The only problem left was the pair of Beloveds. They were both high schoolers, the same age as Sango. Jade and the retainers were naturally present for their questioning.
Kotaro and Rin clung to either side of Ruri, exuding a threatening aura that said that they would thrash either if they tried anything funny. Ruri tried to talk to the two while under the absolute defense of the supreme-level spirits, but the newcomers were whining up a storm. They were not happy about their treatment in the castle.
“Hold on! I can’t possibly sleep in this big common room with others! Get me a private room! I’m a Beloved, you know!” said the girl.
“That’s right! The meals are meager, and I can’t stand the snoring of the old guy sleeping next to me. I’m very sensitive. Improve this at once!” said the boy, both of them yelling in anger right off the bat without even taking a breath.
“We are the chosen ones!” stated the girl.
“Don’t think you’ll get away with treating us like this! If you want to avoid trouble, give us top-class treatment on the double!” the boy ordered.
The two made selfish claims, not having a doubt in their mind that they were special.
While Ruri and the others were just exasperated, there was one person who was taking some heavy damage from this display—Sango.
“Is this how I came across in the beginning?” At first, Sango had been self-indulgent and spouted off about being a Beloved and someone special. “That was a dark period. One of the worst in my life...” Sango had a chance to look at herself objectively due to the duo being close in age with her, causing her to fall into a depression.
“You’re doing your best right now, and you’re good at it, so you don’t have to worry about it, Sango,” Ruri said with a wry grin.
“True. I shudder to even think what would have happened if milady hadn’t straightened me out. She really is a great individual. In fact, she’s my god,” Sango said, reaffirming her faith in Rutile.
While Sango had been changed by Rutile, could the same happen for these two? Truthfully, even though they thought they were special, much like Sango had, they were totally different from her.
In Sango’s case, it felt more like a way to escape from reality.
Her normal personality wasn’t bad. In fact, it was because she was so modest that she’d listened to Rutile and changed her ways. However, Ruri couldn’t sense an iota of modesty in either of the two that stood before her. As far as this pair went, Kotaro and Rin were wary of them because they seemed likely to put Ruri in danger, and they’d told all the other spirits that the pair weren’t Beloveds anymore—the two were basically in the same position as the Beloved of Cerulanda. To be accurate, they were Beloveds but not Beloveds at the same time. That was the verdict of the supreme-level spirits.
Kotaro reported on the situation, stating that in addition to Rin and himself, seven of the twelve supreme-level spirits who had ties with Ruri—Time, Earth, Trees, Light, and Darkness—unanimously agreed, so there was likely no possible way to overturn their ruling.
That made everyone scratch their heads, wondering why the rulers hadn’t just kept them in the Nation of the Beast King in that case. However, Rin responded by saying that it was a personal vendetta against them for treating spirits as mere tools.
Jade, Euclase, and the rest of the retainers massaged their temples as the nation had no choice but to accept the undesirable role. While they all wanted to complain, they would be doing so to supreme-level spirits. It was a pitiful sight to see them have no choice but to swallow their pride and accept.
The two Beloveds hadn’t been able to see the spirits at first, but they’d gradually come to see them as they lived in this world, mirroring Ruri’s and Sango’s experiences. Ruri hadn’t been able to see the spirits at first either.
The two Beloveds had been given the royal treatment in Furgal, according to the testimonies from other transmigrators. Unlike the other transmigrators, who were given jobs and forced to work, they’d been treated like distinguished guests and had never worked, living every day in complete leisure.
As far as food, clothing, and shelter went, the way both parties were treated was like night and day. Perhaps the blatantly different treatment the pair received had caused them to gain a superiority complex and rapidly strengthened the idea that they were special. However, a Beloved was indeed a special entity, so in that sense, one couldn’t necessarily blame Furgal. Beloveds were dangerous beings who were capable of destroying an entire nation, so it was typical to treat them courteously.
Therefore, according to the other transmigrators, the Beloveds were hated because they grew more arrogant by the day and looked down on everyone else from the same world. A constant stream of complaints about them came from the majority of the transmigrators, exasperating Ruri, Sango, and Kohaku. However, that was all a matter of the past. Since they were no longer able to employ the power of the spirits by order of the supreme-level spirits, they were in the same boats as the other transmigrators, unable to use magic even though they had mana.
There was no need to give them any special treatment now. Not even the normally gentle Jade was going to show mercy to the pair who had hurt Arman and Celestine, and they planned to treat them like all the other transmigrators.
No, it would technically be the same, but since those two had had a taste of how sweet the nectar could be, they probably felt way more dejected than any of the others.
Jade decided to put the pair, who had been going on a wild tirade, on sewage cleanup. Normally, it would be a task that could be done quickly with a sprinkle of magic by those with mana, but this was simply harassment. None of the retainers opposed the idea, and Ruri couldn’t help but feel a little smug that the pair was getting their just deserts.
✦ ✦ ✦
Now that dealing with the Beloveds was wrapped up, Ruri was filled with questions. In Jade’s office, Jade and the retainers were having a tea break.
“So, wait, why are so many Beloveds coming here?” Ruri asked, noticing how odd the overabundance of transmigrators, which included two Beloveds, was.
“You have a good point,” agreed Jade, who had the same question.
It was the supreme-level spirit, Rin, who provided an answer, having the most knowledge of the world. “It could be that Nadasha’s forced summoning has had a lingering effect.”
Ruri’s eyes went wide, not having expected to hear Nadasha’s name mentioned nowadays.
“They forced the path open, making things looser. As a result, it’s become easier to make a path here. And it’s not irrelevant to the whole Beloved matter either. Because Beloveds have mana compatible with the spirits, it’s far easier for their souls to be drawn into this world, where the supreme-level spirits dwell. And two such Beloveds were in the same place. I’m guessing that, combined with the fact that the loosened path is easier to open, they brought all the people who were there with them along for the ride.”
“That seems very likely.” Kotaro agreed with Rin’s analysis.
“Omigosh...” Ruri said with a grimace.
“They’re totally victims of circumstance, then,” Euclase said, pitying the transmigrators.
It made them both wonder how many lives those people had to change before they were satisfied.
“I think that the transmigrators should be allowed to slug the former king and head priest of Nadasha,” Ruri proposed.
“Absolutely,” Euclase agreed, nodding deeply.
“Hey, Rin. Does this mean we might see another big batch of transmigrators? From now on? Always?”
“Not always. The path will repair itself little by little. It may take some time, though.”
“Ah, I see.”
Given that, the only thing they could do was pray as much as possible that no Beloveds ran into each other in Ruri’s world.