IBML 17

Chapter 17

Arhana swirled her fins in all directions as she responded to my question.

[Water is the power of restoration. It can heal, evaporate, absorb, and cool. But there’s one drawback to this healing: it cannot cure innate diseases.]

She frowned at being compared to divine power.

[You don’t have any congenital illnesses, do you?]
“I don’t have any, I’m just an ordinary office worker.”
[If it’s acid reflux, indigestion, turtle neck, scoliosis, neck or back disc issues… I can heal all of that. Properly correct it, even.]
“Wait, really?!”
[Of course! You’ll make a contract with me, won’t you?]

After all, Arhana was the only water spirit.

When Libenta and Shuivan nodded, I found myself agreeing almost instinctively. Arhana pressed her clear eyes to my forehead.

[I, the low-ranking water spirit Arhana, enter into a contract with Lasha Verny. Our souls will be bound as one, sharing everything, and this contract will be engraved as a sacred promise for life.]

Chains of light wrapped around us.

[If this contract is broken, the soul of Lasha Verny will wander endlessly without finding true rest. In exchange, I, Arhana, the water spirit, vow to serve only Lasha Verny for life, and should I break this vow, I shall cease to exist.]

The light revolved around us.

[I, Arhana the water spirit, the one and only for my contractor Lasha Verny, bind my name to yours, and this soul chain will perfect our relationship for life.]

Pop!

Arhana emerged from the light and settled in my hands.

[My contractor… I swear that your essence will remain with me, and even if destroyed, it will always return intact.]

And so, I signed a third contract with a spirit. Arhana grinned brightly.

[By the way, this is unexpected.]
‘What is?’
[I never thought Shuivan would get a new contractor, though I expected Libenta would.]

Shuivan’s ears drooped even further than usual.

I had heard before that Shuivan’s previous contractor had died young due to a congenital condition.

Since then, Shuivan had been heartbroken and was ready to disappear in front of me, which is why the contract had been made.

If Arhana even comments like that, Shuivan must have been very close to their previous contractor.

[The earth embraces everything, so I already embraced him completely.]
[But he seems full of lingering attachment.]
[Enough, Arhana.]
[Hmm… it wasn’t my fault he died. Innate illnesses can’t be cured. Even if I tried, he’d only have lived six more months.]

Arhana spoke with a cold tone.

Now I understood why Shuivan hadn’t been fond of Arhana.

Shuivan, angry, slammed the bedsheet with his forepaw.

[I wanted that six months.]
[I didn’t want to endure the pain of my existence wearing away.]
[I wish that self-love could have been shared with others.]

It seemed like an argument had started.

Shuivan was blaming Arhana, but without knowing the details, I felt helpless.

Only Libenta’s flapping wings filled the room.

If this kept going, things between Arhana and the others would get worse.

And I absolutely did not want that.

I stretched out my arm to separate the growling pair and collapsed onto the floor.

“Alright, kids, settle down.”

Arhana and Shuivan grumbled for a moment, then eventually obeyed.

With the upcoming “Cupid Project” and concerns about the spirits’ care, I was completely overwhelmed.

Was this what they called a “self-inflicted disaster”?

I asked Arhana what I needed to protect, but she just hesitated without answering.

Well, she’d probably tell me later.

While lamenting, the moon rose to the sky and sparkled brightly.

I apologized to Recalin for yesterday’s events.

He said it wasn’t my fault and didn’t accept the apology.

Even without words, I could tell that his opinion of Calian had worsened.

After all, judging by yesterday’s actions, I was far from his ideal type.

Trying to explain that it wasn’t my usual behavior would only make things worse for both Calian and me.

I buried my face in the documents, concealing my despair.

My hand shook as I held the pen. I had to find a way to turn things around.

But how? There was only about a month left until the original story’s protagonist, the emperor, returned.

Could I repair this relationship and progress within a month?

