Chapter 208: East, Ishay (3)
“What, suddenly the princess’s poison is cured? That’s no ordinary poison!”
‘It’, in the guise of King Shui, the brother of King Kchandar of the Ishay Kingdom, stomped nervously on the floor as he entered the king’s study.
-Boom!!!
“Aaaahhhh!!!”
Slamming the desk and letting out a roar, he was showing the exact opposite personality of Shui, who was known for his original gentleness. His true identity was a demon named Shakal.
“Hah… Hah…”
After clutching his head, Shakal calmed his breathing and calmly organized the current situation.
The ‘sacrifice’ that had been slowly eroded by magick had come to her senses, so the magick that should have been inside her body must be gone.
“It would have been impossible to cure her without the arrival of a saint, but how…? There’s something going on. Someone has sabotaged our plans…”
Shakal came to the conclusion that someone unknown had cured Kimei.
It makes perfect sense, since there’s no way she could have gotten the magick out on her own.
Oddly enough, according to the guards who guarded the outbuilding where Kimei resided, no one had been in her room except during the usual morning rounds.
Judging by the bewildered looks on the faces of the lawmakers who were also examining her, they assumed that someone had managed to sneak in unnoticed.
There were more than a dozen guards stationed near the small outbuilding, all were handpicked from the Celestial Academy, and all of them were martial arts experts.
“Who the hell has no fear…?”
Shakal had just finished muttering to himself when he heard a voice from the other side of the study.
“…Someone cured Kimei?”
“Yes.”
Shakal nodded in agreement, but there was a nagging doubt in his mind.
The study was an intensely private place, off-limits to servants due to Shui penchant for not wanting to be disturbed when reading.
Moreover, Shakal had been warned against coming near it ever since he took on Shui form so it was no surprise to hear a strange man’s voice.
“…Who are you!”
Shakal shouted at the unrecognizable voice.
Shakal picked up the lantern on his desk and shone it into the area where the voice had come from.
There stood a man with black hair as calm as night, skin as white as the moon and a white bandage covering his eyes, as he was leaning against a bookcase, holding a book open.
“…A book?”
Shakal let out a questioning exclamation.
Why would a blind man be reading a book?
After that question, Shakal’s mind raced with questions.
How did he get in here?
Did he hear everything he said to himself?
What purpose did the blind man have in seeking him out?
Before Shakal can answer any of these questions, he hears the blind man’s voice again.
“Is it so strange to find me in your study, reading a book? Well, not exactly reading.”
The blind man closes the book he’s holding with a nonchalant voice.
“Anyway, when will Braille be invented?”
“Braille…?”
“Oh, I’m talking to myself, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“…More than that, did you even know where you were when you walked in here?!”
“Call it a side effect, but…your memory is really…You’ve already forgotten the order given by the Emperor himself…no bodyguards or servants are to approach this area.”
“They were…”
“And I’m sure you’ve read the information about me, too. I can’t believe you don’t even recognize your enemy in front of you…”
“The enemy…? Information…?”
The blind man shook his head pathetically, and Shakal frowned, remembering.
“Paradise…yes, the one who returned from Paradise!”
Shakal slowly studied the blind man’s appearance and realized who he was.
“You’re not very late.”
The blind man clapped his hands in delight at his correct answer.
The blind man’s identity was the number one target of the current demons known as the Returned from Paradise.
The Returned from Paradise, the one who killed the Legionnaire’s right-hand man, Murka, and was brought back to life by the miracle of Heneryes.
His importance to the demons was indescribable, both in the sense that he killed Murka and in the sense that Heneryes brought him back to life.
“It was said that you were a cadet of the Innocence Academy. I heard there were cadets from the academy, but I never thought I’d meet you like this…”
“Technically, I came to see you.”
“I see. You’re not wrong. The fact that you came looking for me means you knew who I was. I don’t know what you’ve been up to, but if you’ve gotten this close… You must be the one who cured Kimei.”
“Yes. I’m glad to see you’ve retained some of your memory, but not your brain.”
“From the way you mentioned the side effects, I’m guessing you’re aware of the existence of the ‘multiple body syndrome’… You’ve done quite a bit of research on me.”
“To what extent?”
Shakal’s ability to take on the form of a king was all thanks to the so-called “Law Book”.
In the East, the term is used to describe objects imbued with mystical power, or magic.
Shape-shifting polymorph magic was no easy feat. Not everyone has the powerful mana circuitry of a dragon.
Shakal borrowed the power of a special enchanted mirror, called the Bokshin Longing, to copy the monarch’s appearance.
However, the mirror’s power is not perfect, and it can only copy the appearance of a living person.
So if Shakal is taking on the form of Shui, it means that the real Shui is still alive somewhere.
As a side effect, his memory was slightly impaired when he was using his power.
“Fuhahaha…!”
