Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

Regardless of what Paruru said, the soft touch and the unknown, peculiar fragrance emanating from her made Ryusha feel extremely comfortable. The scent was like a mixture of herbs and incense, carrying a unique aroma from the north.

"I'm sorry, miss, I'm in a hurry. If you're not comfortable sitting here, I can drop you off on the side of the road and you can find someone else who's going the same way."

Liu Xia smiled and quickened her pace. Although she could use magic to fly over long distances, using her battle aura and her warhorse was more energy-efficient. Her refined battle aura, at the Great Knight level, flowed continuously, allowing her horse to gallop like the wind on the newly repaired, flat road. Soon, they rushed into the forest, the trees on both sides flashing past their eyes.

He wanted to test the waters of this Paruru, so he deliberately took a detour, not heading towards Linhu Town, to see what this shaman girl, who had no idea where she was going but said it was "on the way," would say.

The increased speed made the horse's swaying and jolting even more pronounced; it would be unbearable for even an ordinary knight, let alone a normal person. Paruru squeezed her thighs together, her body tense against Ryūka's back, one hand gripping Ryūka's clothes and the other holding the staff, her knuckles turning white from the force, and her lips beginning to tremble.

If it wasn't acting, then she really had no physical abilities whatsoever, unlike her bear-like father, who could probably control even a dragon with brute force, let alone a warhorse.

But she still forced a smile and maintained her composure:

"It seems I wasn't wrong. You deliberately avoided Linhu Town, just like the stubborn young warriors in our tribe~"

Howl!!!

In a split second, Ryūka abruptly turned and slowed down during her astonishing sprint, then pulled her horse to its feet. With its front hooves raised, Paruru was thrown off! Her hand, which hadn't been able to grip Ryūka's clothes, slipped away instantly, reaching out towards Ryūka's retreating figure, her eyes filled with terror, as she was flung into the woods!

With a loud thud, Ryuka caught her with his powerful battle aura and, after confirming that she was safe, placed Paruru on the ground with a thud.

Seeing the shaman girl, her bottom bruised and swollen, rubbing her backside and glaring at him angrily, the thin, barbarian tattoo on her cheek as fierce as a tigress's stripes, Ryuka simply smiled slightly:

"Miss Shaman, stop playing tricks. Let's be frank, what exactly do you want? And how did you know I was going to Linhu Town?"

Chapter 6 Spiritual Spells and Snow Spirits

Ryuu looked cold and cautious, but unexpectedly, Paruru laughed in anger. The shaman girl sat up with a giggle, took out a paper packet of medicine powder and swallowed it. Without any hesitation, she lifted her shaman robe and began to apply ointment to her slender yet strong and healthy waist.

"I said, it was the wind in your territory that told me, Your Excellency, do you believe me?"

After taking the powder, she seemed slightly tipsy; her face was flushed, and her eyes were a little unfocused. Paruru casually reached out and stroked the air, saying to Ryuka:

"They also said that when you used to hunt herds of animals among the mountains, lakes, and forests, you were much more carefree than you are now. That's what a sixteen-year-old boy should be like, isn't it? Not like now, carrying heavy burdens on your shoulders, playing the role of a 'governor' who is not suitable for your age, being cautious in everything you do..."

Because your every move now will affect the rise and fall, life and death of countless people, won't it?

Paruru's words made Ryuga even more cautious. He didn't believe that any other intelligence organization in the Shadow Guard's territory could have investigated his affairs so thoroughly, even knowing where he went. There was only one possibility: Paruru, this shaman, could indeed 'communicate with spirits'.

What exactly are you trying to say?

“I just want to help you.” Paruru said this with a hint of pride. “Herbal medicine, animal blood, and what you have in your bag are for a spirit communication ritual, right? I don’t know who told you that, but I’m afraid these won’t be enough to awaken the sleeping spirit.”

In Ryuka's mind, Yu frowned in displeasure: "What a joke, it's always been like this..."

Paruru walked around Ryūka without a care, completely ignoring Ryūka's wary hand on her sword. She sprinkled strange powder into the air while muttering to herself. Every few steps, she uttered obscure words, hoarse and eerie, carrying an air of savagery. She smiled at Ryūka, like a ghost from the mountains:

"Don't be afraid, I'm not trying to harm you, I just want to show you..."

After saying that, she did something, and with a flick of her wrist, she scattered the powder in her hand. Sparks flew, and all the powder that had been thrown into the air was instantly ignited, only to be extinguished in an instant, leaving behind only thick smoke and dust that enveloped the two of them.

