Afterparty (3)
The Spirit Knights who had left the party venue hurried to prepare for their return to Seoul. In truth, their group training camp had ended the previous week. They had stayed on recklessly due to the massive event of the Spirit Kings and their successors clashing.
"Recruit that spirit user into our guild if possible."
It had only been possible because of the guild master's special orders.
"Whoa."
Jeong Ri-on lay down on the bed prepared in the bus. His sylphs were tangled up asleep in the spirit beds nearby. Mulsuja placed the undines in a small tub designed for them.
[Hee hee hee!]
[Splash splash!]
The undines began playing happily in the tub.
"Captain, Vice-Captain. Would you like some cup ramen for a hangover cure?"
One of the spirit users asked while rummaging through the pantry in the back.
"I'm good."
"Me too."
The spirit user poured hot water into the cup ramen and sat on the sofa. The scenery outside the window moved by, but there was no vibration transmitted to the cup ramen at all. If not for the window, it could have been mistaken for an indoor scene.
The twenty knights were divided into groups of five across six identical buses. These were Phoenix Guild's exclusive buses, complete with personal beds and rest areas for spirits, showcasing their excellent welfare for affiliated hunters.
Mulsuja gazed out the window for a moment and spoke with a hint of regret.
"He said he's a freelancer. It's a bit disappointing."
"No kidding. But it's better than him joining another guild outright, right?"
"The guild master will be pissed."
"Ah, what can we do? If he wants him that badly, tell him to come scout himself."
In truth, Jeong Ri-on was the most disappointed of all, even as he said that. He smacked his lips.
"I wanted to keep him close and raise him myself."
"What were you thinking, making that bet so recklessly? No, starting that sparring on your own..."
"Let's just be satisfied that we left a good impression and built a connection through the publicity."
Jeong Ri-on smoothly cut off Mulsuja's impending lecture.
"In the awakener world, there are no eternal friends or eternal enemies anyway, right?"
That was when the bus pulled into the resort parking lot.
"Jeong Ri-on-ssi!"
"Just one word, please!"
Sudden commotion erupted from outside. Looking through the specially coated windows, countless reporters were swarming and clinging to the bus.
"Jeong Ri-on-ssi! What did you talk about with Kang Hyunwoo-ssi?"
"Did you know Kang Hyunwoo-ssi was operating as a freelancer?"
"How long have you known Kang Hyunwoo-ssi?"
Jeong Ri-on chuckled and lay his head back down.
'He's become a total big shot.'
The first Spirit King contractor in Korea. The only one in the Northern Hemisphere. No one knew how the spirit user society would flow from here, but one thing was certain: it would revolve around Kang Hyunwoo and Aqua.
~New Water Spirit King, return to the Spirit Realm and prove yourself worthy of the position~
We all read the summons together.
Han Deuri asked Aqua.
"Isn't the Spirit King the strongest among spirits? Who judges if they're worthy of the Spirit King position?"
Aqua gazed fondly at the brick-like summons and said,
[It's the Earth Spirit King.]
The Earth Spirit King, Uluru. The Spirit King contracted to an Australian spirit user, unique in spending most of her time in the Spirit Realm rather than the human world despite the contract.
"Aqua. Among the Spirit Kings, the Earth Spirit King has strong influence, right?"
[Indeed. Though all are called kings, Uluru is the one everyone regards as the foremost!]
Spirits were wild beings. In the wild grand nature, those with reason naturally revere and worship something. For spirits, that was the land forming and upholding the Spirit Realm.
Thus, it was no surprise that Uluru, symbolizing the earth itself, commanded universal awe and respect.
[Even Niagara and the Fire Spirit King always yielded one step to Uluru.]
"Like the king of kings. So she's the one testing the new Water Spirit King's worthiness?"
Han Deuri nodded to himself, convinced.
This time, I asked Aqua.
"What kind of Spirit King is Uluru?"
At the Academy, I'd studied Spirit Kings as part of coursework, but I only knew her rough strength level.
[Uluru is... hmm...]
Aqua pondered before saying,
[To borrow human terms, she's like the mother of all spirits!]
"Mother?"
[Uluru cares for countless baby spirits! Not just gnomes, but sylphs without a Spirit King too! When I was little and Niagara was busy, I'd take all the baby undines to play with Uluru!]
Aqua's face softened warmly as she spoke of Uluru, just like humans talking about their mothers.
[And not only that! Uluru teaches us spirits many things! She puts on plays often and tells all sorts of stories!]
Aqua counted on her fingers, saying [And, and...!]
