2 Comments / Reincarnation into a barrier master / By IX
Everything unfolded in slow motion, like watching a scene from a movie.
Sidy, with a terrifying expression, thrusting a dagger forward. King Maintia, his eyes wide open in shock, unable to move. Patterson and other attendants rushing towards Sidy in an attempt to restrain her.
I was on top of a hill, unable to move, only able to watch the unfolding scene.
Sidy’s dagger plunged into King Maintia. At that moment, a sound like glass shattering echoed around us—it was the sound of a barrier breaking. Ah, how familiar. It was the same sound from when Eril shattered a barrier. Right after, darkness engulfed my vision as I instinctively tensed up.
King Maintia hadn’t set up a barrier around himself, stubbornly refusing the need for one. However, as the king of a nation, it was necessary to take some precautions. Thus, I had given Patterson and the others barrier stones I had created, but it seemed the barrier they set up had been broken.
My barrier stones were not easily broken by ordinary skills, but Sidy also possessed barrier abilities. Especially now that she was awakened, the barrier erected by the stones was likely easily shattered by her.
Breaking through the barrier, Sidy positioned her dagger horizontally, pressing it against King Maintia’s throat.
“Your Majesty!”
Two of King Maintia’s attendants were about to strike with their swords. That moment, I cast a barrier around Sidy.
Boom!
The sound like a bursting balloon echoed. The swords stopped just above Sidy’s head and her back, both aimed at her vitals. If the barrier had been even a moment late, Sidy would have surely died.
Realizing the barrier was up, Patterson and the others looked my way.
“Wait, you all! Sidy!”
I jumped down from the hill and rushed towards Sidy.
“Sidy!”
“……..”
She continued to press the dagger against the king’s neck, muttering something like a spell. Suddenly, a purple haze rose around the king.
“Yu…ru…san…zo… Yu…ru…sa…”
As those words faded, so did the haze. I released the barrier and grabbed Sidy, restraining her.
“Your Majesty! Are you hurt? Your Majesty!”
Patterson and the others quickly attended to the king. He seemed in shock, his eyes wide and unresponsive.
“Panting heavily, King Maintia made unintelligible noises, surrounded by his attendants calling his name. I spoke to Sidy, who was still holding her dagger.
“What happened, Sidy? What’s going on?”
She dropped the dagger and started clutching her head in pain.
“It hurts… my head… can’t let go… must not let go…”
“Sidy!”
“Aaaah…”
She vomited everything in her stomach onto the snow. Our voices echoed in the vast grassland, tinted red by the setting sun.
——-
Night fell, and we finally arrived at the city of Agartha. Both Sidy and King Maintia were exhausted, seemingly asleep.
“Lord of Agartha… we will stay here…”
Patterson and his group spoke to me, their tone distant. It was understandable. Their lord had been attacked right before their eyes. Even in the heat of the moment, they had tried to kill Sidy. Their complex feelings towards me were inevitable.
“I’m sorry for today’s trouble. I’m worried about King Maintia. I’ll send Mei or Pousehai immediately.”
“No, please don’t worry.”
Patterson answered, avoiding eye contact. A servant whispered something to him, and he looked down, frustrated. Another man stepped forward, bowing.
“Thank you, Lord of Agartha. We are also worried about our king. We would be grateful if someone could examine him.”
“Understood. I’ll send someone right away.”
I left them and returned to my residence.
I sent Mei and Matokal to King Maintia. Mei alone would have been enough, but considering the worst-case scenario, I asked Matokal to guard her. Surprised by Sidy’s behavior, I teleported to Agartha without complaint.
I put Sidy to bed in her room, planning to have Roni or Chiwan check on her first thing in the morning. She nodded slowly and fell asleep.
Watching her sleep, I pondered. This was abnormal. Sidy suddenly attacking someone was unthinkable. She had muttered about not letting go… What was that purple haze around King Maintia? A bad premonition lingered.
I asked Fairi to give Sidy a sleeping powder and keep an eye on her, then left the room. I went downstairs to the dining room and discussed the day’s events with Rico and Soleil.
“Purple haze? A spirit, perhaps? But I’ve never heard of a purple spirit.”
Soleil, with a troubled expression, tried to recall any relevant spirits. Despite thinking it over, we couldn’t reach a conclusion. We decided to visit the place where Sidy had rampaged the next day, to let Soleil check for the presence of spirits as per Rico’s suggestion. That night, I went to sleep alone for the first time in a while.
Matokal was supposed to be with me that night, but she had gone to Agartha and hadn’t returned. That night, I had a dream.
