TOMLOM 63

Chapter 63

• “Wait a moment.”

Through the crystal orb, I caught a glimpse of Lionel’s face, then it disappeared again.

The connection seemed a bit unstable since I couldn’t see inside the room properly. After a moment, Lionel’s face reappeared in the orb.

• “Can you hear me?”

“Yes… Did you just take a bath?”

• “Yes.”

I noticed because his hair was slightly wet, and he was wearing a robe instead of his usual clothes.

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen Lionel like this, but today it felt oddly private and made me feel embarrassed. I couldn’t meet his eyes through the orb, and I nervously moved them around, afraid he’d notice. So I quickly started talking.

“Today at the hunting contest, something big happened, right? Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt?”

• “Yes. I’m not hurt.”

“That’s a relief. If you are hurt anywhere, don’t hide it. Get treated immediately, okay?”

• “Understood.”

…So, is he hurt or not?

Through the orb, I could only see from his head to his collarbones, so I couldn’t tell. It would be nice if I could see him fully.

“Eek!”

• “Riri? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, no! It’s nothing!”

Whoa, that startled me. What was that just now?

‘I swear it looked like I saw Lionel directly with my own eyes, not through the orb.’

Had I been so exhausted from staying up all night studying magic that I hallucinated? I should probably take some health tonic.

I tapped my cheeks and asked Lionel, who looked confused through the orb:

“I’m curious… My sister told me to give you the magic tower circular. Is that right?”

• “Yes. Did you receive it well?”

“I did… but why did she give it to me?”

Lionel answered calmly, not seeming to care about my nervousness.

• “I gave it to you because there’s something you need to know.”

“…Something I need to know?”

• “Page 2. Read it.”

Page 2…

No need to check anything else. The second page, after the table of contents, had a notice in huge red letters: ‘Hellfire is now a forbidden magic.’ That was all.

It was a serious warning, and now I understood why Lionel gave me the circular.

But I pretended not to notice.

“Oh, so Hellfire is forbidden… But why do I need to know this…?”

• “You learned the Hellfire magic. Since it’s forbidden, you must not use it anymore.”

Oh wow, he really knew!

“How do you even know whether I learned it or not?”

• “The bluebird used Hellfire, so I knew.”

“…What?”

• “When the giant wolves appeared, the bluebird used Hellfire to drive them away.”

“What? Who did what?”

• “The bluebird…”

“No, no, no!”

I raised my voice, and Lionel immediately stopped explaining. I quickly said:

“Are you sure this isn’t a misunderstanding? The bluebird suddenly connecting through the orb makes sense, since I implanted the magic circuit. But Hellfire is a spell I only learned this afternoon!”

• “So you did learn it.”

“Exactly…!”

Wait. Is this some kind of trap? Am I caught?

“I really didn’t know Hellfire was forbidden!”

• “Yes. That’s why I told you to read the circular. A spirit familiar with its own consciousness won’t use magic recklessly. For that to happen, the caster needs to be aware of the danger.”

“Wait… a spirit familiar with its own…?”

• “Spirit familiar.”

“…You mean the spirit familiar made from soul fragments?”

• “Yes.”

I stared blankly at Lionel’s face in the orb.

What is he talking about?

‘The bluebird is my spirit familiar?’

He wasn’t joking. Lionel is never one to joke. He really thought the bluebird was my spirit familiar.

“How did you even figure out that the bluebird is my spirit familiar?”

• “I read the spirit familiar spellbook. Considering the circumstances, it made more sense that this bluebird was your spirit familiar than not.”

…Now that I think about it, it did make sense.

If I assume the bluebird is my spirit familiar, all the strange events make sense: the magical device working on its own, my voice reaching Lionel, him knowing I learned Hellfire… everything.

But is this even possible? I never used the spirit familiar magic. Did it just happen on its own?

‘Well… I did carefully carve the magic stone.’

There’s that saying about artists putting their soul into their work… Maybe I unknowingly infused my soul into the stone, and that’s how the bluebird became my spirit familiar. But I don’t have magic—can that even happen?

‘If I ask my teacher… oh no, I’d get scolded so badly!’

When I was little, I once said I wanted to make a spirit familiar, and my teacher punished me harshly. He said:

“If you ever say you want to make a spirit familiar again, you’ll be expelled!”

My teacher really meant business. If he found out I made a spirit familiar, I might really have been expelled.

“Ryo, can I ask a favor?”

• “What is it?”

“Please don’t tell anyone that the bluebird is my spirit familiar. Not my family, not anyone.”

• “Not anyone?”

“Yes! Not anyone!”

Lionel paused, thinking, then nodded.

• “Understood.”

If it were anyone else, I might not have trusted it, but Lionel? I knew he would keep this secret.

“Thanks! And also… about my spirit familiar using Hellfire… Ah! I mean, I saw the bluebird use Hellfire. Did anyone else see it?”

• “No. Only I saw it.”

“My sister doesn’t know either?”

• “No. I didn’t tell her.”

Hooray!

“Thanks! Please keep it a secret from now on too!”

• “Yes.”

I was so relieved that my fiancé was someone I could trust with my spirit familiar!

“Was the reason I asked the bluebird’s name because it’s my spirit familiar?”

• “Yes. According to the book, you need to name a spirit familiar with consciousness to fully bond with it.”

“Right, I saw that too.”

Since a spirit familiar is made from soul fragments, it’s already like my double, but giving it a name makes it truly mine.

The bluebird not realizing it was my spirit familiar yet was probably because I hadn’t named it.

‘If I name it, I can confirm that the bluebird is really my spirit familiar.’

“I couldn’t come up with a name before. I still haven’t.”

• “Once you name it, you can’t change it. Take your time.”

“No, I want to name it quickly.”

Finally, I could have my long-awaited spirit familiar! I was so excited I probably wouldn’t sleep tonight.

“I’ll think of a great name. Can I go to the royal palace tomorrow?”

• “Wait a moment.”

Lionel checked his schedule and replied:

• “There might be changes due to today’s events, but I can spare some time briefly.”

“Thank you!”

That night, I thought of about ten possible names for my bluebird before falling asleep.

By the time I woke up, the sun was high, and Eunice brought shocking news:

“Miss, it’s serious!”

“…Serious? What happened?”

“There’s been a monster wave in the northern mountains. They couldn’t stop it, and the north is in chaos!”

I remembered. The critical event I had read about in the story.

It was the monster wave—the event that sent Lionel, as commander, to stabilize the north, keeping him away from the capital for five years!