The Lonely Wind Spirit
Spirits' souls usually drift through the empty air. Even without a formal contract, there are times when mutual agreement allows a spirit to enter a crystal orb. That was exactly what had happened with Ophelia and Anemoi moments ago.
In the novel, right after the entrance ceremony, the heroine had been pounding away at a training dummy when she happened to strike up a conversation with Ophelia passing by. Through that exchange, she won over Anemoi—who had been accompanying Ophelia—and formed a contract with her. The exact reason was never described, but the contract happened after one simple line: “You seem… adequate.”
Why she chose the heroine out of so many people, I couldn’t say. Probably just to draw the male leads’ attention. Besides, if the heroine was too weak the story couldn’t move forward. Even with Serian and Yurian in the picture, Anemoi served as the minimum required device. She might have become a Spirit User, but her actual combat strength wasn’t all that impressive.
It had seemed strange at first, but the more I thought about it, the more natural it felt. If the heroine were overwhelmingly powerful, the story would turn into a munchkin academy reverse-harem, not a proper romance fantasy.
“Were you asking about Lady Anemoi?”
“Yes, I wondered if you might know something…”
“…”
Should I pretend to have some knowledge? The excuse “I read about it in a book” would never fly with Ophelia. Better to play ignorant on this one.
“I don’t know much about Lady Anemoi. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s all right. I shouldn’t have asked when I barely understand it myself.”
Ophelia waved her hands apologetically. There was no point in faking expertise. She scratched the back of her head with an embarrassed little smile.
“Could you speak with Lady Anemoi for me, just once?”
“Speak with her?”
“Yes. I’ve been researching her power, but she refuses to cooperate.”
In the original story Ophelia had indeed been studying Anemoi—the power of the spirit.
“I asked Arsienne as well, but it didn’t help much.”
“Really?”
“It only led to a fight between Arsienne’s spirit and her.”
The cynical Anemoi and the bubbly Rosalía. Anyone could see those two were a terrible match.
“I thought she might listen to someone else. You know quite a bit about spirits, after all.”
“If that’s the reason…”
Avoiding the request now would only make things more awkward. A short conversation shouldn’t be too difficult.
So the two of us moved to my room.
“Shall I call her now?”
“Ah, yes.”
“It won’t take long. I need to head back to the academy soon.”
The moment Ophelia poured her mana into the crystal orb, it began to emit a soft green glow. A breeze that felt as though it had swept straight out of a forest whispered through the room.
It was a cynical voice, blunt and clearly irritated.
“I’ve brought a new friend.”
“But Lady Anemoi refuses to listen to me.”
Ophelia’s gaze turned toward me.
“This is Lumian Cardion. He knows a great deal about spirits and is a very kind person.”
Only the orb sparkled; her form remained invisible. Yet I could feel her gaze piercing straight through me.
“Should I step outside?”
This felt exactly like being set up on a blind date.
“Then, Lumian, come find me when you’re finished.”
Ophelia spoke as if she were the matchmaker herself. Once she left, Anemoi and I were left wrapped in heavy silence.
“…”
“…”
It was suffocating. I had never even gone on a blind date in my previous life. I should have just claimed I knew nothing about spirits and washed my hands of the whole thing.
I was about to blurt out anything to escape the awkwardness when she spoke first.
She must have found the silence just as uncomfortable. It was the conversational equivalent of a man desperately trying to thaw the atmosphere with “Nice weather we’re having, isn’t it?” Still, she was making an effort, so I ought to answer.
“I learned about you from history books.”
“Hmm…”
In the history books she had been depicted as a legendary hero, the great general who had led the Elf Kingdom to its golden age. Illustrations of her fighting on the battlefield captured both her valor and her beauty. The image of her charging sword-first into an enemy force of hundreds genuinely reminded me of Napoleon.
“You looked magnificent.”
“And a little lonely.”
We only ever admire Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s heroic image, but reading his war diary reveals many different sides of the man. In the novel, Anemoi hadn’t been portrayed as a bold general either. She lent her strength to the heroine but always kept a certain distance. She minimized contact with other characters—an antisocial, hikikomori-like figure. That was the Anemoi I remembered from the book.
She would appear when summoned, lend her power for the heroine’s sake, then vanish without another word. Or perhaps she was simply a narrative device meant to hurry the heroine into the arms of the male leads. Either way, being used only as a plot tool seemed rather pitiful.
She sounded intrigued.
“I suppose I would say you looked lonely.”
“There were many illustrations of you alone. You ate by yourself, trained by yourself, even charged into enemy lines by yourself.”
