A Simple Matter of Naming
"It's really simple. You just have to give it a name."
Naming anything—spirits or otherwise—is the single most annoying thing in the world to me. Even with Rai, I had to rack my brain for a while. In that sense, Undine really is the perfect daughter.
What does that mean?
"You said you needed a name."
That's right.
"Then make one! A name for yourself!"
Kekeke!
Rai started cackling, and the lightning spirit seemed completely lost. I understood. I knew exactly how important a name could be.
What kind of nonsense is that? A spirit naming itself! Such an absurd thing has never once happened in the entire history of our kind.
"How would I know spirit history?"
This body can never commit such a foolish act!
It was busy snorting in disdain when Rai slithered his tongue and whispered right beside my ear.
Master! I have a wonderful idea.
"A wonderful idea? What is it?"
That arrogant lightning spirit's name. I know one that would suit him perfectly.
"Really? Let's hear it."
Electricity gives you a jolt, right?
Well, yes. Rai was shaking his head in excitement as he spoke. Who knew snake eyes could actually smile like that.
So how about we call him Zappy?
It wasn't a bad suggestion. Easy to say, catchy, and I found myself nodding before I realized it. Rai could be useful once in a while.
"Oh, I like it. All right, lightning spirit? Your name is Zap—"
Wait! I-I'd rather name myself.
Tsk. I actually liked that one. What a picky bastard.
"Then hurry up and decide. My mana is already starting to run out."
Ugh... hnnng...
"See? It's hard, isn't it? I told you naming things is difficult."
This is impossible! An eight-thousand-year contract about to fall apart over a mere name... Sob. Ughhh.
"Don't cry! You're making it sound like I'm tormenting you! Just go with Zappy already!"
I absolutely refuse! Just call me the lightning spirit! Ughhh.
It was a little heartbreaking to watch the arrogant creature break down into pathetic sobs.
Rai does it too, but spirits really do cry easily. Undine has never once cried, though.
Still, what was I supposed to do when he was rejecting it so strongly? Maybe I could name him something couple-themed with Rai and call them "Course." Zappy seemed perfectly fine to me. Why did he hate it so much? Then again... oh, right. That name!
"Oh, then how about Adore? It's the name of the Spirit Master who developed the lightning spirit stone you came from."
Adore? That means "flame" in the ancient tongue. That's a bit...
"All right, Zappy it is—"
Adore... That has a nice ring to it. Let's go with Adore! No—you must name me Adore!
Good thing he liked it. One annoying task taken care of.
"Fine. Lightning spirit, your name is Adore."
My name is Adore. What is my master's name?
Adore drifted closer. The little guy circled me slowly, throwing off tiny sparks. It was as if he wanted to examine every detail of me.
"My name is Jeanie Crowell."
Jeanie Crowell.
"Yeah. Call me whatever you want."
I shall serve you as my master until the day you die.
"I get it, so go back to the spirit realm for now. I'm low on mana."
Master! I shall return for today, but please summon this body again at the earliest—
I cut the mana flow. Perfect way to shut up a talkative spirit.
Though it never worked on Rai.
"He was noisy, wasn't he?"
Yes. Completely lacking in dignity.
"He seemed a lot like you."
He was quite an elegant fellow.
I found the bed amid the ruined room and collapsed onto it. Every surface was scorched.
As I looked around wondering how to deal with the mess, Rai shoved his face right in front of mine.
Master, you seem to be in a much better mood than earlier.
"Huh? Now that you mention it, I am."
For some reason I felt strangely refreshed. Did the lightning spirit feed on negative emotions too?
He had been far too loud and chaotic to stay depressed around. There was something almost clumsy about him that made the whole thing funny.
It had turned into an unexpected mood reset.
"All my worries look stupid now."
The reason I remembered my past life, the Bee Swarm dying because of me—none of it would change no matter how much I agonized over it.
The past-life confusion especially was something I'd gone through countless times. Why had I died that way? Why did I remember? There had never been an answer, and at this point the lack of one had become the expected outcome.
People dying seemed to follow the same logic.
It might have been self-justification, but my heart felt lighter.
As expected of the master I chose. Those with strong mental fortitude don't break easily, but even if they do, they recover quickly.
"Mental fortitude, my ass... it's just annoying..."
Humans often suffer confusion over killing. But isn't it simply the way of the world that the strong survive? The dead were merely weak.
Pitying the weak only makes you weak alongside them. Choosing to survive is the natural decision.
"Hmm. Is it because you're over ten thousand years old? You sound like an old man sometimes, Rai."
Old man? Such harsh words!
Rai made a dramatic show of rejection, flailing his head and tail. If I ignored him he'd start rolling around, and the sight of a snake rolling was strangely comical.
I chuckled, then asked because the contents of Adore's diary from earlier that day had come to mind.
"Right. The reason spirits help humans. Do you know about that?"
You mean the reason we form contracts with humans?
"Yeah. That."
We learn emotions from humans. What life and death truly mean.
"Aha?"
But that's not the only reason. There's a more fundamental issue. Do you know the root purpose behind a spirit's birth?
