CH 117

Riett stared at Perante for a moment, her expression frozen. It was hard for her to believe that they had the same thought.

“…Why do you want to cooperate with me?”

“Because you destroyed the glacier cave in Parman, didn’t you, Duchess Marren?”

“How did you…?”

“That day, Avlam felt the fluctuation of spirit energy. I went back to the glacier and discovered the collapsed cave. That’s when I was certain that the Spirit Stone was there.”

Perante closed and opened his eyes slowly.

“And it’s still somewhere nearby.”

Riett realized why Perante had been so confident when he had his sword pointed at her. Since they had to join forces anyway, he knew that attacking recklessly wouldn’t be possible.

With a grip on the end of the sword, Perante spoke.

“You seem to have something to say. Let’s put this sword aside for now.”

But Evan’s eyes remained untrusting and unmoving.

“If you can’t trust my words, I can call Avlam to confirm. Spirits don’t lie.”

Riett waved her hand.

“Enough. Evan, give me the sword.”

Finally, Evan lowered the sword. Perante brushed the area where the sword had touched his neck. Although no blood was drawn and no injury occurred, his reddened skin appeared somewhat irritated.

Perante gestured towards the table by the window.

“Shall we sit down and talk?”

* * *

“Whew. I didn’t originally plan to come at such a late hour, but I had a hard time finding this place. My sense of direction is quite poor, you see.”

Seated in the chair, Perante leaned comfortably against the backrest. As Riett sat down and calmly faced her adversary, she couldn’t deny that the situation had needlessly escalated.

If Perante had explained things properly from the beginning, there wouldn’t have been a need to brandish the dagger or for it to be broken…

The recent events flashed through Riett’s mind, and her crimson eyes glinted.

“Come to think of it, why did you break my dagger?”

“I had no choice. If I didn’t get rid of the weapon, you would have continued to attack.”

Still…!

The dagger that disappeared due to a misunderstanding lingered in her mind.

Riett resolved to buy a new dagger, her eyes moist with tears.

For now, let’s focus on the current situation.

With a clear mind, Riett spoke up.

“You want to work together?”

She had intended to make the same proposal to Perante. That’s why she had sent Mishan to find him and establish contact.

However, Perante had come first and made the proposal she had planned to make.

‘Then Mishan’s efforts are in vain.’

He’s probably still traveling all over the continent, searching for Avlam.

“To awaken the Spirit Stone, which is likely sleeping somewhere in the snowy region, a strong stimulus is needed. It seems like a difficult task for me alone.”

Riett was once again surprised.

Perante had the same chilling thought as her.

Do the spirit mages generally have similar thoughts…?

A crimson desire glimmered in Perante’s blue eyes.

“It wasn’t something I could just sit back and watch. We’re not the only spirit mages in the world, you know? Instead of letting someone else take it away, I thought it would be better for one of us, either you or me, to become the owner of the Spirit Stone, even if it meant cooperating with you.”

Hmm… Up to this point, Perante’s thoughts aligned with her, but what comes next is important.

“When the Spirit Stone reacts in the snowfield and we discover its exact location, what happens next?”

In response to Riett’s question, Perante smiled faintly.

“That’s when we become enemies again.”

Gulp. It was a predicted outcome, but it made Riett nervous for no reason.

Although she couldn’t use spirit magic without Mishan, Perante’s power was formidable just by seeing it.

Could she defeat such a person?

Riett’s gaze lowered slightly. Then, a heavy sensation and warmth enveloped her shoulders. When she raised her head, it was Evan’s touch.

‘Evan….’

Even with vague reassurance, Riett felt that Evan accurately grasped her emotions.

In Evan’s affectionate gaze, there was trust. It felt like something was resonating deep within her chest.

No matter how much her feelings for Evan had changed, could they change so dramatically all of a sudden?

‘Well… is it sudden?’

Come to think of it, whenever Evan threw a word or two during difficult moments, she found solace in them.

As if responding to Evan’s trust, Riett stared firmly at Perante.

“Alright, Perante. Until we find the Spirit Stone, let’s cooperate.”

Perante let out a satisfied laugh.

“Yes. That’s when the true owner of the Spirit Stone will be born.”

The owner of the Spirit Stone.

Just the title alone carried a deep sense of weight. If one gained power akin to authority, it should be used for a good cause.

Riett had been deeply contemplating this recently.

If she were to possess the power of the Spirit Stone, where and how would she use it?

Power comes with responsibility.

One thing was certain: even looking at Mishan’s eyes shining brightly, Riett had no intention of using the power of the Spirit Stone frivolously.

It was difficult to entertain such thoughts when faced with Mishan’s gaze, which shimmered with a burdensome intensity.

While Riett was momentarily lost in thoughts of Mishan, Perante looked around and asked.

“By the way, where is your spirit? Avlam said he didn’t seem to be nearby. You also didn’t use spirit magic earlier, did you?”

Riett didn’t want to mention that she had sent him to look for Perante and their paths had crossed.

It felt like revealing a weakness in front of the enemy.

With a casual smile, Riett shrugged her shoulders.

