What exactly was Fear?

When Eugene first became capable of utilizing Fear, he simply regarded it as an ability capable of pressuring an opponent to help him in battles. Fear provided strong intimidation against enemies, and it slowed their actions, which would provide him a decisive opportunity to attack. Indeed, a moment’s hesitation could determine the outcome of a life-or-death battle. However, as Eugene’s tattoos disappeared one by one and his Fear grew more powerful, Eugene came to realize that intimidating enemies was just the most basic function of his Fear. One of the newly discovered powers of Fear was to locate an enemy’s most vulnerable parts, and that was exactly what he was doing.

Boooom!!!

Madarazika struck a large tree like a meteor, and a large explosion resounded as the tree shattered into pieces.

Shhhhh!

The thick, humid fog surrounding Eugene was blown away as if it were caught in a strong wind. It was similar to how smoke escaped from an enclosed space through a hole in the wall. In fact, the current situation could be described as such.

“Hmm.”

As the fog dissipated, the forest returned to its original appearance from Eugene’s memory. Insects began to chirp vigorously, and beasts and monsters that had been forced to lie in the mystery immediately got up and ran away. It appeared that the monsters and the beasts had been trapped ever since Eugene entered the forest.

“Try flying up again,” Eugene said.

“Got it!” Mirian answered before soaring into the air, recognizing that the strange atmosphere surrounding them had disappeared. She flew high above even the tallest tree without getting squashed down like before.

“Kieeeeeh! Sir! The weird barrier is gone!” Mirian chirped.

“Got it. Then let’s go toward your pond,” Eugene answered.

Everything proceeded quickly and smoothly after the trick, whether it was magic or something else, disappeared. Within half an hour, Eugene was able to reach the pond where he first met Mirian after killing a monster resembling an alligator. However, there was a small problem.

“…Is this the right place?” Eugene asked.

“Kihehe! This is the right place. It has just returned to its original state after that crocodile bastard was killed. Of course, if I had been present, it would have changed even more. You could say that this place has the purest water in the area,” Mirian said smugly.

She wasn’t wrong. As she said, this place could no longer be called a small pond. Rather, the wetland had been dispersed, and there was now a clear lake at the center. The place had become three or four times wider than before.

“That’s strange,” Eugene muttered.

“I’m home! Home sweet home! Kieeeeeh!” Mirian jumped into the lake she once called home while shouting excitedly. However, her appearance was truly unbefitting her identity as a water spirit.

“Phuaaa! Phuaagh!”

Eugene looked around the lake and ignored the spirit swimming around like a drowning dog. A small flashing blue dot caught his eye.

Paaaa…

Eugene gathered his Fear and focused it on the dot.

“Would you rather come peacefully? Or do I have to beat and drag you out?” Eugene said.

“Hieeek!” The blue light rose above the thick reeds with a gasp.

“Kieh?” Mirian immediately exited the water and flew to Eugene with shock.

“What? What is it?” Mirian asked.

“You shouldn’t be asking me. It seems to me like it’s one of your kind,” Eugene answered.

“Kieeeeeeeeeh?!” Mirian’s jaw dropped with surprise.

At the end of Eugene’s gaze, a small spirit resembling Mirian’s pre-evolutionary state floated in the air whilst trembling with a frightened expression.

However…

“Isn’t that a cone hat? Why is a spirit wearing something like that?” Mirian commented.

“Why are you asking me that? It’s one of your kind,” Eugene answered.

“Kieeeeh…” Mirian narrowed her gaze as she stared at the spirit wearing a cone hat made of water lily leaves. The spirit flinched when Mirian turned her gaze toward them, then soon shouted furiously.

“Traitor! Deserter! How dare you come back to this place so shamelessly?! And how dare you bring such a mean, dirty bloodsucker?!”

“Kieeeeh?” Mirian tilted her head questioningly.

“Mean? Dirty? Bloodsucker?” Eugene murmured softly as his Fear soared over his shoulders.

He then continued, “It feels rather refreshing to hear those words after a long time. But I would rather you choose classy words. Perhaps malicious and despicable? No, well, even if you don’t want to, you’ll soon call me those.”

“Hiek?!” The spirit gasped.

Softly…

Stickily…

Eugene’s Fear slowly crawled forward while emitting an ominous energy, and he grabbed the spirit. Eugene smiled coldly while revealing his fangs.

