Chapter 52 Spirit (3)
Spirit (3)
Spirits.
A race that loves nature and enjoys playing pranks on humans and elves.
Beings who cherish purity and fundamentally hold goodwill toward others.
Though they've been forgotten among people now, spirits still exist.
They've merely left this world and now reside in another realm—the Spirit World.
"Why is that?"
At my question about spirits, Arin crossed her arms as if pondering briefly. Tapping her fingers against her forearm, she let out a deep sigh before speaking.
"Because of the Imperial House."
"Huh?"
What connection could there possibly be between the spirits leaving this world and the Imperial House? Puzzled, I stared at her.
Noticing the confusion in my gaze, she pressed a finger to her lips and shook her head.
Soon, I could guess what Arin wanted to say.
'A restriction...'
The restriction that prevents her from speaking about the Imperial House's classified secrets. Even if she tried to voice it, the words would warp and fail to convey properly—or so I had heard.
As I'd sensed back in that village, it was truly an irritating restriction.
"Returning to the main point, a Spiritualist refers to someone who forms a contract with these spirits."
Fundamentally, spirits hold goodwill toward other beings.
Whether human or elf, as long as they can communicate, spirits express kindness.
Because of this, it's extremely rare for them to show favor to a specific individual.
If a spirit finds a human they take a liking to, they will be the first to propose a contract.
Only by accepting that offer can one become a Spiritualist.
Of course, refusing the contract doesn't bring any penalties—you'd just have to endure that spirit's petty pranks afterward.
The most crucial part here is that humans cannot be the ones to propose the contract first.
Arin emphasized this point particularly strongly as she explained.
"Talent must be important, then..."
"That's correct."
She nodded in agreement.
With magic, as long as you could sense mana and learn the types of spells, you could cast them quickly. Reaching higher realms was difficult, but the basics themselves were easy to grasp.
Aura, too, wasn't particularly hard to sense as long as you trained your physique properly.
But Spirit Magic was entirely different.
If a spirit didn't make the first move, you couldn't even begin.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I grew slightly worried—would a spirit even approach me?
Perhaps sensing my concern, Arin continued.
"There's no need to worry too much. After all, we have this."
As she spoke, she pulled out a wooden music box from her pocket.
The very object Abel had handed over earlier. At a glance, it looked like an ordinary music box, but was there something special about it?
Suddenly curious, I asked her about its true nature.
"It's a token of promise left behind by spirits. An object that grants wishes."
"Then that means..."
"Yes. We'll use this to form a contract with a spirit."
Just hearing that made it clear how precious this item was. I couldn't help but wonder—was it really okay to use something like this just to make me stronger?
"Don't feel too burdened. The Duke's Family has plenty of items like this."
Had she read my discomfort? Her words came out reassuringly. Had my face been that obvious?
Scratching my cheek at her kind tone, I gave a slight nod.
"Then let's begin right away."
Arin promptly placed the music box on the table. Then, she slowly began turning the handle.
A crisp piano melody rang in my ears as the lid of the music box swung open. Inside, a small wooden figurine of a girl came into view.
The figurine began rotating little by little as the handle turned.
'This is...'
A green energy started spreading outward in all directions.
Even someone as ignorant about spirits as I could tell—something extraordinary was happening.
Vines burst from the ground, coiling around the legs of the table before creeping upward.
Now I understood why she had chosen the garden for this Spirit Magic lesson.
Pushing aside stray thoughts, I focused intently on the music box. The vines had already climbed onto the table and were now winding around the music box itself.
At the same time, flowers of all colors began blooming along the vines.
Pink, blue, mint, red—vibrant blossoms that caught the eye.
"This is..."
A tiny rift opened above the music box. From that gap in the air, flames began flickering out.
Three flames in total.
One green, one red, and the last—blue.
The flames took on a form similar to those that had appeared in Arin's palm earlier.
[Louie? Did Louie call us?]
