Chapter 619: The Reversal of the King’s Branch
“Now then, where should we start?”
Grandfather Paorul brought over about ten books…!
“If you’re mainly interested in the methods, then these two here,” he said, placing two books from the stack at the edge of the table into the center.
“If you want to understand the classification of what we call ghosts, this one—since Nii-sama can see Spirits, I think just a brief overview will suffice, but it will be necessary when choosing methods.” He added three more books to the center.
Grandfather Paorul, just how brief is a brief overview of those three books…?!
“The rest are representative works on the history of Spirits and general thoughts. There may be some discrepancies with the world you see, Nii-sama. However, knowing the opinions of those who cannot see, and those who can see to some extent, will help you confirm your own position and way of thinking.”
Could it be that even these ten books were carefully selected by Grandfather Paorul? And wait, Spirits are actually involved with ghosts too?
“Um, could you teach me about the classifications and methods for now? Can I borrow this pile on general thoughts?”
As I casually asked, a full-fledged lecture began. But Grandfather Paorul is really good at teaching, so it was interesting. Sipping wine, the atmosphere felt relaxed.
At some point, Orlando-kun returned and started taking notes seriously.
In this world, there are several beings referred to as ghosts, and about half of them are Spirits, or rather, they are Spirits.
Most of them are manifestations of human thoughts that have become Spirits. There are rare cases where the thoughts of living people become Spirits, but since a living person’s thoughts are stable within their body, it seems that the majority of cases involve the thoughts of the deceased turning into Spirits.
It’s not just the difference between living Spirits and dead Spirits, right? Well, you can tell if it’s a Spirit or not just by looking. Could it be something similar?
There are various classifications, such as Spirits that have taken away human thoughts, and those that have lost their bodies while being possessed by Black Spirits—however, the ghosts of the Land of Ruin are souls. In this context, is “soul” understood as a person without a body? A mental entity that feels pain and suffering?
Yeah. Those things from the Land of Ruin aren’t Spirits, so I ran away from them. They are ghosts. The Black Spirit that was entwined with them felt unpleasant too.
Wait a minute. Does that mean I can see ghosts? Is that okay? I heard that the Land of Ruin has Demon Beasts that are immune to physical attacks, but if I heard that, it means someone must have seen them and talked about it—was that information from the Gods?
“Can everyone see the ghosts of the Land of Ruin?”
“I see, so Nii-sama’s objective is the Land of Ruin… That place is a cursed land due to the reversal of the ‘King’s Branch.’ I’ve heard that liberating souls there is quite difficult.”
So, when the ‘King’s Branch’ turns black, does that mean it has reversed?
“Isn’t the ‘King’s Branch’ scary?” I can’t understand why anyone would want it given the high risks involved.
I think it’s incredibly difficult for Spirits to remain untainted by human desires.
Maybe it’s not something I should say since I have two of them. But the Ex-Staff isn’t scary, and Karn and Shahira are more about their own relationship than anything related to the country, so they can do as they please—let’s consider that a special case.
“While there are human desires, wanting the ‘King’s Branch’ likely stems from being in a land with scarce blessings and harsh conditions. Those who possess conviction and the determination to uphold their Oath embark on a challenging journey to obtain the Branch.”
I’m sorry. Thanks to the House and the Food Storage, I’ve been living comfortably, and I obtained it without much determination.
I suppose the Branch is a blessing that brings prosperity to a nation. The food situation here is easily affected by the weather. It’s undeniable that people desire the Branch because they are suffering “now.”
I love eating, and more than anything, I don’t want to see too many terrible scenes, so I rarely go to countries that seem to be struggling to survive. But there are many such places in this world.
I want to promote crops that can be stored well and are resilient to unpredictable weather. If everyone isn’t moderately well-fed and peaceful, I can’t travel freely. For now, potatoes are spreading smoothly.
I thought about spreading a farming method that rotates turnips, barley, clover, and wheat every four years while raising livestock, but the countries in Nakahara are currently at war, you know?
“The impact of the reversal of the ‘King’s Branch’ is said to relate to the number of those who kept their Oath and those who broke it, from the time they obtained the ‘King’s Branch’ until they lost it. The worst case occurs when the last person who keeps their Oath is killed—there are records of discussions regarding the ‘King’s Branch.’ It also depends on the nature of the ‘King’s Branch.'”
“Nature…” The more people who uphold their Oath to the ‘King’s Branch,’ the stronger it becomes, so I understand that the number of people matters, but in the end, it seems to depend on its nature.
Is it that the weight of the feelings behind the wish to obtain the Branch makes the ‘King’s Branch’ heavy with love and hatred…!?
“As the number of those who cannot see Spirits increases, fewer people can embark on the journey to reach the ‘King’s Branch.’ Thus, the number of nations that possess the Branch has also decreased. Consequently, there are places where terrible examples stand out.”
Grandfather Paorul advises me that the ‘King’s Branch’ is not inherently a bad thing. I understand that it’s humans who ruin it… Ah, perhaps my premise is wrong.
I don’t believe that humans can uphold their Oath to the ‘King’s Branch’ forever, as they are neither pure nor strong. Those who seek the Branch believe that humans are pure and strong.
By the way, I haven’t sensed Orlando-kun’s presence; he seems quietly serious. I feel a bit sorry for distracting him.
But I can’t help but be curious. Are the ghosts of the Land of Ruin generally visible? Or are they not?