DMHS 116

“How does it look to you. Is there any way to return them to their original body?”

“Well… maybe there is, maybe there isn’t…”

“It’s fine even if you don’t immediately find a method. If you take your time and come up with something, I’ll make sure to repay you.”

“Well, you don’t need to repay me…”

Rowan weakly waved her hand and looked out the window. The sky was still covered with thick clouds, and thin fog spread the grounds.

“The sky will clear this afternoon… We’ll probably see a big raven rise into the air…”

With that sudden remark, Rowan stood up.

“Enjoy the rest of your meal… I’m tired, so I’ll stop here…”

Srrr.

Her dress dragged on the floor as she left.

Lucien watched her go and murmured to himself.

“Is she the woman from the story about the kingdom that fell?”

“There’s a story that the kingdom Rowan destroyed was the last kingdom of the ancient age.”

“I remember something Gavin taught me last time about ancient civilizations. Was it called the Kaltirion Kingdom.”

“That’s right.”

The Kaltirion Kingdom.

Fifteen hundred years ago, it had been Kian’s homeland.

When Kian first stepped into the world, the kingdom was already deep in its corruption into the Demon Realm.

People wandered from place to place, trying to find areas untouched by the black energy spreading from the Demon Realm. Kian and his master had been among them.

Time passed. Kian finished his revenge and met the first hero, Lancelot, and joined him. Kian became his first companion.

Their second companion was Betias, a half elf.

She came out after burning the Forest of Eternity. She had lost her mind visit our site and was killing demons wherever she found them.

Her brutality would’ve horrified anyone else. She tore demons apart without caring about her own wounds. Even so, Lancelot accepted her without hesitation.

And Rowan was the last companion Lancelot brought into the group.

Of course, like the other heroes, Rowan didn’t become the Spirit King under pleasant circumstances.

She had originally been a boy who loved birds and stones more than anything. She had never wanted anything as grand as a throne or the title of a Spirit King.

“You learned about Betias and Yan’s past. Now you’re interested in Celestia’s heroes?”

“More like curiosity about history and society.”

Lucien wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and continued speaking.

“Dragons live on their own. I’ve never gone to the Dragon Realm, but it’s hard to picture a dragon suffering because of something society created. Do you think a dragon could build a kingdom?”

“No. Unless it’s the Lord who made them. It’s hard to imagine a dragon ruling or being ruled.”

“Every one for himself fits them well. They survive on their own and they live on their own. They make their own choices about life and carry the consequences. I thought humans would be the same.”

A bitter smile appeared on Kian’s face.

“Humans are far too weak to survive alone. We need groups to stay alive.”

“Right. Humans chose to form societies to survive. For humans, maybe it was unavoidable, but if you look at it from outside, that strategy is effective. It’s the reason humans ended up ruling this world.”

“……”

“But because of that, humans have pretty much lost the freedom to choose their own lives.”

A gloomy light lingered in Lucien’s eyes.

“The kingdom is in crisis, yet it’s not the rulers who suffer the most. It’s the common people. What did they do wrong to be threatened, forced out of their homes, and pushed to choose survival above everything? How are they different from the people who lived under William the Third, the king praised as a saint?”

“……”

“Human society protects them, but it also limits their lives. Choosing survival over free will is probably instinct for any living creature. You can’t blame that, but there’s no telling whether human life will become any better because of it.”

Even with that bleak outlook, Kian didn’t have anything to add.

The human world wasn’t always miserable.

Just as spring follows winter, the people of the kingdom had enjoyed peaceful seasons.

The Celestia Kingdom founded by Edward had been one of the longest periods of prosperity.

From Edward to his great-grandson in the fourth generation, the royal family watched the people’s lives closely, and the kingdom flourished in politics, the economy, and culture.

There had been plenty of other positive signs too.

Even now, right before the corruption into the Demon Realm, the population was nearly double the previous kingdom’s, and its diplomacy with the Delia tribe was overwhelmingly strong.

