Chapter 14: Beloved Rank
By the time Ruri had finished her mandated shopping spree, Jade and the others needed to attend to the day’s business, so Ruri took a walk around the castle.
Perhaps it was in part due to the Beast King and the Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King currently staying in sector one, but she often found herself passing by people dressed in outfits not associated with the Nation of the Dragon King. However, unlike the workers of the Nation of the Dragon King who would casually greet her, the workers from the Beast King’s domain would courteously bow to her. That was a likely indicator of how much authority a Beloved should normally hold. The Nation of the Beast King’s heavy religious faith in spirits could’ve also played a part, as well.
However, since the Nation of the Dragon King’s people first met Ruri in her adorable cat form, they would look at her in the same tepid way you would look at a pet animal. When she walked around as a human, she could feel their disappointment. She could feel them saying, “Aww, what? She’s not a cat today?” Apparently, Jade wasn’t the only one who sought comfort from Ruri. They were dragonkin as well, so smaller animals like cats probably ran away from them just the same. It put her in a difficult position—she wasn’t sure if she should be happy that the dragonkin had an affinity for her or sad that they were taking her for granted.
“That reminds me, you guys went to see the Beloved of Cerulanda, right? How did that go?” Ruri asked Kotaro and the others who were walking beside her. Kotaro was, of course, the only one walking; Rin and Chi were riding on his back. Seeing that sometimes made Ruri ponder if they only saw Kotaro as a convenient way around.
“I mean, what’s to say? She was a regular old Beloved. I was set on making a contract with her if she seemed interesting, but she was as plain as plain could be. Boooring.”
Euclase already wasn’t too keen on the Beloved, and now Chi’s assessment of her was that she “wasn’t interesting.”
Kotaro simply said, “I have no interest in any Beloved other than you, Ruri.”
“I’m not fond of people such as that either. And it’s not because she isn’t ‘interesting’ like Chi said. I’m speaking personality-wise. We don’t mesh at all,” said Rin.
“But don’t spirits determine their likes and dislikes by mana wavelength?”
“That isn’t a definite rule. The lower in spirit rank you go, the more spirits you find who act as immature as they look and act on instinct, so they have preferences based on mana wavelengths. But the higher up the chain you go, you find more rational spirits who take things other than mana wavelength into consideration. Just like how Chi picks who he finds interesting, you see. Kotaro and I operate similarly to one another. We didn’t pick you based on mana alone,” Rin explained.
“Oh, I see.”
“Well, I’ll admit that your power as a Beloved is a tad higher than normal.”
“There are Beloveds with weak powers?”
“Of course there are. The strength of a Beloved is based on how many spirits they can attract. And how many spirits they can attract depends on their mana wavelength. Therefore, the quality of their mana determines their rank as a Beloved. The more superior the quality, the more spirits favor them. If two Beloveds confronted one another, that rank would decide the outcome.”
“Hmm, then who has the highest rank among the Beloveds around now?”
“My, that should be obvious, shouldn’t it? Why, it’s...” Rin started, but just as she was about to finish, an intense verbal dispute erupted and stopped everyone in their tracks.
“What could that be?” Ruri questioned, deciding to head toward the source of the noise.
An angry-looking girl was shouting at Ewan and the Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King, Celestine, who were standing before her. This girl was also surrounded by several spirits. Behind those three were the Beast King Arman and a soldier from the Nation of the Dragon King—both looking flustered.
Ruri approached the commotion and asked the petrified soldier, “Hey, did something happen here?”
“L-Lady Beloved!” exclaimed the soldier. He looked at Ruri and started to panic.
“Who is that girl? I don’t recognize her,” Ruri asked, referring to the girl arguing with Ewan. It seemed as though the girl was having a shouting contest with herself, but Ruri didn’t know who she was.
However, it wasn’t the soldier but Rin who answered. “Oh my, that is the Beloved from that ‘Cerulanda’ nation we were talking about a second go. ‘Azelda’ was her name, I believe.”
“Oh wow. So, that’s her?” This was the first time Ruri ever saw the Beloved of Cerulanda. Just like Chi said, she was a normal girl—the kind you could find anywhere. She seemed to be younger than Ruri, somewhere in her teens. “...Huh? I thought I wasn’t allowed to meet the Beloved of Cerulanda. If I recall, she’s supposed to be in sector two of the castle, so what is she doing up here on sector one?”
The soldier then made a troubling grimace. “Um, you see... Lady Beloved of Cerulanda made her way here unannounced, demanding to see His Majesty. We tried to get her to vacate sector one before she could meet the other Beloveds, but she raised an unnecessary uproar. The spirits reacted to her anger and things took an ominous turn for the worse. I was hard-pressed for what to do, but that was when Ewan arrived. And even though I explicitly gave warning, things devolved into a verbal altercation. Since Ewan can’t see spirits, he lashed out at the Beloved of Cerulanda, which only resulted in making her even angrier...”
“Typical Ewan...” Ruri sighed. When it came to foolhardy recklessness, Ewan was your man.
