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── “I heard that Miss Natsuki was engaged and then had her engagement broken off again…”

── “Well, that’s no surprise. She’s a strange one for a woman, always writing letters.”

── “And to top it off, talking to ghosts… it’s ominous… I don’t even want to get close.”

Before she knew it, Natsuki had been the subject of much harsh gossip from the servants.

Why was that? She was just doing what she wanted to do, but why was she being looked at with such disdain?

(I only wanted to convey the final thoughts of the deceased…)

Was it really such a bad thing to want to deliver a ghost’s letter? Or was it just that a woman working as a letter-writer bothered them? Why was staying open late, holding a ghost lantern, and working until midnight so heavily criticized? Natsuki couldn’t understand.

The ghosts that everyone turned away from were just like Natsuki herself. Even if she had something to say, there was no one who would listen.

── “Sensei, I… I was deceived.”

── “This place is dark and cold…”

The voice of the ghost’s guest echoed in her mind, and Natsuki shivered involuntarily.

“──I have to… deliver the letter…”

Her voice, strained and hoarse, snapped her back to reality. As she rubbed her arm and looked up, low, high-pitched groans filled her ears. The sounds seemed to rise from the depths of the earth, eerie yet strangely sorrowful. Natsuki’s intuition told her that these were the voices of the dead.

“Where… am I…?”

Around her, there was nothing but pitch-black darkness. The sky had no stars, no moon, and the ground was equally dim. Just a moment ago, she had been under the sunlight, looking at the red and gold buildings of Tai Miao, but now there was no sign of them. It felt as though her vision had lost all color as she suddenly found herself in a world devoid of it.

(What… what happened? How did I end up here?)

Questions sprang up one after another, but Natsuki decided to rise and walk forward.

The tremors she felt urged her instincts not to stay still.

She knew better than to ignore such feelings. Climbing a rocky slope, her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, and she noticed a figure occasionally twitching at the corner of her vision.

“Ugh… uuu… it’s painful…”

Was it the ghost wailing? The voice, neither a lament nor a groan, leaked from the twitching figure.

“Hey… what’s happened to you?” Natsuki called out, immediately regretting it. The figure writhing in the darkness was unmistakably human. It had hair, eyes, ears—at least, it looked human. But its body was pierced by a large stake, blood dripping from its eyes and mouth. It resembled a condemned criminal who had been executed.

“Why is this happening to me…?”

“Pain… pain… pain… help me… If you don’t help me… I will curse you…”

As her eyes fully adjusted to the dark, she saw that there were several others writhing in similar ways. They were either impaled by stakes or chained to large rocks, crying out in agony. The eerie voices that had been echoing were their screams, their laments, their suffering.

“Wh-what is this…? Is this… the execution ground?”

In Amber Kingdom, there were laws and regulations, and those who disobeyed were punished. From beatings to having limbs or genitals severed, even being torn apart by horses was part of the punishments. Natsuki had never witnessed such things, but she knew of their existence in the outer parts of the city.

(Has a new decree been passed, stating that women shouldn’t work as letter-writers…?)

She wondered if they would be punished without explanation, but as the sounds of suffering and labor filled her ears, her doubts faded away in the face of the overwhelming reality.

“I don’t want this. I don’t want to die yet…”

When she muttered this in a trembling voice, a flash of light suddenly flickered in the sky.

“Is that… the Aurora?”

Natsuki had read about the glowing blue curtain in her books. The glowing pale-blue curtain looked like the clothes of an immortal. It swayed gently, changing shape, and blinked before vanishing from sight. Chasing after that beautiful light, she suddenly found herself before a towering gate adorned with spikes.

“Girl, hurry and enter.”

A voice, commanding and sudden, called out to her. She hadn’t noticed when the voice belonged to the horse-riding guard standing behind her. Dressed in a red cloak and holding a spear, he seemed to be one of the guards of the execution ground. Before Natsuki could think of a reply, the massive gate creaked open in response to the guard’s command.

Entering through the gate, she saw a magnificent palace with crimson tiles and a large roof supported by giant pillars. Lanterns hung everywhere, adding to its splendor. At first, she thought she had wandered into someone’s mansion, but if such a magnificent house existed in this city, she would have certainly heard of it.

(Could this be… the inner chambers of the Obsidian Forbidden Castle? But something feels off…)

The palace was surrounded by cliffs, and inscriptions were carved into them. The atmosphere was strangely devoid of life, and the wind carried no signs of creatures. The peculiar patterns on the castle walls and the round windows were beautiful, but Natsuki couldn’t quite put her finger on why it all felt so wrong. Just as she stood in confusion, the sound of drums filled the air, adding a sense of formality.

What kind of strange world was this? A moment ago, she had been in the darkness, but now, inside the gate, it was bright. It wasn’t sunlight; it was the aurora. The pale-blue light shimmered above, casting a soft glow, not from the daylight but from the otherworldly glow of the sky. As Natsuki stood there, staring at the shimmering light, another urgent drumbeat echoed, and the inner gate creaked open.

“The dead, bow down and wait for the judgment of the underworld. The Lord of Mount Tai has arrived… Heads down!”

Beyond the second gate was what appeared to be a courtroom. The courtyard, with no roof, was covered with white sand, and many people were shouting.

“This is a lie! I haven’t committed any crime! Lord Tai, please have mercy…”

“I’m not guilty! If I’m going to hell, it’s the one who killed my family who should go to hell!”

The people who were about to be judged cried out, each shouting their innocence or resentment. All their cries were directed at the figure sitting in front.

At the top of a seven-step staircase, a being dressed in white robes sat before a strange stone tablet engraved with complex patterns. The figure looked down from the high seat, and even though the others were kneeling, the immense pressure from the divine being made Natsuki feel a sense of awe.

(Could this be… the King of the Underworld—Lord Tai?)

Around the court, shelves filled with medicinal herbs stood, and officials in robes moved busily. It seemed like they were taking testimony from the dead. On the table, there was a pile of bamboo scrolls, looking as if they would topple over at any moment.

In the farthest corner, Natsuki noticed many flickering lights, which she soon realized were wax candles used to determine people’s fate. After one person was judged, an official blew out the candle, and the man let out a scream of despair. The dreadful cry echoed through the court, causing all those kneeling to tremble.

“So this is… the Underworld? Then, should I… bump my head against the gate…?”

Finally, Natsuki realized where she was.

The souls of the dead gathered at the East Peak of the Five Sacred Mountains—Mount Tai. The Lord of Mount Tai resided in the palace of Tai, ruling over the Underworld. Even the dead had their official records, and depending on their sins, they would be sent to hell or perform hard labor under local deities or magistrates.

The Lord of Mount Tai carried the record of all human deeds and lifespan, weighing the sins and virtues of the dead, passing judgment and sending them to their respective fates.

The King of the Underworld. The god who ruled the Underworld.

The sounds that echoed were either the cries of ghosts or the moans of those suffering under hard labor.

── This was the realm of the dead, ruled by the Lord of Mount Tai.