I Met Her First... The Mid-Grade Spirit, Undine
"What's the first thing you want to do once you contract with Undine?"
I asked Sein, who was staring blankly into space after finishing his simple meal.
Startled by my sudden question, Sein let out a hollow laugh and hesitated for a moment before answering in a flat, quiet voice.
"I suppose I'll have to keep working as a mercenary. It's the only way I know how to make a living..."
"Really? Still, if you contract with a spirit of Undine's caliber, you'll be able to make money one way or another."
At my words, Sein turned his dull, lifeless eyes toward me.
"You're young. Instead of just grinding for coin, traveling wouldn't be a bad idea. Like visiting the famous beaches of the distant Sraden Kingdom, or seeing the spirit auroras that only appear over the Molga Snowy Mountain..."
I was trying to paint a nice picture of places worth visiting, but Sein, clearly not wanting to hear it, cut me off with a self-deprecating scoff.
"You need peace of mind for that kind of luxury. Right now, I'm struggling just to survive."
[Mmm... but I want to go on a trip...]
"That's incredibly childish. Traveling when we have absolutely nothing..."
[Okay...]
Undine was visibly dejected. Sein, consumed by his own misery, didn't seem to have the energy or the desire to care for her feelings anymore.
Deciding to help cheer her up a bit, I turned to Undine, who was staring fixedly at the campfire with her head bowed.
"Undine, is there anything else you want to do?"
[I want to travel and see all kinds of sights I've never seen before!]
"I heard there's a massive lake near Purka Castle, which was our original destination."
[A lake? How big is it?]
I tried to recall the size I'd heard of, but unable to think of a good comparison, I found it hard to explain.
"I'm not entirely sure, but they say the lake is breathtakingly beautiful at sunrise. You'll have to see it for yourself later."
[The pond where I used to live also turned a beautiful shade of orange when the sun came up!]
"That's how travel works. You start close to home and take it slow."
[Sein! Once we get out of here, let's go see the lake first, okay? Please?]
"......"
[Sein...?]
Sein stared at Undine with his lips pressed into a thin line. Pressed for an answer, he gritted his teeth out of Undine's sight before finally replying.
"Sure... once we get out of here."
[...Okay.]
Undine wasn't completely oblivious. Anyone could tell that Sein was in a foul mood. Thanks to his sour attitude, a heavy silence descended upon the cavern once more.
I had no desire to force a conversation. Instead, I picked up a stray branch from the ground and poked at the campfire, keeping the flames alive.
Undine looked utterly depressed as she stared into the crackling fire. It was pitiful to see someone usually so bright and energetic walking on eggshells around Sein, her spirit completely crushed.
There was no real need for me to comfort her or try to cheer her up, so I stayed quiet. But walking on eggshells around this pathetic little brat was starting to seriously grate on my nerves.
I tossed the branch aside with a sharp clack. The sudden noise drew both Undine's and Sein's attention. Breaking the silence, I spoke quietly.
"Sein."
"...Yes."
"Don't be like that."
"...."
If he had any sense of shame, he would have quietly agreed or let it slide. But it seemed he was just as frustrated as I was. Leaning helplessly against the wall, Sein glared at me and spat back.
"I don't know what you mean by 'don't be like that.'"
Look at this cheeky little bastard... I glanced sideways and saw Undine fidgeting anxiously. Seriously, what was he doing, taking his anger out on a child-like spirit? A surge of annoyance flared up, and I felt like putting him in his place, but I didn't want to lose the favor I'd worked so hard to build up with Undine.
In fact, I could see Undine's affection for him cooling down with every petty remark he made. It was much better to nudge things in that direction instead.
"You're crushing her spirit. She has so many things she wants to do. Didn't you two grow up together?"
[Stop it... Sein is just tired. Let's just sleep, okay? We have to explore tomorrow too...]
"Grew up together? Ha... As if three or four years is a lifetime."
[Sein...?]
"You really must be exhausted. I shouldn't have kept a patient up so late. Go to sleep."
A twisted, bitter retort had slipped from Sein's mouth in his sudden outburst. Leaving behind Undine, whose eyes trembled with shock, I stood up.
"No, I'm fine."
"No, you're tired. You don't even know what you're saying right now."
"I know exactly what I'm saying. You're only saying that because you keep coddling Undine."
I fell silent at his mention of Undine. Taking my silence as an opportunity, he opened his mouth and let his grievances pour out.
