"Oh, come on!"
Siyana punched the air in frustration before slumping down where she stood. Instead of tears, her eyes were filled with irritation and confusion.
"Why won't you let go, like a stubborn caterpillar! You foolish brother!"
Siyana used her spirit energy to tap on the Blade of Requiem, begging Rimmer to come out, but he didn't show even a hair of his soul, as if adamant about not emerging.
"Huh..."
Sterin let out a sigh as he looked at the strongly vibrating Blade of Requiem.
"The once diligent fellow has returned as a troublemaker..."
He shook his head, lamenting that Rimmer's personality had been ruined.
"To be honest, he wasn't exactly normal to begin with."
Erian clicked his tongue briefly.
"Considering that the one who should have become the leader of the Guardians left the forest following a human, he must have been crazy from the start."
He furrowed his brow, finding the situation absurd.
"However, I don't see Rimmer's stubbornness as a bad thing. There must be a reason for it."
"I think so too."
Sterin nodded with a faint smile.
"Thanks to his time with the Ziegharts, I've come to understand what kind of man my grandson is."
He clasped his hands behind his back, expressing his trust in Rimmer.
"This is no time for either of you to be smiling!"
Siyana stomped her foot at Sterin and Erian.
"Hmm..."
"S-sorry."
Sterin and Erian hunched their shoulders, seemingly taken aback by Siyana's anger.
"Is there a problem if the Vice Leader remains in the sword?"
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Blade of Requiem.
"If it's his own will to stay, perhaps we should leave him be for now."
"It wouldn't matter with a normal sword. But..."
Siyana let out a heavy sigh.
"It's not good for my brother to remain in the Blade of Requiem."
She shook her head as she looked at the World Tree, its blue light fading.
"Is it because the Blade of Requiem is a cursed sword?"
"That's right."
"Then there's no need to worry. As Lady Siyana has felt, the souls in the Blade of Requiem are not evil."
Raon shook his head as he caressed the Blade of Requiem.
'They're rather pitiful beings.'
The souls in the Blade of Requiem were ordinary people killed by the White Blood Religion. Despite becoming vengeful spirits, they didn't want to harm others and had even helped him several times. The fact that they accepted Rimmer's soul and sent him to the mental world showed they meant him no harm.
"I know that too."
Siyana created a transparent water droplet above her palm.
"Then why..."
"Because even if they're kind and good, they're still vengeful spirits."
The water droplet hovering above her hand sprouted dozens of spikes, resembling a chestnut burr.
"Vengeful spirits are pitiful souls unable to leave this world due to lingering resentment. They inherently possess negative energy, so even if they don't want to, they end up harming other souls."
Siyana let out a short sigh as she grasped a sword made of water.
"It's the same principle as how a giant elemental monster causes harm to people regardless of its intentions."
"Ah..."
Hearing Siyana's words, Raon remembered the Red Dragon Turtle that had consumed the earth's energy when he received the Heavenly Drive from Vulcan.
"On the other hand, my brother's soul is pure. As you said, Raon, he has no attachments, so if he comes out now, he can return to mana with the World Tree's blessing."
She clasped her hands together as she looked at the World Tree.
"It's certainly good that my brother is comforting the vengeful spirits, but if this continues, it will cause problems for his own soul."
Siyana's fingers trembled as she expressed her concern about this.
"Does the Vice Leader know this too?"
Raon swallowed dryly as he leaned forward.
"Right! Tell that damn Vice Leader! Tell him that his soul might get hurt, so he should come out!"
Martha raised her voice, urging them not to stay silent but to at least convey the message.
"That's true. The Vice Leader is surprisingly delicate, so if we say it's dangerous, he might come out!"
Burren also pleaded, bowing slightly.
"Hurry!"
Runaan also approached Siyana with an urgent expression. Her usually blank eyes were turbulent with worry.
"Th-that's not possible..."
Siyana bit her red lips tightly.
"Even I can't communicate with souls."
She shook her head, explaining that while she could use spirit energy to try to extract Rimmer's soul, she couldn't communicate with it like a shaman or priest could.
"And my brother must be aware of it too. He must feel his soul changing, like black ink dripping onto white paper."
Siyana sighed, saying that's why she understood it even less.
"..."
Raon frowned as he looked down at the Blade of Requiem.
'Why?'
Why is he staying in the Blade of Requiem? Rimmer had let go of all attachments and left with just a wish for their happiness, so his current behavior was incomprehensible.
