themonasnovels Chapter 906
Chapter 906
Chapter 906
“W-What? A rag?!”
[Hmm... Calling it a rag seems a bit much. It doesn’t look worn or tattered.]
Indra dropped a bombshell without hesitation with her innocent-looking face, sending shockwaves through the room.
“Uh... Your Highness? Who is this lady...?”
Morziana looked at Davey with trembling eyes. It wasn’t hard to guess what she was feeling—it was likely no one had ever used such an expression to describe her.
The outfit she wore was a traditional costume of the Contas Empire, one that was quite revealing. However, for someone like her—a bard—it was a necessary spirit affinity outfit.
‘A spirit affinity outfit that a Spirit King doesn’t recognize.’
Davey thought it’d certainly be funny if this fact got out.
Morziana, the younger sister of the Emperor of the Contas Empire. She appeared to be in her early twenties, and her full name was Morziana el Contas.
She was one of the Six Great Beauties of the continent, and one of the two Davey had yet to meet. But now, there remained only one he hadn’t met.
Her long black hair fell down all the way to her calves, giving her an alluring charm that drew the eye. Due to her captivating presence, it was said that anyone who saw her dancing or singing at banquets inevitably fell in love, regardless of whoever they might be.
“Ah, I’m afraid I’m very unprepared to meet the Princess of the Contas Empire.”
“Oh, no worries. It didn’t take that long to get here, and it’s on me for coming unannounced.”
“It didn’t take long, you say?”
“Yes, it didn’t take long. I received help from Phoenix.”
Phoenix. She had to be referring to the Vermillion Bird Fire Chicken.
When the Divine Beasts weren’t with Davey, they were usually guarding Reina the Hero of Light. Since they owed their existence to Davey and he had to wander endlessly, offering her their protection was the least he could do.
“Are you acquainted with Reina?”
“Of course. We’re actually quite close—we even traveled together for a while.”
Davey had warned Reina not to let strangers use the Divine Beasts, but apparently, she had ignored him. Perhaps it was time to remind her who was the boss.
Morziana eagerly rambled, sharing stories about her adventures with Reina and the other incidents that happened along the way.
“Does that give you enough of an idea about who I am? I was lucky enough to be naturally loved by spirits...”
She seemed to have forgotten her initial purpose, lost in her chatter.
Davey couldn’t help but notice that she was extremely talkative. While her overall aura was beautiful, elegant, and brimming with a hint of seductiveness, it seemed to all be thrown out the window the moment she opened her mouth.
Her incessant yapping went on and on to the point that he became utterly exhausted.
“Oh, before I tell you this story, I must first tell you about my visit to the Hyeon Empire...”
Davey couldn’t help but make a discreet look of exasperation. Sensing that she could go on indefinitely, he was about to interrupt when Indra suddenly spoke.
[You’re loved by spirits? I don’t feel anything for you, though.]
“Pardon?”
Morziana froze at her blunt remark, face blank with disbelief.
“L-Lady? What do you mean by that...?”
[Exactly what I said. I feel nothing for you.]
Morziana chuckled awkwardly, clearly flustered.
“Well... you’re quite the unique lady. The spirits, not people, are the ones who love me...”
[Exactly.]
Morziana glanced at Davey with a confused expression, giving him a look that said she didn’t understand why this lady was reacting the way she was.
Meanwhile, Indra hid behind Davey and peeked out with an exaggerated growl, glaring at Morziana like a child trying to guard a friend from being taken away.
“She may not look like it, but she’s the Thunder Spirit King, Indra. She’s on a level far above ordinary spirits, so it’s only natural you’d have never heard of her.”
“A... Spirit King?!”
She widened her eyes in shock, and Indra, emboldened by the reaction, puffed out her chest proudly, exuding newfound confidence. When she first met him, she had been quite timid, but she had gradually become brimming with confidence.
‘So... is this what they call childish recklessness?’
Crackle! Crackle!
Sparks began to fly around Indra, reflecting her emotions, making the situation hard to deny.
[Yes, that’s right! I’m Indra, the Thunder Spirit King! That’s me! And I don’t feel a thing for you, lying human!]
Davey pressed down on her dramatic head with his palm.
“Apologies. She’s still young for a Spirit King.”
“A... A Spirit King... I’ve never seen one in person before...”
“They are rare to come across.”
“Rare? That’s an understatement! They’re practically myths, only known through fairy tales!”
Morziana wasn’t the only one taken aback by what was happening.
[Hey! That hurts! Why are you pressing me down?]
“You sure have a knack for making things difficult. I know you’re a Spirit King, but could you settle down? If not, I’ll send you back immediately.”
It seemed he and the foreign diplomats were of the same mind. If the reputation of Heins Academy were to falter, the number of applicants would decrease. Worse, a single crack in their image could give countless others an opportunity to tear them apart.
