On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

When Teanosvera stops exuding his overwhelming pressure, the heaviness that pushes down our body disappears. Although I don\'t feel much change, it is rather significant for Haletha, who needs my help to withstand the pressure.

I tap Haletha\'s shoulder to tell her it is okay to let go and then look around. The surroundings have become really quiet; I can even barely sense any Wild Beasts lurking around.

"Given how terrifying that pressure was, I am not surprised that they ran away," I mutter to myself.

Putting on my mask that I have been holding, I look up when I feel a disturbance in the air. A dark ball of energy is rapidly coalescing in the air; it turns into Teanosvera not long after.

Whoosh!

Teanosvera spreads his wings to stop his free fall. He lands on the ground safely and looks at me with the \'I got the job done\' eye.

"What have you done?"

"Something that is up to your satisfaction, Master."

"Have you killed them all?"

"Certainly."

Haletha and I turn to each other at the same time. Both of us believe that what we heard is really the case, but we are somehow worried about the aftermath.

"Chaos won\'t happen—worry not! There might be an uproar, but the favour will be on your side, Master."

"Do you mean the Demon side?"

"YOUR side."

I can\'t help humming to myself as I look at the grin on Teanosvera\'s face. I know where this is going, but I am slightly reluctant to acknowledge it because of how bothersome it is.

\'Well, my life has been chaotic since day one—why not add a bit more?\' In the end, I shrug and just go with the flow.

Haletha still seems a bit nervous around Teanosvera, so she taps my shoulder to gain my attention instead of just calling my name. I turn around to look at her and she immediately nods her head, indicating it is time to go.

"Ah, it is already time to go, huh?" Teanosvera remarks. "It is time to bid Amizanima goodbye then."

"Out of curiosity, but who will protect the forest after you leave?" I ask.

"Ku-Ku-Ku. Master, this forest and the Dark Elf will exist even without me. Have you ever heard a story about me doing something for the forest or the Dark Elf? No, I haven\'t done anything, but they still exist to this day."

"You have just exposed yourself," I state in amusement. "Teanosvera, the in-name protector of Amizanima. Many will be shocked when they hear it."

"Let them be. This is not a world where you can rely on someone to survive," Teanosvera remarks nonchalantly as he waves his wing. "You have to be able to save yourself by yourself first and foremost."

Although they rarely interact with each other, Forest Spirits who live in the same territory rely on each other to live; therefore, hearing that kind of mindset from a Forest Spirit feels surreal. Teanosvera is really a different kind of Forest Spirit.

I smirk and tell Teanosvera it is time to leave through our Spiritual Bond. Said Forest Spirit nods his head lightly and then shrinks himself to the size of a crow, much to my surprise.

He flies towards me, lands on my shoulder and says, "The head is already occupied. I don\'t want to bother my senior, so I will just perch on Master\'s shoulder."

"For an eccentric Spirit, you are quite respectful, aren\'t you?" I remark.

"Master, she maybe is in a weakened state currently, but she is still—"

"Shut it, birdie! Don\'t spew something you are not allowed to!" Luxia interrupted.

"Y-Yeah," Teanosvera answers meekly.

\'Ho-Ho... These two are hiding something from me.\' I can\'t help laughing internally. From their interaction, Teanosvera must have glimpsed the real her. \'I know Luxia is originally a strong Forest Spirit, but I didn\'t know she was stronger than Teanosvera.\'

Clearing my thoughts as I nod at Haletha, we immediately run towards Lysimork. Our mission is a success, so it is time to see the aftermath.

...

When we reach the southern gate of Lysimork, which was the gate where met this morning, the Guardians guarding it immediately get tensed. It is normal if their eyes are planted on Haletha, but all of them are looking at me.

\'Oi, oi, at least look at your protector. He is perching on my shoulder,\' I say inwardly.

Although I am not looking at Teanosvera\'s face, I know he is smirking in satisfaction; I can feel it from our Spiritual Bond. He wasn\'t joking—he really has told them about me being his Master.

Sighing lightly, I act as if nothing happened. I feel superior to the Dark Elf—I really am superior—but keeping acting normal makes the fact even more awesome.