A sinister old woman approached slowly, laughing creepily as she neared me. Feeling uneasy, I tried to turn away, but at that moment, her fingers unnaturally elongated.
I instinctively dodged. What I thought were her fingers were actually nails, and they were definitely aimed at my heart.
“What are you doing? Who are you?”
“Hehehehe!”
The old woman, still laughing unnaturally, extended the nails of both hands and lunged at me, as if to slice me apart. Her speed was incredible. I barely managed to dodge and seized a moment to launch a heat blast at her. But it passed right through her and disappeared into the sky.
“Hahahaha!”
Her nails came at me with incredible speed. I quickly set up a barrier.
Crack! Snap! Screeeeeech!
The attack was blocked by the barrier. The old woman seemed to be exerting all her strength to break it. The barrier made a grating sound like nails on a chalkboard.
“Shriek!”
With a terrifying scream from the old woman, her nails tore through the barrier and gouged into my body.
“Arghhhhh!”
The pain was so intense that I involuntarily cried out. Then, I woke up.
“…Just a dream?”
I was panting heavily from the realism of it. As I thought to drink some water and got out of bed, a sharp pain ran through my body.
“What’s this?”
I looked and saw my chest area torn as if clawed, blood dripping down.
“…Is this from… the dream?”
I looked around, but no one was there. I used magic to detect any presence, but nothing unusual showed up.
I applied healing magic to the torn area. The wound healed instantly, but I couldn’t sleep at all until morning.
The next day, I took a leave and went to the place where Sidy had gone berserk, with Soleil. We investigated various things, but despite spending a long time, we ended up knowing nothing.
When I returned to the mansion in the evening, Roni was there. She had been talking with Mei and Rico, who had already returned.
“Ah, Roni. How is Sidy?”
She stood up and bowed.
“Yes. I just examined her. She had some food and then went back to sleep.”
“Is anything wrong with her?”
“It’s hard to say. I’ve heard from Lady Rico and Lady Mei that she’s been chronically sleep-deprived recently. If that’s the case, headaches and vomiting are understandable. Sidy’s inspiration is incredible. If that much information is surging in her head, it’s natural to get headaches. She’s very tired now, so I gave her medicine for deep sleep. After she wakes up, we’ll talk again.”
“So, Sidy is okay?”
“Yes. She should be fine with enough rest. We’ll observe her for today.”
“Thanks. And Mei, how was King Maintia?”
“Same as Sidy. Sleeping.”
“Him too?”
“Yes, but King Maintia woke up this morning, suddenly hungry, ate a lot, and slept again. He woke up around noon, ate again, and went back to sleep. I examined him, but there were no concerning symptoms.”
“I see. Can you continue to look after them?”
“Of course. I’ll check on them again tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks.”
While talking, we had dinner. Though Sidy wasn’t there, we enjoyed Peyris’s cooking and laughed at Roni’s big appetite.
I went to bed early, as I hadn’t slept much the previous night. Tonight, I was sleeping with Rico. Her belly had grown quite big. She was adamant about having a boy, but I couldn’t help but wonder what if it’s a girl.
Rico always slept with her head on my arm, her favorite being the left. Holding her always brought me peace. Filled with contentment, I fell asleep.
And that night, I dreamt again.
“Daddy!”
I heard a voice behind me. Turning around, I saw Aliria.
“Hey, Aliria!”
“Pick me up!”
She ran towards me with her arms raised. Usually, she would look around curiously in my arms, but this time was different. She wrapped her arms around my neck and clung to me.
“What’s wrong, Aliria?”
“Daaaaddy!”
Suddenly, I saw her mouth split open to her ears, revealing sharp teeth.
“Ah!”
As Aliria tried to bite my shoulder, I grabbed her neck with my right hand. She was trying to bite me with incredible strength. I exerted more force in my hand.
“Who… are you?”
“Growl… Roar!”
The beast-like creature, no longer Aliria’s face but a grotesque, lizard-like face with sharp teeth, continued trying to bite me. It must have been responsible for yesterday’s incident. Maybe it was also involved in Sidy’s case. The creature seemed to be in great pain, unable to make a sound anymore.
“…Nos… Nos… Li… Nos…”
I heard a familiar voice from the creature. Who was it? Who was disguised?
As I pondered, I woke up.
“Li… Nos… Li… Nos…”
I still heard the voice from the dream. Then, I saw an unbelievable sight.
My right hand was tightly gripping Rico’s slender neck, strangling her with full force.
“Aaaaaah!”
With a scream like a cry, I hurriedly released my hand. Rico lay limp, her mouth half-open, not moving at all.
“Rico! Rico! Riiicooooo!”
My screams echoed through the mansion in the middle of the night.
