Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Figure 4: The Talk of the Town
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"Here. Eat up."
Perin handed over a freshly made, steaming-hot, moist orb.
Her expression was so full of confidence that, had I not witnessed the manufacturing process right in front of me, I would've swallowed it down in eager anticipation of heavenly flavors.
I recalled the previous orb I'd swallowed and fell into brief contemplation.
What could that glossy sheen on the surface be, with that sticky liquid dripping down from below?
I wasn't even in the industry awards running, but I desperately hoped it was just saliva. Anything more would be way too hardcore.
Oh, right.
This wasn't the time to worry about such things.
"Perin, you okay?"
"Huh?"
"You know, that orb thing. Is it really fine to keep pumping them out endlessly like that?"
To my concern, Perin responded with utter nonchalance.
Her face said she was barely holding back from blurting out, What's the big deal?
Damn. That pissed me off.
If worrying about people was truly a losing game, I'd be bankrupt by now.
That thing's not some kinda hairball rip-off, is it?
I harbored doubts about the orb's true nature, but they didn't last long.
I'd seen and felt too much to dismiss it as mere waste.
To refocus our derailed conversation, I brought up the topic of "spirit cores."
Given the circumstances, I had one possibility in mind.
Perin, artificially created and abandoned by her own kind, raised by elves.
Maybe she just lacked knowledge about spirits?
Maybe she was mass-producing cores without even realizing it could kill her.
"You idiot? You're seriously trying to lecture me, a spirit, about spirit cores? Or is it that? You think I'm some defective reject that got shat on by my own kind, so I wouldn't even know basic common sense?"
It was all in my head.
And worse, I'd unwittingly poked at Perin's sore spot.
Like a wounded pup wolf, her rage threshold was rock bottom.
Completely misinterpreting my intent, Perin's anger steadily climbed until she was baring her teeth in fury.
I spoke in a calm tone to avoid provoking the injured pup wolf further.
"No bad intentions. I was just worried about you."
Perin flinched, her body trembling as her rage faltered for a moment.
But she quickly regained her momentum and came at me.
"Worried? Who asked you to worry about me? Ha. Or is it this? I've been acting like a total space case in front of you, so now you think you're something special to me? Don't get the wrong idea. I hate humans. Especially ones like you—"
Perin approached slowly, like a wolf cornering prey.
The closing distance.
That was the problem, apparently.
"..."
Perin suddenly shuddered violently and froze in place.
"D-Damn it... Don't get the wrong idea... This is... just 'cause I spat out all your energy just now..."
She muttered with the grim resolve of a villain before retreating.
Then she charged at me with ferocious momentum.
Not like a wolf hunting prey, but like a puppy greeting its owner.
Perin buried her face in my chest, rubbing against it wildly.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her tail wagged furiously, tangling around me.
"Sorry for getting mad..."
It was like an extension of a whimper.
Perin spoke in a voice thick with nasal tones.
"After hearing your story... I suddenly started caring what you think of me... Wondered if you looked down on me like my own kind do... Got all anxious out of nowhere..."
In that moment,
the emotion I felt was pure guilt.
What happens when Perin's recharge runs out later?
Could I even call this pull "pure energy"?
This was straight-up hypnosis app territory.
If I were in her shoes, I'd be too embarrassed to show my face.
Anyway, for now, I patted her back to soothe her, pointedly ignoring her wiggling hips demanding harder.
"Perin's an awesome wolf. And my precious friend. That's why I was worried."
"Worried...?"
"Yeah. Someone who knows about spirit cores told me they're super important to spirits. Lose one, and a spirit might end up in serious trouble."
"...Weird, right?"
"Huh?"
"I'm different from other spirits... Doesn't that creep you out...?"
"Not at all. Quite the opposite."
"Opposite?"
"I think you're amazing, Perin. You can do things other spirits can't."
"Things other spirits can't..."
"You're not broken. You're special. At least, that's how I see it."
"..."
A moment later,
the pressure on my chest lifted.