[If a spirit is crying, she always hugs and soothes them. If spirits fight, she steps in to scold and make them reconcile!]
I nodded. From Aqua's words alone, Uluru sounded incredibly kind and warm. Truly, the godmother of all spirits in the Spirit Realm.
I nodded again and reread the summons.
"Return to the Spirit Realm..."
The wording was a bit stiff, but given Uluru's personality from Aqua's description, she'd likely chosen it deliberately for fairness.
One thing bothered me, though: it said Aqua alone should return.
I asked Aqua,
"If you don't do this proof, you can't become Spirit King?"
[I don't know. It's the first time a new Spirit King has ascended since I was born!]
There was no danger in Aqua going to the Spirit Realm. On the contrary, returning with official recognition as Spirit King might be good for her.
But the words wouldn't come easily.
'I don't want to be separated from Aqua.'
Spirit and spirit user were one body. Sending Aqua back alone felt unthinkable. Especially right after fighting Niagara, who had tried to drag her there by force.
I glanced at Aqua. She was peeking at me, fingers touching.
Our eyes met, and we realized we felt the same.
[Hee hee hee!]
Aqua beamed and threw herself at me. I gently caught her and hugged tight.
Han Areum and Han Deuri floated question marks above their heads at our sudden embrace. Jang Gilsan shook his head with a 'Spirit users, huh...' look.
Aqua turned to the gnome and declared spiritedly,
[Tell Uluru this! I won't go to the Spirit Realm without my spirit user!]
The gnome looked at Aqua, then slowly nodded and sank into the floor like absorption, returning to the Spirit Realm.
[Hee hee hee!]
Aqua rubbed her cheek against my neck. In return, I kept stroking her back and head.
Today too, my clowning had worked overtime, cheeks numb.
The next morning, I woke to the alarm. I reached out to turn it off and first checked on Aqua and Mandu.
[Snooore~.]
Aqua was using my stomach as a bed. In her arms, clutched tight, was the Water Trident, one of the Spirit Realm's four divine artifacts. It could be summoned or unsummoned from the Spirit Realm at the owner's will.
'Summoned it in her sleep, huh.'
Aqua giggled in her sleep, hugging the trident tighter. No danger—it wasn't for stabbing, so the edges weren't sharp.
Turning my head, Mandu was flipped belly-up beside my pillow, nostrils flaring with each breath.
[Shiit... shiit...]
I tickled Mandu's belly with a finger. The skin was smooth and soft like a dolphin's. Stroking the soft underside felt like petting pudding.
[Shiit, shishiit!]
Mandu woke giggling at the tickles. Staring blankly upside-down for a moment, it flipped over with a whump.
[Shiit!]
Mandu stretched front paws forward, back legs and tail pulled back. A big stretch. It licked its lips with a flick of tongue, then fixed bright, fully awake eyes on me.
"Time to wake Aqua now?"
I grinned and placed a finger on Aqua's belly. Then tickled.
"Tickle tickle tickle tickle!"
As my fingers danced on her belly, Aqua jolted awake.
[Nyaak?]
She flailed and slid off my stomach, landing on the floor with a thud.
[Acko!]
Face-first? She rubbed her face vigorously.
"Sorry. You okay?"
Aqua nodded with a bewildered look, not grasping what happened.
[I'm fine!]
But her reply was spirited. I rolled over, scooped her into my arms, and rubbed her face.
"You like that trident so much?"
Only then did Aqua notice it in her arms. She beamed.
[Of course! We got it together!]
Her words brought a smile to my face too. I tickled her belly again.
[Ahahaha!]
Aqua squirmed and grabbed my hand. With my hand caught, I ruffled her hair with my chin.
[Hee hee hee!]
Aqua shook her head side to side, matching my chin's movement.
[Shiit!]
Mandu wedged in between, wanting in. We rolled around on the bedcovers for a while, tickling and sharing warmth.
[Hnyaa!]
Aqua stretched long, short limbs quivering.
I hugged Aqua and Mandu and headed to the living room. Friends were still asleep, aftermath of last night's drinking. Despite their higher awakener ranks, my body—constantly cared for with Aqua's Healing Water—was far healthier.
'Waking up early isn't a chore anymore.'
We had a simple cereal breakfast while checking internet news.
Yesterday's interview had turned into news articles circulating across sites. As always with popular awakener news, comments poured in.
[Ooh! There's a fan club mention!]
"Heh heh heh..."
We read the comments enjoyably, then began preparations.
[Today the massage shop opens!]
Aqua's massage shop was reopening after a long time. Today's customers? My friends.