Crownless Reincarnation: New World? Nah I'd win

Chapter 226: Presence [1]



Akamir frowned as he quickly opened the door.

But as he stepped inside, he didn't find anything or anyone in his room.

Akamir frowned as he looked around suspiciously.

'Was that just my imagination?'

He couldn't help but wonder but quickly shook his head.

'It was clear that there was definitely someone inside the room.'

So, where did it go?

He couldn't understand as he glanced at Nayomi who had a serious look on her face as well.

She leaned around the room as her face became even more serious.

"What happened?" Akamir couldn't help but ask.

"I feel a presence." She mumbled softly. "It's something that I have felt before."

Akamir frowned harder as he asked. "Where?"

"When I was first summoned in this world." She replied, looking into his eyes. "When I was close to the Seraphic tablet."

Akamir's expression turned serious as he nodded softly.

He once again tried to remember how it felt when he was close by.

'It felt like I was in the presence of a goddess.'

It was odd… really odd that Akamir didn't even understand it fully.

He let out a sigh as he moved towards his bed.

Akamir sat down on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees as he clasped his hands together.

The air in the room still felt heavy, like an echo of something that had just passed through.

Nayomi hovered close, her expression unusually tense.

"It wasn't an illusion," she muttered. "I know what I felt. That same weight, that same… divinity. It's faint, but it lingers."

Akamir rubbed his temples, frustration prickling at the back of his mind. "So, something or someone slipped in and out of this room without me noticing."

"That shouldn't be possible for you," Nayomi said, narrowing her eyes. "Not unless it was something far beyond us."

Akamir leaned back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"…The Seraphic Tablet," he whispered, remembering the crushing sensation he felt near it.

A force that dwarfed his own, something that made even breathing feel heavy.

Nayomi folded her arms. "If that presence is moving freely, then it means one thing—it's watching. Maybe the church, maybe the gods, maybe both. And if it's watching you…"

"…then it's interested in me," Akamir finished, his jaw tightening.

Silence lingered for a moment before he exhaled sharply, pushing himself further back onto the bed.

"Tch. Just what I needed. Another invisible stalker."

Nayomi smirked faintly, though her eyes still held unease.

"Careful, mortal. This stalker might not be one you can charm or fight off with brute force."

Akamir glanced at her, his voice flat. "We will see about that."

He closed his eyes, letting the weight of the day press down on him. But even as he tried to relax, his thoughts circled.

Zaina caught between the church. Sephrina struggling under her curse. Inara balancing a fragile throne. Aure moving at the borders. And now… this presence.

Akamir let out a tired laugh. "The world really doesn't want me to rest, huh?"

Nayomi floated down beside him, her voice soft for once. "You're in the middle of too many storms, Akamir."

His eyes stayed closed, "fuck my life."

---

---

Akamir woke up early in the morning as he came out to jog in his garden.

His mind was too on point to sleep last night as he was fearing for the worst.

But nothing happened.

Even though he felt that presence, it refused to show up to him.

'Tch, what the hell is that presence anyway.'

He couldn't put his finger on it but it didn't seem to be hostile.

'…No, I can't be too sure about it.'

Nayomi drifted above the hedges, arms folded, her gaze sharp as ever. "You look restless," she commented. "More than usual."

"I am," Akamir admitted, his voice low. "I don't like things I can't see or fight."

Nayomi smirked faintly. "You mean you don't like not being in control."

He didn't answer right away, only kept jogging until he slowed to a stop beneath a flowering tree. His hand pressed against the trunk, and his eyes narrowed at the empty space ahead.

"It's too inconvenient," he muttered softly.

Akamir drew in a deep breath as he stretched his body, since it was early in the morning he didn't have to rush.

'…I have to meet with Inara and Aure princess today.'

Akamir let out a sigh as he glanced at Nayomi.

"Come to think of it." He said, his voice curious. "Can't you do something like create a projection for me to train with."

Nayomi blinked for a while before she smiled.

"Of course I can." She replied brightly as she snapped her fingers.

A solitude of mist-like being formed in front of him.

Akamir drew in a deep breath as he cracked his neck. 'Let's get some steam off.'

---

As the night closed by Akamir returned to the capital city as planned.

He wore a simple dress and covered his face with the white mask.

Akamir quickly moved past the guards who were as incompetent as ever.

'Inara seriously needs to change them.'

He thought as he walked towards her main chamber.

When he reached the place, he walked inside without knocking.

Inara was sitting on her throne with simple black clothes like him.

She smiled when she saw him. "When will you learn how to knock?" She asked, standing up.

Akamir shrugged. "Never, I guess."

She let out a sigh as she walked towards him.

Inara placed a gentle peck on his lips as she walked past him. "Let's go." She said. "We are already late."

The two of them walked side by side through the palace's long halls, their footsteps echoing against polished marble.

Guards straightened at the sight of them, though Akamir noticed again how sluggish they looked, how easily he had slipped past them before.

"You really do need to replace them," he muttered, half to himself.

Inara shot him a sideways glance. "You keep saying that, but you haven't offered me anyone better."

"I can," Akamir replied flatly. "But my men follow me, not you. If I stationed them here, the palace would feel like mine, not yours."

She smiled at him. "Isn't that what you want?"

Akamir didn't reply as they reached a place that was away from all people.

Inara looked at the painting as she moved forward.

She removed the painting as a door appeared behind it.

She opened it and gestured Akamir to follow.

The inside was dimly lit, enough for one person to walk.

"There was something like this here, huh?" Akamir mused as he followed behind her.

"An emergency exit." She replied. "You know in case a big bad man tried to kidnap me."

Akamir frowned. "Are you talking about me?"

"Who else would I be referring to?" She replied, glancing back at him. "Idiot."

"Idiot, huh? You're getting bold."

Inara smirked, not slowing her pace. "I've always been bold. You're just finally paying attention."

Akamir ran his hand across the wall, feeling the uneven grooves.

"This isn't new," he muttered. "This passage has been here for decades. Maybe longer."

"Centuries," Inara corrected, her tone calm. "My family has kept it hidden all this time. Few even know it exists."

"Yet you're showing me." Akamir tilted his head, his voice flat.

Inara glanced back, her silver eyes gleaming faintly in the torchlight. "If I can't trust you with this, then I can't trust anyone else."

Akamir exhaled, half amused. "Big words."

"Say what you want."

They continued deeper until the passage opened outside the castle.

Inara began to lead the way from there as they moved further away from the palace.

They only stopped in an old open place where a table was already placed.

And waiting by the table was a young woman draped in azure silks, her posture flawless.

A thin veil covered the lower half of her face, but her blue hair shimmered like frost under the light.

Princess Sylari Aure.

She was slender, poised, and undeniably beautiful.

Her presence was not loud, but it was felt clearly with long blue hair flowing behind her.

'I remember seeing her at the engagement.'

Akamir thought as Inara took the seat in front of the woman.

But the woman kept on staring at Akamir.

"I came alone just as I said." Sylari said, glancing at Inara. "Why are you with him?"

"Oh, don't worry." She replied. "He is one with me through and through."

Akamir opened his mouth to speak but chose not to interfere.

'Not the best time for that.'

Inara's expression sharpened as she looked at her.

"Now…" she said softly. "Tell me why should I trust a traitor of her own family?"

Sylari didn't reply as she took a document and passed it towards her.

"This is half of the military details of Aure kingdom." She replied gently. "Everything you need to know about them."

Inara turned silent as she glanced at the document.

She seemed to really want to open it but chose to wait.

"And why are you betraying them?" She asked again.

Sylari drew in a deep breath before saying. "Because my family are selling humans."


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