Saint Birth Festival (1)

The infirmary was filled with heavy silence.

Yurp sat quietly, seemingly lost in thought. Similarly, the Pope stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, also deep in contemplation.

Between them, I sat on the bed. The awkwardness of who should speak first made the air feel stifling.

Honestly, I'd always been allergic to this kind of atmosphere.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Yurp was the first to break it.

"Do you think... Ahjussi Kal has come to hate me?"

Her voice, so spirited earlier, now sounded utterly dejected. Since the answer was obvious, I shook my head and responded immediately.

"No, that's not it."

"You've noticed it too, I see."

"Noticed what?"

Yurp tilted her head as she looked at the Pope. He stopped leaning against the wall and straightened his posture.

Uncrossing his arms, the Pope answered her question in a calm voice.

"Kal's condition is abnormal. Something must be interfering with his mind."

"Huh? What do you mean..."

Yurp frowned as if she couldn't comprehend it, her expression suggesting she found the idea fundamentally questionable.

After quietly observing her, the Pope continued.

"People often view Holy Power as the antithesis of mana, believing magic has little effect against it."

"That's what I was taught too?"

The knowledge of Holy Power in my mind confirmed the same. The reason priests and holy knights of the Numen Holy Kingdom were so formidable was precisely because of this unique property of Holy Power.

[But that's only a general tendency.]

Silpi, perched on my shoulder, chimed in on the Pope's words.

"It's not entirely wrong, but against mages beyond a certain level, it makes little difference."

"Then that means..."

Yurp crossed her arms, sinking into deep thought.

"A very powerful mage has interfered with Ahjussi's mind?"

"Correct. That would be the case."

[A Court Mage-level practitioner, and a highly skilled one at that. I've never seen anyone manipulate mental interference this proficiently before.]

Silpi gnawed at his nails with a click. Being a spirit, his nails regenerated instantly, but his expression showed no signs of improving.

His pupils trembled slightly, unable to hide his agitation.

'Silpi, calm down first.'

Even as I called out to him, Silpi muttered something under his breath without responding. It seemed the situation was far more serious than we'd anticipated.

Suppressing the sigh threatening to escape, I swallowed it down and called him again.

'Silpi?'

[...Huh?]

'Your emotions are bleeding over to me.'

It was true.

Amidst my own calm, I could feel Silpi's turbulent emotions shaking violently. Was this how he had felt during the subjugation expedition when sensing my negativity?

A Spiritualist wasn't someone who unilaterally commanded spirits—it was a relationship where both parties influenced each other through mutual will.

While contractors could affect spirits, the opposite was just as possible.

Arin, my senior and mentor as a Spiritualist, had emphasized this to Silpi as if it were a solemn warning.

Back then, Silpi had scoffed and confidently declared that would never happen.

[...Right. Sorry, Contractor.]

Finally realizing it, Silpi stopped biting his nails. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and continued.

[Honestly. That was so unprofessional of me.]

'You said this was your first contract with a Spiritualist, didn't you?'

[...Whatever.]

Letting out a sigh, Silpi took deep breaths to steady himself. As I soothed him, I noticed the others' gazes turning toward me.

"Was that your spirit just now?"

"It seemed quite agitated. Did something happen?"

"Ah... It's just that the black energy feels unsettling to him."

I dodged the Pope's question with a vague answer. Well, it wasn't entirely untrue, so it wasn't exactly a lie.

I just didn't think it necessary to bring up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Sally's involvement.

"Understandable. Spirits do possess senses far beyond those of humans, after all."

"Come to think of it, I've never seen Unnie Id's spirit before."

"Huh? Really?"

Now that I thought about it, Silpi had rarely revealed himself in front of Yurp before.

Though part of it was simply because he disliked drawing attention.

[Hardly anyone ever sees me in the first place. Unless they have high Spirit Affinity or exceptional eyesight, that is.]

His tone was brusque but noticeably calmer now that his agitation had subsided.

He still didn't look particularly happy, but at least he wasn't so distracted that he couldn't hear me anymore.

"Can I see you? Will you show yourself?"

