Chapter 274: An Eerie Air
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 274: An Eerie Air
“How are you feeling?”
“I… I think I am alright….”
“Why the sudden formality? You can speak comfortably.”
“Ah, well….”
Misiri Spanya, who had come out after changing her clothes, stole a subtle glance to the side. Behind the handsome young man stood a terrifying member of the Necro Species. Her physical ailments had certainly been healed.
The bizarre voice that had periodically echoed in her head was gone. Food no longer made her feel nauseous; in fact, it was so delicious it brought tears to her eyes.
When he had told her to change and stepped outside alone, she had looked out the window at the houses where the estate residents lived. Just as he said, they were recovering, sharing food that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
‘It couldn’t be… right?’
It might be a bit rude to feel this way toward her savior, but she couldn’t help but feel a seed of suspicion.
“Are… are you a tamer of monsters?”
“Something like that. The specific process might be different, but the result is the same. I control monsters.”
“I see….”
Yoo Eon grasped the intent behind Misiri Spanya’s question and offered an explanation.
“It’s the influence of the Hollow Breeze. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, Madam.”
“The Hollow Breeze! Why didn’t I think of that!”
Anyone living in this world knew of the Hollow Breeze. It was a global event celebrated with festivals across the surface. While she didn’t know the fine details, Yoo Eon’s explanation allowed her to understand to some extent.
“A Hollow Breeze can occur within the Spanya Estate. The mana erosion by the Necro Species is a byproduct of that.”
“How could this be…! Is there no way to stop it?”
“Unfortunately, not that I know of. The Page of Arcana is proactive about providing relief for Hollow Breeze damage, so you should be able to get help from them. The best way to minimize casualties would be to evacuate everyone from the estate.”
“Ugh….”
Though things were supposedly fine now that the Family Head was back, Misiri Spanya had managed the estate for two years while attending to a husband who had turned into a monster. Her head was already beginning to ache at the thought of what to do next.
The two of them stepped out of the Lord’s Castle, passing the maids who lay unconscious on the floor.
“Lich, can you pinpoint the location?”
:: If you would leave it to me. ::
“Go.”
At Yoo Eon’s command, the Lich bowed deeply and then transformed into a thick green mist, drifting away. As the mist began to accelerate beyond a speed Misiri Spanya could keep up with, Yoo Eon swept her up into his arms.
“Madam, we must hurry.”
“Wait—ah?!”
She knew he had a sturdy build, but she had assumed he was merely a mage who commanded monsters. Misiri Spanya hadn’t expected him to be a man of such physical action. Ordinarily, touching a noble without permission was a serious offense—and even more so when it involved a lady.
“I-I am heavy! Please put me down!”
“You aren’t heavy. If you squirm like that, I might drop you.”
Being carried in the arms of a man young enough to be her son—and having allowed a stranger whose name she didn’t even know to touch her—was quite embarrassing.
‘E-Endure it! It’s for the sake of the family!’
Misiri Spanya repeated this to herself like a mantra, focusing on the need to protect the Spanya Estate.
* * *
“This place is….”
“What used to be here?”
The Lord’s Castle sat at the center of the Spanya Estate. To the south were the residential areas, and to the east and west were vast fields.
The area slightly to the north was close to the forest and a river, making it a place where people rarely ventured. At most, soldiers would periodically train in the forest, or the Family Head would go hunting there with his knights.
“Is this the spot?”
:: Yes, it is. My Emperor. ::
“Fortunately, it won’t break out right in the middle of the estate. Madam, did anything happen here in the past?”
“From what I know… I heard the Lord’s former wife met with an accident here.”
“Hmm.”
Wait, if that’s the case, I can’t just go in swinging. If there were no connection, it wouldn’t matter, but just in case—if the Lord’s first wife and the Banshee causing the mana erosion were the same person….
“Sss.”
As if sensing his concern, the Lich, who had been floating in the air nearby, drifted closer and spoke.
:: Would you like to attempt a conversation? ::
“Is that possible?”
:: It is. ::
The eerie energy in the air was definitely growing stronger. It wasn’t a slimy, unpleasant sensation like the Lich’s, but rather something… gloomy and depressing.
:: Emperor. ::
“Ah, I take back the part about it being unpleasant.”
After the Lich entered his body, Yoo Eon brought his mana core to his chest and channeled a bit of mana into his eyes. A certain magical barrier hiding the Banshee began to come into view.
—Vrrr….