2 Comments / Reincarnation into a barrier master / By IX
Everything unfolded in slow motion, like watching a scene from a movie.
Sidy, with a terrifying expression, thrusting a dagger forward. King Maintia, his eyes wide open in shock, unable to move. Patterson and other attendants rushing towards Sidy in an attempt to restrain her.
I was on top of a hill, unable to move, only able to watch the unfolding scene.
Sidy’s dagger plunged into King Maintia. At that moment, a sound like glass shattering echoed around us—it was the sound of a barrier breaking. Ah, how familiar. It was the same sound from when Eril shattered a barrier. Right after, darkness engulfed my vision as I instinctively tensed up.
King Maintia hadn’t set up a barrier around himself, stubbornly refusing the need for one. However, as the king of a nation, it was necessary to take some precautions. Thus, I had given Patterson and the others barrier stones I had created, but it seemed the barrier they set up had been broken.
My barrier stones were not easily broken by ordinary skills, but Sidy also possessed barrier abilities. Especially now that she was awakened, the barrier erected by the stones was likely easily shattered by her.
Breaking through the barrier, Sidy positioned her dagger horizontally, pressing it against King Maintia’s throat.
“Your Majesty!”
Two of King Maintia’s attendants were about to strike with their swords. That moment, I cast a barrier around Sidy.
Boom!
The sound like a bursting balloon echoed. The swords stopped just above Sidy’s head and her back, both aimed at her vitals. If the barrier had been even a moment late, Sidy would have surely died.
Realizing the barrier was up, Patterson and the others looked my way.
“Wait, you all! Sidy!”
I jumped down from the hill and rushed towards Sidy.
“Sidy!”
“……..”
She continued to press the dagger against the king’s neck, muttering something like a spell. Suddenly, a purple haze rose around the king.
“Yu…ru…san…zo… Yu…ru…sa…”
As those words faded, so did the haze. I released the barrier and grabbed Sidy, restraining her.
“Your Majesty! Are you hurt? Your Majesty!”
Patterson and the others quickly attended to the king. He seemed in shock, his eyes wide and unresponsive.
“Panting heavily, King Maintia made unintelligible noises, surrounded by his attendants calling his name. I spoke to Sidy, who was still holding her dagger.
“What happened, Sidy? What’s going on?”
She dropped the dagger and started clutching her head in pain.
“It hurts… my head… can’t let go… must not let go…”
“Sidy!”
“Aaaah…”
She vomited everything in her stomach onto the snow. Our voices echoed in the vast grassland, tinted red by the setting sun.
——-
Night fell, and we finally arrived at the city of Agartha. Both Sidy and King Maintia were exhausted, seemingly asleep.
“Lord of Agartha… we will stay here…”
Patterson and his group spoke to me, their tone distant. It was understandable. Their lord had been attacked right before their eyes. Even in the heat of the moment, they had tried to kill Sidy. Their complex feelings towards me were inevitable.
“I’m sorry for today’s trouble. I’m worried about King Maintia. I’ll send Mei or Pousehai immediately.”
“No, please don’t worry.”
Patterson answered, avoiding eye contact. A servant whispered something to him, and he looked down, frustrated. Another man stepped forward, bowing.
“Thank you, Lord of Agartha. We are also worried about our king. We would be grateful if someone could examine him.”
“Understood. I’ll send someone right away.”
I left them and returned to my residence.
I sent Mei and Matokal to King Maintia. Mei alone would have been enough, but considering the worst-case scenario, I asked Matokal to guard her. Surprised by Sidy’s behavior, I teleported to Agartha without complaint.
I put Sidy to bed in her room, planning to have Roni or Chiwan check on her first thing in the morning. She nodded slowly and fell asleep.
Watching her sleep, I pondered. This was abnormal. Sidy suddenly attacking someone was unthinkable. She had muttered about not letting go… What was that purple haze around King Maintia? A bad premonition lingered.
I asked Fairi to give Sidy a sleeping powder and keep an eye on her, then left the room. I went downstairs to the dining room and discussed the day’s events with Rico and Soleil.
“Purple haze? A spirit, perhaps? But I’ve never heard of a purple spirit.”
Soleil, with a troubled expression, tried to recall any relevant spirits. Despite thinking it over, we couldn’t reach a conclusion. We decided to visit the place where Sidy had rampaged the next day, to let Soleil check for the presence of spirits as per Rico’s suggestion. That night, I went to sleep alone for the first time in a while.
Matokal was supposed to be with me that night, but she had gone to Agartha and hadn’t returned. That night, I had a dream.
