Villain Path

Chapter 14. Assistance will be required to the spirits!

Days prior to the beginning the Parade of spirits flew with the preparations. Shen tried to stay out of the main character's way not to have a negative psychological effect on the child emotionally fragile once more time. He concluded that at the Parade he had to actually demonstrate that would keep Al safe and all his current exhortations where telling it'd be okay completely useless.

However managing to escape from the main female character proved more difficult than he assumed. More precisely he had no assuming that he desired to escape from her. But Se Annis was in the seventh heaven that she was chosen for the Parade of Spirits and could not stop showing gratitude to the teacher! Evidently untutored girl imagined that that talk in the library could have touched the cold old heart of Shen so he chose her for the Parede of spirits. He couldn't tell her the truth, of course, so he only had to disregard her with a high hand.

At the appointed hour all were gathered in the area for triumphal events. Ten lords of the peaks along with selected disciples formed a circle, and other learners of League RR stayed in spectator ranks and observed the ceremony with admiration.

There was nothing special about the ceremony but just somehow it still seemed solemn. It consisted in the fact that the lords and disciples approached a pedestal in the center of the constituted circle and took woofed variegated tricorn mask from it. There were inscribed mascots with the names of the spirits and demons chosen for the masquerade on masks. Bounding up such a mask on his head the cultivator becomes fully indistinguishable for spirits and demons from the one whom this mask represents. But let alone how completed the "impersonation" was depended on the spiritual powers of the cultivator.

Black Lotus Peak colour was, traditionally blanch as everyday wear it lord. Se Annis and Al Luar approached the pedestal and took the triangles of the masks. Waiting for them backed away Shen following stepped closer to pedestal majestic treat. He caught up the last blanch mask on which was inscribed by ruddy paint «Plenty-handed Atrocious Spirit».

Muan was right when called that spirit extremely dangerous. Except he did not have the spoilers from the novel that has got Shen and he knew perfectly well the spirit's weakness. And with this knowledge that became no more dangerous than atrocious kitty.

"Ergo," echoed Shian's voice, "Autumn parade of famished spirits will start in a few hours! Let us wish each other luck!"

While he was talking a few lords with disciples soared into the sky on the swords and left the peak of Lurking Wind. Shen with empty eyes looked after them.

All lords had maps marked with the approximate route of the Parade of spirits. After studying a map for a couple of days Shen cogitated best in his quiet opinion tactical techniques of how to effectively find one's way into ranks of spirits. And marked some points on the map where he with disciples will «switch places» from selected spirits.

They have to launch out from a neglected cemetery a few kilometers away.

"Let's go, teacher Shen!" – inspiration pronounced Annis and stood on her immortal sword and tore off into the sky.

Shen noticed briefly that ever since he picked her to his «team» up she called him not lord, but teacher. He took his eyes on Al. In fact, if you think about it, it was cruel to take along such a weak disciple. He couldn't even fly away on a sword by himself. The rest selected disciples all as one have made progress and are much further in training, fired the contemptuous looks on the lad.

«And what can I do?!» Shen howled mentally. «All this over the inane subject!»

Fetching a sight he touched Al and put him in front of himself on sword. The laddie flinched at the touch and Shen disheartened totally. «Is it possible, because of that escapade with Parade of Spirits I was squandered all studiously gaining points of main character's liking??»