Encounter of Souls (3)

The ancient high priest told Pietro the location of a certain space and time.

[Here?]

[You'll know when you go. Deliver the items stored there to the person designated as the savior.]

It must have been a dungeon built by an ancient high priest to secretly store his belongings.

Previous kings and high priests often made their own places like that, so it was nothing special.

However, the high priest, who had been dead for many years, now wondered what the item he was offering would be.

The ancient high priest grumbled.

[I kept it well, but I left it to give it to one of the successor high priests, but I thought I saved it for no reason and gave it to a human. I don't know if I should say that I'm sorry or I'm lucky.]

[May I ask what this is?]

[I know it when I see it. It's something I originally thought I would give you.]

[To me?]

The ancient high priest continued to complain to Pietro, who was surprised.

[I kept watching successive high priests, but I couldn't find a child who had the talent to be satisfied. then i saw you You who go to meet the light of the beginning.]

[·······.]

[He was talented, and even heard a great prophecy. So I wanted to give it to you. Until you create an army of monsters and invade the ground.]

[···sorry.]

[Eh, it will help anyway.]

[thank you.]

It was time to say thanks and leave.

[be careful.]

The ancient high priest said.

[Even if you have a living body, isn't that your original body?]

[you're right.]

[He will recognize you as a commander at a glance. Even the fact that the bond with the body is weak.]

[·······.]

[This means that he may be targeting your soul and enticing you.]

Pietro expressed his gratitude for his concern.

[I have prepared for it.]

[Hehe, is that so? Indeed, this is the guy I had my eye on.]

The ancient high priest was satisfied and bid farewell to Pietro.

Having regained some of the trust of his ancestors, Pietro was able to continue his exploration of the spirit realm with a much lighter heart.

depth.

deeper.

Now, it has reached a depth where almost no heroic spirits can maintain a presence.

[Who are you? It is neither a spirit nor a living spirit. Huh, it's a commanding officer.]

The heroic spirit, whose presence has faded, speaks. Even though it was faint, the eyes that recognized Pietro as a ghost at once made him feel the insight that had existed for so many years.

[Yes, that's right. He was the high priest until recently.]

[Tsk tsk, if someone who became a high priest became a commanding officer, he must have done something bad.]

[Yes, I committed a mortal sin.]

[It's a place where you can do that. Individual mistakes do not end with oneself.]

[yes.]

[Seeing that you sympathize with your situation, uhm. I guess I was a high priest before I was alive, or I was in a similar position.]

The fainting of the heroic spirit's presence meant that their identity was disappearing.

A spirit realm with no body or matter.

This meant that there was no evidence to prove himself.

If you spend a long time in such a place, you will naturally forget even the memory of yourself.

And in the end, he forgets who he was.

That's how the spirits perish.

[I think so. I can feel the dignity of the High Priest from the ancestors. Please give me wisdom.]

Pietro said politely.

Although it is a heroic spirit that has forgotten who it is, heroic spirits are not such a meaningless existence.

Although the ego disappears, instead of abandoning oneself, one finds the true truth by polishing one's wisdom.

[Even now that you have become a commander, you are so desperate, you have not yet given up on your duty. It's nice. You will be able to wash away your sins.]

[thank you.]

[I know who you are trying to find.]

At those words, Pietro was taken aback.

[A person who has become a spirit has come here, but I wonder if he is trying to find the light of the beginning.]

[He, no, do you know about him?]

[I don't know. I just feel it. It is an unfamiliar and unknown existence.]

The faint heroic spirit that was losing itself continued to speak.

[The fear of the unknown may make the opponent look big. But always keep in mind Wisdom without the right values ​​is not wisdom. If he knows that the wisdom he possesses is not true wisdom, he will be able to see the reality.]

[I'll keep that in mind.]

The heroic spirit sent a faint joy as much as the presence itself.

[good. And live as a human.]

[···yes.]

The Heroic Spirit even knew that Pietro had become a human. There must be wisdom that I dare not imagine.

Moved on.

No heroic spirits were visible anymore.

It was a realm of an era older than the Maninling Emperor.

Of course, there were no Heroic Spirits left.

I thought... but suddenly, Pietro sensed the presence of a heroic spirit.

It was a heroic spirit that was so faint that you almost missed it.

The heroic spirits also found Pietro, but they were unable to tell him because he had almost disappeared.

Pietro felt pity.

I wish I could hear even a word.

Since he lived in an era older than the Waninling Emperor, he must have known a lot.

But now I couldn't hear it.

But that was then.

The spirit moved.

Pietro intuitively sensed that the heroic spirit was telling him to follow him.

followed the spirit

As soon as he left his position, the already dangerous Heroic Spirit began to rapidly disappear.

However, the heroic spirit did not stop.

It flew away fiercely somewhere, and was completely destroyed as it was.

[ah······!]

Pietro was deeply moved.

The reverberation of the annihilated heroic spirit was pointing in one direction.

'You're going over there. Thank you, Ancestor.'

