I Met Her First
Chirp, chirp.
The chirping of birds filtering through the tent canvas coaxed my eyes open. A few sweaty, smelly men were sprawled across the cramped tent, cluttering the floor. Stepping carefully over them, I slipped outside and began sorting through my gear.
I pulled my leather armor over my tunic, tightening the straps so they were snug but not constricting. In those trashy novels, people who fall into another world can just yell "Inventory!" to summon a screen, but I'd shouted it hundreds of times to absolutely no avail. Well, subspace pockets did exist here, but even after five years in this godforsaken world, I'd only ever seen one or two of those ridiculously expensive things.
It had been about five days since I joined this merchant caravan as an escort, and we still had a long way to go. The guard detail consisted entirely of bottom-tier mercenaries—a few Bronze Ranks and a single Silver Rank. When I requested to tag along, the merchant leader had welcomed me with open arms.
Even if Silver Rank sounded like small fry to some, capable mercenaries weren't exactly common. In my case, I just hadn't bothered to update my rank because it was too much of a hassle. Honestly, with my skills, shouldn't I be Gold Rank? As I indulged in these idle thoughts, I felt someone trudging up behind me.
I glanced back to see Sein, one of the rookie mercenaries I'd been introduced to yesterday. He looked like a high schooler, but in this world, he was legally an adult. Adjusting the shortsword hanging loosely from his hip, Sein approached and bowed politely.
"Did you sleep well last night, brother? We're boiling some soup right now, so please come and have some!"
Sein, who had mentioned wanting to make a fortune and return to his hometown, had been clinging to me ever since he found out that someone as young-looking as me was a Silver Rank. He was desperate to learn my "secrets." Normally, I wouldn't spare a second glance for some scrawny brat of a guy, but Sein was an exception. He was carrying around something very interesting, which had piqued my curiosity.
Draped over Sein's shoulders was a woman made of undulating water, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Even as he endured her watery embrace, Sein kept casting nervous glances my way. Believing I couldn't see her, he subtly shook his head, silently pleading with her to stop.
If there was one saving grace to being dropped into this alternate world, it was my Sensing Ability—the power to see things that should be invisible. I occasionally spotted ghosts, but the real prize was spirits.
In this world, you supposedly needed innate Spirit Affinity just to catch a glimpse of a spirit, but I could see them plain as day. Whether they were contracted or wild, they all stood out to me.
The catch, of course, was that I could only see them. I had zero actual affinity. A spiritist in my old mercenary group once told me that to a spirit, my attempts to communicate would feel like a pebble on the side of the road suddenly trying to strike up a conversation.
Personally, I thought a talking pebble sounded pretty damn interesting, but then again, I wouldn't want to sign a soul contract with a rock either, so I let it go.
Sein, on the other hand, must have had an incredibly high Spirit Affinity. The spirit clinging to him looked to be at least mid-grade. I'd heard that if a spirit could maintain a highly detailed humanoid shape, it was mid-grade, and if it looked completely human with only faint elemental traces, it was high-grade. This one was right in the middle.
I could raise a spirit damn well too, I thought bitterly. This trash world really was all about luck of the draw. Sein was chattering away beside me, and since his voice was only making me hungrier, I decided to shut him up by dragging him over to get some food.
"But brother, why did you become a mercenary anyway? You're good-looking enough to just settle down and marry some nice girl."
"You need a woman for that first. Besides, it's not like I wanted to become one."
Who in their right mind would choose to be a mercenary? What else was a black-haired foreigner who literally fell from the sky supposed to do? I had to become a mercenary just to avoid getting branded with a slave crest.
If the mercenary captain back then hadn't taken me in, my bones would probably be rotting in some forest by now.
"Still, you're an amazing fighter. I want to be just like you."
"It's just the result of struggling like hell to survive, kid... Keep living this life, and you'll understand soon enough."
"I'm a fully grown adult now! Geez..."
The brat's whining was almost endearing, so I grabbed his head and gave it a playful shake.
I chuckled as Sein grumpily smoothed down his newly ruined hair, but I quickly averted my gaze when I felt the spirit glaring at me from behind his shoulder.
I was just teasing the kid because he was amusing, but this spirit was acting as if I were trying to steal her precious Sein. I had absolutely no interest in men, so her petty jealousy was just ridiculous.
Clatter, clatter.
"I'm sorry... You had to do this just because you ate with me."
"Forget it. How long could washing a few dishes possibly take?"
"Brother..."
As soon as we finished eating, the merchant leader bellowed Sein's name. Being the youngest and lowest-ranking member of the caravan, all the grunt work naturally fell to him. The other low-tier mercenaries weren't much better off, but they clearly outranked him in the pecking order. They piled their dirty dishes high and shoved them into Sein's hands.
Sein looked utterly miserable when they told him to go down to the river and wash them all by himself. Why the long face? Just take them near the bushes and ask your spirit to help, I thought. But when I glanced at the spirit, even she was frowning, staring at the back of Sein's head with pity.
Suddenly, she whipped her head around to look at me. For a second, I thought I'd been caught staring, but the burning look in her eyes suggested otherwise. It was a shameless glare that practically screamed, Why don't you help him instead?
What an incredibly expressive spirit, I thought, amused by her human-like attitude. I walked over to the merchant leader. I told him that sending the kid alone would take forever and that he might slack off, so I'd tag along to stretch my legs and help him out. The merchant leader, wanting the chores done quickly, readily agreed.
Sein looked up at me with eyes so full of gratitude it made me cringe. I turned my head away, only to meet the pouty glare of the spirit girl. These two are really starting to get on my nerves...
