CH 121

The Spirit Stone was at hand.

Riett made an effort to suppress her excitement as she took quick but cautious steps forward.

As she stepped on the melted snow and the sound of splashing water echoed in the narrow space, Riett didn’t even realize that her shoes were getting wet.

At the end of the narrow alley, a white light was emanating.

Riett was certain that the Spirit Stone was right there.

Step by step, as Riett extended her foot, the light grew stronger. And as she turned around the corner, Riett’s mouth opened weakly.

“….!”

A transparent stone floated in the air. The light inside it illuminated the surroundings with a noble brilliance.

Riett completely extinguished the light she had been emitting with Spirit Magic. She didn’t need any other light. The light within the stone was enough to illuminate the space.

Feeling the clear and warm aura as she approached, Riett was convinced that this beautiful presence was indeed the Spirit Stone.

〈So this is the Spirit Stone.〉

Mishan’s voice sounded.

Heart pounding.

Riett’s heart beat fiercely. The Spirit Stone that she had been searching for so desperately was finally right in front of her.

In a daze, Riett murmured to herself, ‘I guess this is it…’ and slowly reached out her hand.

Thunk!

With a loud noise, the wall was pierced. Amidst the hazy smoke, Perante appeared, who had somehow caught up with them.

‘Wow…’

Riett couldn’t help but admire Perante. His determination to obtain the Spirit Stone was truly remarkable.

But as she watched him, she felt not so much surprised as bored.

Perante absentmindedly brushed off the dirt and dust from his head.

“So that’s the Spirit Stone.” 

Riett simply looked at Perante.

Soon, as the smoke began to dissipate and visibility improved, Perante slowly extended his hand.

However, Riett, who had been observing the surroundings, caused a gust of wind within the cave, stirring up the dust that had settled on the ground.

The air became murky like muddy water once again.

Seizing the moment, Riett quickly reached out her hand toward the Spirit Stone.

‘I did it…!’

But a powerful gust of wind suddenly rose and struck the Spirit Stone, piercing through the turbid air.

The Spirit Stone, floating in mid-air, was sent flying by the strong wind and collided with the wall.

With a sharp crack, bright white light poured out. 

At the same time, the dazzling light engulfed Riett like a tidal wave, shining as brightly as the sun in the dark space.

* * *

Blink blink.

Riett’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

When she opened her eyes, Riett realized that she was lying in an unfamiliar, pure white space.

There was nothing in this space, and everything around her was pure white.

Riett needed some time to adapt to this artificially created space, which she had never seen before in her life.

‘Where am I…?’

Did she end up in heaven when the Spirit Stone exploded?

She vaguely remembered closing her eyes due to the blinding light that was too much to bear, but she had no memory of feeling any pain.

‘Well… I might have died instantly without feeling any pain.’

As Riett contemplated whether she had died, she noticed that someone was lying beside her, aside from herself.

A person with emerald green hair was weakly writhing on the ground.

‘…Perante is here too.’

The Perante who had been lying there like a corpse suddenly twitched his body. And with a long exhale, his eyelids fluttered.

Soon, light blue eyes of a faint color appeared.

“Where is this…?”

While Perante was trying to assess the situation, Riett bluntly interrupted him.

“Seeing that you’re here, it seems like this is definitely not heaven.”

In response to Riett’s grumbling voice, Perante turned his head towards her.

“What do you think you’re doing, shocking a spirit stone so ignorantly? That’s not what I had in mind.”

Riett brushed off Perante and got up from her spot. Then she looked around and shouted.

“Mishan, are you here?”

Silence hung in the air. Riett’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Instead of calling out again, Riett closed her eyes for a moment and imagined the wind blowing, as if trying to use Spirit Magic.

However, nothing happened.

‘What’s going on…?’

Could it be that she’s really dead?

But despite that, her body feels so exhausted. If she were dead, she wouldn’t feel any sensation, and her body would feel incredibly light.

Riett looked at Perante.

“Try summoning Avlam as well.”

Perante also seemed to think that something was amiss, so he stood up and quietly chanted the incantation for Avlam.

However, judging by the slight widening of his eyes, it seemed that there was still no response.

It appeared that he couldn’t use Spirit Magic like Riett. If he could, he would have attacked already.

‘Then what is this space exactly…?’

Curious, Riett looked around again, and at that moment…

“Huh…?”

She discovered a small floating light in the air.

Even though she was in a completely white space, it appeared distinct with a clear outline, as if it had a border.

As Riett slowly approached it, she heard a voice coming from the midst of the light.

〈It’s you, who covets my power.〉

It was a solemn voice. Judging by the voice alone, it seemed to belong to an elderly person.

In the cozy and comforting sensation emanating from the floating light, Riett realized that this speaking entity was the Spirit Stone.

“So you’re the Spirit Stone.”

〈Yes, I am the existence you have been searching for so desperately. But I didn’t expect you to find me in such a violent manner.〉

Riett glanced at Perante.

Breaking through the walls of the maze and creating a strong gust of wind to make the Spirit Stone fall and shatter…

It was only Perante who acted so recklessly, but Riett couldn’t appeal to the Spirit Stone, feeling unjust. She just let out a sigh.

Riett stared at the white light intently and realized that there was an order to it.

“What is your name?”

Riett asked, looking at the white light. The floating white light paused for a moment.

