Chapter 806 – I Tend to Believe in Superstitions

000

When Cleon sighed slightly after completing the telepathy with Schrödinger, Noctis was standing next to him with his hand behind his head and a slightly dissatisfied expression.

“… So, with this, has the issue of Darwin or something been resolved?”

Then she asked Cleon a question while puffing out her cheeks, and Cleon looked back and nodded.

“Ah. Are you okay? She is not the only one who knows the imprint of her ancient script, because she conveyed it properly.”

At first, as Noctis said, the manuscript itself was not intended to be included in the newspaper, but…

Following Lila’s idea, she decided to show off her skills by pretending to play to her enemy’s numbers.

Cleon also agreed, thinking that Lila was a worthy counter to her, but Noctis still seemed a little dissatisfied.

In that case, she would eventually have to publish an article containing bad content about Cleon.

“In the end, you put lies in the newspaper.”

＂It was only raising suspicion-＂

Afterward, Cleon almost told her that the part about leaving the royal capital with princess Emilia was true, but he silenced her.

＂…?＂

When Noctis looked at him with one eye narrowed, perhaps because he was a little suspicious of Cleon’s behavior, Cleon cleared his throat and then spoke as if he was talking vaguely.

“And, it would be better to leave evidence like that. I told the palace and said that I had no choice but to do it because I was threatened by the returnees. Of course, if necessary, I will guarantee it.”

Although I had already relayed that side of the story through Herti.

Then Noctis nods his head as if he can’t help it and answers with a somewhat understanding expression.

“Still, I will make sure to include a correction in tomorrow’s newspaper.”

Afterward, he yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes, unable to hide his sleepiness.

He must have been like that too, since he was racking his brain all night long to write a manuscript that met Lila’s demands.

That is also the content of the article published on the front page, the content collected by her predecessors and the content that is usually included on the front page during the Five Elements Festival, combined with the same composition as every year.

To include her requirements and have the large engraved letters appear when viewed in their entirety was a hard labor that took her almost all night to complete.

＂Ugh… Then, I’ll go back today. Thank you for your help. It’s unfortunate that I can’t continue the coverage, but I knew it was dangerous.”

She rummaged through her bag as Noctis told her that she would unexpectedly give up her coverage.

Then, she took out an item she hadn’t seen in a long time – a knight’s sword – and handed it to Cleon.

Also, as far as she knows, it is the largest unit among all the knights.

“Originally, I was going to give it as compensation for an interview, but somehow the order of things got mixed up in many ways… Yesterday, in the end, Cleon gave it to Jinmidang as well.”

“… But even if you include all of that, it’s a pretty high price, right?”

When Cleon said that and took only half of the handed out sword, Noctis grunted ‘Yes!’ And almost forcefully handed the rest into Cleon’s other hand.

“This includes saving my life and helping me write the manuscript!”

＂But…＂

Of course, there are still a lot.

Moreover, Cleon was an adventurer who believed in some old superstitions when it came to rewards.

That is, if you receive more than the appropriate amount of compensation than the work done, even if it was prepared through the kindness of the other party.

It was a superstition among adventurers that misfortune would come beyond that.

Well, it was actually spread as a kind of self-regulation to scare adventurers who are being ripped off.

＇The reward for the last successful adventure when Albain was in the party was something like that…’

In the end, it was a blessing in disguise, but even so, what I experienced at that time was a spiral of negative emotions that I never want to experience again.

However, Noctis appears to have no intention of returning the sword he gave to Cleon, and after returning it to Cleon, he steps back and waves his hand.

“But… If you really think that’s too much. Just one more thing. Would you like to hang out with me?”

“Of course. “What?”

As for Cleon, he nods his head, thinking that it doesn’t matter to her as long as the value he received from her is correct.

＂Today’s evening… After the flowers that suppress the occurrence of ghosts are lit. Every year on the second evening of the Five Elements Festival, there are more street vendors than usual in the market, and entertainment for children is prepared.”

“Is this the Five Elements Festival for children?”

When Cleon nods her head in understanding, Noctis answers.

“Yes. Is there a big sign announcing the entrance to the market? Can we meet there and take a quick look around the stalls? It only takes a moment.”

“Okay. Thank you for letting me know.”

