IBML 29

Chapter 29

I squeezed my eyes shut. The light that exploded like fireworks enveloped me and the spirits.

As soon as the light wrapped around me, an immense shock surged in. It felt as if my head might have burst as well.

It was like thousands upon thousands of thorns were tearing through my entire body.

My ears rang, and my body felt weightless, as if I weren’t touching the ground.

I felt nothing. My fingertips were numb, and even my tongue felt dull.

Is this what it feels like to drift across a vast ocean, or perhaps through space itself?

It seemed as though my brain’s functions were miserably dying over countless, uncountable moments.

Terrified, I instinctively reached out my hand.

White, black, blue, red—and crucially, warm things—pressed deeply against my fingertips.

And then they burst out.

I felt the sensation vividly. My senses had returned. They flooded back all at once.

Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch…

All of it mixed together and hit me. It was worse than motion sickness from teleporting.

I clutched my stomach and sank to my knees, then vomited everything inside me.

“Uwaaahhhh…”

Once emptied, my stomach felt somewhat relieved, but my body still couldn’t fully adjust to the returned sensations and wobbled unsteadily.

I collapsed onto the bed, my vision still spinning. Kahisa stuck out her tongue and licked me.

Riventa and Arhana teamed up to clean the floor. I looked at them with a hint of guilt. But their appearances had changed slightly.

“A flying… mermaid?”
[Luckily it’s the fish side for the lower body, right?]

Arhana had evolved into a mermaid. That was true.

It would have been a bit bizarre if her upper body were the fish instead. Arhana wriggled her tail and spoke.

[By the way, why is the mermaid wearing a seashell bra? In fairy tales, mermaids never had this.]
‘Hmm… it’s fine to just remove it.’

It was the result of my crude imagination, influenced by media from my past life.

Arhana cheerfully tore the seashell from her chest. My eyes widened again.

‘Wait… you’re male?’
[Spirits don’t have a gender. So a masculine form would be the most fitting expression. And she’s always been this way.]
‘How would I know that? Well… fine, a male form is possible.’
[Hehe, right?]

I looked at Riventa. She had transformed from a multicolored bird into a peacock.

[Isn’t this a male trait? I wanted a female form.]
‘Ah, sorry…’

A spirit’s evolved form depended on the summoner.

Spirits manifested based on the unconscious thoughts and images the summoner had about them.

I had once imagined Arhana as a mermaid to make her look cooler in a fish-related form, and Riventa had once appeared as a peacock because of her feather colors.

‘Should I change them now?’
[What nonsense.]

Riventa flicked her tail feathers and spoke.

[Hmm, it’s not bad, so it’s fine.]
‘I understand it’s a female form now. I won’t forget.’
[Good. I’ll trust you.]

Next, I looked at Shuiban.

For reference, Kahisa hadn’t evolved yet due to her lack of experience.

However, her tail flicking vigorously seemed to show she was in a good mood.

[I remain the same.]

Shuiban wore a somewhat grumpy expression.
[No, I’ll try to change Rasha’s perception.]
‘Alright.’

I smiled warmly, glanced at the spirits again, and reopened my book.

It was about how to hide intermediate spirits.

‘So this is why I was told to evolve them first.’

I tried using their abilities one by one.

Since they were now intermediate spirits, their speed was faster, and their powers stronger.

I wrapped the spirits in concealment magic.

[The form is perfect! Rasha, didn’t you evolve them to advanced?]

Kahisa praised me with a smile. I fixed the wind that wrapped the spirits in place.

It was a combination of concealment and movement magic.

With intermediate spirits, I could combine multiple abilities into a single force.

“So that’s how you apply it.”
[Feeling better now?]
‘Yeah. It’s convenient when you apply it.’

I tried using the fire spirit’s abilities. Having gone through evolution once, I had no trouble adapting to its element.

Purification, exorcism, eruption, intense heat—my main skill was exorcism.

It was like gaining an additional attack method. Kahisa clung to me and said,

[But it only works on bad guys.]
‘That’s fine. There are plenty of bad guys in the world.’

After thoroughly studying the encyclopedia, I felt like a spirit expert.

The author was very knowledgeable and clearly passionate about spirits.

I also realized that beyond concealment and movement, combinations like protection, dwelling, absorption-evaporation, and absorption-cooling were very convenient.

With even a little focus, I could see noticeable growth in abilities, making training satisfying.

I yawned and followed Lekalin as we set out.

