The warm, gentle, golden-white liquid slowly enveloped the girl's pile of bones. A soft cracking sound was heard as the bones began to reassemble themselves, forming a complete human skeleton. The bones, which had looked fragile and yellowed, were slowly regenerated upon contact with the light, their color returning to an ivory white as if life had just departed.
Pink muscle tissue then began to knit itself over the skeleton, followed by blood vessels that spread like tree roots, and internal organs that reformed from thin air. Finally, smooth, pale skin covered everything, healing every wound until not a single scar remained.
The pile of bones finally returned to its human form, exactly as she was the last time she was alive.
The girl's face was beautiful, her hair long and black. She was still in a naked, fetal position inside the dirt-stained suitcase, her old green clothes crushed beneath her.
Arthur looked at the scene before him with a pleased expression. He had been worried the True Resurrection spell wouldn't work, but seeing this, he could breathe a small sigh of relief.
However, the real challenge was what came next. If she didn't wake up after her body was fully restored, then the problem lay with her soul or something conceptually similar.
In Avalon, he still remembered its lore: the afterlife existed, a place where the souls of the dead would return. No matter their race or species, after death they would always return here.
And because of the existence of this place that could house souls after death, resurrection magic could be used.
For this world, he didn't know. He didn't know if humans here possessed a spiritual entity like a soul, or were purely physical bodies as explained by scientists—that human consciousness came from the brain and chemical reactions, not from a spiritual entity inhabiting a physical body.
Arthur took a cloth from his inventory and gently threw it over the girl's body to cover her.
"Lord Arthur," a cold voice broke the silence.
"Even so, why didn't you just order me to resurrect this human?" Emma looked cynically at the girl.
"With my ability, I could have resurrected her instantly without troubling you."
She took out a small, black leather-bound book and a quill pen from her inventory.
"For example… like this."
Emma opened the book to a blank page and began to write: The snow falling in Fukushima Prefecture stops for the next 24 hours.
She closed her book.
Instantly, the wind around them stopped blowing. The rustling of leaves and the sigh of the wind among the fallen trees were swallowed by a strange, total silence, before finally starting to blow again slowly.
Arthur extended his hand forward and caught the last snowflake drifting down from the sky. The snowflake felt cold in his palm for a moment before melting. After that, no more fell.
Above, the thick gray clouds began to move, parting with an unnatural speed, as if pushed by an unseen giant hand. Golden sunlight finally broke through, illuminating the snow-covered land with a sudden, warm light.
He directed his gaze to Emma, who stood calmly in the middle of the snowy field.
"How was that, My Lord? My power is impressive, isn't it?" Emma tilted her head slightly, a faint smile on her face.
"With this power, you shouldn't have to do things like that yourself."
"The ability gained from the Visionary Class and the Supreme Imaginary Dragon Job, is it?" Arthur asked softly.
Emma placed her hand on her chest. "That's right, My Lord. This is an ability granted by my creator, Lord Kohmi Joshua. With this power, I can rewrite a person's fate or manipulate causality to a certain extent. This ability is somewhat similar to Merlin's Miracle Magic." She glanced at the surrounding scenery, where it was no longer snowing.
"With this ability, I can also write a person's story as if in a novel, and they will experience the story I write through a series of 'coincidental' events."
Epsilon, who heard the explanation, felt a chill run down her spine. As expected of Lady Emma, the Secretary-General of Avanheim. Her power… is so terrifying. I never knew before.
Arthur changed his Staff of Avanheim back into a ring before answering Emma's question. "That's because I wanted to try resurrection magic from the Sequence Magic system," he explained.
"Your power is not part of Sequence Magic, but a skill gained from a Class or Job."
He turned to the girl who was still sleeping soundly on the grass. "So, I wouldn't be surprised if your ability could indeed resurrect her. Besides, didn't you just explain it?"
