Rashi the Immortal. He was the native I met when I fell into Tantalus. At first, only his right arm was found, and it was used in all sorts of ways. Later, he was resurrected, and we spent several months together. He had spent quite a long time with us in prison, then tagged along and escaped Tantalus with us.
The land where those called the barbarian race lived was none other than the All-Nations. So we must have parted ways when we left for the Military State…. Who would have thought I’d meet him here?
No, wait. This is far too coincidental. Could this be the Saintess’s blessing? At this rate, I’m going to start believing in the Saintess!
The regressor welcomed Rashi with surprising warmth.
“What a fascinating connection. I never thought we’d meet like this here.”
“Oh, boy! You seem to have changed quite a bit in the meantime! Are you going through a growth spurt?”
“You’re mistaken. I’m already past that age.”
“Boy. A man continues to grow even after he passes twenty! You need to eat plenty and build up your body. How long do you intend to live with that frail, delicate frame of yours?”
“I already eat more than enough. Stop meddling in things that don’t concern you.”
“You’re still as prickly as ever!”
Of course, the pleasure was strictly from the regressor’s perspective. Rashi nodded at the sharp retort, bristling with thorns, and then greeted me with his usual hearty manner.
“It’s been a long time, teacher! Hmm. Looking at your physique, it seems quite a lot has changed!”
“It means that even a teacher can learn something. But you haven’t changed at all, Mr. Rashi.”
“Well, I’ve finished growing! And I was born with a nature that doesn’t leave much room for change!”
He still spoke as boldly as ever. He truly hadn’t changed at all. If one belonged to an immortal race that never died, there probably wasn’t much reason to feel the need to change.
“By the way, if this is a marriage sacrament…. Mr. Rashi, are you getting married?”
At my question, Rashi burst into hearty laughter and answered.
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“Haha! It’s embarrassing to say it aloud! But yes, that’s how it turned out!”
“With Kallis?”
“Hahahaha! It’s the greatest thing I gained from my studies in the Military State! I met many fine people, like you and the boy, but bringing back a bride is truly the greatest blessing!”
I had a feeling something like this would happen, and in the end, he really had succeeded. Good for you, Kallis. She may have fled the Military State, but being the wife of Rashi the Immortal might be a more comfortable life than being a lieutenant colonel of the Military State. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about being used until she died.
The regressor, who had completely forgotten about Kallis, tilted his head and asked,
“Kallis?”
“That lieutenant colonel. She was Ebon’s lackey.”
“Ah. Her? I wondered where she’d gone.”
“We spent several days together in the Abyss. Please try to remember her….”
“Why bother?”
‘What a nuisance. She was just a nobody who wasn’t even seen in the previous round. If I remember her face and name for no reason, and then have to kill her in the next round…. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth.’
He had no intention of remembering her at all.
Well, there was nothing the regressor could do about that. His memory wasn’t infinite, either. He probably didn’t want to waste space in his head on an ordinary person like Kallis. His storage was already running out of room as it was.
“To be honest, the two of you are so different that I wondered whether you could ever grow close. I’m glad it worked out.”
“Haha. My wife is a far better person than I am. She’s clever, knowledgeable, kind, and good-hearted.”
“She is? Kind and good-hearted?”
Being clever and knowledgeable made sense. Kallis might have risen through the ranks by following the right connections, but she was still a magical officer of the Military State. She had been drilled in magic and in how to make use of knowledge.
But what? Kind and good-hearted? This was someone who hadn’t hesitated to join a secret organization for the sake of her own advancement.
Hmm…. Had he simply been blinded by love? Or was Kallis wearing a mask?
Rashi ignored my dubious stare and boasted proudly.
“When would a barbarian like me ever meet such a refined and devoted woman? Hahaha! A woman who can count numbers and write letters—there are more than enough of those! There are countless men in my tribe who envy me!”
“When you put it that way, I suppose it is rather charming.”
A tribe where being able to count and read could be considered virtues. Perhaps that tribe really was happier than the bleak Military State.
“Kallis said she had nowhere else to go and would follow me, but I am hardly a respectable man myself. If I can devote my life to making her happy, I could ask for nothing more. That is why I made my vow and came all the way here!”
“That’s a fine vow. Congratulations. But….”
A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I spoke up.
“Are you planning to receive the marriage sacrament from the Fallen Nun Yegcheria at the Blood Monastery?”
