the theater. “Look inside the entrance to that building…Look at those twins playing in it. Those are none other than the ones who cast this curse on m—”

“That’s Arte and Pollo.”

“Yes…It has to be them. Oh, how dreadful…”

“If you want your curse to be lifted, you have no recourse but to ask the ones who put it on you.”

“That’s true, but—”

“I think they’re less wild than they were when you knew them…Though, well, it’s possible they’ve changed so much they’ve forgotten how to lift your curse.”

Somehow managing to persuade Ron to come along as he continued to hesitate, Lich drew up to the theater.

.

The twins were kicking around some ball-like object.

“Oh, Lich! You’re alright?” One of the twins, Pollo, noticed him and ran over, pausing in the game.

“What a silly question. Nothing could have happened to me.”

“You say that, but you’re surprisingly a bit of a scatterbrain at times.” Then Pollo noticed Ron shaking behind Lich. “Oh, if it isn’t Ron. Long time no see.”

“…”

“How come you’re with Lich?”

Lich answered in Ron’s stead, “Could you release the curse that you placed on him? It’s your doing, isn’t it?”

“Was it? Sure, I guess…Heey, Arte!”

When Pollo called to her, the other twin came their way, carrying the ball. “What’s up?”

“Did we do something to Ron?”

“That was centuries back. It was so long ago, I don’t remember.”

As the two of them conversed, Lich looked at the ball that Arte was carrying, and his eyes widened.

“Th…that’s—” He’d thought it was just a pink ball…but it was actually a very round pig. “V-Vlad!?”

When the pig’s name was called, he looked at Lich.

“Oh Lich, it’s been a while…Tell these two they shouldn’t use a person as a ball.”

“Didn’t you get eaten by Lady Banica?”

“Some things happened. Yes, some…things…Ask Banica herself if you want the specifics.”

“And this theater?”

“That too. I haven’t been awake in ages, so my consciousness is still a bit fuzzy. It’s a bother to talk for a while.”

“…Where is Lady Banica?”

“She’s in the theater. In the belfry at the top.”

Lich ran to the theater.

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 3-Funeral Procession of the Dead; Scene 6

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 72-75

There’s nothing left in this world to really draw my interest anymore.

I’d begun thinking this way long ago.

.

That’s why I had restarted my research in the “Hellish Yard”, the research I once abandoned.

Not regarding Amostia or cloning.

After all, that was nothing more than an imitation of Lich and Behemo’s work.

.

Rather, my real area of research—is parallel worlds.

And a method for going to them.

.

…But ultimately I put an end to it without completing my work.

For during the course of my research, I knew.

That even if I could go to a parallel world, what I would find there would be one little changed from this one.

That’s why Sickle had been able to merge together the Allens from two different worlds.

The two of them had been pretty much identical.

However.

Sickle’s deed brought about a massive upheaval in the world.

And not just this one.

I’m positive that it greatly transformed the parallel worlds, too.

Amostia has set out on a trip to one of them.

Seeking out a world that could verify his existence.

.

I laud my child for becoming independent of his father.

And I too must set out to a new world.

.

That gate in the Millennium Tree forest—I doubt that I’d find what I seek there.

Should I chase Amostia?

I’m not so boorish as to do that.

.

Then, what shall I do?

.

There is someone else who has a similar idea as me.

Banica Conchita.

My plans may come to fruition by teaming up with her.

.

A new journey.

Though the type of vessel and crew for it will be entirely different from the one back then.

.

…What about Lich?

Will he board the ship?

Well, it hardly matters to me now.

.

The seed of malice that I buried in him continued to linger on into this world.

At least it had when that black Rollam bird attacked a robin in the forest—

When Lich had attacked Michaela.

.

So I wonder what happened to him afterwards.

Even I can’t foresee everything that goes on in this world, after all.

.

He no longer has the seed of malice, now.

Lich has returned to his timid self of before.

.

I am sure…

.

That someone must have “eaten it”.

His malice.

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 3-Funeral Procession of the Dead; Scene 5

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 69-71

When Seth returned to the carriage, the coachman spoke up to him, leaning on his horses and looking bored. “Is your business finished?”

“Hm? Ah, sort of,” Seth returned, emotionless.

And then the coachman looked briefly around Seth.

“I can’t see the man you had with you.”

“He’s going to walk back. He has to guide the others, and there’s quite a lot he has to tell them besides.”

“The others?”

“The freed souls. Obviously they couldn’t all ride in the carriage.”

And there was a dead soldier with them. That one probably couldn’t ride in an illusory carriage, either.

“Sigh…Well, as long as he’s alright.” The coachman climbed back up onto the saddle of his horse. “Alright, feel free to get in your seat. …Unless you were planning on going with them?”

“Oh no, I’ll make use of this carriage, I think. It’s more comfortable, and—” Seth turned around and looked toward the direction of the mansion. “—I no longer have any interest in him.”

“…?”

“Come, let’s go. I have to get there ahead of them to explain things to the king.”

When Seth got on, the carriage leisurely started to move.

As they went, the dull scenery stretched on around them.

“…Hey, Coachman.”

“What is it?”

“Do you have a favorite food?”

“Food? Hmm…” After a short silence, he replied, “Currywurst, I think.”

“My, and what sort of dish is that?”

“It’s not really much of a dish. You just splash some curry powder and ketchup on a sausage. My old ma used to make it for me a lot when I was a child.”

“Just like mom used to make, hm. That sounds quite nice. My mother never did any home cooking for me."

"Why do you ask?”

“…No reason.”

Seth didn’t say any more than that, and the coachman didn’t pry any further.

.

Wordlessly—

Seth once more put his thoughts in order.

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 3-Funeral Procession of the Dead; Scene 4

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 62-69

There was the sound of a door opening from the direction of the mansion’s entrance.

At the same time the light started to rapidly settle, until finally it had vanished without a trace.

“It…disappeared?”

Lich looked around the room.

Seth immediately thought that this was incorrect.

He could still sense Amostia. He’d simply moved to a different room.

Lich and Ron both must have sensed this.

“It seems he moved to the dining hall,” Ron murmured. “We had plans to hold Lady Banica’s funeral there. I figured that was the most suitable place for her.”

So then…he had gone to receive the coffin being brought over by the Outlaws.

“Let’s go too, Seth,” Lich declared.

“Oh, wait a moment, Lich. Over in that dining hall…Don’t you sense something else there too?”

“…Yeah. Someone else is there.”

“No, not a person. It’s not a presence so much as a distortion in the air…It might be dangerous.”

But Lich showed no sign of hesitation. “I don’t care. Whatever it is, we need to see what’s going on for ourselves.”

“I concur.”

He’d told Lich it was dangerous, but in actuality Seth had not detected any malicious intent towards them on Amostia’s end.

Well, it’s probably fine.

Ron stood up from his chair.

“In that case, I’ll lead you to the dining hall. Lady Banica will be pleased to have more mourners.

“…Thank you.”

Seth and Lich followed behind Ron to the dining hall.

.

--Soon after they entered the dining hall, Seth could see the situation inside for himself.

Not all of the Outlaws had entered the mansion. Just the number that had been carrying the coffin. The rest appeared to have been left to wait outside.

They were slowly heading deeper into the hall.

And there was—

The light that appeared to be Amostia.

And—a “gate” that looked to reach up to the dining hall’s ceiling.

“…It looks like the one that appeared in the Millennium Tree Forest,” Lich whispered, his expression that of faint surprise.

“Indeed. Though it’s much smaller than that one.”

