Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: The Impostor Spirit
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I'd been knocking since dawn, but the guy didn't wake up until the sun was high in the sky.
(Sorry.)
A girl with a slightly sulky expression rolled her eyes, sneaking glances at me. Well, calling her a girl was a bit iffy. Spirits didn't really have a gender, after all.
"(Is saying sorry all it takes?)"
This fool had stayed in the Middle Realm without a care, turning the whole area into a slice of the Spirit Realm. The spirits swarming in, Nihil getting helplessly spiritized—it was all this idiot's fault.
If our sweet, kind-hearted kelp hadn't stepped up, his existence would've been under suspicion again.
(I was just too upset to help it.)
"(If you were that upset, you should've gone back to the Spirit Realm.)"
(But Karina entrusted the kids to me.)
Nihil's eyebrows furrowed once more. Entrusting him with the kids didn't mean he should stick around and throw everything out of balance.
Still, now that the king was awake, things would probably fall into place soon. Reassured by that thought, I turned to leave—
(But... who are you?)
"......"
(Who are you, mimicking me?)
In an instant, the direction of the wind shifted.
"Sir Evan."
Lianus called out to Evan as he chewed on a mushroom that Kara had slyly popped into his mouth at his request.
Evan replied while munching on the paprika Lianus had fed him.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"After breakfast, let's head to the Wind Forest, too."
Lianus said this as he sliced bread to make a sandwich for Sir Evan. He couldn't very well send the man off to work on an empty stomach.
'Lots of meat... Ah, I should add my paprika, too. It's good for you.'
"......"
Evan let out a deep sigh as he eyed the sandwich stuffed full of meat and paprika that was apparently destined for him. Why on earth do they feed grass to horses?
Still, it was a sandwich handmade by his baby kitten of a prince, so he decided to eat it without complaint.
"I'll go, too!"
"If the youngest is going, then so will I!"
"Uh, um... then me too......"
"Me as well!"
"Livun, show some manners around His Highness. And if His Highness is going, of course I must follow."
Kara, Karum, Noah, Livun, and Sergio chimed in one after another. With the growing crowd, things were getting chaotic.
"Brother stays here!"
"Livun, don't be rude."
"Brother's such a nag!"
Karus watched the bickering young dukes of House Tarandrus with a fond smile, then held back a laugh at the sight of his prince earnestly chowing down on meat.
The young prince, who had handed all his paprika over to his secret friend, was tackling his meal with grim determination.
"Your Highness, the Wind Forest is dangerous."
"Then why'd you send Nil there all alone?"
"Well, your friend is......"
Karus started to say something but stuffed his mouth with bread to cut himself off.
His friend was... no matter how he thought about it, not human.
What human in this world could casually wield the rune script that had been half-erased by the Heavenly Demon War?
Yeah, that one was a dragon.
He'd patiently taught runes to clingy Cayen, so he had to be a very kind dragon.
Nihil would've been dumbfounded if he heard, but Karus had already convinced himself and sworn Cayen to secrecy.
Cayen had thrown a fit at first about supporting the 2nd Prince, but he'd bought the dragon story hook, line, and sinker.
"Your Highness, as the marquis says—it's dangerous."
"But Nil's taking too long."
His friend had left at dawn, and with the sun high noon and still no sign of him, something had to be wrong.
"Maybe he got lost in the forest!"
He'd been late before because he'd gotten kidnapped by the Mage Tower and couldn't find his way, so it could happen again.
"We have to go pick him up!"
Karus eyed the forest entrance with a hint of tension.
'It's the same forest I've always seen, so why does it feel so strange?'
For some reason, the forest looked different today. Its beauty was unchanged, but that beauty felt artificially crafted.
"It's so still."
"Ah......"
At Evan's murmur, Karus finally realized there was no wind in the Wind Forest. The place was famous for its never-ending breezes, which had been especially strong in recent years.
Seeing the forest that always rustled frozen like a painting felt off—like time itself had stopped here.
Had his friend done something?
Karus quickly sidled up to his reliable secret friend. Unlike mage Cayen or squire Karum, his own combat prowess hovered near zero.
That's when Sir Evan, his secret friend, glanced around and muttered.
"That said, I have no idea which way to go."
He was right. The Wind Forest wasn't suited for casual strolls, so no paths had been made.
"Let's go that way!"
As they pondered, the prince suddenly pointed in a direction. With no set path anyway, they followed.
"That way!"
"This way!"
"Hmm... this way?"
They'd come along to guide him, but at some point, the prince had taken the lead, blazing the trail ahead.
Karus looked down at the prince's curly head and poked Sir Evan.
"Sir Evan, does His Highness know something and that's why he's leading...?"
