Ch. 26
Huh.
Was this written by a great senior? At least from four thousand years ago?
The preservation magic on it was quite strong, and it turned out to be a book left behind by an ancient Spirit Mage.
If Master Yael saw this, he’d find it incredibly fascinating.
There was no reason to close the book. The deeper I read, the more I realized—it was a diary.
Judging by the tone, the book’s owner seemed to be an elderly man deeply engrossed in research. The pages were filled with densely packed, disorganized notes.
I flipped through quickly and examined the last page.
—
“The Spirit Association is collapsing. Our legacy is coming to an end. I can clearly see the darkness ahead.
The looming abyss terrifies me.
Just as the gods abandoned us, so have the spirits.
If the number of humans capable of summoning spirits continues to dwindle, what else could that signify but our extinction?”
—
Hmm. But we haven’t gone extinct yet, have we? The world seems to be doing just fine.
I glanced up at the clear blue sky before returning to the book.
—
“I did everything I could to keep spirits in this world, but it wasn’t enough. After years of research, I created twenty-five summoning formations, but only sixteen of them were complete.
Only the spirits of the four primary elements properly respond to the summonings. The spirits of the natural world—those without a structured hierarchy—remain imperfect.
Our research succeeded in leaving behind a gateway to the Spirit Realm, but it was unrecognized and ultimately deemed a failure.
People do not truly understand the value of spirits.
Perhaps it was not the spirits who abandoned us first—perhaps it was we humans who turned away from them.”
—
So this man was likely one of the ancient Spirit Mages who developed the summoning formations still used today.
It seemed highly probable.
—
“Internal divisions deepened. The differences in opinion grew too vast, and it became impossible to stay together.
I decided to resign from the Spirit Association.
For my final act, I debated what should be done with the nine incomplete formations.
One side argued for their destruction, while the other insisted they should be preserved at all costs. The conflict was fierce.
To me, these formations are like my own children. Destroying them would be more painful than cutting into my own flesh.
Those who shared my view agreed to each take responsibility for their own research.
Whether to hide them, destroy them, or complete them—we each followed our own convictions and parted ways.
Some mock me for my foolishness.”
—
Incomplete summoning formations, huh?
I looked again at the Spirit Stone in my hand.
So there was a chance that the spirit might not respond to the summon.
—
“They may be right.
Perhaps this is all meaningless.
Perhaps destruction is the correct choice.
But I still dream of the day these spirits will return to the world.
It may be in the distant future.
It may never come at all.
Am I holding onto hope, or am I simply drowning in my own delusions?
Despite my endless doubts, I cannot abandon what I have created.
I will bury them here, hoping that one day, they will find their way into the hands of the next generation.
Humans may summon spirits, but it is the spirits who choose their summoners.
So I wait for the one who will answer the call.
I bury these in the land where I was born, the land where my mother was born.”
—
Wait a second… “these”?
That means it wasn’t just one!
Practically shoving my face into the book, I raced through the remaining lines.
—
“I do not know how much time will pass, so I have encased them in Spirit Stones.
But even these will not last forever.
Given enough time, the Spirit Stones will lose their essence and return to dust.
I pour all my life’s wishes into this—hoping that someday, someone will find them and bring these two spirits back into the world.
Yet if they are lost to the earth, then that too is their fate.
If they are buried forever in human memory, that too is destiny.”
—
This definitely says two Spirit Stones!
And not just any Spirit Stones—rare ones!
Still wide-eyed in shock, I turned to the boy and, without meaning to, raised my voice.
“Hey! You! It wasn’t just one?! There were two?!”
Startled by my sudden outburst, the boy flinched.
I was just as shocked—two Spirit Stones, and they contained natural spirits, something impossible to find in today’s world!
“Y-yes… There were two. But my father took the other one to sell at a jewelry shop…”
“He sold it? For money?! Do you even know what that is?!”
Dear gods.
I had been prepared to buy the Spirit Stone, but the fact that he had already sold the other one made my blood boil.
“N-no! The jeweler accused him of trying to sell stolen goods! They beat him up and chased him out… A-and then… my father collapsed…”
“Wait! That’s not important right now! Where is my Spirit Stone? What happened to it?”
Nothing else mattered.
All I cared about was where the Spirit Stone had gone.
“The jeweler took it…”
“What kind of thug just takes someone else’s property?! That’s theft! A crime!”
How could I not be furious?
That was mine! How dare they steal it?!
“But… technically, you weren’t the rightful owners either…”
“Hey! No, listen to me. If they hadn’t stolen it, you would have brought it here to sell, right?”
“Uh… yeah?”
“And then I would have bought it, right?”
“…I guess so?”
“Right! So if I bought it, it would be mine!”
“…Ehh?”
Why is this kid so dense?
This is so frustrating!
As I clutched my head in exasperation, I noticed Philo running toward us.
But he looked like he had been through hell.
His face was bruised and swollen, and he was limping.
“Philo!”
Hansen let out a cry of distress.
But despite his battered state, Philo still prioritized his duty.
He shoved Hansen aside and held out a bag to me.
Blood stained the fabric.
“I apologize. It got a bit messy.”
“Never mind that! Philo, what happened to your face?!”
Did he get into a fight?
“I was punished for my mistake.”
Punished?
“What kind of mistake?”
“It was entirely my fault. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to greet the commander in the dining hall.”
How absurd.
Do knights normally get beaten over trivial things like this? Or was Philo being treated especially harshly because he was a commoner?
There wasn’t much to ponder—the latter seemed far more likely.
“Hey, when they pick a Knight Commander…”
“Yes?”
“Do they not consider personality?”
“…Well, as far as I know, as long as they have enough skill and status, it doesn’t really matter.”
Just as I clicked my tongue at that ridiculous answer, the boy suddenly screamed.
“A s-snake! A snake!”
“Huh?”
“There’s a snake on your back, miss!”
Oh, so he saw it.
Calmly, I reached behind me and pulled Rai off my waist, where he had been wrapped around me like a belt.
As he slithered across my hand in a smooth motion, Hansen and Philo looked like their eyes were about to pop out of their skulls.
[Greetings, humans!]
Rai flicked his tongue happily in greeting, but the humans, instead of appreciating his presence, descended into sheer panic.
“Why is that thing here?!”
“Why did it come out?!”
“Have you never seen a snake before?”
Hansen turned completely pale and immediately reached for his sword.
Since only I could hear Rai’s voice, to them, he was nothing more than a revolting creature.
“Hand it over! I’ll kill it at once!”
“Why do you keep doing reckless things?! That’s obviously a venomous snake!”
Eh? We’ve been together all this time, and now they’re freaking out?
“He’s my pet. He’s been with me this whole time, but I guess you never noticed.”
“Hiiik!”
“Aaagh!”
“He’s not dangerous at all! He’s not even venomous! And if you take a closer look, he’s actually quite cute. See?”
As I moved closer to show them Rai, both of them leaped backward in terror.
These fully grown men—armed knights, no less—were acting like terrified children.
“Just try touching him! He won’t bite!”
“N-no, thank you!”
“Me neither….”
They stubbornly avoided my gaze, as if refusing would make the situation go away.
With a sigh, I figured I might as well let Rai stretch out now that he had been exposed.
I placed him on my shoulders, where he coiled himself neatly around both sides.
At a glance, he could pass for a decorative shoulder piece. Pretending to be an accessory was one of Rai’s special skills.
“Oh, right. I’m buying this book too.”
Still dazed, the boy blinked at me as I spoke, looking incredibly pleased with myself.
“And now, tell me—where is that arrogant jeweler?”