And so, he didn’t plan on giving them the opportunity.
“You don’t have to worry. I’ve already taken measures, before that man could even make a move.”
“W-What?”
“You must’ve traveled a long way. If you don’t have to get back right away, stay and take a rest. Talk to Perserque for the details.”
And he certainly didn’t say that because he was scared of her chatter.
* * *
Heins Academy had officially entered its break period.
Among the commoners, about half stayed behind in the dorms while the other half returned home. On the other hand, most nobles had gone back to their estates.
The practical training had come to an end. A few inconsequential assassins had apparently tried to interfere during the process, but that was an entirely separate matter.
“It’s not an issue that needs immediate attention, anyway,” Davey muttered, glancing at the student roster and closing his eyes.
While the academy’s affairs were important, he couldn’t keep his mind off of the reality that the Great Spirit had shown him in the Spirit World.
Too much of anything can be worse than having too little.
It was a fitting description of the current situation. The Spirit World was in chaos, and the root cause was Thanatos, the moon he had created.
Thanatos used immense vitality as its infinite power source, spreading that vitality across worlds.
The Spirit World was currently the closest to Thanatos. That was where the problem laid.
[You haven’t completely mastered the overflow of vitality from the moon, have you? I don’t think so, at least. That’s why the Spirit World has become saturated with it. While there have been some positive changes, there are also extreme and dangerous changes brewing.]
Despite it being a good power, there was too much of it. Not filtering and controlling its flow could potentially cause problems.
[The Spirit World, which once suffered from a lack of vitality, is now facing the opposite problem. It’s alright for now, but if something tips the balance, the entire Spirit World could warp or even outright collapse.]
And that was only the beginning of the problems.
[If the Spirit World falls, middle earth will be next.]
Even with the authority of the Goddess Freyja at his disposal, as a mere creature he couldn’t fully control something that had previously been managed by a Primordial God.
The heroes of the hall were helping, but the situation was still critical.
The academy’s problems were trivial and easier to take care of in comparison.
The Great Spirit had asked him to destroy Thanatos before things could get worse. Naturally, he refused, saying that he was done with that business, telling him that someone else could handle it.
“Have you heard the rumors? If this continues, the number of students next semester will drop. The academy’s reputation is at stake,” Archbishop Alice said worriedly.
“The rumors aren’t worth worrying about.”
After all, the academy had initially been established to teach war orphans.
“But if the academy’s reputation suffers as rumors keep circulating around, it’ll affect the futures of the students after they graduate.”
It was an annoying reality.
“And beyond that, this will give others an excuse to attack your status.”
They both knew that to be the real issue. The number of students wasn't that big of an issue, relatively speaking.
He nodded, offering a resolution.
“Don’t worry about the academy. Give it three days, and you’ll see a change.”
She tilted her head in confusion.
“The nobles have all gone back to their homelands for the break. Most of the senior students also left to go home after receiving the blessing of the spirits.”
Perhaps not the newer students, but those who had studied at the academy for several years had been bestowed with blessings. He knew that once they returned home, they wouldn’t keep silent about it.
“Humans are fickle, aren’t they? They gnash their teeth and rage over rumors, but the moment they see something that’ll benefit them, they forget all about the gossip.”
Duke Sharen’s goal was to tarnish Heins Academy’s reputation and reduce its number of applicants.
‘But will that really happen?’
On the fourth day—one day later than he promised—student applications flooded into the academy, far exceeding anyone’s expectations.
The story of receiving spirit blessings spread like wildfire, thanks to the very students who had received them. The narrative was flipped in an instant.
Field trips to the Spirit World, practical training that felt like real battles worth being proud of, spirits blessings, and resulting enhanced abilities.
Their growth might not have been obvious while training amongst their fellow students who also benefited, but once they returned to their respective homelands, they realized just how much they had grown.
The so-called experts hadn’t accounted for the curveball of spirit blessings, but Davey had prepared for this well in advance.
Pushing the cadets to their limits hadn’t just been about fostering unity between nobles and commoners—it had been part of a larger political strategy.
‘I mean, everyone needs to go to school. But with exceptional faculty, no issues like grade manipulation, and even spirit blessings, why wouldn’t they come?’
On top of this, thanks to the Killer Rabbits, the frenzied students had grown exponentially.
To not come because of the rumors? Heins Academy was far too good to pass up because of simple conjecture.
If other academies and hecklers were running to secure their students and children, Davey made sure he was soaring far above them. No matter what schemes they devised, he would always stay a step ahead.
Those who underestimated him as nothing more than a teenage prince from a small eastern kingdom would soon realize that he was already leagues ahead of them.
And that would be their downfall.