Echoes of the Six Ancestors
The lion-faced faucet gushed with a steady zzol zzol zzol zzol…! Ice-cold groundwater flowed endlessly from the tap, pumped up through drainage pipes to this high mountain ridge. I never imagined such plumbing would reach all the way up here.
Pop pop pop pop! Bubbles frothed vigorously in the sink as the dishes clattered against the scrubber. If it weren’t for the magitech pump system, I’d be crouched by some stream washing everything by hand.
Clink…! The powdered detergent dissolved with a scrub scrub scrub, sending even more foam billowing upward.
‘How is it this cold even with gloves on……?’
Complaints slipped out as I worked through the mountain of dishes from the tea party. The groundwater drawn from the mountain was brutally cold—cold enough to make the bones in my fingertips ache. My fingers felt like they might freeze solid any second. Earlier I’d burned my hands; now I was on the verge of frostbite. Still, what could I do? Orders were orders. At this rate I’d end up with housewife’s eczema before I ever got frostbite.
‘The tea party’s probably over by now. When are we heading down?’
Peering past the endless dishes, I spotted the girls gathered in the outdoor banquet area in front of the temple, sitting in a circle on the ground. A large jar sat in the center. I couldn’t tell what it was, but the mood looked warm and lively. Magistone lanterns strung along ropes cast a gentle glow over them. Though I couldn’t see clearly from this distance, it seemed like a social gathering—perhaps some kind of recreation. Everyone appeared to be chatting and enjoying themselves together. Just as I’d overheard from Sonya and Eros earlier, it looked like a welcome party for the new students.
‘School days really were the best. Especially when you were still a bright-eyed freshman.’
I kept up the pretense of washing dishes while scanning for Derke. I’d heard something about an initiation ceremony, and I couldn’t shake the worry that the seniors might be picking on her under the guise of “welcoming the new girl.”
‘If Sofia were watching over her, I wouldn’t be this anxious……’
If Sofia had been there, I would’ve spotted her instantly. She always carried that bright halo of light wherever she went. But Sofia was nowhere to be seen. Strangely, even after the pilgrimage activities ended, she’d been difficult to find. She’d deliberately avoided me during the day, and now that the pilgrimage was over, she’d vanished completely. Raylin was missing too.
“Where on earth did everyone—”
“Breeder…! Not much left! Keep it up…!”
“Hm?”
While I was muttering to myself, a voice called out from beside me—Ramji, who had been washing dishes with me.
Scrub, scrub, scrub…! The little guy had been tackling the chore with boundless enthusiasm from the start, as if this kind of odd job suited him far better than cooking.
“Hey, Ramji. Aren’t your hands cold?”
“It’s bearable! I can handle it…!”
In response to my question, he wiggled his palms—showcasing the pink jelly-like substance—and flashed a V-sign. Lucky him. Apparently his hands came with built-in rubber gloves, so the cold didn’t bother him much. Plus, he could probably fiddle with them whenever he got bored and feel great. Beastkin really had it easy, being so insensitive to the cold. Meanwhile, I felt like my fingers were about to snap right off.
“…Anyway, they sure ate a lot.”
Those idle thoughts didn’t last long. Staring at the towering pile of dishes still left to wash made my brows furrow. I’d endured everything just to enjoy a proper day off tomorrow, but the final cleanup was turning out to be far more grueling than expected. The dishes from dinner had been added on top, making the total substantial. On top of that, Maruti and the other non-academy chefs had clocked out the moment the tea party ended. Since they weren’t academy staff, it was only natural. I’d won the cooking duel, so why did it feel like I was the one being punished? All I wanted was to head down, crawl under my blanket, and sleep.
“Ha, if only I could summon Derke’s Wraith Legion like before……”
I was grumbling to myself while soaping up another plate when—
Nyororong……
“Huh…? Wh-what?”
A translucent wraith suddenly popped out from behind my back, letting out a cute yet somehow eerie sound. It looked like a gray blanket draped over a floating form, its body rippling as it hovered. There was no mistaking it—this was one of Derke’s wraiths.
Snatch! Ignoring my surprise, the wraith snatched the scrubber right out of my hand. Then—
Scrub, scrub, scrub…! It began washing the dishes with complete nonchalance, as if it had heard my earlier complaint. Without a word of protest, it took over the labor. Of course, it wasn’t strange—Derke had granted me permission to command her wraiths as well—but still…
‘Why is a wraith here?’
