Chapter 124 – The King of the Dead (3)

“…Oh, oh.”

The undead’s admiration continued. He kept touching his jaw area in disbelief.

With the [Blessing of Regeneration] and the [Blessing of Transfer], the muscles and tissues had been restored to their best possible condition. I had already experienced readjusting Leon’s bones before.

However, I had doubts about whether I could truly revive flesh that was already rotten. The blessing’s effect was to ‘proliferate,’ but what was needed here was ‘resurrection.’

Even so, the result was a remarkable success, almost as if I had revived a completely bloated fish.

That made Abel and Shail’s eyes widen simultaneously.

It seemed that this way of using blessings surprised many people.

In this case, even I was quite surprised. It was an impressive feat, almost as if it surpassed a skilled surgeon.

‘I wonder if I should seriously consider a career in medicine in this life.’

Of course, complete restoration was impossible due to severe cellular damage.

But at the very least, he was now able to articulate clear words, unlike before.

Postponing the explanations with a simple gesture, they nodded, swallowing hard. They understood that this wasn’t the priority at the moment.

My priority was something else, so I looked forward again. The undead was gaping like a carp.

Watching this scene, I asked,

“…What are you?”

It was a verification question. I had used two blessings to fix his shattered jaw to some extent.

It was crucial to confirm whether he could actually speak and if he still had enough intelligence. The first was more important.

The undead, lost in amazement, suddenly bowed to me.

Then, he expressed his gratitude in a loud voice.

“Thank you, noble sir…!”

Due to his damaged jaw, his pronunciation was clumsy, but his sincerity was evident.

Then he dusted off his knees and stood up with respect.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, living beings. My name is Michelan.”

Even though his arms and legs hung loosely, there was a certain dignity in his demeanor.

Abel and Shail took a few steps back, startled.

“…Why are you doing that? Is there a problem?”

“….”

On the contrary, Michelan tilted his head as if he didn’t understand their reaction. His eyes rolled in their sockets like ping-pong balls.

His expression was innocent, but his outward appearance was quite…

Even for someone as unfazed as me, it was hard not to feel repulsed.

However, there was no malice in Michelan. Rather, his lifeless eyes gleamed as he looked at me.

In each of Michelan’s eyes, there was both gratitude and amazement. Then he licked his dry lips with his parched tongue and spoke again.

“I have seen the living come here occasionally over the past 700 years. But they usually scream and run away, or they draw their swords first. I never thought I’d see a day like this! It’s something to witness in such a long life.”

“…700 years?”

I asked again, thinking I had misheard. Michelan blinked once and then admitted,

“Yes. I actually counted up to 689 years, but after missing a year, I lost track. I suppose it’s due to old age, hahaha!”

That undead spoke of hundreds of years as if they were nothing.

“I don’t know how you did it, but making it possible for me to speak like this is truly a divine miracle. After living as a corpse for 700 years, I have so much to say.”

And he turned out to be quite talkative. He spoke endlessly, pouring out words he had held in for all that time. Every time he spoke, his jaw made a crunchy noise.

‘…I just fixed that, and it’s already about to break again?’

I interrupted Michelan.

“That jaw will come loose and might fall off if you keep moving it like that. I’m not sure I’d be able to reattach it if that happens.”

“Hmm.”

Michelan covered his mouth with his hand.

“Michelan, I understand that your situation is difficult, that you’ve been trapped here for almost 700 years. But I’m a rather impatient person. I’d prefer that you only answer what I ask.”

“……”

“If you don’t like it, I can restore you to your previous state.”

“……!”

I tapped his shoulder with my sashimi blade to prove my point. Michelan visibly paled.

Suddenly, Abel whispered in my ear.

“…Aren’t you being a bit too harsh?”

“If I let him be, he’d talk all day. We already have little time, and we can’t afford to waste it on trivialities. But if you want to keep talking with that undead, I won’t stop you.”

Those words made Abel flinch. She glanced at Michelan briefly before attempting to step back.