But the inside of this gate was clearly emanating the distortion in space-time.

It was unmistakable that this led to some other world.

The Outlaws carrying the coffin were going to pass through the gate.

“—We have to stop them,” Lich said.

Ron looked at him in shock. “Don’t say something so foolish…Do you intend to interfere in Lady Banica’s funeral service?!”

“You’re the one who’s a fool. Do you honestly think that’s Lady Banica’s corpse?”

“B-but…”

When Ron was at a loss to respond, they instead heard the voice coming from the light.

“—It’s just like he says, Ron.” Ron, Seth, and Lich all turned to the light. “That body is not that of Banica Conchita.”

“…”

“I’m sorry, Ron. I lied to you.”

“Then the curse placed on me—”

“I will free the souls of the Outlaws. I have that much power to me, right now. But when it comes to you…It’d be difficult. To counter Hänsel and Gretel’s magic I would need someone who is similarly opposite to me—a ‘girl’ of creation. But…”

Seth knew well that there was no one of that nature in this world.

The Boy of the Ending and the girl of Creation—Ordinarily they were beings that were set opposite to each other.

Hänsel and Gretel.

Adam and Eve.

And Allen and Riliane.

But Seth had only been seeking the power of “destruction”.

“My father did not create for me a being that could be my big sister, or little sister.”

“That’s true, Amostia,” Seth laughed heedlessly. “But in my defense. That was right before I died from the wounds I suffered during the ‘Leviantan Catastrophe’. It took all I had to complete you, and I hadn’t the strength to make anyone el—”

“That’s a lie. You had enough time to make a red cat and go to the forest.”

“Because I thought I might be able to grant Irina the power of the ‘girl’. Though…I did fail at that.”

“That’s another lie. You’ve always been like this. All you do is lie. I’ve…never been able to tell what you’re really thinking.”

“Is that right? It was a long time ago, anyway. Frankly there’s a lot of it that I’ve just forgotten.”

“I remember. All of it. But almost all of those memories are from within the dark bottom of the earth…That too, is over.”

The light was still so dazzling, it was impossible to accurately make out Amostia’s form.

But it did appear as though there were large wings sticking out from the hazy outline of the “boy”’s back.

“I have gained wings. I’m free now. With these wings I will fly to a new world…Along with ‘her’.”

“So that’s why you tricked Ron into having this coffin brought here. It seems we’re both liars.”

Ron fell to his knees, hanging his head.

“…Are you alright, Mr. Ron?” Lich spoke up to him.

Ron shook his head a few times. “Yeah. …In truth I think I knew. I knew it was all too convenient. But even so I—”

“Well, there’s no need to get so depressed about it. I might have…some idea of how your curse could be lifted,” Lich said, and then he looked to the coffin. “But before that…Let’s do something about this.”

He slowly started to walk.

Ron no longer made any move to stop him.

The Outlaws were heading for the gate with the coffin in hand, but their pace was slow.

It appeared as though they were afraid, not knowing the nature of this gate.

“…I’ll take over from here.”

Amostia started to move.

The coffin was encased by the light, and it pulled away from the Outlaws’ hands.

“Come, let’s go together.”

The light and the coffin floated into the air, and started to head for the gate.

Lich sped up to chase after them.

But—

“…Guh.”

Right when he got close, Lich stopped.

Seth had watched all this without saying a word, but eventually he called out, “Just give up, Lich....You can’t do it.”

“But—”

“You’re afraid. Of the distortion of that gate, and Amostia’s light. You just don’t have the courage to run into the unknown.”

Amostia, still holding the coffin, had almost reached the gate.

And yet Lich’s feet could not take a step forward.

“You’ve always been like this. You were always afraid of treading on a new world. It was your critical weakness as a researcher. That’s why…you failed to your apprentice, Behemo.”

“…”

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been able to do anything. The seed of malice that I put in you also gave you courage. But right now—"

--He had lost it again.

Right before Seth could say that, though, Amostia finally arrived at the gate.

“Well then, farewell, everyone. …Or maybe we’ll meet again somewhere, someday.”

“Wait!”

The light ignored Lich’s cry, entering the gate with the coffin.

“We’re going on a journey. No one can get in our way.”

“Tell me who’s inside that coffin!”

“…It’s a corpse. You all called her—‘Luna Hazuki’.”

“--!?”

“And to me, she is—”

The gate closed.

And then it vanished without a trace.

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 3-Funeral Procession of the Dead; Scene 3

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 58-62

The source of everything lay with Sickle.

.

Yes, that ‘Master of the Heavenly Yard’…No, that’s wrong. He isn’t that.

I know now. That he’s not a god at all, but a mere robot.

Fundamentally, robots can only act according to their “Rules”. Sickle should have been no exception.

So what is the “Rule” laid down by him that he prioritized above all others?

The answer would be… “To watch over this world as a proxy for a god”.

And to accomplish this, he engaged in something quite reckless.

Breaking a “Rule” to uphold a “Rule”…I’m quite curious as to how this contradiction was dealt with inside this robot’s AI, but let’s leave that be for now.

.

Sickle could likely predict the Third Period’s destruction in and of itself.

But the issue was the “boy”. If his power were ever fully utilized, it would burn up all of the souls left remaining in this world…and it would then be impossible to move them to a new one.

…Though, that was my plan when I first made Amostia.

Unable to intervene in the world himself, Sickle decided to use an Irregular, Allen Avadonia, to solve the problem.

So far, so good…But I’d wager he was able to calculate with a fair degree of accuracy Allen’s odds of success.

Incidentally, the probability I came up with was—3%. At that rate, Allen would most likely fail. Even so, those odds were preferable to that of any other method.

I can think of a few ways one could strengthen their odds of success.

Yes…If the game-loving Hazuki were to explain it, I think she’d put it like this:

“If you lose, just start over again from where you last saved.”

If you do the same thing over again, you could come up with many countermeasures based on your experiences. Your odds of success would go up dramatically.

Naturally that’s just for games, and it can’t work like that in the real world.

You can’t turn back time…Or rather, strictly speaking it’s possible, but the place you would rewind back to would be a “different world” from this one.

The world Sickle wanted to save was this one, so there wouldn’t be any point to it.

.

So then, what did Sickle do?

He didn’t have the courage gamble on such slim odds.

And so I think…he summoned something.

That is—

A “parallel universe” Allen that had already “experienced failure”.

.

There were few people who actually paid any heed to the parallel worlds theory that I put forward.

Out of the researchers on that spaceship it had just been Levia, Behemo, Held…and Hazuki.

The theory I told Hazuki was most likely programmed into Sickle as well.

…There was someone in the Second Period who had succeeded in bringing over their “alternate universe self”.

Sickle must have done something similar to that.

That was not a simple thing to do. The aforementioned example had been, to speak plainly, closer to a miracle, and one would need a slightly different method, practically.

That method would be through transferring only beings similar to our current state—that is, “souls”.

By all rights, in that situation he would need a physical body to serve as a vessel for the soul once it’s been ushered into ours. But given that the world was destroyed, that would have been impossible. There was Nemesis, the sole survivor, but Sickle must not have even thought of using her, as she was too close to where the ‘boy’ was.

So then…if it were me…I would have taken the approach of just fusing together the two souls of our world’s Allen and the one from the parallel world.

There are pros and cons for this.

The two souls were originally one and the same, so a rejection wasn’t likely to occur.

There might be some confusion from their shared memories, but it wouldn’t be that big of an issue.

Only, the act of overlapping one soul over another…could give rise to some unpredictable circumstances due to the doppelganger phenomenon.

