If there was one thing that Freya had learned through the ancient books given to her by the Ruler of Death, it was that souls were imperishable unless extinguished by a Death Executioner, corrupted by an Evil Spirit, or snuffed out of existence by the Ruler of Death himself.
In other words, Marquis Solas of Cassiopeia, precisely his Soul Body, would not perish unless the above-mentioned condition befall him, but Freya Moon would not let this dead nobleman have his way easy as she asked Verg-Or to deliver Marquis Solas to a Nether Torturer.
Nether Torturers, one of the classifications of the Nether Creatures worked for the Ruler of Death. These creatures were wretched and vile, unbiased beings and only moving with the purpose of serving the Ruler of Death according to their biological design. Even though free will was granted to every Nether Creature, the reverence, and gratification that they possessed towards their creator were above all else.
According to what Freya had learned, although she had yet to see a Nether Torturer with her very own eyes, these creatures were neutral and living in the central region of the Nether Realm.
Similar to the concern of the Ruler of Death regarding the abuse of free will given to every Death Executioner, Freya did not belong to such a category because based on her authority, she could punish souls, but must not exploit the information of the living that could be squeezed out from the souls. Apart from that, the Nether Torturers, according to their ways, would be the ones to determine the final judgment if the soul brought by a Death Executioner truly deserved being punished for eternity.
"Marquis Solas… I am grateful because you did not get rid of my parents when you had the chance to do so, and because of that decision, I and my older brother came into existence."
The Marquis could not respond because he was crying in agony as the fiery bone spear, burning his Soul Body without killing him, was stuck through his chest.
"This is beyond terrifying."
Amelie murmured, seeing the sorrow of the Marquis, but she did not feel any empathy, rather it was curiosity about the concept of eternal damnation.
"Verg-Or… Please, gather every high-ranking resident under my rule. I have something to announce.
"And about that, send him away. I hope he suffers for his unjustified actions."
Unexpectedly for Russell and Amelie, Freya asked the Nether Worker for a gathering. The City of Forgetfulness mirrored the entire Obelisk City on Earth, of the Orion Continent, which had a large land area. As someone who had no practical experience in ruling a region, her basic political knowledge only came from books, specifically the guide on being a Death Executioner.
Sometime later, with Verg-Or's aid, as well as other Nether Creatures who already acknowledged her, several of them gathered in a ruined plaza, which mirrored the Obelisk Academy, the starting point where Freya and the others first traversed the Nether Realm.
It was the place near the castle where they first saw Red and Violet, the librarian of the Library of the Dead. But then, in a few months of being a ruler of this place, with the help of Verg-Or, as well as her older brother, this was now an occupied place and various abodes were built.
In other words, it was the extension of the City of Forgetfulness, but by her will, this turned out to be the center of the city.
***
After some time, when the Nether Creatures gathered in front of her, Freya only assured them of two things: One, she would build this region with the help of Nether Workers and unknown materials she was given upon opening the Treasure Chest with a Living Eye, and lastly…
"I may be young, perhaps too young for all of you, but, as someone entrusted by the Ruler of Death, I declare in my name that I will fulfill my role as the wings of this region will fly and shadow others!"
"I ask for your guidance until the day I can stand for every one of you."
Her older brother, who was standing beside her, looked at her with a proud expression, while smiles spread across Amelie's face.
With her words, Freya bowed as an act of respect for these bizarre-looking creatures.
"Death be with us-!"
The ominous chant of those who heard her reverberated throughout the dilapidated plaza as Freya resolved herself to becoming more undead, but more like a human.
The more she experienced and learned regarding the ways of the undead, the more she grasped the way of the living.
***
At the exact time of midnight, the Year 2062 of the Star Era bode farewell as the Year 2063 plunged itself forward, marking the new year.
The festivals from across the Orion Continent, even outside of it, although celebrated in different ways depending on race's culture, echoed throughout the world.
But not everyone had a delightful beginning to the new year.
Rosalin Flora concealed the fact of her daughter's condition and beneath the Royal Palace, lying on a royal sarcophagus was Rumia Flora's body.
On the other hand, in Cassiopeia, an assassination took place, ending the patriarch of the Solas family and causing sorrow to anybody related to the subject. Instead of celebrating, everyone that was connected to Marquis Solas, especially those in business with him, started to discreetly investigate the reason and potential perpetrator behind the assassination.
The first thing they could think of was the origin of the Poison Mana Bullet, which could only be found within the scope of Thorn of Rose — a continental black market.
Apart from the above-mentioned circumstances, at this very moment, even though Rumia Flora could be declared physically dead, her Soul Body was living on... But not on Earth.
***
"Ruri-! Wake up-!
Upon hearing the maid's words, Rumia, who was strangely called Ruri from this point onwards, opened her eyes.
The System messages registered in her head as she casually read them, which caused her expression to stiffen.
[Your Soul Body has crossed the Cosmos Ocean!]
[You have arrived in an ancient world recreated through the eternal power of time of the Cosmos Ocean and the eternal power of everything of the Last Close Mystery Tower!]
[There can only be one Ocean's Child for every World Cycle's Classification.]