Even so, Kian couldn’t say anything back, because the kingdom was sliding toward ruin.

Bandits were appearing everywhere. The nobles were split into two factions and were ready to go to war. If things continued like this, once the Demon Realm corruption began, more people would suffer.

“After that, the kingdom could be rebuilt again… but who knows. From a dragon’s point of view, she might feel there’s no reason to go through the same cycle of destruction over and over.”

“You could think that way. Even so, I still hope human society will get better. I don’t have a reason for it. Maybe believing that just makes me feel better.”

“Or maybe you believe it because you care about humans.”

“Maybe. Whatever the reason is, it doesn’t matter. I feel like protecting this place until I finish the atonement I couldn’t complete is the reason I’m alive.”

Lucien slowly ran his tongue across his lower lip and asked,

“Is there actually an end to that atonement?”

“There probably is. I think it’ll end when I finally feel at ease.”

Lucien sighed and stood up.

“Well, talking like this is nothing more than a little conversation. Things usually change once reality hits.”

“I agree. Even if ideals sound good, reality doesn’t always match them. That’s why I’ll go talk to Rowan again and ask about the souls inside the beads. What will you do in the meantime?”

“I’ll finish looking around the manor. I didn’t see everything yesterday.”

“Then I’ll go upstairs.”

Kian picked up the pouch holding the beads and walked up the stairs.

There was only one door connected to the room on the top floor. He shifted the pouch to his other hand to knock, and the door opened from the inside.

Kian stepped onto the thick carpet and walked in. The room was arranged like a sitting room. A boy was lying back against a long sofa.

Even if he counted generously, the boy looked no older than ten.

His appearance suited a garden or a child’s room far more than the manor’s formal sitting room.

But Kian didn’t look surprised. There was no reason to be. The Spirit King known for beauty beyond compare had the appearance of a child.

Kian placed the pouch on the table and spoke first.

“What did you want to talk about, just the two of us?”

Rowan had left Kian a message during the meal.

A great raven will rise this afternoon.

Afternoon meant after the meal, the great raven meant Kian, and rising meant to come to Rowan’s room at the top of the manor.

Rowan slowly raised his relaxed body and asked something unrelated instead of answering.

“Why did you bring that? With your personality, I don’t think you brought it without knowing. Don’t tell me you still don’t realize it.”

“What are you talking about?”

Rowan narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

He paused, deciding whether to say something, then shrugged and leaned back against the sofa.

“Right. It isn’t something I need to worry about.”

His words were annoying, but Kian didn’t took them seriously.

He was the Spirit King. Even if he used to be human, all he had left of humanity was the shell.

Spirits didn’t care about the same things humans did. If he responded to every comment, they would never get to the point.

Kian went straight to the point.

“So, can you return the souls inside the beads to human bodies?”

Rowan answered plainly, without dragging it out.

“I’m not confident, but it’s worth trying. There’s nothing I can do about souls that left their bodies too long ago, but a few still have life in them.”

Rowan came closer to the table and took several beads out of the pouch.

“These are the ones still holding on. If there’s a new vessel, I can move them.”

“Is there anything in this manor that can be used as a vessel?”

“Not here. You need to make one out of clay yourself.”

“Is there good clay around here?”

“If you dig along the path near the coast, you should find enough for one.”

“Thanks. I’ll try it.”

Kian went out of the manor. The sky was cloudy, but at least it wasn’t raining.

He retraced the path they had walked when they got off the ship and reached a barren patch of land.

Kian knelt, brushed aside the sand, brought his fingers together into a point, and started digging.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The sound was like using a shovel. His hand, strengthened with aura, was harder than most tools.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

After digging for a while, damp soil appeared. Kian overturned the ground nearby and gathered as much clean, rich earth as he could.

He straightened his back and checked the amount.

“It really is just enough for one person.”

Kian kneaded the soil together and shaped a rough figure. A round head, a body, long limbs, and hands.