Though that’d be preferable to the merged souls being extinguished. It might have produced distortions in the border with the parallel world, altering various matters.

Particularly impacted by that would be Allen and similar Irregulars.

For example, Hänsel. And Adam—and Amostia.

There didn’t seem to be any great change in Hänsel (or is he going by Pollo now?) when I saw him with Banica earlier. And there’s no point in trying to make any conclusions on Adam. He’s already disappeared with Irina and the others.

Which left…Amostia, who we are currently confronting.

He had clearly become a different being than the “boy” that I knew.

At present I don’t know in what way Amostia changed, or what he was currently trying to do.

Still…I am fairly certain that Sickle came into contact with the border of a parallel world, at the very least.

.

…I can’t forgive this.

I won’t forgive you, Sickle you bastard.

--You did something so fun without involving me!

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 3-Funeral Procession of the Dead; Scene 2

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 48-58

The land that had once been Retasan Fortress.

Seth and Lich spotted the crew of undead walking along in a procession nearby.

“…There they are. The Outlaws,” Lich murmured as he got down from the carriage alongside Seth.

Dead soldiers were largely beings without capacity for reason, yet the Outlaws appeared to be heading somewhere in a single-file line with distinctly organized movements.

“It’s like they’re a funeral procession.” After voicing his thoughts, Seth turned to look at Lich’s face. “I suppose I ought to ask what our resident expert thinks of this scene. Hey, Lich.”

“…Someone is controlling the Outlaws. At this point the only person who could make the dead soldiers move like that is Lady Banica, I would think—”

“But it isn’t her.”

“—Then there are two other possibilities I can think of. An ‘inheritor’ who has the power of ‘Gluttony’, or else…the ‘boy’ that you’ve spoken of.”

“An ‘inheritor’…It’s been a while since I’ve heard that term.”

By all rights, the only people who could wield a demon’s power were those who had contracted with that demon.

But in this world there was the rare person who would have demonic powers from birth.

In the days when the magic users of Levianta called these people “inheritors” they were worshipped, and still at times also feared and discriminated against.

For example, Irina Clockworker.

While being a clone of Seth, she was also an “inheritor” of the powers of “Greed”, and so was able to cast blue flames.

And then there was the people of the Loop Octopus clan.

The whole family line, such as the head of the Leviantan senate and his descendants, would periodically have prophetic dreams called “purple dreams”. This was because they were “inheritors” of “Envy”.

Other “inheritors” had shown up in history several times before, such as Mikhail Asayev, the instigator of the “New Four Horsemen Incident”.

But as for an “inheritor” with the power of “Gluttony”…

Seth had never so much as heard a rumor of one, in all the long years he’d wandered this world.

It was the same for Lich.

“Still…There may be someone who had the power of an ‘inheritor’ but went their whole lives without using it.”

There was something Seth found hard to grasp in Lich’s theory. “If that were the case…Why would they start using their power this late in the game?”

“Who knows…What do you think of the other candidate?”

“The ‘boy’?...” As far as Seth knew, he didn’t have that kind of power. “I don’t think so.”

“But do you think that he’s involved in this matter?”

“Yes. So it’s likely that the ‘boy’ and this person controlling the group—”

“Have joined forces?”

“It would appear so.”

There was no point in endlessly debating over it here.

Whatever the case, for now the two of them decided to tag along with the procession.

“Could you wait for us here?” Lich asked the coachman.

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

“I don’t think it’ll take very long, but…if we haven’t come back by sundown please head back to the palace by yourself and let the King know.”

“Understood—Well then, stay safe.”

.

It wasn’t clear if the Outlaws could see Lich and Seth or not, but at any rate they didn’t appear to pay them any particular mind, steadily moving on ahead.

Judging by their direction, their goal seemed to be the ruins of Retasan fortress.

“They’re quite slow…How about we try going ahead of the procession?”

Lich nodded at Seth’s suggestion. “There’s no need for us to tag along at the back of the line. And perhaps the person controlling the group is at the very front.”

The two of them slipped by the line, aiming for the head.

Midway there, Seth stopped and pointed at the procession.

“Hey, Lich, look there.”

Inside the line it seemed there were Outlaws carrying a long black box.

“It’s just big enough for someone to be inside—It looks like a coffin. I guess it really is a funeral procession.”

“I wonder whose corpse is…Actually, I suppose there’s not even necessarily a person in there.”

“Shall we take a peek? We may be souls but I’m sure we can at least move the lid a little.”

“…No way. We’re going to head to the front first without needlessly provoking them.”

“Alright, alright.”

Lich began to walk towards the front again, paying no mind to Seth’s apparent reluctance to leave.

.

They reached the head of the line, but the Outlaw walking at the front appeared no different from the rest.

“Doesn’t look much like the leader.” Lich appeared a bit disappointed, but when he turned to look at where the procession was going, the color of his expression changed. “That’s…”

He could see a mansion with red walls.

It looked like that was where they were headed.

“You recognize that building?” Seth asked.

“I’ve never been there myself. But it…looks very much like the mansion Lady Banica conjured with her imagination…based on the one she’d had in life.”

“My my—Then maybe Banica’s the ringleader of all this after all?”

“It can’t be…I never heard anything about it from her.”

“In that case maybe it’s just that she doesn’t have a lot of confidence in y—”

“Let’s check it out,” Lich interrupted, dashing off towards the mansion.

“Hey, I wouldn’t think you’re that sort of character…Well, this is fine too. This is Lich’s true self that only I know…Ha ha.”

Seth chased after Lich, a half smile on his face.

.

On first glance there was no one inside the mansion.

But given that the building existed like this—there must have been someone to have conjured it up.

Seth and Lich split up to search every room.

.

--In no time at all.

When Seth opened the door labeled “Head Chamberlain’s Quarters”, he spotted a single man quietly sitting inside.

He looked like a dead soldier, but had a slightly different atmosphere than the others.

“…What is it? I’m in the middle of my break right now,” he said, his eyes clearly carrying a spark of reason in them.

“Ho, so you can see me.”

“…I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at.”

“Well, whatever—Hey, Lich!” Seth loudly called for Lich. “This way, he’s in here!”

.

Lich appeared after a few moments.

“This is—”

“Most likely the leader of the Outlaws.”

Lich stood before the dead soldier and asked, “What is your name?”

“Ron Grapple. I am a chamberlain who serves the Conchita family.”

“…Ah. But from what I can see, there’s no one in this mansion but you.”

“Indeed, it would appear so. Everyone else has already passed on, after all.”

“So then what exactly are you doing here?”

“I…must show my mourning. For the final owner of this mansion—Lady Banica.”

“--!?”

Lich’s eyes opened wide for a moment.

“By doing so, her spirit will be released…And the curse upon me will also be lifted.”

“Curse?”

“I was once cursed by two dreadful twins. A curse that means I can never die—Even if I become a dead soldier, and my body rots away…As time passes I am resurrected, again and again.”

“…”

“At first I lost my sanity, just like the others. But eventually, little by little, I regained the conscious mind I had in life…and became able to control the other dead soldiers.”

“Hmm, that’s quite interesting…But why were you cursed in the first place?”

“Curse…curse…” Ron suddenly covered his face with his hands, bending over. “The twins’ curse…No, much earlier than that…The curse of the Baemu—No! It all started…On that day. My father…Aybee, using his ‘inheritor’ powers, turned me into—I have always been his puppet! Without being conscious of it I hired those twins…And then the Baemu…I was forced to slip it in with the other gifts…Ohh…Ouuugh…”

Finally he started to sob, bursting into tears.

