Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Spirit Affinity: Akerunar (4)
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On a remote mountain path stained with flowing red blood, Akerunar lifted her head, her robe draped over her.
A sudden battle with the mages she had encountered.
The fight against the humans who sought to enslave her had ended in an instant.
After the series of battles concluded, only three elves remained in that place.
- Chirp chirp chirp—!
Upon second thought, there was also a pure white sparrow spirit, its cheeks puffed out in full dissatisfaction, glaring at her.
Though it hadn't been much help in this battle.
Naturally, soothing the little guy's complaints wasn't a high priority for Akerunar right now.
“…….”
Akerunar's eyes peered out from beneath her robe, scanning her two kin in turn.
Perhaps because they had been enslaved by the human mages for a time, forced to manipulate the spirits they possessed.
The elves before her wore expressions of relief as they cradled their returned spirits close.
Swish-.
Soon after, one of the pair of elves glanced at Akerunar with an awkward look.
“Um, kin chosen by the mighty spirit…….”
“I'm listening.”
Akerunar met the gaze of the elf who had addressed her.
Was it because she had shown them her magic incinerating spirits just moments ago?
The elf's gaze toward Akerunar had shifted to that of someone facing an eccentric kin.
Even so, she did not skip the thanks directed her way.
“Thanks to you, we escaped the clutches of those wicked humans. Allow us to express our gratitude for freeing us.”
“Save it. I didn't do it to hear thanks.”
Having heard thanks from kin she hadn't seen in ages, Akerunar waved her hand dismissively.
Memories of what had happened in the Great Forest surfaced in her mind.
However, the elves' gazes felt utterly different from the cold stares she had faced there.
It was as if they were meeting someone they had known for a long time, far from home.
“It's unusual to delve into human knowledge, but you're kin with a fine character nonetheless.”
“…….”
“That's why you've received the great love of the Mother Tree and formed a contract with such a mighty spirit.”
Praise for Akerunar continued to flow from the elf's mouth as she gazed at her.
It was an expression of gratitude as profound as they could muster toward their benefactor.
Of course, from Akerunar's perspective, it wasn't entirely welcome praise.
The great love of the World Tree, indeed—.
She had no experience receiving such love, nor any memory of desiring it.
“If possible, we'd like to hear the name of our noble kin who saved us.”
After lavishing praise on Akerunar for some time, the elf soon asked for her name.
“……You want my name?”
“Please, share your name with us.”
Akerunar's eyes trembled faintly at the question.
Her name.
Recalling the name she hadn't claimed for herself since it dwelled within the magic puppet, she gazed at her kin with a bitter smile.
She knew full well what conclusion would follow once she revealed it.
“A name, huh…….”
It was familiar territory for Akerunar.
Chewing over the name she had tried to discard but always returned to, she imagined the familiar gazes from her kin that would follow.
“Well, since I didn't start this expecting thanks in the first place, it doesn't matter if I tell you.”
“……Have I asked something offensive to my benefactor?”
“The weight of the name is just another burden I have to bear. If you want to hear it, I'll tell you.”
Hoo-.
A sigh laden with emotion escaped her.
At last, Akerunar revealed her name to her kin.
“—Akerunar. That's my name.”
The moment Akerunar spoke her name.
The eyes of the two elves who heard it widened dramatically.
“A-Akerunar……!”
“The outcast from the Great Forest who attacked the Mother Tree?!”
Outcast, Akerunar.
The name of the elf who had long ago committed a taboo in the Great Forest and been exiled.
Her kin stared at her with gazes filled with shock.
They clearly hadn't expected their rescuer to be the infamous great sinner of the Great Forest.
Shocked voices echoed along the remote path.
“I heard Akerunar was exiled for the crime of trying to burn the Mother Tree…….”
“To think the one who saved us was the infamous outcast Akerunar…….”
The elves who had heard her name chattered on with incredulous expressions.
Chirp chirp-.
The sparrow spirit, fluttering its wings, alighted on Akerunar's finger.
Watching her kin from beneath her hood, Akerunar began to walk past them with slow steps.
“Consider yourselves lucky. I've never once pitied the likes of you.”
“…….”
“If you're grateful, you might direct it toward Lapharia, who got chased out because of me.”
Step, step-.
Akerunar's footsteps resounded through the dense forest.
The gazes of her kin, filled with complex emotions, followed in her wake.
Akerunar had anticipated this reaction from the start.
A cast-out from the Great Forest wouldn't suit cumbersome titles like benefactor or hero.
In the end, such gazes were probably more fitting for her.
A monster to some.
A hated enemy to others.
It was all too familiar to Akerunar.
“…….”
Akerunar, shouldering her bag, let her eyes linger on the forest scenery.
If she was a monster feared by all, then she ought to just do what suited a monster.
Swish-.
As Akerunar continued her indifferent steps.
Huuuuu-.
Suddenly, from behind her came the sound of someone sharply inhaling.
“Akerunar! I will never forget the aid you've given us today—!”
“……What?”
Following that came the voice of an elf calling her name.
The nameless kin conveyed sincere gratitude toward her.
Akerunar halted her steps for a moment at the unexpected voice.
Then, the voices of her kin continued from behind.
“I know nothing of why you attacked the Mother Tree!”
“…….”
“But even if you are an outcast who broke the taboo, the noble forest folk never forget a debt of gratitude!”
