Ch. 13

As I scowled while having my mental conversation with Rai, Master Yael must have thought I was deep in thought. He patted my shoulder gently and spoke kindly.

“If you’re having trouble deciding, how about a fire spirit? It’s the most commonly used, highly practical, and has the strongest offensive power among the four main elemental spirits.”

“Rejected.”

“…Pardon? But considering your temperament, it seems like a good fit… I mean, given your sharp personality, fire should—”

“I ‘hate’ fire.”

“…What?”

I had ‘died’ because of fire in my previous life. There was no way I’d want to form a contract with a fire spirit. I clicked my tongue in frustration.

I wasn’t entirely certain, but given how I had died, my body had most likely burned to ashes. That was an unforgivable offense against my past self.

For a brief moment, my parents’ faces flashed in my mind, and my chest ached.

I had never been able to form a close emotional bond with my current world’s parents.

One of the few comforts of living at the academy was that I didn’t have to call them ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad.’

Saying those words had always felt like swallowing thorns.

Master Yael, noticing my sudden dissatisfaction, knelt beside me.

He always made an effort to meet my gaze and genuinely tried to understand me, though he never quite succeeded.

“In that case, how about a wind spirit? Since you’re my student, it would be an area where I could guide you the best.”

“But wind spirits are difficult to control, aren’t they?”

“They do have that reputation. But they’re also incredibly versatile. Their attack and defense capabilities are well-balanced, and since they’re swift and agile, they’re often used for communication.”

I recalled what I had learned in spirit studies—excluding the fire spirits, of course.

Wind spirits were tricky to handle because of their fickle personalities. But summoning them was relatively easy.

As Master Yael had said, they weren’t overly specialized in any one area but instead excelled across multiple aspects. A ‘balanced type’, so to speak.

Water spirits were known for their gentle nature, making them easy to control but the hardest to summon.

They had excellent defensive capabilities but were significantly weaker in offense. However, they had a unique advantage—starting from the intermediate level, they could use healing magic, albeit to a limited extent.

Water had always symbolized regeneration. It was often referred to as the source of life and compared to a nurturing mother who embraced all things with calm serenity.

It was said that the Water Spirit King had the power to even resurrect the dead.

Lastly, there were earth spirits. They were generally sluggish but not aggressive and were known for their stubborn nature.

Earth spirits had the highest defensive capabilities among the four elemental spirits, and their offensive power wasn’t bad either.

High-level earth spirits could cause large-scale earthquakes, plunging entire battlefields into chaos—perfect for area-wide destruction.

They could dig tunnels, block paths, and shake the ground, making them highly useful in wartime.

[Master, why are you zoning out?]

[‘I’m not zoning out—I’m thinking.’]

[Thinking about what?]

[‘Which elemental spirit I should contract with… Which one do you pair well with? Wind? Water? Earth? Fire is out of the question.’]

[My attribute is closer to being non-elemental, but if I had to choose, I’d say earth. Most things that come from the ground are under my domain. But I don’t necessarily follow elemental classifications.]

Oh? In that case…

“Instructor! I’ve decided!”

“Oh! Which one?”

“A water spirit!”

As I cheerfully announced my decision, Rai’s voice suddenly sounded unenthusiastic.

[…Then why did you even ask me?]

[‘Because when you said ‘earth,’ I realized I didn’t want that. Thanks for helping me figure it out!’]

“A water spirit, huh? That’s an excellent choice. May I ask why you’re drawn to it?”

“Because water can put out fire.”

“…I see.”

“Yes, that’s it.”

Master Yael seemed to give up on understanding me at that point.

Without further comment, he quietly pulled out his keyring.

Together, we stood beneath the large door engraved with the spirit language symbol for ‘water.’

[‘Water? Ugh, water?’]

[‘What’s your problem now?’]

[‘I don’t want to share my master with such a common spirit!’]

I still had the overly talkative candlestick tucked under my arm.

He kept insisting he was a spirit, but so far, I had no idea what he was actually capable of.

Would he ever prove useful?

That remained to be seen.

—

As we stepped inside, magical lamps on the ceiling automatically lit up the room.

The floor featured a summoning circle similar to the one I had used to summon Rai, though it was much simpler. It appeared to be a lower-level water spirit formation.

Despite being called the ‘Contracting Room,’ there wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about it.

