A Mother's Desperate Wish
Sister had no idea what this was. She didn't understand its value at all.
That was why I found myself at a difficult crossroads.
Should I lie and say it was a piece of junk to increase my chances of keeping it? Or should I tell the truth and make sure that no amount of begging would let me have it?
If Undine was an angel, then Rai was undoubtedly a demon.
The problem was that I spent far more time with the demon than with the angel.
“Jeanie, why are you so quiet?”
“Well… this is…”
“It looks like it’s broken and useless now.”
What was making such a racket inside me at that moment was overflowing greed and a sliver of conscience.
And in most cases, the conscience stayed buried under greed and couldn’t even lift its head.
“…No. I, I, I can fix it.”
“That’s wonderful!”
“And if it gets fixed… it could be a treasure that Spirit Masters will never see again.”
It was a choice so difficult that it made me stutter.
Rare as it was, there were times when my conscience won out.
That only happened when the other person was far too good-hearted. And when they looked at me with eyes full of trust.
This was exactly why I preferred wicked people. No guilt no matter what terrible things you did!
Why do you have to be so kind, sister?!
Suddenly, countless moments when greed had triumphed flashed through my mind.
It meant there were that many wicked people in the world.
“Then what about you?”
“Of course it means something to me too. I told you it’s precious, didn’t I?”
“Perfect. Then if I give this to you, you’ll grant me one request, won’t you?”
I thought I’d heard wrong.
Because sister’s expression was still so bright, I wondered if my greed had overflowed so much that I was hearing nonsense.
I asked again, suspicious.
“…You’ll give it to me?”
“Yes.”
“This is an heirloom that’s been passed down in the village for generations!”
“It’s the chief’s possession. And I am the next chief of this village.”
So that was one more reason Kenta had been abandoned. If you exaggerated a little, sister was practically royalty.
“And even if it disappears, no one will care. It doesn’t mean much to us, but if it’s useful to you, then please grant me one request.”
“…What is it? I can’t catch a dragon, you know.”
I was secretly afraid of what kind of mission might be coming my way.
What kind of request could possibly make her offer something she’d protected for so long without hesitation?
I really hoped it wouldn’t be something that tested the limits of humanity.
“Won’t you take Einy to the city with you?”
It was so easy it left me speechless.
It was a condition I hadn’t expected at all. As I stood there unable to respond right away, sister held out the pouch she carried at her waist.
“The truth is, I brought you all the way here because I wanted to ask you this favor.”
The pouch I received in a daze was quite heavy. At least by human standards.
“This is every last coin I’ve saved from my mercenary work. It might be pocket change to you… but if you take the certificate inside the pouch to the bank, they’ll give you more money. I’ll give you everything.”
Even though it was broken, she was offering me two spirit stones and money on top of that. This sister was making far too bad a deal.
This was exactly why good people shouldn’t exist.
Should I explain the necklace’s value in more detail? Maybe it didn’t resonate with someone who wasn’t a Spirit Master.
“Please. With this, can you get Einy into the academy?”
“The academy…”
“Yes. You’re a noble, after all.”
Only after hearing her earnest voice did I finally understand what my real mission was.
No wonder the story felt too easy.
“Sister, you already knew.”
“You tried to hide it, but it showed. I don’t know if you were afraid we’d hate you, or if you hid your identity because it was a den of mercenaries and you feared for your safety… but I think everyone probably knew.”
“I thought I hid it pretty well.”
“It’s even more obvious now… but no matter how you look at it, you’re a noble young lady.”
Whew, my inescapable elegance. Did my dignity pour out even when I stayed still? Did grace radiate just from my breathing?
I secretly felt pleased by the unexpected compliment.
At least until Rai butted in.
Insufferable spirit brat.
Yeah, I get that you take after your owner. If sister weren’t here, I’d pluck out every last strand of your fur…
“Jeanie… please help me. You can do it, can’t you? Please, just say yes.”
Because the atmosphere had grown so serious, punishing Rai would have to wait.
The look in sister’s eyes as she gazed at me was far too desperate, and the weight of the pouch in my hand was no small thing either.
Her eyes were pitch black, burned away from thinking of someone other than herself.
I saw my mother’s shadow in her.
It didn’t take long to grasp the situation. Even to me, Einy seemed like a fragile child who didn’t belong in the jungle.
“So, let me get this straight. That’s what you want, sister? For me to get Einy enrolled in the academy?”
“That’s right!”
For a brief moment, sister’s face lit up as she nodded vigorously, but she quickly became cautious again.
“Is it too much to ask?”
I hadn’t tried it before, but it wasn’t impossible if I put my mind to it. My connections had always been useful, and after returning this time, I was confident I could earn some points with the king in particular.