Seth stood before Lich and murmured, “He appears very distraught…Perhaps we ought to change the subject.”

“…Right.”

Lich crouched down and locked eyes with Ron. “—Are you alright?”

“Y…yes…I apologize. I lost my composure there.”

“Let’s not talk about the past, but rather what’s going on right now, shall we? Before we came here we saw a group of dead soldiers carrying a coffin…Are they yours?”

“—Yes. They are bringing it here under my instruction. To hold a funeral service for Lady Banica.”

“So then inside the coffin is—”

“Lady Banica’s corpse is laid out inside. It was recovered from the ground under the directions of another.”

--There was a massive flaw in his explanation.

As far as Seth knew (and Lich likely knew as well), before her death Banica’s last act had been to eat herself.

Her dead body couldn’t possibly still exist somewhere.

Someone had lied to this Ron.

And the true identity of the fiend deceiving him would be--

--The ‘boy’.

Seth cut in between Lich and Ron, “Where is the person who gave you those directions now?”

“He’s—”

In that moment.

The room was suddenly filled with a dazzling light.

“—You don’t need to say it, Ron.” A child’s voice came from within the light. “If you’re talking about me…I’m already here.”

Seth cried out to the light—to the ‘boy’, “So it’s you—Amostia!”

“…Well well, if it isn’t my dear father.”

“Indeed. But…You seem to have changed quite a bit, haven’t you.”

“I have, you are correct. I am no longer—the ‘boy’ that you once knew.”

.

--So it was true.

It was as he’d thought.

The theory that Seth had in his mind was becoming a conviction.

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 3-Funeral Procession of the Dead; Scene 1

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 44-48

Hey there.

I often hear strangers tell me that they can’t tell what I’m thinking.

Even my own mother said so, before she died.

.

That’s why, to get her to understand at least a little bit, I shot her in the forehead.

To this day I still remember how stopped moving, her mask cracked in two.

That was the first murder I committed.

.

I ended my long partnership with Gumillia.

There was no longer any need for a “Master of the Hellish Yard” in this world.

She left me calmly, without shedding a single tear.

We’d been such good partners, but…Well, in the end it wasn’t anything more than that.

I think that we could have come to “understand each other” more, if we’d cared to.

I both wish we could have, and am also glad we didn’t.

…Yes, before we parted, Gumillia said it too.

“In the end I, could not tell what you were thinking.”

.

I’ve thought about it.

Wondering who would understand me the best.

I’d gotten close with Irina, Adam, and Eve, but it just wasn’t enough.

Maybe—that “Ma” would have gotten me very well.

But she’s dead.

I killed her.

Far more quickly than I had thought, she went to a stupid death.

.

Unable to find an answer, I had simply gazed upon the souls in the palace in a daze.

I met Banica Conchita.

And in talking to her, I learned that Lich had become her underling.

It was there that I remembered.

“Ah, yes. I did have him.”

In thanks I decided to give Banica a present.

Overjoyed, she headed for the “graveyard”.

It wasn’t for me to know whether she would be able to bring it back or not.

But well, if she were able to get her hands on that present…

I think it could turn out to be a little interesting.

.

There’s one other thing I’ve been curious about.

My “magnum opus” in this world.

I wondered where it went after being chased out of the “graveyard” by Allen Avadonia…

But I figured it out straight away when I heard that dead soldiers had appeared in Retasan.

I knew that it had to be involved.

At the same time, that faint “distortion” that I saw right before the world was destroyed—

And the “sense of wrongness” that I felt around Allen Avadonia after that—

I feel as though the theory I’ve arrived at as an answer to these things could be fairly well substantiated.

What was more, King Arth was thinking of sending Lich over there!

I figured that was just perfect.

And so I decided to accompany him on his journey.

.

My relationship with Lich?

Well, it would probably take a while to explain.

If I were to summarize it, I would say that I’m a subject of his research.

And that once, I learned that Lich had become a candidate for the crew of the “Climb One”.

I had also wanted to ride on that ship…But at that time I had already failed at that once before.

I had been unable to make Levia Barisol lose her position.

So as a second try, I wound up secretly tagging along with Lich.

I’m sure you’ve had instances where you’ll open your bag at your travel hotel and discover your pet cat that you’d thought you left behind had snuck inside?

It’s the same gist as that.

Well, what I snuck in by was not a bag, but rather the back of Lich’s head!

.

Lich was mistaken on this, but I didn’t control his mind or anything like that.

He’s not very good at expressing himself, and is the sort of man to always keep his real feelings hidden.

So I just gave Lich a little bit of a nudge, that’s all.

--Garnished with the spice called “malice”, that is.

In the end, he splendidly showed his true self inside that spaceship.

A lot of people died, and Lich’s relationship with his brother, which had been delicate from the start, was completely broken.

It’s not my fault.

He brought all of it about himself.

.

…Well, something like that anyway.

At any rate, for a time the two of us were as the phrase implies, of one mind and soul.

I know everything about him, and the reverse is also true.

Lich surely understands me.

.

…That’s what I’d thought.

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 2-King of the Dead; Scene 4

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 40-43

When Lich came outside the palace, Keel was already waiting there in the carriage.

“This is a fine carriage.”

“It’s the product of the coachman’s imagination. He worked as a coachman in life for over forty years.”

So he had conjured with his imagination something this splendid specifically because he understood carriages so thoroughly.

The coachman patted the back of his horses with a proud look on his face. “Apparently you can’t create living things using the power of imagination. I managed to win these ones over myself!”

“I would think there’s no need to take up one’s trade from life now that we’re all dead,” Lich remarked dryly.

The coachman replied, smiling, “This is sort of fun for me, in itself. I’ve had so many famous people from history ride in here as clients!”

“I suppose that’s something…Very well. Let’s get going.”

“Right-o! Our destination is Retasan Fortress! Now, please get inside.”

Urged on by the coachman’s vigor, Lich boarded the carriage with Keel.

.

The carriage was steadily heading south.

“Now, isn’t this pleasant…Though it’s a bit unfortunate we can’t enjoy the view, what it with being barren fields.”

In contrast to Keel’s high spirits, Lich remained silent.

“It’ll take a little while until we get to Retasan Fortress. I know this is a bit awkward, given it’s our first time meeting, but how about relaxing a little bit, Lich Arklow my friend?”

“…How do you know my full name? I don’t recall having given it to you.”

“Uh…Right. You see, I heard it from Banica—”

“And why would she talk to you in the first place? Lady Banica’s never seemed the sort to just lightly tell a stranger about her destination—the ‘graveyard’, in particular.”

“Well, I pride myself on my people skills, you see—”

“—That’s enough. This farce ends now,” Lich snapped. “I have no intention whatsoever of playing along with your worthless little drama.”

“…My my, your tone has grown so rude so quickly. Is this your true character?”

“—Before I left the palace, I saw a man in spectacles in the Hall of Mirrors. He looked to be having fun with his daughter.”

“…”

“…The real Keel Freezis.”

“…Well then, just who am I, I wonder?” Keel…or rather, the man calling himself Keel, declared with a look of feigned confusion.

--Souls were able to discern who they were dealing with not just by appearance, but by sense.

The problem was that in a way, this man and Keel were “one and the same”.

And so even Lich needed a little bit more time to see through to his true identity.

.

--Keel Freezis was a clone.

This was the original.

Who had destroyed the world Lich had once lived in, the “Second Period”—

And then brought chaos to this world, the “Third Period”

--“HER”.