I stacked the dishes high, took the lead, and marched toward the river. Glancing back, I saw Sein repeatedly whispering apologies to the spirit. But as I looked closer, I noticed something off. There was no mana thread connecting them—the vital bond that always links a spirit to its spiritist. There was only one explanation for this: she was a wild spirit.
Pushing my doubts aside, we reached the riverbank after a few minutes of walking. I set the dishes down and began rinsing the scraps off in the current. Looking over at Sein, I saw him meticulously wiping down each plate with a piece of cloth.
"How long is that going to take you at this rate?"
"Well, it's a job I was given, so I have to do it right, haha."
"Don't be ridiculous. Just give them a quick rinse. It's no big deal."
"The smaller the task, the more care it deserves. I'll finish up here, brother, so please take a break."
Such kind words, such a pure heart... How could anyone be this innocent? I tried to recall what I was doing at his age, but the only memory that surfaced was screaming profanities back at some kid in an internet cafe.
The spirit watched Sein with a proud, affectionate expression. Then, she slowly turned her head toward me, stuck her tongue out, and pulled it back in. It was as if she were saying, Sein is nothing like a slacker like you! I averted my eyes, pretending not to notice, but a dark thought crossed my mind: I really want to teach this little bitch a lesson.
Rustle.
In the middle of our washing, the sound of something brushing against the nearby bushes caught my ear. I slowly stood up, my hand resting on the hilt of the longsword at my waist. Startled by my sudden change in posture, Sein asked anxiously:
"Is something wrong, brother? Why are you drawing your sword all of a sudden...?"
"I heard something nearby. Put the dishes down and get ready."
"Maybe... maybe it's just the other guys coming to help us carry the plates back?"
Even as he said it, he didn't seem to believe his own words. Gripping the hilt of his shortsword tightly, Sein stood up with trembling hands and took a tentative step forward.
Step, step.
As we stood tense, staring at the motionless bushes, the spirit behind Sein sprang into action. She darted behind the thicket at lightning speed and immediately screamed to Sein:
Startled, Sein blurted out:
"A goblin?!"
How had he managed to hide a spirit from the caravan when he was this clumsy? I stared at him, and he frantically waved his hands, trying to cover his slip-up.
"I-I mean! We found goblin footprints a few days ago, right?! I... I just thought there might be goblins around here!"
"Then you should be even quieter. Draw your sword. I'll take the lead, so follow me."
Shring.
I drew my longsword and advanced slowly toward the bushes, holding the blade high in a defensive guard. Goblins always had a habit of launching surprise pounces, aiming for an adult's head. If you blocked that initial leap, they were left completely defenseless, making them easy to slice down.
"Kieeeek!"
The moment I stepped within two paces of the thicket, a goblin burst out. Its crude dagger plunged down toward my head, but it was a futile effort.
Clang!
The impact was surprisingly heavy, but I deflected the dagger by driving my longsword upward. While the goblin was still suspended in midair, its balance shattered and its arms thrown wide, I twisted my torso and lunged.
My blade traced a clean diagonal path from its shoulder down to its hip, slicing the goblin cleanly in half.
"Kieeeek!"
A glittering shard tumbled out of its severed upper torso. I caught it—it was a small magic stone. Usually, you had to dig through their corpses to harvest them, but I'd gotten lucky on the first try.
Now that the goblin was dealt with, I needed to grab Sein and head back to warn the merchant leader about a potential pack nearby. But then, a scream echoed from behind me.
"Argh! Urgh...!"
I whipped around. Another goblin had pinned Sein to the ground, stomping on his chest while driving a dagger down toward his throat with both hands.
He must have missed the second one because its approach was masked by the first goblin's death rattle. Sein was desperately resisting, holding his shortsword with both hands to block the blade, but the dagger was scraping precariously against his guard, inching closer and closer to his throat.
I lunged forward and kicked the goblin's left arm. With a sickening crack, the bone shattered, and the dagger flew through the air, burying itself in the dirt.
As the goblin scrambled to its feet, its broken arm dangling uselessly, I rushed in and delivered a brutal kick straight to its face. The steel-toed tip of my leather boot was more than enough to obliterate its nose.
"Get up, dust yourself off, and finish it."
I grabbed the dazed Sein by the scruff of his neck, hauled him to his feet, and dragged him over to the squealing goblin, which was clutching its shattered nose on the ground.
"Yes! Yes... I'll... I'll do it..."
He was clearly panicking from the ambush, but we needed to finish it off properly. Bringing back proof was the only way the caravan would believe us.
Steeling his resolve, Sein's hands stopped shaking as he drove his blade straight through the goblin's throat. The thrashing creature's eyes went dull. I immediately sliced off the goblin's ears and tossed them to Sein.
"Eek!"
He flinched in horror, clearly having never handled monster parts before. Ignoring his reaction, I hastily stuffed the washed dishes back into the sack, slung it over my shoulder, and turned to him.
"Let's move. We need to warn the merchant leader. For all we know, the camp might be under attack right now. Get a grip."
"Yes, yes! Thank you so much for saving me!"
I placed a hand on Sein's back and pushed him forward, cutting off his endless bows of gratitude. Beside him, the tearful spirit hovered anxiously, checking every inch of his body for injuries. She probably hadn't been able to help because she wasn't contracted to him, but her devotion made her look exactly like a contracted spirit.
"Undine, I'm fine... If only I had enough mana, I could form a contract with you..."
"A magic stone...?"
Beaming with joy, Undine clung to Sein, rubbing her cheek against his in sheer delight. This unexpected revelation immediately set my mind racing. An intermediate water spirit can be contracted just by gathering magic stones...?
Because Undine took the form of a woman, she was completely naked. However, unlike a real human female, she lacked nipples or genitals. Still, I recalled hearing that a spirit's physical form could be altered and developed if their contractor desired it.
I fell into deep thought.