"We don't even know if we're going to make it out of here, and she's just babbling away without a care in the world. My leg is completely crippled, and..."
"Sein."
I didn't say another word. I simply looked down at the boy leaning against the wall, staring straight into his eyes. His dull gaze had lost all clarity, gleaming with a venomous, borderline-insane light.
I let out just enough bloodlust so that Undine wouldn't notice. Well, calling it bloodlust might be an overstatement; it was more like letting my sheer irritation toward this little shit leak out.
"......"
Our silent staring contest ended with Sein hanging his head and looking away. He trembled, his tightly clenched fists resting on his knees. He was clearly seething with resentment.
"Undine, stay by Sein's side and help him sleep. I'll take a quick look around and then take the first watch."
[...Okay.]
Caught in the middle of this vortex of negative emotions, Undine's naturally blue complexion seemed to turn even paler. It made sense; a sheltered spirit like her had probably never experienced such tense psychological warfare.
I gripped the longsword at my waist with a deliberate clack and made my way out. Once I left the cavern and entered the passageway, I leaned against the wall and focused my senses, straining my ears.
I heard the faint rustle of fabric. She was probably helping Sein lie down, adjusting his position against the wall. Given the freezing atmosphere, Undine didn't seem to be in the mood to talk either; only the quiet rustling of cloth echoed through the silence.
That immature brat. He was definitely suspicious of something. Judging by his behavior, it didn't seem like Undine had told him about what we'd done, and since Undine herself showed no signs of guilt, it was likely just Sein's one-sided paranoia.
If the bastard was so perceptive, he should have comforted Undine or taken her side. But seeing how he just lashed out blindly, driven entirely by his own volatile emotions, proved he was nothing but a child.
Undine was already mostly on my side. All I needed was one decisive blow to wrap this up. At first, I hadn't harbored any ill will toward Sein, but since he had decided to view me as an enemy and bare his fangs, I'd be a fool to just take it lying down.
Why else would I have put up with Sein and Undine's constant whining and demands? Obviously, it was to steal Undine away. To be honest, though I hadn't voiced it, being trapped in this goblin nest had been incredibly stressful. Not seeing the sun was starting to make me irritable.
[...What? ...Hey!]
As I was lost in thought, Undine's voice suddenly pierced through the silence, snapping me back to reality.
I focused my hearing and leaned closer to the cavern entrance to eavesdrop.
[I don't understand what you're talking about... What do you mean?]
"I'm asking what the hell you're doing with that bastard! Lately, you barely bring back any magic stones. The amount keeps shrinking!"
[I told you, we just haven't run into many goblins... Please don't be mad, just listen to me...]
Undine replied, her voice trembling on the verge of tears. Meanwhile, hearing Sein call me "that bastard" the moment my back was turned made my blood boil. I couldn't understand how a guy with such a rotten personality had managed to keep his temper in check for so long. When we first met, I'd completely fallen for his act, thinking he was just a polite, innocent kid who didn't even know how to get angry.
"It's already been over five days! If we keep going like this, my leg is going to rot, and I'll be a cripple for the rest of my life!"
Well, I could understand his anxiety. If you lose an arm, you can still find a way to survive with the other. But if both your legs are useless?
Oof... that's a nightmare.
It might be a different story if he could get healed or blessed at a cathedral, but at that point, the priests would charge an absolute fortune. Honestly, even I found it hard to believe that Undine's Healing Water could fully restore a leg that badly mangled.
[No, it's not like that! Once we contract and I refine all my mana, I should be able to fix it. Really...]
"You say 'should'! And I'm supposed to just sit here and wait on a 'should'?!"
[...Sein, you must be really exhausted. Just rest a bit...]
"Stop telling me I'm exhausted...! Fuck, first that bastard, and now even you are starting to sound just like him!"
Thud!
[Kyaah...!]
There was a dull impact, followed by the sound of something rolling across the stone floor. He had probably thrown a rock at her. This piece of shit was throwing stones now? At this point, I was more dumbfounded than angry. How many times was he going to fly off the handle?
[What do you think you're doing...?!]
"You said you'd contract with me! You said we'd be together...! Just look at me right now!"
[No matter how angry you are, you can't do that! I'm frustrated too...! I want to heal you as fast as I can, and I'm so worried about you, so why are you being so selfish?!]
"Selfish? Ha... Fuck... I'm the one being selfish?!"
[Don't swear at me!!!]