A sinister old woman approached slowly, laughing creepily as she neared me. Feeling uneasy, I tried to turn away, but at that moment, her fingers unnaturally elongated.
I instinctively dodged. What I thought were her fingers were actually nails, and they were definitely aimed at my heart.
“What are you doing? Who are you?”
“Hehehehe!”
The old woman, still laughing unnaturally, extended the nails of both hands and lunged at me, as if to slice me apart. Her speed was incredible. I barely managed to dodge and seized a moment to launch a heat blast at her. But it passed right through her and disappeared into the sky.
“Hahahaha!”
Her nails came at me with incredible speed. I quickly set up a barrier.
Crack! Snap! Screeeeeech!
The attack was blocked by the barrier. The old woman seemed to be exerting all her strength to break it. The barrier made a grating sound like nails on a chalkboard.
“Shriek!”
With a terrifying scream from the old woman, her nails tore through the barrier and gouged into my body.
“Arghhhhh!”
The pain was so intense that I involuntarily cried out. Then, I woke up.
“…Just a dream?”
I was panting heavily from the realism of it. As I thought to drink some water and got out of bed, a sharp pain ran through my body.
“What’s this?”
I looked and saw my chest area torn as if clawed, blood dripping down.
“…Is this from… the dream?”
I looked around, but no one was there. I used magic to detect any presence, but nothing unusual showed up.
I applied healing magic to the torn area. The wound healed instantly, but I couldn’t sleep at all until morning.
The next day, I took a leave and went to the place where Sidy had gone berserk, with Soleil. We investigated various things, but despite spending a long time, we ended up knowing nothing.
When I returned to the mansion in the evening, Roni was there. She had been talking with Mei and Rico, who had already returned.
“Ah, Roni. How is Sidy?”
She stood up and bowed.
“Yes. I just examined her. She had some food and then went back to sleep.”
“Is anything wrong with her?”
“It’s hard to say. I’ve heard from Lady Rico and Lady Mei that she’s been chronically sleep-deprived recently. If that’s the case, headaches and vomiting are understandable. Sidy’s inspiration is incredible. If that much information is surging in her head, it’s natural to get headaches. She’s very tired now, so I gave her medicine for deep sleep. After she wakes up, we’ll talk again.”
“So, Sidy is okay?”
“Yes. She should be fine with enough rest. We’ll observe her for today.”
“Thanks. And Mei, how was King Maintia?”
“Same as Sidy. Sleeping.”
“Him too?”
“Yes, but King Maintia woke up this morning, suddenly hungry, ate a lot, and slept again. He woke up around noon, ate again, and went back to sleep. I examined him, but there were no concerning symptoms.”
“I see. Can you continue to look after them?”
“Of course. I’ll check on them again tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks.”
While talking, we had dinner. Though Sidy wasn’t there, we enjoyed Peyris’s cooking and laughed at Roni’s big appetite.
I went to bed early, as I hadn’t slept much the previous night. Tonight, I was sleeping with Rico. Her belly had grown quite big. She was adamant about having a boy, but I couldn’t help but wonder what if it’s a girl.
Rico always slept with her head on my arm, her favorite being the left. Holding her always brought me peace. Filled with contentment, I fell asleep.
And that night, I dreamt again.
“Daddy!”
I heard a voice behind me. Turning around, I saw Aliria.
“Hey, Aliria!”
“Pick me up!”
She ran towards me with her arms raised. Usually, she would look around curiously in my arms, but this time was different. She wrapped her arms around my neck and clung to me.
“What’s wrong, Aliria?”
“Daaaaddy!”
Suddenly, I saw her mouth split open to her ears, revealing sharp teeth.
“Ah!”
As Aliria tried to bite my shoulder, I grabbed her neck with my right hand. She was trying to bite me with incredible strength. I exerted more force in my hand.
“Who… are you?”
“Growl… Roar!”
The beast-like creature, no longer Aliria’s face but a grotesque, lizard-like face with sharp teeth, continued trying to bite me. It must have been responsible for yesterday’s incident. Maybe it was also involved in Sidy’s case. The creature seemed to be in great pain, unable to make a sound anymore.
“…Nos… Nos… Li… Nos…”
I heard a familiar voice from the creature. Who was it? Who was disguised?
As I pondered, I woke up.
“Li… Nos… Li… Nos…”
I still heard the voice from the dream. Then, I saw an unbelievable sight.
My right hand was tightly gripping Rico’s slender neck, strangling her with full force.
“Aaaaaah!”
With a scream like a cry, I hurriedly released my hand. Rico lay limp, her mouth half-open, not moving at all.
“Rico! Rico! Riiicooooo!”
My screams echoed through the mansion in the middle of the night.