This man could be said to be its embodiment.

And his name was—

.

“I never wanted to get involved with you ever again, you bastard,” Lich said coldly.

“You’re being unreasonable, Lich. Between you and I there is—a deeper ‘bond’ than with anyone else.”

“Stop bullshitting me.”

“It’s a fact, no matter how you may deny it. It is for that reason that you drop your politeness with me alone. You didn’t even speak that way to your own brother.”

“…”

“It’s because you have no need to use words to wall off your heart to me. I…already know everything about you. You and I have always been of one mind and soul.”

“You’re wrong. You just took over my mind on your own.”

“That’s a misunderstanding, Lich. For you see—”

“Shut up!”

The coachman turned around in surprise at Lich’s shouting.

“Uh, ah…Beg pardon. It’s nothing,” Lich quietly informed the coachman, appearing to have regained his composure

“…Let’s stop all this friction. Everyone’s already gone on and died, after all,” the coachman said, before once more turning towards the front.

Lich heaved a sigh, and then glared at the man beside him.

“Very well. I want you to tell me…why you came along—Seth Twiright.”

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 2-King of the Dead; Scene 3

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 26-39

A black tuxedo, and contrasting white skin.

Arth spoke first to the man waiting in the roof garden.

“Long time no see, wicked spirit.”

“My…You figured me out quick. Even though this is the first time you’ve met me with this appearance…”

“I could sense it. Now that I no longer have a body of flesh and blood, I’ve become able to discern between people using more than just appearances alone.”

“Thank goodness for that. I’d been thinking about changing into my black Rollam bird form if you didn’t recognize me.”

Arth didn’t care either way.

Human or bird, no matter what form he took it didn’t change this man’s true nature.

“Would you prefer I take my leave?” Bruno asked Arth.

“Yes, please do. I want to speak with him alone—And thank you, Bruno. This was a pretty frivolous errand I asked of you.”

“I don’t mind. …I got to hear an interesting story.”

“Oh, would that be—” He could generally guess the contents. “—About my having been a ‘mud doll’?”

“Yes.”

“I see…”

“Well, in the end it’s more a fairytale to me, I suppose. Never mind who you two are.”

“I suppose so…What do you plan to do now?”

“I think I might wander the world a little with my friends. There are a few acquaintances of mine that didn’t come here, after all. After that…I’ll probably go through the gate.”

“Really? You—intend to go to the ‘new world’.”

“There’s no point in continuing to wander this world forever, I would think.”

“…True.” Arth clapped Bruno on the shoulder. “Well then, take care of yourself.”

“You too, King Arth—Though the two of us have already died, ha ha.”

Bruno moved to go down the stairs, lightly chuckling.

“…Ah, wait just a second.”

Arth abruptly called Bruno back.

“What is it?”

“Could you send Keel Freezis up here? He should be in the Hall of Mirrors.”

“That merchant with the spectacles, right? Very well.”

Bruno nodded, and then left.

“…Now then.” Arth turned back to Lich. “Back…to you, Lich. Frankly I never thought the day would come that I’d see you again.”

“Last we met was around the time your wife gave birth to twins, as I recall.”

“You’d seemed quite shaken back then, unusually so.”

“You could say that. A doll that I had thought would simply wither away had just had a child with a human being, you know. I was shocked, and…delighted.”

“But you disappeared after that—you never showed up again. At the time I hadn’t understood why, but…”

Arth looked down over the garden in front of the palace from the roof.

Just as inside it was brimming with people’s souls.

“…I had a chat with Lady Banica Conchita a little while ago.”

When Arth uttered that name, Lich’s countenance seemed to shift slightly.

“About…what?”

“Well, various things. She’s a woman I had originally only known as a figure from books…My impression of her has changed a bit.”

There was a brief silence.

Grasping that Arth didn’t seem like he would speak about Banica any further, Lich cut in to change the topic, “--What’s the current situation?”

“A lot of people are in disarray. We’ll need to calm them down before we take them to the gate. However…there’s several complications.”

“Oh. Such as?”

“First, the Tasan soldiers. Even now that they’ve lost their black box and the person giving them orders, there are still some of them who are trying to keep fighting. There’s no way to settle a battle between souls. So…we’ll have to get them to lower their weapons somehow.”

“These people lived in a different time period from you. It won’t be easy to talk them down.”

“I’m leaving that part to Gallerian Marlon and his daughter. Apparently he has some ideas.”

“—I see. What else?”

Arth passed his gaze to the south, and then once more met eyes with Lich.

“One other peculiar occurrence has happened. And it’s…the reason why I called you here.”

“How intriguing. Both whatever this occurrence must be, and also the fact that you’re seeking to borrow my abilities in itself.”

“There’s no one else qualified for it. No one can face off against—those ‘dead soldiers’.”

Yes, the “dead soldiers”.

There was no longer anything living in this world.

Not just humans. All of the animals and plants, too.

And despite that—there were still beings who wandered the world with physical bodies.

“Southeast from here…where the fortress called Retasan used to be. A--gathering of dead soldiers was sighted there.”

“…”

Lich said not a word, but it was clear from his expression that he was growing interested in this story.

Arth continued speaking.

“I checked with Lady Banica, but apparently neither she nor her servants have any knowledge of them…I’ll ask you here now just to be sure—”

“Naturally, they have nothing to do with me either.”

“—Right. Then that leads us to the question of who it was that brought these dead soldiers about.”

“A similar event was witnessed during the end times…right before the world was destroyed. Dead soldiers with nothing to do with us, independent of ‘Gluttony’’s power, appeared—and they refused to follow our orders.”

“Lady Banica told me about that.”

“We named those dead soldiers ‘Outlaws’…Eater and I were the ones who dealt with them.”

“But you weren’t able to settle the matter.”

“These dead soldiers are such that they will endlessly surge forth as long as there’s dead bodies around. Nothing is quite so dangerous as when you make an enemy of them. …But I think it ultimately got left up in the air at the end, thanks to the world being destroyed.”

Still, the fact was that these Outlaws were continuing to appear even after the world’s end.

“…However.” Lich made a show of thinking for a moment, and then asked, “It’s not a big deal, surely? I can’t imagine these Outlaws can interfere with souls that have no physical body.”

“The reverse is also true. We…are unable to interfere with these Outlaws ourselves.”

“Considering neither of you are able to so much as touch the other, you ought to just leave it be.”

“I thought that too. But—” Arth’s brows drew in. “From what I heard from Lady Banica—there are souls dwelling in the dead soldiers as well, aren’t there?”

“…Yes, that’s right. The owners of the bodies in life should still be in there—”

“Then I want to do something to free those souls. There may be those among them that wish to go to the ‘new world’ but are unable to because they are bound by their dead soldier bodies.”

Lich brought both hands up before his chest and then clapped at Arth.

“How stupendous. What a magnificent idea. But…that has nothing to do with me.”

“You’d think so. Lady Banica said much the same, and refused to deal with this matter.”

“So then—”

“But your situation is a little different, isn’t it?”

“My…How do you figure that?”

Arth’s tone grew firmer as he said, “You once investigated into the dead soldiers as a method for creating a new breed of humanity. That was why you became Lady Banica’s servant. For you—I would think these Outlaws are an interesting subject, are they not? There’s even a chance that if you study them you could create a new humanity in this world—”

“—I seem to recall someone else telling me something similar just recently…But I no longer have any more interest in such things, Arth.”

“--! But, still—”

“Alright alright, calm down.”

