Chapter 114
Spirits have no brains.
Yaho! I'm soaring!
The wind spirit Sylph felt great breathing the earth's air after so long. Though embedded in an arrow, it was the perfect conduit for sensing the ground winds—no complaints there. Sylph's real gripe was that those who could summon him rarely bothered. Sure, he knew summoners burned life force to command him, so he got it. But with this rare taste of the surface world, Sylph planned to savor it leisurely before heading back. He'd even deliberately grazed targets just to prolong the fun.
But...
Huh? Dodged that too?
Watching the human deftly evade every twist and turn, Sylph started heating up. Worse, the elf queen who'd summoned him kept hounding relentlessly. Dropping the playfulness, Sylph went all-out to nail the human—but it wasn't easy. The guy's movements were freakishly inhuman. And that eerily familiar scent wafting from him? It plunged Sylph into deepening confusion.
What're you doing? Can't take down one puny human!
Then Sylph's comrade hit the surface. The fed-up elf queen had summoned another wind spirit—one higher-ranked than Sylph: Jin.
No, this human... that smell's so familiar...
Bullshit. Obey the summoner.
Sylph stammered excuses, but Jin just scolded. They pincer-attacked from both flanks. Unavoidable—or so they thought. He dropped low, slipping past effortlessly. Jin, unlike Sylph, had predicted it and should've skewered him clean through.
Wait—this scent?
Told ya it ain't bullshit!
Yelling indignantly at the startled, twisting Jin. The target the elf queen ordered killed reeked of the World Tree.
World Tree...?
Hovering in midair, Jin muttered at the human springing back up. Sylph froze too. Elf queen's orders be damned—with that thick World Tree aroma pouring off him, the spirits couldn't bring themselves to strike.
Truth was, spirits and the World Tree weren't in some superior-subordinate dynamic. As the hero had said, it merely recorded the world's events—no real authority. Spirits delivered those events to it while thirsting for its amassed knowledge. Like bees to flowers.
Thus, the World Tree scent on the hero stirred massive affinity in the wind spirits—an intoxicating high.
The two hovering arrows drifted slowly toward the hero, soon swirling around his lower body, greedily huffing the aroma. No clue why, but it poured strongest from down there.
Oh! Jin—found something under him like the World Tree!
Looks like a mushroom.
Mushrooms are plants—new World Tree maybe?
Jin and Sylph chatted while eyeing the sword snarling at them.
"Get lost, you pests! Scram already?!"
Huh? What's that?
Ah, sword spirit... weirdly World Tree scent from there too?
'Wh-what? Why're the spirits...?'
Isabela stared in bewilderment at the arrows orbiting the hero. Invisible to others, her summoner's eyes clearly saw the spirits—half-lidded, drifting lazily around him.
'Listen to me, damn it!'
Isabela desperately tried wrangling them to attack, but for some reason, they ignored her commands. Hell, they'd stonewalled communication ages ago. With her life force draining by the second, it was beyond frustrating—utterly absurd.
"Th-the spirits...?"
"Lady Isabela's attack... failed."
High spirit-affinity elves murmured in unrest; even lesser ones stirred at the bizarre scene.
'Enough. Dismiss.'
Judging spirit attacks futile—World Tree scent or no—Isabela forcibly unsummoned them. The arrows plummeted harmlessly. Risking weakened wind spirit bonds gnawed at her, but the mood had soured. Whispers of "World Tree's blessing" leaked from elves' lips.
"Hero!"
As if heaven conspired against her, his allies appeared from behind: the magic tower's genius girl, the empire territory heir near the Great Forest, and the Gaiana Church saintess. No pushovers—crossing them meant elf losses, hero or not.
"Whew. Let's call it here."
Recognizing the disadvantage, Isabela lowered her bow and declared to the hero. She'd started this to force concessions after overpowering him physically. But things veered wildly off-script; gaining anything more looked impossible. Worse, the Light Sword and his disciple who'd watched from afar now flexed their auras.
'And whose fault is this mess?'
Isabela knew pressuring the hero wasn't ideal. But with her brought-in Light Sword stonewalling, she'd gambled to claim the hero at least. Obvious he'd side with fellow humans despite different nations. She aimed to wrap quick, but spilled water doesn't return to the cup.
"Says who?"
Isabela gulped at the hero's sleazy grin. Bitter as hell.
"No point hiding anymore—show yourself."
I called toward the Light Sword's aura. I'd known Frank lurked watching since earlier. Sensing the dust settle, he unsheathed his presence, so I beckoned.
"Hahat! Hide? Just spectating from back there."
'Sly old bastard.'
I snorted at his cheeky deadpan, then eyed Isabela. She'd loosed arrows first, now breezing past with words? Absurd—but elf mindset made sense. Stunning looks got them perks everywhere; they took it as due. Pity it did zilch for me.
"Attack outta nowhere, then 'end it'? No dice."
"Misunderstanding on both sides—let's end amicably, hero."
Isabela brazened it out; no intention of indulging her.
"Misunderstanding's cleared up—you attacked knowing full well."
"...You did trespass the holy site."
I smirked at her bullshit. That damn holy site refrain—parrot-like. Maybe she had a point: no common ground, talk pointless.
"Fine. We're pulling out."
"...!"
Her lower lip twitched. Regrettable, but no grounds to stop us.
Maybe she'd banked on this—her full power could stall demon armies despite numbers disadvantage.
"Oh? Empire dipping? Guess we dip too."
True to sly form, Frank clocked my play and backed me. I sighed at his covert wink. Infuriating how he spooned in effortlessly at ripeness—but Isabela's frozen scowl? Priceless.