In that case, she thought she would be happy if she told Sasha or Amelia as well, and Cleon nodded her head.

Noctis also nodded her head with a question mark hovering over her head for a moment, but then shrugged and walked away, thinking it didn’t matter.

“… By the way, I was surprised. I never would have guessed that Noctis had so many knights.”

Cleon glanced down at the hero who had suddenly taken everything.

Although Cleon doesn’t know how much her salary is, she is probably worth more than her salary as an apprentice reporter, considering the average household situation in Asteris.

Even in the case of Hyeongaekjeon, when a large quantity was needed, it was necessary to pay separately to obtain one issued by the government.

Would it be better to think that she saved up this amount of money by saving up a few months’ worth of her salary, or-

＂…＂

A girl who is surprisingly knowledgeable, knows how to read even at a young age, and is brave enough to yell at her boss, who she would normally not dare confront.

＂… No way…＂

Cleon still had some doubts about Noctis’ identity, but he soon shook his head from side to side.

For now, let’s focus on exorcising ghosts today.

A cylindrical object containing colorful magical energy that Cleon took from Albain yesterday.

It was called the ‘Dominant Cylinder’, and after Lila’s brief analysis, it seemed to be an item used to artificially create ghosts by flowing it into the saturated spirit vein of Asteris.

At the same time, since the residual magic power of exorcised ghosts can be absorbed and recycled, the presence of that object creates the following cycle.

Cleon exorcises the ghost ▶ As the ghost’s magical body disappears, residual magical power is generated ▶ After Cleon leaves the scene, the remaining magical power is absorbed into the cylinder ▶ The residual magical power is sent to the spirit vein, leading to the appearance of a stronger ghost ▶ Cleon exorcises the ghost that appeared like that ▶ More powerful residual magic is generated than before ▶ Infinite loop completed!

If wizards or magicians knew about it, it was a magic recycling loop that would make them slap their foreheads and exclaim in exclamation at its efficiency.

Because they will be able to obtain a large source of magic without suffering.

Creon thought it would be a good idea to destroy it, but there was a problem that in that case, all the magic power of the ghosts inside would be released into the atmosphere and eventually absorbed into the spirit vein.

From there, Laila came up with the idea that they could use this dominant cylinder in reverse.

After Cleon defeats the ghost, as it is a ghost defeated with an exorcism sword, it decomposes quickly and the remaining magic power is relatively small, but a certain amount of magic power will still remain, and it will be slowly absorbed into the spirit vein over time.

An idea that Lila came up with, thinking that it would be helpful to shrine maidens like Kuon and Tokoyo if she just continued to release the saturated spirit vein instead of doing so.

The idea was to absorb the residual magic power of the ghost that Cleon defeated and remain in its place into the dominant cylinder to prevent it from returning to the spirit vein.

With that, you can reduce the magical power saturation of the spiritual veins even a little, and you can recover unnecessary magical power and use it as a magical power source, which is a double win.

She reminds me of Lila’s fondness for using tools made by enemies.

… Although they didn’t really talk about what to do with the magic power they had accumulated.

＂… Well, anyway.＂

The sound of the flute used by Bangwiidae was heard.

Cleon put on his mask and ran towards there while holding Gogok’s shaking sword.

001

Time passed like that, and by noon on the second day, Cleon felt sweat dripping from his face as the temperature was slightly higher than yesterday.

＇Water…＇

I stop for a moment, open the canteen I had prepared in an alley out of sight of people, and wet my mouth.

If possible, I felt like I wanted to release my body heat by splashing cold water on my head first.

The ghosts did not stop appearing, and like yesterday, Noctis was unable to use Zuzu to determine the location of the ghosts, so he had to run around Asteris on his own to find them.

However, the reason why it seems like the number of ghosts that appear has decreased is because Albain’s clones are not using cylinders.

＂After…＂

I think this gives me a little bit of time to rest, and if I lean back against the wall and wait for some of the heat from my sweaty face to escape—

＂Ah, Cleon.＂

Cleon almost turned around reflexively when he heard a voice calling him from the side, but hastily covered his face with a mask to prevent the effects of the evil eye from reaching him.

Then, Diora and Selena, dressed in everyday clothes, were looking at us and waving their hands happily.

