Book 1 Chapter 713

713.

Whoooosh-

On the ground scarred by war, where the phone had landed, the remnants of conflict were clearly visible.

This place, once a fierce battlefield.

The victors cheered in joy, while the vanquished gnashed their teeth, planning for another day.

Gardslon had achieved a miraculous victory once again.

As it always was.

After a major war, a grand feast was always held.

Moreover, today's victory was the first Gardslon had experienced since Lysinas formed the Archy Party.

And it was a great victory.

The long-crushed spirit of defeat in Gardslon was replaced by a rare surge of vitality.

"Drink! Drink!"

"Wahahaha!"

"Elf lady! You were amazing!"

Heroes who had fought on the battlefield laughed heartily, pouring drinks into an elven woman's cup.

The elf, Luna, brought the full cup to her lips and gulped down the alcohol with gusto.

"Phew~ One more!"

Luna excitedly shouted, wildly shaking her empty cup in the air.

"Dwarf! You were incredible!"

"Can you possibly repair my weapon?"

Dwenno was also surrounded by people.

He, too, chuckled, readily accepting and drinking the alcohol offered to him.

These two were always the most boisterous drinkers when the feast began.

Kyle, observing them from a slight distance, glanced away.

"Lord Arion. Here's another drink for you."

"Ah, no, I'm fine."

"Try this too!"

"Ah, no. I'll get it myself…"

Those who had become Arion's followers clustered around him, offering drinks and food.

The Fool and the surviving heroes had brought an elven mage and a dwarven craftsman.

And the beast warrior was warmly welcomed by the people of Gardslon.

At this moment, everyone forgot it was the Age of Calamity and simply enjoyed the present.

Even so, hardly anyone approached Kyle.

Kyle and Lysinas were still considered ominous presences in Gardslon.

Sipping his drink, Kyle suddenly realized that he didn't see the other ominous presence besides himself.

Looking around, Kyle set down his cup and began searching places where Lysinas might have gone.

'Where did she go?'

Finally, Kyle climbed the ramparts of Gardslon and frowned.

The ramparts were quiet.

After winning one major battle, Tartaros lacked the capacity for invasion for some time.

Because of this, the number of sentries on the ramparts was relatively smaller than usual.

The sentries spotted Kyle and saluted.

Even if he was called an ominous presence, Kyle was, after all, a hero who had been active in Gardslon for a long time.

His achievements shone brighter than any other hero in Gardslon, so he deserved respect as a hero.

Kyle waved a hand lightly at the sentries and leaned against the wall.

Then, he suddenly froze, spotting a familiar figure outside the rampart.

Lysinas stood in the middle of the horrific battlefield.

Step- Step-

Lysinas didn't turn around even at the sound of footsteps behind her.

She simply closed her eyes quietly, her hands clasped together.

"What are you doing here?"

Lysinas opened her eyes at Kyle's slightly off-kilter question.

Her hands, clasped as if in prayer, slowly loosened.

"I was appeasing the spirits."

"Spirits, you say."

Not just anyone could become a spirit.

Only those who had amassed great power during their lifetime could leave their will in mana.

As such, those called spirits were fundamentally beings of great power.

To appease spirits meant to let them shed their lingering regrets and grievances from their living days.

It was an act to free them from mana.

"Do they really need to be appeased?"

At Kyle's question, Lysinas turned to look at him.

Her black hair swayed.

Her obsidian-like black eyes reflected Kyle's face.

This black dragon, called the Fool, seemed to mourn the dead just by her very existence.

Lost in such thoughts, Kyle spoke.

"Isn't it better for you to have as many spirits as possible? They were a great help in this battle too."

Lysinas offered a wry smile at Kyle's words.

"They certainly were a great help."

Lysinas turned her gaze back to the battlefield.

"But I don't think spirits should be allowed to stay in this world indefinitely."

"Why?"

"Because this world already has too many spirits."

A world that had suddenly spiraled towards destruction.

As such, there were far too many spirits.

"Most of them want to stand on the battlefield once more. They desperately want to breathe hope into this dying world."

Sometimes there were broken spirits.

But even if they were broken, if they ultimately left lingering regrets in this world as spirits…

The outcome was one.

Even the broken ones wanted to see hope in this world.

"My role is to show them hope."

"You care about the living and even the dead?"

Kyle crossed his arms, an incredulous expression on his face.

"Here comes the saint."

Lysinas merely smiled at Kyle's sarcasm.

She knew he was this kind of person anyway.

"If I hadn't seen or heard it, maybe. But I couldn't turn away from what was right before my eyes."

"…"

"But I also have my limits."

Because it was the Age of Calamity, there were too many spirits with lingering regrets.

And no matter how mighty her power, she couldn't summon all those countless spirits.

If possible.

She wanted to give more spirits a chance.

That's why Lysinas always summoned new spirits.

After a battle ended, the spirits who fought with her would be put to rest, their souls honored in this way.

It wasn't good for spirits to linger on earth for too long either.