It was just a large room with a pre-carved summoning formation.

“Huh, so this is what it looks like.”

While I leisurely looked around, completely at ease, Master Yael busied himself, nervously arranging the necessary summoning components on the floor.

As expected, he kept repeating himself, which was getting a little annoying.

“Miss Geenie, I know you’re confident, but… If you fail the contract, please don’t be too discouraged. It might just mean you’re better suited to a different spirit. Finding the right one is part of the learning process.”

“You ‘do’ realize you sound like you’ve already decided I’m going to fail, right? Or is that just my imagination?”

“O-of course not! I believe in you, Miss Geenie! Even though you frequently skip class, and when you do attend, you mostly sleep through lessons… I still believe deep down, you’re a kind and dedicated student.”

He sounded like he was ‘trying’ to convince himself rather than me.

“Consider this a practice session, Miss Geenie. Just practice.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Stand here and read this aloud.”

Master Yael positioned me at the center of the room and handed me a book before pouring mana-infused liquid onto the summoning circle.

I had done something similar the night before, but seeing it under bright lighting made it feel different.

The deep green lines that formed the summoning pattern looked just as mysterious as before.

Mana, when shaped with the correct patterns, became magic.

That principle applied to both summoning formations and mage spells.

The book he handed me contained the incantation for summoning a spirit.

“You know the theory, right?”

Master Yael handed me a small pouch filled with fairy dust, his expression still clouded with concern.

So, it wasn’t just theory—I had practiced this just yesterday. I nodded confidently.

“Now, read this passage. The summoning incantation for a lower-grade water spirit goes like this:

‘O blue spirit of water, pure and gentle force, I call upon you to share your benevolent power with me. By the sacred pact passed down since the beginning of time, answer my summon.’ That’s it. Can you memorize it, Miss Geenie?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m a genius at memorization.”

“Try to, anyway.”

“Can’t you just hold the book open next to me?”

Honestly, I doubt the spirit would mind if this was ‘open-book.’

Master Yael didn’t seem pleased with my attitude, but since he knew how stubborn I was, he decided to let it slide. He took a step back and held the book for me.

He really was a good person.

“Now, take a handful of fairy dust.”

“Yes, sir!”

“When you channel your mana through your hand, the fairy dust will begin to glow.”

Since I had done this yesterday, it felt noticeably easier today.

“Feel the mana flowing through the contract formation at your feet. Slowly merge your mana with it as if you’re blending it together.”

Master Yael’s calm and meticulous instructions made this feel less like a real summoning and more like a practice exercise.

He was probably indulging me because he didn’t believe the contract would actually work.

“When the formation starts to glow, sprinkle the fairy dust and recite the incantation. You must say it loudly and with conviction so the spirit can hear you.”

Since it wasn’t ‘my’ fairy dust, I generously flung a large handful into the air.

The dust was instantly pulled toward the contract formation. It shimmered in golden light, swirling above the formation as if caught in a tiny whirlwind.

Light met light, amplifying itself and opening a path.

A familiar radiance burst forth from the contract formation, though it didn’t seem as bright as yesterday—perhaps because the room was well-lit.

If this were my first time experiencing this, I might have been excited.

Instead, I recited the summoning incantation in a calm, even voice.

“O blue spirit of water—”

“Louder.”

“Pure and gentle force, I call upon you to share your benevolent power with me. By the sacred pact passed down since the beginning of time, answer my summon.”

Not only the fairy dust but also the mana within my body was slowly being drawn into the swirling energy.

However, it was a significantly smaller amount compared to when I summoned Rai.

That meant Rai had ‘devoured’ a ridiculous amount of mana! What an inefficient glutton!

“Huh?”

The light from the formation dimmed, and at the same time, Master Yael let out a startled noise.

A small droplet of water appeared above the summoning circle.

It bubbled and frothed, gradually shaping itself into a distinct form.

And then, fully materialized, it gazed at me.

‘Bloop.’

“Oh my.”

Looking at the small water spirit—an Undine—I grinned like a child receiving a cherished toy.

I wasn’t particularly fond of dolls, but spirits? I liked them. They were ‘useful.’

“It’s adorable! Spirits are ‘this’ cute?”

“…This is impossible!”

Ignoring Master Yael’s shocked gasp, I eagerly reached out toward the spirit.