An Encounter with a Spirit

Crunch.

"This really won't go out. Even a tiny ember like this refuses to die."

"From what I have heard, the dense mana saturating this forest makes it impossible to extinguish."

Trees and underbrush mutated into bizarre shapes under the heavy concentration of ambient mana, cloaking the woods in an ethereal, otherworldly aura that had long made the forest the hallmark of the estate. Now, however, scarred by the charred remnants of persistent fire, that once-mystical atmosphere had curdled into something thoroughly grim.

"Is that why the Archmage came?"

"Yes, most likely."

It was certainly a grave issue if even a stray spark refused to burn out. While the fire didn't appear to consume everything in its path with the ravenous speed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of a typical wildfire, it was more than enough to give anyone managing the territory a pounding headache. Which explained why that arrogant bastard, overflowing with nothing but pride, had swallowed his ego and sent an official request outside the estate. Had the fire ignited anywhere else, he likely would have ignored it without sparing a second thought.

"So what kind of person are they? The Archmage, I mean."

An Archmage was, by all accounts, the freest kind of being in this world. They had no need to swear allegiance to any faction, nor did they ever have to bow their head to another soul. To someone like me—who had spent his entire past life walking on eggshells, freeloading under a relative's roof—such an existence was the very definition of a dream.

To tell the truth, when I first realized I had been reincarnated, becoming an Archmage was my immediate dream. Well, I didn't entertain such absurd fantasies anymore. I understood all too well that wanting to become an Archmage without a single speck of innate mana was pure delusion. Even so, my fascination remained. After all, it was what I had once longed to be.

"I do not know the particulars either, Young Master, as I have remained by your side."

"Well, you do have to keep an eye on me, after all."

"That is..."

At my offhand remark, the expression of Abel, standing faithfully beside me, darkened in an instant. It was as though she had been struck by a sudden pang of guilt.

"I was joking. Just a joke. Why make a face like that? Now you're making me feel guilty."

"I apologize."

"No, look, it was just... never mind."

Such humor might slide with other maids, but it never seemed to land with Abel. Her daughter, Lena, on the other hand, was always quick with a playful comeback.

With her rich brown hair and sharp, feline eyes, Abel had the poised allure of a cool beauty. Mother and daughter looked remarkably alike—so much so that anyone could tell their relation at a glance. Their personalities, however, could not have been more different.

Abel was strictly professional and somewhat rigid, whereas Lena was vibrant, quick to laugh, and brimming ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with affectionate charm. Watching the two of them interact was entertaining simply because of how contrasting they were. Though come to think of it, when I first met Lena, she had seemed quite similar to Abel. If anything, she had been even stiffer and colder back then. Well, people change as they grow up. That bastard Jey was living proof of that.

"Young Master? We should return now. Beyond this point, the flames grow far too fierce. Furthermore, the Archmage and Lord Jaylen may arrive in this forest at any moment."

Having stepped slightly aside to gauge the position of the sun, Abel politely urged our withdrawal.

"Huh? Wait, already...?"

I hadn't obtained a single thing yet. Far from finding a way to acquire mana, if we turned back now, this entire excursion would amount to nothing more than an aimless walk in the woods. The concentration of mana here was real, and the inextinguishable flame was right in front of us. If an Archmage had traveled all this way, there had to be something here. I had expected a prompt or notification to appear, yet nothing showed up. Was that book really just the scribblings of some delusional edge-lord after all?

"Young Master? This is as far as we go. Do you see ahead? It is impossible to breach that wall of fire."

"Huh? Yeah."

Even from this distance, scorching heat radiated from the colossal blaze, bleeding through the protection of my enchanted ward. Was it really impossible to push through there? Or... was I actually supposed to go in?

Waaah!

Wait... is that a child crying?

"Young Master?"

"Did you hear that crying just now?"

"Crying? I heard nothing of the sort..."

"No, listen. It's clearly a child crying."

"Perhaps an animal, but if it were the sound of a human child, there is no way I would fail to hear it."

Abel wore a look of genuine perplexity, showing not the slightest sign of having heard anything at all.

Waaah!

No, it's faint, but I can definitely hear it!

"Whoa, it popped up."

"Pardon? What popped up?"

"No, it's nothing."

If the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hint meant fire, it had to be referring to that roaring blaze ahead. Didn't that mean I was supposed to dive straight in? If I didn't enter, the episode would terminate. Which meant no more episode windows would ever appear, and I would spend the rest of my life trapped as a mana-less defect.

Then there's really only one choice.

I was someone who had once surrendered before the insurmountable wall of natural talent and reality. But now that a chance had finally presented itself, how could I possibly turn my back on it?

Waaah!

Along with the renewed wailing, a narrow seam split open through the towering inferno.

That's my cue, isn't it?

"Abel."

"We are heading back, yes, Young Master?"

"I'm sorry."

"What? Wait—!"

"Whatever you do, don't follow me!"

Eron broke into a dead sprint. Without looking back, he plunged directly into the narrow fissure parting the sea of fire. Abel's frantic cries behind him rapidly faded, swallowed by the roar of the blaze and the increasingly distinct wails echoing from within.

"Urgh!"

The instant he breached the perimeter, blistering heat slammed through his magical ward.

"Khh...!"

