Chapter 235: East, Black Ghosts, and the Spectral Collector (4)
After I was done, I heard the man, who was the captain of the troop, mumbling incoherently.
“Captain, are you awake?”
“Soho…? This is…”
“It’s okay now.”
Grabbing Soho’s hand, the captain stood up and shook his head, trying to get his bearings.
“Ugh… that blind man… We need to call for backup…”
“It’s fine.”
At that moment, the captain’s eyes caught my actions.
“Uh…”
The captain was suddenly speechless and didn’t seem to understand the current situation.
Leaving it to Soho to explain, I turn my head and resume my conversation with Jubei.
“I’m well aware that possession of a spectral sword is strictly forbidden in the East, but I’m assuming you’re referring to the risk of being transformed into a youkai.”
The person known as Jubei knew. She was one of the commanders of the Black Ghosts forces, and one of their strongest.
Jubei’s troops had been called in to assist by Biyoung.
“You’re not affected by yogi…Could it be the effect of Ghost Slayer Technique? There are few beings that are immune to yogi.”
As an added bonus, Jubei knew me.
Luckily for me, the rumors of the Paradise Exile had reached her.
“As far as I know, the only other such beings are demons and goblins. Judging by the way you healed our men, it’s unlikely that you’re a Heavenly Saint, but then again, it’s also unlikely that the person who experienced the miracle of the goddess was a demon…”
It was one or the other.
Either it was related to my previous life as a demon, or it was related to my earthling body.
“Hmm… I don’t know, maybe it’s a quirk.”
But I couldn’t tell her straight out, so I stammered.
“A peculiar constitution… Didn’t you say that the spirit in the sword is your teacher?”
“Yes, it is.”
“……”
Jubei nodded slightly, then pondered.
I, a man who could communicate with spirits in an uncanny way, and who practiced the Ghost Slayer Technique long thought to be forgotten, seemed to be quite a unique figure even to them.
Not surprisingly, even the dragon Deidros, who had lived for hundreds of years and created the spectral sword, was puzzled.
“At least you’re not going to turn into a youkai, so we’ll let the matter of possession slide. It’s not something we’d even notice if we weren’t there anyway.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“More than that, I heard you helped us deal with the youkai den. When I went into the den, I saw that quite a few youkai had been slaughtered. That’s quite a talent.”
“I was just about to deal with them…”
“Don’t worry about disposing of them, we’ve got a crew working on the cleanup. It’s more than that, it’s an amazing talent. I was wondering if you’d be willing to join forces with us, we could save a lot more people if you did.”
“I like your suggestion, but I am currently affiliated with a different group…”
“…That’s a shame.”
“Even if I wasn’t, I have a group waiting for me, so I think I’ll call it a day.”
“I see, the nature of what we do doesn’t allow us to spread the word, but we’ll definitely remember your kindness this time, thank you.”
That was the end of the conversation with Jubei.
It seems that despite the twists and turns, things went according to plan.
Finally, I walked over to Soho, who I could see in the distance, and said goodbye.
“Well, Ms. Soho, I guess I’d better get going.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“Uh… We heard about it, and we didn’t realize how rude we were to someone who had done such a good job.”
Suddenly, the captain, who had been talking to Soho, takes a deep breath and hangs his head.
“Haha, you don’t have to take it to heart. From the sounds of it, there was a misunderstanding.”
I’d gotten the experience points I’d been looking for, and I’d gotten the Saint Path progression, so there was no reason to feel bad.
“But the left arm…”
I had blocked his sword with my left arm once before, when I was biding my time against them in the cave. He seemed to remember that and was worried.
“Oh, that’s…”
I took off the glove I was wearing on my left hand and showed him my prosthetic.
“……”
His eyes widen as he takes it in, realizing that instead of a clean hand, it’s a piece of scrap metal.
“A prosthetic hand…”
Soho, equally wide-eyed, mentions it.
“Don’t worry, there was no pain, let alone a wound.”
