episode_0080

About Spirits

Am I dreaming right now? There’s clearly a ceiling made of water above me… and solid ground below… It’s even wide enough to be a large village where real people could live… But my body is falling slowly, as if I’m in water… Even Aria had never experienced anything like this, judging by the most bewildered expression I’d ever seen on her face.

“Z-Zeke-nim… What on earth is this…?”

“I don’t know either… More importantly…”

This space was fascinating, but what raised my suspicions was that Nerha was the only spirit in human form before my eyes. The other spirits were spherical, with eyes. They were a truly incomprehensible species…

“Hohoho… You both look quite bewildered.”

“…No matter how much I’ve explored for over four months, I’ve never experienced anything like this. Well… I’ve experienced going inside trees or shrinking, but… I’ve never seen a spring with this kind of structure in my life.”

“Oh my? Look over there! It’s a human!”

“How are there humans here…?”

“Wow…! I’ve never seen a human before!”

“…..! Zeke-nim. Everyone is looking at Zeke-nim curiously. I will protect you.”

As the spirits passing by looked at us, the humans, with curiosity, Aria enveloped me completely, shielding me from their gazes. Didn’t that include her? Why did she think it was only me… Well, I guess…

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced this…’

“I’m all ready to invite you home… Why is the Saintess hugging Zeke, Sister? Are you showing affection in the middle of the road like this?”

Iruvan, who seemed to have just returned from doing something, tilted his head and spoke, seeing Aria hugging me. Nerha then poked Aria’s back with a finger, then pointed in a direction with her other hand and said,

“If you go that way, you’ll find the house Iruvan and I live in. You can come over just like that if you wish.”

“Understood. Come, Zeke-nim…”

“Aria… Don’t you think this makes us stand out even more…?”

“Nevertheless, I must. Let’s go.”

Aria flatly refused to listen to me at all and headed towards Nerha’s house while still hugging me. Damn it… Her strength is too great; I can’t break free… I was helplessly dragged along by Aria and felt extremely embarrassed hearing the spirits around us whispering about us. Because…

“Look at that…! Is that how humans normally go around!”

“Goodness… My girlfriend can’t even do that much…”

“Oh my… Her boyfriend must really like it…”

“No, it’s not that, could it be that human couples normally go around like that?”

Even the spirits were misunderstanding our relationship as a romantic one. I couldn’t resist because Aria was so strong, but I really wanted to free myself from her embrace and look around, damn it… Huh?

*Giggles… Hehehehe…*

‘…..?’

As I shook my head trying to escape, I accidentally caught sight of Aria smiling contentedly. Don’t tell me… the reason Aria isn’t listening to me right now is… A-Aria…?

“I will never let go, Zeke-nim…! I-It might be dangerous…! Ehehe…”

‘A-Aria, don’t tell me… you’re hearing everything the spirits are whispering?! You like this situation so much that you’re refusing to let go, aren’t you?!’

“Alright~ Let’s go!”

“A-Ari… Mmph!!!”

Just as I was about to ask her to let go, Aria covered my mouth with her arm and headed for Nerha’s house. I was dragged along by Aria without any resistance, and as soon as we arrived at Nerha’s house and Aria released me, I scolded her. Iruvan watched with a bewildered expression from the sofa as Aria knelt and was scolded by me, and Nerha also watched with a bewildered expression while preparing tea.

“You know I dislike being the center of attention, yet you did something like that… You know it was too much this time, don’t you, Aria…?”

“Yes…”

“Getting swept up in the surrounding atmosphere and doing everything I dislike… And even subtly covering my mouth…!!”

“I’m sorry… I won’t do it again…”

“Haa… Alright. Don’t do it next time…”

“Yes…”

Seeing Aria show remorse while kneeling, I gently stroked her head. Aria then hugged my legs with both arms and remained still. Seeing this, Iruvan sighed and asked me,

“Haa… Are all humans like that?”

“No… But honestly, after exploring various places, I’ve realized that… all species don’t have many differences. Things like how they treat others or their manners. So, it’s not that humans are inherently like that, but… Hmm… Maybe everyone is just like that?”

“…That’s absurd.”

“Well… they say everyone has a different personality, right? It’s like that. Each individual has their own personality, just like you and your sister have different personalities.”

“…..”

When I used the difference between him and Nerha as an example, Iruvan didn’t say anything and avoided my gaze. What was that? I thought given his personality he would refute something… Just as I was bewildered by Iruvan’s unexpected reaction, Iruvan suddenly got off the sofa, prostrated himself, and bowed to me…? What?!

“I wish to serve you as my Hyung-nim!! Please grant me permission!!”

“What’s going on all of a sudden?!”

“…?! Iruvan said he’d serve someone?!”

Nerha, too, seemed to be experiencing this for the first time; she was preparing tea when she heard Iruvan’s shout and was greatly alarmed. If you’re that shocked, how shocked must I, a stranger, be…? But I truly can’t understand what this sudden action of his means…

“Please grant me permission, Zeke Hyung-nim!!”

“No, why are you suddenly doing this?! We’re practically strangers, what is this strange behavior?!”