"Then stop giving me a reason to swear! Ah, fuck, seriously... You're planning to dump me for him, aren't you?"
[What? Dump you?!]
Oh, so Undine wasn't going to just take it. She started shouting right back at him. While watching them tear each other apart was entertaining, letting them completely burn their bridges in a screaming match would be a waste. I stomped my foot firmly against the ground, making loud footsteps.
Thud. Thud.
At the sound of my heavy boots echoing down the passage, their screaming match abruptly died down. Whether they stopped because they realized how pathetic they sounded, or because they feared angering me by fighting in my presence, I couldn't say.
"I thought I heard some shouting..."
I asked casually. Undine quickly averted her gaze, while Sein glared at me, making no effort to hide his fury. It seemed neither of them was going to give me an honest answer. Chuckling at Sein's barely contained rage, I unbuckled my longsword and held it, still in its scabbard, in my hand.
"You still seem pretty angry. Look, I get how you feel."
"...I highly doubt that."
"Even so, watch yourself. We're companions... It's going to be a problem if you keep acting like this."
I leaned my longsword against the cavern wall and rolled my wrists. I did it to loosen up, just in case I actually had to beat some sense into him. Seeing Sein straining his neck to glare up at me from the floor, I decided it was time to put an end to this.
"Let's get some sleep. I'll handle the watch by myself tonight."
"..."
"Cool your head. We don't have many magic stones left to collect anyway, alright?"
"So you heard everything."
I had only brought up the magic stones to reassure him, but my words made him certain that I'd been eavesdropping. I mean, I had heard them, but that wasn't why I brought it up... Amused by his jump to conclusions, I simply shrugged and ended the conversation.
"You guys were screaming so loud, it's making me tired too. Just go to sleep, alright?"
"...Fine."
[......]
Undine hovered in the air, watching anxiously as Sein forced his eyes shut. Her face was twisted in a deeply troubled expression, her words swallowed back down. She looked utterly exhausted.
It was only natural. She was doing everything she could for him, only to be met with such venomous accusations. Anyone would be hurt. Then again, Sein wasn't entirely wrong.
After all, Undine had indeed been fooled by me and had already slept with me. She might have had a vague inkling of what was happening, but for now, she still seemed to believe that the blowjobs and sex were purely a way of "helping" me.
I stared into the campfire, keeping silent. Soon, only the steady, rhythmic breathing of a sleeping Sein echoed through the cavern.
After hovering in the air and glancing back and forth between Sein and me, Undine finally floated over to my side. She landed softly, sitting down next to me and hugging her knees as she began to sob quietly.
She must have been deeply hurt...
At first, I wondered if she was in love with Sein. But after observing her behavior and the way she spoke, I had concluded that her feelings were mostly driven by a strong desire to protect and care for the childhood friend she had left home with.
Yet her current state looked exactly like a girl who had been brutally rejected by the boy she liked, completely crushed by words she never expected to hear.
That idiot is literally kicking away his own luck.
Sure, my interference had driven a wedge between them, but what if Sein had acted just a little more maturely? If he had swallowed his pride and prioritized Undine's feelings, would I have even found a crack to slip into?
In the end, it was all about the results. My manipulation had worked, but Sein's self-sabotage had played a massive part in it too. Well, as long as I got to steal Undine away, this turn of events was more than welcome.
As Undine continued to sniffle, I kept an eye on Sein, who was trying his best to force himself to sleep while suppressing his rage. Slowly, I reached out and wrapped my arm around Undine's shoulders.
I felt her shoulders tremble slightly. Instead of pulling her into a tight embrace, I gently patted her arm and shoulder, helping her calm down.
Pat. Pat.
Undine shook her head even as her shoulders heaved. She was probably thinking about Sein's accusation of her "dumping" him, terrified of what would happen if he opened his eyes and saw her leaning on me.
I glanced over at Sein. He was frowning, clearly annoyed by the sound of her sniffling, but he didn't open his eyes even a crack.
Whispering silent reassurances in my mind, I simply kept patting Undine's back.
Gradually, her trembling subsided. I placed my hand on her head and spent a long time gently stroking her hair.
Crackle. Crackle.
Across the crackling campfire, which spat occasional sparks into the dark, lay Sein. On this side sat the two of us. Before I knew it, the wounded Undine had pressed her shoulder against mine, leaning her weight into my body. She hadn't completely crossed over to my side yet, but her disappointment in Sein had undoubtedly tipped the scales in my favor.