[Really?! It's been so long since I last saw Louie!]
[You idiots. These guys here aren't Louie.]
The voices faintly ringing in my ears were so soft that if I lost focus even for a moment, I'd miss the conversation entirely.
So this is the voice of spirits.
[Silpi, you're too rough with your words!]
[Leave him be. He's always been like that.]
[Shut up. More importantly, who are these people?]
Their bickering was oddly endearing.
Meanwhile, Arin bowed politely and greeted them.
"Hello?"
Her voice was noticeably brighter than before. Just like when we first met, she clearly had a deep fondness for spirits.
It was a little hard to reconcile this side of her with her usual professional demeanor.
[Who are you?]
[A half-elf! Why is a half-elf here?]
[Did you summon us?]
"Yes. My name is Arin. I'm a Spiritualist."
I strained my ears, not wanting to miss a single word. If I lost focus even slightly, I might fail to catch what the spirits were saying.
[A Spiritualist? Do such people still exist in this land?]
[Silpi. Mind your words.]
[Tch, fine, whatever.]
At the green spirit's admonishment, the spirit called Silpi moved away with a sulky expression.
The green spirit sighed lightly before continuing to speak to Arin.
[It seems Louie gave you that item.]
Arin nodded, and the spirit's form flickered faintly.
[Hmm... There's no issue with the contract, so it should be fine. What do you wish for?]
"Please allow the person beside me to form a contract with a spirit."
Only then did the green spirit seem to notice my presence, slowly approaching me. For some reason, its presence felt warm and soothing, making me slightly drowsy.
[It seems you can hear my voice.]
"Really?!"
Arin suddenly leaned in close, her face inches from mine.
I wasn't sure why, but having her this close was a little overwhelming.
Gently gripping her shoulders, I pushed her back slightly. Realizing her mistake, she took a step back.
"My apologies. I got a little too excited."
"It's fine. But why were you so surprised?"
Arin cleared her throat before answering calmly.
"It's rare for someone to hear a spirit's voice right from the start. Even I could only vaguely grasp the meaning of their words at first."
So the fact that I could understand them immediately made me an Irregular.
"Ah..."
"Most people don't even realize spirits are speaking at all."
Hearing that, I could somewhat understand her reaction.
I hadn't expected to understand spirits right away when I first met them.
Did that mean I had some innate talent for Spirit Magic?
[Hehe, it's rare, but such children do exist.]
[It's true! She understands us!]
[Stop screeching like a banshee, Sally.]
At Silpi's words, the red spirit called Sally flitted about restlessly, as if deliberately defying him by making even more noise.
[Silpi, go away! I want to see the human properly after so long!]
"How does the contract work?"
[A contract?! I want to contract too— Mmph!]
[Just stay quiet for now. Let's hear them out first.]
At Silpi's scolding, Sally finally fell silent. Despite their bickering, they seemed close.
The green spirit approached me and asked,
[What is your name?]
Come to think of it, we hadn't even introduced ourselves yet. Realizing my oversight, I quickly bowed.
"My name is Adel von Este. It's a pleasure to meet you."
[Is Este your name?]
[Idiot. That's her family name. Adel is her given name.]
The spirits immediately resumed their squabbling. Unfazed, the green flame ignored them and introduced itself.
[I am Silvana, the Forest Spirit.]
[Silpia, the Wind Spirit. Just call me Silpi.]
[Ah, I'm Salamander, the Fire Spirit! You can call me Sally!]
Their introductions revealed their distinct personalities. A Forest Spirit, a Wind Spirit, and a Fire Spirit. Since a Spiritualist could only contract with one spirit, I needed to choose carefully.
The Fire Spirit was out of the question.
While its destructive power would be useful, the consequences of misusing it were unpredictable. Besides, abilities that drew too much attention didn't appeal to me.
That left the Wind and Forest Spirits...
"...I've made my decision."