Compensation Guaranteed

Nobody budged. It was a standoff, one spark away from detonating, with every party dug in and unwilling to give an inch.

What broke the stalemate was none of us — not Yena, not Nerindia, not even me — but a small green light that rose high into the air.

The storm had already swallowed the surroundings in darkness, so the light flared bright enough to command the attention of everyone present. It flickered rapidly, blazing for all it was worth.

"Sylphy."

Nerindia dragged her wounded body toward me — but made it only a few steps before stopping dead.

"Where do you think you're going? You and I still have unfinished business."

Yena's dagger, still bleeding menace into the air, pressed against the back of Nerindia's neck. The unspoken promise was clear: move even a muscle, and it would come off in a single stroke.

Outmatched, Nerindia gave up on moving and raised both hands in surrender.

"Lily."

"Yes?"

"Is there something you want?"

High spirits are precious.

Spirits themselves are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a rare breed — there aren't many in the world to begin with, and no one can say where or when the next one might appear. And this wasn't just any spirit, but a high spirit, the kind that commands other spirits.

In other words, a lottery ticket that had just fallen into our laps.

I could feed it to Lily as experience... or honestly, eating it myself wouldn't be bad either.

Granted, a monster this rare is difficult even for rankers to handle — that's precisely why it's so hard to find in the first place. But Yena was no ordinary ranker.

The only reason she hadn't already killed the spirit that had treated her stomach like a chew toy was pure deference to Lily. Something about her felt uncharacteristically hesitant, ever since a few minutes ago.

Well. This is my chance to score some points with Lily.

Lily gave her spear a brief squeeze, then relaxed her grip and slid it straight back into her inventory.

"Could you give me three minutes?"

"Of course. Actually, take ten."

"...I won't need that long."

Lily's fingertips brushed against the bracelet fastened around her left wrist. Something tiny inside it blinked.

"It's dangerous. Run away."

The words of spirits are nearly impossible to understand unless you're a higher-order spirit yourself — they communicate the way one might send a signal tone.

But to a celestial who comprehended every language in existence, the barrier of tongues meant nothing.

"I can help you."

"Lily needs to run too. That person is dangerous."

"She's not dangerous. Yena is my friend."

"Friend. Dangerous."

The tiny light shook its head side to side, and despite myself, I smiled. Pure, guileless, childlike — how could anyone hate a spirit?

"I can save Nerindia."

"Really? Please do."

"In exchange, there's something you need to deliver for me. Will you do it?"

A question. And an unhesitating, honest answer. The childlike Sylphy nodded.

"I'll deliver it."

What on earth is she doing?

Yena watched Lily abruptly take hold of her bracelet and go still, mystified. And yet she never once let up on Nerindia, blade ready to fall at a moment's notice.

The cast time on Death's Echo still had some time left on it, granted — but her opponent was a high spirit. It still held more than enough power to flip this entire board.

Sylphy. It's dangerous. Save her.

"Sylphy? Why would I kill her? She lives in Lily's bracelet."

You. Dangerous.

"Oh, come on."

She was trying to stand still, but the little thing kept needling at her nerves.

Fine, maybe I should just squash it. If only Lily weren't here. Ugh.

Just around the time Lily's three minutes were nearly up, she finally released the bracelet and rose to her feet.

Yena pressed her dagger down harder, practically buzzing with anticipation.

"All done? So what now — you taking it, Lily? Or should I?"

"Please deliver this to the spirit."

Whoosh~ The bracelet sailed through the air — the emerald Sylphid Bracelet Lily had been wearing.

Yena caught it on reflex and tilted her head.

"...Deliver it?"

"Yes."

"You're not seriously about to say what I think you're about to say, are you? That you're letting it go?"

Lily capturing Nerindia — that, Yena could live with. Yena herself capturing Nerindia — obviously fair. But neither of those, and she was just letting it go? And handing over the bracelet on top of it?

Yena had already suffered catastrophic losses. She'd burned Death's Echo — a skill with a cooldown of nearly a month — just to corner Nerindia. And now, in that situation, to walk away with nothing at all while surrendering the bracelet, an item worth whatever someone would pay for it? Even for Lily, this was beyond tolerable.

The chat, too, could not make heads or tails of Lily's actions. Nerindia's sharply honed eyes rounded once more, but with nothing she could do, all she could offer was a quiet plea for mercy.

"I'm not just letting it go for nothing. So please, just deliver it."

"No — Lily, I think there's something you don't understand. This thing is genuinely expensive. And capturing a high spirit goes without even saying—"

"Please. Deliver it."

Lily bowed her head.

Yena's gaze flicked between the bracelet and the dagger. Then, with a long sigh, she flung the bracelet back.

It sailed into Nerindia's arms.

"...!"

"Ugh, fine. You'd better brace yourself, Lily. From now on, I'm working you to the bone."

Yena delivered the warning half in jest, half in earnest — but Lily simply smiled, faint and unbothered.

"Sylphy?"

"Why? But—"

"Kind? Favor?"

Nerindia exchanged words with the bracelet in her arms. What they were saying, no one could tell. From one side came only scattered fragments of meaning; from the other, nothing intelligible at all.

After roughly five minutes of waiting, a single message rose before Yena's eyes.

"...Reconciliation?"

Nerindia gave a slow nod. As absurd as the situation was, the conversation had evidently already progressed without anyone noticing, and a calm telepathic murmur drifted out.

"Favor. Will grant."

"Favor? What kind of bullsh—"

?

Huh?

"Wha—hold on. A blessing? It's giving me a blessing?"

Not an item — a blessing? The kind of blessing that even mid-tier spirit mages could barely ever obtain?

It was insane. Genuinely, utterly insane.

Setting the grade aside, Spirit 8 alone made no sense. The Sylphid Bracelet she'd just handed over had a Spirit stat of around 3, and even if you slew a high spirit and forged its remains into a weapon or a piece of equipment, you'd top out at 5 — 6 at the absolute most. You'd need a weapon made from a supreme-grade spirit just to reach 8.

Worse still, the enchantments — Flight, Mana Boost, Haste — were a perfect match for an assassin like her. Flight in particular, which let her soar through the sky with zero mana or stamina cost, was on par with the notoriously broken Sure-Hit.

Dumbfounded, Yena lowered her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head.

Lily was still smiling.

"...Lily?"

"There's still a bit more."

"Yes...?"

More of what?

She turned her head back. Nerindia was still silently delivering what she had been asked to deliver.

"You. Person you like. Strange."

What Nerindia handed over was the Sylphid Bracelet.

No — it was slightly different. A grade above the Sylphid Bracelet, and in fact not Sylphy's at all anymore.

A bracelet etched with an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠emerald mane branching into countless strands.

The blessing alone had more than repaid her losses — and now a bracelet on top of that...?

Nerindia shook her head slowly.

"Very strange. You hate this place. She likes it. Weird."

"......"

"Taste. Weird."

"Lily, is this for real?"

Yena asked with a hollow laugh, and Lily answered just as playfully.

"Well? Is this enough to call it even?"

...

"Yeees..."