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Tafel examined the weapons laid out before her. Back on Erde, magical weapons consisted of wands and staves and the occasional talking sword. They were usually made with materials conducive to channeling mana. The weapons on the ground in front of her were either poorly made, or she was too dumb to understand how they worked.
“No! Absolutely not!”
Tafel raised her head. Lindyss had said she was creating a body, but it was awfully noisy for that kind of activity.
“What do you mean no?” Lindyss asked and crossed her arms.
“I have to define ‘no’ for you?” the zombie that dressed like a mummy asked. “No means no!”
“Look here,” Lindyss said, her brow furrowing. “Who’s the one building the body? Have you ever built one before? Have a seat, and let the professional do her thing, alright?”
Tafel raised an eyebrow before turning her attention back onto the magical weapons. Lindyss had said not to disturb her, so Tafel wasn’t going to comment. The demon picked up an object that looked like a painter’s palette. Instead of paint, there were crystals of different colors embedded inside it. Tafel tilted her head at the strange weapon before flipping it over. Only one side had gems embedded in it, so she assumed it was the top surface. She channeled her mana into the object, and the crystals glowed brightly.
“A normal body! Just build me a normal body!”
“Shut up,” Lindyss said. “Your head used to be a dog’s; you don’t know what normal means.”
Tafel blinked and turned her head towards the zombie covered in bandages. Was that Jackal? Unless Lindyss happened to zombify another dog-headed person…. Well, the tower was a strange place. Maybe dog-headed people were more commonly found on the second floor. Tafel lowered her gaze back onto the palette. She held it out and used it as a wand, channeling a fireball spell through it. A normal, no, a slightly weaker version of her usual fireballs appeared in the air in front of her. Evidently, it wasn’t meant to be used as an unwieldy wand. A frown appeared on Tafel’s face. Why couldn’t Lindyss have brought back instruction manuals as well? Then again, the cursed elf did say she could ask the zombie questions about the weapons.
“I might’ve had a dog’s head while I was alive, but that says nothing about my understanding of normal,” the zombie said. “In what world does a normal body have six arms?”
Lindyss rolled her eyes. “Squids? Hello? Ever heard of them before?”
“I’m a hominid not a cephalopod!”
“Yeah, well, you died without putting up a single ounce of resistance, so obviously, you’re missing something that’s vital to keeping you alive,” Lindyss said. “Isn’t your death clear proof of a fault in your body’s design? If you had six arms, three heads, and nine hearts, do you think you would’ve died as easily?”
“Yes! I was instantly disintegrated by a large surge of mana,” the zombie said. “No matter how many hearts or heads I had, they all would’ve perished.”
Tafel scratched her head. Was now a good time to ask the zombie how to work this palette? Although she could put it down and pick up another weapon, one that she might know how to use, the thought of giving up because she couldn’t figure something out irked her. She gripped the palette, and her horns glowed with a purple light as she sent her mana inside the object. The gems lit up in rapid succession, and—
Pffffft.
The palette made a farting sound as a small cloud of mana rose out of it like steam. Tafel’s eye twitched, and she waved her hand, dispersing the cloud. Perhaps each gem recorded a different spell. Instead of activating all the gems at once, all she had to do was guide her mana towards a single gem. She narrowed her eyes, the glow coming off her horns intensifying. A red gem on the palette lit up, and … nothing happened. Tafel stared at the so-called weapon before turning her head towards Lindyss.
“Does wood even belong in a person’s body!? What are you doing with those dowels?” At some point, the zombie’s bandages had been tied together, preventing the zombie from moving its arms and legs. “I’ve never built a body before, but I know wood isn’t included!”
“Don’t worry,” Lindyss said. “This is a special type of wood. It grows only in environments with corpses aplenty, and it has a spirit-attracting effect. You see, your soul is more closely linked to your body than you think. It’ll be difficult for you to control your extra limbs if I don’t add these dowels for your soul to attach to.”
“I already said I don’t need extra limbs!”
“And as I’ve alluded to many times, I don’t care about your opinion,” Lindyss said. “Someone who got killed has no right to say they don’t need anything changed about their body. If I recreated you exactly as you were, you’d simply die off again. Even if this design isn’t perfect and you happen to get killed again, I’ll know what went wrong and build you a better body next time.”
The zombie fell silent. After a few seconds, it said, “I’m not going to die again.”
“Oh?” Lindyss raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to get revenge against the person who killed you? You don’t think they can kill you again after demonstrating the ability to kill you once already?”
“I was ambushed,” the zombie said. “It won’t happen again.”
“Make all the excuses you want,” Lindyss said. “I’m building the body; I get the final say. Besides, since you haven’t paid your first installment, technically, I’m the owner of your soul right now. You’re not allowed to defy me.” The cursed elf raised her head and turned it towards the side. “Alright, Tafel, you’ve been looking this way like a lost puppy for a while now. What do you need?”
“Hey!” the zombie said. “At least pretend to look at the parts you’re sewing together!”
Thanks for the chapter! 💜
The changes they’re making to the timeline could be very good or very bad for the tower they’re in. I love this story.