Episode 26. Emperor Coronation Ceremony (3)
“I, the Spirit King?”
He appeared out of nowhere and said that he almost became the Spirit King, which was ridiculous for Chris.
“To be precise, the Spirit King wasn’t good enough. He couldn’t take that position. I heard that the World Tree is the Spirit King that I personally designated.”
Existence crossed its arms as if regretting it and licked its lips.
“I heard that there is no such thing as rank for the King of Spirits.”
“If there was no rank, there would not have been a class division. Ever since I had a personality, I wanted to be a king. I wanted to see that scene where everyone groaned. But in the end I didn’t see it.”
Existence spoke as if it were recalling nostalgic memories.
“Because the Spirit King could only be recognized by the World Tree.”
Looking at the shadow that meekly told everything, Chris couldn’t figure out what the plan was.
But contrary to Chris’ complex thoughts, the shadow had no intention of hiding itself from the beginning.
If Chris went around talking about this, he would just kill him, and he thought it was a process he had to go through even for the sake of a contract.
‘If the Demon King hadn’t given orders, I wouldn’t have signed a contract with such an insignificant bastard.’
The shadow looked at Chris disapprovingly.
‘But he is currently the most influential person in the Empire. This guy is worth using.’
“To be recognized as the World Tree just because you were born two hundred years early. Doesn’t it look like a beggar?”
“Well, then…… If the spirit king wasn’t good enough, he would be a high-level spirit……. Why do you feel demonic energy in your body?”
“That’s it…… I’m a spirit, but I’m a demon.”
“!”
‘Evils, demons!?’
Chris was so startled that he forgot to breathe with his mouth wide open. At that naked reaction, the existence laughed as if it were amused.
“Uh, why did you come to me?”
“I told you. He said he came to kill Prause.”
“Isn’t it possible to do it alone? If you are close to the spirit king…….”
“I can do it. But that’s not the purpose.”
“Then…… ?”
“Don’t you think that is absurd?”
The shadow sits down on the bed. Chris was wary of the sudden remark.
“I think humans should continue to enslave other races. Who benefits if you make so many sacrifices and let it go lightly? You are the next emperor. You’re not the only one hurting.”
“That… but… ….”
“If you look closely, even Emperor Lufen is a fool. Yes?”
Despite openly disrespecting his father, Chris said nothing. In fact, it was because he too thought his father an idiot.
“Looks like I made you suffer after a storm for no reason. He didn’t even clean up the sh*t he bought. Right?”
“… ….”
Chris felt as if the shadow read his thoughts and spoke for them. He felt a strange liking for the unknown being who poured out only the words he wanted to say.
“And Prause is the cause of it all. How annoying If it wasn’t for Praus, the Empire could have ruled other races for hundreds of years.”
“…… Okay. It was all because of Prause.”
In the end, Chris, who was taken aback by the sweet words, hit the bed. The corners of the mouth of the shadow that saw it went up.
In fact, even before the shadow revealed itself to Chris, it was using the spirit’s unique communication skill. The more the story was mixed, the more familiar it felt, so that the contract could not be rejected.
In the end, the contract could only be fulfilled with mutual consent.
“Abama is like that too. Why Prause…… !”
“Prause is the evil of the Empire. He must be killed.”
“If I make a contract with you, are you sure I can kill Prause?”
“Of course not. If killing him isn’t enough, it might bring regret to other races who have escaped the Empire’s grip.”
It was the deal Chris had been longing for. He couldn’t help but be tempted.
But even if you have a good rapport, he is usually cautious. He was always the one who doubted the number of cases and came to a conclusion after examining them.
“But if I make a contract with you, won’t demonic energy come out of my body? If anyone gets caught by those who can see mana…….”
“Ugh, don’t worry. Before I was a demon, I was a spirit. There’s nothing wrong with hiding magic. I can use 100% of my power even without using magic.”
“Is that so? Then I would like to put one more condition before signing the contract.”
‘Ah… This bastard is so picky.’
Seeing how he didn’t let go of his doubts even after communicating, I realized how much he usually doesn’t trust others.
“What is it?”
“Promise me the safety of the empire. I will be the Emperor of the Empire. We cannot make choices that endanger the empire.”
“That sounds like you don’t trust me? In the first place, I’m going to give you the power to kill Prause. Isn’t it too much to ask for more here?”
“If you promise me, I will sign the contract right away.”
“The safety of the Empire…… I mean……. Okay. I will never harm the Empire.”
It was only after the shadow raised both hands to prove that it was harmless that Chris’ expression filled with relief.
‘By the way, this guy is quite courageous. Even though I’m holding my life, I thought I’d recite the terms of the contract in reverse. Fun. It’ll be worth playing with for a while.’
Chris was aware that he was being used, but he couldn’t refuse the shadow’s offer. Because even with all the moves he had, he couldn’t find a way to f*ck Prause.
