As anyone who owns a cat knows, cats may seem prickly on the outside, but when they like sothing, they really love it.
This isn’t just limited to small and cute cats—it could be said for all felines in general.
After releasing a lion I had raised since it was young, I t it years later, and it was so happy to see that it ca running.
Then there’s the tiger that had its cavity pulled out with pliers and, in pain, bit its owner’s arm, throwing a tantrum.
As you can see, even though felines might seem prickly and fierce on the outside, they really love things when they do.
It’s just that when they’re angry, it can be really scary.
Especially, all felines are likely familiar with catnip, which they treat almost like a drug.
After slling it once, cats can beco dazed, rolling on the floor, completely out of it.
Another drug-like substance is churu, but since it’s a processed food, catnip is the only natural one.
“And the World Tree leaves are a plant containing pure nature, so the effects are even stronger? Not just for felines, but for all beastfolk?”
“Yeah. Actually, the cigarette-like cigars were invented by our beastfolk first. Usually, shamans smoke them and use them in their rituals.”
“Oh. I’ve read about that. So the cigars made from World Tree leaves were also made by beastfolk?”
“That’s right. King Hick, the founder, asked Alvenheim for them as a commorative gift for the founding. I even heard he kneeled just to get them.”
Leona, with her nose blocked by a tissue, explained in a cute, nasal voice.
She had been rolling around the floor, dazed when she ca in, but now she had regained her composure.
Cigars made from World Tree leaves usually help with concentration and provide other beneficial effects, but for beastfolk, these effects are amplified.
The mind becos clearer to the point of being transparent, making it hard to think properly, and the senses are heightened, becoming overwhelmingly intense.
With the entire room now filled with the scent of cigars, it’s no wonder she couldn’t focus.
“Are you really okay?”
“My body’s really hot, but it’s bearable. I’m not sure if I can last until night, though…”
The issue is that Leona is currently in heat. Being a hybrid, she can tolerate it to so extent, but there’s clearly a limit.
Even now, she was twisting her thighs like she was trying to hold sothing back, and her face was bright red.
The World Tree leaves had triggered her instincts, but ironically, they had also increased her concentration, making it a delicate balancing act.
Beastfolk are more driven by instincts than reason.
Though she says she’s fine, I can’t be at ease because I don’t know when her patience might break.
[Cough. Sorry about that. I should’ve opened the window earlier.]
Clark seed to realize his mistake, clearing his throat awkwardly. Since he was a skeleton, smoking cigars had little effect on him.
Maybe that’s why he had been smoking thoughtlessly, leading to this situation.
Even so, I don’t understand how he could still taste and sll it, but I’ll let that slide for now.
Ariel was the sa. Ariel has a self-purifying ability, so she didn’t even realize it.
“Oh, no. I’m fine. Isaac will fix everything once night falls, right?”
“Huh? What?”
I hadn’t heard her, lost in my thoughts for a mont. It wasn’t that I was pretending not to hear; I genuinely hadn’t heard her.
“Hurry up and answer before I pounce.”
Leona, thinking I was pretending not to hear, grinned as she growled playfully.
Her eyes were smiling, but her mouth seed like it might bite at any mont. It was a rare cynical reaction from her.
It must be really hard for her. Feeling like sothing might snap, I nodded.
“O-Of course. I promised, didn’t I?”
“Good. Sigh…”
Leona sighed deeply, unable to breathe through her nose. She probably wanted to yank the tissue out, but she couldn’t.
There was still a chance the room hadn’t been properly ventilated, and just a little more stimulation might set things off.
Though it was uncomfortable, it was necessary.
Most importantly, the hardest part was her body, which was burning with heat. Even if she wanted to release that tension, she couldn’t.
“Sis, are you hot? Do you want to hold your hand, Ariel?”
Ariel, who had been watching, asked Leona with sparkling eyes. She extended her tiny hand, which made her look irresistibly cute.
Leona, perhaps touched by her kindness, smiled faintly. Even though she was struggling, she couldn’t turn down a pure request from a child.
“Will you hold it? I think it might help feel a little better.”
“Yeah. My hands are healing hands, so it should be fine.”
That’s the sa thing I said earlier. It looks like Ariel misunderstood my words and thought her hands had a special healing ability.
Leona then held Ariel’s tiny hand. Whether it was really working or not, it seed to help, as her flushed face seed to calm down a little.
“Ahh.”