The smell of the fireworks, reminiscent of incense or burnt wheat straw, reminded Ryuga of burning paper offerings in rituals—slightly pungent yet with an addictive quality. Ryuga instantly held his breath, simultaneously channeling his fighting spirit and magic, wary of any potential poison. Feeling no discomfort in his body, he remained motionless, his sword pressed against his, watching what trick Paruru was about to pull. If she dared to do anything wrong, Ryuga could place his sword against her neck in an instant.

Paruru's figure gradually blurred in the smoke and dust. The morning sunlight, which had just risen, refracted hazily through the dust, making her figure blend into the light between the leaves in the forest, and even her voice became distant.

“Young Governor, just as you've drifted further and further away from nature by stepping into the world, so too have the Ottomen… no, you Central people, since establishing your national religion, drifted further and further away from the spirit…”

Paruru's voice seemed to come from all directions, and her shadow blended with the light and shadow of the forest, as if she had created two separate entities, appearing suddenly in the trees and disappearing into the grass in an instant. This was neither magic nor illusion, nor was it a hallucination caused by Ryukyu's poisoning.

"Interesting. The sound of the wind, the rustling of leaves, the swaying of light and shadow... it's as if she's controlling this illusion. No, according to her, nature is helping her on its own initiative, isn't it?"

Despite it being his own territory, Ryuga had lost that faint connection to the earth he'd felt before, as if he were in a dream. This reminded him of the oppressive aura of Hinatil's scepter; both seemed to represent some kind of domain. However, Hinatil's methods were far more forceful, like forcibly taking over someone's home. Paruru… it was more like his house had grown legs and followed him, leaving him behind…

At the same time, Ryuka felt another power stirring within her. It was the power of the witch, an evil and tyrannical will churning within her, wanting to destroy the scene before her, blow away the dust, tear apart the swaying forest, and let Paruru's wild and alluring voice cry out and scream, replacing the annoying rustling of the forest.

Even Yu, who was in the Hall of Consciousness, saw the purple-black cracks on the wall distorting and churning like mud, seemingly resisting Paruru's shamanic tricks.

Ryuka didn't understand the reason, but she forcefully suppressed her violent emotions, trying to calm herself down and refrain from experiencing the mysterious charm that Paruru displayed in this situation. The shaman girl's hazy voice still echoed in her ears:

"Intrigue and doubt have replaced the natural innocence of youth, and the halls and the sounds of people have weakened and slumbered the spirit. This is a natural change, so the old methods are no longer viable. If you wish to establish a connection with the spirit, it is best to let me help you..."

As her voice grew louder and louder, as if echoing a thousand times, Paruru's figure reappeared before Ryūka. She raised her staff high, and with a forceful cleave, the world instantly became clear. The dust settled, but what appeared before Ryūka was not the forest of the morning. Faint points of light swirled among the grass and trees, and white mist and translucent creatures floated within, moving and darting about like animals. This scene, like a fairyland, astonished Ryūka, yet it also felt strangely familiar…

It was like another world overlapping with reality, the one she had seen when she helped Chloe exorcise the vengeful spirit, only this world was more beautiful and more vibrant. Nevertheless, Ryuka could still sense a faint aura of decay, indicating that, according to Paruru's description, this scene had been far more prosperous in the past.

"The spirit of nature has manifested... This girl... is probably not simple..."

As Yu murmured in her mind, Paruru in front of Ryūka revealed a smug smile. She stretched out her hand, as if showing Ryūka everything in front of her, and then squinted her eyes and giggled:

"Of course, I have a few small conditions~ But isn't the scene quite nice? How about the shaman's 'magical tricks'?"

Watching Paruru, elegant and cunning like a mountain spirit, retort to his earlier accusation of being a charlatan, Ryuka couldn't help but laugh. The fresh air and the novel scene before him made him jump off his horse, squat down beside the bushes, and gently part the leaves. He watched as the translucent, slime-like balls inside scattered in fear, finding it quite amusing.

While watching and having fun, Ryuka asked, "What are the conditions, Miss Shaman?"

"I'm looking for this and want to establish some connection with it. I know it's under your protection, so I need your help. It's mutually beneficial, right?"

As she spoke, Paruru pulled out a piece of paper with a scrawled, furry creature drawn on it. Ryuga frowned in confusion:

"dog?"

"It is the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit of our people!"

Paruru rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath.

“I didn’t bring the scroll paintings from the clan. Those thousand-year-old things can’t withstand the bumpy journey. I know my paintings aren’t very good, but you don’t have to say that!”

Seeing Ryuka trying not to laugh, Paruru realized he had done it on purpose, and pointed at her graffiti, both angry and indignant, she said:

"The Holy Spirit! White! Furry! Very big! Likes to appear in winter! The last remaining spirits here tell me they appeared decades ago, and the current Holy Spirit is connected to you! Your church calls them heretics! Now you recognize them!"