‘I can see that this guy is trying to use me. Then I’ll be fine if I use the same. After all, the best part of a spirit contract is the contractor.’
“What is your name?”
“Lagor.”
“Lagor… …. I will make a contract with you.”
“Okay. As long as the contract is upheld, I will not harm the Empire. Don’t you worry?”
At the moment you snap your fingers, a magic circle spreads over the bed. The dark purple magic circle emits light and becomes as small as Chris’ hand. It was engraved on the back of his hand as if it were attached to it.
“The contract is complete. From now on, you can use my powers at will. Congratulations.”
With those words, light began to permeate the whole body that was covered in darkness.
Chris winces when the figure of a man with dark purple hair is revealed.
Facing his face with a sharp impression, I shook his head vigorously with the sense of being confused.
“…… What attribute does this symbol represent?”
I asked while looking at the pattern engraved on the back of his hand.
On the back of his hand was a pattern that looked like he was burning wood.
Chris has met many spirit contractors, but he has never seen such a pattern in his life. Usually, it was because when he signed a contract with a spirit, a pattern representing an attribute appeared.
“Oh, that? I don’t mean any property. That is my goal.”
“What is that…….”
“Because I am a spirit who wants mana to disappear from this world. Without mana, am I the strongest among spirits?”
Lagor whispered in his ear and burst into laughter.
“Oh, that’s right. FYI, I don’t have properties. I can use all attributes perfectly.”
“Are all elemental spirits?”
“Yes. Then, good luck in the future. Contractor. Let’s kill Prause together.”
Chris looked at Lagor’s outstretched hand for a while before grabbing it.
Chris felt something was wrong, but he knew there was no going back once the contract was fulfilled.
‘Abama, let me show you. What I did that you couldn’t do. Prause will die by my hand.’
* * *
“Master, how long do I have to stay here?”
Tina asked, sitting on the roof, yawning.
“Currently, nobles and knights are gathering in the imperial palace for the emperor’s coronation ceremony. As soon as it is over, we will have a parade around the capital, Pretium.”
To be honest, I wanted to see the coronation ceremony in person, but since I was a commoner, I couldn’t go there. Of course, it could be done by force, but I didn’t want to create a useless conflict.
Anyway, it was enough to ask Tori about the coronation ceremony.
“Master, I am hungry. Can I eat at least some food?”
“It’s time to come out by now.”
The door to the imperial palace opens before I can finish my words. The people who saw it faced the huge carriage holding their breath. On top of the carriage, Chris was wearing a crown and a red cloak.
“It is announced that His Highness, Crown Prince Chris Aether Pretium, has officially become His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire!!”
As if answering someone’s voice through a loudspeaker, a voice burst out from among the crowd.
“Your Majesty the Emperor Chris!!”
“Long live Emperor Chris!!”
In the capital, Pretium, countless people were standing and shouting at every street corner. There was no other way than waving hands and running wildly.
Behind the march of knights, a huge carriage adorned with ornate jewels moves. Chris, on top of the wagon, looked down at the crowd and waved his hand lightly.
Above the sky, wizards, led by the master of magic, were flying through the air, preparing for any unexpected situation.
“You are very vocal.”
How much money do you spend…….
I don’t know if it’s natural to invest this much since the head of the empire is changing.
“That’s strange.”
“Yes. Strange.”
I turned my head at the voices of the warriors next to me. The warriors were staring at Chris with furrowed eyebrows.
“Master.”
“What is it?”
“The prince’s mana has increased since a few days ago.”
“…… What?”
“It’s not a huge increase, but… …. It has definitely increased.”
Your mana is increasing?
Did you receive training from the guild leader in the past few days?
Basically, children of the royal family were born with talent, so they were quick to adapt to swordsmanship or magic.
However, it was questionable whether that could be accomplished in a matter of days.
If mana increases even though you haven’t trained, there are only two possible cases.
It was either a contract with a spirit or a transaction with a demon. However, in the case of dealing with demons, it was easy to notice the sense of incongruity because demons came out.
“Iris.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Can you see Magi?”
“Magi is invisible.”
So you’re saying you signed a contract with a spirit?
It is common to see contracts with spirits in this world, and it could happen suddenly one day. However, if he had intended to make a spirit contract, he would have done it years ago.
There was no reason to do it now. What the hell are you up to?
“Ariel, can you tell me which spirit Chris contracted with?”
“If you are among the wind spirits, you will know… …. At least the divine protection dwelling in his body is not wind.”
Then I had no choice but to ask the hero to summon the Spirit King. There’s no way Chris suddenly signed a spirit contract. There will definitely be an inside story.
Are you going to do something stupid already?
As expected, I felt regret that I should have prevented Chris from becoming emperor.
“Children, manifest the spirit kings.”
First of all, you need to know which spirit you made a contract with. If you haven’t made a contract with any spirits, you should question the magic guild leader.
If I ever really made a contract with that spirit, I had no choice but to kill him.