Chapter 127 - Ais: Will Riveria Hate Me?
Thump, thump, thump—
"Come in, the door isn't locked."
As Luke was refining the extra Prana in his body, a knock came at the door.
Bang—
The moment Ais heard Luke's voice from inside the room, she violently pushed the door open.
Patter, patter, patter—
Plop—
Ais, who had run to the bed, threw herself into Luke's arms with a flying leap.
Luke, sitting on the bed, silently sighed as he looked at Ais, who said nothing in his arms.
He formed a hand sign and used the condensed threads of Prana to close the room's door.
Then, he gently patted Ais's head and softly said to her:
"You'll make Riveria worried."
"Maybe right now, she's hiding alone in her room, secretly crying because our little Ais is ignoring her."
Perhaps Luke's embrace provided Ais with some comfort, or perhaps his words had some effect.
Ais buried her head in Luke's chest, seemingly not wanting him to see her face at that moment.
Then, she began to speak with complex emotions:
"That monster... is... is..."
After pausing several times, Ais still couldn't bring herself to say the race of that monster.
"That monster, indeed, is a spirit," Luke spoke for Ais.
But Ais strongly opposed this.
"Impossible! That monster cannot be a spirit! How could that filthy monster be a spirit!"
"How could a spirit be like that..."
"My mother is not a monster, and I am not a monster either..."
Ais's voice grew softer, and Luke could already hear the faint sound of crying.
"Will I also become like that in the future?"
The appearance of the Demi Spirit had a huge impact on Ais's perception of spirits.
Spirits are said to be the race the Gods loved the most and are even called part god.
They are strong magic users and can even use magic better than most elves.
Their legends circulate among many humans and demi-humans in the mortal world.
But one thing is for sure: Spirits are the race closest to the gods.
This sacred and mysterious race seemed impossible to be associated with something like monsters.
But now, a monster in the form of a spirit appeared.
This fact fundamentally shattered Ais's worldview.
With spirit blood flowing through her veins, as a half-spirit, the moment Ais saw the Demi Spirit, a thought circled in her mind.
'The blood flowing in my body, could it be the same as that filthy being?'
Spirits, along with elves, are renowned magical races whose potential far exceeds that of others.
They can ignite catastrophic fires, summon storms, create lakes in forests, and refine gold and silver gems.
A portion of Spirits' powers bears a strong resemblance to those of the gods.
In other words, they too can cause 'miracles.'
In Ais's memory, her father, a hero, was a great figure, while her mother, a spirit, was a gentle figure.
Spirits guide heroes with their power to create miracles.
They grant humans the ability to use magic and provide heroes with strong weapons.
Before the gods descended, one could argue that the grace of Spirits functioned as a substitute for 'falna'.
But if the true appearance of Spirits was that of monsters, wouldn't that mean her own mother was also a monster?
Ais didn't even dare to think further.
She dreaded the inevitable conclusion, knowing it would plunge her further into despair.
The greatness of her father, the gentleness of her mother, her own existence, everything seemed to be drifting away from her.
Ais lifted her head and asked Luke with a trembling voice:
"After knowing that I might be a monster, will Riveria and the others in our Familia hate me?"
The thought that she might be a monster, the kind she'd always despised and the same kind that killed her father, was almost making Ais mentally collapse.
Luke gently wiped the tears from Ais's eyes and asked, with a hint of laughter in his voice,
"Then, aren't you afraid that I might hate you too?"
"Eh?!"
Luke's counter-question left Ais stunned.
She looked at Luke, thought about Riveria, and then looked at Luke again, somewhat at a loss.
"I, I don't know... I just feel that Luke won't hate me..."
After a long time, Ais finally managed to squeeze out these words.
Ais's reaction amused Luke; he held her with one hand and pinched her cute little face with the other.
"I really appreciate your trust in me, and I can assure you, whether you turn into a monster or not, I will never hate you."
"However, I also hope that you can trust Riveria and the others a bit more."
Luke's firm answer finally eased the anxiety that had been hanging in Ais's heart for days.
"Trust more?"
"Do you mean... Riveria won't hate me?"
"Of course, Riveria won't hate you."
Luke looked somewhat amused at Ais, who was tormented by her fears.
If Riveria knew that Ais hadn't been talking to them these days because she was afraid they would hate her, she would probably burst out laughing.
Then she would teach Ais what trust really meant with an angry fist.
"Moreover, you've got a premise wrong."
"You won't become a monster, so there's no need to worry about being hated."
Luke's words instantly excited Ais.
"You mean, that monster isn't actually a spirit?"
"No, that is indeed a spirit."
"Eh?! But you just said I wouldn't become a monster..."
Tap—
Luke gently knocked Ais's head.
"Don't interrupt, listen to me."
"That monster is indeed a spirit, but not a normal spirit."
"That is a Demi Spirit."
"Ais, think carefully about what that monster looked like at that time."
Ais held her head with both hands, recalling the monster she saw three days ago, following Luke's words.
"That monster... the spirit... has fallen."
"So, does it mean... fusion?"
Luke nodded, relieved to see Ais finally getting the point, as he was worried she might obsess over this matter.
The reason he hadn't told Riveria and the others was to avoid upsetting Ais's fragile heart.
"Right, it's not that the spirit turned into a monster, but that the spirit chose to merge with a monster after going crazy."
Ais tried hard to digest the information from Luke's words, and after understanding the situation, she asked him in a daze:
"So, does it mean that spirit actually went mad and crazy?"
"Correct."
"Spirits aren't actually monsters?"
"Right."
"I won't turn into a monster in the future?"
"Obviously."
"So, Riveria won't hate me?"
"Haha, of course she won't hate her precious little daughter."
"..."
After several questions, Ais was completely stunned.
Ais looked at Luke, then suddenly threw herself into his arms again.
"Whaaaaaa—!"
Afterward, a silent cry resounded through Luke's room.
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