But putting spirits to rest wasn't easy.

Because many wished to remain in this world for even longer.

Listening to Lysinas's explanation, Kyle took out a bottle of alcohol from his pocket.

He then pulled out the cork with his teeth and approached Lysinas.

Gurgle-

Kyle inverted the bottle, pouring its contents onto the ground.

This was for those who had died on this battlefield.

And for those who had died before standing on this battlefield and were summoned by Lysinas.

After pouring out all the alcohol, Kyle threw the bottle with a snap.

Clink-!

Glass shards flew.

"Go. Don't linger shabbily."

Lysinas looked at Kyle with an exasperated expression.

"You guys did enough. Leave the rest to this woman."

Kyle said indifferently.

"You saw it too. How trustworthy she is."

With those words.

Grains of mana of various colors began to rise from all over the battlefield.

Lysinas's eyes widened at the beautiful sight.

A moment later.

The spirits imbued in the mana vanished.

Lysinas's mouth was slightly agape as she looked at Kyle.

"Unexpected. To think you have a talent for spiritism."

"What did I even do?"

"It's incredible. To be able to move the hearts of spirits."

Lysinas said seriously.

"It means your words reached the spirits. That the spirits trusted you, even though you're not a spirit medium."

His rough but sincere words seemed to have resonated with the spirits.

"Even after I persuaded them several times, they showed no intention of leaving."

Lysinas smiled gently, looking at the now-vanished spirits.

Seeing Lysinas, Kyle said.

"The more someone knows you, the less they'll want to hear you tell them to leave."

"What?"

Lysinas was bewildered.

'The more someone knows me, the less they'll want to hear me tell them to leave?'

"What does that mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like."

Kyle chuckled and looked at Lysinas.

Lysinas, whose eyes met Kyle's for a moment, involuntarily turned her gaze away.

Why? It was hard to meet his gaze.

For some reason, her heart was pounding.

"You're that kind of person."

"Meaning trustworthy and reliable… a person one would want to fight alongside?"

She asked with subtle anticipation.

This man, who had initially stubbornly refused her requests, eventually took her hand.

And he was now navigating this difficult journey with her.

"What nonsense."

"Huh?"

"How could someone who knows your swindler nature trust you? Spirits would know your true nature better than anyone, wouldn't they? If someone like you tells them to leave, why would they want to? They'd first suspect you're trying to con them."

"…"

Lysinas grinned.

"Kyle."

"Why?"

"Die."

Lysinas didn't hesitate, flicking Kyle's temple.

***

Leo walked down the dark corridor, rubbing his temple.

For some reason, recalling the past made him imagine the spot he was hit aching.

'If I hadn't seen or heard it, maybe. But I couldn't turn away from what was right before my eyes.'

Lysinas was literally trying to bear the weight of everything in the world.

'Her mindset was completely different from mine.'

If an unspecified number of spirits were summoned by the soul-calling ritual he performed yesterday.

Leo had intended to listen to their stories.

Lysinas had said that appeasing spirits was also her duty.

'I won't be able to do it like Lysinas.'

If a being appeared, drawn by his soul-calling ritual.

He needed to take responsibility and put them to rest.

Just then.

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

A scream echoed from the end of the corridor.

As Leo wore a puzzled expression at the somewhat familiar scream.

Chelsea appeared, breaking through the dark corridor.

"Leo Oppa!"

Chelsea spotted Leo and ran, clinging to him.

"Ghost! A ghost!"

Chelsea, clinging to Leo's head and in a panic, babbled incoherently.

Leo put his hands under Chelsea's armpits and lifted her up.

"Where?"

"It's chasing me!"

Chelsea pointed behind her, horrified.

Leo then looked towards where Chelsea had come from.

Clank- Clank-

"Mage! I'll kill…!"

A bloody knight, sword raised, charged at full speed, then met Leo's eyes.

Leo narrowed his eyes.

'A spirit.'

Though it looked eerie, it was clearly a spirit.

Seeing it, Leo gestured.

"Hey, come here."

At his words, the knight, who had been stealthily watching, suddenly spun around and ran back into the darkness.

Leo's eye twitched at the sight.

"Why is it like that?"

"It, it looks like it's running away?"

Chelsea said with a bewildered expression.

At her words, Leo put Chelsea down.

And pursued the knight.

"Le, Leo Oppa! Where are you going!"

"It's running away because it's hiding something, isn't it? Then I have to catch it."

"But, but it might be a ghost?"

Chelsea had fired a few spells at the armored knight chasing her.

But Chelsea's magic didn't touch the armored knight, which she had been able to hit initially, passing right through it.

With her attacks ineffective, Chelsea had no choice but to keep running.

"So what if it's a ghost?"

"It's a dead opponent!"

"Hasn't anyone else died?"

"Uh… well. You're right?"

Chelsea looked dumbfounded.

"Aren't you coming here?!"

"Le, Leo Oppa! Let's go together!"

The armored knight, who had been chasing the students, suddenly found itself being chased by Leo.