Ch. 54
A few minutes later, I confidently placed the heavy money pouch on the counter.
It was filled with gold pieces, taken straight from the Dunhel jeweler’s vault, their shapes altered just enough to appear different.
The eyes of the employee who opened the pouch sparkled like gemstones.
“How about this? Will it be enough?”
Unaware it was originally their own gold, the employee excitedly began weighing it.
“This is more than enough! However, there will be a small handling fee for paying in gold. Is that alright with you?”
“Do whatever you want.”
“Please wait just a moment!”
Since it was their money anyway, I felt nothing at all, but Hansen and Philo were trembling with grief-stricken expressions.
“Young Miss, how would you like the uncut gemstone presented? Would you like it gift-wrapped, or…?”
“Just give it to me however.”
“Understood. Thank you for your purchase!”
The Spirit Stone was soon placed into a cushioned pouch and landed in my palm. That was easy!
“Hehehe.”
“Uh… Young Lady?”
Maybe I laughed too wickedly—Hansen and Philo were looking at me with fearful eyes.
[Master, you should laugh more gracefully…]
[Restroom.]
[I didn’t say anything.]
* * *
I returned to the inn faster than the shortest route Rai had indicated.
Losing Hansen and Philo along the way was a complete accident.
They should’ve kept up.
The Knight Commander scanned me with a baffled look as I returned alone.
No matter how much he looked behind me, there was no sign of Hansen or Philo.
“Where are the knights… Did you return alone?”
“I think I saw them crying behind me when we passed through the crawlspace.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they got lost. I’m sure they’ll find their way back! Anyway, I’m busy now!”
I didn’t have time to babysit adults.
I had to summon the Ice Spirit!
* * *
No one could interrupt in the middle of a contract, so the first thing I did was lock the door.
Outwardly, I was just a low-level Water Spirit Mage, and even my master, Master Yael Roenin, didn’t know I had contracts with spirits other than Undine.
Like Rai, the Metal Spirit, or Ador, the Electricity Spirit.
At first, it had just slipped out of conversation, but recently I had been deliberately hiding the fact that I had contracts with other spirits.
It wasn’t because of some grand reason like hiding the extent of my power.
It was mostly because I found it too annoying to explain, and partly because I selfishly wanted to keep the good stuff to myself.
But above all, I simply didn’t want any more attention.
Even now, just being contracted with Undine had put me in the king’s spotlight and forced me into the festival.
Sure, contracting a spirit at ten years old was revolutionary, but still…
“Whew! Sometimes, even I’m afraid of my own genius.”
[Ah, yes… Of course you are.]
“But this is weird. Isn’t it supposed to respond when I inject mana? It’s not reacting at all.”
No matter how much mana I poured in, the Ice Spirit Stone didn’t budge, so I lightly tapped it with my foot.
[Normally, yes. That is strange.]
“Do I need to cast a special chant or something?”
[No, Master. Remember when you summoned Ador? You didn’t need anything special.]
“Oh, right.”
I recalled when I summoned Ador. Back then, Ador had a strong will to be summoned, and all I had to do was share a bit of mana to open the path to the middle realm.
But unlike Ador, this Ice Spirit Stone wasn’t responding at all, no matter how much mana I sent.
[Try injecting more mana.]
“And freeze the whole place? Did you forget my bag caught fire when I summoned Ador?”
[That could happen, yes. Unlike the four elemental spirits, non-elemental spirits tend to go berserk. They’re not as orderly. They do as they please.]
“Like you?”
[Excuse me? I am an elegant and intelligent spirit.]
“Oh, really now.”
Whoever you take after, you’re quite shameless.
[Non-elemental spirits are essentially those who’ve gone without a master for a long time.
It might be that this one doesn’t want a contract at all. That’s why it’s not responding to your mana.]
“So Ador was a weird one, huh. Just like you.”
[What’s that supposed to mean!]
“Just thinking… Undine might be the only normal spirit around me.”