I would like to say that she was carefree, but Diora could summon armor and a spear whenever she wanted, and Selena also had a wand-type prop on her waist that helped her cast magic, so she was claiming that they were not just girls who came out to drink. 〈 Br〉

＂What is it? “The protagonist of the exorcism must not look disheveled even for a moment, or something like that?”

While watching Cleon hastily put on her mask, when Diora approached him teasingly, Selena spoke as if to stop Diora.

“Is it okay to make fun of people who are working hard?”

“I was surprised that he said something more normal than I expected…”

“That’s rude too!”

After revealing that Diora was the Dragon Knight, they joked around with each other, as if Selena had nothing to worry about, but Cleon wanted to explain that he was just masking the effect of the magical eye.

“Well, we are just like patrolling. I heard. I heard there were returnees infiltrating? Well, it’s something they can do.”

Before Cleon could think and respond, Diora continued her words.

“For now, we succeeded in getting him to step down. … Those guys kidnapped Alvain and created a clone… A replica of him.”

“Human cloning is a terrible thing…”

Selena reacted in a way that seemed natural to Cleon’s words, and Diora silenced her for a moment before speaking to Cleon.

＂If you find it difficult to cut down Alvain, let me know. Cleon, you must be feeling complicated too…”

She may have said that out of consideration, but Cleon flinched at Diora’s words and her body trembled before she answered.

“… Are you okay? Rather, this is something that cannot be handed over to anyone.”

Cleon felt fortunate to be wearing a mask.

If he had shown his face under the mask, they would have noticed that he was a little angry.

I know that Diora said such a thing out of her kindness, but even so, she was unable to suppress the expression on her face.

＂…＂

However, women are much more sensitive to such things than Cleon thinks.

Cleon’s voice was lowered as much as possible, and if you succeeded in imagining the expression underneath, it created an awkward atmosphere as if Diora herself was wondering what to say.

At that time.

＂Aaaaah! Ghost!!”

Cleon suddenly came to his senses at the screams of residents coming from outside the alley and immediately ran out of the alley.

Then, there-

In the middle of the street, there was a creepy-looking ghost that seemed to be holding a man in its hand and glaring at him.

[… Wrong…]

The guy with the tree-like body, which was still vivid in Cleon’s memory, was speaking clearly intelligible human language.

＂That guy… Showed up yesterday too…!＂

The man struggles to escape from the ghost’s grasp, but the ghost’s power is strong, and no matter how much he struggles, he cannot free the fingers that are entrapping his body.

＂Ugh… Ugh…!＂

Conversely, when the man, who is having trouble breathing, makes a sound as if he is in pain, Cleon immediately draws his sword and rushes at a speed that leaves no afterimage, cutting off the man’s arm.

It was high enough to hurt someone if they fell, but as if she had predicted Cleon’s actions, when Selena held the wand in her hand and swung it, a magic cushion was formed to catch the arm of the man and the wooden ghost holding his body.

However, if there is a difference from yesterday-

It was hard to tell whether it was a leg or a tree trunk, and he pierced the ground and drove it all the way to the bottom of the ground-

As it was, the severed arm was regenerated.

＂Is it possible to raise magical power from the spirit vein…!＂

It would be grateful if it could extract the magic power of the saturated spirit vein, but even so, we couldn’t let this guy continue to roam the streets.

“Selena! A barrier!”

“Oh, I understand!”

As Cleon raises his voice, Selena swings her wand once again, spreading a barrier made of her light magic around Cleon and him.

Meanwhile, Diora summons a sword from the air to save the man from the grasp of a tree trunk that has fallen to the ground.

‘Originally I wanted to use a spear, but then I’d be caught as a dragon knight…’

Thinking that using her signature weapon poses such a risk, she cuts off the tree demon’s fallen arm and sees that the man who lost her mind is released from within.

Diora, who was observing him closely in order to move him to a safe place, was momentarily agitated by his features, but soon shook his head and walked away from the tree ghost.

Meanwhile, Cleon took a deep breath and put a lot of force into her hand holding her sword, thinking that thanks to Selena’s opening of her barrier, she could swing her sword without pressure.

“It’s a huge tree in the shape of a human… It reminds me of that guy.”