“They all change after a good beating.”

***

“Hng… Huaaah…”

Mirian gulped when she saw the spirit crying on their knees. Spirits weren’t physical beings. Although they could be seen and touched, it was extremely difficult to inflict any physical damage on spirits. Of course, there were rare instances when they could suffer physical damage, but it could only be done by wizards or spirits possessing an opposite nature. However, Mirian knew one more power capable of imposing a physical sanction on spirits.

It was “Fear.”

How did she know? 

Naturally, it was because she had experienced it directly from her contractor, Eugene. Of course, Eugene had never beaten her up with all his strength.

If he had, then…

‘He would have conquered the Spirit World more than ten times already.’

The spirit was trembling with blackened eyes and five or six bean-sized lumps on its head. The cone hat was no longer on the spirit’s head as well. Mirian could not help but tremble together with the other spirit when she saw their horrible appearance.

“Name,” Eugene said.

“Hughh…”

Shhk.

Eugene raised his finger, preparing for what was commonly known as a finger flick. As the crimson Fear wrapped around his finger, the spirit shouted with horror.

“Juseppel! My name is Juseppel!”

“Are you a spirit of water as well?” Eugene asked.

“T-that is correct, oh evil, despicable demon.” the spirit answered.

“...”

Eugene did not bother correcting how the spirit had just addressed him. After all, it wasn’t the first time he had seen a spirit acting rude and weird. He had decided to just accept its behavior.

“The trick in the forest. Were you responsible for it?” Eugene asked.

“That is correct,” the spirit answered.

“Why?” Eugene asked.

“It was because of the stern king’s command,” the spirit replied.

“King? The Spirit King?” Eugene asked.

“That is correct. Even if you are the evil, despicable demon king, you will have no choice but to humble yourself and bow before the… Kiehhh!”

The spirit’s head was thrown back as they let out a squeal similar to Mirian’s.

“Back to your original position,” Eugene said.

“Kieehnngg!” The spirit quickly corrected their posture and raised their arms. An additional bean-sized lump was visible on the spirit’s forehead.

“Stop with the unnecessary quibbles, and just answer my questions. Do you understand?” Eugene asked.

“I-I understand…” the spirit muttered.

“Why did your king order you to guard this place?” Eugene asked.

“W-well, that’s…” Juseppel hesitated for a moment.

However, when Eugene raised his finger, Juseppel immediately spoke, “I-it’s because this place is the passage to the Spirit World!”

“…A passage to the Spirit World?” Eugene said.

“That’s correct. The flow of mana is extremely pure in this place, so little spirits like me can come and go freely,” the spirit explained.

“Hmm.”

Eugene frowned after hearing the unexpected answer. No, in the first place, why was there such an important place located in the mountain behind his village? Moreover, it had been Mirian’s residence, had it not?

Eugene’s gaze naturally headed toward Mirian.

“Kieeh? What is it?” Mirian asked with a puzzled expression. She had been leisurely picking her nose while sprawled on Silion’s head.

The blood vessels on Eugene’s head bulged in the form of a cross.

She was definitely great. He could not believe she was capable of annoying and irritating a vampire so easily. Even though vampires possessed the coldest blood of any race, she was able to raise Eugene’s blood pressure at a whim.

“This place. You said you lived here for a long time,” Eugene said.

“Right,” Mirian answered.

“But he says this is a passage to the Spirit World,” Eugene continued.

“Kieeh… Was that so? Perhaps, maybe, I might have, I feel like I have heard of that before. Hm… I don’t really remember! Kihehe!” Mirian responded with a bright, unconcerned smile.

The other spirit shouted angrily, “I have never seen someone as wicked and vile as you! The punishment for the deep, unforgivable sin of taking the king and their command lightly will be returned to you a hundred, no, a thousand times when you return to the Spirit World!”

“Well, I don’t remember, so what do you want me to do about it? And from the looks of it, you bastard, you look like my junior. How dare you take that tone with me?” Mirian retorted.

“I will never consider an irresponsible traitor like you as my senior! How much trouble do you think I suffered because of you?!” the spirit exclaimed.

“Howww mooch truhbeeel do you think I suuuffeered~” Mirian imitated mockingly.

“Kieeeehh!”