Just then, a sound escaped from Michelan’s fingers as he covered his mouth.

“Wait! Miss, those golden eyes… don’t tell me you’re a descendant of the great swordsman Aaron Nibelung?!”

Abel flinched. Both Shail and I were equally surprised, though to a lesser degree.

Abel, with a confused expression on her face, responded.

“You know the founder of my family?”

Michelan immediately nodded.

Then he undid the seal on his mouth.

“Of course! I am a friend of a cousin… of the closest confidant of the Sword Master!”

Wouldn’t that practically make him a stranger?

“Wow, what a coincidence for this to happen again! I have not yet been abandoned by God. Oh, thank you!”

Michelan murmured through sniffles. However, Abel, pondering over his words, asked,

“You just said ‘again’ a moment ago.”

“Ah, yes, yes. If my memory serves me correctly, about ten years ago, a descendant of the Sword Master also visited us. He was accompanied by a lady, probably his wife. In my 700 years of life, I have never seen such a beautiful and striking couple.”

“Is that so.”

Michelan abruptly stopped at Abel’s firm interruption.

Abel stepped forward a few steps, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly.

Michelan inhaled sharply. Abel stopped right in front of him.

…A moment of silence settled. Not even breathing could be heard in the still atmosphere.

Finally, Abel spoke in a low voice.

“Tell me more details about those people.”

***

“…That’s all I remember saying up to this point.”

Michelan carefully concluded his explanation, glancing around to gauge the situation.

“…….”

“…….”

A heavy atmosphere settled over them. Though his mouth had been dry for a long time, Michelan made a motion as if swallowing.

‘…Did I say something wrong?’

He had lived sealed in silence for countless eons.

Most undead lose their intelligence long before their bodies fully decompose. The brain is one of the first organs to decay.

That’s why primitive groans like “argh ugh” were the standard for an undead.

However, Michelan had maintained clear cognitive abilities for 700 years.

For centuries, as his body disintegrated into the earth, he had lived with a dead body but a living mind.

Perhaps because he had talked so much in life, the region of his jaw had deteriorated rapidly.

‘But the noble lord healed it immediately.’

Michelan’s gaze discreetly shifted to the side. The young man with black hair and black eyes stood there with his arms crossed.

Was his name Kang Geom-Ma? Michelan had decided to engrave those three characters into his heart.

‘…Even though I’m already dead!’

However, the more he observed him, the more familiar the young man’s black hair and black eyes seemed.

Michelan looked at him with renewed surprise, as if trying to grasp grains of sand slipping through his fingers.

He had lived for more than seven centuries, so it would be difficult to find a match after searching for so long. But Michelan didn’t want to ignore that nagging sense of dissonance.

As he scratched his temple, sneaking glances in that direction, Abel broke the silence.

“…One moment, I needed time to organize my thoughts. I apologize, Sir Michelan.”

“Oh, no, it’s understandable. You must be quite shaken, descendant of the Sword Master.”

Michelan shook his head vigorously.

Michelan had lived through the First Great War.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one in the Undead Dungeon, but most of the others had long stopped thinking.

That’s why he was probably the only one who vividly remembered that living hell from humanity’s side.

And he also clearly remembered what kind of hero the ancestor of the Sword Master had been.

His love for the sword—or rather, his devotion.

The man who had stood at the vanguard of the battle against demons alongside the founding hero, who had been the hope of humanity.

But for such a descendant of the Sword Master to apologize to him was something inconceivable and unacceptable.

Michelan, though already dead, still had a clear sense of judgment.

Despite his response, Abel showed him formal respect.

“It’s nothing. Thanks to you, Sir Michelan, I was able to confirm once again that my parents came here. In fact, I had my doubts about whether they had truly disappeared in this Undead Dungeon.”

“I regret bringing you such sad news, I feel truly guilty.”

Michelan showed his remorse as Abel nodded repeatedly. Formal words were exchanged between them.