It seed that just holding hands wasn’t enough. Ariel climbed onto Leona’s thigh and, rather than resting on her chest, leaned against her as a cushion.
It might not be as comfortable as Cecily, but it surely provided enough comfort.
“How’s that? Are you feeling better now?”
“Yeah. It’s amazing.”
“Ariel’s healing hands, I guess.”
Unlike Ariel, who was smiling brightly, Leona looked astonished. Leona’s previously flushed face had cald down almost instantly.
Though the sweat was still there, it would eventually improve, and most importantly, her gaze had beco clearer than before.
Maybe it was because Ariel was an angel.
Anyway, it was clear that Leona was feeling much better now. With that, the conversation could proceed smoothly.
“Are you really okay?”
“Uh… Yeah. I don’t know why, but I feel a lot better.”
“I told you Ariel has healing hands.”
Leona answered, her face still dumbfounded, while Ariel proudly tilted her head.
I couldn’t help but smile lightly at Ariel’s cute reaction and looked ahead. Clark was standing with his arms crossed, silently waiting, so it seed like it was finally ti to get into the serious conversation.
“Now that Leona seems to be better, we can start the discussion. Is that okay?”
Clark nodded at the question. At the sa ti, his gaze shifted toward Leona.
Leona, holding Ariel like a doll, cleared her throat awkwardly as soon as she t his gaze.
After lightly loosening her neck, she stared at him with her now clear golden eyes.
“First, Clark, you said you would protect Isaac even after the funeral, right?”
[Yeah.]
“Is the funeral really necessary? Honestly, if Isaac just says a little…”
Leona quickly shook her head as her usual habits slipped out. It seed like she had really started to feel better.
“If Isaac speaks a little better, Mr. Clark’s existence will be accepted by everyone.
Above all, Mr. Clark even stopped the summoning ritual of demon worshippers, right? Once this story spreads, he’ll be treated as a hero.”
First, it was ti to persuade.
Leona seed to think it would be a sha for Clark to disappear like this and wanted to delay things.
After all, magic is essentially against the natural order, and maybe it would actually be better now.
The world might get a little noisy, but with such achievents and a strong country as a shield, there’s nothing to lose.
[You make a good point. But I don’t want that.]
“Why?”
[Magic is a power that helps defy the natural order. But during that process, it’s impossible to say that the gods don’t intervene in so way. That’s the part I’m most concerned about.]
Clark’s view was different, though.
As he said, even with magic, it doesn’t an the gods don’t interfere completely.
Even now, although he’s a skeleton, he’s still maintaining his sanity. There’s sothing to do with the incredible offerings, but there is definitely sothing else.
Also, he had told before: It’s fine to think of the gods as reliable friends, but not to blindly trust them.
Blind faith is different from being devoted, and no matter how powerful a god is, they’re not perfect.
He advised that the gods might not be scheming against , but I had already understood what he ant.
“Are the gods interfering with magic?”
[Yes. Magic is ultimately sothing the gods created. I don’t know why they created such powers, but there must be a reason they leave it alone.]
“Do you not believe in the gods, Mr. Clark?”
[It’s more that I distance myself from them rather than not believing in them. They are good gods, at least from our perspective.]
From our perspective.
In other words, from the perspective of others, they may not be considered good gods.
If they were truly good to everyone, the demon worshippers wouldn’t have caused such chaos.
The gods are human in many ways, but on the other hand, they probably have bad human traits too.
[While I couldn’t stop them from using magic to resurrect , I may have been interfered with without my knowing. I’ve seen so many truths with my own eyes. There are parts in my mory that feel off.]
“Such as?”
[That’s the problem. I don’t know because I have no mory.]
Clark shrugged and answered nonchalantly. It felt deflating to hear his answer, but I couldn’t bla him.
After all, the Gray Desert expedition would be happening soon, and the truth would gradually co out during it.
However, the fact that the leader of the Gray Desert expedition would be the Savior Church Kingdom troubled .
This was information I had heard from Rina.
For the Savior Church Kingdom, this was a chance to hold onto the shaky faith they had so far.
The origin of demons being human is an undeniable truth. But what if there is an even greater truth?
I can understand why Clark rembers that much but not the rest. The problem is, even that is uncertain.
[The powerful Gerios Kingdom, once a dominant power, collapsed helplessly. How it grew to be a hegemonic power and how humans turned into demons… there are many unclear parts about it. I know there are various records there, though.]