Perin backed away in quick steps.
"Shit..."
The prickly wolf girl had unwittingly bared her soft underbelly.
Perin glared at me, eyes misty with shame.
"You bastard..."
I felt wronged, but I didn't protest.
No matter how wronged I felt, it paled next to her.
Only after a long while could Perin act like nothing had happened.
Her explanation for the core duplication incident went like this.
"As you can see, I'm a mutant with a spirit body. So, pulling out my core doesn't cause any issues."
"Oh..."
"...Don't look at me like that. I warned you."
Perin's snarling lips twitched faintly.
"Plus, spitting out a core feels refreshing."
"Refreshing?"
"Every time I meet you, my core reacts and materializes. Makes my insides all queasy."
"No way, it's seriously a hairball."
"What?"
"I mean, is it really okay to just keep spitting them out?"
"None of your business. It's my core; I'll do what I want with it."
"I'm worried, that's all. What if something goes wrong?"
"..."
Thud.
Perin kicked at the innocent floor.
"Truth is, it hurts a little."
"Then—"
"But I kinda like that."
"What?"
"This level of pain reminds me I'm alive."
Heh.
Perin let out a low chuckle.
"...!"
A mid-teen edgelord menhera half-spirit wolf girl who periodically hacks up hairballs.
Too many tropes stacked up.
I stared at Perin in shock.
Somehow interpreting my reaction to her liking, Perin smiled in satisfaction.
"You normies like you wouldn't get it. Not that I expect you to."
Perin suddenly gazed up at the sky and intoned dramatically.
"What a killer moon. Like it's shining bright on all my filth... yet embracing it all the same."
A contrived line and pose, honed through countless practices.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Don't laugh.
Feel the delicate inner world. Catch the vibe, man.
"Perin... you're surprisingly poetic. I'm seeing you in a new light."
"..."
Hmph.
Perin gave me a wry smile.
That wry smile looked utterly pleased, but that was Perin's little secret—pure wryness through and through.
"Not cool or anything. The opposite, really."
"O-Opposite...?"
"Ahh... Only worthless loners can truly befriend the moon."
"R-Right."
Whether my sincerity got through or the act just wrapped up, Perin was in high spirits by the end.
"Hey."
Perin casually offered a core.
"Take it. It basically spawned from your energy anyway. Oh, and it'll have less power than the first one. That was my inaugural core, after all."
First core.
I wanted to tell other spirit summoners about it and gauge their reactions.
First heart.
First balls.
About that vibe.
"But since it's made purely from your energy, it'll be way purer."
"If I eat it, can I expect the same effects as before?"
"..."
Perin stared at me before shaking her head.
"Nah. My energy's already flowing in you. Eating another won't do much."
"So, I don't need it anymore?"
"What? Elves were dying for these, but humans are different, huh?"
"Well... not exactly different—"
"Then just take it."
"You sure you're okay with that?"
"I don't care about treasure like that."
With that, Perin handed over the core and left without a backward glance.
Respect.
That was seriously cool.
Especially since she handed over something she claimed not to care about.
"See? No losses from worrying."
With my unexpected gain, I returned to my lodgings with light steps and slept soundly.
The next morning,
Rishir entered the conference room in the main mage tower building after receiving a summons.
A few gray masters, high priest Barodros and other church officials, and the investigation team led by blue and green masters were seated.
It was the venue for announcing the investigation results.
"Therefore, in the name of the Blue Tower, we hereby officially declare the investigation concluded."
"Therefore, in the name of the Green Tower, we hereby officially declare the investigation concluded."
In other words, a purely formal affair to dot the i's and cross the t's.
The meeting, started less than 10 minutes ago, wrapped up.
Rishir looked around in bewilderment.
All these esteemed figures gathered for this?
Of course not.
Opportunities for representatives from various towers and the church to gather like this were rare.
Even after the meeting ended, they lingered, chatting away.
"Is the Saint still in seclusion? That's troubling."