Silently observing the scene, Kang Geom-Ma suddenly spoke.

“Then, do you know anything about Abel’s parents’ whereabouts?”

Michelan nodded.

“Yes, unfortunately, they were hiding behind a distant pillar, so I don’t know exactly where they went.”

“Why were they hiding?”

“At that time, heroes frequently entered here. Every time one did, they would indiscriminately slaughter the undead. The other undead might have rushed toward them, but I couldn’t easily approach.”

“……”

At this, Abel lowered her head with a somber expression. Michelan quickly added,

“However, unlike other heroes, the descendant of the Sword Master did not mindlessly kill undead. On the contrary, both of them opposed it. They made an effort to avoid unnecessary harm, and when they had no choice, they did so with respect. Just like you, my lady.”

“……!”

Abel’s eyes widened. She lifted her head.

As if trying to ease her concern, Michelan forced a smile. His eyes were clouded, but they still gleamed.

Michelan said,

“That’s why, when I saw the descendant of the Sword Master bow respectfully while cutting down the dead, my legs moved on their own. Normally, I wouldn’t have had the courage to do so, being as cowardly as I am, but perhaps it was déjà vu from ten years ago.”

“It seems so……”

Abel licked her lips and continued speaking.

“Sir Michelan, do you not remember anything else? Anything, no matter how small, would be helpful. Any detail, no matter how insignificant.”

“Ha, ha, I’ve already said everything I remember…… I’m sorry I can’t be of more help…”

At that moment, as if suddenly recalling something, Michelan said,

“Now that I think about it, I remember a conversation they had. They definitely said, ‘The yoke of the Death Messenger must be broken.’ Their expressions were very grim when they said it.”

“…The yoke of the Death Messenger.”

Indeed, the purpose of my parents entering this dungeon was a mystery. Why had they come to a D-rank undead dungeon?

At the time, they were the most famous couple, and aside from the Seven Stars, the most powerful heroes.

However, one day, they suddenly decided to subjugate a lower-level dungeon. I assumed there had to be a reason, but it was impossible to know what it was.
That’s why I studied and searched for information about the Undead Dungeon, trying to find their purpose.

“The yoke must be broken…”

Abel repeated those words, pondering over them.

That cryptic phrase must be hiding some clue.

“…Why is it always so complicated?”

During a brief moment of silence, Kang Geom-Ma let out a deep sigh and murmured, a dark shadow falling over his face. Then he asked Michelan,

“Sir, have you ever seen a kind of hole around here, large enough for a person? One that… is probably secured with some locks.”

Michelan blinked before hastily responding,

“Yes, I think there is something like that about 20 minutes from here. But… how did you know about it…? I only discovered it myself after 500 years.”

“I read it in a book.”

“……”

“For now, please guide us there.”

“…Ah, yes.”

“Wait a moment.”

Shail, surprised, intervened in the conversation.

“It seems like a lot of explanation has been omitted, doesn’t it, Mr. Kang?”

“It’s your imagination.”

“…Ah, no.”

The brief responses stopped her words in her throat. Everyone was bewildered by the rapid succession of events.

Of course, Kang Geom-Ma’s expression was serious. With furrowed brows, he seemed to feel the complexity of the situation.

‘I’m not sure what ‘breaking the yoke’ means, but if it involves the Death Messenger, it can only be there.’

Kang Geom-Ma was convinced of Abel’s parents’ whereabouts.

Ironically, their paths had intertwined in such a way.
Kang Geom-Ma looked around.

His expression was grave enough to tense anyone who saw it.

“Abel.”

Kang Geom-Ma called Abel in a low voice.

“Yes?”

“It seems that your parents got involved with something they shouldn’t have.”

Abel’s face hardened like ice. She didn’t completely understand what Kang Geom-Ma meant.

But from his tone, she could feel it.

Those words were an undeniable truth. His expression said it all.

“Even so.”

Kang Geom-Ma tightened his grip on the sashimi blade, took a deep breath, and then spoke as if making a declaration.