'Does he want to comfort the vengeful spirits in the Blade of Requiem, even a little?'
For now, that was the only explanation he could think of. Rimmer was more caring than he appeared and always put others before himself.
"Lady Siyana. Do you know why the Vice Leader is staying in that sword?"
"I'm not sure. But if I had to guess, the first reason might be... just for fun?"
Siyana let out a hollow laugh, as if she couldn't believe her own words.
"That's possible."
Martha nodded, saying it seemed highly likely.
"The second reason, as I mentioned earlier, seems to be his desire to comfort the vengeful spirits."
Siyana licked her lips as she caressed the Blade of Requiem.
"I think that's the right reason. The Vice Leader is very compassionate..."
Dorian sniffled, saying that must be the only reason.
"And lastly..."
Siyana looked at Raon and the Light Wind division in turn.
"He might want to be with the Light Wind division, even for a little while longer..."
Her eyes reddened as she said this might be the biggest reason.
"Hmm..."
"That..."
"The Vice Leader..."
The Light Wind division swordsmen either held their foreheads or let out heavy sighs, revealing sorrowful looks.
'That could be it.'
Raon nodded as he held the sobbing Yua's shoulders.
'But that can't be the only reason.'
Rimmer had intended to leave the Light Wind division without regrets and had even told Raon about the concept of "meeting to part". It didn't seem like he would ignore the natural order just to be with the Light Wind division.
'Could there already be a problem with his soul...'
-That's unlikely.
Wrath calmly shook his head.
-The Pointy Ear's soul is as strong as his mind. It should be fine for a while.
'Then why is he doing this?'
-As his Pointy Ear sister said, he might want to stay with you all a bit longer. Or...
Wrath narrowed his eyes as he looked at the sword.
-He might be sensing something that only souls can perceive.
'Something only souls can see?'
-That's right. Souls have a different set of eyes.
Wrath shook his head, suggesting that Rimmer might be staying in the Blade of Requiem because he's seeing something different from them.
"Let's head back for today."
Sterin shook his head as he looked at the rising sun. It seemed he wanted to continue next time, as the World Tree's energy had subsided.
"Hmm. Understood..."
Raon licked his lips as he grabbed the Blade of Requiem. As he tried to sheathe it and leave the sacred ground, the sword vibrated intensely and emitted a strong sword mantra, as if reluctant to be put away.
'Could it be that it wants to stay here?'
There was no other reason for the sudden sword mantra.
"Um..."
Raon called out to Sterin and Siyana, who were about to leave.
"Can we leave the Blade of Requiem here for a while? I'll stay here too, just in case."
He bowed his head, saying that Rimmer seemed to want to stay near the World Tree.
"Hmm, do that. Siyana, you stay with him."
"What? Oh, yes!"
Siyana's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden instruction.
"Eek!"
The moment her eyes met Raon's, she covered her face with her hair, as if her shyness had suddenly resurfaced.
"Then, I'll see you later."
Sterin waved his hand lightly and left the sacred ground with the Light Wind division.
"Let's rest for a bit."
Raon smiled faintly as he leaned against the World Tree.
"Ah, y-yes..."
Siyana sat down next to him, hiding her face behind her vivid golden hair that seemed to melt the sun. It was somewhat reassuring to see her return to the shy person he first met in Sepia.
"Um, Raon. May I ask you something?"
"Yes. Go ahead."
Raon nodded as he looked at Siyana. Judging by the serious look in her eyes peeking through her hair, it seemed she was about to say something important about Rimmer.
'It's becoming a bit more poignant.'
Perhaps it was because he now had an older sister named Sia. He felt the urge to take better care of Siyana, who had lost her brother. As he was thinking he'd answer anything she asked, Siyana slowly opened her mouth.
"What swordsmanship technique did you use when you cut down the Second Apostle in one stroke to obtain the Soul Crystal?"
Siyana suddenly brought up the incident of cutting down the Second Apostle, her shyness disappearing.
"Huh? Oh, I didn't cut her down in one stroke. I may have made it sound simple, but it wasn't easy. If I had been even slightly off, I could have been the one..."
"But you did cut her down in one stroke! What technique was it?"
"No, that's not what..."
"One stroke!"
"Uh..."
Raon's jaw trembled. It seemed that in Siyana's mind, it was already decided that he had cut down the Second Apostle in one stroke. He thought Ensia must have taught her well.
