Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: 5. Orphan Awakening System Open
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Of course, it was all bravado. The Mountain Lord did need Laila, but that didn't mean Laila didn't need him either.
To block the Snow King's forces, they needed the Mountain Lord's help. And for the power Laila so desperately wanted, they needed it too. But admitting that need outright was a different story.
Just like the bluffs, disguises, and deceptions rampant in the back alleys, she hid her true feelings. She acted like she didn't need him, all while maintaining an air of leisure, as if she were the one graciously making concessions.
It was a game of chicken, plain and simple.
Of course, Laila harbored a sliver of unease. Not about the Mountain Lord, but about the Director.
'What if...'
What if the Director scolded her for that behavior? What if he said it was wrong, an unnecessary meddling, and chewed her out?
Even Laila, who had kept up the act of confidence to the end, couldn't shake the anxiety.
"Laila."
"Yes, Director. That just now was..."
"You did great."
"...Pardon?"
"You're a temporary staff member through and through. Excellent work. That was some top-notch psychological warfare. They'll be sweating bullets now."
"Director...!!"
Instead, the Director stroked Laila's head and praised her lavishly. It wasn't empty flattery—his face beamed with genuine satisfaction.
Only then could Laila finally relax.
'How dare you.'
Her anger toward the Mountain Lord only grew.
To insult this warmth stroking her head, this praise?
Sweet-talk? Ugly ulterior motives? What nonsense. For a spirit as mighty and ancient as that one to slander the Director's sincerity.
"Yes, Director. Because I'm the orphanage's temporary staff."
"Uh... y-yeah, that's right. Hmm."
The Director, who had been excited in his joy, suddenly looked flustered, but Laila just gazed at him with a smile full of heartfelt sincerity.
Now, finally.
She felt like she had earned the right to stand one step closer to the person she admired and revered, right by his side.
*
Laila had done something huge.
Too ballsy, you say? I was planning to do it myself anyway. Why should I look kindly on that spirit?
Trying to forcibly evolve Laila in some weird direction on his own whim, and attempting to transfer ownership like she was property—it rubbed me the wrong way. I thought the same when I saw that old fogey spirit before: spirits aren't worth dealing with.
Speciesism? Guilty. But even Count Richard at least admits it, unlike this one brazenly trying to pickpocket my staff.
Still, Laila pulling it off was way more effective than if I had done it.
'He seems to know humans well, given how long he's lived.'
After all, hearing it from Laila, who has spiritist talent, carries more weight than threats from me, her guardian. Too bad I didn't get to see that dumbstruck look on his face longer when we left the cavern.
But we couldn't stay like this forever.
'In the end, we have no choice but to get that spirit's help.'
Even without him, the Beril Count Family wouldn't completely collapse. But the compensation I'd squeeze out of them would shrink big time, and adopting Laila as my daughter would get delayed. They'd have to rebuild the family first, daughters be damned.
In short, to fend off the Snow King's forces without losses, we needed the Mountain Lord's aid. And the key to that was Laila.
"Laila, you did well, but in the end..."
"We have no choice but to contract with that ice spirit, right?"
"...You're not against it?"
"It's a bit off-putting, but if that's what it takes to help you and Lord Beril, then yes. But not on these terms."
"Exactly. He doesn't seem like a novice spiritist contractor, but he's got no intention of treating you like a proper contractor."
Spirits generally have little interest in humans. But they show intense interest and obsession with spiritists. It's not just like or dislike—it's tied to the spirit's own growth.
Spirits grow stronger naturally over time. But that timescale is astronomically long; sitting around, it could take centuries to even reach mid-tier.
So why do mighty spirits exist all over the world? That's thanks to spiritists.
'A classic win-win deal.'
The spiritist gains a powerful ally, and the spirit uses the spiritist's mana to grow rapidly.
Does that mean they must contract with spiritists? Not quite—spirits aren't picky for nothing. Their interest means the human's mana meshes exceptionally well with theirs. That's why spiritist aptitude is so rare. Strictly speaking, it's not even a talent.
Even if mana matches well, some spirits skip contracts out of laziness or disinterest in humans, making true spiritists exceedingly scarce. And vice versa—spirits struggle to find compatible humans too.
A being like the Mountain Lord has likely gone through multiple spiritists to reach his level, explaining his human savvy.
That's where the problem arises.
'This spirit doesn't seem like he'll sign a proper work contract.'
