The pure beauty awoke from her sleep, but her appearance was different from what she had shown Shion Lan in the Spirit World—this was her disguised form in the real world. She looked into a mirror with her red eyes, and reflected back were greenish-blue eyes, silky hair, and breathtaking beauty. The girl said as she was fascinated,
"Shion Lan.....I love you."
Her eyes were full of wandering, intense emotion. She changed her clothes, preparing for the award ceremony, thinking to herself,
' It would be wonderful if I were with Shion in my true form… I no longer feel comfortable in this disguise. '
Polter's voice sounded in her ear:
"Milady! Why do you like that boy so much?"
"Have you never seen Shion before?" Solan Neumann asked softly.
Polter replied,
"I admit that boy is extremely talented, and he even has a noble title. But aren't you exaggerating?"
Bloom intervened:
"Since when does love follow logic?"
Polter snapped,
"I don't want to hear from a spirit who caused…"
"Enough, both of you!" Solan shouted.
But Polter has his thoughts and asked,
"If you truly love him that much, why didn't you show yourself and disguise as Sol Hart?"
Solan said, "When I was a child, I had a lot of marriage proposals and that's for my beauty or being the Pure Spirit that has the ability to reach the ninth level. But Shion....."
She smiled and said, "He was ready to throw everything away if I was wrong as he doesn't care of my power and he is not trivial to chase me for the beauty."
She said finally, "I can't do anything but to love him."
"..."
Polter said mockingly, "So it's not for being with you for the whole fifteen years. Isn't it?"
"What..."
"Tell me.... did he spy on you secretly?" Her cheeks got red and dispelled Polter but she thought for a while, ' Did he really saw me .... No! '. She refused the idea brushing her hair and trying to look beautiful without reverting to her true form. She then left the bedroom and headed toward the hall, where all the invited guests and the six great families had gathered. Solan scanned the room and spotted Shion, though he was surrounded by Pearl Jewel and Redo Grant, which upset her.
' Soon, I'll reveal my true self to him, and he will accept me. '
She calmed herself, but then other voices called out,
"Shion!"
"You little brat!"
Wendy, Amy, Beliza Sano, and Rona Flair had all gathered around Shion, leaving him in the company of five women.
' That rogue! ' Solan's eyes flared, and a bloody aura burst from her eyes.
Shion greeted the four of them,
"Shion, how are you?!" Wendy asked, cheerful as usual.
"I'm well, heroine Wendy," Shiun replied with a smile.
Amy pulled a perfume bottle from her pocket and asked eagerly,
"Shion, where did you get this bottle?"
But before he could answer, he felt an intense of killing stabbing his back, and Shion immediately realized the situation,
' Solan… again! '
He calmed his breathing and introduced the man beside him,
"Allow me to introduce Redo Grant, a merchant from the East. He has come to our kingdom with wonderful perfumes that I know will suit your tastes!"
Redo and Pearl took the opportunity to socialize with the girls. Shion said,
"I'm going to look for Master Ryan. You all can talk freely."
He withdrew from the gathering, pretending to be busy, but found Solan right in front of him.
"Sol, really! Didn't Solan eliminate her side effects on you?!"
Solan smiled,
"Yes, I did. But I got angry because I thought they just wanted to devour you."
Shion shook his head in resignation. At least he no longer felt the same uncomfortable sensation from her. He asked,
"What about the blood spirit?"
Solan replied,
"It's a remnant of her power. It will help me in the future, and I decided it will be my teacher."
Shion's face brightened:
"That's great!"
Embarrassed, Solan asked,
"Shion, would you have been happy if Solan Neumann were still alive?"
Shion gave her a strange look,
"And is there any reason I would want her dead?"
Solan backed off,
"I didn't mean that. I meant… would you have been happier if she were here with us?"
Shion looked toward the award platform,
"I've always thought she deserved a high and honorable status. I would have been happy to see her anywhere except the Spirit World. Life is merciless—as light exists, so does darkness; as life exists, so does death. But what made me happiest for her was that she was content, not dwelling on the past, and her mother managed to be free."
His words ended as King Jord Joul arrived with many people carrying medals, treasures, and prizes for all contributors this year. Among the treasures was a sword in a sheath, its senses shielded. But Shi Yun Lan detected it and said,
"It seems there's an evil element present."
Shion noticed and asked,
"What do you mean by evil? Isn't it like you?"
Shi Yun Lan replied,
"In my view, evil is the influence of human desires without self-control."
Shion pondered and asked,
"What about good and sincere feelings?"
Shi Yun Lan answered,
"What is the value of honesty if it's used in a forbidden trade, for example? And what is the value of mercy if you let those who deserve death live and spread greater corruption?"
Shion understood the concept and continued,
"Even wrong deeds can serve good, like lying to save the innocent or showing cruelty to other evildoers and corrupt souls."
