The Forest of the Last Spirit Summoner
Ruen materialized in an unfamiliar place through the contract magic, narrowing his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings. Finding himself in a forest much like the one they had just left, he turned to Ophelia and spoke.
"……This place."
"Gigarius. Do you know of it?"
At Ophelia's question, Ruen paused to think, then recalled the name from his memories and nodded calmly.
"The last Spirit Summoner mentioned in the ancient texts, correct?"
Not every mage was familiar with the ancient texts. But Ruen did not come from an ordinary mage family. His mother, Luana, had taken a particular interest in the ancient records, and through her influence, Ruen knew a little as well. Of course, anyone with even a passing curiosity about old history would recognize the name Gigarius—the first and the last Spirit Summoner.
"That's right. This is the forest said to have been his dwelling."
"Was that also recorded in the texts?" Ruen asked, tilting his head at Ophelia's words. The ancient texts certainly mentioned that Gigarius was the last Spirit Summoner. But detailed accounts of him were likely absent. After all, Spirit Summoners had been among the most reviled existences in the world of mages.
Ophelia smiled faintly at his question, placed a hand on her hip, and answered with confidence.
"Of course not. Those damned old fools tremble at the mere mention of Spirit Summoners."
"Then isn't your claim that this is Gigarius's dwelling without foundation?"
"That's not the case."
Ophelia gave a firm reply even to Ruen's reasonable question.
"Because I followed Gigarius's traces."
"……Why are you so obsessed with spirit arts?"
Ophelia had been investigating spirit arts all along. Since few records remained, the only lead she could pursue was Gigarius, the most famous Spirit Summoner. That was how she had discovered this forest.
"Well, I had my reasons."
Ruen could never understand why she clung so desperately to spirit arts. She had already achieved greatness in magic, and with so many years ahead of her, focusing on magic instead of spirit arts should have brought even greater accomplishments. Yet Ophelia could not give him a proper answer.
"……I see."
Ruen noticed that Ophelia was hiding her true reasons, but he did not press further. At this moment, it held no meaning.
"Well then, shall we go?"
"……Yes."
Ophelia began walking with familiar ease. Ever since learning that this had been Gigarius's home in life, she had remained here. Though she occasionally ventured out for a change of scenery, she had spent most of her time within these woods. To her, the forest's geography was as clear as the back of her own hand.
Following behind her, Ruen calmly observed the interior of the forest.
'……I can hear them.'
[A human! A new human!]
[A human who doesn't even seem human brought another human!]
[Familiar! Familiar!]
[A human who can hear our voices!]
The moment he stepped into the forest, the voices of the spirits dwelling within grew distinct. They chattered just as they had before. As Ruen listened, he suddenly felt a gaze upon him and turned his head.
"……Can you see anything?"
"No, I can't see them. I can only hear them."
Ophelia showed no outward reaction, but inwardly she could not help but be impressed. For a human who had not yet even formed a contract with a spirit to hear their voices was nothing short of innate talent.
"I'm not certain, but…… it seems there are far more spirits here than in the previous forest."
"Yes. This is the forest where Gigarius made his home."
Gigarius—the first and the last Spirit Summoner. He would not have chosen just any place to settle, and with his exceptional sensitivity to spirits, the environment he created would have been ideal for them to thrive.
Understanding Ophelia's words, Ruen nodded and let out a long breath. Gigarius's dwelling. The first and last Spirit Summoner. A man whose talent was so immense it was called a gift from the devil. Ruen's heart grew complicated at the thought of someone so similar to himself.
@
"Well then, shall we begin?"
It was a familiar sight. The inside of Ophelia's cabin was exactly as before. It was as if the space itself had been moved. I nodded slightly at Ophelia's words while looking at the unchanged interior.
Using magic, Ophelia cleared away the sofa and table from the center of the cabin, then looked at me with a serious expression.
"Do you know why mages reject Spirit Summoners?"
Ophelia's question came out of nowhere, but I soon began to consider it seriously. It was common knowledge that mages rejected Spirit Summoners, yet the true reason had never been properly documented. They simply said—
"Because it is power received from the devil."
Magic was power granted by the gods. The ability to wield mana, the mana floating in the atmosphere—everything. Therefore, spirit arts were power received from the devil. There were even absurd rumors that spirits were the devil's servants.
When I recited what I had learned, Ophelia nodded and continued.
"Yes. The old mages used that excuse to reject spirit arts. They claimed magic was power bestowed by the gods. So what is the real reason?"
"……I don't know."
No matter how much I thought about it, from the perspective of someone who used spirit arts, they did not feel like power from the devil. The spirits' methods could be a bit excessive, but there was no evidence that spirit arts themselves came from the devil. When I shook my head, Ophelia answered her own question.
"Magic is divided into four elements. Water, fire, wind, earth…… Because all four elemental attacks are countered by spirit arts."
"……"
"In other words, spirit arts are considered superior to magic. Of course, that's just one theory."
At Ophelia's words, I furrowed my brow in thought.
"So you're saying that because spirit arts are superior to magic, mages rejected them…… Is that it?"
"It's not confirmed fact, but you've understood it well."
I couldn't understand. If spirit arts were superior to magic, why had Spirit Summoners been persecuted by mages? No matter how outnumbered they were, if the threat was great enough to cause such fear, spirit arts should have completely overwhelmed magic.
Ophelia answered my doubt once again.
"Of course, to overwhelm magic with spirit arts requires overwhelming power. That's why, as you wondered, Spirit Summoners couldn't dominate the mages."
"……How overwhelming does the power need to be?"
"Well. I don't know exactly either……"
Ophelia herself was not an expert in spirit arts. To be precise, she only possessed theoretical knowledge—an empty shell. The first time she had witnessed spirit arts in person was when she saw me use them. Therefore, she could not give a definitive answer. With careful consideration, she slowly spoke.
"Perhaps if one could form a contract with the Spirit King, they could completely overwhelm magic."
"……The Spirit King."
"Yes. Do you know the classifications of spirits?"
At Ophelia's question, I answered quietly and blinked slowly. From Lowest Grade Spirits to Low Grade, Mid Grade, High Grade, and Highest Grade Spirits. And standing above them all was the Spirit King.
Lowest Grade Spirits were the weakest among spirits and possessed no ego. They could only understand a Spirit Summoner's words but could not give proper responses. From Low Grade Spirits onward, they possessed an ego. Their appearance and voices resembled those of young children, and they could answer a Spirit Summoner's words.
'The voices I heard in the forest were probably Low Grade Spirits.'
Mid Grade Spirits possessed egos so demanding that even most Spirit Summoners found contracting with them difficult. However, their power was incomparable to that of Low Grade Spirits. While those with decent talent might succeed in contracting a Mid Grade Spirit on their first attempt, High Grade Spirits were nearly impossible. The probability of a High Grade Spirit appearing in a first contract was less than one in ten thousand.
Highest Grade Spirits were the four guardians who served the Spirit King and did not involve themselves in contracts with Spirit Summoners. To contract with them, one needed enough power to summon all four. It was said that summoning all four required becoming the Spirit King itself.
Recalling Ophelia's explanation, I let out a small breath. Realizing that I was ready, Ophelia curled her lips into a smile and slowly spoke.
"Then shall we begin the contract now?"
It was time for my first spirit contract.