"Ah, it's possible, but..."

[Really?]

'Huh? What do you mean?'

At my question, Silpi let out a snicker and pointed at his own face.

Just as I was about to ask what he meant, it suddenly occurred to me—what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Silpi actually looked like.

Come to think of it, right now, Silpi was taking Abel's form...

The moment that thought crossed my mind, an involuntary "Huh?" slipped out of my mouth. Silpi, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who had been watching my expression, flashed me a sly grin.

[Contractor, you were the one who said it was possible, weren't you?]

With that, he smirked and turned toward Yurph. I immediately tried to stop him, but he manifested faster than I could react.

Before I could even raise my hand, Silpi materialized in midair.

Poof.

As soon as he took physical form, I felt a pang of dismay—but then I caught sight of Yurph's sparkling eyes.

"Kyaaah! You're so cute!"

She rushed toward him, wiggling her fingers excitedly. Silpi frowned, clearly bewildered by her strange behavior.

"Kyaaah! Even your frown is adorable! Unnie, can I touch his cheeks?!"

Her excited voice made me pause.

When I turned my head slightly, I saw Silpi frantically crossing his arms into an X, mouthing Absolutely not.

I gave him a wicked smile in response.

Perhaps sensing something ominous in my expression, Silpi stared at me with hollow despair. I stifled a laugh and answered Yurph.

"Go ahead. Touch him as much as you want."

If he was going to tease a grown adult, he had to pay the price.

Someone might argue that this was too childish for an adult, but considering Silpi's true nature, I figured he had it coming.

"Yay!"

The moment she got permission, Yurph immediately grabbed his cheeks with both hands.

No, actually—grabbed was too mild. She was practically kneading them.

[..It doesn't hurt, but it's annoying.]

'That's the price for messing with me.'

[Ugh...]

Silpi, looking utterly resigned, let his body go limp under her touch.

As if finding him even cuter now, Yurph began rubbing her own cheeks against his.

[Contractor, don't you think it's about time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you stepped in...?]

His voice was exhausted.

"Yurph, that's enough. You'll make him cry."

"Ah, really? Sorry~"

At my words, she immediately let go. Silpi, who had been floating in midair, staggered back toward me and plopped down.

She stared at him sitting on my shoulder for a while before suddenly speaking up.

"But... doesn't this kid resemble the Duke in some way?"

The pointed question made me flinch. When I turned my head, Silpi was grinning smugly.

As if agreeing with her, he gave a thumbs-up.

"Eh, really?"

Yurph's voice rose in surprise.

Silpi nodded vigorously in response.

He seemed even more enthusiastic than usual—as if this was his revenge for earlier.

"Spirits usually take the form of what their contractor loves most, don't they?"

"Cough—?!"

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, sending shockwaves through my mind. When I turned, the Pope stood there with a benevolent smile.

That smile might've hidden a mischievous glint—his support felt downright malicious.

I never expected him to betray me too. Was I the only one not in on this joke?

"Ah, that means..."

Silpi raised his thumb again, as if delivering the finishing blow. Yurph, instantly understanding, clapped her hands and laughed.

"Unnie Id really loves the Duke, huh—mmph!"

I immediately clapped a hand over her mouth.

My face was already so hot I could tell it was red without even looking in a mirror.

Yurph kept mumbling muffled protests, but when she saw my expression, she finally quieted down. Thinking she wouldn't say anything more, I lowered my hand—only for her lips to curl into a sly grin.

"You really love the Duke, huh—mmph!"

"Stop talking!"

"Mmph! Mmph-mm!"

She shook her head as if swearing she wouldn't say anything else. But after being betrayed multiple times in the span of minutes, I couldn't trust her at all.

Only when my burning face cooled slightly did I finally remove my hand from her mouth.

"Ehehe. Sorry. Just teasing a little."

"...Whatever."

I sighed, feeling inexplicably drained. Of course, judging by Silpi's giggling, it hadn't been entirely pointless.

Sure, it cost me a little dignity—but at least Silpi had regained his composure.

...Not that I was feeling particularly composed.