\'You can\'t get drunk. Once you do, it will be over,\' I remind myself. \'Status and recognition are the by-products. Absolute power is your goal!\'

Although I keep repeating it in mind, acting as if nothing happened is still harder than I thought. As Haletha and I rush to the palace, every eye is on me.

Teanosvera puffs out his chest in pride as he enjoys the look. Unlike him, however, I am thinking of the best way to ignore the reverend look the Dark Elves are giving me.

​ \'Kuhaha! Bask in my profound presence!\' I hear Teanosvera say through our Spiritual Bond.

\'Ha-ah... It\'s going to be a long day, Layland,\' Luxia sighs.

\'He has every right to act that way, so we can\'t blame him,\' I reply helplessly.

Attention is bothersome when you pay your mind to it. I am already used to being the center of attention on Earth—although not for a very good reason—so I have learned how to ignore it.

After using one Teleportation Gate and running for a minute, Haletha and I arrived at the palace. Velucan, Jovenus, Eliseus, Elorand and the other Guardians are already waiting for us before the gate.

"Greetings for the Queen and the owner of Amizanima Forest."

The Guardians bow respectfully before us, meanwhile the three Demons smirk at me. I feel like massaging my forehead at the way the Guardians called me, but I still act as if it is to be expected, so I merely nod my head.

"When you talked about your plan, I didn\'t expect you to convince Teanosvera to do something else," Velucan remarks. "You\'re something, aren\'t you."

"Ku-Ku-Ku... Don\'t get my Master wrong, Demon King\'s Generals; he never had the intention to make me his Spiritual Companion. I was the one who decided it was best to accompany my Master on his bloody journey," Teanosvera states.

"Damn, bird. You hide your power well. I wasn\'t really sure if it was you until you spoke," Velucan says as he laughs.

Teanosvera says nothing about being called a bird by Velucan. I believe he has glimpsed at Velucan\'s real power and deems Velucan strong enough to call him that way.

"This will be yet another commendable achievement of yours, Layland. You are making me very regretful for not fighting over you that day." Jovenus sighs and then smiles. "Though, I can\'t say if you would also be the current you under me."

"Thank you for viewing me highly." I bow lightly but politely.

"All of the rebels are dead," Eliseus states. "The civilians that had been coerced by them delivered the bodies themselves and turned themselves in. They are begging for mercy, but they are willing to do everything for their lives."

"In other words..."

"Yes, we can finally return to Verniculos." Eliseus nods her head.

Although Eliseus said that, we can\'t actually immediately return. We have to make our standing clear before returning, which is done by announcing our alliance with the Dark Elf before Lysimork\'s citizens.

I don\'t know about the others, but I expected rejections from the people when the announcement is made. Although we freed them from the rebels, still, we killed many of them after all.

"We have been standing in the middle for millennia, watching from afar as the others declare war against the Cursed Creation. Today, we found the sad truth behind the conflict and I have decided to take a stand."

Haletha is delivering a very convincing speech to the people. I can see the look of conviction in the people\'s eyes as I observe them from backstage.

"Teanosvera, our protector has also found a Master—a Demon Master. We all know how benevolent of existence he is and I think it is enough to tell whom we should side with."

"Everyone, by siding with the Demon King Ilschevar, we are also siding with the Master of our protector. Please, greet the owner of Amizanima Forest, Layland Kleinhaus!"

Hearing that exclamation, of course, I am very confused. "What the fuck? I thought I was here because there was already no space in the audience seat." Realization dawned on me soon. "Ah, right, I am the only one who attends this event."

Putting the fact that my fellow Warriors have implicitly told me to be their representative to the back of my head, I get on the stage after heaving a light sigh.

Everyone turns silent when I stand on the stage. Teanosvera takes the initiative to assume his original size as he flies behind me and then spreads his wings, causing the audience to gasp in reverend.

"Ah, it is the Exalted Teanosvera—our protector!"

"Layland Kleinhaus, the Demon behind Teanosvera."

"Like a ghost, he protects our Kingdom from the shadow."

Today, I got a new title: Ghost of Lysimork.