The Token of Vulcanus
The Fire Spirit King Agni.
A noble being who, over the past several hundred years, had refused to contract with any renowned spirit mage.
And yet here he was…
"So you can pop popcorn with your bare hands?"
"[Of course I can.]"
He'd appeared out of nowhere, and—
Pop!
"Whoa, that actually works?!"
"[This is the pride of fire itself.]"
"Fair enough, fair enough."
He was literally popping popcorn with his hands. But the one who was flustered wasn't just Vulkan.
"M-Mother, that person really is…"
"Yes, there's no mistaking it…"
"S-So scary…"
Hestia, Rafael, and Raniel all huddled behind Vulkan, watching Agni with wide eyes.
But there was one exception.
"T-That is the pride of fire…!"
Rania Vulcanus was a different story entirely.
"Hey, can you do multiple at once?"
"[Bring it here. I'll pop an entire batch for you.]"
"Wow, this is like a modern essential!"
"As expected, the pride of fire…!"
Unlike the rest of her family, she paced back and forth between Agni and Eugene.
"…"
"[…]"
Eugene and Agni both knew what was happening. They exchanged a tight glance, and then—
"Oh right, Agni, weren't you looking for a contractor?"
"[Y-Yes, that's right.]"
I delivered my prepared line.
"But is that even possible? A knight contracting with a spirit, not a spirit mage."
"[T-H-E-R-E. I-S. N-O. N-E-E-D. T-O. W-O-R-R-Y. I. A-L-R-E-A-D-Y. K-N-E-W. T-H-A-T. C-H-I-L-D. W-O-U-L-D. D-O.]"
Agni quietly reached out his hand…
"…Not him. Her."
"[Ah.]"
…and redirected it.
"[Will you not contract with me?]"
Toward Rania.
"M-Me, you mean?!"
Rania's eyes went wide.
She trembled in her seat, barely restraining the urge to leap up on the spot.
Well, of course. It's only natural.
Being chosen by a spirit was a difficult feat even for an exceptional spirit mage.
"Y-You truly intend to contract with me?!"
"[Yes. Didn't I say I'd already seen you?]"
"I can't believe this…!!"
And being chosen by Agni, the Fire Spirit King of all beings—of course she'd be overjoyed.
"I'm honored!! I'll contract with you right now!!"
"[Hah! Why, you accept without a moment's hesitation!]"
"What's there to hesitate about!! He's a fire spirit!! And you're Agni, whom I've only ever seen in the family's ancient texts, offering me this yourself!!"
"[Kwah! Yes, that's exactly it! Very well! I shall favor you above all others!]"
The mutual agreement was sealed in an instant.
"Father!! I'll be right back!!"
"O-Oh… yes…"
"[Do not worry, child of faint flame. I shall dedicate all I have to safeguard this child's life.]"
"…I am simply grateful, Lord Agni."
As soon as the two vanished to complete their contract, Eugene smirked and turned to Vulkan.
"A knight chosen by a Spirit King. I'm sure that fills you with pride."
"…Is there any doubt?"
"Hm? Why the sudden formal speech?"
Just as Eugene was taken aback by Vulkan's unexpected shift to polite register—
"Do you know that once one reaches the Sword Expert Advanced level, one can hear every whisper within ten meters?"
Creak!
Vulkan sprang to his feet and strode forward, closing the distance between them in a single step.
"Thank you for choosing my daughter."
He dropped to one knee before Eugene.
"W-Wait, what's this sudden—"
"I heard everything. I don't know the full story, but you must have asked Lord Agni to choose Rania."
Eugene thought:
So that's why they said he was easy to fool.
"When you saved me, my family, and my house, I dared to harbor suspicion. I wondered what you could possibly want, and resentment welled up in me."
Rafael and Raniel had also come to Vulkan's side and dropped to one knee.
"But just now, seeing you give Lord Agni to my daughter, I understood."
Slam!
"We have received a debt of gratitude so profound that even questioning it would be an insult."
Hestia, who had opened the door, also came to stand beside Vulkan and knelt.
Click. Click. Click.
Every member of the Vulcanus house knelt in the corridor before the reception room.
And then—
Vulkan extended the Token of Vulcanus he had been holding in his arms.
"Accept it."
"…What is this?"
"It is the Token of Vulcanus—a masterpiece the Founder created intending to give to his only friend."
A flicker of emotion crossed Eugene's face, but it didn't last long.
"I'll take it."
He accepted it as if it were nothing, and Vulkan continued.
"From this moment forward, Eugene, you hold authority equal to the head of the Vulcanus house. Your enemies are Vulcanus's enemies; your allies are Vulcanus's comrades."
Command us in any way you see fit.
"Whatever you desire, Vulcanus shall aid you in achieving it."
As Vulkan lowered his head, everyone around him followed suit.
Eugene thought:
What an unexpected reward.
The power the Vulcanus house held within the Marcia Empire was far greater than he'd imagined. Even in their current diminished state, this was the extent of it. If Vulkan were reinstated and the family recovered, they'd become an even greater ally.