Inside this furnace, even the simple act of breathing was denied. Unable to inhale properly and incapable of screaming, the only thing left to do was throw his weight forward. The sharp reek of burning flesh filled the air, accompanied by a searing agony that felt as if his entire body were being consumed alive.

Endure it. That's the only thing I can do anyway.

Gritting his teeth against the blinding pain, he tore through the wall of flame. When he finally burst out onto the other side, he saw it.

"Huaaah!"

Curled up on the scorched earth, weeping, was a tiny child no larger than a human hand.

"Agh! G-Guh..."

A wave of sheer agony washed over him, so intense that even a scream died in his throat.

Huh? The pain... it's gone?

As if it had all been an illusion, the burning agony vanished entirely, leaving his skin clean and soothed. Was this the reward?

It really doesn't give you a moment to catch your breath, does it?

Next up was a conversation? Not like I had any other way out right now anyway. Might as well see this through.

Step.

"Sniff... what? Who's there?"

The moment Eron took a step forward, the tiny figure snapped its head up to look at him. It was a little girl with short, fiery red hair—someone whose features were delicate enough that, at a glance, she could almost pass for a pretty boy. Her miniature proportions, impossible for any mortal, alongside the shimmering, translucent wings fluttering from her back, made it immediately obvious that she was a spirit.

"What? Another human? How annoying."

"Uh..."

"I'm already irritated enough being tied down here. Why do you pests keep wandering back and forth? A pathetic human with barely a drop of mana, to boot."

Spitting complaints about mankind, the spirit fluttered through the air straight toward Eron.

"Tch! Big for nothing and completely useless. That's humans for you."

She landed on his head, hopped down onto his shoulder, and reached out to poke at his cheeks, hovering freely around his body without a shred of hesitation.

"Though you're smaller than the other humans. Still haven't fully grown? To think even a brat like this—"

"What are you doing?"

"Huh??"

The spirit blinked, looking left and right as if the notion of anyone speaking to her was utterly inconceivable.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"..."

"Seriously, what are you doing? Quit touching my face."

"Y-You... you can see me?"

Darting right up to the bridge of his nose, the spirit locked eyes with him. Seeing her this close, she was undeniably a girl. But what on earth was she babbling about?

"Yeah, I can see you."

"Huh...? Can you... hear me too?"

"What kind of nonsense are you—"

"EEEEEK!!"

A piercing shriek, completely impossible to imagine coming from such a palm-sized body, erupted from the little spirit's lungs.

Useless wench.

Pathetic fool.

Just what on earth have I done?

Abel tore into herself with vicious self-reproach. She had let down her guard. She had made an unforgivable blunder. No excuses could ever justify what had just transpired. Through a fleeting seam that had opened in the towering blaze for only a fraction of a second, Eron had dashed inside. Never in her wildest nightmares had she imagined he would throw himself into an inferno.

The gap sealed before I could follow. No, she could never dare utter such a cowardly excuse. Eron was the benefactor who had saved her daughter's life, and the young master she served with every fiber of her being. She should have chased after him by any means necessary and dragged him out by force.

No, she had to dive in right now. Despite her warnings, she had personally infused as much mana as possible into his warding artifact before they set out. He might still be holding out. If there was even the faintest hope, she had to plunge into the flames this very second.

Only a few minutes had passed since Eron vanished into the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fire when Abel gathered her resolve to throw herself into the roaring blaze.

"Urgh!"

At that exact second, an invisible force bound her limbs, freezing her in place.

"I care little whether you wish to die or what foolishness you intend to commit, but I have business here. Do it later."

Merna strolled forward leisurely, addressing Abel as the maid struggled frantically against the magical restraint.

"Let me go! The Young Master is in there! Master Eron is—!"

"Has a child been swallowed by the flames? If so, give up. Nothing survives an inferno like that."

At those indifferent words, Abel's glare snapped toward the woman approaching her side.

"Shut your mouth and release me this instant!"

Under ordinary circumstances, Abel's sharp mind would have easily deduced Merna's extraordinary identity, but in her current state of frantic panic, reason was entirely out of reach.

"Fret not. I shall at least retrieve the corpse for you."

"Stop spouting nonsense! We don't know that yet! Not yet!"

Paying no heed to Abel's desperate screams, Merna stepped up to the edge of the inferno. Standing motionless before the roaring heat with her eyes closed for several moments, she sensed something undeniable.

Did I hit the jackpot?

A faint smirk tugged at Merna's lips as she savored the distinct aura pulsing from the heart of the blaze. Having traveled far and wide across mana-dense regions in search of spirits, she was certain that this place bore an energy fundamentally distinct from any she had encountered before.

Shall we take a look, then?

Just as Merna prepared to extinguish the unyielding fire and verify the spirit's presence—

"Hm? What is this?"

Alongside an overwhelming surge of spirit energy, Merna felt a spell ignite deep within the flames. The next instant, a wave of flame magic so colossal that even Merna flinched shot straight into the heavens.

Almost immediately after the spell detonated, the wildfire engulfing the surrounding forest began to vanish, sucked inward as though being drained toward a single epicenter. Merna's gaze snapped instantly to the core of the converging flames. She needed to see what manner of entity could possibly absorb such an inferno.

As the final embers were drawn away into nothingness, what met Merna's eyes was a presence she could never have fathomed seeing in such a place.

A boy.

Standing alone in the center of the clearing was a young boy who looked barely in his early teens.