The thought of meeting the emperor in person made my body tense automatically.

On the way to the conference hall for the regular meeting, Riventa pecked at me with her beak.

[Try using insight magic toward the garden.]
‘Why all of a sudden? Alright, fine.’

I used my insight magic toward the garden.

Voices carried on the wind.

A sharp, high-pitched voice and a laid-back, oily voice.

It sounded like a man and woman were arguing.

‘What’s going on?’

I wanted to run to the garden, but I hesitated—if it was a love quarrel, it would be awkward.

At that moment, Lekalin urged me on.

“Assistant, we’ll be late if we linger.”

The foreign minister had moved up the meeting’s start time by thirty minutes because the emperor was coming. Thirty minutes was already a compromise by Lekalin.

Damn that foreign minister. I nodded and followed quickly.

The conversation carried through insight magic grew louder.

It seemed like someone might get hurt.

I walked toward the conference hall with some concern.

The meeting began in a solemn, serious atmosphere.

The emperor appeared before the highly tense officials.

He wore full ceremonial armor. A golden sash draped over his shoulder, and a red cloak hung in layers. The golden buttons glittered under the lights.

His tunic and pants were both white. It would be disastrous if kimchi soup splashed on them.

Speaking of kimchi, I craved it. There were plenty of spicy dishes here, and the meals at the Peacock Manor were delicious, but kimchi was a different story.

Damn, now I also wanted jajangmyeon and seasoned fried chicken.

I swallowed my saliva quietly in distress. The emperor, scanning the room, spoke.

“Last year, I appeared at the regular meeting a month later than scheduled.”

Everyone sat politely, attentive, legs together, ears perked. His smooth, sly low voice filled the hall.

“The reason I left the palace somewhat abruptly was to inform you all of something.”

At that moment, the chancellor asked what it was. It flowed like a prearranged scene.

At the emperor’s next words, everyone held their breath.

“I’ve heard that lately, everyone has been purchasing luxury items. Excessive luxury is not good.”

Suddenly, a reprimand? A brief stir ran through the crowd.

He had rushed out of the palace just to scold them.

But his next words left everyone speechless.

“Concealing wealth will result in immediate confiscation if discovered by the treasury.”
“……”
“Intentionally failing to report wealth to the state could even be seen as a form of treason.”
“……”
“I trust you all. Will you live up to that trust?”

Everyone promised to live frugally and uphold integrity.

Of course—they all knew the previous emperor had been purged for treason.

Ten years had passed since this emperor ascended the throne. The purge had occurred a decade ago.

Yet the mere word “traitor” made the assembly stir.

Many had entered politics after the purge, but those holding positions now had all witnessed it firsthand.

The eldest, the Minister of Justice, raised her voice the loudest.

Her deeply etched wrinkles trembled slightly.

I exhaled deeply amidst the commotion.

He had deliberately used the extreme word “treason,” subtly emphasizing it.

Surely the letter Lekalin delivered wasn’t just about refraining from luxury purchases?

I rolled my eyes and found the emperor watching me intently.

His wine-colored eyes were fixed on me, unrelenting.

Why?

I tried to feign the burdened small-town citizen and averted my gaze.

Violets glanced at me with a sly face, then turned her head.

The hall had become as noisy as a marketplace.

The chancellor glanced at the emperor and tapped his gavel.

“Quiet, quiet!”

The hall cooled rapidly. In the now quiet room, the emperor spoke familiarly.

“Let’s begin the meeting.”

The meeting quickly ended. Just before it adjourned, the emperor secretly instructed Lekalin to stay behind. I ended up staying too.

Why me?

While I stood there dazed, the emperor pulled a nearby chair and told Lekalin to sit.

He gestured for me to sit as well, so I hesitantly stood behind Lekalin.

“Why don’t you sit?”
“Thank you, but merely being here is already too much for me.”

The emperor, somewhat losing interest, turned his head back to Lekalin.

He seemed fickle, interested one moment, bored the next.

“Assistant, step outside for a moment.”
“Yes.”

After about thirty minutes, Lekalin emerged. I could hear their voices now, likely after the soundproof barrier was lifted.

The emperor spoke in a voice tinged with regret.

“Already leaving?”
“Miss Casildan is probably waiting in the garden. Perhaps you should go find her.”

Miss Casildan?

A light bulb went off in my head.

Could it be that the loud voice I heard in the garden earlier was Miss Casildan?

I stiffened.

Miss Casildan was the villain in the original story.