Chapter 116
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Man Who Drives People Crazy (3)
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"Belvandes..."
Fienne and Lona furrowed their delicate brows, lost in thought.
Setting aside my impression that even their frowning faces looked stunning on our princess and prince—
"Hold on. There's something we need to get straight first," I said to the two of them with a serious expression.
They immediately matched my gravity.
"I knew it... You've gone and done something huge we don't know about again, haven't you?" Fienne said.
"Ha... Yeah. Spill it. I'm braced for it now," Lona added.
"You two just mispronounced his name."
"?"
"?"
They had no idea how serious this was, and the tension eased from their faces. I alone kept my guard up, carefully continuing.
"Listen closely. This little guy's name is Belvandes... Chew! Ya."
Right?
As I shot him a look for confirmation, the baby spirit's eyebrows shot up into a sharp, angry V.
"No!!!"
"!!!"
"My name is Belvandes..." His tiny body trembled. "S..."
A faint whistle of air escaped his little mouth.
No way!? This time for real!?
Finally, Belvandes burst out with all his might, stretching his body and shouting vigorously.
"Chew-ya!!!"
"Be-Belvandes... Chew!!!"
Oh man, so close. That one was really almost there. Of course, this name was cool too. It felt like a name that demanded dynamic body movements.
"Hear that? His name's Belvandes... Chew! Ya," I insisted. "Be careful with the pronunciation. Even at this tiny size, he's got a wild personality. See? Those eyebrows standing sharp."
"!!!"
"Oof, look at that face. It's overflowing with presence. What a future he's got."
"..."
"..."
The two of them tilted their heads at Belvandes.
"Hmm..."
"Nah...? Yeah, probably not..."
Then they nodded as if convinced, approached the spirit, knelt to his eye level, and spoke warmly.
"Nice to meet you, Belvandes Chew. I'm Fienne."
"I'm Lona. Looking forward to hanging out?"
Elegant like a princess and dashing like a prince—first impressions that would make any kid's eyes sparkle.
"I hate you guys!!!"
"!!!"
"!!!"
"What!?"
But Belvandes pointed at them fiercely, eyebrows sharp. He used two fingers since there were two of them. Double-pointing. Like a rockstar on stage—rebellious and challenging, super cool—but I could feel massive holes opening in Lona and Fienne's hearts.
"Hey!" I immediately scolded Belvandes. "What kind of manners is that toward your big sisters?!"
"But!!! You're disturbing Chu-inni's sleep!!! You're the bad ones!!!"
"Oh? Hate based on a pretty valid reason? Can't blindly take your side then... What now, you bad guys?"
"Why are you phrasing it like that...?" Fienne asked.
"When talking to kids, you gotta get on their level."
"Ha, haha... Rishir, you'd be great at taking care of kids if you had any. You'd make a good dad," Lona said with a laugh.
Unlike the flustered Fienne, Lona kept her princely smile and addressed the angry baby spirit. "Sorry, Bel, for disturbing Chu-inni's sleep. Forgive us just this once? We're Chu-inni's friends, and we were so excited to see him after so long. Chu-inni would have more fun playing with us than sleeping, right?"
"!!!"
Bel looked at me imposingly, hands on hips, as if asking if the defendant's statement was true.
I gave a thumbs up. "Hyped."
His little head nodded sharply.
"Chu-inni hyped!? Got it! Then I'll see you guys!"
"Belvandes... Chew! There, using 'big sisters' instead of 'you guys' would be even more hyped!" I suggested.
"Got it! Big sisters! I'll see you!"
"Aw, hyped."
Clap clap clap clap clap.
The sheer emotion of the moment brought out seal claps from me. I looked at Fienne and Lona to share the feeling. Fienne was clapping with a somewhat weary look, while Lona was grinning wide and clapping excitedly.
"What's 'hyped' mean?" Lona leaned in and whispered in my ear.
"Means super excited."
"...Hyped?"
"That's the word."
Lona turned back to Bel, her princely smile returning. "Sticking together like this is super hyped, right?"
"!!!"
A new hyped comrade was born. Bel's little head nodded sharply.
"Like pretty sis!" he said, looking at Lona.
"I like Bel too~ Hyped hyped~" Lona cooed back.
"Hyped hyped!!!"
She completely won over that picky baby spirit. What charisma. A true prince of high society.
"Hy... hyped..." Fienne muttered next to them, struggling to keep up with the trend.
