Enom Griffon entered his mansion after giving them the horse, searching for air to breathe.
'Father was right not to meet her. The air around her is deadly and suffocating!'
He went up to the upper floor and entered his father's study.
"Are you done?"
"Yes. They left with the horse, but the boy beside her wasn't normal."
His father looked at him inquisitively and gestured for him to continue.
"Even though it was my first time, as a graduate I've heard some rumors about her. I experienced the harshness of her aura firsthand. Despite its weakness, its quality is extreme. And yet, the boy beside her was incredibly relaxed. At first, I thought he was just pretending, but his eyes were clear—completely unaffected by that aura and the oppressive feeling it gives."
After a short pause, his father spoke.
"I suppose she brought someone useful this time. At least he won't faint like the previous ones. Let's hope this will be the last time."
…
On a stone road stretching deep into the forest, a black horse ran joyfully and energetically, completely at ease despite carrying two people on its back. Shion Lan held the reins as he rode, while Sol Hart clung to him from behind and murmured in praise,
"He has excellent riding skills."
Shion recalled Shi Yun Lan's world, where the other him had learned to ride beasts and various creatures. Compared to that, riding this horse felt even easier than driving those monsters.
Two hours passed, and the ominous atmosphere began to surface. Sol said irritably,
"Even though we haven't reached the outskirts yet, the ominous aura has already begun to appear!"
"So how were things before?"
"Corrupted and evil spirits constantly tried to break free from the seal Solan Neumann created. Even though the seal was strong, Solan was still in the third circle, so some weak spirits managed to escape. I used to come every two months to purge the evil spirits and reinforce the seal with additional magic seals, but as I said before…"
Sol sighed and continued,
"I was also injured during that incident and I am now at my weakest moments. The seals can no longer contain them. And once I enter the seal, I won't be able to use my power, because I'm now treated like an evil spirit myself—I'll be suppressed. You'll be responsible for protection, Shion! This is my last time, so help me!"
Shion understood how things would unfold. As they drew closer, the ominous air grew heavier, yet the horse continued powerfully, unbothered by what was happening.
Sol asked,
"Can you share your aura with me?"
"Curious?"
She looked at him irritably.
"Alright, alright! I'll do it. I don't want that look—or my mother will hit me."
He activated his stellar aura, enveloping Sol, who was taken aback.
"I thought it was a trick, but it's actually good! Wait a moment!"
Shion looked at her questioningly. She continued,
"Your aura can affect evil spirits as well!"
Shion thought for a moment.
"Then would I be able to learn spirit magic?"
"It's difficult," Sol rejected decisively, then added,
"Spirits have specific natures tied to many factors. What prevents you is your stellar power."
Seeing his confusion, she explained further.
"More precisely, throughout history, spirits with a stellar nature have appeared only a few times in the past thousand years, all of them roaming beyond this world. Their power was so immense that even a ninth-circle spirit mage couldn't tame one, despite paying everything he had just to reach it."
Shion sighed in resignation.
"But isn't it strange that we haven't encountered a weak spirit yet?"
"Because I deal with them every two months, their numbers have decreased."
"So how many academy credits do you have?" Shion asked cautiously. She said she had been purging spirits every two months for three years—that meant…
"Enough to enter the fourth class comfortably and even distribute some. Want a few credits?"
Shion stared at her in shock.
'Fourth-class students fought desperately in that battle for those damned credits, and you have enough to hand them out?!'
He glanced around and saw that they were nearing the entrance to the district.
"We'll arrive soon, so get ready."
Shortly after, they reached the main entrance and dismounted. The horse trembled, so Shion injected his stellar aura into it to calm it down. He then examined the surroundings and saw a red line inscribed with numerous symbols.
He looked at Sol.
"These are the sealing lines Solan created to imprison the evil spirits."She said seriously,
"Once we enter, my power will be suppressed, and I'll be weak in combat. But I'll be able to enhance your attacks so they affect spirits. Don't use your power until I enter the magic circle, so you can protect us."
"As you command, boss!"
"Are we mercenaries?!"
Shion smiled as he crossed the red line. Sol followed, and Shion immediately felt her power being suppressed. She weakened, swaying slightly as a mage reliant on mental strength before regaining her balance.
"Even after three years, this still bothers me," she said, then looked at Shion.
"Are you okay with this?"
Shion decided to reassure her.