Still, life is full of unexpected turns—I wasn’t ready to give up yet.

Maybe cunning would work better than a straightforward approach. I pondered as I wrote.

There’s a thing called the “suspension bridge effect.”

The idea is that people’s attraction to someone is heightened when they meet on a shaky bridge, as they mistake the physiological reactions of anxiety for their own feelings.

Could I put Recalin and Calian in a crisis situation to trigger this effect?

But how often would a grand sorcerer and a duke’s servant realistically face a crisis together?

A grand sorcerer isn’t easily endangered.

‘Maybe using a spirit…’

That would be a crime, wouldn’t it? No matter how desperate I was, I didn’t want to commit a crime. I swallowed my frustration.

It would help if Recalin were the type to be captivated by appearances.

But he was too high-class—he probably wouldn’t fall for anyone based on looks alone.

In the original story, he’d been attracted to Calian for his personality, not appearance.

Maybe it would’ve been better to just follow the original plot.

I regretted it again, but thinking of the cheerful faces of Pana and Paul made me feel it was the right choice.

Trauma, once formed, is hard to overcome or bury.

“Let’s eat.”
“Okay~”

Lunch today was veal hindquarter stew marinated in wine, mashed potatoes, and an avocado-tomato salad.

The veal was tender, and the salad combination was quite good.

My mood melted instantly. Delicious food really is the best.

After the meal, Recalin spoke.

“I’d like to start the research soon.”
“Do as you please. We’re getting paid anyway.”
“Then let’s start tomorrow. I’ve finished reviewing all the materials I had.”

The schedule was set without delay.

I ignored his cold words and resolved to focus on spirit research.

Making documents for the regular meeting still gave me a headache.

I needed a walk.

“I’ll go for a walk.”
“Not much lunch break left, so hurry back.”

During the walk, I unexpectedly ran into someone.

“Unnie!”
“Nice to see you, sis.”

Pana and Paul, wearing bright spring outfits, were unsurprising but still welcoming.

“Let’s spin again!”
“This is so much fun.”
“Hahaha, right? I used to do this every day when I was young!”

A woman with an X-shaped scar across her face was spinning Pana and Paul around.

I had seen her when I first entered the duke’s residence.

To be taking care of two kids like that… her stamina and strength must be incredible.

She was the vice-captain Leona Welden. I greeted her.

“It’s my first time seeing you like this, Vice-Captain.”
“Hahaha, hello! You must be Lasha Verny, the assistant, right?”

Leona’s voice was booming, like she could chew through train barrels.

I had made eye contact with her when we first met, but never had a chance to talk—until now.

I extended my hand, and Leona grabbed it with her large hand.

She shook it up and down energetically, the wind whistling past us.

“Nice to meet you. I really wanted to talk to you.”
“What about?”

Leona cleared her throat for a moment and whispered to me.

“Exercise.”
“Exercise?”

She smiled, showing her fangs.

“Pardon me, but as they say, ‘Physical strength is national strength.’”

Her muscles were clearly built from various exercises, training, and real combat.

Her build was almost twice mine, larger than most men.

“When you first arrived here, I thought you were too thin, but now it seems even worse.”
“Oh… is that so?”

I hadn’t exercised much, but hearing this in person stung a bit.

“How about joining me for early morning workouts? Just a few laps in the training ground following my kids, and you’ll be healthy in no time.”

By “my kids,” she probably meant the knights of the order? Following their training seemed a bit much.

Seeing her bright face, it was clear Leona loved exercise.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll think about it,”

At that moment, something fell from her arms as she bent and straightened.

I tried to pick it up, but Leona moved faster than lightning.

“Oh, I was going to pick it up for you.”
“I-it’s fine. I’ll take my leave then. Let me know if you change your mind.”

Her face was bright red for some reason.

What kind of book could that have been? I tilted my head in curiosity.

She had retrieved it so quickly I couldn’t see, but the cover looked familiar…