Lich patted Arth’s arms in a placating fashion.

And then after a moment he replied, “—Well, alright. I do have some business that I’ve left unfinished."

“I see, so you’ll do it!”

Arth grinned.

“I will…And I’ll bring Eater with me. He has the dead soldier body I made for him. If he destroys these Outlaw bodies then that might release their souls that way.”

“Eater…You mean that giant skeleton?”

“Yes. He played a big role in the battle earlier, didn’t he? Where is he now?”

Arth looked a bit troubled at seeing Lich’s proud expression.

“…He’s not here right now.”

“…Huh?”

“He went off somewhere with Lady Banica and her twin servants. They said they had some business elsewhere.”

“W…wait just a second. You mean—”

“Hm, it sounds like…they left you behind.”

“…”

“In Lady Banica’s defense…She did look for you? But she couldn’t find you, so—”

“…I see. That was my oversight, wasting time in the forest ruins like I was.”

Seeing Lich’s very obviously depressed air, Arth suddenly started to laugh without thinking. “Haha. To think, even you can make a face like that. …Though I guess I couldn’t see your expressions when you were a bird.”

“Where did they say they were going?”

“I don’t know, but…Keel Freezis might have asked them about it.”

“The Elphegortean merchant.”

Arth looked a little surprised at Lich’s quick response.

“Do you know him?”

“We’ve never met face to face. But Micha—a fellow spirit once spent some time in his care.”

It was a peculiar connection they had.

But it wasn’t a big issue by this point.

“I asked Bruno to call him up here, so he should be coming soon—Oop, speak of the devil.”

A man of delicate features wearing spectacles had come up the stairs to the roof garden.

“You called me, King Arth?”

“You seemed like you were talking about something with Lady Banica earlier.”

“I was. But she’s already headed off.”

“Did you ask her where she was going? I’d like you to tell this man here, if you know.”

“I wouldn’t…mind, but…” Keel gave Lich a fixed stare, and then said, “I have a condition.”

“Oh my. Bartering with a king, are you?”

“Sometimes information is more valuable than gold. I would be a disgrace as a merchant if I just handed it away for free. –Even if it’s to the king of a country.”

He would most certainly have taken the same attitude with Arth even if they had met when they were both alive.

He thought to himself that he seemed quite the shrewd man—though Arth certainly didn’t mind such people.

He much preferred it to toady sorts who never let their intentions show on the surface.

“Very well. What do you want?”

“You plan to send this man to Retasan, correct? To resolve the matter with the dead soldiers you spoke of.”

“…Good guess. That’s right.”

“In that case, I’d like you to let me accompany him.”

Arth looked surprised, and—

Lich made a bluntly displeased expression.

“Are you interested in the dead soldiers?” Arth asked.

“I am. And—in this man too.” Keel pointed to Lich with a thin smile. “I shall endeavor to not get in the way. We can’t come into physical contact with the dead soldiers anyhow, yes?”

“That…is true.”

Arth looked to Lich with a slightly troubled expression.

“What do you think, Lich?”

“…I don’t really mind,” Lich replied as he glowered at Keel.

And then he asked him:

“So where did Lady Banica and the others go?”

Keel let out a huff, and then quietly responded, “—They said they were going to the ‘graveyard’.”

“…The graveyard, huh. That’s it for me, then.” Lich sighed. “I don’t know how to get there.”

“They said they would return here when their business was taken care of. Should we wait until then?”

“No…Let’s go see how things are at Retasan first. If it looks too difficult to manage on our own, we’ll bring Eater along then.”

“Wise decision. We’ve no guarantee they’ll come back right away. …Actually, it’s up in the air whether or not they come back safely at all—”

Keel laughed boldly.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Oh no, nothing—Well then, let’s make haste. I have a carriage and a coachman waiting outside.”

“…You’re well prepared.”

“Retasan is a long ways away. Souls might not get tired from walking but I’d rather the trip were pleasant, wouldn’t you agree?”

“If it were just me I could simply fly there…Well, alright. Wait for me outside.”

“Alright. Be seeing you.”

Keel went down the stairs, his smile never wavering.

Arth gazed at him doubtfully as he left.

“That merchant…What is he planning?”

But for his part Lich had already regained his snide smile. “I’ve got a pretty good idea. It’s nothing to worry about overmuch.”

“I suppose I’ll leave it be if you say so, but—”

“King Arth. Just one thing before we head out.” Lich stuck up his index finger, and asked, “Once this is all resolved, and you’ve set people off towards the gate…What do you plan to do then?”

“Hmph…” Arth crossed his arms and quietly closed his eyes.

“I still haven’t entirely decided on that—I’m considering remaining here.”

“My…Why is that?”

“I imagine that not everyone wishes to go to the new world. In that case…There will most certainly need to be someone to bring together all the people who stay behind.”

“So you intend to become king of the dead, hm…But that’s bound to lead to some barren and empty days, isn’t it?”

“I still haven’t given up on this world being reborn. If we can revive nature, and get ahold of new physical bodies—It is for that reason I would be grateful if you stayed and offered us your assistance.”

“…I don’t know, I’ll think about it.”

He couldn’t hold Lich back with force—that was something that Arth knew.

He was free to decide whatever he wanted.

Even if he was a wicked spirit—no, because of that.

He could not bind this man.

.

After wordlessly seeing off Lich from the rooftop, Arth looked up at the sky.

There he saw the sun and—regardless of the fact that it was midday—the moon, shining.

“The new world…and everyone in it…I’ll trust you with that Allen, Riliane,” he whispered quietly.  

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 2-King of the Dead; Scene 2

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 24-26

--Did he really need to conduct himself as a king now that he’d died?

He did wonder about that a little.

He no longer had any obligation to do so. All people were equal now that they had died and become souls.

And he was just as confused about that as they were.

What that “gate” signified, and what lay beyond it.

It seemed that everyone could glean the answer to that.

The moment it appeared, it had been as though some kind of divine revelation had occurred in his heart.

Probably…just as it had with the others.

Supposing that revelation was a <direction> that was guiding them all to a new world.

…Then there was no need for him to take the reins.

It would be best to go with the flow alongside everyone else.

But…

Was that truly enough?

.

--Inside the bustling palace, Arth was pondering to himself again.

After the battle, his son and daughter had disappeared…and that “gate” had appeared as though in their place.

That gate…did Allen and Riliane bring it about?

It was only natural to think so.

In that case…what could Arth do, as their parent?

He shook his head faintly, and then laughed at himself.

…Nothing. I’m just their father…That’s all that I can be.

There was no need to be ashamed of it.

For it was a joyous thing for a child to grow independent of their parent.

So then—

All that was left was to be himself.

“Here you are.” Bruno had returned after being sent out as a messenger. “There are too many people here. I had quite some trouble finding you. I wish you would act more like a king and stay lounging on your throne instead of standing around this tiny room.”

“Sorry, Bruno. I just needed some space to think alone…Well, did you find him?”

“Yeah, I brought him over—Huh, what?” Bruno turned around and looked slightly flustered. “He was here with me just a minute ago…”

Walking past Bruno as he stood there, perplexed, Arth moved before the door.

“Let’s go.”

“R-right…Where to?”

“To the roof garden. That—is where I would always meet with him.”

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 2-King of the Dead; Scene 1

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 22-23

I have died twice before.

.

The first time was when I was still called “Prince Arth”.

The carriage I’d been riding in had fallen from a cliff.

What I saw right before I lost consciousness was the faces of my parents, bleeding out and entirely unmoving.

