The Weight of Talent
I munched on fruit to fill my stomach while gazing at the mountains beyond where the sun was setting.
Elves were a race known for living deep within ancient forests. They were gentle and intellectual by nature, though somewhat closed-off. On average, they lived for a thousand years and were considered the most naturally gifted at handling spirits. They were a species deeply in tune with nature.
Every single one of them was born with the qualities of an outstanding Spirit Master. Not only could they command multiple elemental spirits at once, they could even manipulate nature spirits without forming a contract.
Contracting with Spirit Kings—something that was practically impossible for humans—was something elves did most often. Or dragons.
When it came to spirits, at the very least, elves were talented enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with dragons.
“Do you remember when I was obsessed with reading forbidden books?”
“Right?”
Rai lazily swished his huge tail, and the fluffy fur brushed against my cheek.
He seemed secretly pleased with the “master key” title.
“It doesn’t even seem that interesting, but the moment they hide it from me, I get curious.”
“Exactly. I hate it when anyone tries to stop me. Anyway, back then—I read a book like that. It was an encyclopedia of continental races written by an elf. Do you know what they said about humans?”
“They said that aside from having the largest population on the continent, humans have nothing else worth boasting about.”
The reason that book had been banned was simply because it contained content that disparaged humans.
“A race of inferior beings, inherently greedy, bloodthirsty, selfish, and weak. The fact that they lack any truly outstanding talent in any field is proof that the gods are well aware of humanity’s wickedness.”
Because human nature was both frail and evil, the gods had not granted them too much power. They had designed things so that humans could obtain no strength without effort.
It was a claim I couldn’t completely deny.
When you looked at a single human, they were weaker than any other race. Weaker even than most monsters.
Humans liked to think they could do anything and had talent for everything, but if you rephrased that, it simply meant they weren’t born with any exceptional innate abilities like elves or dwarves.
It meant they lacked the gods’ blessings.
So the way elves viewed humans was both right and wrong.
“Still, it’s an interesting perspective.”
“Whether they’re scared of me or not doesn’t matter. It’s a hundred times better than being looked down on.”
I didn’t care how others saw me.
As long as they didn’t bother me, it was all the same.
“Is it not?”
“What? Why would I be wary of her?”
At first I just blinked, not understanding what he meant. But when I thought about it, he was right.
“That’s true. I can’t hear other people’s spirit voices. So does that mean Einy could be more of a genius than me?”
Listening to Rai’s voice, I sat up and lightly tossed the seeds of the fruit I’d finished eating outside the hut.
This was something worth thinking about seriously.
To run into a kid with the talent of a Spirit Master so unexpectedly. And one with innate talent on par with my own.
It might sound like bragging, but that was an incredibly rare ability.
“Rai, how high would you rate Einy’s talent?”
Rai sounded quite firm.
“Why not? I summoned you when I was that age too. I was just a child.”
“Dominance…”
Strong mental power meant dominance. It was charisma, dignity, and resilience all at once.
It was only natural that controlling something required an exceptional mind.
“Einy does seem a bit indecisive. But she’s still young.”
“You’re pretty good at reading people, huh?”
Just as I thought… The moment Rai said something that actually made sense, he immediately followed it up with nonsense. Instead of arguing, I clicked my tongue.
“Well, there are dragons who struggle with magic, so a human with elf-level affinity isn’t that surprising.”
“I get it. It’s such a waste of talent, though.”
To be born with that kind of ability as a member of a minority tribe in the middle of this jungle—it seemed incredibly unfortunate to me.
If she received proper education, she might become an outstanding Spirit Master. But there was no way a teacher would come all the way out here.
After all, Spirit Masters were in short supply even in the cities.
“So the reason Grufein doesn’t listen to me is because my dominance is lacking?”
“Haa… Dealing with him is so exhausting.”
I let out a deep sigh, stroked Rai’s fur, and buried my face in his belly.
