Crownless Reincarnation: New World? Nah I'd win-Chapter 14: Summoning.

"Did you hear all those noises last night!?"

Zia said dramatically as she served Akamir food at the dining table.

"It was really scary."

Akamir just nodded as he ran a hand through his damp hair again, pushing it back from his face.

The events of last night still creeped him out, but he kept those thoughts to himself.

"It sounded like the forest was screaming," Zia said, wide-eyed as she set down a plate piled with eggs and roasted vegetables. "And I swear I saw shadows moving outside the window."

Akamir muttered a low "Mm," too tired to add much.

His body still ached from all the running, but more than that, it was the memory of those things with his face and eyes that refused to leave his mind.

He stabbed a piece of food with his fork without looking.

Zia sat across from him, watching him with a frown.

"You're acting weird this morning," she said. "Did something happen?"

Akamir paused, the fork halfway to his mouth.

For a second, he considered telling her, but then he shook his head.

"Just didn't sleep well," he said simply, popping the food into his mouth.

Zia pouted but didn't push further.

"Do you know anything about what's inside the forest?" Akamir asked, glancing at her. "Anything uncommon?"

Zia tilted her head in confusion. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

Zia tapped her fingers against the wooden table, thinking.

"They say there is a palace deep into the woods," she replied, her voice low. "It belonged to the Witch of End."

'Nayomi?'

Akamir nodded slowly, staring into her eyes.

"I heard people saying that the witch kept all her belongings there," Zia continued, still deep in thought. "Even her most prized one, which she made just after her death."

Akamir's interest piqued at her words.

"And what is that?" he asked, tilting his head.

"The crown," Zia replied with a dramatic pause in her voice. "One of the few Grade 0 sealed Artifacts."

Akamir leaned back in his chair, absorbing her words.

'So the crown I saw was made by Nayomi?'

Things started to make sense to him as he thought more about it.

There was something special about the crown, and Akamir knew it.

He just wasn't sure what that thing actually did.

Grade 0 Artifacts, as far as Akamir knew, were only in the possession of the church and a few behemoths that ruled this world.

They were so rare that one could count them on their fingers.

"No one ever tried to find it?" he asked, raising one of his brows.

"No one who goes that deep into the forest ever comes back," she said bluntly. "At least, that's what everyone says."

Akamir gave her a nod as he finished his food.

"I will be training for a while," he said, looking at Zia. "Only bother me if it's important, alright?"

"Yes, young master," she replied, giving him a sweet smile.

Akamir rose from his seat, pushing the chair back with a low scrape.

Outside, the sky was an endless gray sheet, the air thick with the scent of coming rain.

The forest loomed in the distance, dark and shivering.

Akamir made his way to the clearing behind the house.

The place was enough for him to train without any problem.

'Let's revise a few things.'

Akamir thought as he took out a wooden sword made for training.

Akamir had already confirmed that this world had chi as one of its energies.

So after thinking for a while, he made up his mind to train in chi arts as well.

Unlike mana, his chi arts were entirely different — rougher and more physical.

Where mana demanded precise incantations and external control, chi was a force that resonated from within, flowing through his blood and muscles.

The starting point of being a chi warrior was to train the vessels.

To make them stronger.

"Huff...."

Akamir took in a deep breath, his eyes closed.

His feet slid apart, grounding him.

The wooden sword moved in a slow arc.

His body followed its motion like water following the bend of a riverbank.

'What should I do now?'

Akamir wondered, continuing to swing his sword.

Whatever he saw in the forest was making him uneasy.

It was a new world with things that were beyond his understanding.

He stepped forward, twisting his body, and brought the sword down with a force that cracked the ground beneath him, sending a small burst of dust into the air.

'Should I just continue the trial of the palace?'

That was something that Akamir had been thinking about since last night.

It seemed that the trial was made to find someone or something.

He wasn't sure what or who. Not yet at least.

'What should I do?'

He lifted his sword again and swung it in a tight, precise arc, the air splitting with a faint whistle.

If he continued the trial, he risked facing things far beyond his current strength.

But if he walked away... he might lose the chance forever.

'...Is it worth risking my life?'

Akamir wasn't sure.

In the first place, he wasn't aware of why he was even transmigrated into Asher's body.

Who did it?

He had no idea.

Akamir tightened his grip on the wooden sword.

The rain began to fall, a soft pattering that quickly turned into a steady rhythm against the clearing's leaves and dirt.

Akamir didn't stop.

He continued to move, not being bothered by the falling rain.

The rain soaked into Akamir's clothes, plastering his hair against his forehead, but he hardly noticed.

Each swing of the wooden sword grew sharper and heavier.

'If Nayomi's crown is truly a Grade 0 Artifact...'

Akamir narrowed his eyes, steadying his breathing.

The crown couldn't be left to rot — not if it held even a fraction of the power he suspected.

And more importantly, if others caught wind of it...

'It would be a bloodbath.'

He slowed his swings, lowering the sword and staring at the forest beyond the clearing.

The trees looked almost alive now, swaying and whispering with the rain and wind.

Was it his imagination?

Akamir felt like they were mocking him.

'The thing I saw last night... it hadn't been human.'

Akamir also knew that those things couldn't come inside the town.

He wasn't sure why.

Maybe a spell? Due to the church?

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Whatever the reason might be.

'I remember reading somewhere that Nayomi used to control the fairies.'

Akamir kept on staring at the forest.

"Fairies consume the faithless."

He mumbled underneath his breath as he picked up his sword once again.

Then...

He remembered the name of the trial in the palace.

Trial of the Faithless.

'What does this mean?'

Akamir felt like he was close to the answer but couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Was the trial a scam in order to lure more people?

'No... Something doesn't add up.'

If it truly was a scam, then how did it let him go?

Akamir bit his lip as he swung his sword in a wide arc.

His movements had become a lot more refined than before.

Slowly yet surely, he was gaining more control over his body.

A breath of mist escaped his lips as he split the air before him.

A faint crunch of footsteps in wet grass made him instinctively move.

Akamir twisted his body sharply, pivoting on his heel as he raised the wooden sword toward the sound.

In the next instant, he felt something pulse in his body, increasing his speed.

"It's me! It's me, young master!"

Akamir's wooden sword stopped close to the neck of the speaker.

[Emperor Sword Art has been registered]

He willed the screen to move away as he looked at the man in the knight uniform.

It was Jade, one of the knights sent by Duke Darvin along with him.

"What is it?" he asked, lowering his sword.

Jade placed his hand on his neck, a lingering fear still in his eyes.

"I-it's the church," he stammered, getting a hold of himself. "They are summoning all villagers to the church this evening."

"..."

Akamir nodded softly, shifting his gaze to the church.

'...Let's see what they have to say.'