I thought for a moment. Even a dog at a temple learns to recite poems after three years, so I managed to come up with an answer.
"Harmony and balance."
Correct. We exist to maintain the world's balance.
"That's something I already knew. It still doesn't answer my question, does it?"
Let me put it simply. Whenever a powerful force that could threaten the balance appears or shows signs of emerging, we lend humans equivalent strength. All for the sake of the world's equilibrium.
I had been listening casually until my eyes flew wide open.
"That... sounds way too cosmic."
The conclusion is simple. We spirits exist to correct any tilt in the balance of power.
When harmony and balance are disturbed, we naturally drift toward the problem. It is the flow of the world itself, not something decided by any individual.
"Can you really tell me something like that so easily? It seems like even the ancient Spirit Masters didn't know. I thought spirits were supposed to be full of secrets."
It's less a secret and more that few spirits actually know the details. Lower spirits wouldn't even comprehend the concept... Upper spirits might know, but they don't speak carelessly. Spirit Kings look down on humans, so they would never explain it.
"What about you?"
I am an independent being. I don't concern myself with such restrictions.
I had always thought he was unique, but Rai was actually incredibly...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Jeanie Crowell? You're inside, aren't you? Open the door this instant! The smell of burning is reaching all the way to the next room!"
"Ah."
"Miss Jeanie!"
Should I run? I glanced at the window, but I didn't have the nerve for that kind of escape.
From the voice, the person pounding on the door was Teacher Iruto.
What should I say? I quickly scanned the room, from the pitch-black charred table to the generally scorched surroundings, and settled on an excuse before opening the door.
Teacher Iruto was usually gentle, but when there was wrongdoing she could be terrifyingly strict. Just like right now.
With a hardened expression, she pushed her glasses up with one hand.
"Jeanie Crowell! There was even a mana fluctuation. What exactly were you doing in there?"
"...Ah, well."
"Tell me the truth!"
As expected of the economics teacher—thorough to a fault. Fortunately, my excuse was flawless.
"You know how I nearly got into serious trouble when I went into the city today, right?"
"You encountered the Bee Swarm, didn't you? The knights told me. They said you needed rest, so I left you alone."
"The shock was overwhelming. I was lying down and ended up dozing off..."
"Wait. Did you properly thank the knights? They are your lifesavers."
I had completely forgotten in all the chaos.
"Of course. I gave them my deepest, most sincere gratitude."
"That's a relief. Then let's hear the rest of the story."
I gestured with my hands as I explained.
"I was asleep when I smelled burning and woke up. The table was on fire, if you can believe it. So I summoned Undine, my water spirit, and put it out. It was a small matter."
"If there was a fire, you should have called an adult."
"I'm a water Spirit Master. My first thought was to call a spirit."
"...Sigh. I see. Still, it's dangerous, so next time something like that happens, call an adult immediately."
"Yes, ma'am."
"You're not hurt, are you?"
Teacher Iruto glanced into the room as she asked.
"A major incident during the day and now a fire. You must be exhausted."
"It feels like I was cursed today."
"I'll look into changing your room. You can't sleep in a place like this. But... why did the fire start in the first place?"
I hadn't thought that far ahead. Teacher Iruto really wasn't someone to underestimate.
Caught off guard, I stuttered slightly.
"I fell asleep with a candle lit... It seems my snake must have knocked it over."
I pointed at Rai, who was sprawled on the bed with his belly exposed.
What? Master! When did I ever do that?
"Ah, so this is the famous snake I've heard about. His Majesty the King personally granted permission for Miss Jeanie's pet, correct? I had no idea you brought it on this trip."
"He's usually so well-behaved you don't even notice him."
"He does look gentle."
"Doesn't he?"
"Still, causing fires is dangerous, so please find a basket or something to keep him in."
"Yes..."
"Since there was a major incident today I won't scold you too harshly, but you need to be more careful, Miss Jeanie. Didn't you learn that candles should always be placed on a bowl of water before sleeping? And furthermore..."
Teacher Iruto continued lecturing me about this and that for a long time before she finally seemed satisfied and turned to head down the stairs.
She had said she would check about changing rooms, so she would probably return soon.
I went back inside and started digging through the melted bag.
I had hoped something might have survived, but the lightning spirit's power was no joke—nothing was intact.
Learning that his offensive strength was this high made me happy, but the fact that all the spending money I had brought had melted into slag was genuinely depressing.
The most shocking discovery, however, was something else entirely. The moment I realized it, I let out a scream.
"Aaaagh!"
What's wrong?
"My book!"
No wonder it had burned so well. The book had been reduced to a blackened lump of charcoal.
The ancient Spirit Master's diary I bought for ten gold!
"A book thousands of years old with preservation magic cast on it!"
Ah, fire really was unavoidable, I suppose.
The book I hadn't even finished reading half of had become perfect firewood. It could have served as valuable research material on spirit history!
I was hit with another wave of crushing stress, and the realization that I had no one to blame but myself for the loss filled me with deep frustration all over again.
After all, the one who had caused the accident was now my own spirit.