Arthur walked closer to Emma, his gaze sharp and analytical. "That your ability can change causality? With that power, you could change the cause and effect of this girl's death. In other words, trick the world into believing she never died. Perhaps you could write in your book that the 'effect' is that this girl was only asleep for twenty-five years?"
"So, what's wrong with that?" Emma tilted her head slightly, a look of clear confusion on her beautiful face.
Arthur sighed. "The point is… you can trick the world to successfully resurrect her, as if she never died. But I, I resurrected her using Sequence Magic, and that doesn't change the fact that she was dead before. And you must remember, Emma, resurrection through Sequence Magic, no matter the spell's tier, requires one crucial thing: a soul."
"So… My Lord also wanted to confirm the existence of souls in this world?" Emma touched her lips with her fingertip, her eyes implying a newfound understanding.
"Correct," Arthur nodded.
"Lord Arthur, forgive me for saying this," Emma now spoke in a serious tone, "but isn't the existence of the soul something that has long been known and is an irrefutable fact? Mages since the Age of Gods have researched this for nearly a hundred thousand years. There are even soul spells among the thousands of Sequence Magic spells."
"That's true. But you're forgetting one important thing." Arthur played with the ring on his finger.
"That we are not in the World of Monia, where magic and fantasy are normal." He spread his hands, gesturing to their surroundings.
"Look at this world. Don't you realize we are an anomaly? This is a world without magic and superpowers. Beings like us shouldn't be here."
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "Although I don't know why we can still use magic here, I want to confirm the existence of the soul. The soul is very important to us, isn't it? If the inhabitants of Avanheim are killed, as long as their soul still exists, we can use magic to resurrect them."
He looked at Emma with a gentle smile and held her shoulders. "Avanheim can't possibly rely on you alone for such an important task, can it?"
Emma was silent for a moment, then replied with a gentle smile. "I will never be able to surpass you in terms of wisdom, My Lord."
"In that case, let's get out of here. We'll build the warehouse tomorrow. It's starting to get dark." Arthur looked at the orange sunlight beginning to set in the west.
"Epsilon, carry the girl to the car," he commanded.
He looked at the girl who was still sleeping soundly. Her face was so young and smooth.
It was hard to imagine that the pile of broken, yellowed skulls in the suitcase earlier was this beautiful girl.
Maybe… by resurrecting her with my own power, I can slightly reduce the guilt for all the heinous acts I will commit in the future.
His blue eyes dimmed for a moment, losing their shine.
"Yes, My Lord." Epsilon carefully carried the girl's body.
"How about we stop by the nearest town first?" Arthur tilted his head, his eyes half-closed as he smiled at Lily. "Besides, I already promised Lily I'd take her around a human city."
Hearing that, Lily immediately jumped for joy. "I want to, My Lord, I want to! I want to explore a human city!"
Emma let out a small sigh, then a little laugh. "Alright. We'll stop by a human city for a bit."
They walked to the car, leaving the dirty silver suitcase and the remnants of destruction behind them.
In the car, Arthur sat in the front passenger seat, letting Epsilon drive. Meanwhile, Emma sat in the back with Lily, her lips slightly pouted in a sulk.
"What is it, Emma?" Arthur glanced at her from the rearview mirror, catching her displeased expression.
"It's nothing, My Lord." Emma immediately changed her expression to a sweet smile, though a hint of her displeasure was still visible.
"Is that so?" Arthur didn't press the matter.
"By the way, My Lord, why are you still driving this car?" Emma asked, changing the subject.
"This car is not fit for someone like you. There are cars hundreds of times better."
"Ah, in that case, how about we buy a new car after this?" Arthur replied with a smile. "By the way, Emma, you don't have a phone at all yet, do you?"
"Hmm… no," Emma replied.
"In that case, when we get to the city, we'll stop by a phone store first. I'll buy one for you. Lily and Epsilon, do you want one too?" Arthur turned to Epsilon beside him.
Epsilon, who was driving seriously, was a little surprised. Her face lit up. "Anything the Supreme Beings give, I will accept with pleasure."
