39. Ghost Story (2)
The Cradle of the Celestial Spirit Tree, the White Castle.
The Elf King Kkotseorin stood in their chamber, which they rarely used and which therefore carried little trace of human presence, gazing into a mirror.
The veil and dress made of thin black fabric hid their body so thoroughly that not a single patch of bare skin showed through, but compared to what they used to wear, this one carried a strangely different atmosphere.
‘Though there may be nothing much I can do for you… this much, at least, should be possible.’
At the roots of the Celestial Spirit Tree, in the divine beast domain, Crimson Spring March had apologized to them and given them a special gift.
The first gift: weakening the curse.
‘Even without the divine relic for now… I shall use myself as a medium and pass part of your power to Baek Yuseol.’
In truth, Kkotseorin didn’t even properly understand their own abilities, beyond the fact that they could forcibly enchant others.
But according to Crimson Spring March, they had truly possessed countless abilities.
Kkotseorin passed only a very small portion of those abilities on to Baek Yuseol, and though the process required three full days and nights, the method itself was very simple and ordinary.
All they had to do was sit in place, hold hands, and let their energies resonate with one another.
But that…
was an incredibly special experience for Kkotseorin.
To clasp someone’s bare hand in their own
and feel another person’s warmth.
Three days might have seemed tedious at first glance, but when Kkotseorin held hands with Baek Yuseol…
they felt something sharp and thrilling.
It was the first time they had ever felt anything like it, so they couldn’t quite explain it, but perhaps this was what people called happiness.
A weakening of the curse? Yes, it was something they had always wanted, and it was a wonderful gift.
But…
to Kkotseorin, this had struck the heart even more deeply as the greater gift.
And the second gift.
The Curse-Warding Dress.
‘I made it with your previous dresses as a reference. Until now, merely breathing in the same space as you would have exposed those around you to the effects of the curse, and even hearing your voice would have had to be treated with caution. But if you wear this dress, you need not worry about that.’
Its performance had been strengthened far beyond the handmade dresses Kkotseorin used to make for themself, and with it, they had at last become someone who could more or less show themself to the outside world.
Now that they had lost the aide they had trusted, Kkotseorin was in a position where they would have to personally carry out the duties of a king. They could no longer remain secluded in the forest, so it was truly something they needed.
They quietly gazed at their reflection in the mirror. Outwardly, there was little difference. They were still hidden away completely, unable to show even a fragment of themself to anyone.
Knock knock knock!
-May I come in?
At that voice from outside, Kkotseorin hurriedly nodded.
“Yes. Please come in.”
The door opened, and Baek Yuseol walked in, passing through the royal guards who stood watch over the Elf King’s chamber.
Click.
Once the door shut, he looked around the room with curious eyes.
Since this was supposed to be the king’s chamber, he had expected something incredible, but it was honestly rather ordinary, which left him a little disappointed.
“Hmm… It suits you.”
“Thank you.”
Speaking with a gentle smile, Kkotseorin glanced briefly toward the door, then removed the mask.
It was something they never would have done before, always calling it dangerous, but now they acted without hesitation, thinking that there was no harm at all in showing their face in front of Baek Yuseol.
But what could they do?
Even Kkotseorin.
Even the king of the elves.
Shouldn’t they at least be allowed to satisfy
some tiny, insignificant desire?
People would never understand.
The joy that rose in one’s heart from having someone look not at a masked face, but at one’s real face and one’s real eyes.
How happy it was to reveal one’s face freely
and show one’s smile to someone.
Kkotseorin smiled.
Perhaps because it had been so long since they had smiled, it still looked awkward, but even that made the entire atmosphere brighten as though it were melting into warmth.
“…It feels nice. Being able to remove the mask like this.”
“Once we gather all the divine relics too, you’ll probably be able to do it outside as well.”
“Yes…”
Kkotseorin hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Um… about those divine relics…”
“I’ll look for them myself if possible.”
If one were to ask who was busier between a student and a king, the answer was obviously the king.
Besides, compared to Kkotseorin, Baek Yuseol was able to move about outside a little more freely.
“I wonder if I’m placing too much burden on you… Later, if I have the time, I’ll be sure to look for them together with you.”
“That’d be nice.”
After returning from Stella, Kkotseorin was in fact going to be so busy they wouldn’t have time to breathe.
Things had already been hectic, and now they had even fewer hands to help than before.
But then they had gone off for several days to seek out Crimson Spring March on top of that, so for a while, they would probably be drowned in work with not even enough time to sleep.
And having gone so long without properly handling official duties, their efficiency would surely have dropped a great deal as well. It made no sense for them to start wandering around in search of divine relics right away.
That was why Baek Yuseol planned to look for them on his own.
Fortunately, the divine relics Crimson Spring March had spoken of were not particularly difficult to find, and all the information on them had been stored in the magpie glasses.
Besides, this journey hadn’t been meaningless at all.
The Constellatio Project had rewarded him with a considerable amount of skill experience for clearing a sudden event, and on top of that, the level of Crimson Spring March’s blessing had increased.
[Crimson Spring March’s Blessing Lv.3]
- Senses +38%
- Mental Power +1 Star 27%
▼Detailed Abilities
Compared to the previous time, when the level had only been Stage 1, it had risen by a full two stages, so the increase in stats was enormous.