‘It is… strange behavior… coming from Iruvan’s personality…’

Nerha nodded, seemingly agreeing with my words. If even his sister acknowledged it, it meant Iruvan’s behavior like this was extremely rare… no, it had never happened before… Even I couldn’t understand this action. Iruvan then raised his head and spoke to me.

“Until now, I thought I was a flawless spirit. But when Hyung-nim pointed out all my shortcomings and immaturity, I couldn’t help but acknowledge them. I want to become a perceptive adult like Hyung-nim! So please, let me serve you as my Hyung-nim!!”

“I-Iruvan… H-He admitted his own shortcomings… Aaah!”

“…?! N-Nerha!!!”

Nerha was so shocked by Iruvan’s sudden action and his sincerity that she fainted on the spot. W-Was he such a wild child, Nerha…? I was as greatly shocked as Nerha, who had fainted, and couldn’t easily speak.

“I want to travel with Zeke Hyung-nim! And while doing so, I want to learn many things from Zeke Hyung-nim and grow more! Please allow me, Zeke Hyung-nim!!”

“…No, well… I’m fine with it, actually? The way you’re getting a grip and working on your shortcomings, it’s a really good thing, but… the problem isn’t my permission, Iruvan…”

“Huh?”

“The problem is… Aria, who’s below me, would never tolerate it…”

“…..!!!!”

Upon hearing my words, Iruvan felt a stinging gaze and looked at Aria, who was still clinging to my legs. Iruvan realized that Aria was staring at him with a terrifying expression, her red eyes glowing amidst a face of deep shadow, and was so startled he couldn’t even scream.

“How dare you… How dare you try to join Zeke-nim… Are you trying to disturb my precious time alone with Zeke-nim…? Well… If that’s how it is, I have no choice… What I said before, about using you as a target… I’ll have to carry it out…!!!”

“Gah!”

Iruvan fainted on the spot from the killing intent Aria emitted, and I was at a loss for how to handle this mess. I then pulled myself together and seated the unconscious Iruvan and Nerha on the sofa, while Aria was making tea with the water Nerha had boiled. After seating the two on the sofa, I sat on the other sofa and let out a deep sigh.

“Oh my… Since they changed into human forms, their weight is almost the same as humans…”

*Humming a happy tune*

“…? Why are you so happy, Aria?”

Gasping for breath from carrying the two of them, I turned my head back and asked Aria, who was humming happily in the kitchen. Aria then told me with a truly joyful face,

“Well~ Because I didn’t have to see another woman serving tea~ Though… I was planning to knock out Nerha-ssi and serve the tea myself anyway~”

“…..”

Listening to Aria, I thought. Perhaps it was a good thing things turned out this way… I didn’t even want to imagine what kind of reaction the two unconscious spirits would have if they heard this, so I decided to just stop thinking there. A few minutes later, as Aria brought out the tea, Iruvan and Nerha regained consciousness and clutched their heads.

“Ugh… What happened…?”

“Ugh… I can’t remember… Ah!”

Nerha was clutching her head when she suddenly remembered something and began to caress Iruvan’s face with both hands. Iruvan, suddenly having Nerha rub his face, straightened his expression and asked Nerha,

“W-What are you suddenly doing, Sister…?”

“Are you okay? Was there something wrong with what you ate this morning?! No matter how much of a wild younger brother you are, you really can’t die!!”

“No, I’m perfectly normal?! Who’s trying to make me abnormal?!”

“Kids, calm down for a moment and try the tea Aria brought. It might help you calm down a bit.”

As I intervened to stop them from fighting, Iruvan and Nerha listened to me and looked at the tea Aria had placed on the table beside them. Nerha then smelled the tea and asked Aria,

“Oh? This scent is unique. My, the tea is sour…?”

“That’s lemon tea. It’s my favorite, so Aria makes it for me almost every day. You should try some too, Iruvan.”

“Uh… Yes, Hyung-nim.”

At my suggestion, Iruvan stared blankly at the sour lemon tea before taking a sip. He then opened his eyes wide, seemingly enjoying the taste, and gulped down the hot lemon tea in one go. Was it possible because he was a fire spirit and didn’t feel heat…?

“This is more delicious than that stew earlier, Hyung-nim?! Since it’s my first time drinking sour tea, it’s also very unique…”

“Isn’t it? By the way, aren’t you hot? You didn’t gulp down the stew like that earlier.”

“No, Hyung-nim. As a fire spirit, I don’t feel heat. But I know my manners, so I ate it with a spoon… This was so delicious that I drank it all in one gulp without realizing it.”

“I see… Alright! Speaking of which, I want to know about your spirit race. For us, seeing a spirit is considered such great fortune that almost nothing is known about you. If it’s not too rude, could you tell us?”

“Hmm… Thanks to Zeke-nim, Iruvan was able to come to his senses… And I was supposed to serve tea, but you had to intervene, so of course I should tell you. Understood…?”

When Nerha said she would tell us, I immediately took out my notebook and pen from my backpack and prepared to write down Nerha’s words. It only took me a second to take out and open the book, and Iruvan and Nerha looked bewildered, surprised by my incredible speed.

