Chapter: 760
The Earth Spirit King, soaring through the sky, was seen flopped out on the ground.
I feel a bit bad thinking this, but since he is the “Earth” Spirit King, wouldn’t he be returning to where he rightly belongs? Of course, if he heard me say that, he’d probably be furious.
– I came here to escape from the fairies… but this place isn’t any different…
Peace, with a somewhat bittersweet expression, looked at the Spirit King as he mumbled to himself.
Why are you relating to that kind of expression? You shouldn’t just blindly sympathize with others!
“Isn’t it better to deal with one person than a bunch?”
– Well, that’s true…
Even so, both the Earth Spirit King and Peace nodded in agreement.
It’s a bizarre sight. Once the overlord of war, Peace, and the Earth Spirit King, a friend of Konstantina, seemed to have found common ground. Two beings with absolutely no commonality managing to bond within our castle is quite the achievement.
It signifies that whether you’re a dark god or a spirit king, when it comes to parenting, everyone is equal. After all, it’s children who change the world and lead it.
– But this is a bit strange, isn’t it? I got caught by an ordinary human, and the shock was greater than I expected.
The Earth Spirit King, who was floating up again, kept a safe distance while looking at Teresa.
Thinking about it, it is indeed odd. The Earth Spirit King often gets caught by fairies and screams, yet this time, he’s trapped in the hands of an ordinary human like Teresa. You could almost classify it as acting just to entertain a child, but his reaction was too real and too quick for that. If it were acting, he’d deserve a round of applause!
– She seems to have a better aptitude than the Crown Princess?
“Are you talking about the Crown Princess?”
I tilted my head in confusion at the unexpected remark. What does Teresa being tugged around have to do with her aptitude, and why is the Crown Princess coming up right now?
– Remember when the triplets came to receive their blessing? The Crown Princess was there too, right?
“Yes, that’s right.”
– Back then, the Crown Princess grabbed my tail and swung me around too. You see, the influence humans can have on spirits depends on how close they are to nature. But when that girl grabbed me, it hurt more than when the Crown Princess did.
I glanced down at Teresa at those words.
It’s mystifying that the ability to inflict physical damage on spirits can determine aptitude, but since the spirit king acknowledged it, it must be true. If that’s the case, it means Teresa may have the qualities of a Spirit Sage.
– It seems to be coming from your mother’s side.
“Huh?”
This time, it was my mother who seemed surprised.
As far as I know, the qualities of a Spirit Sage—the affinity with nature and spirits—are overwhelmingly higher in elves compared to humans. Because of that, human Spirit Sages are even rarer.
But if my mother has Spirit Sage qualities, and those have passed on to Teresa? That’s not something to take lightly.
– Do you happen to have ancestors named Sinnen, Leonardo, Orin, or Viniere?
“Oh, yes. There was someone named Sinnen Aras.”
– Oh, so you’re a descendant of Sinnen. Now that you mention it, you do resemble him.
As my mother answered, the Earth Spirit King glided over to her and settled on her shoulder.
– Sinnen was one of the few human Spirit Sages who was remarkably talented. Unfortunately, he wasn’t at a level to form a contract with us, but before the World Tree burned, he was able to converse with us. If only Sinnen had lived a bit longer…
“Is that so…”
– And it seems the blood of Sinnen has flowed down to both you and this child. That’s for sure.
The Earth Spirit King, after saying that, floated up again, this time heading for the daisy.
– This is a flower brought by your benefactor, and since it was raised by a descendant of Sinnen, it appears to have connected the spirit realm and this world. It wasn’t just a coincidence; it’s a meaningful connection.
“Excuse me…”
Listening quietly to the Earth Spirit King, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“Does that mean there won’t be spirits appearing around other flowers?”
– Nope! Even if other people take flowers, it won’t happen. Those people aren’t benefactors, and they aren’t descendants of Sinnen either.
The certainty in the answer made me exhale a sigh of relief internally.
I had speculated that our castle would be the only one facing issues since the Emperor had been quiet. But now, having the assurance from a king is a whole lot better than mere speculation.
‘Thank goodness.’
I managed to prevent spirits from spreading throughout the Empire. I also avoided the Emperor grabbing me by the collar asking what was going on.
– Hmm…
In the midst of pondering, the Earth Spirit King slowly moved towards Teresa.
– Alright. Such a rare bond, so I’ll give this child a blessing!
“Hey! You’re valuable too!”
– N-No! At least, gently!
The Earth Spirit King, approaching with good intentions, unfortunately became a victim of Teresa’s innocence.
Sorry about that. But hey, you’ve been besieged by fairies every day, so maybe you can let this slide.
