Off to See the King
I went to see the king. He owed me one, after all.
The king was sitting in his office, reviewing official reports. He'd aged quite a bit, giving him a dignified, mature air.
Thwack! His head jerked forward. Just as I'd planned long ago, I smacked him on the back of the head.
The moment he was attacked, his nearby guards and the hidden escorts leaped out, weapons drawn. But the king just giggled like a madman and waved them off.
"It's fine."
He couldn't stop grinning, a smile laced with all sorts of meanings. Born a crown prince and now king—who had ever dared smack him on the back of the head? The unfamiliar sensation and emotion had him laughing uncontrollably.
"What made you so angry?"
I pulled a chalkboard from my sub-space and wrote my response.
The board appearing out of thin air made the guards tense up again, but I ignored them.
[Payback for using me last time.]
"I see. Understood."
The king nodded with a sly smile. What a shady bastard. His soul was still pitch black. He was a decent king to his people and good to his family, but that soul... Of course, he'd killed plenty of opposing nobles and such.
[You're sending Elizabeth to the Aegis Ducal House?]
"Yes, that's the plan if possible."
[I've already cleaned house there for you.]
"I see."
The king flashed another meaningful smile. I didn't like that look. It was the classic face of someone scheming.
[Make sure to give Elizabeth a generous dowry so she doesn't feel intimidated.]
"I was planning to grant her some nice territory from the conquered lands as her fief."
[Perfect.]
Of course, I'd have Ether slip her some extra cash on the side, but this should be enough.
"Guardian Spirit, may I ask a favor?"
[Shoot.]
"Our eldest princess has received some marriage proposals too."
The eldest princess—not Isabel, but the queen's daughter.
[Who from where?]
"For now, the crown prince of the southern Anjuur Kingdom and a prince from the far eastern Narisenn Kingdom."
In other words, he wanted me to check them out. Anjuur was one thing, but Narisenn was too far. And wasn't Anjuur in the middle of a war? What kind of lunatics proposed marriage during wartime?
The king saw it as a quid pro quo, but I was a soul. And she was his daughter, not mine.
[Anjuur's at war. Narisenn's too far.]
"As expected, huh?"
His eyes gleamed with impudence. 'You've got plenty of time—why not help out?' But I wasn't where he was glaring, so it missed. Invalid.
Still, Narisenn was a stretch, but Anjuur was doable. I might even spot a phoenix there.
[I'll swing by Anjuur for a look.]
"Take your time. It's not like Ether's wedding or these marriages happen overnight."
No. Don't underestimate the occasional forgetfulness of time. Of course, the king didn't know, so no helping it.
Right after, I met Ether again, talked about Elizabeth and various matters, then set off immediately.
Even though I'd grown faster, round-tripping to Anjuur would still take at least two months. And something else was bound to crop up along the way.
The route from Benus Kingdom to Anjuur Kingdom was rough by human standards. A massive lake and sea lay between them, leaving only a narrow pass and a mountain range at the border. Even merchant caravans rarely used the land route despite the proximity.
Me? I just flew over the sea.
Calculating the shortest path and flying nonstop, I reached Anjuur's royal castle. It had taken just 22 days since leaving Benus Castle. Even I was surprised at how quick it was.
The main target was the crown prince, but I thoroughly checked the surrounding figures too. She was the queen's child, sure, but still Ether's sister. The queen wasn't bad either—got along well with Isabel and treated Ether and Elizabeth kindly. Might as well send her somewhere good.
For a nation at war, Anjuur's royal castle felt remarkably peaceful. Too peaceful, even. The king and crown prince, who should've been buried in work nonstop in Benus, lived far too comfortably.
[Does the country even run like this?]
They weren't incompetent, though—at least not by soul standards. Not geniuses, but talented enough.
The mystery solved itself quickly. Anjuur had a prime minister position that Benus lacked, and he handled nearly everything. He was the current queen's older brother and a longtime friend of the king. No surprise—he had an exceptionally brilliant soul.
Stability was great, but could the crown prince run the country properly after the prime minister died?
While I was there, I checked the southern continent's war front with its three warring nations. They were fighting, but it felt half-hearted. Like a delicate balance between full-scale war and skirmishes.
