Chapter 862
“Ah, seriously!”
Siyan, frustrated, punched the air and then sat down on the spot. Instead of tears, annoyance and confusion lingered around her eyes.
“Why won’t you let go, like a stubborn caterpillar! You idiot brother!”
Siyan pleaded for him to come out, using her spirit power to tap the Soul Requiem Sword, but Rimmer didn’t show even a hair’s breadth of his soul, as if he absolutely refused to appear.
“Huh….”
Stehrin let out a dry breath as he looked at the strongly vibrating Soul Requiem Sword.
“He used to be so diligent, but he came back a scoundrel….”
He shook his head, saying Rimmer’s personality had gone off the rails.
“He was never really normal, to be honest.”
Errian clicked his tongue briefly.
“A guy who was supposed to become head of the Guardians left the forest to follow humans—he was crazy from the start.”
He wrinkled his brow, saying it was unbelievable.
“But I don’t think Rimmer’s stubbornness is a bad thing. There must be a reason for it.”
“I think so too.”
Stehrin nodded with a gentle smile.
“Thanks to him going to Zieghart, I got to see what kind of man my grandson really is.”
He put his hands behind his back, saying he trusted Rimmer.
“This isn’t the time for you both to be laughing!”
Siyan stomped her foot at Stehrin and Errian.
“Hmm….”
“S-sorry.”
Stehrin and Errian shrank their shoulders, startled by Siyan’s scolding.
“Is there a problem if Master stays inside the sword?”
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Soul Requiem Sword.
“If he’s staying by his own will, shouldn’t we just leave him be?”
“If it were an ordinary sword, it’d be fine. But…”
Siyan let out a heavy sigh.
“It’s not good for my brother to remain in the Soul Requiem Sword.”
She shook her head, looking at the World Tree, its blue glow fading.
“Is it because the Soul Requiem Sword is a demon sword?”
“That’s right.”
“Then I don’t think you need to worry. Just as you felt, Siyan, the souls in the Soul Requiem Sword aren’t evil.”
Raon stroked the Soul Requiem Sword and shook his head.
‘If anything, they’re just pitiful.’
The souls in the Soul Requiem Sword were simply ordinary people who died at the hands of the White Blood Cult.
Even as lingering spirits, they didn’t want to harm others and had helped Raon several times.
Even now, they’d accepted Rimmer’s soul and sent him as far as his Mental World, so there was no way they would harm him.
“I know that, too.”
Siyan conjured a clear droplet in her palm.
“Then why…?”
“No matter how kind or good they are, lingering spirits are still lingering spirits.”
The droplet on her palm bristled with dozens of spikes like a chestnut burr.
“Lingering spirits are pitiful souls who can’t leave this world because of lingering resentment. By nature, they’re filled with negative energy, and even if they don’t want to, they end up harming other souls.”
Siyan gripped a sword formed from water, sighing.
“It’s like a giant monster with an attribute causing harm to people regardless of its will.”
“Ah….”
Hearing Siyan’s explanation, Raon remembered the Red Dragon Turtle that devoured the earth’s energy when he received the Heavenly Drive from Balkan.
“On the other hand, my brother’s soul is pure. Like Sir Raon said, he has no lingering attachments, so if he just comes out now, he’ll be able to return to mana with the World Tree’s blessing.”
She put her hands together and gazed at the World Tree.
“It’s certainly good that my brother is comforting the lingering souls, but if this keeps up, it will harm his own soul.”
She said this was what she was worried about, her fingertips trembling.
“Does Master know that too?”
Raon swallowed dryly, leaning forward.
“That’s right! Tell that stubborn Vice Leader! If you say his soul could get hurt, he might come out!”
Martha raised her voice, saying he shouldn’t just sit still and at least try talking to him.
“That’s right. Vice Leader can be surprisingly dramatic—if you say it’s dangerous, he might come out!”
Burren bowed, pleading.
“Hurry!”
Runaan hurried over to Siyan, her dull eyes swirling with worry.
“T-that’s not possible…”
Siyan bit her red lips tightly.
“I can’t communicate with souls, either.”
She shook her head, saying that while she could use spirit power to draw out Rimmer’s soul, she wasn’t a shaman or priest capable of holding a conversation.
“And my brother should realize it, too. Just like black paint spreading on a white canvas, he should feel his soul changing.”
Siyan let out another sigh, saying that’s why she didn’t understand him even more.
