Ch. 29

Lying blankly on the bed, staring at the ceiling, I heard Rai’s voice.

[Master, isn’t death a natural part of life? It’s only a matter of when, so why dwell on it and let it hurt you?]

[……It’s not just because someone died.]

[Then what is it?]

[Because death itself isn’t necessarily painful. I understand that. But I hate it when someone dies because of me.]

I sat up and clutched my head. The unfamiliar stress made it feel like my skull was about to split.

[To be honest, we spirits don’t even have the concept of death. I can’t comprehend Master’s distress.]

“If you don’t die…?”

[We disappear. That’s all.]

“Then spirits… spirits….”

Do they not reincarnate? I wanted to ask, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Even though I vividly remembered my past life, for some reason, I couldn’t say it out loud.

Whenever I tried to force the words out, my tongue refused to move. Something was stopping me.

At times, I wondered.

Was something wrong when I was born into this world? Was remembering my past life something that shouldn’t have happened? Why did strange things keep happening to me?

A tangled mess of self-questioning filled my mind.

I wanted to voice my thoughts, but since I couldn’t, my insides twisted into a chaotic knot.

What the hell is stopping me? Why? Why is this happening to me? What do you want from me?

Even as I felt overwhelmed by my own emotions, I couldn’t stop.

Things I would normally brush off felt unbearably repulsive today.

I was sad, furious, and irritated to the point of wanting to break something, but I couldn’t control it.

“I don’t know… I don’t know! Why is this happening to me?!”

[Master? Why are you—]

I shouted with all my might, and at that moment, a powerful surge of energy erupted from one side of the room.

Both Rai and I turned our heads simultaneously. A strange light flickered on the table, burning something.

“My… bag!”

—

The energy was emanating from the table, where my bag and coin pouch lay.

A dazzling golden light flickered, emitting a sharp, acrid scent as it melted through my bag.

Golden droplets dripped onto the floor beneath the table—undeniably my gold coins. Or at least, what used to be my gold coins.

“What the hell is that?!”

Forgetting my earlier gloom, I leapt from the bed and rushed toward the table, but there was nothing I could do.

The leather of my bag had lost its shape and was oozing downward, and an unmistakable current of electricity crackled around it—just enough to fry me if I got too close.

I plan to live a long life, thank you very much!

[It’s a spirit of electricity. You put a spirit stone in your bag, remember?]

“Of course, I know that! But why is it suddenly doing this?!”

[Um… It seems like it wants to be summoned?]

Was that a question?!

Rai had already climbed onto my shoulder—his favorite perch.

“My money! My bag! My… my…!”

[Master, your emotions are at an all-time low right now. It must have been drawn to that. Your strong negative emotions are making it react. It’s showing the will to come here on its own. But since spirits can’t cross dimensions without a summoner, it’s basically asking you to summon it—]

“So it’s just an attention-seeker?!”

[Yes, it wishes to serve Master willingly.]

Crackle.

Zzzzt!

Sparks continued to fly. If this went on, it would burn the table, the inn, and everything else down with it. Most of the buildings in this world were made of wood, meaning they were highly flammable.

“How do I stop this?!”

[Hmm, it’s just a matter of energy control. If you summon it outside, it should settle down.]

“…Damn it! I’m not in the mood to make a contract right now.”

[That thing seems to like the mood just fine.]

An electric spirit, huh?

I was beyond irritated, but I couldn’t just stand here and watch everything burn.

“So how do I summon it? I don’t even know the chant or contract formation.”

[Spirit stones are simple. Just inject your mana into it.]

“With my bare hands?”

[You think I’d let you die?]

“How am I supposed to touch that?!”

There was no way to even get close.

The golden light pulsed ominously, crackling in all directions, scorching everything it touched.

Watching anxiously, I had no choice but to take off my shoe.

The sole was made of leather.

“Ugh, I really don’t want to stick my hand into my shoe.”

[Oh! The light is dimming. Looks like it’s running low on energy. Now’s your chance, Master!]

I slipped my hand into my shoe like a glove and reached out while the spirit stone had momentarily calmed down. I wasn’t sure if this would work, but thankfully, I could still channel my mana through it.

Usually, mana leaked away when released, but the spirit stone greedily devoured it like a man dying of thirst gulping down water.

“Ow! Hot!”

Even with the added leather, the heat was intense. I yanked my hand away, shook off the shoe, and frantically flapped my hand in the air to cool it down.

