LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 139
I snapped out of my daze before Wishit did.
“You, right now—”
Just as I was about to grab hold of him, realizing I couldn’t let him slip away again…
Thunk!
Wishit, who seemed even more startled than I was, snapped his fingers and disappeared in an instant.
“Ah!”
He vanished right before my eyes.
I furrowed my brow and clutched my head. “He ran away again, again!!”
I felt a sudden surge of irritation and fear.
“No, but seriously, what was that just now?” I asked myself and answered myself. “It’s his true form.”Wishit, or rather, the true form of the “Spirit King,” must be what I just saw. Considering how surprised he seemed by the sudden transformation, it was probably not something he did willingly.
“Now, let’s think, Rubette.” I sat on the bed, massaging my throbbing head.
Wishit, who had been by my side the whole time, had taken on the appearance of a red-haired teenager who bore a striking resemblance to me.
Of course, the act of concealing his true form was magic in itself, and maintaining this disguise must have been draining for Wishit. Whether it was the monstrous appearance when we first met or when he transformed into Kedrick or Lark, it was all the same.
‘But changing his appearance on the surface wasn’t that big of a deal, was it?’
Wishit’s expressions gave away so much that it was easy to pick up on such things.
I had thought he kept changing his form because he believed I found his monstrous true form terrifying…
“Yeah, that monster wasn’t his real form either, right? He’s just a bunch of lies from the beginning.”
Well, there was no way someone as powerful as a Spirit King would have a terrifyingly grotesque form.
“No, but seriously, why? Why go through all the trouble? Why hide that handsome face?”
I couldn’t understand, so I spread both my palms and threw unanswered questions into the air.
But soon, I nodded as I understood Wishit’s thoughts.
Even in the midst of my astonishment, his appearance was so overwhelming that it could easily capture one’s attention in an instant.
“Yeah, well, I can roughly guess why. Just looking at the appearance would have given it away.”
His mystical and splendid appearance was undoubtedly fit for a Spirit King. So, the reason he unintentionally revealed his hidden true form was probably…
“This is bad.”
With a 99% probability, it must be because some aspect of his ‘power’ had run out to the point where he couldn’t even maintain a simple spell to conceal his appearance.
***
Rubette’s sharp suspicions surprisingly turned out to be all correct.
Wishit, who had fled hurriedly to the Fountain, stood there dumbfounded, looking down at his outstretched hand. It was an unfamiliar sight even to himself because he hadn’t seen it for so long.
“Haah…”
The true form of the Spirit King, known only to Descarde I and Diollus I, the founders of the empire.
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
Wishit quietly raised his head.
A massive tree was speaking to him. It was Wilkin, the spirit in charge of order. There was no trace of remorse on the woman’s face as the thick tree trunk twisted upward.
The One Who Had Used ‘All’ His Strength.
Wishit.
Wishit stared quietly at the inscriptions carved on the tree trunk.
“You couldn’t even maintain a simple disguise spell due to your depleted strength.”
“Yeah, it seemed that way.”
“If you had continued in that state, you wouldn’t have been able to fulfill the remaining two wishes of the contract, and the contract would have been severed. So, I urgently withdrew the power you were using. Please forgive me.”
“No, thank you.”
It was absurd that a mere spirit could withdraw the power of the Spirit King, but it was possible because Diollus I, the first contractee of the Spirit King, had decided it, and it was a power granted directly by the Spirit King.
“It seems you ran away out of surprise, but you’ll have to face it sooner or later. When the contractee summons, you must go out in this form.”
It was a request not to use even a very simple power to hide his true form.
“Understood.”
Wishit’s body slumped against Wilkin’s base. He rested his back and lowered his head wearily. Rubette seemed quite surprised, but she wasn’t immediately summoning Wishit back.
She must have a lot on her mind too.
“Sigh.”
A sigh escaped from Wishit’s lips as he closed his eyes.
“What do you plan to do?” Wilkin asked.
“What?”
“To be honest, I would like it if things went the way Pose wants.”
“What did you say?” Wishit glared at Wilkin. “Considering you’ve been granted powers in exchange for maintaining order and neutrality, you shouldn’t be saying such things.”