“…….”
Raon frowned as he looked down at the Soul Requiem Sword.
‘Why?’
Why is he staying inside the Soul Requiem Sword?
Rimmer had left with no regrets and told them to live happily, so Raon couldn’t understand his current behavior.
‘Does he just want to comfort the lingering souls even a little longer?’
For now, that was all Raon could think of.
Rimmer was more caring than he looked, always putting others before himself.
“Siyan. Do you know why Master is staying inside the sword?”
“I’m not sure. If I had to guess, the first reason might just be… because he’s having fun?”
Siyan let out a hollow laugh, as if she couldn’t believe her own words.
“That’s possible.”
Martha nodded, saying it seemed very likely.
“The second is probably what I mentioned before—to comfort the lingering souls.”
Siyan stroked the Soul Requiem Sword, pressing her lips together.
“I think that’s right. Vice Leader is really softhearted…”
Dorian sniffled, saying there couldn’t be any other reason.
“And lastly…”
Siyan looked around at Raon and the Light Wind Division.
“Because he wants to be with the Light Wind Division, even just a little longer…”
She said this might be the biggest reason, her eyes welling up.
“Hm…”
“Oh…”
“Vice Leader…”
The Light Wind Division either held their heads or let out heavy sighs, sadness in their eyes.
‘That’s possible too.’
Raon nodded as he patted Yua’s shaking shoulder.
‘But that can’t be all.’
Rimmer had tried to leave the Light Wind Division with no regrets and even shared the words “all meetings must end” with him.
He wasn’t the type to ignore the order of nature just to stay with the Light Wind Division.
‘Could there already be a problem with his soul…?’
– That’s not it.
Wrath calmly shook his head.
– That guy’s soul is as strong as his mind. He’ll be fine for quite a while.
‘Then why is he doing this?’
– Like that little sister of his said, maybe he just wants to be with you all a bit longer. Or…
Wrath narrowed his eyes as he looked at the sword.
– He might be sensing something only a soul can see.
‘Something only a soul can see?’
– That’s right. Souls have another set of eyes.
Wrath said Rimmer might be staying in the Soul Requiem Sword because he was seeing something different from the rest of them.
“For now, let’s head back for today.”
Stehrin looked up at the sun rising into the sky and shook his head.
Since the World Tree’s energy had settled, it seemed he wanted to wait until next time.
“Yes, understood…”
Raon licked his lips and picked up the Soul Requiem Sword.
As he tried to sheathe the sword and leave the sanctuary, the Soul Requiem Sword began to resonate and vibrate intensely, as if refusing to go back in.
‘Could it be that it wants to stay here?’
There was no other reason for the sudden outburst.
“Um…”
Raon called out to Stehrin and Siyan as they were about to leave.
“Would it be alright to leave the Soul Requiem Sword here for a while? I’ll stay as well, just in case.”
He bowed, saying he thought Rimmer wanted to stay near the World Tree.
“Yes, do as you like. Siyan, you stay with him.”
“Huh? Ah, yes!”
Siyan’s eyes went wide at the sudden request.
“Eek!”
She hid her face behind her hair as soon as she made eye contact with Raon, her shyness flaring up again.
“See you later, then.”
Stehrin waved lightly and left the sanctuary with the Light Wind Division.
“Let’s rest for a bit.”
Raon smiled softly and leaned against the World Tree.
“A-ah, yes…”
Siyan took a seat next to him, covering her face with her bright golden hair like melted sunlight.
She seemed to have reverted to the shy girl he first met in Seiphia, which was a relief.
“Um, Sir Raon. Can I ask you something?”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
Raon nodded at her. The serious look in her eyes through her hair told him it was something important about Rimmer.
‘This feels a little more sentimental.’
Maybe it was because he now had Sia as a sister too, but he wanted to look after Siyan more.
Just as he was thinking he’d answer anything, Siyan’s lips slowly parted.
“When you cut down the Second Apostle to get the Soul Stone, what sword technique did you use?”
She abandoned her shyness and suddenly brought up the event of slicing down the Second Apostle.
“Huh? Ah, I didn’t cut them down in one strike. It only looked simple, but it wasn’t easy. If I’d made even a small mistake, I could’ve been the one—”
“You did cut them down in one strike! What sword technique was it?”
“No, it’s not…”
“One strike!”
“Uh…”
Raon’s jaw dropped. It was as if, in Siyan’s mind, he had already cut the Second Apostle in a single blow. He couldn’t help but think Encia had taught her well.
