<Chapter 118>
“…You want me to become your messenger?”
I asked blankly, pondering over what he had just said.
[I won’t be of much help. I can only lend you a little bit of the power of light.]
Ignis murmured softly, a faint smile forming on his face.
“No. You’ve already given me more than enough help.”
Compared to Lore, who dropped my soul into the body of an ancestor without any regard, leaving me to struggle in an unfamiliar past and never even showing his face, this was an overwhelmingly thoughtful and comprehensive support.
“I have a question. May I ask you something?”
[Yes, go ahead.]
“May I use the name of the Spirit King of Light just a little, whenever I need it?” [……So you intend to use your position as my messenger.]
Ignis seemed to have guessed my intentions, replying with a subtle smile on his face.
[Just once. I cannot allow more than that.]
“Yes.”
Getting this much help from the Spirit King, who had been as stubborn as a wall, was a significant gain.
Satisfied with the neat result of our negotiation, I looked down at the remnants of the light artifact in my hand.
Once I return to reality and leave this illusion Ignis had created, I would inevitably face Khalid.
“…”
There would certainly be a commotion. While Ignis had taken measures to allow me to summon spirits again, storing the remnants of the light artifact in a pouch attached to my cloak and choosing to confront Khalid in such a way seemed… too dangerous.
“Uh, Lord Ignis”
I finally spoke up, after much deliberation.
“I still have a long journey ahead of me. Protecting the light artifacts while facing countless dangers… it will be an incredibly difficult task. So, I have one last request.”
I had a strangely strong and clear certainty that we would inevitably meet again in the future.
With that thought in mind, I raised the shattered light’s artifact remnants and spoke with a determined tone.
“Our first reunion is not yet the right time, but when our second reunion comes, you will naturally understand. At that time, please come to meet me with the light artifact.”
I would receive the remnants of the light artifact in the present time I was about to return to.
[…Very well. I cannot say for certain that the future will unfold as you have described, but…]
The Light Spirit King murmured as he took the remnants of the artifact from me.
[I will await our future reunion.]
A faint smile appeared on his graceful face.
[But for now, it’s time for us to part.]
With a light clap of his palms, all the illusions shattered, disappearing like a dream.
‘…I’m back.’
Only the ruins of the ancient light temple remained, quietly passing the little time it had left.
A gentle breeze swept by, whispering as it brushed past me. The sunlight filtering through the leaves shimmered, and the peaceful scent of nature filled the air.
‘…Let’s get up.’
Khalid was nowhere to be found, and I felt no sign of his presence. I gathered my thoughts and stood up, my hand touching the dirt beneath me.
The issue with the light artifact was settled, but what remained…
“-What on earth!!”
“!”
A voice I hadn’t expected pierced my ears, interrupting my quiet thoughts about the future.
I hastily turned around, and standing there in a place where no one had been before, was a man, glaring at me. His dark cloak fluttered in the wind, creating an unsettling scene.
“…”
I hesitated and took a few steps back, conflicted.
Since I had become Ignis’ messenger, I could use a little bit of light power, but it wasn’t enough to face this man.
It’s not the best solution, but… I could only summon the Water Spirit.
“…Ah!”
At the very moment I thought there was no way out, Khalid Ilkai charged at me with incredible speed, grabbed both of my wrists tightly and pushed me forcefully.
“Ugh-!”
The shock from crashing roughly into the ground twisted my face in pain, and I let out a groan as I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at the darkened sky.
“What…?”
No, to be more precise, it wasn’t the sky…
“What are you doing?!”
Sharp pain surged within me, nearly causing me to lose all sensation as Khalid Ilkai, this gigantic man had pinned me down as though to trap me within his grasp.
He glared down at me with a face frozen in a terrifying expression. His vacant, glowing eyes reflected only the changing color of my face.
“…I was mistaken.”
Is he mad? Why is he suddenly snapping like this?
I was momentarily speechless due to the swirling questions and anger, but soon, I spoke coldly.
“I thought at least you wouldn’t be the kind of person to try to oppress a woman like a brute.”
Had the polite attitude he’d shown until now been all pretense? I openly mocked him, revealing my scorn.
“Is this the limit of your patience? …Can’t you back off right now?”
“…Yes, my patience has reached its limit. Therefore, I will not let you go any longer.”
After a long silence, Khalid finally spoke.
“After the sudden light disappeared and you were swallowed by it, I had to endure such terrible emotions… you will probably never understand.”
“Why should I care about your feelings? After all, you were probably just afraid, imagining what would happen if you failed to fulfill your duty.”
I responded with a sharp tone and soon realized that this man had no intention of retreating.
“…I don’t want to know about the agony of a cruel marauder, nor do I need to.”
I spoke, trying to steady my shaking heart, but Khalid interrupted, murmuring bitterly.
“You do not want to know, nor do you need to know… For what purpose have I, my brothers, and our people…perpetrated sins worse than those of animals in order to survive!”
Khalid’s face, which had been quietly reciting my words as if repeating them, gradually turned into deep anger and self-loathing, and he finally cried out.
“… You must, so you’ve been forced to perpetuate sins?”
As I watched him suffering with his emotions fluctuating violently, ironically, I thought of a man who would be born as his descendant, and I lost track of the cold hatred that had consumed my heart and muttered.
In fact, I originally just wanted to know–Why did Nisha choose to worship Arkane and be hostile to everyone?
What was lacking in their position as a powerful nation that everyone on the continent recognized, that led them to engage in endless war and plunder?
“What are you talking about?…If it’s just a quip to get cheap sympathy-”
“What use is your sympathy?”
Even if there was a story behind it, the sins they committed did not disappear. I tried to calm my wavering heart and spoke, but Khalid interrupted me and muttered self-deprecatingly.
“If you knew how vicious the Dark Spirit King and my clan are…”
His complexion was filled with deep fatigue, that was all.
“Will you be able to change your mind?”
“…”
“Whatever it is, it is fine. In the end, you and I have only one choice, and there is no way out.”
With that, Khalid stepped away from me and spoke in a strangely calm tone.
“Let me tell you about how we, who have settled on a land that does not welcome life, have prospered so much… And the price that comes with that abundance.”
***
Caw-
[You’ve come.]
In the palace of the Ice King, the room where guests were entertained was occupied by the Spirit King of Death and his followers.
However, the owner of the place, Prinscher, had no intention of driving them out and merely quietly observed his friend’s actions.
Dozens of crows presented the human lives they’d taken to their master, who then granted death to the mortals who had perished in places he had yet to visit.
[…How strange.]
[What is?]
As Prinscher watched him fulfill his duties, he rested his chin on his hand and muttered.
His question came back without any change in his gaze, and Prinscher answered in a languid tone.
[You don’t have any spirit subordinates, do you? Even among us natural spirits, and even Arkane, whom you obediently follow, all have high-ranking spirits to carry out their duties. Yet, you do everything yourself, don’t you?]
[The Spirit King of Death is me. How could I entrust the duty of ending life to subordinates?]
Ashmed replied bluntly.
[There’s nothing to do in the spirit realm, so it’s better to fulfill my duties myself.]
[I have such a diligent friend.]
Though Ashmed had been unable to mingle with other spirits because of Arkane, by nature, he wasn’t a bad person.
Prinscher felt pity for his friend, who, entangled with his brother, had unknowingly lost many opportunities to learn about the world and, as a result, was left with an eternal, unfillable void.