“Also, the Beast King and Lady Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King happened to pass through, and upon seeing the Beloved of Cerulanda’s selfish outburst, she joined the fray as well, which leads us to where we’re at now...” the soldier fully explained.
It was safe to assume that the soldier couldn’t interfere since they were Beloveds. Even as they spoke, he was at a total loss as to how to accurately control the situation. In the meantime, Azelda, Ewan, and Celestine’s argument raged on.
“And as I’ve said, you have no permission to enter the first floor, so return to sector two at once,” said Ewan.
“And as I’ve said, I want to see the Dragon King!”
“Once you return to your sector, then I will inform his Majesty you seek his audience.”
“I want to see him this instant! Now, enough talk; let me through. Anger me any more and the spirits won’t take this lying down!”
Azelda tried to threaten him, but since Ewan couldn’t see the spirits anyway, it was to no avail. Her threats only made Ewan’s icy glare even more frigid, and they instead angered Celestine.
“My, you are one dreadful child, aren’t you? When someone doesn’t listen to your selfish ways, you throw a temper tantrum. I’ll have you know that the spirits are not your convenient little tools for retribution!”
“Celestine, stop!” Arman hesitantly said in an attempt to contain her. However, whether she was listening was doubtful as her eyes remained fixed on Azelda.
Azelda glared back at Celestine, perturbed. “What, do you want to get it too?!”
Celestine mockingly sneered. “Look at that, clinging to the spirits when you’re in trouble. You truly are a child. Do you seriously think you can get me to bend to your will by using the spirits to threaten me?”
“I’m a Beloved, so it’s only natural that I get to employ the spirits’ powers! You people know I’m a Beloved and won’t do what I want, so you’re in the wrong here!”
“Oh, you poor deluded thing. You’re sorely mistaken if you think being pampered is a natural right. The reason people enable your selfish whims is because the spirits keep your company. Your influence alone means nothing. You should hold more gratitude and respect for the spirits,” Celestine said, seeming to intentionally phrase her words to anger Azelda.
Whether it was part of her plan or not, Azelda’s face turned beet red in obvious rage all the same. “Shut up, shut up, shut up! Don’t you dare lecture me! Everyone, this person is bullying me. Do something about it!”
Once Azelda said that, the spirits by her side moved. However, Celestine was also a Beloved. The spirits on Celestine’s side formed a wall in front of her. And everyone watching this unfold started to panic.
“Hey, so, what happens when two Beloveds fight? Both of them have spirits, but the spirits don’t start fighting among themselves, right?” Ruri asked, having never seen two Beloveds fight before. However, considering that the spirits would try to defend both of them, she didn’t know what kind of situation that left them in.
“Don’t worry; spirits would never fight one another,” Rin assured.
Ruri was relieved to hear that, but she was still slightly worried as to what would happen next. The spirits on Celestine and Azelda’s sides each faced each other in order to make it clear which side they were taking.
“Everyone, gather ’round!” yelled one spirit in a loud voice, flooding the area with a wave of spirits from out of seemingly nowhere.
“Vote for which side you’re on!” another spirit said.
“Aaaand, start!” said another.
With that cry, the spirits looked at both Celestine and Azelda, took some time to think, and started to individually line up next to the person they picked.
Ruri looked at Rin for an explanation, asking, “What does this mean?”
“Spirits won’t fight among each other, but if they are pit against each other, each spirit will grant the wishes of the Beloved they like. Since they would come to blows otherwise, they do this vote in order to decide which Beloved’s wishes they grant. Spirits won’t oppose those of a higher level than them, so the Beloved with the greatest number of high-level spirits on their side wins. However, since there are only low-level spirits assembled here, the one with the most spirits wins instead.”
“Oh wow...”
All anyone in attendance could do was watch matters unfold; none of them could stop what the spirits were attempting to do. They watched on as they started to split off and side with both Celestine and Azelda.
The victor was—Azelda. It was by a slight margin, but Azelda had more spirits on her side than Celestine.
The results left Arman and the soldiers of the Nation of the Dragon King and Beast King, who stood unable to intervene, pale in the face. Celestine seemed to be standing her ground, but her face had tensed up.
Seeing that Azelda had won, the spirits in the area all showed hostility toward Celestine. The spirits that had been around her before looked at her with concern, but they showed no signs of trying to stop the others. Arman promptly stepped in front of Celestine, acting as her shield.
“Hold on, isn’t this really bad news...?” Ruri asked.
“The lower in level a spirit is, the more pure they are—for better or worse. If the Beloved of Cerulanda tells them to attack the Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King, they’ll do just that,” Rin explained.
If nothing was done, Celestine was bound to be assaulted by the spirits. Ruri took action before the thought of siccing the spirits on her took root.
“Woah, just hold on!!” Ruri screamed, jumping in front of Celestine and Arman. “Guys, hold on a second! Cancel that order! Let’s be peaceful! Don’t attack!”
