Contract (Part 2)
The phoenix's appearance was still impressive enough.
But without a contractor, the guardian spirit was nothing more than a powerless elemental.
And just like that, it ended up flailing helplessly in my grasp.
[Wh-what?! What the hell is this all of a sudden?!]
'The great Eternal Bird forgot all about me? I'm hurt. You really don't recognize me?'
[No way, did this brat lose his mind right after being born?!]
'Want a taste of a crazy brat?'
I tightened my grip on Hierniorn's head and began channeling mana.
I hadn't formed my mana heart yet, but tormenting something right in my hands wasn't that hard.
I just needed to tweak the properties of the mana flowing nearby...
Ice attribute temporarily granted. May have adverse effects on nearby spirits.
[Gaaah! C-cold! It's too cold! Let go!]
I toyed with the phoenix like a plaything.
Gripping its scruff tightly, I opened my mouth.
'Hiern, this is payback for the expedition. Take it like a good bird.'
[Wh-what? Expedition? You mean the Kirchheis expedition? No way, did you crawl back from hell or something?!]
'Yeah, I came back. You damn pigeon.'
Back then, Hierniorn had been part of the Kirchheis expedition too.
It fought alongside its master, the Allmaster, and definitely entered the Demon King's Castle with us.
But the moment Ulfrik fell...
[C-contract terminated! Rebirth! Rebir—!]
The phoenix had used its innate ability to flee the battlefield.
I could still vividly recall Hierniorn's receding figure vanishing amid roaring flames.
[Ah, a wraith possessed this baby's body? How could such a mishap...!]
'Wraith? This birdbrain's flapping its beak carelessly.'
Its chatty habit hadn't changed from back then to now.
I twisted and squeezed it with a touch of old sentiment.
[Guek! W-wait! Hear this one's story first! Please!]
'Shut your beak.'
We couldn't have beaten Ulfrik even with one more spirit on our side, but I had to punish this bastard anyway.
Yet Hierniorn kept screaming, like it had something to say.
[There was no choice back then! To uphold the contract on this one, I had to flee!]
'Bullshit.'
[It's true! There was another contract! One I absolutely couldn't break!]
'A double contract?'
[Not exactly! Just let go first! We can talk then!]
I warned it I'd dump it at the frigid bottom of the North Sea if it kept spouting nonsense, then released its scruff.
After coughing and hacking for a bit, it opened its beak.
[This one was the Kirchheis family's guardian spirit even before becoming Ulfrik's familiar. When he abandoned his humanity, the familiar contract broke, but the family contract remained. And it still does.]
'What kind of contract?'
[Obviously, to protect the Kirchheis bloodline!]
'Ah, so since the Allmaster was Kirchheis blood too, you couldn't fight and had to run? That's your excuse? You worthless pigeon...'
[No! That's not it! A new Demon King was born, so I had to return to protect the Kirchheis family! That was the promise with the founding patriarch, this one's very reason for existence!]
At least it knew to feel ashamed, averting its gaze.
I let out a deep sigh.
'Nice excuse.'
[It's not an excuse...]
'Quiet.'
In truth, it was all in the past anyway—nothing would change.
Just venting.
But cooling my boiling rage would take some time.
In the meantime, Hierniorn recognized me.
[I see! It's you, Tiberian! I felt drawn to your soul for some reason—you! Reincarnated as a human, huh? Astonishing.]
'Shut up. Unless you want to burst.'
[Yes, sir.]
I asked how much time had passed.
The answer: '500 years.'
A span so long that the world could have completely transformed—and it had.
'What happened to Ulfrik?'
[No idea. The north got shrouded in red mist, turning it into an inaccessible zone, so his whereabouts are unknown.]
'Red mist? What's that?'
[A highly toxic crimson fog slicing through human and demon territories. Mages nowadays call it the Red Mist.]
The Red Mist had solidified the continent's north as the Demon King's territory, now forbidden to humans.
And the fact that Ulfrik had fallen to become the Demon King? Completely unknown.
Instead, he was hailed as a great hero.
The Holy Hero Ulfrik.
'Insane. That make any sense? That's historical distortion!'
[No one knows the truth, so what can you do?]
'Unbelievable! And you just watched?'
[I told you! This one is the Kirchheis guardian spirit! Revealing the truth would've dragged the family into the gutter—what could I do?]
It was enough to drive me mad.
A bastard I could chew up and spit out, etched into history as a sacred hero.
If Ulfrik had invaded humanity as the new Demon King, the truth would've come out immediately—but it didn't happen.
He'd vanished, clutching the Demon King's power.
So humanity's betrayal stayed buried forever.
[You could think of it differently. He took the power and vanished—same as slaying the Demon King, right?]
'Say that one more time, and I'll turn you into fried chicken.'
[Just a joke...]
In this situation, the world revering Ulfrik as a hero wasn't so strange.