It appeared spirits made similar sounds when they were angry or upset. Eugene unknowingly learned a new fact regarding spirits that he was not particularly curious about. He pointed his finger at Mirian to shut her up before speaking again, “From what you’re saying, this place had always been a passage to the Spirit World, and she had been guarding it before you. Is that right?”

“Correct. That is exactly right,” the spirit answered.

“But you were forced to take over her mission when she just left, and you made a magical barrier to prevent anyone from coming near the lake?” Eugene said.

“Exactly. However, if I could correct one thing, I don’t always maintain the boundary. It’s only to prevent the approach of mean… No, evil and despicable beings like you,” the spirit responded.

“Well, even if that’s true, then why didn’t she stop me when I first came here? No. In the first place, there was a powerful monster here even before I arrived,” Eugene said.

“Kieeh?!” Juseppel was startled; he jerked his head around before shouting at Mirian. “I thought you were only an irresponsible traitor, but you are incompetent as well! How regrettable! How lamentable! Here I find the disgrace of our race!”

“The disgrahecee of ooourr~ Kieek!”

Eugene flicked Mirian far away and dusted his hands before speaking, “Now, explain everything to me. Slowly, in detail.”

“Understood.”

Even in fear, Juseppel was exhilarated somehow. He started to explain.

“…Hmm.”

Eugene’s eyes glimmered after Juseppel was done explaining.

‘So, this is a place similar to the heart of an evil land.’

Indeed, it would have been rather strange if a passage to the Spirit World did not exist, as there was even a passage to the Demon World. And just as it was difficult to approach the heart of an evil land due to the presence of intermediate and high-ranking monsters, the passage to the Spirit World was also guarded by a barrier erected by a special spirit that had been dispatched to protect it.

But for some reason, the lake had been unprotected back then.

‘I can’t believe it was all because of Mirian…’

He knew that there was something abnormal about Mirian from the very beginning, but it appeared she had caused a major incident for the spirits.

“If she were simply incompetent, a competent spirit like myself could have been dispatched to replace her. However, that shameless spirit not only swore a contract of her own accord, but she had also abandoned her post and followed you,” the spirit said. In short, Mirian had deserted her workplace without authorization. It was no wonder the spirits had gone hysterical. Mirian had deserted her duty, then contracted and departed with a vampire. What was even worse was that Mirian had contracted with a vampire, a race considered to be standing on the opposite side in nature compared to the spirits, rather than an elf, a race considered to be related to them.

“I was reaching my limits because of the sudden increase in monsters, but now the barrier has been destroyed… How could I ever raise my head in front of the king?! Keugh, heugh!” Thick droplets flowed from Juseppel’s eyes.

Eugene felt slightly sorry. In fact, the spirit had only stayed faithful to his duties on behalf of a senior who had been incompetent, irresponsible, and crazy.

“And to think such a terrible demon king would take over the passage to the spirit world… Huaaa! My king!” the spirit exclaimed once again.

“I’m not going to refute how you refer to me, but your assumption that I would take over the passage is wrong,” Eugene said.

“Kuhh? W-what do you mean? Juseppel asked.

“I only came here to find something out. I have absolutely no interest in the Spirit World,” Eugene answered.

“I-is that… O-oh, no! I was almost beguiled by the king of the Tribe of Darkness, those known for their tricks and deceptions!” the spirit shouted alarmingly.

“…”

Eugene slowly raised his finger and spoke softly, “Wouldn’t it be easier for me to take care of you with this rather than tricking you with my words?”

“Hiek!”

“This is what I’m curious about. You said special monsters were targeting passages to the Spirit World like this, right?” Eugene said.

“T-that’s right,” the spirit answered.

“Are those the monsters with red mana stones?” Eugene asked.

“Kiek! H-how do you know that?” the spirit exclaimed, shocked.

“As expected…”

At first, Eugene simply considered himself lucky, but he found it strange that a monster with a red mana stone had been residing in a rural wetland, especially since such monsters were rarely found even in evil lands.

However, Eugene became certain after hearing Juseppel’s explanation. What were the chances that an Origin with missing memories had found a home near an entrance to the Spirit World, a place where a monster possessing a red mana stone had settled? Moreover, what if it was a rural area that outsiders and visitors rarely ever visited?

‘I don’t think I came to Broadwin of my own volition. Someone led me here… Or I was placed here because of someone else’s plan.’