“Hey, I’ll make you meet the same fate if you intend on getting in my way as well!” Azelda barked, but Ruri kept her eyes on the spirits and begged them profusely.
All of the soldiers of the Nation of the Dragon King were biting their nails. The spirit army looked ready to strike at any time. If something happened to Ruri right now, then it would be a disaster. A few of the soldiers ran to summon Jade.
“Please, don’t attack!”
Tensions were high. If Azelda’s rank was higher, then they would target Ruri as well. Ruri and everyone around her all held their breath and maintained their watch on the spirits’ reaction.
The spirits all looked at one another, and then...
“Sure!”
“We’ll stop if you say so, Ruri!”
“’Kay, that’s a wrap, guys!”
Just like that, the spirits immediately started to disperse. Ewan simply stood looking clueless, unable to comprehend what had just transpired since he couldn’t see a single spirit. Even those who could see them stared with mouths agape at how fast they were dissuaded.
Ruri breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the spirits listened to her request.
Meanwhile, Azelda became even more upset, asking, “Wha? Why won’t you do what I ask?”
However, the spirits responded in an indifferent tone to her question, no longer willing to follow her commands.
“Well, ’cause Ruri said to stop. That’s why.”
“Yeah, what else are we supposed to do?”
“Who are you anyway? You can’t just show up and get in my way like that!” Azelda exclaimed, glaring straight at Ruri.
Ruri flinched for a second before remembering that this childish tantrum was nothing to fear. “Ewan, take her back to sector two,” she said.
“Is that okay?”
Fortunately, it seemed the spirits were listening to Ruri more than Azelda.
“I think it’ll be fine. Guys, Ewan is going to be a little forceful in taking her back, but don’t attack him, okay?” Ruri explained to the spirits beforehand.
They all gave her a spirited reply.
“Okie dokie!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Discerning that Ewan would be safe, Ruri nodded at him.
“Well then, Lady Beloved? This way, if you please.”
“Wait, don’t you touch me!”
Azelda tried to fight back, but she proved no match for Ewan’s dragonkin strength. He carted her away, and she couldn’t offer much in the way of resistance.
Sensing that the mood had finally de-escalated, Ruri unloaded a sigh before looking over to Celestine and Arman. “Are you both all right?”
“Yeah, you saved us. You have my thanks,” said Arman with a slight bow of his head. He then gave a wry smile. “I never would have guessed she’d be a higher rank than Celestine. Then again, it seems you’re a higher rank than the both of them. Thanks to you, we’re all safe. I’ll tell you, I didn’t know how that was going to turn out.” Turning back toward Celestine, he lightly poked her head while saying, “And you, learn to keep your little attitude under control.”
“My apologies, Lord Arman,” Celestine said with a dejected face. She quickly straightened it out and looked over at Ruri. “Miss Ruri, you have my sincerest gratitude.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. I’m just glad nothing happened,” replied Ruri.
“I simply cannot believe that I would lose to someone like her, who uses spirits only to suit her needs...” Celestine lamented, her expression rife with humiliation.
“I hope you’ve learned not to get near that girl again. We’d be in serious trouble if the same thing were to happen,” lectured Arman.
“Yes, I understand,” Celestine said with an obedient nod as she and Arman walked back to their rooms.
With the case successfully closed, Ruri sighed. “A fight between Beloveds really is scary, though.”
The terror of the spirits suddenly turning against you was indescribable. There wouldn’t be any point in attacking back, either, as you would only get trounced.
“You don’t have to worry about that, Ruri,” Rin assured.
“Why is that?”
“I said it earlier, didn’t I? How capable you are at attracting the spirits is important. Just like how they prioritized the Beloved of Cerulanda more than the Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King, the spirits found your mana more attractive, so they obeyed you.”
“That makes sense.” Basically, if her mana was inferior to Azelda’s, then Ruri would have been subjected to the spirits’ attack. It was a scary thought in retrospect.
“Besides, if it came down to a vote, then the one who had the most high-level spirits would win. And with supreme-level spirits such as Rin and myself under your subjugation, there would be no way you’d lose,” Kotaro said, somewhat boastfully.
“Wait, that means I’m unbeatable?”
“That it does. Even if you did butt heads with another Beloved, you wouldn’t have to worry about a thing,” Rin stated.
Kotaro agreed. “Indeed. We would protect you, rest assured.”
“Thank you, both.”
“Hey, I’d give ya a hand if it looked like fun,” Chi added.
“Uh, thanks. I guess...” Chi basically meant that he wouldn’t help if it wasn’t interesting. It was hard to feel flattered when she didn’t know when he would turn his back on her.
Afterward, Ruri also left the area, but she ran into Jade and Euclase, who’d both caught wind of the commotion, and explained the situation to them.
“That selfish brat!” Euclase said, quivering in anger.
Jade just heaved a sigh.
Ruri simply threw up a silent prayer that Cerulanda’s problems were solved before the stress ruptured holes in Euclase and Jade’s stomachs.
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