[…Arid, you can see souls?]
Of course, it wasn’t the fact that he could see souls in itself that was terrifying.
When one achieved a certain level of holy power, one could accumulate soul energy in one’s eyes. The resulting soul eyes allowed one to look beyond the material world and get a glimpse of the mystical world.
What Lukas paid attention to was the fact that Arid had ‘accurately’ pinpointed his location although he was using Ghost.
There were probably no more than 10 humans in this world who could notice him when he was in this state. And even if they did notice him, it would still be almost impossible for them to look at him.
Now that Lukas had separated his body and soul, his soul was now in an unfiltered and unsuppressed state. This meant that if an ordinary mortal were to look at him, their brain would probably become fried.
But this human named Arid was different.
He didn’t seem to be burdened at all despite looking directly at Lukas’ face. Nor did he seem to perceive him as anything other than a soul.
This was proof that he had formidable talent.
“But I’ve never seen a soul as large as you.”
Arid smiled innocently.
An indescribable admiration flashed in their eyes.
“Really… You’re so big that it’s hard to see all of you with a glance. This is my first time seeing a soul like you. I’m not sure I’d succeed.”
[Succeed?]
“Yeah! I send souls to the <Happy Country>.”
[…]
The Happy Country. There was no country with such a name in this world, and it seemed that the name was referring to something else.
“Ahem.”
Arid suddenly cleared his throat and spoke with a reverent expression.
“Now, then, Mr. Soul. Tell me what troubles you have that prevent you from finding peace and make you wander around the world. I will help you.”
[I have no troubles.]
“Huh?”
[…?]
Arid seemed to have not expected such a response and lost their persona for a moment. But with a soft cough, they quickly reformed their expression.
“…ahem. Excuse me. Um, are you saying that nothing is troubling you?”
That wasn’t possible.
Arid tilted their head to the side.
It was very difficult to become a soul without troubles, regrets, or anguish.
[Well, I do. But I don’t think you would be able to solve them.]
“Ahh. I’m sure that a soul as large as you are would have quite a few troubles.”
Arid said this in a solemn tone as they patted their chest.
“Nevertheless, you have troubles. I can assure you that you will feel much lighter after confiding in me. I will gladly listen.”
[…]
Troubles.
Of course, Lukas had countless troubles.
If he were to talk about the thing that was troubling him the most lately, it would definitely be Kasajin.
But Lukas shook his head and asked instead.
[What about you?]
“Huh?”
[You seem to have a lot of troubles as well.]
A look of surprise crossed Arid’s face.
“Ahaha… you’re quite sharp. You’re different from other souls! This is the first time I’ve been asked something like that.”
[…]
“It’s all right, though. My troubles are insignificant.”
[There is no such thing as insignificant trouble. That’s a contradiction.]
If it was insignificant, then it wouldn’t be a problem.
Lukas looked carefully at Arid. After looking at them for a moment, he opened his mouth.
[You were born with a very rare gift.]
“It must be God’s will.”
[…a long time ago, I met someone like you.]
“Huh?”
Arid’s eyes widened at those words.
It was as though they’d never heard those words before.
But Lukas wasn’t lying.
While he hadn’t been able to completely see through their soul’s eyes with his Clairvoyance, he was still able to see its essence. And the image of a woman immediately appeared in his mind.
A woman who came from an island country.
The name of the country was <Hitume Ikar>, and that woman held the title ‘Great Medium’ in that country.
And the being ‘Dawns’ that was worshipped in that country… turned out to be God.
The one and only creator, who created all of the three thousand worlds.*
The Great Medium had probably been the only one in that universe who could hear the voice of God.
Arid was probably the same.
[Can you hear God’s voice as well?]
“…!”
Lukas looked at Arid’s surprised expression.
He was certain at that moment.
This person with a neutral appearance was the Saint of Salvation, one of the Top Three.
* * *
“Wow!”
Arid’s voice was filled with genuine admiration.
“How did you know?”
[Your eyes told me so.]
“Ah. These?”
Arid touched their eyes. Then, they suddenly turned to the table beside them and picked up the white strip of cloth that lay there.
“I usually cover my eyes with this.”
There was no need for them to explain.
There were only two reactions an ordinary person would have upon seeing Arid’s eyes.
Awe or fear.
It wasn’t necessary to mention the latter, but the former was also not very good for Arid. After all, there was no feeling more one-sided than awe.
“But Mr. Soul wasn’t very surprised when you saw my eyes. Is it perhaps because you met people like me before?”
[…]
“The person who’s like me. Is it possible for me to meet them too?”
[It’s impossible.]
“Ah… I see.”
Arid scratched their cheek as they muttered this.
[Can you heal the injured?]
“Wow, you even know about that.”
Arid shrugged and muttered in a slightly smug voice.
“Not to brag or anything, but it is one of my best talents.”
[What about the dead?]
“Huh?”
[Can you bring the dead back to life?]
This was to verify the authenticity of the rumours he’d heard about the Saint before coming here.
“That…”
Arid paused for a moment at those words. They seemed to seriously ponder about something before finally opening their mouths.
“Ah. Is this question related to Mr. Soul’s troubles?”
[You could say that.]
In truth, his immediate goal was to heal Neil Prand.
The second question about resurrecting the dead was only his personal curiosity.
After thinking for a while, Arid finally shook their head slowly.
“I can’t resurrect them.”
[…]
That was natural.
Resurrecting someone who had already died was something that was difficult for Lukas even if he were to use all of his power.
Of course, it was possible to forcefully pull a soul from the afterlife and place it in an artificial body, but that couldn’t be called resurrection in the true sense of the word.
But Arid then said something strange.
“However, I can let you meet them.”
[Let me meet them?]
“Yeah. I can. If there is anyone you want to meet, then I can help you meet them. Even if they are already dead or if their soul has crossed over to the other side.”
[…]
Arid smiled naively and said.
“That’s my ability.”
Was that the truth or a lie?
Lukas looked Arid in the eyes.
This was a habitual action when he was trying to see through the other, but it didn’t have much of an effect against Arid. Their soul eyes perfectly countered his Clairvoyance.
[Then…]
Just as Lukas was about to respond.
Chichik-
“Ugh…”
Sparks began flying off his body, and Arid stumbled backward, covering their eyes.
“Wh, what’s going on?”
Lukas couldn’t maintain the Ghost state for much longer. If he continued to roam around without a vessel like his body, his soul would gradually return to its original form. In other words, his full power as an Absolute would be unleashed.
That was the reason for the sparks. Lukas’ aura was gradually beginning to swell.
‘I can’t keep this up for much longer.’
No matter how amazing Arid’s soul eyes were, it was still a difficult task for them to look at his true essence. So he had to return to his body to regulate and suppress his soul once again.
[I have to leave now.]
“Ah…”
A strange look of regret appeared on Arid’s face.
They twiddled their fingers for a little bit before finally opening their mouth.
“Hey, Mr. Soul.”
[What is it?]
“Mr. Soul said that you don’t need me to bother with your troubles, but… it would be better for a soul to go where it belongs instead of wandering the world. So…”
Seeing them stutter like that, Lukas realised what they were trying to say.
He nodded.
[I’ll be back.]
“Ah…”
Arid smiled brightly.
“Yeah.”
(*: The author really goes back and forth with the three thousand worlds concept. One time they say that there are countless universes, and the next time they say it’s three thousand worlds. So in truth, I’m not entirely sure which is correct. For now, I’ll just keep translating as the author has it… and hopefully, we’ll have some confirmation in the future.)