Hearing that, Arthur turned his gaze to the back, to Lily, whose face was pressed against the window, watching the passing scenery with great interest.
"Lily, do you want one too?"
"Want what, My Lord?" Lily immediately pulled her face from the window and looked at Arthur with enthusiasm.
"This thing." Arthur wiggled the phone he was holding.
Lily tilted her head, a confused expression on her face. "What's that, My Lord?"
Hearing that, Arthur felt very stupid. Damn it. Why did I offer a phone to a little kid like Lily? Besides being useless for her, I also have to keep her away from the dirty knowledge on the internet. He nodded to himself.
"Ahh, this is just chocolate. Want some?" Arthur explained awkwardly.
Emma and Epsilon tried to hold back their small laughs.
"I want some! I want some! Lily wants some!" Lily replied enthusiastically, her tail wagging behind the sofa.
"But… this chocolate is just the wrapper. We'll buy some later in the city. Sorry, Lily." Arthur put his phone away and put his hands together in an apologetic pose.
"Hmm… alright." Lily puffed out her cheeks with a slightly annoyed expression.
"Oh, right. Emma, how about you?" Arthur turned back again.
Emma shook her head. "My Lord, I don't think I need this human thing. I can contact you using the Message spell. And that thing is useless in Avanheim, isn't it? If there's no such thing as the 'internet' to maximize its potential."
Arthur frowned. "Yes, that's true. But this human technology is very useful and doesn't require any magical energy. And Emma…" Arthur's facial expression became a bit more firm.
"Earlier, I asked Epsilon. Why didn't you teach her about human technology, like phones? I told her to make the next report in a digital file, but she had no idea how to do it. I thought you had already taught her. Didn't I give you the basic knowledge of this world's technology?"
"That's because I felt… we don't need to learn it, My Lord," Emma replied, her tone slightly dismissive.
"What do you mean 'don't need'?" Arthur turned back, looking at Emma with a confused expression.
"My Lord, I admit that the human technology in this world is far more advanced than in our world," Emma explained patiently, as if talking to a child.
"But, no matter how advanced their technology is, it will never be equal to our magic. Besides, if we adopt human technology, isn't that the same as putting ourselves on their level?"
Epsilon, who was driving, also nodded in agreement.
Arthur let out a long sigh, then he said seriously.
"I understand what you're trying to say, but…."
His eyes flashed coldly, the atmosphere in the car instantly becoming heavy.
"This is an order from me. An order from the Supreme Leader of Avanheim. I want you and all of you to adopt human technology. There are no 'buts.' I want to bring human technology to Avanheim, to let our administrative processes use a more efficient and faster computer system, instead of being recorded one by one on paper."
"But, My Lord—" Emma tried to argue again, but she was immediately silenced when Arthur cut her off.
"Emma."
Just that one word. Spoken in a tone so cold and full of authority that it made the air around them feel frozen.
Seeing that look, Emma knew that her master was completely serious. She immediately placed her hand on her chest and bowed her head. "Your command is our will, My Lord. I, Emma Wiliams, promise to teach Epsilon and the others about human technology, as you command."
Arthur nodded in satisfaction, his expression softening again. He smiled. "Good. I knew you would say that. By the way, I have a plan to get Felius Castle its own internet and connect it to Earth's internet in real-time."
"What is it, My Lord?" Emma lowered her hand, her curiosity now clearly visible.
Then, Arthur explained his plan to connect to Earth's internet through a Gate portal. He just needed to keep the portal active and run an internet cable through it. As for the power issue, he explained a mechanism where the Gate magic spell could automatically draw energy from a Sealing Crystal if the main user's mana supply ran out.
Emma listened with full attention. She held her chin and thought for a moment. "My Lord… that is a brilliant idea," she said, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
"I'll talk to Monica or the Magic Department later to see if they can create such a magic device."
Arthur leaned his body back into the front passenger seat and looked at the dark mountain road scenery.
"I'm counting on you, Emma."