“…You’re joking, right?”
“Nah, I’m dead serious.”
After meeting up with Gareth at the school gate, we started heading out of the city while I explained what we were about to do.
As a result, Gareth was looking at me like I was insane.
“Even if you could form a contract with it, you couldn’t just show it off, could you?”
“Even so, it would increase my spirit power reserves, and more importantly, it would be a mental stabilizer for me.”
Having a contracted spirit alone would be like having a reservoir of spirit power. And even if it were an evil spirit, as long as I could form a contract with it, I could turn the baseless rumor that I’ve been “hiding my true strength” into a reality.
In fact, if the spirit I contracted with was an evil one, it would even serve as an excuse for hiding it. If anything, I’m starting to think positively about contracting with an evil spirit, which probably means I’m in a pretty bad state.
“By the way, when did you even encounter an evil spirit?”
“I met one in the Luna ruins.”
“Seriously…?”
We had fought with the intent to kill each other, but the evil spirit turned out to be surprisingly tough. Even after taking a finishing blow, it remained in this world without being sent back. So, I thought I’d try to capture it, and since it was weakened, I managed to seal it into a vessel.
“Wait, so you’re telling me that evil spirit is inside that vessel right now?”
“Yep, it’s in there, all right.”
I showed him the vessel as I answered, and Gareth looked completely horrified.
Well, I guess it’s understandable. I’ve been carrying this bomb around while fighting in the ranking matches, dealing with the Haunted, and engaging in life-and-death struggles with bandits. Anyone would be horrified.
“I’m amazed you’ve been able to live so calmly in that state.”
“Nah, it’s actually been pretty docile.”
I was on guard at first, too. But maybe because it was already weakened, the evil spirit I captured has been surprisingly calm since I sealed it in the vessel. It hasn’t caused any trouble and has been quietly sleeping inside.
That’s one of the reasons I think I might be able to form a contract with this evil spirit. Especially after seeing how the Haunted use evil spirits as if it’s nothing, I started to seriously think that maybe I could pull it off, too.
“…Well, your outlandish ideas aren’t exactly new… I get that you want to try contracting with an evil spirit, but what exactly do you need my help with?”
“Ah, right. If the evil spirit gets out of control, or if I go insane, I want you to stop me.”
“…Stop you? Rourke, are you serious…?”
“I mean it. If it looks dangerous, you can even kill me if you have to.”
“That’s…”
“You’ve heard what happens to spirit master who fail at contracting with evil spirits, haven’t you?”
If it were just my mind breaking, that would be one thing. But if I were to go berserk and start rampaging, it would be no joke.
That’s why I wanted Gareth, who knows the situation and has the strength, to be the one to stop me if things went wrong.
“Why would you go that far…?”
“Because I have to. You get it, right?”
At my words, Gareth’ eyes widened slightly, and he fell silent.
After a moment of hesitation, he let out a sigh.
“…All right. If it comes to that, I’ll stop you with everything I’ve got, for the sake of the Orrot family name.”
“Yeah, thanks—”
“But I’m not going to kill you. So, even if you go crazy, make sure you come back to your senses.”
“—!”
Now it was my turn to fall silent. I stared at Gareth in surprise, and he grinned.
“Of course. I don’t plan on going crazy in the first place, though.”
“That’s more like it.”
I grinned back, and as we bumped fists, we finally arrived at the outskirts of the city. I released the sealing stone I had received from my master earlier.
A green light shone before our eyes, and in the next moment, a wind spirit with massive wings—Sigrum—appeared, its sharp gaze directed at us.
“Borrowing it again, are you?”
“Yeah, this time my master is fully supporting us.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Sigrum lowered its stance and gestured for us to climb onto its back.
“Let’s do this.”
“Kiiii!”
Sigrum let out a high-pitched cry in response, spread its wings, and soared into the sky.
“Where are we going!?”
“It’s the Judecca Forest! Master set up a barrier for us!”
“Finally, I’ll get to meet your master! I’m excited!!”