In other words, I won't be constrained by social standing anymore.
That alone would make resolving future episodes far easier.
And besides, this Token of Vulcanus…
It was a token the Founder Vulcanus had crafted as a symbol of friendship with Agni. It looked like a beautiful brooch, but it harbored hidden effects.
One of them being mutual location tracking.
The pair of Tokens allowed each bearer to locate the other.
So Eugene made his resolve.
"May I make my first request as the house's benefactor?"
"Command us freely."
"The Token of Vulcanus the head of house has given me—I know it was originally made as a pair."
"Hm?"
"Hand over the other one as well."
First things first—let's confiscate both of them.
After that, things moved quickly.
Having obtained the Token of Vulcanus was tantamount to gaining everything, so—
"My second request: please treat me not as a benefactor, but as Rania's friend."
"…It shall be done."
They began preparing to depart.
"…Give one back, though."
"[This body. Benefactor. Refund. Difficult.]"
"I said treat me as a friend."
"Ugh, you're so cheap, seriously. I'll give it back later, so just wait a bit."
"…Very well."
The heavy atmosphere was lifted once more.
"The contract?"
"[It went well. However, I must remain here for two days to settle the power within.]"
"We won't be late for the exam, then."
Agni and Rania's contract was complete, and additionally—
"[Child, what is your name?]"
"I-I'm Raniel…"
"[It seems you are beloved by spirits. Yes, how about you try your first contract with this one here?]"
"A spirit…?"
Rania's younger sister, Raniel, was helped to contract with a high-ranking flame spirit.
Now the rest is up to Vulkan. It's not something I can help with.
I told them I'd helped as much as I could and was packing up to leave.
"You're leaving already?"
"Yeah, Eugene-geya. Since we're heading back to Zion anyway, why not go with Rania?"
"I left the AC on at home. And something's been bugging me— I'm not gay."
"AC…?"
"Not gay…?"
After finishing what served as both an early dinner and a farewell, Rania and I stepped outside together.
—Let's make the send-off grand…
—Since the head of house called him a benefactor…
—Everyone, speak up loud…
Even now Vulkan was preparing something, so—
—Rania's farewell is sufficient.
—W-Why…!!
—Rania. Is. Sufficient.
I drove the nail in firmly.
And for the record—
—I'm coming too.
—Come with Rania.
—I already said I was coming.
—Kid, Vivian. If you keep not listening, I might just refuse to decrypt the cipher for you.
—…You're really going to regret this.
Vivian was also left behind here.
—See you in three or four days!
Recovery would take two to three days, so I was keeping Vivian as a shield in the meantime.
And so the two of us walked slowly, as if strolling, toward the gates of the Vulcanus estate.
"Sorry, Rania. I should've just gone alone since you're still gathering your strength."
"A-No! I finished adapting a while ago, and I'm just getting used to moving around."
"Already? As expected, the protagonist is the protagonist."
"…Protagonist? Hehe. You're the protagonist, so what are you talking about? Hehe."
"Hm? You look really pretty when you smile?"
Admiration (Ex)
"D-Don't say things like that, be, be more careful!"
Even though only a few days had passed, Rania's expressions had become far more varied than before.
"Anyway, Eugene—how did you come to know Lord Agni?"
"…I was digging in the ground. By chance."
"Digging in the ground?"
"Oh, I was about to tell you but we've already arrived."
As we chatted about this and that, we'd already reached the entrance of the estate.
"Prepare well and come up. I'll go up first and wait for you, Rania."
"I… Eugene."
After hesitating for a moment, Rania glanced up and asked quietly.
"On the day of the Rank Assessment Exam… would it be alright if I waited outside your house?"
"Waited outside? Why?"
"I-It's just…! I thought we could walk together."
"Ah."
I smiled and replied.
"I don't have a house."
"…You don't have a house?"
"But… let's meet at the fountain at the entrance of the Backstreets, thirty minutes before we go in."
Since I'm picking up Yuria anyway, the three of us going together would be perfect.
And since Yuria's already off the villainess route, it'd be even better if the two of them became friends.
"A…! I understand…!"
"Oh, and this."
I handed one of the Tokens of Vulcanus to Rania, who was nodding brightly.
"W-What?! This…?!"
"Carry it with you for now. You understand, right?"
"W-Wait!? Eugene?!"
"It's a must. Keep it secret from Vulkan and carry it around! See you at the fountain, bye!"
That was it.
I had perfectly averted the Fall of Vulcanus, which in the original work had only served as background. And now—
"Number Two, are you out of your mind?"
"…It's been a while, Yeonhwa."
"A while, my foot! Why did you leave that kind of secret letter for me?!"
Slap.
Yeonhwa. That is your name. I've told you the name you searched for so long, so the moment you read this letter, come and take my head.
"Ugh, seriously…"
What in the world was Eugene preparing all this time before I even possessed him?
"Alright, so explain it. If you don't explain it properly, I'll actually kill you this time."
I was about to die again.