🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 11
After washing up, I flopped down on the bed, sprawling out. Libenta fluttered over to my side and blew a gentle breeze.
Thanks to the carefully controlled airflow that adjusted both humidity and temperature, my hair dried in no time.
The next phase of the Cupid of Love Project was tentatively scheduled to begin after the regular meeting ended.
I had nearly memorized the list of capital nobles, and the meeting materials were finished too, so I thought I’d give my brain a rest for today.
Just then, Libenta spoke to me.
[I intend to tell you a few things a contractor ought to know.]
I nodded, anticipating the large-scale reveal of previously undisclosed settings. Libenta groomed its wing feathers with its beak and continued.
[So, then…….]
What followed was rather long-winded, but to summarize briefly:
-
The history of spirits
-
Training methods to evolve spirits
-
Miscellaneous other things
[This is the true nature of spirits.]
To start with the first point: spirits were agents created by Lire, the sole god of the continent of Ruadis, at the dawn of creation, to watch over the world in her stead.
They were mana endowed with intelligence.
Agents. I had thought of them simply as a kind of primal power, but it turned out they carried a far greater role than I’d imagined.
From that point on, I began to feel a faint sense of unease.
Spirits brought abundance to the world, but they were destined to fall.
The reason was the monstrous beast Behemoth.
Behemoth was the shadow Lire had torn away from herself at creation, along with her less godly aspects.
Behemoth dwelled in the Demon Realm—one of the three realms Lire divided the world into: the Celestial Realm, the Mortal Realm, and the Demon Realm—and yearned for revenge.
Before going after Lire herself, Behemoth tried to wipe out humanity. The spirits stopped him, and through the sacrifice of the Spirit King, Behemoth was sealed away and fell into slumber.
In the process, over 90% of all spirits were destroyed.
That 90% included the Spirit King, who alone could give birth to new spirits.
Spirit mages, having lost their spirit partners bound to their souls, were struck down one after another.
It was already a time when much needed to be done after the war, but their forces had been severely weakened.
It would have been nice if Lire had intervened then, but due to a curse Behemoth cast while invading the Mortal Realm, she was confined to the Celestial Realm and could no longer interfere with the world.
In the end, spirits walked the path of decline. Though there were several chances for revival, overlapping misfortune and calamity caused those opportunities to slip away time and again.
Beings that once brought prosperity to the world now appeared only occasionally in old tales or stage plays.
Differences in the aims of each nation also played a role in preventing their decline. The continent was currently divided among four countries.
The northern Hagaia Empire, which revered the sword.
The southern Agnante Kingdom, which revered magic and housed the Mage Tower.
The western Belkhi Holy Kingdom, home to Lire’s Grand Temple.
And the eastern Ralta Duchy, once territory of the Hagaia Empire.
Of these, the three nations excluding the Ralta Duchy had existed continuously since the dawn of creation, yet not a single one revered spirits. Instead, they were busy downplaying the spirits’ achievement in sealing Behemoth and replacing it with their own.
And now, forgotten and reduced to near extinction, Libenta was seeking a chance at a reversal—through me.
[As the number of spirits drastically decreased, it became even harder to find those who could see us.]
I’d wondered why contracting just because it was “unusual” felt slightly off. So that was the reason. Feeling a sudden surge of pity, I spoke.
“Am I the only contractor right now?”
[Since I haven’t shared information with other spirits, for now, you could say that.]
It felt as though a massive responsibility had been placed on my shoulders, weighing my heart down. Then came the topic of training methods.
If one continuously wielded a spirit’s abilities with strong resolve, and intimacy and proficiency reached their peak, evolution would occur naturally.
Libenta said that even if abilities were handled well, whether evolution happened depended on how strong the contractor’s desire was. That desire was usually determined by the spirit mage’s purpose.
A strong desire… I paused to think.
Getting Rekalin and Kallian together? Preventing the world from ending? Then making tons of money and retiring safely?
Anyway—survive! And live out a peaceful old age with a pile of saved money.
Reading my thoughts, Libenta sighed.
[……Sorry for expecting too much.]
“What were you expecting?”
[Because evolution determines revival.]
“Then how do spirits revive, exactly?”
I wondered about the connection between evolution and revival, but as the information I’d just heard clicked into place and Libenta continued, I couldn’t help but gape.
[What I hope for is that you evolve me into a Spirit King and create new spirits.]
Libenta fluttered up and settled atop my head. It had a grand objective. Explaining the nature and history of spirits hadn’t been solely to earn my sympathy or inform me.
It was to lay its goal bare before me.
I grabbed Libenta with a rough hand. Multicolored feathers scattered across the bed. My head rang.
I shouted.
“Are you insane? You didn’t mention this when we made the contract! I just wanted to live a slightly easier life—how could you hide something this big?”
[I’m sorry. But I saw potential in you.]
“Oh, come on, seriously.”
