From Corpse to Crown: Reborn as a Mortician in Another World-Chapter 86: The Rite She Completed

Learning about Vel Quen took an emotional toll on Lucian. He raised a hand and said quietly, "Is everyone okay with leaving at dawn?"

"Not at all. I’m just glad we’ll get to leave without starting or ending a fight," Merry said. Lucian nodded. "All thanks to you and Alice."

Alice’s cheeks felt hot. "...thanks."

+

They left early, just after the fog had begun to lift. There weren’t any processions or mourning scheduled today. As they packed up and got ready to leave Mimea, they only heard the sound of boots against cobblestone and a quiet wind blowing across the rooftops.

The town felt almost normal.

Undead and half-dead people still walked around town, but they had stopped decaying a long time ago.

Lucian pulled his coat tighter and adjusted the Loom’s case at his hip. Behind him, Merry whispered a protective glyph for safe travel into the mist. Cadrel tightened his pack.

Alice was the last to turn from the square.

She glanced once more at the stage where Dara’s body had lain—now empty, the lilies already wilting.

Instead of an oppressive silence, it was the comfortable quiet of a completed rite.

Not suppressed, but completely laid to rest.

It was a good feeling.

They were halfway to the town’s edge when someone called out.

"Mortician Bowcott! Please wait."

I never changed my last name...I suppose the Divine Architect took pity on me this time. He only changed his first name--Lucian hoped that Bowcott would be a common enough name. And after their extended stay in Mimea, they either had delayed news from the Crown or didn’t believe in it entirely.

He wasn’t sure which.

But he was glad for a peaceful exit.

Lucian turned to see Mayor Tricia approaching. For once, her hands were ungloved. Her mask had been removed, revealing a face worn by years and worry, but not unkind.

Behind her stood three others in black—witnesses from the ritual.

Cadrel squeezed his own arm. He felt like they were going to get attacked any second now.

"We’ll be fine," Merry murmured. "No one’s spoken about Elian or Lucian. They focused on the mourning rite."

Tricia stopped a few paces away and inclined her head.

"We’ve never let someone break the silence before."

Lucian nodded. "And you let us stay."

She glanced at Alice. "Not because of you, Mortician. Because of her."

Lucian tried to pretend it didn’t hurt. Part of him was happy for her, but another felt snubbed by the mayor.

Alice blinked. "Me?" She clasped her hands together and stared at the ground, shyly. "...thank you. I just...wanted to help."

Tricia stepped forward, eyes softer now.

"It was you who gave Dara permission to go. You felt the tether. You asked. You listened."

She held out a small pin—a gray stone flower with a silver backing.

"Each of us receives one after our first rite. We stopped giving them out generations ago. But I think... you’ve earned it."

Alice took the pin with shaking fingers.

"It was only right," she whispered.

"No," Tricia said gently. "It was courageous. During our mourning rituals, I use a glyph to ensure we all move as one." she said. Slowly, she drew a glyph that looked like a doll. When she raised her right hand, the three witnesses did so in perfect sync.

"However, you still interrupted our sacred rite, even if it was for the right reason."

She stepped back. "There are some practices that will take generations to change. And...we still need the Crown’s support. They required us to perform these rites, in these specific ways. You coming here changed that."

Tricia bit her lip as she continued. "You may never come here again. But the echoes of what you’ve done will remain."

Then, softer:

"You finished what we weren’t allowed to. That makes you a guide, whether or not you meant to become one."

Lucian watched Alice closely.

She didn’t cry. But she held the pin close, as if something inside her had clicked into place.

He felt the Loom pulse lightly at his side, and the Grimoire appeared out of thin air.

[Thread Update]

Alice – Role Trait Detected: Guide of Final ThreadsCondition: Consent-Based Rites OnlyEffect: Passive stabilization of volatile echoes within range

Lucian smiled faintly.

So that’s her path. Completely different from mine. That’s good.

They left soon after.

+

Outside the gates, Alice still held the stone flower in one hand. Lucian slowed to walk beside her.

"You okay?"

She nodded. "I think... I understand something now."

Lucian waited.

Alice looked up. "I’m not supposed to carry grief like you do. But I can stand beside it. When it’s ready. When they are ready."

Lucian exhaled.

"You learned a valuable lesson that day. I did as well."

Before Alice could ask, Lucian continued. "I learned how to wait. Merry was trying to get me to understand. Everyone’s problems aren’t mine to solve. Sometimes...waiting lets someone else step up."

They continued on, but Merry nodded and smiled at Lucian’s back, like a proud mother.

And as the road curved away, and the wind changed...

Lucian didn’t look back. They weren’t welcome anymore, and it wasn’t because of a fight. It was more about politics and obedience--and a small town had no resources to fight against an entire kingdom.

If I could do it over again...I might have made different choices. Maybe I would have waited more, or stayed longer. I’ve been given a second chance at life and...still feel lost.

But it isn’t too bad.

Deep in his heart, he knew.

Mimea would remember them, even if they pretended they didn’t.

+

Once they were fully away from Mimea’s border, Lucian thought he saw a familiar cart parked beneath a tree.

"Are you looking for a ride, perhaps?"

It was the stranger, and they had a soft smile on their face. Lucian still couldn’t see what pulled the cart, but didn’t mind too much.

I don’t know if I could take knowing the answer. Maybe it’s because I lack something to see them. A tool, maybe?

He suspected it was something emotion-related, mostly because it was the one thing he still openly struggled with.

"Yeah, actually, we are. Could you please take us to Vel Quen?"