“Einy always wishes for things I can’t give her. Going to the academy, being freed from sword training… meeting her father… things like that.”
“I see.”
“She always talks about wanting to live in the city like it’s a dream. She says she hates the jungle and begs me to leave this place.
It’s not that I haven’t looked into it myself. But it was impossible… Still, if you help her, Jeanie, couldn’t she get into somewhere?”
If sending a child alone to the city, a boarding academy was the perfect solution.
There were countless academies across the continent, and the more prestigious they were, the stricter their admission requirements became.
Of course, there were also plenty of mediocre academies that would accept you if you had money and a letter of recommendation.
The problem was the class restriction. You had to be at least a commoner.
Slaves couldn’t enroll at all, and while tribal children were slightly better off, it was still nearly impossible.
Being a tribesperson meant you were neither commoner nor slave—you were nothing.
Tribal people often didn’t participate in national wars, so naturally they received none of the kingdom’s benefits.
Things like identity verification or basic educational support.
“You’re the only noble I can ask for a favor like this.”
Most academies only accepted citizens of their own country, so if you were from another nation or a tribal background, you desperately needed a powerful sponsor.
In the proper way, you’d need at least a count’s household or higher as a sponsor.
But there was no way they would vouch for the identity of some tribal child they’d never met. No one wanted to take on that kind of trouble.
When I stayed silent for a long time, sister’s expression darkened like the inside of that cave.
“I’m sorry. Please don’t misunderstand and think I was only kind to you for this. I agonized over it a lot too.”
“I’m not misunderstanding anything. If you had ulterior motives, I would’ve noticed long ago.”
“…It seems I’m not a very good mother.”
“Sister.”
“I often thought that Einy probably wanted to live like you.
Born into a noble family, attending a good academy… living safely. Isn’t that what she wanted?”
Since we’d only reunited a few days ago, I couldn’t be sure what kind of mother sister was. But I could vaguely sense that she was trying hard for Einy.
That she thought about her and worried about her a great deal. Just like so many mothers do.
“She wasn’t always such a timid, fearful child. She used to be just like the other kids. She didn’t stand apart like she does now.”
I had thought she seemed friendless because she was always alone. So that was the reason.
“What happened?”
“…There was an accident. After that, she refused to even touch a sword, had severe fits at the sight of blood, and couldn’t get along with anyone properly. Being afraid is something that… gets you mocked terribly in our tribe.”
“Since it’s a tribe famous for its bravery. I suppose that makes sense.”
Sister let out a small sigh and stroked the scabbard at her waist as she continued with a bitter expression.
The more I listened, the more I thought I should be grateful to my parents in this life.
Thank you for not letting me be born in the jungle.
“It was when Einy was even younger than she is now. She had a group of close friends. They went into the forest to study medicinal herbs… of course there were adults with them. But everyone except Einy was caught and eaten by an ogre. And it happened right before her eyes, while they were still alive.”
“…That’s too horrible.”
“The only reason Einy survived was because she hid early, and the ogre had already eaten its fill after devouring everyone else.”
Even I wouldn’t want to live in the jungle after seeing that.
Suddenly, the vivid image of Magikos tearing into an ogre flashed before my eyes, and I felt my stomach turn unpleasantly.
Watching people get eaten like that wouldn’t just upset your stomach—it would leave a massive mental trauma.
On top of that, the food chain where dragons ate ogres and ogres ate people was twisting my insides quite badly.
“She changed completely after that. She became terrified of blood, had nightmares every day. She grew afraid of the forest she used to love. She couldn’t stand being apart from me… and started crying at the drop of a hat. That’s when she began saying she wanted to go to the city.”
I nodded without needing to hear any more.
“I can help her get into the academy.”
“Really? Thank you so much!”
“But I have conditions. First, you lend me this spirit stone necklace until the day I die. Second, Einy must agree to follow me of her own free will.”
Maybe I should’ve just asked for it outright?
No, it wouldn’t matter once I was dead anyway. The afterlife was obvious.
At my conditions, sister bit her lip and nodded frantically.
“Of course, I will! That child will definitely be happy too. Ah! How can I ever express this gratitude… Jeanie, I promise. If you ever need my strength, I will absolutely help you. Our clan values favors as much as our lives. I will never forget this.”
As she clasped my hands and poured out every word of thanks, the corners of sister’s eyes were clearly wet. I knew those were tears of overwhelming joy.
“And sister, did you know? Einy has the qualities of a Spirit Master.”
“Einy? A Spirit Master?”
“She could hear me talking with my spirits. That’s an incredibly rare talent.”
“I had… no idea. I just thought she had no talent for swordsmanship. A Spirit Master…”
“And the Drike Academy I attend has the only Spirit Studies department on the entire continent. How about there?”
To be completely honest, that was the only place I could actually get her into.