[Only a few hundred lower- and mid-level spirits survived. Of those, dozens chose to disappear of their own will, and dozens more fell into despair and faded away without doing anything. A handful of us, myself included, kept searching and contracting, to the point our very existence wore thin.]
Each spirit was a unique being, and every spirit was given a single name. By defining their existence, they gained intelligence.
Breaking a contract or the death of a contractor inevitably dealt damage to a spirit bound by the soul.
Libenta said this cycle had repeated for nearly a thousand years.
It felt a bit like coaxing mixed with a threat, but the desperation in its voice left me unable to say anything more.
“……”
[My contract with you may be my last.]
And with that, the topic shifted to the final point. Under the pressure, I felt my eyelids growing heavy.
[Would you consider contracting with spirits of other attributes besides me?]
“Other attributes?”
[Water, earth, and fire. You can contract with all of them.]
“Is it easy to contract with all four attributes?”
[Not easy—but entirely possible.]
Half-asleep, I asked the thought that came to mind.
“Can you tell me of any examples?”
[Hmm. The first spirit mage, Rekia?]
My expression stiffened. The title “the first” carried weight. Contracting with all four attributes—wasn’t that practically following a legendary route?
[They, too, are pitiful beings wandering in search of a contractor, liable to vanish at any moment.]
“……I’ll think about it.”
Suddenly, an image came to mind: all four elemental spirits evolving into Spirit Kings, ushering in an age of spirit revival.
[That is precisely my goal.]
“This is crazy. You’re insane. This is a scam contract.”
[My eternal partner, I’m sorry. Sleep well, then.]
I pulled the blanket over my heavy head, and Libenta gently blew a soothing breeze, wishing me good night.
My tangled thoughts quickly faded before the onslaught of sleep.
“Just let me hit you once.”
[Aah!]
No matter how hard things had been, it really wasn’t a scam contract.
Still half-asleep and feeling even more annoyed, I flicked Libenta lightly on the head.
“Eternal partner,” my foot.
Even so, Libenta was smiling faintly.
[For now, evolve me to mid-level. Then even ordinary people will be able to see me…….]
Apparently, Libenta had originally been a mid-level spirit.
The day of the regular meeting dawned. After breakfast with Kallian, Pana, and Paul, I returned to my room to find Emma cleaning.
She was staring at a book on top of the dresser.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, Assistant, it’s just this book…….”
“Oh, that’s something I’ve been reading lately. Do you like it too, Emma?”
Emma glanced at the side story of One Night Encounter that Kallian and I had bought at the bookstore. Her face flushed slightly, then she quickly lowered her head and turned her back to me.
“Y-you’re busy, aren’t you? Please hurry and go.”
“Uh, o-okay.”
Urged along for reasons I didn’t understand, I placed the flowers Kallian had given me into a vase and immediately left the room.
I made sure my wristwatch was secured. Setting aside my confusion for the moment, I gathered a stack of documents in both arms and headed for the carriage.
Rekalin was waiting for me, eyeing me with a curious look.
I wondered if I’d done something wrong, but the only “crime” I could think of was helping him with overtime work yesterday—for double overtime pay.
Given the duke’s wealth, it seemed unlikely he’d begrudge me that.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No, no. Assistant, have you ever worked in a profession that handled mana?”
“Me? Not at all.”
Since I was now a spirit mage, I wasn’t sure how to answer in the present tense, but in the past tense, that was certainly true.
“I thought so…… Never mind. Sorry to bother you.”
He turned away, seeming to mutter something under his breath. I tensed, wondering if it was something serious.
But my worry proved unfounded. A few minutes later, he turned back and said,
“I’ll carry the luggage for you.”
Along the way, Rekalin used telekinetic magic to help transport the documents.
I could technically use Libenta too now, but with so many eyes around, I couldn’t do so casually. We headed for the carriage.
The Montenium ducal crest was emblazoned on the exterior—a neat emblem somewhere between a pegasus and a unicorn.
“Wow, it’s like a palace.”
The interior of the carriage looked simple at first glance, but it was luxurious and ornate, complete with a small table for tea time.
The seats were incredibly plush, and I was told there was even shock-absorbing magic applied.
A cool sandalwood scent permeated the carriage. I leaned back comfortably.
With the clatter of hooves, the carriage began to move.
“Because there’s a registry recording all nobles attending the regular meeting, we have to enter by carriage, so we can’t freely use teleportation. It’s unfortunate—if we could teleport, we’d have more time to get work done…….”
Ignoring the unsettling workaholic comment, I felt immense relief that teleportation wasn’t being used. I never wanted to experience that nausea again.
“Come to think of it, why doesn’t healing magic work on teleport sickness?”
“Healing magic doesn’t work on pain the body is destined to grow accustomed to.”
Fair enough. If healing magic were all-powerful, there’d be no need for priests whose role was to heal.
I’d probably vomit myself to death before ever getting used to it, though.
Anyway, after chatting a bit more with Rekalin about the meeting, we soon arrived at the imperial palace.