〈Name?〉

“Yes. It’s proper to ask for your name before demanding power from you.”

‘As someone who desires the power of the Spirit Stone, I should at least know who the original owner is.’

It wasn’t a question with significant meaning, but the Spirit Stone didn’t readily provide an answer as if it had heard a sensitive question.

As Riett wondered about it, the voice of the Spirit Stone echoed again.

〈I must have been asleep for too long.〉

After mumbling incomprehensible words, the Spirit Stone continued speaking.

〈To obtain my power, you must go through a test, you know?〉

Without revealing its name, the Spirit Stone posed another question.

“Yes.”

When the Spirit Stone asked Perante the same question, Perante answered, “Yes.”

“The test starts right here. I will present a problem, and you must find the corresponding answer beyond that door.”

The white light stretched out like an arm and pointed to a specific place.

Riett hadn’t noticed it until now, but there was a door in the place indicated by the light. The pure white door quietly concealed itself within the white space.

Riett and Perante turned their heads back to look at the white light.

Perante asked the Spirit Stone, 

“What is the problem?”

Riett was also naturally curious, so she pricked up her ears. What kind of problem would the Spirit Stone present?

After a pause, the Spirit Stone spoke in a solemn voice.

〈You have come to find my name.〉

Riett and Perante blinked for a moment.

‘Finding its name…?’

〈I have been asleep for so long that I can’t remember my name well. That’s why I became curious when you asked. What my name was.〉

Riett finally understood the reason why the Spirit Stone didn’t answer earlier and instead turned the question around. It was because it couldn’t remember its name.

However, it was perplexing. She never expected the test to be so abstract.

It seemed that Perante felt the same way. There was a trace of confusion on his clean forehead.

〈Neither of you can use Spirit Magic. This test is solely for the owner of the Spirit Stone, which means it is a test of your abilities.〉

That’s why she hasn’t heard Mishan’s voice all this time. Riett now understood why Mishan had suddenly disappeared. It seemed that access by the spirits themselves was blocked.

〈Both of you start here without any advantage, neither the spirits nor weapons. The one who finds the answer first will pass the test.〉

Perante asked with a serious expression, 

“…What if neither of us finds the answer?”

〈Then I will retreat and hide somewhere deep. You won’t be able to find me easily.〉

As Riett and Perante stood there with dark expressions, the voice of the Spirit Stone resonated again.

〈Well, if you don’t have any more questions, let’s start the test.〉

Riett and Perante lifted their heads.

〈Go through that door and find a boy living with an old woman. That boy will be the start of finding the answer.〉

To find the boy.

Riett clenched her fist, remembering the words of the Spirit Stone. Perante’s expression was also extremely intense.

〈Good luck, then.〉

As the voice of the Spirit Stone faded away, a flash enveloped them from the door. Riett and Perante disappeared beyond the door in an instant.

Observing their departure, the Spirit Stone murmured.

〈…It’s been a long time since someone asked for my name.〉

* * *

When they emerged from the door, the scenery they saw was both familiar and unfamiliar.

‘Where…?’

The place they were standing in was the central area of the capital city of the Truto Empire.

However, the buildings had a slightly different appearance. They looked more outdated.

The originally paved stone streets were covered with plain dirt, and the colorful shop signs that were meant to stand out among the numerous stores now had a strangely simple design.

Perante also seemed unable to find an answer to this strange sight, furrowing his brow.

Then, Perante clenched his fist, just like before using powerful Spirit Magic. Even though Riett knew that neither of them could use Spirit Magic here, she couldn’t help but flinch.

The intense battle they had just experienced vividly resurfaced in her mind.

Perante had genuinely tried to kill her.

When she spoke with the Spirit Stone, she wasn’t as angry, but now that she was alone with Perante, her anger welled up again.

Riett approached Perante resolutely.

“How can a person do something like that?”

Perante’s blue eyes, which had been scanning the city, focused on Riett standing in front of him.

“What are you talking about?”

“You tried to kill me as soon as our cooperation ended.”

“As I said, it’s better not to have any competitors.”

Although they ended up taking the test together due to bad timing, Riett’s impression of Perante turned hostile as he quietly responded.

“Is it because of the Spirit Stone that you can’t see anything? How can a person go to such lengths!”

“I need the Spirit Stone.”

“To the point where it doesn’t matter if a person dies? That’s why I won’t hand it over to you. I can see what would happen if the Spirit Stone fell into the hands of someone like you.”

Riett stared at Perante without blinking, her anger growing.

They both couldn’t use Spirit Magic now, so she considered hitting him once, but she held herself back.

She didn’t want to become the same kind of person.

Riett calmed her anger, placing her hand on her waist, and looked around again.

‘…But what is this place?’

Looking at the geography, it was the capital city, but the more she looked, the more it differed from what she knew.

Then, from nearby, she heard the voice of a boy promoting a newspaper.

“Everyone! Do you know? There’s something worth celebrating in the Truto Empire!”

Something worth celebrating?

Curious, Riett listened as the boy delivering newspapers handed her one and spoke cheerfully.

“The Crown Prince has been born! His name is Leopold! The celebration party for the birth of the Crown Prince will be held next month. You can find the details in the newspaper!”

Leopold…?

‘If it’s Leopold, it’s the name of the current Emperor…’

But he was just born now…?

Riett finally realized it.

This place was the Truto Empire, a fragment of the past.