Part 2 Chapter 53

Part 2 – Episode 53

‘The nickname “Land of Death” really is the perfect description for this place.’

Once, it had been a vast pasture where flocks of sheep roamed freely.

Now, it was a barren desert where not a single blade of grass could grow.

Four years ago, that boy had told me:

The one responsible for turning this land—once a refuge of life—into a ruin was Spolia.

Because of his so-called “purification” efforts, the residents had become refugees and fled north. Even after settling on the garbage hill, some continued to suffer from a mysterious illness until they eventually succumbed to itr.

Like his older brother.

I walked through the Land of Death.

How many hours passed like this? I wasn’t sure.

Then, all at once, I stopped.

Standing on the cracked earth, surrounded on all sides by a landscape utterly devoid of vegetation, I let out a quiet exclamation.

“This is it.”

This was exactly where it was.

The moment I took a single step beyond this point, all my senses returned to normal.

And the moment I stepped another step forward—

it felt as though wings had been attached to my five senses, as if vitality was surging through my body.

So this is what it feels like.

“This feeling.”

I turned to Rue.

“This is the feeling, Rue.”

Without breaking a sweat, Rue answered with a fresh, composed expression.

“Yes, Daisy.”

“This was the feeling!”

“That’s right. It must be that feeling.”

“So this is how you’ve always felt while staying in Calepa, Rue!”

Rue watched my reaction quietly. Then, with a faint smile at the corner of his lips, he stroked his chin.

“Hm. Is it really that special? I definitely felt a difference a long time ago, but these days I don’t notice anything different from the usual. Try describing it.”

Describing it. It wasn’t an easy request, but I focused on every change in my senses and tried anyway.

“It feels like a nostril that’s always clogged from allergies suddenly clearing up.”

“My. So a nose can stay blocked all the time.”

“It feels like leaving a stuffy cave and stepping into a cool forest breeze.”

“I think I had a similar experience about a hundred and eighty years ago.”

“It feels like alcohol is flowing through your veins instead of blood, and everything feels pleasantly wonderful!”

“…Wouldn’t that be a bit dangerous?”

In any case, I finally understood why demigods needed their land.

‘So that’s why that bastard Rein kept insisting the Southern Continent belonged to him.’

Right.

If you felt this way every single day, possessiveness was inevitable.

That meant Spolia—and whatever that other one was—probably had lands like this in the Western and Eastern Continents as well.

Which left me with a decision.

‘Should I make the garbage hill my base, or the Land of Death? I’ll need somewhere to return to and rest periodically.’

If I settled among the ashes…

Then someday, if that boy had survived and returned to the garbage hill, there would be a chance for us to meet again.

But beyond that, there didn’t seem to be many advantages.

For one thing, the smell of burnt ash still lingered heavily in the air.

Then what about settling in the Land of Death?

‘…Does it have any advantages?’

Ah.

One.

There were no people.

In fact, there weren’t any living creatures at all.

‘But the garbage hill is just as quiet… except that place is covered in ash, and grass is starting to grow again…’

Alright.

Decision made.

“I’m building my vacation house here!”

If I end up not liking it, I can always move later.

“There’s something romantic about settling down in a villa that no one will ever find.”

With Rue’s approval secured, the next problem was figuring out how to build the place…

Then—

Beyond the cracked, dried-out plain, I spotted a lone building standing in the distance.

I’d heard there used to be villages in this region, but judging by the fact that a single mansion stood here by itself, it didn’t seem to be a remnant of one.

Pushing through the dry wind, we arrived in front of it.

Inside the wide-open front gate stood a wooden signboard.

<Now on Sale at 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90% Discount>

What?

This perfectly intact-looking mansion was being sold at a 90% discount?

Good grief.

“What insane luck is this? The moment I decide I need a villa, a bargain property like this just appears?”

After brushing the dust off the sign with a finger, Rue smiled wistfully.

“I like how you remain optimistic no matter where you are, Daisy.”

Oh, come on…

Creeeak—

I went straight into the mansion.

The mansion was two stories tall, just like Weatherwoods Manor, but the interior was completely different. The large mansions of Penrotta usually followed the same layout: the entrance opened directly into a grand hall, a staircase stood in the center, and corridors branched off left and right into various rooms.

This mansion was different.

The entrance was on the right side of the building. The hall was surprisingly small, and the staircase was a spiral one.

Instead, the drawing room on the left was almost as large as the hall itself. There were fewer rooms overall, but each was spacious, and the second floor contained many resting spaces; a study, storage rooms, and the like.

Basic furniture was already in place: beds, desks, dining tables, chairs.

“Cleaning this place is going to take a while.”

It was filthy.

Still, the garden was huge. Although everything in it had shriveled up and died a long time ago. Looking from outside, parts of the building seemed worn down as well. Repairs would definitely be necessary.

I lowered a bucket into the well behind the mansion.

“The water… hm. Seems drinkable enough.”

Furniture? Check.

Drinking water? Check.

Old and in need of repairs, but otherwise a perfect vacation house where I could live quietly without a single visitor.

“A house like this… at a ninety percent discount!”

I returned to the wooden signboard and memorized the seller’s address written beneath <Now on Sale at 90% Discount>.

In my excitement, I made a bold decision.

I cut off my right hand at the wrist.

I’d failed the other day due to Rue’s attempts, but I needed to learn more about my power. Just as I expected, the pain here was much weaker as well.

“Rue! Look at this! My wrist! Let’s see what happens to my hand!”

Rue looked at me with complete exasperation, but seemingly he was curious about the fate of the severed hand as well. He came over and quietly watched the hand lying on the ground beside us.

Contrary to our expectations, however, the discarded hand turned into a handful of dust and dissolved into the wind.

“That’s disappointing. I was hoping I could put it on display somewhere.”

Though, come to think of it, being able to preserve it would probably create its own problems.

After all, the Heart of a God was one of the few means capable of crossing the Fourth Wall.

If my heart could be used like a factory and mass-produced, someone could theoretically gather enough demigods to found an entire nation.

“You look happy, Daisy.”

Sitting casually on a lone swing chair standing amidst the barren sand, Rue spoke almost casually. 

“Do I? Maybe it’s because this is the first time I’ve ever had a home of my own.”

Well, technically I hadn’t even bought it yet.

“…The Weatherwoods mansion feels like a place I’m borrowing more than my own. This mansion would be the first home that truly belongs to me.”

Of course, the minor detail remained that I still hadn’t actually purchased it.

There was just one problem.

“When am I supposed to find time to go to Siagot?”

Namely, the seller of the villa lived in Siagot.

Desherro had told me to return within a month for the medal ceremony, and if I visited the Wall of Fire first and then went all the way to Siagot, the schedule would become uncomfortably tight.

“Want me to go and come back instead?”

“Rue?”

“I think that would be best. You head straight to Corphinium, Daisy. Officially, I can’t join your support force anyway. I’ll cross the Wall of Fire separately later, so let’s meet on the other side.”

Suddenly, I felt a bit reluctant and regretful as I watched him approach me.

“No. Why don’t we go meet the seller together later? It’s not like anyone besides me is going to buy a place like this anyway.”

“No. The sooner you settle down on your own land, the better. I’d rather not put it off. It makes me uneasy…in more ways than one.”

…I shouldn’t have cut off my wrist.

And so, in the Land of Death, Rue and I shared a brief farewell.