Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Rough Dreams (2)
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"Heh heh..."
Closel let out a hearty chuckle.
"It seems you don't quite know who we are."
Parmon and Irene were quietly smiling as well.
"Even if a whole knight order came charging in, they couldn't touch us. And even if a Sword Master showed up on top of that, it wouldn't be a problem."
It was utterly frustrating.
"No, that's not the point... Haah..."
They seemed to think I was worrying over nothing.
"Irene. Let's make this clear."
"Yes?"
"That will from the World Tree."
At the mention of the World Tree, Irene's expression hardened slightly.
Sure enough, she was hiding something.
"Is something wrong with the World Tree?"
"..."
Her reaction confirmed it.
Irene, who had been divined as my fated noble connection.
The divine spirit that visited my dream right after meeting her.
And old man Parmon's blocked divination.
It looked like the homework I had to tackle started with Irene.
"That tree was practically rotting from the inside out."
"Ahem... You shouldn't speak so carelessly about the World Tree."
Closel's expression soured at my blunt words, and he tried to caution me.
But would holding back fix anything?
It was on the verge of death.
"If you don't tell me properly, forget the World Tree's will or whatever. I'm out."
"Now, now, calm down a bit..."
Irene's lips pressed tightly together.
Even the gentle smile she'd been wearing vanished.
She looked almost like an injured plant.
Her aura felt strangely botanical, not quite human.
"That tree... If we don't do something about it, things could get really bad."
Irene's silence was as good as agreement.
The elders seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation and fell quiet.
"A problem with the World Tree...? Is that even possible?"
Irene, who had been silent, nodded.
"You're right. Time has begun to flow in the Great Boughs."
"...Pardon?"
I truly had no idea what she meant.
Time flowing in the boughs?
"The World Tree's boughs are always evergreen. But the leaves have started to wither."
She should have said this from the start...
Now this was familiar territory.
Very familiar.
"But you don't know the reason, right?"
"...Yes."
"The culprit's hiding itself too well."
Irene's face turned sharp, as if she didn't like my words.
"Elven magic and spirit arts can detect anything."
Like hell they can.
They didn't even notice until the whole tree was rotting.
The withering leaves meant it had reached its limit.
From what I sensed, the World Tree had been holding on with all its might.
Irene continued her explanation.
"It was only recently that the World Tree, in its repose, conveyed its will to bring you to us."
"Probably."
Since I'd only arrived here recently, it made sense.
Not just the gods' divination, but even the World Tree itself was seeking me out.
"We should go quickly, but... warp magic circles are out."
It hit me strongly.
"Absolutely not. We'd be better off walking."
Surprisingly, someone agreed with me.
Old man Parmon.
"That would be best."
"Ramon, you...?"
"But..."
Irene started to say something but turned her head.
Toward the grove of trees.
"The boughs are shaking..."
I followed her gaze, but I felt nothing.
It wasn't a spirit stirring; just the wind.
Irene stared blankly at the trees, then her eyes lit up.
"We should do as you say."
"Suddenly?"
Irene just gave an enigmatic smile.
She said nothing more.
I couldn't know the details, but if it was the boughs shaking, the World Tree must have conveyed something.
It was their world; I'd respect it.
I'd be away for quite a while, so there was a lot to do.
They say that when a shaman delivers a divination, they receive divine inspiration.
The divination is inspiration received from the gods and spoken aloud.
And it's not something you can get whenever you want.
"..."
I was now earnestly praying at the shrine.
I informed them I'd be away for a long time and asked what their will was.
Ting-a-ling -
Ting-a-ling -
I asked about the dream several times.
My mouth twitched as if a divination might come, and scenes flashed through my mind.
Was I trying to see too grand a future? Or was my skill still lacking?
Vague images seemed about to form, then faded away.
"Just how big of a revelation is this..."
Today wasn't the day, it seemed.
As I moved to stand, a thought struck me.
"Wait... I haven't tried this yet."
Until now, I'd been trying the usual method to receive inspiration.
But didn't I have something else now?
A power I'd lived without my whole life—I hadn't even thought to use it.