“…Taking a walk.”

“A walk?”

Perante raised an eyebrow. Riett casually responded.

“Yeah, I sent Mishan for a walk because I thought he might be frustrated. I do care about spirit welfare, you know.”

Perante blinked and then chuckled softly.

“I see. I should also pay more attention to Avlam’s welfare.”

With those words, Perante stood up from his seat.

As he stood up, the sound of broken light fragments being stepped on echoed.

As the conversation came to an end, the scenery inside the room seemed to come into focus. The room was a mess. The previous gust had shattered all the lights, the bed frame had collapsed, and the wooden floor had numerous cracks. 

The debris was scattered all over the floor.

Riett glared at Perante, who had made the room like this.

“…”

“Haha, I’m sorry.” 

Perante awkwardly chuckled.

Despite that, Perante, perhaps with a hint of conscience, used spirit magic to clean up the room before leaving. While the broken items couldn’t be helped, with the disappearance of the fragments, the room regained some semblance of order.

Perante, who seemed fully prepared to leave, placed his foot on the windowsill. It appeared that he would leave from there since he had come in that way.

Perante half-turned his body and looked at Riett and Evan.

“I’ll see you in Parman.”

Riett was about to nod her head when she realized she had an unanswered question for him. Perante was about to leave after the greeting, Riett hurriedly spoke up.

“Perante.”

His footsteps halted, and Perante turned back to look at her.

His long hair, the color of young foliage, swayed gently in the wind. Though he exuded an aura and appearance reminiscent of a woodland spirit, there was something different within.

Considering the fact that he had used Riett as a spy to obtain the Spirit Stone, it was clear.

Even the sight of his longing for the Spirit Stone, which she had witnessed during their conversation earlier, was difficult to accept as pure.

Riett stared at Perante.

“What do you plan to do when you obtain the Spirit Stone?”

The wind blew, and amidst the swaying strands of hair, Perante’s faint smile could be seen.

His crimson lips moved slowly beneath the moonlight.

“It’s a secret.”

* * *

After Perante left, Riett collapsed into the chair. The tension dissipated, and she felt relieved.

Evan pulled a chair and sat beside Riett.

Resting her body against the backrest, Riett spoke.

“Evan, what do you think Perante would do if he obtains the Spirit Stone?”

It was a question mixed with sighs. Since Evan didn’t know either, he didn’t have high expectations for an answer.

“Well, who knows? It grants tremendous power, so he might want to establish his kingdom.”

“Establish a kingdom? Would he be bothered to do such a thing?”

Evan tapped the scratched table lightly and slowly began to speak.

“Actually, when I was in Parman, I did some investigation on Perante.”

What? Riett’s eyes widened at the news she had just learned.

“Tell me in detail. What did you find out?”

Perante was truly a mysterious person.

To be fair, or rather, to be blunt, no one knew anything about him, as his network of connections was almost nonexistent.

His place of origin, whether he had a family, where he stayed, and such. The only thing known about him until now was that he was of commoner origin.

“Perante hails from the Bordandy Territory. When I inquired, some people remembered his unique appearance. His father passed away early, and he was raised by his mother.”

If it’s the Bordandy Territory… It wasn’t exactly a favorable environment. The previous generation of the Count of Bordandy, who ruled there, was famous for having a bad reputation.

He was engrossed in his hobbies and neglected to properly care for the territory. As a result, the territory became increasingly impoverished.

If it had stopped there, people would have just cursed him as a bad guy, but she heard that the rumors even implicated women. He truly was an irredeemable piece of trash, and a few years ago, he met a miserable death that seemed like karma.

The castle collapsed, and he lost his life in an instant, they say? He wasn’t worth mourning.

“Perante grew up in poverty. After losing his father early on, he couldn’t even work as a tenant farmer. And his mother, who couldn’t speak up, was treated as an outcast in the village.”

“…I see.”

“But still, he seemed to have grown up with a bright spirit. That’s probably why he was chosen by the spirit.”

Riett listened to Perante’s life story and genuinely admired him.

Despite such difficult circumstances, he maintained a bright and honest heart, and as a result, he even encountered a spirit.

‘But of course, things might have changed now.…’

Riett remembered his chilly expression that she had glimpsed.

“So, I speculate that Perante might desire money or power. The more he grew up in poverty and scorn, the more natural it is for him to desire money or power.”

Indeed…

As a result of being treated differently as a spirit mage, perhaps Perante had gained a new perspective.

Engaging in various speculations about Perante, Riett shook her head and bowed her head in thought.

‘What’s important right now isn’t Perante’s circumstances.’

What’s immediately important is not letting Perante take the Spirit Stone and preparing to confront him by maximizing the power of the spirits.

The power Perante displayed today was incredibly strong.

While he was quick to surrender to Evan, she knew that if she brought up cooperation, he wouldn’t attack her.

As soon as Mishan returns, they’ll depart for Parman. Once they arrive in Parman, they’ll inevitably engage in a major battle against Perante.

Riett gently closed her eyes.

Sigh.

A faint exhale escaped her lips, resonating quietly through the calm dawn.