Chapter 371: A Warm, Genuine Smile ( 371 )

"Oi! What are you doing!? Let me go!!!" Ridan flailed his tiny cloud-like arms, his puffy body twisting and squirming as he tried to pull away from Hazuki’s grip.

"GAHAHAHA! This is what you get for leaving me alone in that icy hell!" Hazuki kept pulling, yanking Ridan’s spiky hair tufts like he was ringing a bell, his laughter echoing through the chamber.

"Stop it! Stop it! I’m an ancient spirit! A master of magic! The greatest genius wizard to ever live! I deserve respect! Reverence! Worship, even!"

"Respect my ass!" Hazuki laughed, pulling harder, his grin wild and unrestrained.

"You’re still holding a grudge from something that happened a thousand years ago!? What kind of dumbass holds onto something for that long!?" Ridan struggled, trying to swat Hazuki’s hands away.

Hazuki paused mid-pull, his brow furrowing as he stared at Ridan like he was looking at the biggest idiot in the world.

"You dumb?"

"What?" Ridan crossed his arms, his puffy body puffing up defensively. "I mean, come on! A thousand years is a long time! You should be over it by now!"

Hazuki blinked slowly, his face shifting into a flat, deadpan expression.

"What the hell are you talking about? A thousand years? It’s only been like... what... a month? I dunno, I don’t count. But it’s definitely not been a thousand years."

Ridan’s squirming stopped. His eyes went wide.

"Wait... what?"

"Yeah, you heard me, you damn purple puffball. I had to walk back to the road for days from that snowy icy hell! ALONE!" Hazuki jabbed a finger at Ridan’s face.

"You already know I get lost easy when my ’GPS’ is sulking somewhere. I was lucky a dwarven coach passed by after a whole week of walking, and the old dwarf took pity on me, gave me a ride back to the town."

"Oh..." Ridan glanced at him, his voice small. "So... you remember me?"

"Hah!? What kind of question is that? Of course I remember you, you damn puffy purple circle ghost! Don’t tell me you’ve become this stupid just because of that noodle incident. What, did you lose your memory from sulking too long?"

Ridan’s mind raced.

But... those two said Hazuki wouldn’t remember any part of me. They said the memories would be erased. That I’d be nothing but a forgotten spirit to him.

And yet... Hazuki remembers me. Everything. The quests. The bickering. The stupid noodle incident. All of it.

Not to mention, those two said I wouldn’t be able to be released before a thousand years passed. That I’d be sealed until the next fate chose to free me.

But he just found where I was sealed... in a completely different place from the first time I was sealed over a thousand years ago.

Hazuki’s grin turned manic, a gleam of pure mischief flashing in his eyes as he started spinning Ridan around like a helicopter, faster and faster.

"Oi! Oi! Oi! Let me go! It’s not like I was sulking, dumbass!!" Ridan flailed, his puffy body spinning in dizzying circles.

"Hahahaha! Don’t care!" Hazuki laughed, his voice booming with joy. "You always tease me because I could never catch you! You’re always zipping around too fast! But now? Now I’ve got you! GYAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Ridan gritted his jaw, his body spinning like a blurry purple disc. Then a sharp, mischievous smirk crossed his face.

"Oh yeah? You think so, dumbass?"

Spirit Link - Activated.

A sudden jolt ran through Hazuki’s arms. Before he could react, his right hand suddenly jerked, no longer under his control. His own fist swung back and punched him square in the face.

"Buhh!"

Hazuki’s left cheek stung as Ridan’s laughter echoed from inside his own body.

"Gyahahaha! How do you like that, dumbass!?"

Another hit come direct to his face as his hand drew back and delivered another sharp punch to his own face, following up with rapid slaps across his cheeks.

Hazuki staggered, his body twitching as Ridan took partial control, making him slap himself over and over before his body moved on its own, climbing onto a slightly higher ledge and launching into a high backflip, twisting mid-air before landing face-first onto the cold stone floor with a loud smack.

"This is what you get for spinning me around, lolizuki! How does it feel, huh!? Orange~!?"

Hazuki groaned, his voice muffled against the stone floor.

"Ugh... this is why I hate this dumb ghost."

Ridan slipped out of Hazuki’s body, crossing his arms with a smug smirk as he floated above, glancing down at Hazuki with pure satisfaction.

"No~ I’m not a ghost. I’m the ancient spirit. Master of all advanced magic. The genius wizard who..."