"Will it work...?"
I quietly closed my eyes.
I could feel spiritual energy flowing through my body.
"Your disciple inquires."
I gathered the spiritual energy and sent it into the rattle.
Ting-a-ling -
"I seek your guidance; please look upon me."
Ting-a-ling -
A sharp vibration buzzed from the rattle infused with spiritual energy.
In an instant, all the spiritual energy in my body was sucked out.
Both the newly accumulated energy and what I'd originally had—gone.
Ting-a-ling -
Emptiness flooded my body.
Just like after a ritual, all strength drained away.
At the same time, the hazy scenes sharpened into clarity.
A dull ache throbbed at the base of my skull.
"Haa... Haa..."
I saw the rattle.
The one in my hand.
But unlike the real one, its interior was hollow.
How to describe it?
Insufficient—that was it.
Far from the rattle, a single small twig appeared.
Then my strength gave out completely.
"So that's what Irene meant."
The rattle I'd just seen wasn't the one in my hand, the spiritless rattle.
It symbolized the karma I had yet to fulfill ahead.
The reason it felt lacking was because my learning was shallow and my cultivation insufficient.
"Learn as you go, huh?"
This was the inspiration I'd barely received.
Now everything clicked into place.
"This isn't the time to dawdle. The sooner I go, the sooner I learn."
There was much to prepare.
Not just for the journey, but something more important.
I reached out and grabbed a stack of paper from a corner of the shrine.
"Looks like the elders will need to put in a bit more effort to rest easy."
The shrine is a place to serve the gods.
Gods descend there, and it serves as their eyes on this world.
Bathed in divine light, sacred energy flows, repelling the yin and spiritual energies descending from the graveyard.
"One here first."
This was where I'd been sitting.
I poured immense sincerity into this talisman.
The devotion meant for the shrine was sealed within, to compensate for my absence.
"And for the altars too..."
Outside, I placed a talisman on the graveyard elders' altar.
It was infused with my wish for them to rest in peace.
The talisman would pray for them in my stead.
"Elders! No offerings for a while! I'll be back soon, so hang in there!"
The graveyard elders, out for a drink, smiled and nodded.
They seemed pleased with the sentiment in the talisman.
"Worth the effort."
Next, talismans for our little pest ghosts.
This part had been tricky.
Even in death, they were committing crimes; I couldn't infuse them with wishes for peaceful rest.
"Jeez..."
So I put a different sentiment into theirs.
"You lot, reform quickly."
A wish for them to repent and reflect on their sins.
A bit of annoyance and resentment mixed in, but better than nothing.
"Especially you, Headless!"
- ...?
"You're under special supervision."
Among them, Headless had the strongest accumulated karma and vicious grudge.
Just look at his fresh-death state; he was the worst.
How much sin does it take to walk around carrying your own head after death?
"If you want to ascend with your head attached, shape up. Tsk tsk..."
Headless shook his head indignantly, but no dice.
"Quiet. Cause trouble and get caught, and I'll lop your head off again."
The pest ghosts worried me most.
I wanted to stick around and resolve their grudges, but circumstances...
Back in the shrine, I reached for an incense stick.
Rubbing the wick between my fingers extinguished it quietly.
"One here too."
I placed a neatly folded talisman under the incense holder.
The sincerity within would light the shrine in my place.
"Now... time to prepare for the trip..."
It felt daunting.
I nearly sighed.
For a journey, I needed clothes, food, and all sorts of sundries.
Simple to buy, but...
"Damn... no money."
Every penny from offerings had gone into decorating the shrine and rituals.
"If only I hadn't done rituals for the pest ghosts..."
And no business today either...
"Weird... Usually, when heading out on a mission, things just fall into place..."
Like when Master set off.
Miraculously, exactly what's needed appears.
Like a sudden rich patron giving a huge offering fee.
I hadn't accumulated as much virtue as Master, but couldn't I hope a little?
"Nah... still a ways off."
Then a voice came from outside.
- Chris, come out and receive the lord's reward!
It was Randolph's voice.
No wonder I couldn't find him no matter where I looked...
"So this was it."