Your classic sleazy boss type. Sharp-eyed despite his status, demanding competent, pretty, talented part-timers while lowballing wages.
The old fogey spirit said it himself multiple times: suspect any powerful spirit proposing a contract.
Of course, we can't pass up this precious orphan awakening chance. But jumping in blindly might leave her with free-to-play 1-star stats.
Less "awakening" and more like a side-story rollout. 'Ice Spiritist Laila' demands event-limited 4-star orphan performance—not some reskinned gacha fodder.
And for that, we need...
[Bring the contractor here, human. I'll speak with her again...]
"I don't get it. At least come out of that ice first, no?"
[There are circumstances. I'll apologize to the contractor, so bring her now.]
"Huh? Getting cocky? Fine, I'll head back. No need to tell Laila."
[Human...!!]
"What's up, spirit?"
Calling his bluff. Bottom line: we don't need you. You're the desperate one.
Worried about your life? Fair point. A spirit of his caliber could squash me with a flick.
But the Mountain Lord can't. Ironically, his human knowledge makes him hesitate—he grasps that I'm Laila's guardian and she's fond of me.
Which means Laila is that crucial to him.
'So why try to scam us? Just offer a fair contract from the start.'
I get his game. She looks young and naive; push a bit, seal the deal easy. His attitude screams he's done shady contracts before. Whatever the details, he probably planned to leech her mana and boost himself.
But Laila's instincts shattered that, and her hardball stance botched it big time.
'Human savvy or not, he's still a spirit.'
He doesn't grasp how slick human tongues can be. That's the modern iron face for you.
And Laila's trash talk was orphan-grade: fiercely, profoundly, rotten-to-the-core orphan savagery.
"Slandering the Director baselessly and now threatening him again? I'm so disappointed."
[Contractor, that's not...]
"I told you: I don't need to contract with you. So why act like this?"
[The vile Snow King's forces were right at the gates—I know that. If they return, you and that human die. Can you still say that?]
"Then we run. Like you said, the Snow King is vile. Vicious and cunning—he won't chase if we flee the North; he'll just expand slowly. Wrong?"
[.........]
I have zero intention of running, but only an honest fool matches words to heart. For back-alley sludge-dwellers, it's passive skill 101.
Laila weaponized her alley-born passives to pressure the Mountain Lord. He's probably never seen a spiritist bluff this hard. Normally, they have no reason to refuse.
[Abandoning the humans who settled this snow mountain?]
"Isn't that good for you? They came later to your turf, being nuisances."
[No, that's...]
"Don't tell me the Beril Count Family leaving would trouble you? They tidy your mountain and block the Snow King's forces for you?"
[.........]
"So you've just been shivering and hiding here? No wonder your attitude's so bold only toward easy marks—you weren't raised right."
Buoyed by my praise, Laila unleashed her back-alley orphan mouth like a storm. She doesn't with me? I ate plenty of curses on first meetings. When she reins in clueless rowdy orphans, it's brutal.
Above all, Laila could deploy her killer move, maximizing her orphan traits.
"Hiding in the snow mountain trembling from the Snow King, but bold only to easy-looking humans? Yeah, you weren't raised right."
[...You're no different, contractor.]
"Right, I'm an orphan. No parents. You too?"
[.........]
Self-deprecating burns—that was it. Spot on too. Orphans lack parents; spirits lack parents entirely. Pure overlap.
Like factual defamation laws in modern democracies, raw fact-violence hits hardest.
세
상
이
치
가
그
렇
다.
No matter how well he knows humans, this orphan-dissing was new; even the Mountain Lord was speechless.
"Anyway, you're not ready. Prep something actually tempting, not empty words. See you next time."
[Ah, wait! Hold on!]
Normally, Laila stonewalling like this would diminish her spiritist aptitude—it's tied to the spirit's willingness.
But unlike her initial ambiguous 3-star glow, Laila's light intensified as she rebuffed him, insisting she didn't need him. It rivaled Karen's.
'In other words, she's doing it right.'
Too aggressive? They struck first—and they're more desperate. Half-assed human knowledge makes the damage land harder. Time to squeeze him dry.
What if he refuses the contract? I can cover that. Diminished aptitude would kill his interest too, so pivot then.
Each orphan-flavored (apt metaphor) move strengthened her glow. How to describe it impactfully? Ah, "orphan power" fits.
Luckily, my ability let me scout it like a scouter.
'Anyway, that's about 42,000 orphan power.'
I nodded in satisfaction, watching Laila's rising orphan power stats.