Shion added,
"But things can also be resolved with forgiveness and kindness. A child might steal, but with proper discipline, he can become a good person without punishment."
Shi Yun Lan finally said,
"That's why I mentioned self-control!"
Shion paused, lost in thought, seemingly immersed in his own world. Shi Yun Lan shouted,
"Are you meditating at a time like this?! Wait a minute... We were talking about something else! Hey! Shion!!"
No response came. Shion seemed absent from the world. Fortunately, Solan noticed him and thought,
' What is going on with him?! Is he alright?! '
She got near to him so she can cover him and the king won't notice him.
And placed her finger on him, channeling her power into him,
"(Spirit Magic: Possessed Body)"
Polter's spirit entered Shiun's body. Shi Yun Lan sensed both danger of discovering him and rescue for Shion, leaving the control to leave Shion defenseless, allowing Polter better control.
As the guests settled for the ceremony, Solan checked in with Polter,
"Is everything okay with you?"
"Yes, it's fine… though strangely so."
"How so?"
"This body shows no resistance, as if devoid of life."
Solan's heart raced,
' What does that mean?! Is Shion… '
She could not think further, overwhelmed by her own emotions.
King Jord began speaking,
"As the royal family customarily awards contributors to our kingdom each year, we shall do so again. But this year is different; some guests appeared unexpectedly due to immense pressure they endured. Yet they managed to advance, prove themselves, and contribute greatly to the Kingdom of Ostiferos!"
Everyone applauded, including Polter, who felt Shion's presence inside.
' This is strange… I sense life and strength, yet also death, as if he doesn't exist. '
Polter decided to spread his domain to feel everything but Shi Yun Lan, annoyed,
"That rogue! I gave you the arena to control for a while, and now you meddle where you shouldn't?!"
He unleashed his deadly aura into the body. Polter sensed extreme danger,
' What is happening?! '
He tried to escape but could not, repeatedly failing. Energy receded slightly, leaving a warning,
"Intervene where it does not concern you, and you will die. Search further, and you will die. Speak of what happened, and you will die. Disobey my orders, and you will die!"
Polter trembled, frozen as he saw blackness and darkness carrying the (Aura of Death) with lifeless pitch black eyes.
"...!!!"
He forgot how to talk for a moment but he could scream when Shi Yun Lan let him,
"My little lady! Save me, please!"
Shi Yun Lan said,
"Let her know Shion is alive, but dormant. Say nothing more."
Polter relayed to Solan,
"Milady! Shion is alive, but dormant!"
Solan exhaled, relieved, though still worried,
"How could this happen so suddenly? He was fine moments ago."
The king's assistant began calling out names and achievements,
"The case of stolen goods in the northern kingdom… Inspector Rock caught them. Without his efforts, our kingdom would have suffered financial disaster. Step forward, Inspector Rock!"
A man in his thirties approached, showing signs of scholarly diligence. He bowed to receive his medal from the king. The assistant continued,
"Inspector Rock is now promoted to Executive Chief, overseeing public funds."
Rock bowed, showing joy, and left.
The assistant announced another hero,
"Massive monster invasions in the south threatened many soldiers. Thanks to the barbarian hero, Hurricane, these groups were destroyed, sparing the city walls. Step forward, Barbarian Hurricane!"
A tall, broad-shouldered man with two enormous swords appeared, accepted his medal.
The king announced, "The funding for the orphanages you manage will increase, and I hope that some of them will become individuals who will benefit the kingdom in the future." The hero bowed his head and said submissively, "Thank you, Your Majesty," and left with a hint of satisfaction on his face. The assistant then announced, "And he wasn't the only one who performed a great deed..."
The assistant continued,
"Hero of Healing, Hyurin, suppressed the monster waves and healed the injured. Minimal soldier losses occurred. Step forward, Hero of Healing, Hyurin!"
A woman in her late twenties stepped forward, accepted her medal, and the king said,
"Funding for your hospital will increase, and you may request rare herbs from the royal treasury."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Polter sensed danger—the Dark Crows battle would follow. Fortunately, Shion regained consciousness but Polter was expelled by Shi Yun Lan who said,
"You may leave, but speak not a word of what happened here, or I will kill you."
Shi Yun Lan marked his chest. Polter panicked,
"What is this, my lord?!"
Shi Yun Lan replied indifferently,
"A precaution to ensure you won't betray me. But if summoned and you perform well, you'll be rewarded."
Polter fled. Shion's eyes sparkled like stars. He saw another recipient retreating after receiving a medal.
Shi Yun Lan shouted,
"Was that the best time for meditation? You almost caused a disaster, rogue!"
Shion said indifferently,
"Who told you to give an inspiring speech at this moment?"
He prepared himself, knowing he would be next.