"Th-then, with Crimson Slash..."
Seeing Siyana's look that said the decision was already made and he should just answer, Raon reluctantly mentioned his personally preferred sword technique.
"You used Crimson Slash with blood on your cheek and the back of your hand, and a melancholic look in your eyes, right? ...Ah!"
Siyana exclaimed in delight and began to write new notes in her book.
"..."
Raon's eyes, which had been warm as if looking at Sia, quickly cooled.
-Really...
Wrath shook his head as he looked at Siyana.
-There's not a single normal woman around you.
He let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head, saying he had no idea that shy girl could change like that when writing in her book.
"Sigh, I don't know."
Raon sighed and sat on the ground. Seeing Siyana, who had been depressed, looking a bit more at ease made him feel somewhat better. He placed the Blade of Requiem, which he had been holding to rest his head on, on the roots of the World Tree.
'Now it's staying still.'
The Blade of Requiem remained motionless, as if dead, having stopped its sword mantra and trembling, seemingly satisfied with not leaving the World Tree.
'But why does it want to stay here?'
As he tilted his head, pondering the reason, the red blade of the Blade of Requiem seemed to sparkle with a blue light.
'No, it's not just visible.'
It's absorbing the natural energy that the World Tree is releasing. Like rainwater collected in a small vessel, the natural energy flowing from the World Tree was dripping onto and settling in the Blade of Requiem.
"Lady Siyana!"
Raon called out to Siyana, who was furiously writing.
"Yes? Oh, yes! Do you have something else to say?"
Siyana nodded, her eyes wide like a rabbit's.
"Is it possible that the World Tree's mana can calm the negative energy of the vengeful spirits residing in the Blade of Requiem?"
"Huh? Oh, that's..."
She followed her finger with her gaze down to the Blade of Requiem.
"I-it's possible. No, it seems that way?"
Siyana nodded, dropping the pen she was holding.
"People think vengeful spirits are souls that only harm others, but it's actually different."
"How so?"
"An ordinary soul that dies with resentment can't produce strong power. They become vengeful spirits by killing their very existence to generate power."
She bit her lip, saying that the souls residing in the Blade of Requiem must still be experiencing terrible pain.
"Then the Vice Leader is..."
"Yes. It seems my brother is trying to stay in the sword near the World Tree to alleviate the pain of the vengeful spirits, even if just a little."
Siyana's hands trembled as she said this was certainly the case.
"Brother..."
Unable to hold back any longer, she let blue droplets fall onto the book filled with writing.
-That Pointy Ears. He's doing something admirable that he never did while alive.
Wrath nodded his head emphatically, as if impressed.
'Indeed...'
Raon smiled faintly as he felt the World Tree's breeze, seemingly stirred by Rimmer.
'I don't understand why he's so much more admirable now that he's gone.'
* * *
After leaving the Blade of Requiem next to the World Tree, Raon went to find Sterin. He explained to him why Rimmer was staying in the Blade of Requiem.
"I see..."
Sterin brushed back the white hair that had fallen over his forehead.
"That's just like him, always meddling. He's the same even in death."
Despite his gruff words, he wore a deep smile, seemingly proud of his grandson.
"That's right."
Raon nodded with a small smile.
"It's exactly like the Vice Leader."
Later, Raon learned that Rimmer had also sought out swordsmen who couldn't become official trainees at the fifth training ground, comforting them and helping them find their way.
Being such a caring person, it seemed he was now trying to ease the pain of the vengeful spirits.
"I think he'll come out on his own once the wounds of the vengeful spirits have healed a bit."
"Then we'll have to wait a while."
Sterin nodded, agreeing that would be best.
"Ah, come to think of it, I was so preoccupied that I forgot."
Raon unstrapped Rimmer's sword from his waist and held it out to Sterin.
"I heard that the Vice Leader's sword is a sacred artifact of Sepia, so I brought it to return it. Thank you for everything."
He bowed his head, expressing sincere gratitude.
"Hmm..."
Sterin gazed intently at Rimmer's sword before shaking his head.
"For now, since the Blade of Requiem is in Sepia's sacred ground, keep that sword with you for a while. And..."
He slowly rose from his chair.
"On the contrary, there's something I want to give you."
Sterin walked out the door, gesturing for Raon to follow.
'Something he wants to give me?'