Chapter 145 - 2‐27
Ever since arriving here, Nel-sama, the Dark Spirit King, had interacted with me so casually that I might have misunderstood his nature.
His appearance resembled a human, and his speech carried a friendly, slightly childish atmosphere, which made me forget the most important thing. Spirits—no, a Spirit King—were beings from another dimension capable of changing the world or even resurrecting the dead. Their existence was that of a god, sometimes merciful and sometimes ruthless.
While I sat alone in my room, lost in these idle thoughts, the click of the door opening made me look up. The surroundings were already shrouded in the deep darkness of night. I only then realized that while I had been brooding on the bed, time had slipped away.
"Pardon me. This room is quite dark."
"You are... the Black horse spirit."
The voice belonged to the Black horse spirit. With a hint of surprise in his tone, the magic stone lamps around the room flickered to life, casting a soft orange glow.
"The King told me to check on you since you hadn't emerged from your room."
"...I apologize. I was just lost in thought."
"It makes no difference to me. I have no particular interest in your affairs."
The Black horse spirit walked up to me and stared intently.
"I see. The King has been unusually pensive lately. I wondered if something had happened between you."
"No... I've simply been overthinking things on my own."
"I wonder. After all, as far as Spirit Kings go, the King is still quite young."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. It has only been about two hundred years since his birth."
"T-two hundred? That is... well... young for a spirit, I suppose."
"Indeed. Even to me, he still feels quite childish. That is likely why he cannot suppress his interest in humans. To the King, you are the first favorite toy he has ever found."
"A toy... am I?"
"The King of Darkness is full of curiosity and loathes boredom. He was born as a King from his very first day. He is different from ordinary spirits. To him, a human life and an insect's life are equal. The end of a life holds no meaning; it is something entirely unrelated to him."
Those words sent a sharp pang through my chest. I had known this, yet hearing it stated so directly made the vast chasm between spirits and humans feel all the more real.
"However, the King seems to have taken quite a liking to you. It appears he has begun to want to understand you... no, perhaps humanity itself."
"Humanity? But I thought Nel-sama was already interested in humans."
"Human actions are full of contradictions and lack rationality. They are constantly failing, driven by their emotions. Watching how they act in the face of adversity was likely just a source of amusement for him. But now, he has begun to look beyond that."
"Beyond that? What could that mean? Was there a catalyst?"
"You should ask the King himself. I am merely here because I was told to be."
I recalled the last time I saw Nel-sama. His pouting, child-like demeanor made me wonder how I should face him next time.
"It seems the King was disappointed that his attempt to change your mood backfired. Yet, he was exceptionally pleased by your spirit. He mentioned he had prepared a special present for you."
"A present?"
A sudden warmth radiated from my right hand. I raised it before my face to find a ring on my middle finger that I didn't remember putting on. A purple magic stone was set into the mount, and a beam of light stretched from the stone toward the door.
"Is this a magic stone? This light... what does it mean?"
Even when I moved my hand, the light from the ring shifted its direction to keep pointing toward the door.
"Take this stone and follow where the light leads. You will surely find the gift at the end of its path."
With those words, the Black horse spirit nudged my back with his head. The momentum forced my stumbling feet forward, out of the room and into the hallway. The mansion at night was wrapped in a silence where not a single sound could be heard. Still, the lamps lit throughout the corridors and the occasional presence of spirits provided a sense of comfort. However, as I followed the light, a sense of unease began to grow.
What is this? This is the same route Nel-sama took me on today. Does that mean if I follow this light...
I descended the long, long staircase as the light directed. The place that appeared before me was unmistakably the same location Nel-sama had brought me to earlier that day.
"This was supposed to be a place only Nel-sama could enter. But the light is pointing right here. Is it really alright?"
I tentatively reached out, and the door opened with surprising ease. Stepping inside, I found the same beautiful scene as before, stretching out like a star-filled sky. Just as I had felt during the day, a natural sense of peace washed over my tense heart. It was a mysterious sensation, almost as if I were being welcomed.
The Black horse spirit said there was a present at the end of the light. I wondered what that gift could possibly be. Contrary to my confusion, the light from the ring began to blink rapidly the moment I entered the room.
"Should I go this way?"
I questioned the ring as it illuminated the path with its flickering glow. As I walked, a single light approached me. The light orbited me, its blue glow pulsing in resonance with the ring.
"Is this the same light I saw earlier?"
As if answering my question, the blue light began to swirl around me.
"A world outside the laws of nature... I wonder if your world will eventually vanish as well. That would be lonely, wouldn't it?"
Recalling Nel-sama's words, I reached out toward the blue light. It drew closer, as if to comfort me with a sense of It's okay. The light touched my cheek, conveying a soft warmth and a poignant sadness that made me want to cry for some reason.
Why? Nel-sama said these lights have no will, but to me, it feels as if it does. More than that, I feel a strange nostalgia, as if I've known it since long ago. A peace like being embraced by a mother.
"Who are you...?"
At that moment, the ring's light shifted from purple to blue, merging with the light before me. A sudden gust of wind whipped up a massive vortex of radiance.
"W-what?"
I instinctively closed my eyes against the blinding glare and the intense wind. But then, amidst the roaring gale, I heard a faint voice calling my name.
"...Ra...chel... Rachel."
A voice calling my name... I know this voice.
It couldn't be. He was still deep in sleep, his eyelids firmly shut. Yet, there was no way I could mistake his voice. Clenching my trembling hands, I slowly opened my eyes. Standing there was that dignified, dependable man, his brows lowered in a look of desperate longing as he called my name.