Ch. 286
“If I help you, you can become the Emperor.”
There were few temptations greater than this.
Ash wanted to become the Emperor not out of greed, but out of responsibility.
His countless younger siblings with no one to protect them, a dangerous world, powerful people who only looked out for themselves. And justice, trampled underfoot.
All I had to do was stir that up.
“Let the whole world know that it was I who made you the crown prince. There’s only one thing you have to do. Become the greatest wise ruler in history. I’ll stake my name on you.”
“Can I… really do it?”
Slowly approaching him, I sat on Ash’s lap, cupped his conflicted face in my hands, and showered him with kisses—from his forehead to the corners of his eyes.
This man lives too difficult a life.
I should make it a little easier for him.
“The moment you found the Goblet of the Golden Star, you’d already received my help. Don’t think about anything else now. Who else would be your Guardian if not me? And who else would become the Emperor, if not the you that I want?”
“I don’t know if it’s okay to do this.”
“Set your conscience aside for a moment, and smother your doubts. Because I have to make you the Emperor. And that’s the answer, isn’t it?”
I met his gaze, steadying my own, and whispered as if commanding him.
There was only one thing I wanted, and as long as I wanted it, it had to be done.
Ash had an obligation to do as I wished.
“Now, go and tell them. That Geenie Crowell is behind me.”
“I think I’m falling for you all over again. Geenie……”
“You have to be at least an Emperor to like me. Don’t you think?”
If he could become the Emperor with a little guilt, then that guilt ought to be a blessing.
Ash was just too upright; he could never be a fool.
Once he accepted that there was no point in refusing me, he looked more at ease.
“Again. I’m always indebted to you.”
“Let’s talk about repaying the favor after you become the Emperor.”
“That still feels too far away.”
When Ash smiled back, I finally felt relieved.
This was the same Ash who had stubbornly insisted he couldn’t make me his Guardian. Our Ash has changed!
“……But, Geenie.”
“I refuse your refusal. Guardian, bam!”
“That’s not what I was going to say. It’s been bothering me for a while……”
“What is?”
“What on earth is that blood?”
On the small table next to the bed was a cup filled with blood.
I had drawn a generous amount, so there was still plenty left.
“There was blood on the mirror, too.”
No matter how knowledgeable he was about artifacts, could he not know that a virgin’s blood was needed to use the Veiled Mirror?
Then again, it wasn’t exactly a method you’d want officially rumored about. It wasn’t written in any books, either.
“It’s not my blood, so don’t worry.”
“That’s why I’m worried.”
“I told you not to worry. It’s Chad’s blood.”
If it’s Chad, wouldn’t he be fine even if I drew not just a cup, but a whole cauldron of it?
Maybe a whole cauldron is a bit much. Still, it’s fine.
If he gets anemic, I can just feed him something good for his health.
At my nod, signaling there was no problem, Ash calmly got up, picked up the blanket I’d dropped on the floor, shook it out lightly, and placed it neatly folded on the bed.
“I’ll go check if he’s alive.”
“Now?”
“Yes, and I also have to tell them I’ll be away for a while.”
“Can’t you stay a little longer before you go?”
I even took off my necklace for the occasion, so it would be a shame if he just left.
Instead of outright saying I didn’t want to be alone, I patted the bed.
On a gloomy day like today, I needed someone I could fiddle with.
“Yes……?”
“Why are you so surprised? It’s been a while since we were alone. And you said you have to go to Elan Union again.”
“That’s true, but.”
“Let’s stay together a little longer.”
Very occasionally, there are days when you crave someone’s body heat.
For me, today was one of those days.
When plagued by a longing I couldn’t even explain, all I could do was reach for the person nearest to me.
Though Ash, for some reason, was completely stiff—barely even breathing.
“Come here.”
I reached out and tugged at his collar.
Making him get back on the bed, I grabbed his large hand, interlaced our fingers, and leaned my cheek against his warm shoulder.
I rubbed my eyes against him and let out a satisfied sound.
His body, which I could feel tensing up, was a comfort to me at this moment.
===
[Master, I have a question!]
The more serious he sounded, the more useless the question tended to be.
I pretended not to hear, expertly ignoring him and continuing on my way, but Rai had a persistent side, just like me.
He wagged his tail so hard and wide that it reached me, chattering away.
[When Ash and I are in that kind of mood. You told me to be discreet and act like I’m not there, right? To act like air.]
[And?]
[I still don’t really know what ‘that kind of mood’ is…….]
[I told you, it’s when we’re kissing, or when it feels like we’re about to kiss again after kissing. Is that so hard to understand?]
Rai wasn’t unperceptive, but he couldn’t tell when to butt in and when not to, and I, unable to stand it anymore, had even clearly defined what ‘that’ kind of mood was.
It had taken quite a bit of effort to drill it into him.
[I get that part, more or less. What I’m curious about is something else.]
[What.]
[What if it’s long, like last night……?]
[Just keep your mouth shut.]
Just as I thought, it was a useless question.
I walked through the bustling marketplace as quickly as possible, and Rai, in his wolf form, stuck close to my side, his mouth flapping nonstop.