"...Probably just following his gut."
"No!"
As the two whispered, Lianus whipped his head around.
"Look closely—there's a path."
"...Did you hear our conversation, Your Highness?"
"His Highness has exceptional hearing."
Evan gave the wide-eyed Karus a quick explanation, then peered intently where Lianus pointed.
"...I don't really see it......"
"Look closer, Sir Evan. From here all the way to here, like this—whoosh!"
Evan narrowed his eyes and examined it carefully. It was a stretch to call it a path, but there were noticeably fewer fallen leaves and petals; at a glance, it did look like one.
"Nil must've taken this path!"
"But, Your Highness, there are no footprints."
"Uh... um......?"
At Evan's question, Lianus checked the path they'd taken. No rain, but the forest soil was damp. Their own footprints were clear as day.
"...Maybe he climbed the trees......?"
His friend could pull that off, right? With that thought, he looked up. Towering trees loomed over Lianus.
Lianus thought for a moment, then stared up at Evan. Evan stifled a laugh at the what now? look and bluffed.
"Well, a lynx like him might know how to walk without leaving tracks."
"Exactly!"
The two were already fully indoctrinated into lynx supremacy.
(Who are you?)
Whoareyouwhoareyouwhoareyouwhoareyouwhoareyouwhoareyou
(Why are you trying to steal my place?)
Dontsteal dontsteal dontsteal dontsteal dontsteal dontsteal dontsteal
"...Damn it."
This was exactly why he hated assimilating with spirits.
He had zero interest in the Spirit King position, even if it was handed to him. He hadn't even assimilated with the 'Spirit King' in the first place—he'd just spiritized.
They were mistaking him for one of their simple rank-by-power-only kind.
Boom boom boom—!
Compressed air clashed and exploded. Shattering attacks with this unfamiliar power while blocking sound propagation was mentally exhausting.
Speed wouldn't shake the wind. Spirits' gaze reached everywhere—no escaping detection anyway.
There was more trouble: He was fighting materialized, but it wasn't. Its attacks hit him, but his didn't land.
Dodging was easy, but he couldn't let the forest get wrecked, so he had to parry everything.
'If I drop materialization... it might absorb my power.'
Spirits looked individual but were just one power split many ways.
Tied to the Spirit King, dropping form to attack might let it steal his power.
But absorb more here?
After sucking up the Mage Tower's mana to regrow a bit of hair, turning into a total infant would make Lianus think what, exactly?
'Nil turned into a baby! Now I can carry Nil around!'
"......"
...He'd probably be fine with that.
Kaboom kaboom boom!
"Ah......"
Nihil sighed shortly at the sight of a chunk of forest being shredded amid the roar. Daydreaming had led to an instinctive dodge, and the cost was steep.
Blocking the sound late only made it more unnatural, probably.
'Did the noise reach the marquis's estate? Can't have people swarming here......'
Nihil glared at the spirit wrecking the forest willy-nilly.
Even at his weakened, newborn-wind state, dropping form would let him crush this thing easily.
But beating it as a 'spirit' would absorb its power into him, inheriting the king's throne inevitably.
'Need to assimilate with something else.'
That would make them see him as totally different.
Nihil scanned around while shattering incoming attacks. But naturally, no other lifeforms in this rampage.
Couldn't drag this brute to the marquis's place, either.
It had contracted with his teacher's mother, so probably wouldn't attack that bloodline, but...
(Why are you mimicking me? Stop copying!)
Stopcopystopcopystopcopystopcopystopcopystop
Would something sensing an existential threat even think that far?
'What the hell should I assimilate with......'
Then, a familiar voice echoed from afar.
"Your Highness, danger! Don't run off alone!"
"Sir Evan! I heard a huge noise from that way!"
'Rian...?'
Lianus, gripping Karus and Evan's hands tightly as they followed, suddenly stopped and looked up at the two adults.
"...We're going the right way, right?"
He'd led confidently enough, but the deeper they went, the less sure he felt.
"If I call out loud, will he show up?"
"...Who knows."
Evan was skeptical but glanced at Karus, thinking the kid might pull it off.
"Any monsters in this forest?"
"Never heard of monsters, but there are some beasts."
An Aura Knight wouldn't struggle with mere beasts... no, actually, a beast showing up might be reassuring.
"It's too quiet for there to be beasts."
No beasts, not even a single insect.
At first, he'd thought the lack of wind made it quiet, but this felt beyond that.
Evan couldn't shake the sense of calm before a storm.
Maybe the beasts had fled a coming disaster? As that thought crossed his mind—
Kaboom kaboom—!
A bizarre roar echoed from somewhere.