"Yeah, yeah," Hazuki cut him off, casually sitting cross-legged on the floor. "The genius wizard who sulked over a noodle. What a ’genius’."

Ridan fell silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on Hazuki’s face as he looked up at him with a confused expression.

"What?"

Ridan exhaled slowly, still crossing his arms. "You really remember me? Our journey? Everything?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course I remember everything. Whoa... don’t tell me your brain short-circuited somewhere?"

Ridan’s stern expression softened into a warm, genuine smile. He floated down and wrapped his tiny arms around Hazuki’s chest in a tight hug.

"Thank you, partner."

"Ewww! What are you doing? You’re being creepy today, Ridan."

Ridan pulled away, floating up and landing softly on top of Hazuki’s head with a gentle smile.

"Nothing, partner... nothing. I’m just happy."

"Ugh! You must have some short circuit in that puffball brain of yours." Hazuki slowly stood up, patting his pants and brushing off the dirt and dust.

Ridan looked down at Hazuki’s torn, blood-soaked clothes, his eyes narrowing.

"What happened to you?"

"Huh? Me?" Hazuki glanced down at himself. "I was chasing some guy who shot my food while I was walking in town and eating. Everything was ruined. And that shithead was too fast. He even summoned a huge orc-like thing to stop me outside this cave. Damn. Where is that guy? I swear, if I find him, I’m going to pull his teeth out one by one with my own hands!"

Ridan, who had landed on top of Hazuki’s head a moment ago, floated up and turned, glancing down at him with a curious look.

"Hmm?"

"What?" Hazuki tilted his head to the side.

Ridan floated around him, circling slowly as he inspected every part of Hazuki’s body—his shoulders, his waist, his empty belt loops.

"Where’s your sword?"

"That ten-silver coin sword? Don’t know. I can’t find it after you left me alone in that icy hell. I tried looking for it, but I was too hungry, so I just gave up." Hazuki shrugged. He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small leather pouch, peeking inside.

"Well, I still have some gold and silver coins, along with a few copper coins here. And this..." Hazuki pulled out his adventurer card, clipped to a pendant hanging around his neck. "Since this thing is linked to my bank account, I don’t have to worry too much about losing anything."

Ridan narrowed his eyes, still circling Hazuki, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

If the sword is gone... that means my spirit is no longer bound to that weapon. Which means I’m freed from those two guys. But if that were really the case, I shouldn’t be able to possess Hazuki anymore. Yet I still can... weird.

He paused mid-circle, his thoughts shifting.

Maybe I can finally tell Hazuki about his fate. About being a chosen hero for this world.

Yeah... I’ll do that.

Ridan smirked before floating up and hovering in front of Hazuki, glancing down at him with crossed arms.

"You know, Hazuki?"

"Huh? What?"

"You were a..."

Ridan’s lips moved, but no sound came out.

Hazuki blinked. "What the hell? I can’t hear what you’re saying, dumbass."

Ridan was confused. He tried to speak again, but the words wouldn’t come. Then he felt a terrifying shiver crawl down his ethereal spine.

Crap...

Does this mean someone even higher up is blocking me from telling him? There’s someone even stronger than those two watching over this?

He spun around in a panic, his purple form flickering slightly.

"Oi. What are you doing?" Hazuki asked, watching him whirl about.

Ridan stopped mid-spin, turning back with a sheepish grin. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Ehehe... nothing."

"You’re really weird today. Damn. I think your brain’s finally starting to rot from being a spirit for too long." Hazuki tilted his head. "So what were you trying to say again?"

"Nothing! I just said I’m... err... hungry! Yeah, hungry! Man, you made me... err... starve."

Hazuki narrowed his eyes at Ridan, who was acting unusually strange.

"It’s the other way around, idiot. I’m the one who’s starving because of you. And besides, you’re a spirit. Spirits don’t get hungry."

Hazuki shoved both hands into his pockets, turned, and started walking toward the cave entrance.

Ridan quickly chased after him, landing on top of his head, gripping some of his hair to guide him out of the cave.

"What? It’s because of you that I can start eating again, so I want meat, roast, and noodle soup! But I warn you, don’t ever do that again. Sneezing while eating and having a noodle come out of your nose and drip into the soup again!"

"Yeah, yeah... whatever. This time, if you sulk over it again, I’m going to pull your tongue."

( End Of Chapter )