“…”
[Anyway, the reason I really want a proper funeral is this. The gods wouldn’t let my grandson get hurt by using , but I can’t be sure, so I have to be careful. Maybe they’ve already made a move.]
Clark looked at intently as he spoke. I tilted my head while hearing those words. It felt oddly familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. I had felt sothing similar recently.
Of course, there were more urgent matters that kept from focusing on it, but perhaps I should start writing down questions for the temple in my notebook before visiting.
“Could the gods abandon us?”
Leona asked cautiously, perhaps imagining so ominous possibility after hearing Clark’s words.
If it were anyone else, this might seem unlikely, but given Clark had witnessed countless truths, his words carried weight.
Clark snorted when he heard her question and answered directly.
[If they were going to abandon us, they would have done it during the Demon War. The fact that the gods care about us has never changed. It’s their positive side in dealing with mortals.]
“…”
[If the gods hadn’t given us the World Tree, this world would have been completely covered by the sea by now.
Thanks to the gods, the world was freed from plagues, and civilization also developed. So, don’t worry about them abandoning us.]
Instead, there are aspects where the advancent of civilization is hindered.
Magic is certainly convenient, but it delays the developnt of science, and divine power hinders the developnt of life sciences.
Especially divine power—while magic is one thing—works like a double-edged sword. Tiny germs harm our bodies.
How long will it take for people to truly believe that?
In particular, diseases with strong contagion, like ‘smallpox’ or the ‘black plague’ from past lives, could spread, causing everything hidden to co to light.
With divine power, more people will get sick than those who are healed, and who can stop it?
Even if a “Saint” appears, it would be impossible to prevent the spreading diseases. After all, the saint is still a person, and there’s only one of them.
If the concept of ‘hygiene’ is clear, then pandemics would not spread much. But, there are many more diseases hidden in the world than people realize.
This world could also face a terrifying disaster like the dieval Black Plague. We must understand this for the sake of humanity.
“… I understand your thoughts, Mr. Clark. So, you’re not changing your mind.”
anwhile, it seed Leona had realized Clark’s resolve, and she nodded. Clark silently nodded in return.
After a mont of thought, she asked Clark again.
“So, all you need to do is protect Isaac, right?”
[Yes.]
“There are two ways to do it. One is for Isaac to possess your body and summon you when necessary.”
“… Isn’t that necromancy?”
The mont she explained it, it sounded like necromancy. Necromancers are avoided by everyone and known as the main practitioners of demon worship.
Leona didn’t seem to deny this, and she gave an awkward smile before speaking.
“Yeah, that’s basically necromancy. But because of the recognition, it might be difficult to use.”
“That would be the last resort, then.”
“Right.”
“So, what’s the other thod?”
Leona said this might be better to skip to avoid any misunderstandings that could label them as demon worshippers.
“The second option is ‘possession.’ Mr. Clark would temporarily use your body. It’s not like taking over; it’s more like sharing.”
“Possession?”
“Yeah. If you’re thinking of the kind of possession that demon worshippers use, don’t worry. That’s sothing special to them. This is a pure form of possession.”
“Can you explain what that is?”
Leona then explained the possession thod. First, Clark’s soul would create a large amount of ‘offerings’ connected to him.
By consuming them or using magic, the soul would be summoned. Naturally, the closer the bloodline, the better the possession works.
But there are side effects. If they don’t match, the casting ti could shorten, or the body might suffer significant strain.
Since it’s closer to ‘sharing’ rather than full possession, if the body isn’t completely entrusted, there’s a high chance it’ll cause friction.
Additionally, the soul might experience discomfort due to not being in its original body.
“That’s why there has to be strong trust between the person being possessed and the soul. Do you think that’s possible?”
“You’re talking about the one who slaughtered the lords on his own, right? If I don’t trust him, who should I trust?”
[Ha ha ha. You speak so clearly.]
It wasn’t just empty words; it was sincere.
Trying possession ant a great crisis was coming, so if I didn’t trust Clark, who would I trust?
It would be far better to completely entrust my body to him and avoid the crisis.
“Okay. Should we test it out first? For now…”
Pop!
Leona lightly plucked the sprout of Ariel sitting on her thigh. It was always fascinating to see.
She then looked back and forth between and Clark, smiling as she spoke.
“Shall we try the test first?”
A little while later…
[Heh heh heh. You’re definitely my grandson. I won’t have to worry tonight.]
Clark, checking my lower body, made a satisfied remark in a warm voice.
★★★★★
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