◈ Episode 482. The Call (2)

The Forest Spirit King.

Everyone but Dryad was surprised, and rightly so. The only ones who knew of Hiel’s existence were Dryad, who had watched over Hiel since the moment they made the contract.

However.

“……No way.”

Aerial, the Wind Spirit King, an expert on news, could guess.

There were eyewitness accounts that had been passed down through the winds.

Aerial remembered.

-“A new Spirit King? That can’t be right.”

That was certainly how he had answered the young spirits’ question.

He hadn’t even wondered what they meant.

He didn’t even wonder about the intent of the question.

“New Spirit King, were the rumors true……?”

Aerial’s meaningful tone made Oried jump.

You……!

You’re picking and choosing what you want to do, Aerial.

“Are you saying that now?”

“You…….”

“Look at the bonfire.”

The Spirit’s Bonfire.

A brilliant ball of light glows on a circular table. It was a flame that burned in a restricted place where only the Spirit Kings or those authorized by them could enter.

Oried’s gaze turns to each of the kings.

“Count them one by one, Aerial. Don’t forget to count yourself, too. Now, have you counted them all? Yes, there are no vacancies before the Spirit Bonfire.”

No vacancy, meaning that a new Spirit King could not be elected.

Still, the atmosphere was chaotic.

Oried didn’t like chaos.

A small murmur.

“The damned rumors never stop.”

It wasn’t just the rumors about the new Spirit King.

There were also rumors of the return of the long-lost spirits of the universe to the Arcana continent, but the most absurd rumor of all was that of the nonexistent Dark Spirit King.

‘The name didn’t even make sense.’

Diend Chrysiad Eternal Darkness?

A spirit with a name that would surpass even the true Spirit Kings themselves. Oried didn’t want such rumors to cloud her plans.

‘I can’t break free of the shackles of innocence as it is.’

Therefore.

dogag.

Oried focused on the approaching figure.

As I said, the Spirit King.

Or rather, a place that only those with permission from the Spirit Kings could access.

Oried’s harsh gaze turned to Dryad.

‘I don’t know what you want.’

There was no mistaking it.

If the owner of those footsteps can appear before the bonfire, it must be with Dryad’s permission. That point was not lost on Oried.

“I want you both to take responsibility for your actions.”

Dryad and Aerial.

Oried glared at the two Spirit Kings, then calmed down.

If a variable has been created, it is only a matter of calmly removing it.

dogag.

Oried listened to the footsteps approaching and rolled her eyes.

How could I get the other Spirit Kings to agree with me?

‘Zeus will eventually follow my lead.’

He’s got a clear weakness, the Lightning Child.

It was at this moment that Oried realized her plan.

Suddenly, she felt an intense heat.

“……Phoenix?”

Oried reflexively turned to look at Phoenix, the Fire Spirit King.

But it wasn’t Phoenix.

The heat was emanating from the bonfire on the round table.

It roared.

“!”

The Spirit Bonfire was burning with unprecedented intensity. Oried’s pupils, which hadn’t lost their stoic demeanor the entire time, began to flutter wildly.

“What is this……. No way, vitality……?”

The Spirit Bonfire didn’t just stop burning.

Every time a Spirit King sits down in front of the round table, one ember is added, and only when all the Spirit Kings are present does the fire begin to burn fully.

However.

The closer the mysterious figure approached, the more brilliantly and intensely the fire burned. Then, Oried’s trembling gaze turns toward the source of the sound.

dogag.

‘Who the hell are you……?’

Suddenly, the identity is revealed.

“……!!!”

Wings fluttered out.

Luminous clothing.

An effortless grace.

A single word popped into Oried’s head.

‘……The new Spirit King.’

But Oried shook her head.

“……No.”

It had to be.

She knew it instinctively.

Even as a Spirit King herself.

That this nameless spirit had a higher rank.

‘Higher than the Spirit King? It can’t be.’

Oried denied what had happened.

The other Spirit Kings remained silent.

A voice began to speak.

It was a name.

“Hiel Chrysiad Four Seasons Leaf.”

……Chrysiad?

“That’s……!

It was the same name as the Dark Spirit King, the one she’d dismissed as nothing more than a rumor.

But before she could utter her disbelief.

The story gets even more unbelievable.

“I will honor you for answering the call.”

A call.

Well, then.

We, the Spirit Kings, have gathered together…….

“……No way.”

Are you saying it was at the call of her, Hiel?

*

Nymph.

The insignificant, lowly forest spirit looked to her king, Dryad. It was Hiel, who had received Dryad’s blessing when she had made her pact with the Lord.

‘You are also…….’

But to Dryad, the past is the past.

Dryad had been the only one to bow in honor.

Hiel took note.

‘As my lord has always said.’

Noblesse obliges, with great power comes great responsibility.

Hiel hadn’t forgotten why she had been transformed from a mere Nymph into a {Unique Spirit}. Yes, it is true. It was all the will of the World Tree, the Mother of All Things.

Therefore, she hid nothing.

“First and foremost, I must ask for your forgiveness.”

“……?”

“It must have been a sudden summons.”

How was it possible to summon the Spirit Kings together?

It was the power of the First World Tree.

The Spirit Kings.

They would not be able to recognize it themselves, but they seemed to be possessed by something.

It was only natural that they would seek out this bonfire.

“And another thing: I hope you are not angry with me for gathering spirits who have nowhere to go without asking your permission.”

Hiel’s words come back sharply.