What stood out the most was Mental Power, arguably the most important stat, which had risen dramatically. That would likely help cover one of Baek Yuseol’s weaknesses to some extent—his disadvantage in drawn-out battles.
▼Detailed Abilities
- Psychometry: By consuming Mental Power, you can partially read the memories of a specific object.
- Telepathy: By consuming Mental Power, you can transmit your will to others, or receive theirs.
- Mentalist: By consuming Mental Power, you become able to grasp a target’s heart through information such as their actions and gestures.
- Mental Shield: By consuming Mental Power, you can resist mental-type attacks.
- Charming: Implants a sense of trust in the target once you make eye contact. Your words gain force, and you can open the hearts of others.
‘Even if the world turns its back on you, a crimson heart like spring shall never waver.’
On top of that, a new ability had been added as well.
It was Charming, an ability far more useful in a social sense than a combat one, and the power to draw goodwill from others was precisely the core of the ability Kkotseorin possessed.
Compared to Kkotseorin’s power, which could practically suck away someone’s soul simply by facing them, it fell far short, but even this was more than remarkable enough.
Besides, he was eventually going to inherit more of their abilities as they gathered the divine relics, so there was quite a lot to look forward to.
It wasn’t as though he had decided to treat Kkotseorin’s constitution just for the sake of gaining abilities in the first place…
but still, wasn’t it a nice bonus all the same?
— Read only on MugenCodex —
“Then… I should be going now. I have a lot of work piled up…”
“Yep. Good luck.”
Kkotseorin made an oddly regretful expression, but then hurriedly put the mask back on and bowed their head lightly.
This brief meeting was regrettable, but…
now it was time for each of them to return to their own place.
Once Kkotseorin went back to handle their duties, several members of the royal guard escorted Baek Yuseol out. After stepping out of the White Castle, he looked back several times with an almost wistful expression.
After all, time spent with someone you could call a beauty was always a little hard to leave behind.
‘Man… I should look my fill before they turn into a man later.’
To think someone that beautiful was destined to become a man in the future.
It was difficult not to find that deeply regrettable.
A rumor without legs travels a thousand ri.
It just picks up an awful lot of extra nonsense along the way.
Rumors were bound to spread with frightening speed, and in the process, they became so distorted that it grew difficult to trace back the original.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about the 7th Main Tower lately.”
The Scarlven club room.
Jeremy Scarlven idly tapped a yellow Soul Chess piece that resembled his own hair. He had never properly studied Soul Chess, but he was skilled enough to have defeated professional players before.
“Is Your Imperial Highness interested in it too?”
“Mm. I like hearing the things people my age talk about.”
The smile he gave as he said that was so pure and radiant it made one’s heart lurch.
But most of the club members already knew exactly why he was interested in a rumor like that.
‘It must be because of Flame.’
Flame, the free-spirited yet beautiful commoner girl.
The one who wielded light magic and had descended upon Stella Academy like a comet, throwing the entire place into turmoil while shaking the hearts of countless male students.
And one of the victims of that had, of all people, turned out to be none other than Crown Prince Jeremy.
Because of that, the underlings had a miserable time constantly gathering information on Flame and taking care of his moods.
“There are various versions of the ghost story. Which one would you like to hear? We can tell you all of them, if you wish.”
“All of them. Tell me.”
“Of course.”
The moment word spread that Flame had become interested in the ghost story, they had already prepared for a situation like this in advance.
Lately… Jeremy had not been in a good mood.
Shouldn’t they try to curry favor with him like this, at least?
Right before the interschool tournament began, Crown Prince Jeremy had summoned three students and ordered them to make sure Baek Yuseol got eliminated somehow.
He had hated Baek Yuseol intensely, and rather than venting that emotion directly, he had tried to release it through quiet manipulation behind the scenes.
But that had failed, so where else was the anger Jeremy had been unable to vent supposed to go?
There was no choice but for the underlings to bear it in his place.
That was why, among the academy students from the Scarlven Empire, Flame and Baek Yuseol had become considerable targets of resentment.
How dare commoners keep making Crown Prince Jeremy’s mood swing all over the place?
It wasn’t like they were the ones who had to suffer for it!
“Hmm. I see.”
The Crown Prince listened to the story of the 7th Main Tower ghost tale with great interest. Even if one began listening out of simple curiosity, once one heard everything, it was hard not to become intrigued.
“So according to the rumors, the 7th Main Tower actually exists somewhere on campus?”
“Yes. They say that if you find it, you can obtain a ‘legendary artifact’ left behind by the Founding Mage.”
Of course… no matter how one thought about it, it made very little sense.
If a legendary artifact like that were really lying dormant there, wouldn’t Stella’s capable professors have searched for it themselves long ago?
And even if it was somehow true, did it make any sense for students to be able to find it when the faculty couldn’t?
On top of that, the rumors about the artifact itself were all over the place.
Some said it was a potion that granted eternal youth, while others claimed there was a staff with enough destructive power to shatter mountains.
It was impossible to tell what, if anything, was true, but Jeremy was thoroughly satisfied.
Because now he had a story he could tell Flame.