When that didn’t work, I grabbed Rai.

You look nice and cool!

[Ahhh!]

“Hold still!”

[Master! Metal is weak to heat! No! My shell!]

While I wrestled with Rai, the spirit finally emerged, but I was too busy dealing with my burning hand to notice at first.

[Give me… a name…]

“Oh, it’s out?”

The voice was weak.

And since it was asking for a name, it was definitely a spirit of nature.

Thanks to Rai, I had gotten used to this, so I wasn’t as flustered as before.

Floating weakly above the scorched remains of my bag, the small ball of light nibbled away at my mana.

[Master? Usually, people are more amazed when a spirit appears. Shouldn’t you at least be a little impressed?]

“But I’m a genius. I’m used to this.”

[…Oh, okay…]

Besides, I didn’t even summon it—it came here begging to make a contract. So naturally, I had the upper hand in this relationship.

“An electric spirit?”

Still in a foul mood, I eyed the flickering ball of light skeptically.

[That’s right.]

“You speak too informally.”

[Since I will graciously accept you as my master, give me a name.]

Even though it wobbled weakly, its tone carried an air of confidence—almost arrogance. It reminded me of someone.

“And if I refuse?”

[……R-Refuse?]

“I don’t need a rude spirit. Either go back where you came from or shape up.”

This one’s got a serious attitude problem. It’s going to be a pain to tame. My preference is for someone more docile, like Undine.

[How dare you reject me when I am offering a contract?!]

“What kind of spirit begs for a contract with that attitude? If you’re not going to behave, go back. It’s not like you’re the only electric spirit in existence. Hmph.”

The small ball of light zipped angrily through the air in a figure-eight pattern. Its glow fluctuated wildly, making its foul mood obvious.

[You’ll regret this! I am of the highest rank among electric spirits—]

“Yeah, yeah. Go back in.”

[Puha!]

Where does a non-elemental spirit like this even get ranked? It’s obviously bluffing.

Rai, who had been quietly observing, finally lost it and burst out laughing.

[You dare laugh at me?! Who are you?!]

[I am Master’s first spirit, the great Rai! A spirit of metal!]

Rai lifted his head proudly—though he was still shaped like a snake.

[A spirit of metal? What kind of unheard-of mongrel—]

[WHAT DID YOU SAY?!]

[Shall I repeat it? You’re nothing but an obscure bottom-feeder! Must be a low-rank spirit at best!]

[How dare you not recognize your senior! You insolent—]

“Both of you, shut up.”

They were fighting among themselves, but their voices somehow ended up ringing inside my head. No way was I tolerating this nonsense.

[Who do you think you’re telling to shut up?! I am the spirit of electri—]

[But Master! This wretch started it by—]

“I said shut up.”

[…Yes, Master.]

Sigh. Having one noisy spirit was bad enough, but two? No thanks. I really should send this one back. I could always summon another electric spirit later… I could…

“…Rai?”

[Yes, Master!]

“So, uh… The spirit stone looks broken. You can fix it, right?”

The stone had barely held its shape before the noisy one came out, but now it was completely shattered. It must have been too old to withstand the strain.

[Ah, I did take a look at the other spirit stones earlier.]

[Please, tell me there’s hope.]

[Unfortunately, there is none. It’s not just any stone—it’s a magic stone. This is beyond my ability.]

Ah. I suddenly felt dizzy.

[Broken already? How weak.]

“This is your fault!”

[I am strong!]

“You’re crazy.”

I’d heard that spirits had different personalities depending on their type, but this one was… unique.

[You’ve got quite a sharp tongue for such a tiny human! But I like that! I shall grant you one more chance! Will you make a contract with me?]

I hesitated.

This thing clearly didn’t get along with Rai, and its personality seemed just as bad as mine. Should I contract with it, or should I reject it and lose my chance at summoning an electric spirit forever?

If only the spirit stone hadn’t broken, I wouldn’t be stuck in this dilemma.

“…Fine. But I have conditions.”

[Conditions? What conditions could a mere summoner demand? You should be grateful that a spirit has agreed to a contract! That has never happened in the history of spirits!]

“Oh well. I guess that’s that, then. Negotiations are over. Goodbye.”

To send a spirit back, all I had to do was stop the flow of mana—just like turning off a faucet.

[W-Wait. Fine! I’ll listen to your conditions!]