What It's Like to Be an Emanator of Nihility?

Chapter 3 : Mikhail, The First of The Twelve Rooks

"You would usually be with your older brother. Why are you alone?" Cale asked.

"That's because he was ordered on another errand by your uncle. That person also said that I would be fine. So I took a risk." Mikhail replied.

"Besides, why were you sent in the first place? That person should have known for sure that you're so bad if you take a mission alone." Cale said.

"Because I'm the most talented among the Rooks? After all, my role this time is 'attention grabber'. I will draw everyone's attention to myself so that you and the others can carry out your duties smoothly." Mikhail replied.

"Oh yeah, I see. Your appearance is very similar to the royal family. They will definitely make a fuss about your appearance and maybe there will be rumors that the Roan Kingdom actually has four princes, not three." Cale said.

"It would all be in vain if the king was a loyal person." Mikhail replied.

"Not really. He even had more than one wife. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a secret affair or two." Cale said.

"By the way, you could have been a real prince if the king had happened to do something eighteen years ago." Cale said in a joking tone.

"You are very clever with words, my queen. I will not claim that position. Who would want to be a prince of a small kingdom like the Roan Kingdom when they were already the heir to a Marquis family on the continent of wealth?" Mikhail replied with chuckle.

As soon as they were talking, the mother had already prepared Cale's order, a large sack of bread. As a token of gratitude, Mikhail will help Cale carry the sack to the slums before they return to the Mansion. Cale only accepted Mikhail's help.

They passed through slums and climbed a hill. On the hill there is a fairly large tree surrounded by a wall. Right under that tree, was the location of the ancient power they were looking for.

Cale opened the closed wall fence. As soon as he touched the fence, Cale could feel that the wood was already very brittle. That indicates that the place has not been maintained for a long time.

"So fragile. How long has this place been neglected?" Cale said.

They entered and approached the tree. While they were looking at the tree, suddenly there was a girl's voice behind them, she was giving them a warning.

"You... You can't approach that tree!" The girl said.

"... A child?" Mikhail asked while looking behind him.

Their attention was drawn to the two children at the fence. A gray-haired, golden-eyed girl of about 9 years old and a red-haired, golden-eyed boy of about 7 years old, could be seen by them. Cale and Mikhail looked at each other.

"Why can't we go near the tree?" Mikhail asked with a smile.

"You can't... It's a man-eating tree!" The girl replied.

A Man-Eating Tree. Those who hung themselves on this tree became mummies overnight. That is the origin of this tree's scary name. And it's not just a made-up story, it's a reality. That's why, many people don't dare to approach this tree.

'This is the right tree.' Cale Thought.

Cale looked at Mikhail and he understood what to do. Mikhail approached the two children carrying two bags of bread. He stood in front of the two children and gave them two bags of bread.

"That's okay. Now, you guys stay away. You could be in danger if you get too close." Mikhail said with a smile.

The younger brother received a bag of bread from Mikhail, while the older sister continued to give them a warning. Mikhail just chuckled and patted the older sister's head and said some convincing (at least for the kids) words of encouragement.

"It's a man-eating tree... Y-You'll die..." The girl said.

"We won't. We... Or at least I, are very strong, you know. If that tree dares to mess with us, I will cut it down with my sword!" Mikhail replied while showing his sword.

He also almost let slip about Cale's true abilities. That's why he changed his sentence. Nevertheless, Mikhail's sword, which looked luxurious and powerful in the eyes of the children, made his words very convincing.

The children believed his words and went away to eat their bread. Mikhail returned to Cale's side to assist him further. It was the first time he saw a tree that had a gloomy aura around it. That made him sure, he would have believed the tree was cursed if he didn't know there was an ancient power there.

"It's so gloomy. It's almost creepy." Mikhail said.

"Well, all grudges are bound to look scary." Cale replied.

Cale threw bread into the hole under the tree. Then, they could see that the bread had disappeared. That almost made Mikhail jump in fright. They don't want to imagine what would happen if they put their hands in there.

"It's really scary. But, we don't have to put our hands in there because we can spill all the bread at once. How much should we need?" Mikhail asked.

"That person... said until the darkness in this hole disappeared." Cale said.

"Hm... Judging from the darkness of this hole, we need at least ten more sacks of bread." Mikhail said.

"That's an easy matter. There are many bakeries in this city. Now, let's finish this all and get back to the Mansion." Cale said.

Cale poured all the bread in the big sack into the hole. After that, the darkness from the hole began to fade a little. It seems that Mikhail's words were true, they might need ten more sacks of bread.

"Okay, let's come back tomorrow." Cale said.

They left the place and they saw the two children eating their bread. Cale walked over to them and gave them some candy he brought from his house. The children happily accepted the candy.

"If you want more bread and candy, don't tell anyone, okay?" Cale said.

After that, Cale returned to the Mansion while bringing Mikhail with him. He also guided Mikhail to the knight recruitment place. There were already many people there ready to wait for the test. Mikhail thanked Cale and joined the crowd.

"I hope the child will be okay. He is a talented person, he will definitely be accepted immediately." Cale said.

After that, he went inside the mansion and went back to his room to read some books again. He spent his time reading books for the rest of the day. He only stopped reading at lunch and dinner time.

---------------------------------------------------------

To Be Continued...