Only one had stayed by my side, which struck me as odd. Had it been following me this whole time? I didn’t know the reason, but having a stand-in was certainly welcome. I’d already noticed how useful the wraiths were when making desserts earlier. Meeting Derke really had been a stroke of luck.
Swish…!Clink, clack…! Look at that. The cold didn’t bother it at all. Its spectral body had no limitations—no fatigue, complete freedom of movement. In some ways, it was far superior to a human. And it never once showed displeasure, simply carrying out its tasks in silence—
Crash…!
“Wh-what?!”
“Breeder? What happened…?!”
While I was busy praising the wraith in my head, it suddenly dropped the plate it had been scrubbing and bolted. It abandoned its work like it was going on strike, then fled into the distance—after completely shattering the dish, no less.
‘Huh? You’ve got to be kidding me.’
It was the same weird phenomenon as in games: the moment you praised your teammate, they started throwing. Was this the same principle? If it was going to be like this, it shouldn’t have helped in the first place. Stunned by the absurdity, I could only stare after the wraith as it disappeared into the distance.
The wraith was heading toward the outside of the kitchen tent. It seemed intent on leaving. Even as a ghost, it flew straight for the entrance. At first I wondered why, but then I understood.
“Breeder oppa—!!!”
“Huh? Derke?”
The wraith flew straight to Derke, who had appeared out of nowhere like a ghost herself, and vanished into her.
“Hehe, I’m glad I left one attached to the playboy oppa-desu-yong—!”
“…Huh? Attached one?”
“Yup! That way, if anything happens to oppa, Derke will know right away-yap!”
“Haha, setting that aside for now…… Sofia? Miss Raylin?”
It wasn’t just Derke. Behind her stood Sofia and Raylin as well. The three of them had apparently been together. And judging by the fact that all my contracted partners had gathered in this shabby place, it was obvious……
“Breeder? We need to talk with you privately.”
“Pardon? With me?”
From the gravity in Sofia’s voice, it was clear she had quite a lot to discuss. And at this late hour, no less.
*
The red moon hung caught in the branches. It wasn’t the color of a setting sun. Of course it wasn’t—this land’s moon had always been crimson.
“……”
Perhaps because of the red full moon, the atmosphere felt heavier. I had been summoned to the outskirts of the temple by Sofia, freed at last from dishwashing duty. Raylin and Derke were with us as well. At first I’d assumed they’d come to rescue me from the chore.
“Breeder? You must have been curious about what I saw in you earlier today, weren’t you?”
The moment we reached a secluded spot, Sofia cut straight to the point. She had come for an entirely different reason than I’d expected. After everything that had happened since morning, I might have forgotten about it entirely if she hadn’t brought it up.
“Yes. What exactly did you see that surprised you so much?”
“Do you remember what I said at the time?”
“Of course. You said the figures of the ancestors overlapped with mine. Not just one, but several……”
“Eek?! F-from the white puppy…?!”
“H-huh…? From oppa, the ancestors’ forms—?!”
“That’s right. You remember well.”
Sofia smiled faintly as her gaze swept over everyone’s faces. Then she looked back and forth between Derke and Raylin before speaking again.
“Raylin, Derke? Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. I gathered everyone here because I believe this is something you all need to know, given how close you are to Breeder.”
“Sofia……?”
With those words, Sofia stepped closer to me, her faint smile fading. Her expression grew serious beneath the crimson moonlight.
Swish……! She even removed the veil from her head, heightening the solemn mood.
“……”
In this atmosphere, no one could bring themselves to break the silence first.
“The figures of the ancestors I saw in Breeder earlier today, using the power of the Primordial Dragon…… They were unmistakably the same as the six ancestors who sealed the Dragon King, Ditronos, long ago.”
“What?”
Sofia’s quiet voice broke the silence. Though her tone was gentle, the words she spoke struck like lightning from a clear sky.
“…The ancestors who sealed the Dragon King Ditronos? What do you mean?”
“That’s what I’d like to ask you, Breeder.”
Slide…! Calling my name, Sofia drew even closer. So close I could feel her warm breath.
“Please tell me everything without hiding anything. Your true identity…… What exactly are you? If you won’t tell me, I’ll have no choice but to look for myself.”