Chapter 111 : Ifrit.

I was walking around the village in the morning when I saw Shizu.

"Good morning, Shizu." I said.

"Good morning, Kuroku. It was really nice to stay here in your village, but I need to go as I have another things to do." She said behind her mask.

'Her life force must be running out for her to go so quickly.' I wondered.

"Shizu, take the adventurers with you if you want to leave. Also,know that you can come back whenever you feel like." I said.

She nodded and turned to go to inside the village while I stood still, looking at the sun, waiting. After a few minutes, I felt that Shizu's life force faded.

"Ranga. Let's go." I said.

"Yes, Master." He said.

After I said it, Ranga jumped out of my shadow and stopped in front of me. Boucing on his back, we ran until we reached Shizu's location, I hoped to reach before she turned into Ifrit but it was too late.

'She may turn into Ifrit anyways but doing so in the middle of the village is a big no-no.' I thought when I reached near her.

Looking at Ifrit, the greater spirit of fire, I sent a {Water Blade} in his direction. To which he sent a torrent of fire in mine. Waiting for something to happen, I saw that my body did not even burned.

'Yep. As I thought. I am completely immune to fire now. Which means that I can easily deal with the old man back at home. Even if he uses his Bankai, it would be useless. Since I am now immune to fire.' I thought before sendind the {Sticky Thread} in him and bind him.

Getting near, I used the {Predator} and ate him, sending him to the same place I sent Veldora.

'I do not want to risk having Ifrit burning up all my village and, consequently, the forrest. It would be a pain in the ass to clean it all up.' I thought before spitting Shizu's body.

After a few hours.

I was standing beside Shizu's bed while she told me her history. How she was summoned by the Demon Lord Leon and how did she met the Hero. The one that not only gave her the mask but took her in and believed in her when no one else did.

How she travelled with the Hero and learned about history and magic. Using her knowledge with magic, she used Ifrit's power to an extent. Of how happy she was with the Hero when suddenly, the Hero disappeared. Her decision of becoming stronger and helping others, of how hard she hard to work for decades to gain the title of Champion.

Of how after she aged, she could not control Ifrit with the same tight leash as before. Of her fears in suddenly releasing Ifrit without her consent. When she became a teacher of a school in one of the Kingdoms and took care of the children that come from another worlds.

That one of her students became a Grandmaster, because of it she realized that there was nothing else to teach them. Then she decided to search for the Demon Lord that summoned her. Of how nice the persons she knew in this last journey were nice. And that all of it was fun.

"Kuroku, I'd like to ask for a favor. May I?" She asked.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Please... I want you to eat me this is my last request. I am tired of this world, but I don't hate it. Neither I want to be absorbed by it." She said while extending her hand.

"Shizu. Let me tell you something. You are pathetic. People who give up on life without fighting are pathetic. Weaklings. They, like you, deserve no such thing as sympathy." I brutally said.

I saw her eyes begin to become full of water before it fell in the form of tears.

"I-I don't want to fight. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of having to roam all around the world. On my entire life, I roamed around the world trying to find a way to remove Ifrit from me. I have fought for the Demon Lord. I was cast aside. I was taught by a Hero who left me. For taking my greatest burden off of me, I am thankful of you doing it. But now... Now I just want to rest. Forever." She said while crying.

Extending a tentacle, I made it take the form of a hammer before bonking her head lightly.

"You are just making excuses. If you have no reason to live, I'll become that reason. If you are tired of all the sins you are carrying, I'll carry them for you. However, despite the fact that you is simply giving up, you still have something to live for. You have your students. Don't you want to see what will they become after they fully grow up? Don't you want to help them on their curses? If you are going to leave them alone. You will never see this." As I said that, I saw a little of the light returning to her glistering eyes.

"I-I want to see them after they grow up. I want to help them achieve the things they want to... But, what should I do?" She weakly asked.

"I will give you life and you will stand by my side until you finish teaching those students all you want to. After that, it is up to you if you still want to die or not. If you do, I will be the one to kill you personally." After I said that, I turned my focus to the System.

'There is no way I'm going to let her die, she belongs to me, her everything is mine. And it will continue like this for the rest of the eternity. We might not have spent a lot of time together, however, I really like her character. System, there is any way to restore or increase Shizue's lifespan?'

["Lifespans are not something that easy to get nor to deliver to someone. You cannot add 70 years of life all of a sudden. If you want to add this time, you will have to take it away from someone else, as this world requires perfect balance. And the lifespan must also be from the same race. You cannot take 100 years from an Elf and give it to an Human, for example, since other races have different lifespans."]

'Right now, I have no desire for killing humans. I need to kill the Orc Lord first. System, is there a way to place Shizue in hibernation while I get this lifespan?'

["There is. You can buy a Capsule that will freeze her body."]

'I don't want to know the price. Just buy it.'

"Shizu, right now, you will have to wait. Increasing your lifespan will take a while, however, I will do it." When I said that, her weak arms grabbed me and embraced my black body.

"I believe in you, Kuroku." She gave me a weak smile.

'God damn! Why does this woman have to be this cute, even when she is dying?!' I complained while placing her body inside the capsule.

The Capsule closed and began the process of cryogenic sleep.

"*Sigh*. It seems that I will have a few slaughters to do and to speed up the birth of my Kingdom."

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