[How dare you compare me to such a low-grade spirit! That one only behaves because it’s inherently low-ranking! The four elemental spirits are dull and boring!]
Still, I prefer obedient ones. I wonder what kind of personality the Ice Spirit will have?
I crouched in front of the Spirit Stone, eagerly waiting for it to be summoned.
Rai continued to complain.
[Are you listening? Do you know how insufferable those four elemental spirits are? Just because there are more of them, they think they’re superior! They always look down on us! Non-elemental spirits may be fewer, but we have stronger personalities and independence…]
“Shh! It’s reacting.”
The Spirit Stone gave off a faint glow and trembled.
It happened the moment I deliberately poured in a large amount of mana.
But it lasted only for an instant.
As if nothing had happened, it immediately lost its light and turned back into an ordinary stone.
“Ugh, was that not enough mana? Rai! Is it possible for a spirit not to be summoned?”
[Master, you’ve just never experienced it. But in truth, failure is overwhelmingly more common.]
“Really?”
[Of course.]
“Well, I guess I’m not your average genius.”
I had never failed a summoning before, after all. My confidence had substance.
“Ahem! Just wait. I’ll summon this one too, no matter what.”
[I do admire your confidence, Master, but…]
“But?”
[Not all spirits think the way I do.]
“I said I can do it. Just wait and see!”
This needed more effort.
I loosened my shoulders and took a deep breath.
Sitting closer to the Spirit Stone, I focused all my energy.
I even stopped chatting with Rai and began pouring every bit of mana I had into the Spirit Stone.
There’s no way it won’t come out now!
“Uwah!”
“Let’s see who wins,” I thought as I poured in even more mana, when suddenly the Spirit Stone burst into a brilliant flash of light.
It was a dazzling pure white. And extremely aggressive…
[Master!]
What made me instinctively retreat was the chilling hostility that radiated from it.
I quickly stepped back just as razor-sharp pillars of ice erupted around the Spirit Stone with a loud crackling sound.
Flat on my back, my eyes caught sight of the savagely protruding ice pillars—and the table they had skewered.
Ice was this dangerous!?
Damn it, if I’d been a second slower, I would’ve been turned into an ice skewer!
[It seems to be a violent one. Please be careful, Master!]
Rai clung close to me in warning, and the unfriendly aura erupting from the Spirit Stone brought back that day from my past.
The day my legs wouldn’t move in front of the raging flames, the day I had to crawl across the floor to escape—so close to death.
The Ice Spirit was closer to death than any spirit I had ever seen.
It was cruel, merciless, and filled with sorrow because of it.
Whether I wanted to or not, I understood it instinctively, like breathing.
What kind of danger that spirit carried within.
I unconsciously bit my lip when something began to float up through the ice pillars, releasing a white mist. I had never seen air freeze like that before.
[Who… dares… to awaken… me…?]
A chilling voice pierced through my head like a cold draft.
Yes, it was the Ice Spirit.
The creature was constantly freezing and exhaling cold in all directions, solidifying every drop of moisture in the air.
It looked like a gruesome orb bristling with icy needles, and just its presence caused the surrounding temperature to plummet rapidly.
I could feel my body getting cold in seconds.
It felt like winter had suddenly settled around me—my fingertips prickled, and goosebumps crawled up the back of my neck until I had to rub it instinctively.
“I am… Geenie Crowell!”
[A human.]
“I summoned you! That makes me your master. Contract with me, Ice Spirit!”
I shouted, overcome with excitement.
My voice was trembling slightly, filled with anticipation, and even in this bitter cold, my heart felt blazing hot.
The Ice Spirit had a frigid personality.
Just that alone made it clearly different from my other spirits.
Armed with a savagery that instilled fear in anyone who looked at it, it made me tremble with an unknown thrill.
If I had this one, there’d be nothing left to fear.
With Ador, Undine, and this spirit—I could become strong.
Strong enough that no one would bother me ever again!
I had learned by now that strength was the shortcut to living comfortably in this world.
[I refuse.]
“…What?”