I flashed them a smile and turned away.
Even so, I was still thinking that I would have to face the demons sometime during my travels in the East.
Luckily, I was able to avoid a situation where the black ghosts turned against me because of my unintentional “good deed” and became suspicious.
If there’s one thing I regret, it’s that my Saint Path hasn’t reached 10 percent.
I find Keraph and Volk briefly before returning to the tent with the cadets.
“Mr. Zetto, you’re back.”
They were not far from the tents where the Academy’s cadets were staying.
“Is everything all right? I did as you asked and kept Volk in check, though I wouldn’t say I kept him… I just put him to bed.”
Keraph said, turning his head at the sound of Volk’s snoring. Volk was lying on his stomach, bloated from whatever it was he had eaten, sleeping soundly.
I could have taken them to the demon den, but I didn’t. Especially since Volk didn’t seem to be able to keep still when he saw the drooling youkai.
“It wasn’t all bad, I even met the Black Ghosts.”
It was purely for experience, but it was probably a good thing I didn’t take Keraph and Volk with me, as I encountered the Black Ghosts on the way.
“You encountered the Black Ghosts?”
“There was a misunderstanding, but it went well enough. More than that, there’s someone I’d like you to do a little research on before entering the Celestial Academy.”
“I’m listening.”
“Recently, there is someone collecting spectral swords and the Black Ghosts are investigating him. They call him the Spectral Collector.”
“Collecting spectral swords…”
“Keraph, would you like to hold my sword for a moment?”
“What? How can I…?”
“It’s okay, I need to check.”
After scratching his head, Keraph picked up the ‘Sierra’ from my waistband, and nothing happened to him.
“Hmm…”
“…Why did you do that?”
Keraf asked as he quickly released his grip on the sword.
I guess it’s true that demons aren’t affected by yogi. I did this because I don’t understand this spectral collector’s constitution.”
“I don’t know much about youkai or spectral swords… I think I need a more detailed explanation.”
“Just because you can handle a spectral sword doesn’t mean you can handle other people’s spectral swords, and yet this spectral collector is somehow getting away with it.”
“Does that mean…?”
“It’s possible that the Spectral Collector is a demon, and even if he isn’t, he probably has a constitution similar to that of demons. To summarize, he’s a monster in human form, one way or another.”
“Spectral Collector, I’ll get to work on that. What about Volk?”
“You can take him with you. I told him to protect you if anything dangerous happens, so you should be fine.”
No matter how weak Keraf was, with Volk by his side, he wouldn’t have to worry too much about being challenged by a bunch of creeps.
As for why I was so concerned about the spectral collector, his lack of information was one reason, but the main reason was the discomfort I felt from the tinnitus.
Not that spectral swords are a good thing to collect in the first place, but I dare say this guy isn’t a collector.
An extortionist, that’s the best way to describe him.
***
At the same time, a man was walking down a dark street.
The sword in his hand was dripping with a red liquid that had just been poured out of someone’s body.
A staggering gait, bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils. It was clear that the man was not even remotely sane.
“Blood… More blood…”
He wanted blood.
His body was filled with the soul of someone other than himself.
As he searched for another victim, his reddened eyes caught the image of a nameless figure walking across the road.
Blond hair, a rarity in the East and dark skin.
Any way you look at it, he was quite a striking figure in the East. The only thing that was Eastern about him was the clothes he was wearing and the ponytail he had tied back but there was no way a man in his right mind could tell the difference.
The blond man slashed his palm with a small dagger, squeezing out his own blood.
“You want blood?”
The blond man asks, holding out a hand dripping with blood.
“Blood……!”
Soon, the man, distraught at the sight of blood, lunges at the blonde, spraying him with saliva.
The blond man leisurely opened his mouth, the corners twitching upward.
“Why don’t you abandon your insignificant body and come to me, and I’ll give you all the blood you want.”
He was not speaking to the man who had lunged at him. He was speaking to the spirit that had taken over the man’s body.