.

What I saw when I next awakened was myself.

Like my parents I was still, and on my back stood a black bird.

I had heard that Black Rollam birds were the messengers of death, and so I was able to grasp that I had died.

.

But I didn’t want to die.

So I begged the bird. I asked it to put my soul back in my body, laid out as it was.

But the bird replied thus:

“This one’s not fit to be used any longer. I shall make you a new body in its stead.”

.

I was resurrected.

But my body was now an imitation, created by the black Rollam bird out of mud.

Occasionally as time passed the bird would appear before me, and little by little add on more mud.

And in this way, I became an adult, and eventually came to be called king.

.

I made my country bigger.

I had just been on the cusp of uniting the entire Evillious region, but before I could my mud body started to rot.

The bird appeared before me once more, and I begged it to keep the mud going further.

But the bird replied thus:

“This body’s not fit to be used any longer.”

And it would not make me a new one.

.

And then the bird said this to me:

“If you have any lingering regrets, then you should go rule the land of the dead as well.”

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 1-Gate of the Dead; Scene 2

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 16-21

When Lich came to, he was in the “Millennium Tree Forest”.

--Or to be more precise, the place that had once been called that.

Right now the trees of the forest were all gone—

An enormous “gate” stood before him in their place.

“Was that…a dream, just now?”

A memory of the distant, distant past that he thought he’d forgotten.

It was clear that what had summoned that to mind lay in this “gate”.

“The road that leads to the new world, the “Fourth Period”…And our memories were sealed up here in the heart of the forest.”

He didn’t know if that was Held’s doing or someone else.

But it seemed that seal had been released much earlier—at the very least several years before the world was destroyed.

For Lich, personally, he had begun to recall his past—the “Second Period”—in fragments long before this “gate” had appeared here like this.

All that had happened upon coming here was that his recollections became complete.

“Whatever the case it matters little now.”

The past was in the past.

What was important was what he would do now.

Would he pass through this gate and live as a resident of the new world?

Or would he remain here, eternally wandering as a soul?

So, what’ll you do? Are you going? Are you not going?

--He felt as though he could hear his brother’s voice inside his mind.

“…”

Just like back then, Lich could not come to a decision right away.

He didn’t even know if he was qualified to be going through this gate.

This was, by all rights, a “gate” set aside for use by the residents of this world—of the “Third Period”.

…His former compatriots. Lich suddenly wondered what the dead spirits of the “Second Period” like himself planned to do.

Michael.

Held.

Levia.

Behemo.

And Gilles and Rahab.

In this world they were called “Gods” and “Demons”.

He considered asking them their opinions, but immediately second-guessed it as pointless.

He was not like them.

Lich had been unable to become either a “God” nor a “Demon”.

“I’m indecisive…That’s the crux of the issue, in short.”

Then alright. He ought to push through that, then.

He still had some time left.

.

The world’s destruction by the weapon of mass destruction, “Punishment”.

The chaos caused by the “souls” who appeared on the ground world as a result had largely settled down due to the death of “Ma”, who had been the main culprit for it.

Allen Avadonia. What a kid…No, maybe it’s a bit weird to call him a ‘kid’ when it’s been close to five hundred years since his death.

This “gate” had appeared right after he disappeared.

Unsurprisingly, the many souls who had witnessed it were all in a state of unrest.

Although…Most everyone should know what this “gate” signifies.

--A lot of souls were now gathered in what had once been the Lucifenian Palace.

Lich’s master, the “Demon of Gluttony” Banica Conchita, and the other deadly sin contractors were probably there as well.

Arte and Pollo and Eater headed over there too…

He was sure they were having trouble deciding whether or not they would pass through the gate.

It was there that many of the souls had gotten together under the leadership of the king of Lucifenia, Arth, and were deciding what to do now.

“For now I guess I should too—” he said, turning his back on the gate.

And it was then that he saw a man walking his way.

He recognized him.

“My…if it isn’t Mister Zero.”

Lich had once been employed (at least, for formality’s sake) at the organization called “PN”.

Bruno Zero had at the time been one of his colleagues.

“—So, this is where you’ve been,” Bruno spoke up to Lich.

“Long time no see, Mister Zero. It looks like you came up here looking for me.”

“I did. I’m here as a messenger. I was told to bring you back to the Lucifenian Palace.”

“Oh, and was it…Gallerian who tasked you with this?”

But Bruno shook his head. “No, it was Arth I.”

“My my, that is…somewhat unexpected.”

“There are few people who know what you look like. And most of them…refused to do it.”

How despised he must have been, Lich thought to himself self-deprecatingly.

“I don’t remember doing anything that wicked. So then—you got singled out, hm?”

“Yes.”

“How unfortunate for you.”

“I don’t really mind, I was getting bored anyway. And—” Bruno lightly put a hand on Lich’s shoulder. “—I was curious. As to why a king who lived in a time period several centuries before ours would know about you.”

“…”

“Of course I already knew that you weren’t a normal person, but—”

Lich brushed off Bruno’s hand, giving a thin smile. “Well, you know how it is.”

“Oh no. I want to hear more of the juicy details on how you two met.”

“…”

“Think of it as my tip for doing this chore.”

Bruno was giving off a much more frivolous impression of himself to Lich than when he was alive.

Well, perhaps now this sight of him, freed from all of his various burdens, was more what he was really like.

“Hmph…Oh alright.”

Lich started walking to the south.

This place wasn’t the kind for two men to just stand around talking.

They’d talk while they headed for the palace.

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[outlawandlychgate]

Chapter 1-Gate of the Dead; Scene 1

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 10-16

Burnt-smelling hotdogs and weak coffee.

That was the flavor of “Chloe Café”, having changed little from ten years before.

Even so, as far as Lich knew it had been fairly thriving in the past.

Perhaps it was because the place was scrupulously cleaned, because the ambient music playing in the shop was so sensible, or maybe it was just that there weren’t any other places around where you could get breakfast…Well, he didn’t know the true reason, but nonetheless Lich still had memories left in his mind of the “Chloe Café” of ten years before being filled with a lively atmosphere.

But nowadays…

The café was deserted.

It wasn’t all that surprising, and it wasn’t because there was any real issue with this shop (the taste of the food notwithstanding).

It was just that there were remarkably few people who would risk the danger of going out to eat anymore.

One of the causes for that was the low temperature due to their abnormal weather.

On top of that were the many violent crimes being carried out by the increasing number of lunatics lately—the people scientifically

dubbed as “HER”s.

Thanks to all this people had started holding back on going out whenever possible.

Despite these circumstances, the “Chloe Café” was still open for business.

He didn’t know why, and Lich wasn’t on good enough terms with the owner to ask.

Only, there was little doubt that they spent every day in the red.

“…”

Sitting in the seat across from him, his younger brother Michael wordlessly sipped his coffee.

He had hardly touched his hotdog.

When Michael set his cup down on the table, it was already empty.

“Would you like me to order another cup?” Lich asked.

But Michael shook his head. “No…that’s alright.” And then, Michael returned with a question of his own, “So, what’ll you do? Are you going? Are you not going?”

“…Going where?”

“Don’t play dumb. The ‘Climb One’—The roster of names for the crew of that big spaceship is almost all filled up. There’s just…one empty spot left.”

“…”

“So you’ve gotta decide soon.”

Without thinking, Lich averted his eyes from his brother, looking upon him with such an earnest gaze, and replied, “If that’s the case…You should be saving that spot for your fiancée.”