[Huh? But then I’ll be bored.]
[Take a nap or something.]
[But I don’t sleep!]
[Then go back to the Spirit realm. Who told you to stick to me 24/7!]
[Compared to the Spirit realm, this doesn’t seem so boring. I’ll try to bear it.]
If he were talking with his mouth, I could at least tie his snout shut, but Rai was, strictly speaking, talking not with his mouth but with his mind, so he always gave me a headache.
The exact moment my privacy disappeared was right after I made a contract with Rai.
There was no other cause.
It was solely his fault.
It was a wonder how such a talkative creature had managed to live alone in the Spirit realm.
Spirits of the same element were said to live in groups, but what if there was only one of his kind in the entire world?
‘…Which means I’m the only friend this guy has.’
It would be a lie to say I never wanted to be alone, but it couldn’t be helped now.
It was annoying, but I couldn’t imagine a life without him, and besides…….
[Master……!]
[…Ugh, damn it! I told you not to eavesdrop! I need my privacy!]
[Rai is touched!]
I couldn’t be on guard every single time a thought crossed my mind to keep Rai from reading it, so I tried not to have embarrassing thoughts, but sometimes I got caught like this.
[Master! You know I love you, right!]
[I’m getting goosebumps!]
I stomped ahead angrily, but he wasn’t one to be left behind. He stuck closer than ever, blocking my path.
[A heart of metal never changes! My love is this strong! I can’t die for you, Master. But I can kill for you!]
[You’re stating the obvious.]
If he’s my Spirit, he should be like that. It would be a problem if he couldn’t even do that much.
[Wait, Undine was prepared to be extinguished for me. Can you do that?]
[She’s a bit extreme. It’s because she’s young.]
[So you’re saying you can’t do that for me?]
[I’d have to think about that…….]
[Don’t you dare be jealous of Undine from now on. And don’t imitate her. When you do it, you’re just being cheeky, you know? It’s not cute at all.]
[So mean! Master always picks on me!]
At some point, Rai had started benchmarking Undine, and he would often act overly cute, making me uncomfortable.
Even though he’d lived so long he couldn’t even remember his own age.
[What about you, Master! Can you offer your life for me? Can you!]
[Why would I be extinguished for you! I’m so precious! I refuse to even die!]
If you die, you can at least be reborn, but extinction was a different matter entirely, as even the soul disappears.
[Then why are you only saying this to me!]
[You’re a Spirit! And I’m the master!]
[It should be give and take!]
[What are you talking about? Get away! It’s hot!]
[I’m made of metal, so I’m cool!]
While we were bickering, we arrived at a shop specializing in book repair.
I had left an ancient book I’d brought from the underwater Dungeon a while ago, and I was curious how much of it had been restored.
It had been so soaked in water that it had practically disintegrated, but Ash had dried it page by page, and I had left it for repair in that state.
When I’d dropped it off, there were almost no legible characters.
“Welcome!”
As I entered, a friendly-looking clerk greeted me, then quickly added.
“Ah, customer! I’m sorry, but dogs are not allowed inside.”
“You heard him. Wait outside.”
This world had a poor concept of hygiene, so there were many shops that allowed dogs inside, but there were just as many that didn’t.
With a light jerk of my chin, Rai backed away with a disgruntled, triangular glare.
Then he sat on the threshold, watching me. Anyone would think he was an incredibly loyal dog.
“My goodness, he understands you so well! What a smart dog!”
[Ahem!]
“And he looks like a wolf, he’s so magnificent.”
Although he had been denied entry, the clerk seemed to like dogs and was genuinely impressed. Rai, forgetting he was a Spirit, puffed out his chest with genuine pride.
Is that guy’s identity okay?
Though I think it was doomed from the moment he started imitating Undine to get affection from me.
“I’m here to pick up a book.”
“Yes, could you tell me the name of the book you left?”
“It doesn’t have a title… To be honest, even though it’s a book, it seems more like an old diary.”
“I’ll look for it. Your name?”
“Geenie.”
“You have the same name as my cousin! It’s a nice name. Just a moment.”
The clerk rummaged through a pile of documents once, then quickly went into the back storage room and brought out the books.
“There are two. Could you check if these are correct?”
“Hmm, I can’t really tell by looking.”
“Is it not your book, miss? Could you show me the repair ticket?”
“I excavated it, so I guess you could say it’s mine. It was just damaged before I could see it.”
Other than the fact that it was so badly damaged it was on the border between a book and trash, and that the covers were blue and brown, I knew nothing about these books.
I had just picked them up from next to the skeletal remains of the Dungeon’s master.
I tried to take good care of it, but I still unfolded the severely crumpled repair ticket and held it out.
“It is your book, miss. These are the only two untitled ancient books that came in for repair.”
Flipping through the books, familiar words like ‘Spirit Council’ and ‘Spirit Formation’ caught my eye.
It was definitely the book I had left.
It was just amazing how it had become so pristine that it was unrecognizable.
I don’t know how they did it, but the letters that had been blurred from being soaked in water were largely restored, and the torn parts were seamlessly attached.
This is why you should always leave things to the experts.