Male Lead, Don’t Follow Me! - Chapter 29

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“Alright, I don’t care what comes out.”

“Well, don’t worry. It wouldn’t be strange even if a giant tree appeared like last time.”

“…Shouldn’t you be encouraging me at times like this?”

“Kiara, I believe in you!”

Ephelia nodded at me with a bright smile. But seeing the spirits standing protectively in front of her made me lose all my strength.

‘Life is supposed to be a solo journey, but everyone’s being too harsh.’

I had no choice but to take my place standing on the weeds. Well, since it’s come to this, I might as well try…

They said they felt a bit of purification power, so maybe something good might pop out again.

If it could be of help, it would also extend my life, so there was no harm in trying.

“Okay, here I go.”

I gradually built up my confidence while encouraging myself.

It feels a bit shaky, and it couldn’t be anything but the most nerve-wracking moment of my life.

‘I hope something that can purify comes out.’

Receiving everyone’s subtle expectations made my breath catch.

Even if I said I couldn’t do it now, no one would say anything, but I felt a strange desire.

I composed myself and imagined the desolate land while thinking of a power that could purify.

Slowly feeling the power residing in my body, I focused it on my hands.

‘If there’s even a little spirit power in my body, could you help me this time?’

That way, I’d have something to say to Bishwaltz, right? Help me just this once so I can at least lie that I came for a reason other than fleeing in the night.

I don’t know if this desperate wish of mine will work, but there was no way out.

Even if I cause a big accident, Serhin said he’d handle it. So there was no reason to be afraid. I just needed to go for it, whatever it might be.

‘Purify, purify. Please, just let something proper come out.’

I could feel the mana circulating throughout my body. It slowly flowed and gathered in one place, and then light began to shine before my eyes.

“Huh…? This is.”

I felt the strength suddenly leave my body as my eyes opened.

Flowers of purification had sprung up here and there among the weeds, creating a spectacular scene.

“Kiara!”

Ephelia ran towards me with a bright smile.

I looked at my hands with a dumbfounded expression. This is strange, I shouldn’t have such power.

It seemed everyone had the same thought. And then, a woman who appeared in the distance waved at us.

“It’s dangerous here! Why are you all here?”

Her black hair fluttered in the breeze. The power of spirits emanating from her entire body was palpable.

The woman with eyes that seemed to hold the sun slowly walked through the purification flowers towards us.

I could immediately tell. That this wasn’t created by my power.

“This, it wasn’t me.”

This was created by the woman right in front of me. Ephelia’s gaze immediately fell on her. With her unfamiliar appearance, we had never heard of someone with such power.

“I am Ephelia Kirin from Kotina. State your affiliation.”

“Ah! Hello. I’m Helia, a spirit user from Kaibern.”

Bishwaltz’s eyebrows raised at her name. He had briefly heard her name from the spirit users when he visited the Kaibern region.

This is strange. I can’t figure out who this person is at all. I couldn’t hide my confusion at this new character’s appearance.

Shouldn’t someone with this level of power have been explained in detail in the novel?

“Did you say Helia?”

I cautiously repeated her name.

“Yes, I’m a spirit user from the Kaibern region. I must have surprised you by appearing so suddenly!”

She approached me with a radiant smile. She was a girl with a really pretty smile. It was enough to captivate the gaze of anyone looking at her.

“These are purification flowers.”

Kelpi and Kelpita looked at the flowers among the weeds as if confirming. In an instant, the land regained its vitality and became stable.

“The power of darkness has also faded.”

It was amazing. Was there someone who could use this level of power so effortlessly? And in a provincial area, not the capital?

“Kiara, are you okay?”

At this moment, Serhin approached me and checked my body. He must have been concerned seeing me frozen in shock, staring at Helia.

‘No, what on earth is going on?’

Is there someone with greater power than Ephelia? That can’t be possible. A headache hit me as my mind became complicated.

Unable to gather and process my thoughts, I had to understand this situation first. In other words, I shouldn’t let my guard down for a moment until I know the identity of this new woman who appeared before me.

“Well, it seems we’ve grasped the situation, so we should head back.”

Bishwaltz, who had been quietly observing the situation, stepped forward. He plucked a few weeds and purification flowers and placed them in a prepared box.

Serhin took it and used magic to transport them to the magic tower first.

“For now, we’ll have our side research this first.”

“Serhin, with this many people, your power should be sufficient, right?”

“It’s no trouble at all.”

He nodded nonchalantly and snapped his fingers. In an instant, we were back at the Spirit Academy in the Kaibern region.

“Ephelia, have you ever heard the name Helia before?”

“Hmm… No, I don’t think I have.”

It was strange. The official Spirit Academies that could grant formal completion were divided into north, south, east, and west, centered around the capital in the empire.

After being evaluated at the Spirit Academy in the capital, they would be dispersed to the capital and four regions to carry out their respective duties.

‘But I’ve never seen her before.’

Moreover, even the name felt unfamiliar. Although it’s impossible to know everyone in the academy, there was a communication network, so spirit users vaguely knew about those from other regions.

“Helia, have you ever seen us at the academy?”

I asked gently, in a voice that wouldn’t cause misunderstanding.

She clapped once and nodded at me with a smile.

“It’s natural that you don’t remember me. My spirit power manifested late. I entered the academy late, after becoming an adult, so few people know me.”

“Ah…”

With that explanation, it became somewhat understandable why we didn’t know her.

There are occasional cases where power manifests after one has already chosen a career and enters the academy late. In such cases, they often end up in remaining positions after others have been dispatched, making it difficult to know of their existence.

“You were surprised by my sudden appearance, weren’t you?”

“Ah… yes.”

We didn’t think there would be anyone there. Besides, no one was visible except for Ephelia and me.

There was no village, no sign of people, and then she suddenly appeared, so it wasn’t strange to be surprised.

“Spirit User!”

Helia ran happily to the chief spirit user of Kaibern and hugged her. Seeing the kind smile as she patted Helia’s head, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

“I wondered where you’d gone, acting on your own again.”

“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t ignore it.”

“Oh my. It seems you’ve already met.”

Serna, the spirit user in charge of Kaibern, gave us a slightly exasperated smile. It seemed this was typical behavior for Helia.

“It’s alright. Thanks to her, we got to see Helia’s power as a spirit user.”

“Shall we go inside and talk?”

We nodded at Serna’s words. As we slowly followed her guidance, we came to a greenhouse.

The beautiful and warm atmosphere made me feel as if all the fatigue in my body was disappearing.

“Let’s talk slowly while you relax and recover from your fatigue.”

“Spirit User Serna, does the imperial family know about Spirit User Helia’s power?”

“We haven’t reported it yet.”

Bishwaltz’s eyebrow raised slightly. Why had they been hiding such power?

Her intentions were suspicious. Everything was supposed to be reported to the imperial family, and they should know everything. But this situation was something even Bishwaltz was seeing and hearing for the first time.

“If the imperial family knows about this, they won’t sit idle.”

“I understand. We had our reasons. I think it would be good if you could consider that we acted cautiously, not yet fully certain.”

Serna addressed Bishwaltz calmly, her tone carrying a hint of gentle reproach.

She had been aware of his strict nature, but encountering him in person made it evident just how unyielding he truly was.