"You know, I've seen an aura that would instill terror in anyone who faced it. I've used it myself in battle—it felt like confronting a killer who wants nothing but to murder you to pass the time. As for this…"
He narrowed his eyes.
"This feels like having an annoying child screaming and ruining your time—someone you just can't get rid of."
Sol was shocked by the comparison, but she had heard rumors that Shion had made a fifth-level crow tremble in fear and try to flee.
"D…ie…!!"
They both heard broken sounds of something approaching. Sol instantly cast her magic, enhancing Shion's spirit.
"Just enhance my attacks—no need to strengthen my spirit."
"Sorry, it's a bad habit I picked up because of others."
They remained calm as the evil spirit suddenly appeared.
"D—! Aaaah!!"
The spirit couldn't finish its sentence—its soul was split in half by a single swing from Shion, enhanced by spirit magic.
"You didn't even use a technique!"
"Do I need to use a technique on a first-level spirit?"
"How did you even know its level?!"
The more time Sol spent with him, the less she understood him.
'Is this related to his special inheritance? That must be it! Otherwise, how could his stellar aura affect spirits?'
After collecting her thoughts, she said hurriedly,
"Let's move quickly! There's still a considerable distance between us and the family mansion!"
Without another word, Shion hoisted her onto his shoulder and moved swiftly and lightly.
"What are you doing?!"
Her face flushed instantly at the unexpected action. Shion said grimly,
"You weren't joking when you said the seal had weakened. I can sense a fourth-level presence now."
Sol's eyes widened in terror as she saw spirits unlike any she had encountered before, radiating powerful auras. She immediately warned him,
"Don't lower your guard! They can use their abilities from before their deaths—and they're now at the fourth level!"
The mage spirits raised their hands and launched magical attacks toward them. Shion frowned and said,
"I don't think I'll be conserving my power like we planned."
He released his stellar aura on his feet, used the Fire Star, and focused on a technique within his stardust.
"(Explosive Fire Steps)!"
He surged forward, shattering the ground beneath his feet and deftly evading every spell with sharp turns. The one who suffered the most was Sol—her insides churned violently as she suppressed the urge to vomit.
More spirits appeared ahead, but they were of a lower level. Shion used his second body on his free arm, combined with the water element, and drew his sword.
"(Raindrops)!"
He swung horizontally in a complete circle, cutting down the spirit before him and thrusting through those behind it. Shion looked ahead in astonishment.
"It seems that evil spirit has been busy. I'm seeing an army of evil spirits!"
Sol Hart's face turned pale.
"How is this possible?! I've been purging them for three years—how could this happen?!"
"Sol, did you forget that advanced monsters possess sharp intelligence? And this evil spirit belonged to a human."
She was too overwhelmed by what she saw to grasp his meaning.
"What do you mean?!"
Shion moved forward with his radiant stellar aura, breaking through the army as he spoke.
"It means the evil spirit is still searching for Solan Neumann."
Sol's heart skipped a beat. Shion continued,
"Since you didn't deny the evil spirit's existence before, there's a known rule: a summoned spirit doesn't disappear until it completes its mission. Since it didn't attack the king after injuring the First Queen, then that was its objective—or more precisely, part of its objectives."
Shion accelerated sharply.
"(Star Vortex)!"
He activated his defensive techniques and pierced through the army, whose strongest members were only third-level, continuing his explanation.
"Although the evil spirit wanted to kill Solan because of her pure soul, something prevented it. According to what we said, Solan supposedly died by sacrificing herself to seal the spirit. But with the evil spirit's intelligence and high level, it should know how to break a seal created by a girl still in the third circle—even if the seal was strong. Yet it waited three years, building this force. That leaves us with only one question."
He advanced, swinging his sword while using the momentum of the vortex.
"(Star Tide)!"
His strike obliterated everything within its radius. He seized the opening and continued running, evading the barrage of spells raining down from the spirit army until he reformed his vortex again.
"Why would an evil spirit that has already died need all this power? That's the question on my mind now. Given the traces of Solan's death, there's a possibility that it was a fake death."
Sol shocked in disbelief and said ,"How is that possible?!"
Shion looked ahead as he cut through the spirit horde and said,
"Leaving traces of someone's spirit—especially someone practicing the same field—isn't difficult. But it's foolish to believe that would deceive an ancient monster like this. So it remained, preparing to complete its task one final time. With this power, it's confident it can succeed and return to its world. Which leaves us with only one thing now."