Volume 3 Chapter 34 Remembering Azrael In Ghost II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
If Oswald had slashed her, her whole body would have been engulfed in flames.
There’s no way she could have survived after falling into the ravine in that state.
Oswald probably thought the same thing, which is why he didn’t follow her into the ravine, and Guy quickly abandoned the search for her body.
But considering how Kian’s wraith went missing that day, disappearing somewhere, it makes sense that she survived.
Just like Natra, she had fused with the wraith before dying, transforming into a different being.
Her body was stabilized by the wraith, and Sarah’s abundant life force repaired the damaged parts.
(The wraith that fled at that time didn’t answer my call. That means, after merging with someone else, they became independent from me.)
A familiar’s betrayal.
Sarah’s perfect form.
Armed with the power to oppose him.
(So… even if that wraith is wearing Sarah’s appearance, she’s not the Sarah I knew anymore? She knows about me as knowledge, but completely separate from me.)
”────”
While flowing upstream in the ravine, Kian thinks.
Right now, Kian and his companions are searching for the wraith’ hiding place.
The river was wide at first, but gradually narrowed, becoming flanked by sheer cliffs.
As the incline increased, the current grew stronger.
”────”
He leaps across the rocks.
Natra is behind Kian.
Priscilla follows behind her.
Priscilla controls a golem made of dragon bones, making it crawl on its hands and knees.
She herself is simply lying on her side on the golem’s back, moving like a cockroach.
(Am I disappointed? Do I wish Sarah would stay as she was…? Why did she abandon me? I’m… Ah, I’m training for this very purpose, to show them all!)
Now, desire had swelled to monstrous proportions, and the original aim of ‘showing off his abilities’ had dwindled to a trivial concern.
The primary goal at present was to amass wealth and territory, a status befitting a noble, enough to support the growing number of harem members.
Once Dacia was in hand, Franz would be a prosperous nation with the most formidable standing army, and all that would remain was to live a blissful life of endless fornication with the harem members while raking in gold.
However, there was still a part of him that wished for an opportunity to make his father, Umar, and Sarah say, “We were wrong. We regret exiling you.”
That opportunity had been taken from him.
In an irrevocable way.
Because Sarah, having become someone else entirely, could no longer be a target of Kian’s revenge.
(A terrible sense of loss…)
As Kian felt his soul begin to stagnate, the voice of ‘glasses’ suddenly spoke up.
’──Wait, Kian. Stop.’
”Lord Kian, stop!”
Overlapping the voice of ‘glasses’ was Priscilla’s loud cry.
Kian put force into his legs.
He leaped over a large boulder and came to an abrupt halt, skidding to a stop.
The gravel beneath his feet crunch-crunch made an earsplitting sound.
”────”
Before he knew it, Kian and the others had arrived at a riverbed beneath a cliff that had split along the valley river──a hidden nook like a secret lair between the cliffs.
The sunlight was blocked by the green leaves and protruding cliffs, failing to reach them.
The chirping of birds and the sounds of insects were inaudible; only the gushing of the rapid echoed zaza around them.
The valley river continued upwards towards the mountain.
There was no sign of the water volume diminishing.
”Sir Kian”
Natra caught up, slowing her pace.
Priscilla’s golem followed shortly after.
The white-haired witch, trying to keep her boots dry, had taken them off and hiked her skirt above her knees.
”Is everything alright, Ms. Priscilla?”
”This area ahead has been transformed into an otherworldly realm. Using two magical land conditions—the ‘mountain’ with its dense trees and the ‘river’ that separates this world from the next—someone has created a ghostly domain.”
She pointed upstream with the tip of her parasol after dismounting from the golem’s back.
”Once we cross that rock, we’ll be dragged into the realm of the barrier’s master. You need to be prepared to go.”
”If I go, will I not be able to come back?”
”Maybe you could return…──Look at this.”
Priscilla strode toward a hidden rock that jutted out from a craggy cliff.
As Kian peered over her shoulder, he saw unfamiliar patterns etched into its surface.
Natra pointed it out sharply.
”It’s an emblem used by shamans. It means ‘seal’.”
”Correct. By placing these throughout the forest, they are separating a certain area from this world. To deal with the barrier, we have 2 choices: either break the majority of emblems from the outside, or defeat the master of this realm within. But the latter is dangerous. This barrier is one that the ghosts use to prey on travelers. Once you step inside, you’ll be tormented by fear and hallucinations, slowly draining your life.”
”I don’t think we need to fret too much. Let’s just focus on breaking the emblem for now. After that, we can adapt as we go.”
”Wait a second. If we break the emblem, the one who made this will either attack us knowing they’re outnumbered, or they’ll flee with their tail between their legs. It would be better if they came at us, but if they escape, we’ll lose the trail we worked so hard to uncover.”
