Chapter 368: The Suitable Explainer
“Say it all at once, will you? If it’s about the King, I want to know,” Haulon asserted, though he seemed slightly hesitant.
“Before that, Haulon, can I ask what you think about Karn’s current state?” I wondered if he was lost in sentiment while still holding onto the right perception.
“First of all, he is liberated from this land. That must be something you did, right? It must have been heartbreaking for him as a King to lay hands on his beloved Spirit. But I want to thank you as well. As I initially offered, if you desire it, I will hand over the Grimoire, the amassed Treasure, and the Secret Techniques. I’m not sure if you want them now, though,” Haulon said, letting out a sigh towards the end.
“Just showing them to me would be enough, I think?” I replied. I wasn’t particularly in need of Kin at the moment, and the Spirit Library had the Grimoire covered. However, Haulon’s belongings seemed intriguing, and I wanted to take a look.
“And secondly— the King is suppressing his transformation into a Demon Beast with sheer willpower. It might not last long, but I’m glad he could step out of this Crumbling Temple of Flowing Sand and gaze at the sky. He once said he liked both a cloudless sky and one filled with rain-bringing clouds.”
Ah, so that’s where the misunderstanding lies! No wonder Haulon was acting so sorrowfully towards Karn!
“The King might soon lose his consciousness and give birth to a powerful Demon Beast. If that happens, I’ll be right there to handle it,” Haulon declared firmly, his voice low yet strong.
“Don’t make such foolish resolutions on your own,” Karn said, appearing with a sullen expression.
“Welcome back,” I silently pleaded with my eyes, hoping that Haulon still saw Karn as the tragic King and would do something about it.
“…” For a brief moment, our gazes met.
“…I will show you the scene that Haulon’s father once revealed to me,” Karn sighed and touched the cracked Water Basin next to the King’s throne.
I failed at making eye contact! I want to see the past, but that’s not the order of the day!
“The King is using magic?”
“It is not magic. What I can use now is something more primal,” Karn replied to Haulon, and from his hand, the King’s Branch began to sprout and spread.
One hand was black, and the other was white.
Delicate branches of metallic mistletoe extended from his hands, enveloping the Water Basin and restoring its form. The round basin, filled to the brim with water, returned to its original shape, and water overflowed into the sky, creating a thin membrane.
What appeared was the once-bustling city on the ground. The dry, pale streets were dotted with fountains, and tall palm trees flourished with leaves. The Es River curved gracefully, flowing leisurely beside the palace.
The city was alive, and people wore smiles. A quiet ritual was being performed by the King and the Priest before the pristine white King’s Branch in the Underground Temple. Outside, a lively Festival was taking place—
“One day, I will gather my people and build a nation by the Es River,” the words woven together caused the thin membrane of water to ripple, and the image vanished.
I thought that once he was unleashed upon Nakahara, he would become a world-conquering overlord, but it wasn’t just about founding a nation. This was his homeland, after all.
Previously, when I quietly asked Baylis, he mentioned that the battle between the Wind Spirit, the Dragon, and the Hero had also taken place in the desert—rather, it was that battle that led to the desolation and the expansion of the desert.
The scattered cities and villages were burned or blown away, leaving only a few survivors among the Fire People. Most had become citizens of Es, making it quite difficult to establish a nation here.
However, I was sure that there was a Transfer Circle that occasionally brought people back to this temple. It seemed that using the Transfer Crystal, a consumable item, wasn’t something one could do casually. But with Karn and Haulon around, there was the possibility of Teleportation, so they might manage somehow.
“The King’s Branch… One side remains white…?”
“The King’s Branch, which began to go mad, possessed me and slowly turned black alongside me. I had resolved to destroy the main body of the King’s Branch, but Jean divided the branch into white and black, stabilizing it through a contract. My own blackening has also stopped,” Karn explained, as from his arms emerged the white Shahira and the black Shahira, both smiling at me and then looking up at Karn with beaming faces, as if flowers had bloomed.
Baylis wrapped his arms around Karn’s neck from behind, completing the picture of a charming man.
“By the way, I have also fused with the main body of the King’s Branch. The contractor is Jean,” Karn said lightly.
“…” Haulon slumped down to the ground.
Are you okay?