“That’s right! We may not believe in the Heavenly God, but we do believe in her power and authority. And besides, she is especially close to the Great Witch! Kallis will feel reassured if the nun gives us her blessing!”
“Why? Kallis is from the Military State. She wouldn’t need a sacrament in order to get married, would she?”
Of course, there were people in the Military State who went to a church to receive a priest’s blessing or even held a wedding ceremony. Though the country had changed, people had not, and many still believed that a marriage could not be made legitimate without a religious ritual.
As long as the marriage was properly registered, the Military State did not particularly care whether people went to a church or held a ceremony. Many people did not know this, but the Military State was not an anti-religious nation. It was a nation that championed extreme efficiency. It had no intention of taking on the inefficient labor of forcibly changing and correcting every custom handed down from the days of the kingdom.
However, after the churches rebelled against being taxed and left the Military State, and ordinary people lost their leisure amid their harsh lives, grand weddings naturally disappeared. If that had been intentional, then perhaps it was intentional.
In any case, Kallis was a magical officer of the Military State to the bone. There was no way she would come all the way to this remote monastery in the vast wilderness to carry out such an inefficient idea as holding a wedding ceremony.
“Ah, well. Sharp as ever, teacher. You’re right. My wife tried to stop me, saying there was no need. But this was my stubbornness. I left Kallis behind and arrived here alone.”
Having been struck in the heart of the matter, Rashi smiled bitterly and revealed the truth.
“To avoid having to undergo my tribe’s marriage ceremony, we must hold one according to the bride’s customs. And if we had to choose, it seemed best to borrow the name of that powerful and terrifying nun.”
“Why? What’s wrong with your tribe’s marriage ceremony?”
“I won’t go into detail. It wouldn’t feel right to speak ill of my tribe to an outsider. But remember that I am an Immortal.”
Rashi was an Immortal. Even if he was stabbed with a sword, scorched by fire, or torn apart, he could be resurrected as long as he had the earth’s essence. That was the nature of the immortal race.
Since they hardly ever died, they tended to be broad-minded. But perhaps for the same reason, they were also rather broad-minded about harming others. Rashi, who would rip a person apart over the slightest provocation, was considered one of the more polite and gentle members of his race.
The marriage customs of such an immortal race were….
‘They have to lie buried together underground, where not even a single ray of light reaches, until the moon wanes. It wouldn’t matter for Immortals like us, but if Kallis tried it, she’d waste away and die. I can’t let that happen.’
The genres were simply too different. To a native, the embrace of the Earth Mother might be as warm as a bed, but to an ordinary person, it was burial alive. They say marriage is the grave of life, but what are you supposed to do if they actually bury you?
“Even the most stubborn members of my tribe will acknowledge it if we hold the wedding at the Blood Monastery. The nun’s name is widely known, after all. The biggest problem is whether they’ll believe my word….”
As Rashi muttered to himself, he suddenly spotted Azi and Remme in the distance. Recognizing the Beast King, he seemed to come up with a good idea and said,
“Teacher. Could you perhaps help me?”
“How?”
“If the Beast King is present, it will be easier to persuade the tribal elders. We have ties with beasts, too. Besides, if someone like you or the boy tells them about life beyond the grasslands, my tribesmen won’t be able to stubbornly refuse.”
“If we’re heading in the same direction, I might be able to help, but….”
I wasn’t sure whether the regressor would agree. I glanced at him, and he shrugged before answering readily.
“Sure. I’ll help.”
“What? Shei, are you sure? Didn’t you say you had to defeat some ancient evil or whatever?”
“That ancient evil might be connected to the Immortals. Maybe this is part of the flow, too. Let’s give it a try.”
‘The Immortal also fused with a pile of corpses beneath the Abyss and became a monster. That terrible existence instilled a fear far greater than the actual damage it caused. Perhaps the ancient evil is connected to a clue involving it.’
You weren’t this kind of person.
It was a flow that felt natural and contrived at the same time. I sensed something unpleasant, but even knowing that, the regressor intended to ride the current.
He meant to follow the Saintess’s blessing, I suppose. Hmm. There was nothing to be done. We had no other clues at the moment, and it had been a long time since I’d seen Rashi. We might as well go. I was curious about what the Immortal tribe looked like, too.
“Sure. Shei has given his permission. I usually only interfere in other people’s romances when I’m taking something away, but this time, I’ll give you my wholehearted help.”
“Thank you!”
More than anything, we would have to go there to find out whether this was truly the power of the blessing.
Our next destination was decided. The tribe of the Immortals.