Ryusha understood what Paruru was looking for. He gaped, not because he was surprised that Vitris was the Holy Spirit of the Northern Barbarians, but because he simply couldn't reconcile Vitris's majestic and awe-inspiring Snow Spirit form with Paruru's childlike scribbles.

"You mean, Xue Ling?"

“Snow Spirit?” Paruru repeated after Ryusha. Her Ottoman was not very fluent, but she understood that it meant “snow” and “spirit”.

"That's right, it's Snow Spirit, but we call it 'Holy Snow Spirit'."

She said 'Saint Snow Spirit' in the barbarian language, and the awkward pronunciation was indeed somewhat similar to how Vitry introduced herself.

"Oh~"

Ryuka nodded as if listening attentively, then smiled and asked Paruru:

"I understand, Saint Snow Spirit. So, what do you want to do with them?"

Chapter 7 Races, Spirits, and Gods

“That’s a secret of my clan,” Paruru said, squinting. But seeing Ryusha’s silent smile, she realized that this wouldn’t convince the boy in front of her.

"In short, it won't be a bad thing. Please believe me, after all, that is the holy spirit of my people."

Seeing Paruru's sincere expression, Ryuka was not easily convinced, but Yu kept persuading herself to agree first. It seemed that the shaman girl's abilities were indeed useful to her.

“Okay, the Holy Spirit you mentioned is indeed in my territory. But you not only have to help me with channeling, you'd better teach me the methods as well…”

While Liuxia bargained, she had another thought in mind. She had only agreed to help her find Vitris, not hand her over. Besides, Vitris had her own will, and this was still her territory…

"Deal, but if you can't learn it, I won't be responsible."

Paruru nodded and began to explain to Ryukyu amidst the bizarre and wonderful scene:

"Knights can sense the channels of battle aura within their bodies, while mages can sense the magic in the air. The more powerful ones can even see the presence of magic and battle aura within others with the naked eye. You Otus people know this too, right?"

"Hmm...I know."

Ryuka nodded casually. Although he was strong in both martial arts and magic, most of it came from the faith of his followers. He had never seen magic with his own eyes.

Perhaps Melanie could, but she herself could see something—the faint glow emanating from her followers.

"Knowing this makes it easier to explain. Just as ordinary people can't see what mages and knights can. Even you mages and knights can't see the existence of 'spirits,' even though they are everywhere and, like battle aura and magic, are a manifestation of energy."

"You mean these soft, bouncy little things are energy?"

Liuxia walked to the bush and saw a snail-sized spirit ball curled up on a leaf. She couldn't help but pinch it with her fingers, almost crushing the glowing spirit ball.

"Be careful! These little guys don't come together easily! Even one this big would take decades to develop naturally!"

Paruru angrily took a step forward, her staff slapping Ryusha's body with a 'smack'. Then she gently soothed the little spirit ball and its companions, while blowing a packet of powder onto the spirit ball. The spirit ball, whose light had dimmed slightly, immediately regained its energy and darted away into the leaves.

Her words of comfort to Ling were extremely obscure, and her tone was like a melodious mountain song, which aroused Liu Xia's curiosity.

"Can one communicate with the spirit using this language?"

Paruru rolled her eyes at him, seemingly very displeased with Ryuka's rough behavior, and said in a scolding tone:

“That’s right, but there are many kinds. Plant spirits, soul spirits, and thought spirits each have their own ways of communicating. Even though I’ve been learning from the elders and grandmothers in my clan since I was a child, I still don’t know them all. That’s why I said you probably can’t learn them all.”

"I don't care, just promise to teach me."

Although Ryuka didn't consider herself stupid, accumulating some knowledge required time—a long, tedious, and boring process. If she hadn't learned through the Leader's Certificate, following Paruru to learn shamanism wouldn't have been so easy.

Unless he turns her into his follower. But it seems this shaman girl has her own set of beliefs, so it probably won't be that easy...

"You just said that there are many kinds of spirits, so are there any vengeful spirits, like ghosts?"

Ryuga feigned curiosity and asked casually. Paruru's analogy of 'seeing and not seeing' reminded him of the resentment he had witnessed while working for Chloe.

"Of course there are. If it's created by a person, it retains some will and is generally a soul. But if it's formed from 'a person's intention,' then it's considered a spirit, such as love or hatred... Those things are quite dangerous, even spirits that claim to be in the name of love..."

"She's right, but in my understanding, the distinction isn't so clear-cut. It's based solely on the strength of one's power. As long as one's abilities are limited to a certain land or object, they're all 'land spirits.' Moreover, the separation between spirits and reality isn't so obvious. If you become powerful enough, you too can become a spirit. For example, the spirits of great kings or sages who have passed away still exist in the world in some form..."