“Th-then let’s say it was Azure Crimson Invincible Blade…”
Siyan’s gaze clearly said her mind was made up and he just needed to answer, so he mentioned his personal favorite technique.
“With blood on your cheek and the back of your hand, and your eyes full of sorrow, you used Azure Crimson Invincible Blade, right? …Ahh!”
Siyan exclaimed happily and started furiously scribbling more notes in her book.
“……”
Raon’s kind gaze, as if he were looking at Sia, went cold.
– Honestly…
Wrath shook his head at Siyan.
– There really are no normal women around you.
He couldn’t believe that shy girl could change so much just because of her writing.
“Sigh, whatever.”
Raon let out a sigh and sat down. Seeing Siyan’s mood improve, even if just a bit, made him feel at ease.
Tap.
He set the Soul Requiem Sword on the roots of the World Tree, using it as a support for his head.
‘Now it’s staying quiet.’
The Soul Requiem Sword, satisfied with remaining by the World Tree, stopped both its ringing and vibration, lying still as if it were dead.
‘But why does it want to stay here?’
As he pondered the reason and tilted his head, it seemed as if the red blade of the Soul Requiem Sword flashed with a blue light.
‘No, it’s not that I’m seeing it.’
It’s absorbing the natural energy from the World Tree.
Just like catching rainwater with a small cup, the natural energy flowing from the World Tree was dripping and gathering within the Soul Requiem Sword.
“Siyan!”
Raon called out to Siyan, who was madly scribbling away.
“Yes? Ah, yes! Do you have something else to say?”
Siyan blinked wide-eyed like a rabbit and nodded.
“Can the mana of the World Tree calm the negative energy of the lingering souls inside the Soul Requiem Sword?”
“Huh? Uh, well…”
She followed her finger down to the Soul Requiem Sword.
“I-it’s possible. No, it really seems like it is!”
Siyan dropped her pen and nodded.
“People think that lingering souls only exist to harm others, but that’s not really true.”
“Then what are they?”
“A normal soul can’t become strong just by gaining resentment after death. They’re called lingering souls because they destroy even their own existence to gain that power.”
She bit her lip, saying that the souls within the Soul Requiem Sword must still be suffering terribly.
“Then Master…”
“Yes. I think my brother wants to reduce the pain of the lingering souls even a little, so he’s staying in the sword and near the World Tree.”
Siyan’s hands shook as she insisted that had to be it.
“Brother…”
Unable to hold back anymore, she let a blue droplet fall onto the book full of words.
– That pointy-eared guy… He’s doing something impressive, even more than he did when he was alive.
Wrath nodded broadly, looking proud.
‘Yeah…’
Raon smiled faintly as he felt the breeze around the World Tree, as if Rimmer had stirred it himself.
‘I don’t know why he’s even cooler now that he’s gone.’
—
After leaving the Soul Requiem Sword by the World Tree, Raon went to find Stehrin.
He told him why Rimmer was staying inside the Soul Requiem Sword.
“I see…”
Stehrin brushed his white hair back from his forehead.
“That busybody, it’s just like him. He’s the same even after death.”
Though his words were curt, he smiled deeply, proud of his grandchild.
“That’s right.”
Raon nodded with a small smile.
“That’s exactly the kind of thing Master would do.”
He later learned that Rimmer used to find trainees at the 5th Training Ground who hadn’t officially become swordsmen and comfort them, even helping them find their path.
Since he was such a warmhearted person, it was no surprise he wanted to lessen the pain of the lingering souls even now.
“I think once the wounds of those souls heal a little, he’ll come out on his own.”
“Then we’ll just have to wait a bit.”
Stehrin agreed, nodding.
“Oh, by the way, I was a bit late because things were hectic.”
Raon unfastened Rimmer’s sword from his belt and held it out to Stehrin.
“I heard Master’s sword was a sacred treasure of Seiphia, so I brought it to return it. Thank you for everything.”
He bowed, sincerely expressing his gratitude.
“Hm…”
Stehrin looked closely at Rimmer’s sword, then shook his head.
“Since the Soul Requiem Sword is in Seiphia’s sanctuary now, you hold on to this sword for a while. And…”
He slowly got up from his chair.
“There’s actually something I want to give you.”
Stehrin walked out the door, motioning for Raon to follow.
‘Something he wants to give me?’