Feeling grateful to the heroic spirit who gave his life to help, Pietro headed there.

It was not the road to the primordial light.

Pietro, who had already visited the beginning of light once, could see that it was a different path.

'He's settled in a strange place.'

Perhaps it is a ploy to entice those who have gone astray after seeking the light of the beginning.

Pietro came to his senses.

I have received help from many ancestors to this point. He is a sinner like himself.

So, it was your responsibility to live up to their expectations.

As I walked along, I felt a certain warmth.

Pietro was taken aback as this was the first time he had felt this in the non-existent spirit realm.

'What is this warmth? Some kind of heat that the soul can feel is rising from the depths.'

It was bizarre.

It's like the warmth of embracing yourself.

This was troublesome.

'If someone else comes here, they'll mistake it for the path leading to the light of the beginning.'

As expected, the light of the great beginning is different.

This is the way to reach him.

It was so easy to be mistaken.

I could fully guess how the first senior priest had been tricked.

If this was a trap set by the monster of prophecy, it was truly terrifying.

The monster was at least at the level of pioneering a new territory, beyond being completely mastered in the art of handling souls.

'I thought it was this much?'

I was also surprised when I made the Undead remotely from a distant space-time.

It was impossible even for Pietro himself, who was the best at handling the dead.

To even touch the spirit realm.

Isn't this the highest level reminiscent of the light of the beginning!

'Am I really a monster?'

Pietro began to have doubts.

It is certain that he was born a monster.

One of the monsters that endlessly proliferated in the abandoned world must have evolved and learned wisdom. That is certain in many circumstances.

But just because you were born a monster, can you say you're just a monster?

In fact, shouldn't it be evaluated as an intelligent body?

Could it be that he started out as a monster but has now become a supreme intelligence?

If you think about it, since you've been alive and accumulated wisdom since ancient times, isn't it that you've become a greater being than many of your ancestors you've met today?

'Just as we looked down on humans, wouldn't that look like us in the eyes of the monster?'

Maybe he is smiling mockingly at the first one being manipulated according to his will.

The thought that the opponent was more than I imagined created a heavy pressure.

'Can I meet him like this?'

Standing in front of it, I was afraid that I would be very small and shabby.

But then, he remembered the advice given by his long-lost ancestors.

[The fear of the unknown may make the opponent look big.]

'ah!'

Pietro realized that he was in that state.

[Wisdom without correct values ​​is not wisdom.]

Pietro came to his senses.

'Calm down. The guy isn't that great. He's just an unknown that he's never seen before.'

Fear of the unknown had overestimated the monster as being too big.

I felt gratitude and awe for my ancestors who gave me the advice I needed appropriately.

'Let's meet him first.'

went deeper

The heat grew stronger, but Pietro didn't care.

'It's the first time I've experienced it, so don't panic. It's just a means to trick me.'

how deep did it go

Suddenly, I began to feel a huge presence.

I saw only faint heroic spirits, but suddenly felt an incredibly strong presence, and my heart was shaken.

However, Pietro soon calmed down his agitated mind.

Pietro armed with extreme coolness.

An unknown being spoke to him.

[My child.]

It was a very warm word.

Pietro got goosebumps.

The thought that it might be the light of the beginning momentarily crossed my mind.

To be precise, I was embarrassed because I wanted to believe that it was the light of the beginning.

'This guy thoroughly digs into the priests' weaknesses.'

This was the first high-ranking priest to be fooled.

I was lucky when I met Pietro briefly when he was high priest.

At that time, Pietro had already met the light of the beginning, and the opponent was not as precise as he is now.

I wasn't fooled by that, but the other priests would pass without fail.

[I know your identity. He performed wonderful tricks.]

said Pietro.

OK,

I could feel the smile on the other side.

Due to their strong presence, their emotions were intensely expressed and came like a tidal wave.

'pleasure? Why are you happy?'

[Is it cool? I'm glad.]

[What makes you happy?]

[I don't know if it's a great trick or a trivial trick.]

[·······.]

[Whether it's praising or ridiculing, I wanted to hear someone's evaluation. Isn't that what communication is?]

[Communication······.]

[Yes. I wanted to communicate. A being with even a little bit of wisdom.]

Something flashed through Pietro's mind like a flash.

[Are you lonely?]

[lonely?]

The unknown being pondered over those words and was delighted before long.

[okay. that it is lonely that's right. This feeling was loneliness.]

The unknown has just learned a new feeling of loneliness.

[I didn't know because it was full of people following me. That this is loneliness. No one knows my great wisdom, so what's the point of being so great?]

Pietro recalled the advice of his ancestors.

[If you know that the wisdom it possesses is not true wisdom, you will be able to see the truth.]

'I see.'

Pietro realized that what he had was not wisdom.

Rather, it was close to stupidity.

[who are you?]

Pietro asked.

The unknown answered.

[Well, I've been thinking about that for a long time too. Then, with some experience, I remembered how to define myself.]

[·······?]

[I am the king. There is no other concept to define me.]