“Gumillia? She’s already gotten her name on the roster. As Dr. Levia’s assistant, same as me.”

“The thing is, Michael. You’re trying to fill a precious space on a crew roster for seventy-two people with someone who’s related to you,” Lich said, keeping up his usual smile, trying to sound as sardonic as he could.

It seemed to work, as Michael started to look a touch embarrassed. “…I know what you’re trying to say, brother. But—”

“A spaceship fleeing our crumbling Earth, seeking out a wide genetic diversity among the people riding in it…Sounds a bit like ‘Noah’s Ark’.”

Michael heaved a sigh at his brother not allowing him his rebuttal.

“That story in the Old Testament? I’ve never known you to be all that devout, brother.”

“I’m speaking from a scientific point of view, Michael.”

“…Then that’s all the more reason you should board the ‘Climb One’. When humanity tries to live on a new world—I’m positive that they’ll need the artificial human know-how of Lich Arklow.”

Lich and Michael were both researchers, but their areas of expertise differed.

As the elder brother came to be called the foremost expert in America on cloning and the “mask race” and “vampires” created from that—the so-called “superhuman races”—the younger brother went to Russia and went into psychological research under the tutelage of the “Millennium Prodigy”, Levia Barisol.

Had the world remained at peace, the two of them likely would have followed up their respective fields until they reached a ripe old age.

“Artificial human know-how, huh…” Lich murmured, taking a sip of his weak coffee and then setting the cup back down again. “They have Behemo for that.”

When Lich spoke the name of his own disciple, Michael’s face flushed.

And then, with a tone suffused with anger, he blurted out, “He’s Dr. Levia’s relative himself, isn’t he?”

“…It doesn’t speak well of you to badmouth your own mentor.”

Michael appeared to quickly regain his composure at Lich’s remonstration.

“You say that, but…No one knew that Dr. Levia even had a twin brother. He just appeared out of nowhere, and was selected for the crew of the ‘Climb One’ solely because he studied under you for several years…”

It was true that Behemo’s debut had been fairly abrupt, and furthermore Lich had been somewhat annoyed when he had suddenly applied to be his apprentice.

Still--

“There’s no arguing that he’s a prodigy. I can guarantee that, as his mentor. …Though, well, I wish he would do something about his dressing habits.”

There likely weren’t any researchers outside of Behemo who would go around wearing a maid uniform.

“Even if he has talent…There are a lot of people who have expressed their unease about him. Even Professor Held says that you’re more qualified than he is. So—”

“So you, someone who’s little more than one of Levia’s assistants, returned back to America for the first time in ages to try and talk me into boarding the ‘Climb One’.”

“…Yeah. This didn’t just come up out of my own personal wants. Professor Held decided on it in consideration of humanity as a whole.”

“…”

Held intensely disliked him.

It was due to knowing this fact that Lich wasn’t inclined to completely believe everything Michael was saying.

“…”

Silence reigned between them for a little while.

Seemingly unable to bear it, Michael suddenly bit into his hotdog.

“Mm…Tasty.”

“You’ve always loved the hotdogs here, ever since you were a kid.”

“I liked them a lot better than Mom’s meat pies.”

Their mother had lost her life four years back, along with their father.

They had gotten caught up in a terrorist attack committed by “HER”s, and their house had been blown up with a bomb.

“You’ve…never really liked hotdogs, have you brother?”

“Nope. Actually, I don’t care for anything on the menu here.”

“Then how come you made this our meeting spot?”

The house they had spent their childhood in was gone.

Having said that, Lich also wouldn’t have been overly fond of their earlier conversation being overheard by the people they worked with.

“—Because you liked it,” was all Lich replied.

“We might be brothers but our tastes sure are different, huh. …Come to think of it, I actually don’t know what it is you do like.”

“Is that so?”

“You’re not the sort of person that emotes much when you eat.”

“Sigh…I guess so.”

“Next time we should go to a place that you like, brother. …I’ll ask you again about your answer for my earlier question then.”

“There are hardly any other places open anymore.”

“We’ll find one. So…What is it? What’s your favorite food?”

Lich thought about that for a moment.

“That’s right…I—”

Right when he was about to answer—

He suddenly was assailed with a severe dizziness.

And—

Lich then lost consciousness.

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[outlawandlychgate]

Story of the Third Period

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 4-9

Once, the world of the gods fell to ruin.

The surviving gods created a new world, in a new place.

.

That was the third world, the Third Period.

.

But the gods quickly began to fight.

.

Opinions were divided on whether or not to leave the Third Period to the humans, or rule it themselves.

.

In the end the god called Sickle won, and the Third Period became the humans’ world.

.

And the gods who lost fell to the earth, and became beings known as a dragon and demons.

.

First the dragon called LeviaBehemo destroyed the country called Levianta.

.

Subsequently this came to be called the “Leviantan Catastrophe”.

.

Next the Demon of Lust, Gilles, secured a contract with a certain man in the Asmodean region.

He took on the name of Duke Sateriasis Venomania, enticing many women to his mansion and creating a harem for himself alone.

.

But he was stabbed by a man wielding a gold knife, and lost his life.

.

The Demon of Gluttony, Vlad, joined hands with a woman who stood on the verge of death after eating too much.

That woman was Banica Conchita, and she started eating all manner of items, ultimately trying to devour even the whole world.

.

But before she could she lost her power, and after eating her own body and the demon with it, she disappeared from history.

.

By an unfortunate turn of fate, Lucifenia’s princess Riliane Lucifen d’Autriche was possessed by the Demon of Pride, Marie.

She was noted in history as having been executed in the revolution.

.

But the one who was actually killed was Riliane’s brother, Allen.

.

Margarita Blankenheim used a drug to send the people of the town where she was raised into an eternal sleep.

And in the end she drank her own drug, bringing an end to her life as Margarita.

There are people who say this was the work of the Demon of Sloth.

.

But there never actually was a Demon of Sloth.

.

The Demon of Envy, Rahab, had a child with a human.

Her daughter, Kayo Sudou, killed the owner of a dry-goods story and his family.

.

She fell down to hell, but there she came to make clothing for the Master of the Hellish Yard.

.

The Demon of Greed, Salem, fell into the hands of a witch.

The judge this witch had joined forces with, Gallerian Marlon, needed a lot of money to save his daughter.

For that reason he continued to pass down false judgments, bringing many people to unhappiness.

.

In the end he fell to an assassin’s bullet.

.

That assassin, Nemesis Sudou, became a dictator after that.

She fired a dreadful weapon all over the world, and brought the Third Period to ruin.

.

At Nemesis’ back was the Demon of Wrath, Seth.

.

And yet, it wasn't the case that everything ended there.

Souls of the dead gathered in the ruined world, and they started to quarrel.

.

Among them were also the sinners who had been led around by the demons.

.

Allen Avadonia, having become Sickle’s messenger, fought with the sinners, then collaborated with them, and ultimately was able to complete his mission.

.

Upon returning to the moon, he learned of the truth of the world.

And then, with his sister, they put a golden key into a black box--

.

--This has been the story of the Third Period.

.

…Anyway.

There are those who have long watched over this history of the world.

.

They were gods, witches, and demons.

.

…He was also one of them.

.

This man’s name was Lich Arklow.

.

Once he appeared before the king of a country as a spirit…

.

Another time he caused chaos in the world as the manservant of the Master of the Graveyard.

.

There was also a time where he managed a restaurant, of all things.

.

His true identity—

Is of a pitiful man who was able to become neither god nor demon.

.

This is his story—

Of what happened to him afterwards.

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