I flopped down again almost immediately and relieved my stress by kneading and rolling him around.
“That’s not something you should be saying. As far as I know, the most unusual spirit is you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
Rai’s fur was long all over, with some patches longer than a handspan—around his cheeks and chest, for example.
I twirled those areas round and round with my fingertips. Spin, spin.
How long had I been doing that?
“Hey, kid.”
“Stop peeking and just come out already.”
Einy, who had quietly approached, was once again hiding behind a pillar and spying on us.
Instead of warning me about the approaching presence, Rai simply yawned, and I continued lying there with my stomach exposed, legs crossed.
When I spoke while looking straight at where she was hiding, Einy cautiously poked her face out.
“…My name is Einy!”
“I know.”
“I’m not a kid!”
Even though she was still half-hidden behind the pillar, her gaze was surprisingly sharp.
She was extremely shy and easily frightened, but that look in her eyes definitely resembled Arnel’s.
I let out a small chuckle and lightly got to my feet.
It was only natural to feel bad if someone kept calling you by the wrong name when you had a perfectly good one.
“Alright, Einy. You speak the common tongue really well.”
“Mom taught me.”
Among all the village children I’d seen, Einy was the most fluent in the common language.
Her level was completely natural. Since she was the daughter of the woman who taught the common tongue to the tribespeople, it made sense.
“I see. Is there something you want to say to me?”
“M-me?”
“You must have a reason for following me around all the time.”
Remembering how I had trapped her in water earlier, I asked as gently as possible.
At the very least, the fact that I had relaxed my brow meant this was the height of kindness by my standards.
“I just… um…”
It was obvious that Einy was wary of me. I wondered what exactly about me scared her so much. She reminded me of a wild kitten that had just been picked up from the forest.
“Go on. I won’t eat you.”
“…Who do you think you’re calling an idiot!”
“You can’t even speak properly, so what else am I supposed to think? Hehe, right, Rai?”
I shrugged and stretched my legs out. Rai came over and sat right beside me. While I watched his nodding head with fondness and stroked under his chin, Einy still refused to come out from behind the pillar.
“You… you came from the city, right?”
“That’s right. I’m from Dmitry.”
“Mom told me. She said you were a very smart and brave child.”
“She really does have good eyes, doesn’t she? That’s why I like Arnel so much.”
“You go to a huge academy, right? The kind where everyone knows the name just by hearing it…”
Drieke Academy was quite famous as an elite institution.
Since they didn’t accept many students, admission was naturally more difficult than at other academies, but in return, the quality of education was excellent.
Once you graduated, you were guaranteed an important position, so for many children, it was a dream.
“What’s it like there? Are there lots of books? Can you learn anything you want? Is it true that everyone there knows everything? Is it really true that there are classes every single day?”
“Don’t tell me you…”
“Huh?”
“You like studying?”
Einy flinched as if I had hit the nail on the head, then quickly hid behind the pillar again. Now only about a third of her was visible.
“Wow… You have some strange interests.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!”
I couldn’t deny it.
Rai knew every single thing I had ever done. Since he was both my right and left hand, there was nothing I could hide from him.
“I like studying. I like books too… I’m envious of people who get to learn things.”
“We’re complete opposites.”
Having lived both of my lives in places overflowing with those things, I couldn’t fully understand Einy’s thirst for knowledge.
But I could understand it a little.
The vast forest was certainly beautiful and free, but it was far removed from civilization in many ways.
“Um… I’m sorry about what happened during the day. Mom told me to apologize! For calling you a witch.”
“I am pretty enough to be called a witch, so it’s fine.”
“…Don’t people tell you a lot that you have a weird personality, sis?”
“I’m invoking my right to remain silent.”
“Right to remain…?”
No matter how fluent she was in the common tongue, she was still a child, so there were bound to be words she didn’t understand.
I pointed at Rai while speaking to Einy, who had once again poked her face out from behind the pillar.
“But can you really hear this guy’s voice?”