”Hmm… Certainly, if we don’t know the enemy’s abilities, it might not be wise to start a chase right away.”
”Do you think the wraith is the one who drew this emblem?”
When Kian asked, Priscilla immediately replied, “I’d say there’s about an 80 percent chance of that.”
She continued.
”This master of the realm is trying to lure you in. This emblem, the concealment spell, was intentionally left unmasked. They knew that if we found something like this, it would be broken, yet the one who created it kindly drew our attention to it. ──Why? Because they wanted us to notice. Lord Kian, Natra. This is just my speculation, but I believe that you──while for our convenience we’re assuming the master of this realm is the wraith──actually know its true identity, don’t you? Not only that, but you’ve encountered it privately on multiple occasions in the past. Am I wrong?”
”Answering that might pit you against me. You seem to have an inkling of my true nature, but feigning ignorance is for the best. After all, we are business partners, nothing more.”
Natra spoke with a swordsman’s air as she laid her hand on the hilt of her curved blade.
Kian placed his hand on her shoulder as they faced Priscilla.
”Ms. Priscilla, aren’t you really asking that because you already know everything?”
”You mean, am I toying with you?”
”No. It’s just a hunch, but you’re not doing this for temporary pleasure. Are you testing us for some purpose?”
Having lived by reading people’s expressions, he was fairly confident in his ability to gauge others’ feelings.
Kian had a growing suspicion that Priscilla’s demeanor, her kindness, her every action was not merely to discern his character but to see if he was a suitable partner for her ‘dealings.’
With no logical basis, he had faith in his intuition.
Priscilla looked up at Kian with her deep, dark eyes.
They were not the dull eyes of a merchant.
Nor were they the timid eyes of Christy.
They were like chunks of curiosity, sparkling with a dazzling light.
”Lord Kian, let me give you something nice.”
Priscilla said in a low voice, her tone slightly off.
Her left hand extended, holding a smooth, white hand with a black scent pouch that emitted an aroma of citrus.
”…If I take it, will you demand a price?”
”No, it’s free. With that scent pouch, you won’t suffer from spiritual contamination within the barrier. You’ll be able to meet and converse with the Lady of the Otherworld. Even if she captures you and won’t let go, you’ll be able to return here without killing her. I’ll bring you back. Absolutely.”
”Are you mad, telling my Lord to enter the Otherworld!? It could be a trap!”
”Whether you enter is up to Lord Kian. But this time, I assure your safety. You will return unharmed.”
Priscilla continued.
”Lord Kian, Natra. You are strong. Conquering this beast would be no trouble for you. But wouldn’t that fail to bring you the desired outcome? As a witch, one who grants wishes, I want to offer you choices. This time, it’s free. I’d be thrilled if you become repeat customers and wish to trade with me again.”
”────”
”The raging ghost is capable of being peacefully quelled by listening to their desires and granting wishes. The master of this barrier seeks Lord Kian. If anyone else steps in, they’ll surely vanish into thin air. ──Look over there.”
A slender white finger pointed toward the horizon──looking upstream, a battleground distorted by heat waves and swirling dust came into view.
It was not the arena of Izerland.
But it was an arena that Kian recognized.
(What is that?)
”The grand arena in Azrael’s town… But why that place?”
Natra’s brow furrowed, while Kian understood in an instant.
This was the starting point of his rise in adventure──
The very location where Kian had lost a one-on-one duel against his fiancée, Sarah.
It was the site where his career as a warrior monk had ended, leading to his banishment from the kingdom──a place that held the raw essence of his past.
”Sir Kian, I don’t fully understand, but this is dangerous. Even if our target is her, we shouldn’t let personal feelings interfere. Let’s summon Rufna and break all the emblems. If we trap her in the barrier when she emerges, we’ll surely defeat her.”
”Natra.”
Kian gazed through the distortion, seeing the image of a girl crying.
It resembled Natra, yet it was different.
That was a younger version of Sarah.
The scene of the arena shifted now to the harbor of Azrael.
Clad in a familiar white dress, Sarah was crumpled on the ground before a departing ship, sobbing inconsolably.
If memory served him right, that ship must have carried the despondent Kian Vahid.
(She abandoned me… or at least that’s how it seemed.)
The conviction that Sarah was frozen in place, her shoulders shaking with sobs, cracked and twisted.
Kian felt an immediate urge to confirm his suspicions.
”Ms. Priscilla,” he called out.
”What is it?”
”Allow me to speak with her. If a fight erupts, please restrain her before I am forced to strike her down.”
With a quiet voice, Kian drew a blade of iron from the scabbard at his hip, the Night Wraith shimmering faintly in the dim light.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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