Caller of Souls

Kensei's lively yellow eyes met Arvani's sorrowful black ones.

"Want me to teach you? How to use a sword."

There was a particular reason why Kensei only now wanted to teach Arvani.

When Arvani summoned him the second time to catch fish, Kensei intended to meditate inside the woman's subconscious so his energy could recover.

But instead of growing stronger, the energy Kensei had gathered was absorbed by Arvani's body, whether she realized it or not. The longer Kensei meditated, the stronger Arvani became.

Annoyed that his efforts had gone to waste, Kensei decided to try a different method. He would persuade Arvani to order him to kill many people and harvest their souls.

To do that, Kensei had to directly show her how strong he was.

Arvani was silent for a moment, thinking about Kensei's offer. To gain a better life, she had to become stronger.

"Yes. I want to."

The white haired man grinned.

"Call me every morning or evening."

Slowly, Kensei's body turned into a white aura that flowed into Arvani's left eye. After checking that her vision had returned to normal, Arvani walked toward the city gate.

The corpses of the five people were left as they were, since in a few hours wild animals would come and eat the bodies until only bones remained.

'Take their badges so you'll be safe.'

Arvani stopped when Kensei's voice appeared. She glanced toward the badges with the sakura emblem.

Not knowing what dangers might come in the future, Arvani reluctantly obeyed Kensei's order.

.

.

.

The black-eyed woman didn't clearly remember what happened next. Vaguely, she remembered seeing Ardi's car, then returning to the base, and ended up sleeping at the dorm without even taking off her shoes.

Still in bed, Arvani stared at the sunlight from the window. From the corner of her eye, she looked at the clock, which showed 08:15.

When she got up, Arvani's body felt lighter, and her mind became clearer.

No rough stones made her body ache. Arvani's eyes shifted to the stack of books on the table. Feeling too lazy to read, she chose instead to wash her face and head out to the office where she now worked.

As the office door opened, the sound of a bell rang.

Arvani's gaze went to Daniel, the Guildmaster, who was eating breakfast at the reception desk while watching the news on TV. Mariposa was sleeping on the long sofa, wrapped in a thick blanket.

Faint sounds of clattering could be heard from the kitchen. Maybe it was Ardi cooking.

"Just ask Ardi for breakfast," said Daniel.

Arvani nodded briefly, then walked to the kitchen. The smell of porridge and meatball soup filled her nose.

Ardi was seen washing some kitchen tools. When he noticed Arvani, he immediately told her to grab a plate and eat.

Porridge became Arvani's choice. She added some beans, eggs, chicken slices, and vegetables prepared by Ardi. Arvani decided to eat near Daniel, considering Mariposa was still snoring in her sleep.

"Arvani, can you read and write?"

The man still wearing black-and-white checkered pajamas asked.

"... Hmm, I can read some of the writing in this country, but I can't write it."

Arvani glanced at her porridge for a moment, then suddenly remembered something.

"Oh! I can also read and write the ancient Egarta language, but I don't know how to pronounce it."

Hearing that, Daniel flinched slightly. He stared closely at Arvani and asked again.

"How do you know a language from the far cold mountains?"

"... From an acquaintance."

There was a somber tone in Arvani's answer, making Daniel decide to change the topic.

"Well then, next month, come with me."

Arvani raised one eyebrow in confusion. "Where to?"

Daniel smiled broadly. "To prevent a war."

"... Huh?"

Daniel then explained to Arvani the political situation in The Emerald of the Equator. Farel, the director of the special defense department, was clashing with several ministers and the people's council. The man was furious because the zombie issue, which caused massive casualties, was dumped on him.

When in fact, the main cause of the zombie outbreak was due to several mayors who had embezzled the wall construction funds. Not to mention, they didn't install monster-repelling devices along the underground railway.

Farel escalated the issue until it reached the ears of the Grand Noble Family living in Emerald of the Equator, the Wibisantra Family.

The Wibisantra Family decided to side with Farel because they knew that Miracle holders were far more valuable than ordinary humans. Additionally, they wanted to clean up the pests in the country that often disturbed the citizens.

"So will the wronged ministers start a civil war?"

"No. There are other parties who want to take advantage of this internal conflict. In your opinion, who loses and who benefits if the Emerald of the Equator breaks apart?"

Arvani paused in thought. She had never studied international relations, but she remembered a shop in Gotan City back then.

"Those who lose are the countries that trade with Emerald of the Equator, and those who benefit are some neighboring countries."

Snap!

Daniel snapped his fingers. "Correct. That's what most people would think."

"But you forgot about the Grand Noble Families, Arvani. Most of them don't side with the countries they live in."

Arvani tilted her head, confused.

Daniel switched into history teacher mode. He explained that most of the Grand Noble Families, especially those whose members currently held Viarki positions, considered themselves above the leaders of the countries they lived in.

Therefore, even if a country wanted to have good relations with another, it didn't mean the Grand Noble Families shared the same intentions. And vice versa.

"And as additional information. Currently, one Viarki seat is vacant."

Arvani swallowed nervously. "I see."

"Hahaha, looks like you don't think Viarkis are that important, huh, Arvani."

The black-haired woman scratched her neck awkwardly. "Do they have more influence than a president?"

"Yes. In this world, there are three major powers. First, the Viarki they, are Miracle holders said to have godlike abilities. Second, the Grand Noble Families, these are families whose members have held Viarki positions. At least three members. And lastly, countries and ordinary humans."

Arvani nodded. She was beginning to understand.

Daniel smiled. "Now, back to the original topic. We're going to stop the war. How? Simple. We leak the identity of the person who brought the zombie virus into this country. And at the same time, take out the bastard who pissed me off."

The last sentence was spoken by Daniel while pointing at the television, which was broadcasting news about a Top Tier Hunter named Sean Faraday.

"Who is he?" asked Arvani, who couldn't read the news ticker.

The reporter only talked about the Hunter of Tower competition, which Arvani didn't understand much.

"The person we have to kill."