"Speaking of, I hear the Blue Tower's lord position is still vacant—"
"Oh, right. Word is the World Tree's roots are infected with some unreported disease. If your church needs our help—"
"By the way, I hear Gray Tower Lord still hasn't shaken off that demon horse curse—"
The words casually floated into Rishir's ears as he sat there listening obediently.
Top-tier intel!!!!
Rishir instantly regretted not bolting with a "Well, I'll be off then" the second the meeting ended.
Leaders of massive, politically entangled organizations hosted a "power play feast" as naturally as breathing.
Scratch?
Nah, no scratches here. You?
Totally no scratches at all.
Under the guise of catching up, veiled barbs flew freely for a while.
How long had Rishir been trapped in this crossfire, trembling in terror?
Once they confirmed no weak prey to cull from the feast, they finally turned to constructive talk.
Secluded saint, infected World Tree roots... Any normalization targets in what I just heard...?
It was then that a topic caught the attention of Rishir, who was indirectly joining via his own method.
"By the way, Master Latsiel. Mind if I inquire about something while we're here?"
Master Lardros, representing the Gray Tower with unwavering poise throughout.
He cautiously broached the subject with the green master, Latsiel.
"It's regarding the recent spirit traces shipment."
Spirit traces.
Degraded versions of spirit cores, these items infused with spirit energy were used across various magic fields.
For research, elixir crafting, and more—
For the Gray Tower, broad-spectrum magic researchers, they were an essential resource.
The Gray Tower relied on the Green Tower for most of their spirit trace supply.
Inevitable, as a small forest elite group monopolized distribution.
And the Green Tower held the largest share.
"The quality and quantity of the latest shipment have sharply declined, causing difficulties for our tower's personnel. At the very least to seek solutions, I'd like the Green Tower's precise stance."
"There were circumstances that left us no choice."
A firm tone contrasting Lardros's desperation.
"Ahem..."
Lardros looked displeased but took no further action.
At least regarding spirits, the Green Tower held absolute dominance.
Provoking them risked even worse outcomes.
Watching the exchange, Rishir cautiously spoke to Lardros beside him.
"Master Lardros. Mind if I ask something?"
"Oh? You, asking me? Fire away."
"I hear our tower's short on those spirit traces, causing issues. Could this substitute?"
Rishir pulled Perin's spirit core from his pocket and showed it to Master Lardros.
"Hm? This is..."
Lardros examined Perin's spirit core intently.
"...!!!"
And moments later, he sharply inhaled.
All eyes in the room focused instantly.
"...!"
Green Master Latsiel.
"My god."
Blue Master Enna.
"Rishir, don't tell me—"
High Priest Barodros.
They each reacted with shock to the spirit core in their own way.
"Wh-Where did you get that?!"
The Green Tower elves present showed emotion for the first time in front of humans.
Latsiel leaned forward and shouted.
A passionate lunge that might've snatched the core if distance allowed.
Rishir panicked.
He knew Perin's spirit core was valuable.
But for its second, degraded version to fetch this much value?
"A spirit I know gifted it to me—"
"Gifted a core!? Nonsense!"
"..."
Rishir felt wronged but couldn't retort.
This nut sack? Got it as a gift.
That's how his words must've landed on those elves.
When it was just a hairball in truth.
"Clearly obtained through illicit means. We strongly urge you to hand it over to the Green Tower!"
A familiar tactic to Rishir.
Elves pulling the "Spirits? That's our jurisdiction" card.
"Objection!"
Surprisingly, the rebuttal came not from the gray master, but blue master Enna.
"You have no authority for that! What gives you the right to declare it illicitly obtained!?"
"Agreed! We must respect Rishir's rights! Thus, our church formally—"
"What is this?! Maintain decorum!"
The atmosphere heated up.
"I cannot agree!"
"Then what do you propose?!"
"What else? Hear from the owner, Rishir!"
In the end, masters and high priests raised their voices in heated argument.
All over one spirit's hairball.