“Z-Zeke Hyung-nim. What exactly is your true identity…?”

“Me? I’m just an explorer. I get really excited when I learn something new.”

“Ah… Ahaha… Well, then, hmm… Spirits, you see. First of all, spirits are a species that are born when they share love, just like other species. They start as an egg.”

“But I’m curious, you’re a water spirit, and Iruvan is a fire spirit, right? Are there cases where siblings with different attributes are born?”

“Yes. A fire spirit isn’t necessarily born from two fire spirits. So we don’t discriminate against any attribute. We are all the same spirit.”

I recorded all of Nerha’s explanations. Hmm… So what’s inherited from parents are things like personality? Attributes aren’t determined by parents. And they don’t discriminate… As expected of spirits.

“Hmm… Then what determines each person’s attribute? Is it personality?”

“Personality and appearance are mostly inherited from parents, but attributes are something each spirit is born with; they are not determined by anything external. Ah, Zeke-nim, earlier you mentioned that it takes great fortune for humans to find us, right?”

“Yeah. Sigh… But remembering what I saw when I came in here, I think I understand why.”

“Zeke-nim’s thoughts are correct. We spirits live beneath these springs, which makes it difficult for other species to find us. Spirits live beneath deep springs, like the Croa Spring, where life energy is abundant. They say spirits in other regions besides the Criton area live like that too.”

So that’s why it was so hard to find them. Indeed… No one would ever think that such a space existed deep beneath a spring, so it was impossible to discover spirits. But…

“But why is the spring structured this way? We clearly went deep into the water, but the water seems to stop midway, and there’s a space below the water… Plus, the spring, which has become the ceiling, allows all sunlight to pass through to here… And also…”

“You have many questions. You’re saying there’s no place structured like this anywhere on the surface, right?”

“Yeah… Aria and I are experiencing this for the first time.”

“In order for spirits to live while feeling life energy, they needed to create this kind of space. So spirits descend to the deepest place where they can feel the most life energy, to where there is land, and then create a boundary between this place and the water. The ceiling that Zeke-nim and the Saintess saw when you came here is that boundary. This place is filled with natural energy, and it absorbs sunlight, so the boundary doesn’t block out the sunlight.”

“Then what about the slowed falling speed, as if we were in water, even though it’s not water?”

“That is a phenomenon caused by life energy. This place is not just air, but a space filled with life energy. They say that when you fall in a place filled with life energy rather than air, your falling speed slows down. That’s how Zeke-nim and the Saintess were able to descend slowly and safely.”

“Hmm… I see. What exactly is life energy?”

“Life energy can be thought of as a type of resource submerged beneath certain springs. It’s an air-based resource. You can think of it as beneficial air accumulated since primordial times.”

Having learned about the spirits’ abode, I found the ‘life energy’ air very intriguing. An air-form resource I’d never heard of anywhere else… Still, it’s limited, so it might be hard to make it known to the outside world. Those who covet this air might try to monopolize it.

“Well… I’ll have to hear more to know for sure… But can your species transform into any living creature just by seeing it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But the human you saw was a woman. How did Iruvan know the form of a human male and transform into it?”

“That’s… Huh?”

It was something I had been curious about for a while. Surely Iruvan and Nerha had only seen a female priest… How did Iruvan know what a male human looked like and transform into that form after seeing only one human female? At my question, Nerha also felt something strange and looked at Iruvan. Iruvan then opened his mouth and explained to us.

“Well, Zeke Hyung-nim. Actually, I saw a human two days ago. A red-haired human.”

“…What…?! R-Red hair?!”

I was greatly surprised when Iruvan said he saw a red-haired human, and Aria was also so shocked her mouth hung open. A red-haired human… Is Revo in this world…?

**Year-End Greetings and Various Updates**

Hello, this is Photon, serializing the Dimensions series, including The Black Saintess.

Um… you might be wondering why I’m writing a separate year-end greeting specifically for The Black Saintess, so let me tell you the reason in advance…

The main story of Dimensions and The Failing Demon Lord were uploaded on 1/1 and 12/31, respectively, allowing me to give year-end greetings through the author’s notes.

However, The Black Saintess was uploaded on neither of those two days, so it was a bit awkward.

That’s why I’m posting another message on 12/31.

Um… anyway, getting to the main point…

The Black Saintess has finally surpassed 5,000 views.

I thought it would be impossible to reach 5,000 by 2023…

Thanks to the readers who defied my expectations, I feel like I could fly.

I sincerely thank all the readers who read The Black Saintess.

If you hadn’t loved The Black Saintess, I might not have been able to serialize it this much.

Thank you very much.

…Honestly, I was already speechless when it surpassed 200 favorites, but seeing the number 5,000, I can’t tell if it’s a dream or reality. Hahahaha.

I never imagined it would reach this far in 2023.

…And we’re not even halfway there yet.

Anyway! Thank you all once again.

…However, changing the cover character continuously as a sign of gratitude might cause confusion, so I’ll refrain from that.

(Even so, this person changes the cover several times a month.)

Finally, I hope everyone has only good days until the last day of 2023, and that 2024 is filled with only happy things for everyone!

Happy New Year~!