“Hearing the word ‘neutrality’ from your mouth sounds absurd, you know?” Wilkin didn’t mince words and shot back, causing Wishit’s mouth to shut tight. “You’re the one who have no conscience, breaking everything in the name of order and neutrality just because of one human…”
“…”
“What Pose wants is not something different. What he’s trying to do is exactly what your contractee desired—the freedom of spirits. No longer coexisting with humans.”
“Human, or more precisely, if it weren’t for Descarde I, the founder of this empire, and my contractee Diollus I, we would have already perished. The great contract is a reward for them.”
“Have we not done enough for them? We’ve been supporting humans for a very long time.” Wilkin added, “Stop making excuses and speak straightforwardly. The meaning of repayment to humans has all faded away now. You’re the only one who doesn’t want to part ways with your contractee, so you’re maintaining this relationship.”
“Wilkin, you.” Wishit frowned and locked eyes with Wilkin. “Fix your habit of speaking the truth plainly. Rubette said that talking like that is a form of violence.”
Her occasional muttering about ‘fact violence’… probably referred to Wilkin’s sharp remark right now.
“That kid…” Wishit clenched his fist and stared straight ahead. “… said she’ll never make the final wish.”
“That’s so she can stay with you forever, right? Wow, what a tearful friendship. Sob, sob.”
“Don’t mock it.”
“You must be delighted. Even if she doesn’t make the final wish, maybe she’ll use it to set you free… So you can stay by her side until she dies, right?”
Wishit looked at Wilkin again, his expression unreadable. As someone who had existed for countless years, Wilkin seemed to easily see through the Spirit King’s innermost thoughts.
Even if Rubette had released him from the constraints that bound him, granting him freedom, Wishit had no intention of leaving her side.
“A spirit who doesn’t desire freedom! A spirit who wants to be bound to the contractee forever! How beautiful and heartfelt this love is!”
“Do you want a punch?”
“I’m curious.”
For a moment, Wilkin’s voice became serious.
“You’ve waited for a very long time, and you’ll continue to wait. For the sake of that human, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do. Because of this, you’re at odds with Pose, who used to be your favorite.”
“…”
“I’ve never made a contract with a human, so I don’t know what the spirits who devote themselves to humans feel. That’s why I’m curious.” Wilkin asked, “Why do you obsess over this human so much? What does she mean to you? What emotions do you feel for this human?”
“…”
After a long silence, Wishit quietly replied, “You want to know what emotions I feel for her?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t put it into words.”
“Pardon?”
“At first, I thought I liked the foolishly kind and fragile fragment of a soul in her so much.”
That was the case with Diollus I from the distant past and Rubetria Diollus the timid noblewoman. So when he met a soul fragment that was a bit different, more ambitious and moderately selfish, he had doubts if he could love her as much.
But…
“No, that wasn’t it. I love every aspect of her, every moment of her life, every part of her existence, very dearly.”
“Wow…”
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not in the romantic sense of love that humans talk about. I used the closest word because I couldn’t find one to express it properly.”
“…”
“It’s more complicated than that, something that can never be put into words…” Wishit, with his eyes closed tightly, added, “The word that would describe the emotions I feel for her may never be created.”
“You’re relentless.”
Wilkin, with a tongue-click, stared at Wishit silently.
If the king’s heart was like that, everything would be in vain.
‘Sigh, it seems we’ll have to coexist with humans forever~’
Wilkin swallowed a sigh and said, “Vista came to me recently after seeing the future and warned me.”
“What?”
“Pose’s plan to exterminate the noble and Diollus bloodlines will fail spectacularly. So don’t fret too much.”
“Well, not that surprising of a future.” While responding calmly, Wishit secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Of course, there have been unfortunate sacrifices.”
“What?”
“Oh, don’t be so shocked. Your contractee will be perfectly fine.”
“…”
Wilkin had a reason for bringing this up.
“You don’t care as long as your contractee is safe, right?”
A tense expression crossed Wishit’s face as he subtly inquired, “Who will die?”
For a brief moment, perhaps because of a small breeze passing through them, Wilkin’s voice became indistinct.
“——’s contractee. This empire’s ——”