“You even took your meals alone most of the time.”
In every illustration the books described, she had always been alone. Eating alone. Training alone. Charging alone.
“So it simply looked lonely to me.”
“It isn’t pity.”
“Perhaps a personal wish, if I had to name it.”
When you see someone who looks lonely, doesn’t a pang of sympathy rise in your chest? Even in the novel she had spent most of her time alone. The heroine might have been with her on occasion, but the heroine herself was always busy with the male leads. Anemoi never approached her on her own. Their relationship had been one of reliance only when necessary.
“Have you considered looking for a contractor?”
No, you absolutely must contract with the heroine. The story needs it. Even with Serian present, the heroine would require Anemoi’s power if she was going to keep up with this thrilling romance-fantasy novel.
She would probably form the contract anyway at this rate, but if Anemoi helped the heroine a little more proactively, the academy arc would flow much more smoothly. It wouldn’t hurt to give her a gentle nudge.
“Were you happy during your lifetime, Lady Anemoi?”
“What made you happy?”
A very soldier-like answer indeed.
“But that is a soldier’s happiness, isn’t it? Not necessarily yours, Lady Anemoi.”
“What do you enjoy, Lady Anemoi?”
“You don’t have to continue.”
She cleared her throat, clearly embarrassed.
“Since you spent so much of your life alone, why not try spending time with more people this time around?”
“I couldn’t say for certain.”
“I only mean it’s possible. It could be.”
I couldn’t be sure. That was only natural. I had no way of knowing whether the Anemoi in the novel had been happy. Still, anything had to be better than spending eternity alone.
If she never contracted with the heroine, she might spend the rest of her existence imagining her past life while playing rock-paper-scissors with Ophelia. Wouldn’t living at the academy alongside the heroine be far happier?
“When you discover a side of yourself you never knew existed, an entirely new life might open up before you.”
“For example, forming a contract with one of the academy students could be interesting.”
No one had ever said anything like this to her? That seemed rather harsh.
“That’s awful of them.”
She had a point. Anemoi gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh.
Me? That was a dangerous thing to say.
“Not at all.”
“Why would I need power in the first place?”
Our conversation felt like two gears that refused to mesh. Why wouldn’t you want to become stronger? Why should I have to become stronger? The same exchange kept repeating. Eventually she let out a tired sigh.
“Am I?”
That was understandable. If the legendary hero-spirit of the Elf Kingdom appeared before you, of course you would covet her strength. But I knew the truth. Everyone, this person really isn’t all that powerful.
The feats Anemoi displayed in the novel hadn’t been particularly remarkable. She had lent the heroine a little extra strength, nothing more. Well, she had succeeded in drawing the male leads’ attention, so in that sense she had fulfilled her role. As a spirit, however, she had been rather underwhelming.
Anyone who tried to contract with her would probably regret it bitterly the moment the bond formed and start calling it a scam. Anemoi belonged at the heroine’s side.
“Since you’ve remained a spirit, it would be a shame if all you did in this life was fight again.”
She had fought her entire previous existence. Shouldn’t this life include at least a little enjoyment? If she contracted with anyone else she would probably be dragged back to the battlefield. Reincarnated only to enlist again? Even I would hate that.
But if she contracted with the heroine, how happy she could be. Serian would handle every problem at the academy. In the original novel, Anemoi’s indifferent attitude had kept her from forming any real bonds with the heroine or the people around her.
In this life, let’s not live like a loner. Let’s try to shine a little brighter.
“And if you keep acting so heavy and serious, you really will spend eternity alone.”
“You’re still doing it right now.”
I had expected her to argue, but Anemoi stayed silent.
“Flawed?”
It wasn’t quite a flaw.
“I wouldn’t call it a flaw…”
She was more stubborn than I had expected. I felt like a psychiatrist trying to counsel a difficult patient.
“There’s no special reason. You said you weren’t happy, didn’t you?”
“So let’s try living with a smile this time.”
It had been similar in my previous life. When I worked overtime every single day, all my friends told me to quit. Of course, having a beer with colleagues after work had been enjoyable too, but one of the things I regretted most after coming here was that I had been too afraid to change.
I should have just quit.
But look at me now. Without clinging to anything, simply lying around, I’m living a perfectly happy life.
“Don’t tie yourself down so tightly. Not this time.”
Stop suffering by contracting with some strict person. Contract with the heroine and be happy.
“Is it?”
Must have been a good person.
“Pardon?”
What was she suddenly saying?
“I’d rather not.”
“I said no, thank you.”
That’s what I’d like to say, ma’am.