By the time the blind man, or Zetto, reached that thought, Shakal had stopped looking at him and suddenly burst into laughter.
“Fuhhh… Puhhhhh…”
“……”
Zetto shook his head at that, and after a long moment of stifling his laughter, he spoke up.
“That’s… Funny… I wonder how you managed to kill that Murka… Was Murka that bad?”
“He was strong.”
“You said earlier that you had done some research on me.”
“I did.”
“You’ll have to start over. If you have the chance.”
As he spoke, Shakal slipped his hand into his hilt, and Zetto followed suit.
-Aaah!
But at that moment, a giant centipede sprang out of Shakal’s arms and quickly wrapped itself around Zetto’s body.
Zetto’s arm, which was trying to pull out his sword, could no longer move due to the centipede’s strong pressure.
“I see the Emperor has been paying a lot of attention to the laws and regulations. Sadly, now that I’ve taken his body, all of his law books are mine, and this is one of them.”
Shakal opened his arms in a gesture of reassurance, then spoke to the captive Zetto, who had been pinned down.
“Oh, you’d better not move any further than that, it’s called gonggu, and it’s a terrifying thing that will bite your neck off if you try to force yourself free. It’s not exactly a living centipede, but it’s probably a lot bigger than a living centipede.”
“Oh.”
Shakal chuckled, and Zetto gave up trying to break free of his restraints.
“That’s quite a speed, by the way. I can’t believe we’re going to be able to capture the guy who killed Murka so easily…”
“Do you need to capture me?”
“Not really, but I’m sure I’d enjoy it. I’ll get to witness his torture firsthand, and that should be enough to make up for the loss of the…’offering’.”
Shakal said as he stepped in front of Zetto, who was still bound to the centipede and unable to make any movements.
The smile in his eyes, however, gave no indication that his life was in danger.
“…Why are you able to smile?”
The power of the gonggu could not be ignored and Zetto was struggling to hold on to the pressure that threatened to crush his entire body.
Still, he was able to laugh.
“A blind swordsman… There’s no information that you can use magic, and this swordsman can’t even draw his sword, so you don’t have any chance…”
Wondering what the reason for this was, Shakal kept Zetto in front of him and slowly recounted the information he knew about the Returned from Paradise.
‘…It should have been.’
Shakal’s eyes narrowed at the odd sensation of Zetto’s smile becoming increasingly ominous.
Then his gaze fell on Zetto’s right hand, which was gripping his sword.
As Shakal drew his scepter from his hip, Zetto grabbed his sword at the same time.
It was strange that such a man had killed Murka.
‘It wasn’t that he couldn’t react, it was that he didn’t react…?’
Shakal’s conclusion came out of his mouth.
“…Because you didn’t have to?”
Shakal frowned at the odd conclusion he’d come up with, one that didn’t make sense.
Zetto’s silence is broken by a faint smile.
“That’s the right answer. I wish I could applaud you, but I can’t afford to… That’s too bad.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“The correct answer was, ‘The one who has returned from paradise can wield a sword without drawing it.'”
“Ha, such a bluff.”
“Bluff…Tsk, you’ll have to do your research all over again.”
Zetto’s voice echoed in the darkened study, lit only by a single lantern.
– Boom!
A single red sword light flashed.
“If given the chance, of course.”
A disembodied neck sprang up from the spot where the beam had sliced through.
By the time it hit the ground, it had reverted to the face of a Shakal, with a black horn sprouting from its forehead.
Meanwhile, still chained to the coffin, Zetto listened to the thunder that followed and thought to himself.
‘What kind of reward will Shui give me?’
***
‘They’re coming.’
Imprisoned in a dungeon hidden within the palace, Shui listened to the sound of someone descending the stairs from the other side.
‘They’re coming.’
He was starving, and he looked forward to the meal that the mysterious goblin who had taken his body provided.
It was tasteless, but he had to eat to live.
His months of imprisonment had left him in a state of dishevelment that would have been unbecoming of a king.
His clothes had long since been taken from him, and his beard and hair were unkempt and unwashed, which was to be expected.
As he scratched at his unkempt beard, he looked toward the stairs.
Out of the corner of his eye, a man entered the room.
He was expecting the same goblin, but it wasn’t him.
The blind man, with black hair and an unusual bandage over his eyes, was holding a familiar object.
“Gonggu…? Hah…”
Suddenly, Shui, who was holding onto the grate, lowered his head and sighed heavily.
The giant centipede that was weaving its way through the blind man’s body, or Gonggu, was one of the law books that Shui had once possessed.
However, all of them had fallen into the hands of the goblin who had stolen his body, meaning that the man who had come down the stairs now was in a similar situation.
“Are you also captured, and where is the goblin?”
“I wasn’t captured.”
“…Well, I understand your need to stroke your ego a hundred times over, but you’ll quickly realize that’s not going to do you any good when you’re stuck here.”