Thanks to that, the Kirchheis family—producers of the Holy Hero—had seized wealth and power, dominating the continent.
Only I knew the truth.
I wanted to grind my teeth, but I didn't even have milk teeth yet.
There was one bit of solace.
[The elves still send scouting parties beyond the Red Mist. They cut ties with humans ages ago, though.]
The elves alone still opposed the Demon King.
True to their long lives, the forest folk hadn't forgotten the past and kept fighting.
They might even know the new Demon King's identity.
But cutting ties with humans...
'They probably decided not to trust humans anymore. Ulfrik was human, after all.'
I sighed deeply.
And steeled my resolve.
Ulfrik vanishing as the Demon King had halted the war, but even that grated on me.
'Did you want territory that badly, Ulfrik? That's why you claimed the Demon King's throne and drew the border?'
He'd stabbed his disciples in the back and ascended that throne.
That fact hadn't changed a bit.
If I abandoned revenge, this reincarnation would be a meaningless farce.
'I'll make you pay with 500 years' interest, Ulfrik.'
With my mind cleared, I continued questioning.
And learned why I was being neglected in this shabby room.
[...Your mother died giving birth to you, and your father abandoned you without care—so naturally, you're treated poorly. No different from an orphan.]
I was born of current family head Rohbark Kirchheis's bloodline, but not the eldest grandson.
Just one of many grandchildren.
In fact, a massive scandal from his troublesome youngest son.
That's why I was left alone.
[Rohbark might not even know you were born. The guy has tons of kids and grandkids.]
'I see.'
I sank into thought.
I needed to prioritize and outline my tasks ahead.
First and foremost—
'Prove my worth and survive.'
Then stand out, gain support, and grow strong quickly.
Using the legacies left by the Allmaster and past family heads, a path would emerge.
I had to find a route to settle my past life's grudge and retry the unfinished task.
'Gotta visit the Elf Forest too.'
Iphril might not be there, but there'd be elves willing to fight alongside me.
Any potential allies—forces or individuals—I had to recruit without fail.
[Ahem. Curiosity sated?]
Hierniorn cautiously opened its beak.
It scratched its flaming feathers with its talons, mumbling.
[I'll apologize for 500 years ago. But this one never dreamed Ulfrik would do such a thing—and please understand, there was a contract.]
'Understand? A bird spouting nonsense.'
[Ahem! The once refined fellow's reborn rude. Well, this sinful one will take its leave. Plenty of good ones around—pick wisely. Farewell.]
But Hierniorn couldn't turn away.
New mana particles burst from my fingertips, releasing a sweet aroma.
It must've felt like a fatal perfume.
'Where do you think you're going?'
[Wh-why?]
'We need to finish the contract talk.'
[Contract other ones...]
'No. I want to contract the greatest guardian spirit that's protected this family longest. And now I'm Kirchheis blood too—you'll protect me reliably, right?'
No joke.
Hierniorn was the pinnacle and leader of all spirits residing in the Kirchheis main castle.
Contracting it would let me claim the other spirits as familiars in one go.
[Ahem. True enough. Grateful, anyway. If you insist on this one, I'll gladly accept without refusal...]
'But one condition.'
[Condition? What?]
Instead of blindly accepting Hierniorn despite the past, I attached a simple condition.
Very straightforward.
'Serve me for free until I'm three.'
[Wh-what...? Fr-free service? What nonsense is that?!]
'Exactly that. Work without mana for a while.'
[Impossible!]
'But fleeing 500 years ago was fine?'
[...Not fine.]
Spirit contracts were always mutual by nature.
Mana for obedience—an equal exchange.
Even manifesting physically required mana from the summoner.
But if I could command this great guardian spirit for free—and move the others too?
'Huge profit. I can't use external mana much anyway.'
My brain was still extremely immature.
From red to black, this world's mana properties were all burdensome for such a young body.
Best to avoid handling mana until properly grown.
Hierniorn was the perfect helper.
And with its past sin, it couldn't refuse.
[Damn it all...]
'Damn it? What's that mean?'
[Damn it! Means I'm thrilled! Of course I'll do it!]
'Spirit language and culture must've changed a lot.'
[Anyway, what do you plan? This one's a great guardian, but without mana from the master, options are limited.]
I answered simply.
'I'm making a mana heart. You help with prep.'
[What prep...?]
'Why's my free servant so questiony?'
[Just worried if this one's up to it...]
'Yeah, you are. Just follow orders properly.'
[......]
The plan was set.
Proving my worth was also my escape from this dump.
Right now, the treatment was abysmal—but what if I formed a mana heart alone before even learning letters?
'Their gaze would flip completely.'
And I needed to prove talent, build strength.
I was curious about magic's progress over the long years too.
First step: restore the mana heart.
As I stared, the Eternal Bird sighed deeply and nodded.
[Karma, I suppose. Fine, I'll obey quietly.]