One of the most intense battles in Cleon’s life, which took place in El Resia.

If you make the cutoff tree very, very small, wouldn’t it look like a ghost in front of you?

＂… Well, it’s true that he’s not as dangerous as that guy-“

[Better… Chaal…]

As Cleon said that and was about to swing his sword again, the voice that came out of that guy’s mouth.

The voice once again caused a strong headache in Cleon’s head and at the same time blocked the movement of one of his arms.

“Shit…! Again…!”

At the same time, the ghost reaches out as if trying to pull itself up with its regenerated arm.

[Hey again! Not doing it right!?]

And, when that happens, if Slash tries to move on his own like yesterday—

[Baanhaeae…]

As if the ghost had expected that, something like a stem rises from the ground and binds the arm holding Slash.

[Oh, this guy!? That’s cowardice!]

Slash raises his voice from inside, but the rope is wrapped around the tree trunk and does not move.

Cleon instinctively feels danger and when he encounters a situation where both of his arms are motionless-

＇… I didn’t want to use magic as much as possible because it was inside the city… But since Selena’s barrier is there…! ＇

Whoa, taking a deep breath, he looked at the tree ghost who brought its creepy face towards him-

＂Flame Burst!＂

When he created an explosion of flame that saved him from danger several times, intense heat filled the inside with the barrier until the flames stopped exactly at the border of the barrier.

Thanks to this, the trunk that was binding Cleon’s arms burned and fell off, and the tree ghost that came close also retreated in pain.

＂Slash!＂

[I know!]

When Slash, which moves on its own in place of his immobile arm, responds to Cleon’s words-

Boom! And, the slash swung in a straight line succeeded in cutting the slash’s body.

And only after Cleon immediately used fire magic to burn the area to prevent it from regenerating from the cut surface did it disappear, including the roots embedded underground, into a pile of ashes.

＂Whoa…!＂

Only after the tree ghost disappeared, Cleon couldn’t help but frown, looking down at the arm that had started to move again.

＇Rachal…＇

Probably, it is that guy inside you that reacts every time your name is called.

When he remembered that he was still inside, Cleon saw that the barrier of light surrounding him had disappeared, and along with the relieved sounds of the surrounding residents, he could hear applause and voices of gratitude for Cleon.

＂Thank you, Master!＂

＂Thanks to you, I survived…!＂

Yesterday, I received gratitude like this several times, but each time, I felt a little goosebump running down my spine because it was a feeling I had never felt before.

At that time.

“Cleon. Are you okay? It seems like my arm isn’t moving properly.”

When Diora, who returned from escaping a man possessed by a ghost, asked, Cleon nodded his head in response.

“Ah… It’s okay, no problem. Rather, who was the man who was caught earlier?”

“I just fainted briefly due to shock and difficulty breathing. There is no problem with the body itself. However…”

＂But?＂

She speaks as if she is a little concerned.

＂Hair was black and skin was pale.＂

＂Are you saying it’s a clan of dark horses?＂

Cleon reacted by flinching and looked at where the man was lying, but Diora shook her head.

“First, I was worried and checked the color of the eyes, but the color of the eyes was not black. At first glance, it just looks like a clan of dark horses.”

＂That’s…＂

It was just when Cleon was about to say something.

Aine jumped over the roof of the building and landed in front of Cleon, as if she had finally found him.

＂Mr. Cleon!＂

＂Aine…? What’s going on?”

Originally, it was correct for Aine to use the flute to call Cleon, but coming to see Cleon in person was unexpected.

＂Right now, ghosts with the characteristics of trees that we have never seen before are all over Asteris… Grabbing people and running rampant.＂

“Okay, I’ll go right away.”

Cleon nodded his head and tried to move with Aine, and Diora and Selena also nodded.

＂Let us help too.＂

“Of course. In many places, it will take time for Cleon to handle it alone. If people are caught, it is better to move all at once.”

Cleon expresses gratitude to the two people’s words.

“Thank you, then. Please do me a favor. Let’s go, Aine.”

“Yes. It’s this way.”

Cleon begins to move quickly through Asteris under Aine’s guidance.

The fact that I was concerned about the sound of the jingling drum inside the bag made my belief in superstition stronger.