In her mind, Yu listened with great interest. She was quite surprised that human shamans understood spirits so well.

Ryūka nodded. It seemed that the resentment accumulated by Chloe's followers over hundreds of years was a form of spirit possession. Paruru, seemingly quite saddened at this point, let out a soft sigh.

"You mean, some spirits require the power of different deities to deal with?"

Ryuka realized that only by becoming Chloe's messenger could she see and destroy those twisted vengeful spirits. This must be the domain under her jurisdiction, and considering what Paruru said, all spirits are energy entities, it made sense that after she destroyed the vengeful spirits, both she and Chloe could collect a portion of the energy.

"That's right, but as an Ottusian, you should know better than me that your world no longer has those gods. That's why the spirits everywhere are declining, and all sorts of unseen forces are mixing and blocking things, which is why your knights and mages are getting worse with each generation. You know, in ancient times, there were plenty of excellent knights and mages. How could your Ottusian Three Saints and Ten Heavens have the right to dominate the entire continent?"

Paruru chuckled, making no attempt to hide the sarcasm in her words, but her words gave Ryuka a lot to think about.

"So, if you find the Holy Spirit, wouldn't there be a way to strengthen your barbarian tribe and thus break free from Otus's oppression?"

Paruru's face darkened. She approached Ryusha with a cold expression, her pretty face covered in tattoos exuding a savage and dangerous aura. Although she was far weaker than Ryusha, her demeanor was extremely forceful: "We are not 'barbarians.' In my opinion, you debauched, disrespectful, and self-righteous Otus are the barbarians!"

Realizing she had misspoke, Ryuka could only shrug and say, "Okay, so you guys are..."

“The Vino people mean people who revere nature. But now the Vino people in the north have almost forgotten this name and are more used to calling themselves by their respective tribal names…” Paruru’s tone was somewhat melancholy, but she quickly became stubborn again, “But look, apart from our dress and customs, what difference is there between us and you Ottus people?”

After saying that, she tossed her dark green hair and waved it around in front of Liuxia.

"Your hair is dark green."

"It's dyed!" Paruru gritted her teeth.

"Your father is huge."

"He's an exception! Look at me! I'm no different from other girls in Ottus, except for my tattoos!"

"That remains to be explored..." Ryuka laughed lightly on purpose.

"Rude! Barbaric!" Paruru said angrily. "I heard you treat your people well, so I thought you would be a more reasonable person, which is why I told you all this."

“Okay, I understand. You mean that you Vino people, the Ottus people, and the people of other large and small duchies are actually all of the same race, right? I mean in terms of bloodline, such as having a common ancestor in ancient times.”

Besides the Dark Elves, the book also mentions various heretical races called Demi-humans with unique appearances. The people of different countries and races on the Central Continent don't differ much in skin color or appearance. In contrast, Ryūka's original world had various different races who shared a common biological ancestor, so this wasn't difficult for Ryūka to understand.

But Ryūka's attitude surprised Paruru. She looked at Ryūka suspiciously and said in a somewhat sarcastic tone:

"I thought you were like the other Ottusians, believing that you were created by a goddess, and that we were turned from stones in a snow cave..."

“I don’t believe in the Church’s stuff.” Ryusha shook his head. “If that were the case, you and your father wouldn’t exist. As far as I know, Lord Weston is a hybrid of Ottus and…Veno, right?”

The moment the words "there is no reproductive isolation" were uttered, Ryuka seemed to realize something was amiss.

“That’s right.” Paruru nodded. “So we’re not much different from you, except that in ancient times we were classified into different groups based on our beliefs. And it’s not just us…”

With a wave of her staff, Paruru caused the dust and specks of light scattered in the air to transform into various patterns under her command.

Elves, dark elves, orcs... even the images of dragons and goblins appeared in the air.

"These demi-human races that you call heretics can also reproduce with humans. Even dragons, some powerful ancient dragons can transform into human form and have offspring with humans... So essentially, we are only different in appearance and ability."

This was beyond Ryūka's comprehension. Although he had seen Dark Elf hybrids before, at least Dark Elves were still humanoid. Goblins, on the other hand, were filthy little creatures capable of producing offspring with all sorts of different races.

But a dragon?

Ryuka thought of Vitris, who was a snow spirit who could transform into a great white beast. Her mother was a snow spirit and her father was a human... It seemed that some of the laws of this world were beyond her comprehension, but she had never really looked into them.

But to Paruru, Ryuka's puzzled look seemed like she was seriously considering something. Paruru was overjoyed, as if she had found a kindred spirit who would listen to her, and excitedly proclaimed, almost like a missionary:

"That's right! Whether it's gods or anything else, we beings were all one another in ancient times! And what connected us was them! It was the 'spirit'!"