Chapter 879

For a moment, the atmosphere sank like it was underwater.

Inon was silent for a while, his expression unreadable, before he finally spoke.

“Luma was also very interested in the relationship between the soul and the body.

Now that I think about it... I was created during the course of that research.”

“...What?”

Yuder’s mind went completely blank at the unexpected statement.

Inon let out a long sigh as he looked into Yuder’s rarely wide eyes.

“If this gets out, it might be a problem, but it’s really not that big of a deal.”

Yuder surrounded them with a wall of wind.

As the quiet space stirred with the breeze and their hair fluttered, Inon chuckled.

“What the hell. You didn’t have to go that far here. What a pointless worry.”

Though it sounded like a scolding, his eyes didn’t look annoyed at all.

“......”

“Anyway, yeah.

You know that long ago, non-human races and magical beings also lived on this land, right?”

“I’ve heard of dragons and fairies.”

Traces of ancient races and mystical creatures that once lived on this continent could still be found—fossils, preserved remains, legends.

Parts of their remains were often used as materials for special weapons and magical tools.

For example, the catalyst used in Tais Yulman’s Red Stone included a fragment of an ancient dragon’s heart and fairy powder.

And just recently, the southern merchants who had all taken their own lives and destabilized the region had been found to be using dragon bones to contain power.

In other words: there were traces of their existence, but they were not alive—ancient legends.

That was more or less how Yuder viewed ancient beings.

“Right. Then here’s a question.

Back when they were alive, do you think they had souls?”

It was something Yuder had never considered, so his answer took a while.

“...To be honest, I don’t really know.

But if they were alive, then probably.”

The beings in those legends had thoughts and emotions, just like humans.

Even if they were different, beings like that probably had souls.

Hearing Yuder’s answer, Inon raised one corner of his lips in a slow nod.

“You’re right. The answer is ‘they did.’”

“......”

“Do you remember when I told you what kind of being I am?”

Yuder gave a small nod.

When Inon had revealed that he wasn’t human, he said he was a being created for a purpose—given life through a contract.

And furthermore...

“You said your will and body were joined together {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} with magic.”

“Right.

That ‘will’ I mentioned back then is essentially the soul.

I was created by fusing the soul of a fairy—one of the spirit kind—with a human body through magic.

And supposedly, the spirit who gave me their soul was the last one left on this land.”

Before Yuder could even process whether that was possible, something Kishiar had said recently flashed through his mind.

The story of the famous legend in the Empire about a wizard and the spirit who loved him.

Kishiar had told him it was connected to the apple tree on the Hill of Plenty in the capital.

That tree was said to have been planted by Archmage Luma, and research had shown the tree held strange magical power.

Yuder had planned to ask Inon one day whether that was true.

He had half-forgotten it due to how chaotic everything had been.

But now, unexpectedly, that story returned.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Feeling as if a legend had suddenly walked into reality, Yuder slowly opened his mouth.

“...I heard from the Captain recently that the apple tree on the Hill of Plenty is connected to a famous legend.

The story about the wizard and the spirit of the golden apple tree.

I was going to ask you about it...”

“Yeah? Then that makes things easier.

That story’s about me.”

What?

Yuder’s expression twisted oddly.

So right now, he was saying the spirit who poured out heartfelt love to Archmage Luma... was Inon?

The overly theatrical, heart-wrenching monologue Kishiar had once recited as the spirit’s words echoed in Yuder’s head, giving him goosebumps.

Before that image could fully haunt him, Inon frowned and continued.

“I can guess what you’re thinking, but not all legends are true.

Stories like that always start from a rumor and get exaggerated over time.

Still, it’s true that the spirit who gave their soul to me was the spirit of the apple tree.

And yes, it’s also true they gave Luma the fruit willingly.”

According to Inon’s explanation, the real story behind the legend was this:

“I was created when Luma began building the Seven Walls in the capital.

He wanted the spell that maintained the walls to last as long as possible.

So he concluded that creating a guardian with its own consciousness would be best.

But even for Luma, that wasn’t easy. Obviously.”

He said Archmage Luma had created many failed “guardian” prototypes and fallen into despair.

He wanted a guardian with self-awareness, but it wasn’t a simple thing—not even for a great mage.

Then, he encountered a spirit—one of the last remaining ones.

Inon said they had likely known each other from before and shrugged.

“Unlike the legend, Luma didn’t go to steal anything from the spirit.

The spirit was already dying.

Maybe they just wanted to say goodbye.”

But unexpectedly, the spirit offered to give its soul and fruit to Luma first.

“Why?”

“Who knows. Maybe it didn’t want to go extinct quietly.

Or maybe it thought the crazy thing Luma was doing sounded interesting.”

Inon muttered indifferently.

Luma accepted the offer.

He picked the final fruit from the dying spirit’s tree and returned to the capital.

The seed from that fruit was planted on a hill that would later be called the Hill of Plenty, and it grew into a tree that became part of the capital’s protective walls.

The “soul” became the material for the last guardian created by the archmage.

“So... that fruit was the spirit’s soul?”

“Human souls reside in bodies too.

Is it that strange for a spirit’s soul to be inside a fruit?”

Inon spoke as if it were someone else’s story.

“Anyway, Luma used that soul and body to successfully create me.

You remember I told you before—even if my physical body is destroyed, I can recover.

That’s because the root of my soul is connected to that apple tree on the Hill of Plenty.

So even if this body is injured, it can always be magically restored and regenerated.”

And since that apple tree was part of the Seven Walls, as long as the walls remained, Inon would continue to exist in his current form.

‘So basically... Inon’s existence is tied to the Seven Walls protecting the capital, and because of that, he can fulfill the role of a guardian or whatever it is?’

“Judging by your face, I guess you understand.

That’s why I said I shouldn’t leave the capital.

Even if it’s only a part, if something making up the wall strays too far, what do you think happens?”

“...A gap would form.”

“Exactly.

It’d be no different from punching a hole in it.”

Though he said that, Inon didn’t seem too anxious anymore.

Just as he’d said before, he had decided that—for now—there was a clear reason for him to be here.

Yuder thought over what Inon had said.

‘Learning Inon’s origin story was a bit of a shock, but if this is all true... then souls can, in some sense, move.’

Whether spirits had always been able to do that, no one could say now.

Yuder had asked, and Inon had said he didn’t know either.

“I was only told that I was born that way.

And I don’t have any of the memories of the spirit whose soul I came from.

When I took on this form and gained self-awareness, everything was a blank slate.

Maybe the spirit—or Luma—erased the memories on purpose.”

“......”

“I don’t really think that’s a bad thing.

Actually, thanks to that, I’ve been able to live with my own identity as I am now, so I don’t have any complaints.

Though I am sorry I can’t give you more definite answers.”

“No. Even that much is more than enough.”

“After creating me, Luma seemed to shift his focus to time-reversal research instead of souls.

If you go to Gilandre Hill, you might find some of his earlier research records...

But that’s about all I remember.”