Seeing their contrasting reactions, I unconsciously blurted out, "When we have kids later, Lona would be better at playing with them."
"!?"
"!?"
Both stared at me wide-eyed. What an intense reaction. Did I say something wrong? I couldn't pinpoint what was off, but it didn't matter. In times like these, just bow your head and power through—that's the smart way to live.
I was about to swing my head down like I was smashing an invisible slate when—
"Oh? You really think so?" Lona asked back with a beaming smile. Her sky-blue eyes sparkled like they held a galaxy, and her healthy tanned skin flushed with extra vibrancy. Her smile was so bright I nearly turned away on reflex. What? She wasn't mad?
"Really? You think so?" Fienne echoed from the side. Same words, different tone.
Fienne was smiling too, but her red eyes staring straight at me felt somehow scary. This Fienne... maybe she actually likes kids, despite appearances? Did my words hurt her feelings?
As I pretended to bow, gauging Fienne's mood, Lona said with a smug look, "Well, in a way, your reaction makes sense, Rishir. Fienne doesn't seem the type to enjoy playing with kids, right?"
"...My, Lona. What do you mean by that?" Fienne smiled gracefully, but a vein faintly pulsed at her temple.
"Oh, not in a bad way at all! Look, Fienne, you're elegant and classy to anyone. It doesn't suit you to do all the little things that come with playing with kids. Nobles usually hire nannies anyway, right?" Lona spoke with her usual friendly, upbeat princely smile. But was it my imagination? That smile seemed a bit smug.
"Makes sense," Fienne nodded haughtily with a sniff.
"...?" The princely smile on Lona's face stiffened into wariness.
"Then, just as Lona says, when the kids come, we'll leave the childcare to her, and I'll spend time with the dad. Sound good?"
"..."
"..."
The prince and princess stared at each other with elegant smiles. Sparks flew between them as the air pressure in the room seemed to rise.
What's with this sudden suffocating tension?
Unable to follow, I just watched awkwardly until Fienne turned to me. "What do you think?"
"...Ah! I must be tired... My brain's not working~?"
"Tch. You dope," she muttered.
Lona, who'd watched our exchange, knelt to Bel again and said, "Bel~ can sis ask one thing~? If Bel got a mom, who would you want her to be~?"
"Mom!?"
Hmm! Bel pondered, arms crossed, looking extra imposing thanks to those sharp diagonal eyebrows. Soon, his fierce eyes turned to me.
"Chuinni!"
"..."
"..."
Fienne and Lona were speechless at the genius, frame-breaking answer. Me too.
"Mom...? That's a tough expectation to live up to... Should I ask Lona how to change my gender...?"
"Why ask me..." Lona muttered, flustered, before regaining her composure. "Oh? Bel wants Chuinni as his mom? Then who's his dad?" she asked with an even more princely air than before.
"Chuinni!"
All that effort wasted—another divine answer that mocked worldly logic left them in despair. I despaired too.
"Mom and dad at once... the expectations are rising... So I need gender-swapping and cloning spells...?"
"Quit the creepy talk," Fienne snapped.
Anyway, thanks to Bel's antics, the subtle tension dissolved naturally. Riding the momentum, I introduced the other two residents to Fienne and Lona.
"These must be the comrades of Chuinni you've only heard about!!! I, Dangaleon, the radiant light reflecting my peerless beauty! It's the pinnacle of honor to meet you both!!! Even my white flame pales before your beauty!!!"
"White flame? Isn't it gray?" I pointed out.
"Chuinni!!! The room's too bright, that's all!!! My white flame reveals its true worth in utter darkness!!!" the grayish-white fireball spirit insisted.
Next, the petite murder ghost. "Klana."
Klana sighed as if the whole situation was a hassle.
"..."
"..."
While I introduced our spirit friends, Lona and Fienne just stared at us blankly. Then they looked at each other. Finally, Fienne spoke.
"Rishir, just to check—"
"Yeah?"
"Where did those three come from?"
"Where from?" After a brief thought, I pointed at myself.
"Do you have some magical item that provides a space for spirits to live in?" she asked.
"Nah."
"...Then?"
"...?" Not getting the point, I pointed at myself again.
Fienne and Lona's brows furrowed. "It's hard to grasp, so could you explain with words, not gestures?"
"It's not that big a deal. They're just living in my inner world."
"..."
"..."
Fienne and Lona's mouths slowly dropped open.