What reached Akerunar's ears was no condemnation.
Nor was it a warning from one who hated her, much less hypocritical words laced with deceit.
A heartfelt, warm expression of thanks—.
From kin she had met by chance on the road, it was an emotion Akerunar faced for the first time in her life.
“Of course, not all kin will think as I do. Some might even take the help and act shamelessly.”
“…….”
“But I, RaiNor, swear upon the name of the Mother Tree! I will surely repay this debt one day! Judging your past sins can come later—!”
A hollow laugh crept onto Akerunar's lips as she listened to the resounding voice.
Tsk-.
Hearing an impossible promise and an unbelievable oath, Akerunar clicked her tongue briefly.
It was somewhat novel that one of her stubborn kin would react this way.
The elf beside this woman called RaiNor didn't seem to agree with her at all.
So, she held no expectations that such an oath would be kept.
After all, there would be no need for aid from a spirit user who couldn't even defeat mere human mages.
“…….”
Still, it didn't feel bad.
She could just think of it as an amusing incident for the day and move on—a trivial matter.
Step, step-.
Light as the wind, her footsteps traversed the earth.
The crisp forest air brushed against her cheek.
- Chirp chirp chirp—?
“Yeah, Whitey. Better to just keep doing what we were.”
- Chirp?
The eyes of the Eternal Mage, Akerunar, took in the forest.
A path both familiar and strange lay ahead.
Her boots left clear footprints along the mountain trail.
It was time once more to seek her long-abandoned workshop.
* * * * * *
—Celestia, the Phantasmic Library.
In the opulent and grand magical library, Begerton Antares was enjoying his hobby as usual.
Begerton, known as the Doctor in the Celestia Secret Society, had a hobby of abusing the library's vast surveillance network.
He would eavesdrop on conversations among the upper echelons of various factions using the surveillance and communication magic devices installed across the continent.
- “Edward, my boy, how's the research on that item I entrusted to you coming along?”
- “W-Well, you see……!”
Even now, two people Begerton had never met were conversing before the Doctor's eyes.
Though he had never seen their faces, the Doctor knew their names, affiliations, and even the corruption they had committed.
Swish-.
The Doctor's eyes fixed on the white-haired old man with a beard.
Cardos Gordius, principal of the Imperial Academy—hailed as the empire's premier comprehensive educational institution.
Every day, he had been relaying his daily life in the principal's office via 'Polaris No.1' to the Doctor.
Of course, Cardos's own will had played no part in it.
“Tsk tsk. Looks like that old geezer's trying to torment a diligent researcher again today.”
Kekekeke-.
A bizarre laugh erupted from the Doctor as he watched Cardos.
For weeks now, the Doctor had been steadily observing Cardos.
Thanks to that, he knew just how petty and corrupt the mage was.
“Skimming artifacts to research in secret? How utterly cliché. And if he actually meant to conduct proper research, he should've at least given a deadline and budget.”
The fact that the Imperial Academy had been built atop ancient ruins was known only to Cardos and the academy's core personnel.
The Doctor, who had eavesdropped on their conversations, included.
The academy's very purpose was an academic institution created by the imperial family to study those ancient ruins.
Lately, Cardos had been obsessed with researching a 'special artifact' unearthed from the ruins.
Without informing the imperial family or the academy of the discovery, Cardos had been studying unregistered artifacts on his own.
He couldn't have imagined it, but Cardos and his group were reporting these secrets to the Doctor daily.
- “Surely you're not telling me there's been no progress again this time?”
- “P-Principal Cardos……!”
- “I entrusted that artifact to you because I trusted you. Yet... no proper results even now? How can I keep believing in you like this?”
And that report was unfolding before his eyes right now.
As he watched Cardos and his subordinate converse, the Doctor's hand naturally reached for the drink on his desk.
Swish-.
Picking up the metal can, the Doctor gulped down its contents.
Gulp, gulp-.
The pine needle-scented beverage slid coolly down his throat.
After downing a hearty amount, the Doctor set the can back on the desk and spoke.
“Ugh—. No matter how many times I drink it, it's always delicious.”
The pine needle drink on the Doctor's desk was one of his favorites from Celestia.
But that wasn't important right now.
A grin curved the Doctor's lips as he watched the translucent screen.
- “Bring the artifact back to the academy by tomorrow.”
- “B-But……!”
- “I have no intention of leaving the research to you any longer. Oh, and return the reference documents I provided as well.”
The artifact and ancient texts that Cardos had entrusted to his subordinate for interpretation.
He had ordered them returned to the academy.
Having overheard their conversation, the Doctor gripped the aluminum can.
Crunch-.
The cold can crumpled like paper in his grasp.
His eyes gleamed with keen interest as he stared at them.
“Kekekekeke—! He's even gathering everything in one place for convenience, nice and tidy!”
The materials Cardos had ordered recovered.
The Doctor already knew what they concerned.
Documents on an elixir completed through ancient alchemy—.
At this point in time, exactly what the Doctor and the Secret Society needed.
“I'll need to prepare for a business trip soon. Time to head to the academy and retrieve those clues on the elixir.”
The Doctor, Begerton Antares.
He didn't think it was a bad idea for a superior Doctor like himself to visit the academy.
After all, wasn't it only natural for someone of his caliber to grace an academic institution?
Of course, being wanted across the empire made gentle methods a bit tricky.