It almost seemed like the three were colluding to drain each other's strength. They didn't deeply invade borders or clash in large forces, but battles never stopped. At a glance, it could pass for attrition warfare or a stalemate, but up close, it was nothing.
Intentional or coincidence piled on coincidence? Not enough info to say.
No sign of standouts like Duke Jona of Lionia, Duke Gregory of Silmarron, or Marquis Jerome of Odysseia.
Anyway, no gains from gawking at the pointless war. Contrary to expectations, I returned to Benus without incident.
I reported everything I'd seen to the Benus king exactly as it was. Judgment was his job.
Soon after, the eldest princess got another proposal—from a border count family in eastern Benus. No big effort needed this time. The family head and the man himself had come to the capital.
Both were solidly talented without rough edges. Similar to the Aegis Ducal House where Elizabeth was headed. Except Aegis's heir was a born knight type, while this border count's heir was a young man surprisingly into the arts.
With all marriages settled except for the still-young prince, I lingered in the capital, gathering info to pick my next goal. Having struck gold at Inkloniu's dungeon, I was hunting for similar spots.
I narrowed it down to a few candidates.
Time passed. Ether married first amid everyone's blessings and was officially instated as crown prince.
Late for his position, thanks to the black-hearted king milking it for all it was worth. But when I threatened to rip out every hair on his head and make him bald, he couldn't delay anymore.
A vicious, terrifying threat. Planning to reuse it often.
A few months later, the eldest princess and second princess Elizabeth married in succession and left the palace.
I bid Ether a temporary farewell, followed Elizabeth to the Aegis Ducal House, dealt with the evil spirits in her territory, disciplined corrupt or incompetent officials, ensured she'd live comfortably, then left her a long letter.
Nothing special: from my promise with Isabel, recounting events so far, wishing her future blessings. A formal letter, but it ended up quite lengthy.
Elizabeth read it, shed tears, and was overjoyed.
Oh, and a short note for her husband too: 'Make Elizabeth cry, and you're dead. -Guardian Spirit-'
He showed it to Duke Kantana, and watching them tremble was satisfying. Finally, I set off on another journey.
After much deliberation, my destination was the Great Forest. It had been a while—unsure if he was still there—but I wanted to meet the Ma-su Wang.
I arrived at the old spot where we'd lived together. No Ma-su Wang.
Surprisingly, the local beast lords—a Titan Snake and black Twin-Head Ogre—were gone too. Easy guess: Ma-su Wang won.
I searched the area, delving into the Great Forest's depths. Ancient traces, but signs of an enormous battle remained. Like Guardian's Wrath had been unleashed multiple times.
Definitely Ma-su Wang's doing. Probably against the forest's strongest monster that ruled here.
Beast fights without magic, yet traces rivaling Guardian's Wrath that incinerated 200,000 at once—several of them. Unimaginable monster bloodbath. Must've been spectacular.
Searched for ages, but no Ma-su Wang. Unless dead and dispersed, he'd likely found a polymorphing beast as intended, absorbed its power, and returned to the human world.
Wishing him happiness, I exited the Great Forest—and spotted something amazing.
Figures darting through the trees at incredible speed. But where was this? The heart of the Great Forest. Teeming with monsters no human could face. Even packs of Master-level warriors wouldn't last days.
No way humans were here. I chased the human-like things.
And their true nature? Not human, as expected.
[Elves]
Beautiful features, slightly long pointed ears—classic elves, anyone could tell. They traded with humans occasionally, but a fantasy race from history books.
Then one elf locked eyes with me. Didn't think she saw me at first. But as I observed the elves moving about, her gaze followed me.
[Can you see me?]
"#$# #$#[email protected]"
She replied, but I didn't know Elvish. Seemed like "yes" at least. She understood me, wasn't hostile—smiling, even.
Not all elves could see me, though. Only this one female reacted.
[I don't know Elvish, so I can't understand you.]
She just smiled and nodded.
She didn't invite me, but I followed the elves to their village.
The elf village was larger than expected, decent population. How they maintained it in the forest's center was baffling, but no way to find out.
I trailed the female elf who could see me until she finished work and entered her solitary home. Then I spoke.
[Could you teach me Elvish?]
Surprisingly, she nodded right away in agreement.
From that day, I followed her and learned Elvish.
It was a tough language. But no matter. I had time.