[World Cycle's Classifications: Reincarnation, Transmigration, and Regression.]
[Current World Cycle's Classification: Transmigration]
[Main Quest: Identify and eliminate every transmigrator in this ancient world.]
[Main Quest Duration: —]
[Failure Penalty: True Death.]
"R-Ruri...?"
The maid's expression froze, seeing Rumia, as Ruri, cried as she woke up from her sleep.
Rumia couldn't help but let her tears flow. She failed to grasp her current situation and was only reminded of the new year that was supposed to be celebrated with her mother.
'W-what about my body...? What happened to me?'
She thought, confused and sorrowful. Her heart and mind were in turmoil to the point of passing out.
After three to five seconds as Rumia did not know how to proceed, the System continued to ring in her head as she instinctively read them in front of her.
[You have received the "Transmigrator's Privilege."]
[Absolute Memory...]
[Regeneration...]
[Abnormal Status Immunity...]
[Charisma...]
At that moment, the fragment of memories of the genuine owner of the body, where Rumia transmigrated into and became Ruri, flowed within her head.
"Ah..."
Seeing the pained expression of Rumia, the maid, who wasn't referring to her with reverence, approached her in a concerned manner.
"Ruri-! A-are you okay? Been having headaches again?"
"I-I'm fine... Alice."
Rumia answered, remembering the name of the maid based on the Absolute Memory privilege.
"Alright. The patriarch is waiting for you! Don't tell me... Why don't you seem excited?"
'E-excited? What is she talking-'
As Rumia racked her mind, similar to the family dinner she always had with her mother and sometimes with her father before he went on to fulfill a mission, she remembered that Ruri was dining with her family every morning, afternoon, and evening.
'This is bothersome, and it's not something to be excited about.'
Rumia lampooned before smiling at Alice as she stood up from her bed and prepared.
"Uh! Ruri! Are you out of your mind? I'm the one to dress you! I'll lose my job if I let you do that!"
'This is annoying as hell-! It's just breakfast; why need to wear formal attire?!'
Rumia cursed inwardly. She wasn't used to living the way a usual noblewoman would.
But she remembered her relationship with Alice, causing her to let her do the maid's job.
Alice was a Baron's daughter, who had a great connection with Ruri's father, a Count of this empire. Alice was also Ruri's childhood friend...
"Hey... How long will you keep doing this? You're not my maid-!"
Seeing Ruri's memories, Alice just wanted to try being a maid and made Ruri her temporary lord.
"Haha-! It ends today, so let me fix you up just this time!"
"Ha... Suit yourself."
With that, the first meeting with the patriarch as Rumia within Ruri's body began.
***
"I greet the patriarch."
Ruri curtsied as she entered the dining room. At a long, luxurious table, there were six seats; on the end of the table, Ruri's father was sitting; her mother, on the other hand, was on the right side of her father, while, according to Ruri's memory, Alice's parents were sitting together on her father's left side. The remaining two seats were for her and Alice, who was still in a maid's dress.
Their gaze shifted to Alice. A moment later, chuckles could be heard due to her eccentricity.
"Sigh... Pardon my cheeky daughter, Count Zerem."
"Haha-! It's alright, Baron Rua. For her to act as a maid, her curiosity knows no bounds."
As the little entertainment ended, Rumia Flora or Ruri Zerem continued to ponder the situation she was currently in, but the longer she thought of her circumstances, remembering the absence of duration for this to end, she could not help but feel lost.
'For how long will I be here?'
As they wolfed down the delectable breakfast, out of nowhere, Count Zerem addressed his only daughter.
"My dear Ruri, have you prepared for your departure next week?"
Ruri racked her memories and a smile spread across her face.
"Yes, patriarch."
"Stop addressing me as 'Patriarch' if we are not on a formal occasion."
"Ah... Yes, father."
'Why did you just tell me that now? You could have told me earlier, though.'
Rumia lampooned inwardly, recalling the situation for next week as she glanced at Alice.
'I need to act as Ruri as possible because I don't know the identity of the transmigrators or how many of them transmigrated.'
She remembered, before this happened, that numerous obscured people were also transferred into the Cosmos Ocean.
"I'm excited Ruri-! We're going to be classmates, you know!"
"Haha-! Me, too. So stop being a maid even in the academy, alright?"
A sound of laughter resounded in the dining area due to Ruri's remarks.
After that, the bothersome breakfast — not the food, but the required attire — finally ended.
***
In her spacious, extravagant bedroom.
Rumia, lying on her bed and having free time throughout the day, summoned the holographic screen as a sign of the System's existence.
Additional information was screened in front of her.
[Number of Transmigrators transferred in this ancient world: 334]
'Ah, crap! This is too many!'
As she was staring blankly into the air, an epiphany suddenly struck her.
"If the transmigrators are the only ones with the System...
"Perhaps I can guess their identities if I see them staring blankly into the air. It would mean they're reading a holographic screen which I can't see.
"Though it's also possible if and only if this situation was the same as before the System Reboot on Earth...
"Sigh... Without Samantha, Elizabeth, and Anya, I feel like a genius!
"But it is worth trying."
With her idea, the plan was quickly formulated.
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