At a glance, they seemed similar to earth fairies, but these beings had a different aura. While earth fairies gave the feeling of a sunlit garden, they exuded a damp atmosphere untouched by sunlight.

Their round eyes, entirely black, gleamed like oil-coated glass marbles, and their coarse, rough skin resembled decaying tree roots.

Kai instinctively realized that these creatures, who responded to his name and mimicked his words long ago, were indeed the earth spirits.

One of them, standing on a wide desk, listened to Will’s story, then slowly turned its head towards Kai when he was standing nearby.

The creature, with its neck unnaturally twisting like a malfunctioning wooden doll, grinned widely, dropping its head to the side, even though its head turned at a bizarre angle. Yet, its black gaze remained fixed on Kai.

In the midst of inner conflict on how to react, Will’s story continued intermittently.

“No matter how hard I look, it’s not there. Nowhere you mentioned. How on earth can I snatch it away?”

Will, who was flipping through an old book and whispering rapidly, noticed the creature staring intently at something, and he fell silent. While still hunched over to peer into the book, he abruptly raised his head towards Kai.
Meeting eyes with him, Kai was momentarily surprised and almost drew his sword.

It was just a moment, but Will’s pupils, like those creatures, had completely turned black but quickly returned to normal.

Although only his pupils had changed, Will’s face, which seemed sinister and aggressive, instantly transformed into his usual calm and gentle demeanor.

“Master?”

While calling out to Will, Kai didn’t remove his hand from the hilt at his side. He was ready to attack if necessary.

“Your Majesty, what brings you here?”

Will greeted Kai warmly, as if unexpectedly meeting a dear brother. However, Kai couldn’t greet Will as usual.

He was confused about what he had just seen, why those things were lingering near his master, and why his master was conversing with them.

“What are you reading?”

Kai asked with a stern expression, his gaze fixed on the thick book Will had been reading.

“Oh! I’ve recently become interested in magic, you see. But, perhaps it’s due to old age; no matter how much I read, I just can’t seem to understand a word of it.”

Will, smiling slyly as he spoke, was the person Kai knew.

Kai stared at him sharply, then carefully examined the area where those creatures had been standing just a while ago. However, no matter how much he looked, there was nothing visible near the forbidden section of the library except for Will.

‘Did I see it wrong?’
Facing his master, who treated him as usual, Kai seriously pondered for a short time whether he had seen it wrong.

However, the contemplation didn’t last long. Considering the gaze, atmosphere, and the dampened air around, there was absolutely no possibility that he had seen it wrong.

“Even if you were my age, Master, you wouldn’t have been much different.”

Kai casually threw the words as if making a joke. However, the danger signals felt all over his body showed no signs of diminishing.

Instincts as sharp as those of wild animals sent a continuous signal that he needed to be careful, even as Will laughed amiably.

“Now you’re making fun of an old man. Even if I’m not close to books, I must be better than the Emperor, right?”

Will, with a surplus of composure, went so far as to make jokes about the Emperor. Kai, pretending to be unconcerned, approached the desk.

He had considered covering or hiding the book that Will was looking at and subtly nudging him about what he had seen earlier.

However, despite Kai openly approaching while looking at the book, Will showed no sign of trying to hide it.

“Surely, it’s not a beginner’s magic book for children?”

“If the late Emperor were alive, he would have scolded a disrespectful son who teases an old teacher severely, wouldn’t he?”

“He is now underground. Don’t you know that?”
In response to Will’s sigh, Kai calmly replied in an even tone. Will, with an equally sly expression, chuckled, then abruptly closed the book he had been reading with a loud thud.

The book he was reading was a common agricultural book that could be found anywhere. Not just that book, but all the books piled high around Will’s desk were related to plants and farming.

Occasionally, there were books mixed in, like basic magic manuals applied to farming, but they didn’t deviate much from the theme of agriculture.

When Kai saw the face that suddenly came to mind after checking the book Will was reading, he felt uneasy. For some reason, Will was on high alert with Stella and sent warnings to be cautious whenever he looked at Kai.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, Stella didn’t seem to be perceived as a dangerous presence. If he had to pick a more threatening opponent in front of him right now, it seemed li
Stella, who harvested Zihicco alone all night, seemed concerned. Bryn, walking alongside her, kept scrutinizing Stella’s complexion.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I took a long nap.”