"What? What's with the dramatic reaction? Is handling three spirits at once rare? Do I have a talent for spirit arts?" I bragged, only to be met with blatant stares. Everyone except Bel stared at me, all sharing the same thought with eerily similar expressions.
Soon, Fienne spoke for the group, rubbing her forehead like she had a headache. "No spiritist in the world handles spirits like that..."
"What? Did I mess up big time?"
"Duh... Letting spirits live in your inner world? I bet even the world's top spiritist under the World Tree wouldn't dare. Unless you're suicidal and want your mind to be eroded—"
Cold sweat ran down my spine. "Th-then what? Should I kick them out now?"
"...Those spirits. How many hours have they been in there?"
"Hours?"
"Or days?"
"Days?"
"...Never mind, just leave it."
"???"
Not just Fienne and Lona—even Klana and Dangaleon looked at me with dismay. I felt a sudden sense of isolation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
With the introductions over, only the three of us remained in the room. I picked up the topic again before Fienne decided I needed to go back to sleep.
"So, Fienne. Didn't you say you had a request for me?"
"..." Fienne looked at me with a strange gaze. Or maybe not at me—at the residents inside me. "Those three... They're watching the outside from in there right now?"
"Seems possible."
Haa. Fienne sighed. "You... aren't you uncomfortable?"
"Actually, they're helpful lots of times. They teach me swordplay and magic. Oh, remember that mess in the back-alley? The whole 'this isn't my black fire' fiasco? Dangaleon helped with that."
"I'm sure he did..." Fienne gave a dry laugh. "We'll continue that story later. When those 'spirits' aren't around."
"No need to worry about them."
"Oh, then fine!" Fienne squeaked sharply and headed for the door. "I'm going, so rest!"
She seemed like she was leaving for real—but then she whipped around and came back.
"What, forget something?"
Passing me, she went to the window and drew the curtain she'd opened earlier. She straightened my messy bedcovers and then finally left without another word.
I called to her retreating back, "Got it, Fienne! I'll dream of you!"
"Forget it!" she yelled back.
Now only Lona was left. She smiled brightly at me. "Got rejected~"
"My world loses its light, drowned in darkness."
"Heh heh, well then. If you're that lonely—" In the gloom, her sky-blue eyes met mine directly. "Wanna dream of me?"
"..."
Before I could answer, she spun and bolted for the door. "Anyway! I'm off too, rest up!" she said, practically fleeing.
Finally, the room quieted. Calm settled in, but so did boredom. I lay on the bed Fienne had tidied. Time to sleep.
I closed my eyes.
"Dinner tonight!" Fienne's voice came from beyond the door.
Ugh.
I chuckled. "You want me to dream of you on a schedule?"
"We're having dinner together, so keep your time free! If you're half-asleep again, you can deal with it yourself!"
Something more important than finishing my reinforcement ability had just come up.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Meanwhile, in the basement of the mansion where High Priestess Moria was confined, Drei arrived at Palrag's call, with a bespectacled woman in tow.
"Count Palrag, what's this? Even the meeting place is so secretive," Drei said, glancing at Moria, who was bound in Palrag's ice prison.
Palrag's attention wasn't on Moria. "Drei, take a look at this." His focus was on the crystal orb in his hand.
"That's...?" Drei approached and peered closely.
"...!" In that instant, Drei's pupils dilated. He stumbled back unconsciously, overwhelmed by the scene in the orb. "Wh-what is that...?"
Drei steadied himself and examined it again. The world inside the orb was a demonic realm. Blood formed ponds. Pillars of black fire reached the sky, and swirling sandstorms piled into mountains that devoured the sky and sun.
"Rishir," Palrag uttered suddenly. "This is his mental landscape."
"...!" Drei couldn't hide his shock. He knew the man was no ordinary figure, but to possess such a terrifying mental landscape...
The high priestess in the ice prison watched them with a meaningful smile. "A mental landscape is the target's true nature... an unchangeable essence..." she whispered, hoping to sow chaos between them and get revenge on the one who had ruined her grand plan.
"Huh? Count Palrag? The sandstorm suddenly stopped," the woman with Drei noted.
"?"
"?"
Their eyes fixed on the orb.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Hm?"
As I lay with my eyes closed trying to sleep, a strange weight settled on my chest. I opened my eyes. Bel had popped out from my inner world and was now curled up there, snoring softly.