The Lich’s deep green mana flowed from his fingertips. Before long, he overlaid the mana forming the barrier with the Lich’s mana. The barrier shattered, revealing the Banshee’s form.
“H-How…!”
“Madam, keep your wits about you.”
On a large rock in an open clearing in the forest north of the Spanya Estate…
There sat a Banshee, a female Necro Species. She sat with her head bowed, covering her face with her hands, sobbing quietly.
“You are….”
It felt as though the Lich’s voice was overlapping with his own. Whether the Banshee heard him or not, she slowly raised her head to look at him.
She was a translucent, sky-blue spirit. A beautiful woman with long, flowing hair, wearing a simple, unadorned dress.
“H-Hic! A ghost—”
“Madam.”
As Yoo Eon restrained Misiri Spanya’s reaction, the Lich whispered softly.
: Emperor, the Banshee’s true form may not be properly visible to the eyes of an ordinary person. :
“You mean she looks different to me? Is there a way to make her visible to others?”
: You need only inject a bit of your mana. :
“I’ve never tried that before.”
According to the Lich, by sharing a bit of his mana with Misiri Spanya, he could restore the Banshee’s appearance to what he was seeing.
Presumably, the version Misiri Spanya was seeing now was something far more hideous.
—Shhh….
“Wait…?”
Yoo Eon placed his hand over Misiri Spanya’s eyes, injected his mana, and then pulled his hand away. Misiri blinked and stared ahead.
“Y-You are….”
The Banshee said nothing. Yoo Eon had no way of knowing what she looked like when she was alive. But Misiri Spanya would recognize her through photos made with recording artifacts or perhaps through paintings.
“Is it her?”
“Y-Yes… it is….”
The Banshee was indeed Stonen Spanya’s first wife and the biological mother of Rubia and Rubica. It was Luciana Spanya. Now that he knew, he could see glimpses of Rubica and Rubia in her face.
The situation had become complicated. If it were just a random, hostile Necro Species, he could have simply killed it and restored the estate. But with a spirit that had such a history, it was difficult to intervene directly.
‘This is a dilemma. What should I do?’
“Luciana Spanya. Is there something you want?”
“Not… particularly….”
“Hmm.”
He had brought Misiri Spanya along because she was the target of the mana erosion, intending to deal with any problems immediately.
But this was awkward. Had he known the Banshee was Stonen Spanya’s former wife, it might have been better to wake Stonen or bring Rubica and Rubia instead.
‘Actually, there’s no reason I can’t do that now.’
He produced a single bat capable of using mimicry vocal cords from his fingertips and sent it toward the residential area.
* * *
“How is Dad?!”
“The Family Head seems to be fine now.”
The veteran knight Roden was checking Stonen Spanya’s pulse and mana concentration, worrying over his well-being.
—Flap, flap.
“Rubica, Rubia. Can you hear my voice?”
“Oh?! It’s Aven!”
“You! Where are you right now?!”
“Has the Family Head not woken up yet?”
The voice of Yoo Eon strangely emanated from a small bat. As it fluttered in the air, the two sisters answered its question.
“Not yet, but they say he’s in good condition!”
“Yes, I expected as much. I was wondering if the two of you could follow this bat.”
“Why? Did something else happen?”
“It’s not fully resolved yet. For now, please follow me.”
The bat turned and headed toward the north of the estate. Rubica and Rubia looked at each other and nodded. They didn’t know what was happening, but they figured their help was needed.
Unlike Rubia, who moved quickly, Rubica had been confined in the Lord’s Castle basement for a long time, and her running was lackluster.
“Sister! Let me carry you!”
“W-What are you saying, Rubia?!”
“Just hurry! We’re going to lose him!”
The tall Rubica was swept up into the short Rubia’s arms like a princess, and they moved at high speed. It might have looked ridiculous to an outsider, but Rubia didn’t care. Rubica, however, was dying of embarrassment.
Eventually, they arrived at the forest north of the Spanya Estate.
“Both of you, wait a moment.”
The bat with Yoo Eon’s voice stopped them. It perched briefly on their heads to infuse them with mana, and suddenly, something that hadn't been there before began to appear.
“Aven! W-What is this…?”
“Come inside for now.”
“What an eerie air.”
Wary of their surroundings, the two sisters stepped inside the hemispherical, translucent blue barrier.
Inside, they saw the back of Yoo Eon and Misiri Spanya, who was supposed to be in poor health. And then….
“M-Mother…?”
“Mom…!?”
It was the face of their biological mother, whom they had remembered only through a single, fading, two-dimensional photograph.