“Spirits with no place to go?”

Oried asked.

“Do you think that makes sense? The people of the Natural World serve only their kings. The forest spirits serve only Dryad. The fire spirits serve only Phoenix. And the earth spirits serve only me, Oried……!”

Oried’s voice raged.

But nothing came back.

A steady tone of reply.

“I have returned the spirits I captured on my way to the Bonfire to your territory, so if you have any questions, you can ask them yourself. But one thing.”

Hiel warned.

“Do not interrogate the poor abandoned spirits.”

“Interrogate? That’s my prerogative……!”

“My mother has not granted you that authority.”

A ravaged continent.

Hiel had sheltered the displaced spirits in the safe domain of Claudi Territory. But she did not want her Lord’s territory to be known by many.

My lord, who is watching from behind, would not want unnecessary disturbance.

“Mother…….”

At those words, Oried, and all the Spirit Kings, including her, recognized Hiel’s presence. So this is the spirit that was blessed by Mother.

If you acknowledge that fact.

“…….”

Everything that was unfolding now made sense.

In the {Natural World}, the influence of the World Tree is absolute.

If the beings blessed by the Mother wanted to gather, it wouldn’t be strange for them to find the bonfire for no other reason.

But it was unacceptable.

“Who is my mother?”

A majestic voice rang out.

The Fire Spirit King had been silent.

Phoenix parted his lips.

“My mother is already rotten and crumbled to dust. Oried is right. At this moment, the World Trees that have taken root on the Arcana Continent are not my mother.”

hwaleuleug.

Flames leaped up, threatening Hiel.

“I have never had a mother so frail!”

Aerial nodded.

“I’ve heard the news, blown in on the wind. The World Tree, rooted in northern Antonium, would not survive a single day without the Dragon’s care…….”

Zeus adds force to their words.

“Its imperfection is proof.”

“So, you all thought the same thing I did?”

“Oried.”

“Will you refrain from uttering my name, Dryad?”

Dryad looked at the situation.

In front of the bonfire, the faction had split in two. No, it was more like a split. Everyone but herself was in denial of Hiel’s very existence.

“I apologize.”

Dryad, who had been watching the proceedings, was not pleased with Hiel. It seemed like his weakness, as flaccid as a leaf, was providing unnecessary conflict to Hiel.

But.

“I see.”

Hiel is a being that closely resembles ‘someone’.

“I suppose you need proof.”

Yes, proof, is an understatement.

“Dryad, I thank you for your confidence.”

The overestimator was someone who would deliver.

I will prove it.

The Spirit Kings’ eyes widened at Hiel’s declaration.

Swoosh.

In tension.

The Spirit Bonfire burned like an unquenchable torch.

It burned more intensely.

*

Habits are very important.

“Huu.”

Antonium Nature.

After the Imperial Council.

Immediately after the Imperial Council, I took on the tedious class quests.

The training has gotten harder and harder, but I’m getting used to it.

“It’s so easy.”

Of course, it’s never really as still as my snout, but…….

my limbs don’t shake like a vibrating smartphone.

Just.

“Are we there.”

I immediately unfolded the parchment, for this body refused to rest if it had any energy left. It was the research material I’d been given when I reunited with Marcelo before entering Antonium.

『The Bible of the Demon World, Research Results of the Necronomicon』

Demon World Lich, Discus.

An [Epic] ranked item that he dropped.

No matter how smart Grandfell’s mind was, he couldn’t acquire the knowledge of the Demon World straight away, and it wasn’t something that I, Lee Hoyeol, could understand just by thinking about it.

I am the chief mage of the Magic Tower.

I’ve abused my authority…….

No, I duly requested the research from the Magic Tower.

“It exceeds expectations.”

Necromicon’s research is at the Magic Tower.

It was not carried out alone.

This is a list of co-researchers I could never have imagined.

“Marcelo, you don’t have to worry about the future anymore.”

A joint research paper from Magic Tower and AAU.

“Magic Tower is already well on its way to Anomaly.”

Why, even a blank slate is better. Two powers that could be considered the brains of Reality and the Arcana continent put their heads together and wrote it down.

Sreuk.

First, I looked at the table of contents.

──────

0. Lich Discus

1. To those who step into the Demon World.

2. Beware of the Kings.

3. incomprehensible power…….

──────

I skimmed through it by myself, but it was organized in such a way that I could still read it. Let’s see, looking at the footnotes, this discus is a dense skull……!

‘It was all code, so I couldn’t read it.’

Anyway, thanks, Magic Tower.

It feels like all my hard work at Magic Tower has finally paid off.

I scanned the table of contents and found one entry that caught my eye.

──────

About the Noble Paimon, ruler of the western part of the Demon World.

──────

Paimon.

He was certainly different from the other demons I had met. To say he was different simply because he was a high-ranking Demon King would be an understatement, but I had also encountered Gamigin and Buer.

‘One must know oneself, and one must know one’s enemy.’

Grandfell seemed to agree with me, and he didn’t spew out any unthinking insults to demons.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I was able to read the research materials calmly.

Flashes.

A flickering vision.

Not just once.

Over and over again.

I was dumbfounded.

[Hidden Quest: Proof of Fire]

[Hidden Quest: Proof of Earth]

[Hidden Quest: Proof of Ice]…….

I had a hunch.

Hiel, it’s you.

But, no matter how similar it is, it’s the same.

“Proof is always welcome.”

You don’t have to be like his love of proof……!