Looking at the blind man, who hadn’t even been able to unlock the Gonggu, Shui shook his head.
“No, I’m not really captured.”
Stepping down to the bars, the blind man insisted.
“Then why are you chained by Gonggu?”
“It’s the Emperor’s favorite scroll, and considering its value, I thought it would be a waste to destroy it.”
“…Do you recognize me?”
“Your voice is the same as that goblin’s, aren’t you the Emperor? I’ve been sent by Princess Kimei to help you.”
“Kimei… You’ve met Kimei?! We have to save her, that crazy goblin wants to sacrifice her!”
At the blind man’s mention of Kimei, Shui quickly relayed the information he had overheard while talking to the goblin.
“Princess Kimei’s treatment has indeed been completed, now we only need to finish the treatment of the Emperor, could you please step back for a moment?”
“Ah, ah… I see…”
For some reason, Shui couldn’t understand what was going on, but he followed his words and stepped back from the cage.
-Quadrup!!!
An unidentifiable red sword light suddenly flashed, and the thick bars that were holding Shui gently cracked open.
“How…? You didn’t even swing your sword…”
Shui muttered as his eyes widened at the strange sight.
The blind man, who had just casually stepped inside the prison, approached Shui and shrugged.
“Could you please untie this for now, I don’t know how.”
“Ah, I see…”
Frustrated by the blind man’s unyielding progress, Shui touches the Gonggu long antennae a couple of times, and the Gonggu, which had been squeezing the blind man’s body, releases itself and shrinks in size.
Shui then picks up the smaller one on the floor and examines it.
‘This is mine.’
He turns his head to look at the blind man, who stretches his stiff body.
He used a strange sword technique that he can’t understand how it works.
His atmosphere was also unusual, it was the ease of the strong and despite being blind, he didn’t seem to be bothered by anything.
The blind man who had solved his troubles, which had taken months to resolve, seemed like a god to Shui.
“May I ask your name…?”
Shui asked, trying to be polite.
“I apologize for the delay in introducing myself. I’m Zetto.”
“Zetto… I’m sorry, but I’m not very well read, so this is the first time I’ve heard your name.”
“Haha, that’s because I don’t operate in the East, and you don’t have to respect me, I’m just an ordinary cadet from the Innocence Academy.”
“The Innocence Academy… Of the West…”
Shui nodded.
No matter how he looked at it, he was definitely not an ordinary cadet.
“But I don’t know how to repay this favor… Did you really cure Kimei?”
“The magick in Princess Kimei’s body was all absorbed by me. She regained her strength earlier, so she must be recovering now.”
“Absorbing the magick… What about you…?”
“I’m fine.”
“…So many unbelievable things are happening at once, my head can’t keep up.”
“Well… I’ve taken care of the goblin, so you can return as quietly as if nothing had happened, but before that…”
Zetto trailed off, flicking his nose in the air, which caused Shui to sniff his shoulder and snort.
“…You’d better get yourself groomed.”
***
With my help, Shui was safely returned to his seat as the real emperor returned.
I doubt anyone will notice, but it’s not something that should be publicized, so it will remain a secret between the two parties involved, Kimei and Shui.
When I told Shui that the study might be a little messy, he said he didn’t mind the mess at all, and after thanking me profusely, he asked if he could invite me to a banquet later.
I told him that I didn’t want this to be publicized, but he said he could invite all the cadets, and I couldn’t argue with that.
The banquet would be a good break for the cadets and a nice field trip.
Finally, I told him to remember to explain to Kimei that he is a real Shui.
We agreed to discuss the reward at the banquet, and I didn’t return to my quarters until late at night.
Now I was relaxing in the hot spring at the inn.
“Wow…”
I felt all my fatigue melt away.
I noticed something strange: Sheddie didn’t float in the water. It was like he was unaffected.
He jumped into the hot springs and fell right out, crawling along the bottom.
Unfortunately, Sierra couldn’t follow me to the hot springs since I wasn’t allowed to enter the hot springs with a weapon.
It was quite late, so there was no one else in the hot springs. I was glad to have some time to myself for the first time in a long time.
‘My prosthetic hand won’t rust, will it?’
I was staring at my prosthetic hand and thinking that it must be waterproof.
“There are no men at this hour.”
“But where’s Cadet Lucia?”
“She’s already asleep.”
I heard some women’s voices from the other side of the entrance.
That’s right. This hot spring was coed.
There was no wall separating the men’s and women’s baths.
I hadn’t even bothered to use my ki sense as I was relaxing, but from the sound of the conversation and the voices, I didn’t think I needed to.
‘Should I go out or stay put?’
These questions were running through my head.
The first person to enter the hot spring is a platinum-haired girl who spots me.
“……”
Aizel looked at me as I soaked in the watery hot spring.
I should probably get out.
That’s…That’s dangerous.