Hearing Gareth’s cheerful voice, I realized I couldn’t hide my own excitement either, and a smile crept onto my face.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Rourke and Gareth, riding on Sigrum, arrived near the Judecca Forest and looked down, trying to spot Owen preparing in the forest. However, the sound of flapping wings caught their attention as a single spirit flew toward them.
“This is…”
With a rustle of its wings, a small dragon-like spirit called a Wyrm appeared before them. It had a serpentine body without legs, giving it an eerie resemblance to a snake.
“Hey…”
“It’s fine.”
For a moment, both Rourke and Gareth tensed up, thinking the Wyrm might attack in response to the Sigrum. But upon closer thought, Wyrms didn’t inhabit the Judecca Forest, and the Sigrum wasn’t showing any hostility either.
It was safe to assume this was a spirit Owen had temporarily contracted with. As if to confirm this, the Wyrm made no move to attack and instead stared at them intently, as if observing.
“It’s just a guide.”
“A dragon species as a guide? That’s pretty extravagant…”
Ignoring Gareth’s internal shock at the fact that Rourke’s master could casually contract with a dragon spirit of no low rank, the Wyrm spread its wings and began flying again to lead the way. Rourke instructed the Sigrum to follow, and the two spirits flew over the forest.
After a few minutes, the Wyrm began descending toward an open area below. Following it down, they spotted Owen sitting on a fallen tree.
“Oh, you made it here safely.”
“The Wyrm scared me a bit.”
“Well, I was worried a lesser spirit might get attacked by wild spirits along the way. But hey, you made it here, so it’s all good.”
Rourke jumped off the Sigrum and lightly criticized Owen for using a dragon species as a guide.
But Owen just laughed it off, stood up, and turned his gaze to Gareth, who had also dismounted.
“So, you’re Rourke’s friend… Wait, that sword… You’re from the Orrot family, aren’t you?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Gareth Orrot. You’re Rourke’s master…”
“I’m Owen Libria. I’m Rourke’s master, for what it’s worth. Let’s work well together this time.”
Owen, surprised by Rourke’s unexpected friend, introduced himself. Gareth’s expression shifted to one of shock upon hearing the name.
“Wait, Owen… As in Owen, the ‘Pathfinder’?!”
“…Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess I was called that for a while back then.”
“Master, you had a title like that?”
Rourke, unfamiliar with the term, asked as he returned the Sigrum to its Spirit Stone. Before Owen could answer, Gareth spoke up in disbelief.
“You, his disciple, didn’t know?! Owen Libria is one of the Spirit Masters who successfully conquered the Shadow Labyrinth, one of the most perilous ancient ruins!”
“Wait, Master, you conquered the Shadow Labyrinth?!”
“Well, yeah. But that was back in my glory days.”
Gareth, unusually excited, explained while Rourke stared at Owen in surprise.
Rourke had indeed heard of the story of the Shadow Labyrinth. The Shadow Labyrinth was a vast underground maze-like ancient ruin, its danger level far surpassing other ruins. It was said to house numerous treasures, and even now, many Spirit Masters sought to explore it.
Owen had mentioned diving into the labyrinth a few times to try and reap its benefits, but Rourke had no idea he had actually conquered it.
“Though, I’m not too fond of being called the ‘Pathfinder.’ It’s a bit of an exaggeration since I just reached the deepest part.”
“Exaggeration? Hardly!”
Owen made a face of discomfort, but the truth was that only about twenty Spirit Masters, including him, had ever reached the deepest part of the Shadow Labyrinth. If anything, he was being modest.
“Well, let’s leave the labyrinth talk for now. Rourke’s contract takes priority.”
“Right…”
“I’ve been waiting for this. Master, I’m counting on you.”
“Counting on me? That’s my line.”
Owen chuckled at Rourke’s enthusiasm, then pulled out four new Spirit Stones from his pocket and summoned the spirits within.
Appearing were four knight-like spirits, each representing one of the four elements: fire, water, earth, and wind. As soon as they appeared, Owen formed temporary contracts with them, and they knelt in loyalty to him.
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