– I’ll give you a blessing! It won’t be the kind of kingly blessing that you receive just anywhere!
As the cries grew more desperate and pitiful, I quietly patted Teresa’s hand.
Let the poor snake go already. He’s so pitiful.
“Hey, Peace! Come play with me.”
“Master?”
Peace looked at me with trembling eyes but I chose to ignore him.
Honestly, you only came here on leave to play with Teresa. If a strange creature is suffering, you have to sacrifice yourself instead.
*
Corvus had visited the National Cemetery, holding a pure white lily.
He usually only came on designated days, so his unannounced visit took me by surprise.
“What brings you here?”
“I’ve come to see former Lord.”
As I called to him, Corvus bowed his head and offered his respects. After responding appropriately and asking again about his reason for visiting, he shyly lifted the lily.
“I brought a gift for my wife and wanted to give it directly.”
“Oh, I see.”
It was such a modest yet warm reason that it made me smile. Balancing his duties as a ruler while displaying a human side during unexpected moments is just like him.
For our dragons, 300 years is just a blink, but for humans, it’s a long time. Unlike the first Emperor, Corvus is the sixteenth Emperor.
Yet, even so, it’s remarkable that a bit of him shines through Corvus.
“That’s a divine gift. I’m sure your wife, who is in heaven, will feel that love.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Bowing his head again, Corvus went to his wife’s gravestone and cleaned it for a long while before placing the lily on the ground.
Since it was a flower imbued with a unique energy, it would survive just left alone, but Corvus had dedicated his life to this Empire. It wouldn’t do to leave a gift unguarded for the wife who passed away before him.
Because of that, he diligently tended to the flower left by him.
– Hmm?
“Hmm?”
A blue turtle popped up beside the flower.
“Spirit King?”
– Dragon?
It didn’t take long for both me and the blue turtle to realize who we were looking at.
The turtle was a spirit—a Water Spirit King, to be precise.
‘What are you doing here?’
Caught off guard by the unexpected encounter, I fell silent for a moment.
Spirits have completely vanished from the continent since the World Tree burned. I had heard they recently reappeared with the revival of the World Tree, but I never expected to meet one here.
– Are you perhaps Lord?
“Yes, I used to be. I passed that title on to my child now.”
– A lot has happened since the World Tree burned…
The Water Spirit King nodded its head as it looked around, seemingly trying to understand where it was.
– A grave?
“This is the National Cemetery of the Empire. It’s the resting place for members of the royal family.”
– But why’s a dragon in a National Cemetery?
“Why can’t a dragon be here when a spirit king can?”
With no retort to that, the Water Spirit King silently nodded.
What in the world is going on? To my understanding, spirits, including kings, could only stay near the World Tree. They can only break that rule when they have contracted with a Spirit Sage.
But kings can’t just be contracted by anyone, and in this area, there shouldn’t be any Spirit Sages. The Water Spirit King just popped out of nowhere.
“So, how did you get here?”
– I’m not sure myself.
“What?”
That irresponsible statement made my brows twitch.
This wasn’t something you could brush off with an “I don’t know.” The entire National Cemetery is my domain, a place I manage—an area where I permit no variables. And now, a variable like a spirit has entered this sacred space.
For now, it’s a harmless spirit showing up in front of me, but what if a malicious being suddenly appears? Especially when I’m away…
That’s absolutely unacceptable. If something like that happens, I’ll find out the cause no matter what and punish everyone involved.
– Don’t look at me like that. Even though I’m an immortal being, a lord is still scary.
As the Water Spirit King said that, it gazed at the lily placed in front of the gravestone.
– You already know, but that flower is imbued with Konstantina’s power. It seems like that flower has become a portal connecting the spirit realm and this world.
“Just a few flowers?”
– It’s not just a few. Its divine power is imbued, and it’s touched by Dragon Lord’s hand.
Since I’m also involved, I clicked my tongue softly.
But if it’s a problem created because my hands got involved, then no further complications should arise. It’s a piece of good news.
– If you find it unpleasant, I’ll prevent spirits from coming this way. After all, now they have other places to go, so blocking one won’t meet resistance.
“That’s not needed. I know that spirits can feel trapped.”
I gently shook my head in response to the Water Spirit King’s words.
A controllable variable isn’t a variable anymore, and without any additional anomalies, I won’t have to worry further.
In fact, spirits wandering around the National Cemetery, comforting the departed, could serve to elevate the prestige of the royal family and the Empire. I’m sure he would appreciate that.
– I appreciate your mercy. In the past, if it were that cruel dragon, the flower would have been crushed before a conversation could happen.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at those words.
The former Atelius certainly was beyond fiery.
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