Marionette

The blood stuck to my hands and the sensation of the hot, soft entrails made me want to vomit.

I couldn't exactly cover my mouth with blood-soaked hands, so I looked up and somehow held it in.

Water and food were precious here.

With no telling when we might get out, I couldn't afford to waste even a little.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong with you?"

While I was struggling to swallow my saliva, Iefuda slapped me hard on the back.

This guy… he knows exactly what state I'm in.

I soaked a towel with water and washed my hands and face.

Even after washing, this towel was done for. I didn't have any spares left, but it couldn't be helped.

"Jill, come here."

"Okay."

Jill walked over with blood coming from her shoulder.

It looked like a serious injury, but she didn't seem to be in any pain.

"Do you still have holy water?"

"Yeah."

I handed over the holy water.

He then undid her shoulder strap and cleaned the area around Jill's wound with holy water.

Iefuda pulled a talisman from his pocket and muttered something quietly.

Then he pressed the talisman against Jill's shoulder, and the wound gradually closed.

His methods were different from Elza's, but as expected of a former priest. Healing seemed to be his forte.

Jill looked healthy as she rotated her shoulder around and around.

"Now then. Killing the monster was good, but the key…"

I looked around.

There was no doubt that tiger had been guarding the gate leading to the throne room.

It probably had the key too, but Iefuda had blown it away.

Still, it had been a dangerous situation, so I had no intention of complaining.

The tiger's lower half still retained its original form, so I approached and peered in.

I should have been used to the stench by now, but there was still a powerful smell that made my stomach churn.

"You look like you're about to die. Rub some of this under your nose."

Iefuda gave me something like an ointment.

When I tried applying it, a refreshing scent reduced the foul odor.

This I could endure.

"It's medicine used when transporting corpses. Works well, doesn't it?"

"I didn't want to know that."

I could see something glowing deep inside the tiger's lower half.

I gently reached in, grabbed it, and pulled it out.

Wiping off the blood, it was indeed a key.

I inserted it into the door's keyhole and turned it, and the door opened with a heavy sound.

The throne room. At the back of this room was the imperial throne.

It should have been a spacious room, but with no light it was pitch black and I couldn't make anything out.

"Let's go."

We walked step by step. In response to our movement, the torches on the walls lit themselves and burned.

Eventually, the full picture became clear.

Originally, there should have been banners displaying the Empire's national flag on both sides, but they had been replaced with flags I'd never seen before.

… A skeleton dressed in noble's clothing sat on the throne.

Its right elbow rested on the armrest, with its hand supporting its cheekbone.

"Is that the boss?"

"Who knows? It's sitting there looking important, so probably?"

There was a sharp clicking sound.

It seemed the skeleton had tapped its finger against the throne to make the noise.

"It appears uninvited guests have arrived."

The skeleton stood and drew its sword.

"Humans need only become blood and flesh. Become bones and serve as my hands and feet."

It slowly walked toward us.

Jill moved forward to meet it.

As the distance closed, their magical powers clashed, creating a sensation like the air itself warping.

Jill's stance was the same as I'd seen before, slouching with her body relaxed, the greatsword resting on her shoulder, advancing with a sliding step.

The instant the skeleton came within range of Jill's sword, she swung wide.

The skeleton dodged by pulling back, then thrust its sword straight at Jill.

Jill caught the sword in her teeth.

Even as the skeleton tried to pull its sword back, it wouldn't budge, and in that time she lifted her sword that had dug into the ground with one hand.

Then with a horizontal slash, the skeleton fell to pieces.

It was far weaker than the tiger from before.

No, Jill was just too strong.

But Iefuda's expression watching this was grim.

As I was thinking that, the scattered skeleton began moving and reassembled itself back to its original state.

"A marionette, huh."

"What do you mean?"

"That thing just said it, didn't it? Become bones and become its hands and feet."

Iefuda pointed at the skeleton and chanted something.

Then something like red threads became visible on the skeleton's limbs.

"That's the forbidden art of puppetry. Rotten as it may be, it's still a god. Quite talented."

"So even if we defeat that thing…"

"It's pointless. Breaking it apart would stop it from moving, but that's all."

We had proceeded here assuming this world's master would be in the throne room, but it seemed what was here was just a decoy.

"From their perspective, there's no need to fight properly. They just have to wait until we starve to death or our minds break."

"That's not something I want to experience. But you've already explored most of this castle, right?"

Iefuda and the others had finished exploring everything except the path Yohane had taken.

Apparently, only this throne room remained.

But the target wasn't here.

"Kah kah kah kah kah kah."

The skeleton's jaw clattered, making sounds as if laughing.

"I am the god worthy of reigning supreme, and the law. I shall let this world flow into the surface and rule it."

"Don't kid yourself, you piece of divine excrement. This world belongs to humans. We don't need gods acting on their emotions."

The skeleton froze in place.

Then it took up its sword again.

It seemed to have no intention of talking with us.

More importantly…

"Hey, is it just me or is there sound coming from behind us?"

"What a coincidence. I was just thinking the same thing."

When I slowly turned around, numerous skeletons with skulls fitted onto their heads were coming toward us with weapons in hand.

The tiger we should have defeated was walking with them, reduced to nothing but bones.