“Master, Gareth, and Beowulf and Jack too, I’m really sorry. I was so determined, and yet this happened. I have no excuse……”
“Well, I understand how you feel. At least we’re all safe, so there’s no need to dwell on it too much.”
Gareth gave a wry smile as Rourke bowed his head.
“More importantly, Rourke, are you okay? You took the full brunt of Owen’s contracted spirit’s technique……”
“Ah, so that’s why I’m so beaten up……”
No wonder my whole body hurts. It makes sense now.
“Sorry about that. I couldn’t really hold back,” my master said.
Responding to his words from above, the Thunder Spirit, Thunderbird, with its four massive blue wings, flapped them once before slowly descending to the ground.
“So you even summoned Thunderbird…”
“Yeah, this guy’s not great at holding back. He might’ve ended up roasting you.”
“That’s rude. I’m perfectly capable of adjusting my power.”
Thunderbird, my master’s second contracted spirit.
Being a high-ranking spirit on par with Sigrum, the fact that I’m still in one piece after taking a hit from this spirit means it must have held back significantly.
“Well, thanks to your little rampage, a few of my temporary contracted spirits got sent back, but let’s just be glad, as Gareth said, that everyone’s safe.”
“…Did I really go that wild?”
“Yeah, it was quite the performance.”
When I asked, my master nodded and glanced at Gareth for confirmation, who also nodded in agreement.
“…I’m really sorry.”
I bowed my head again to apologize.
I’d ended up sending back some of my master’s spirits… It seems I caused him more trouble than I realized.
“I’ll never try to contract with a evil spirit again…”
“Well, we’ll figure out how to replenish the spirits we lost later. For now, there are a few things I want to ask you. Is that alright?”
“Yes, of course.”
When I nodded, my master began his questions.
“You said you heard the evil spirit’s voice when you tried the contract ritual, right?”
“Uh… yeah, sort of…”
I honestly didn’t understand a word it was saying.
“…Did you sense any hostility or malice from it?”
“…No, I didn’t.”
“…Hmm.”
That’s right. I didn’t feel any hostility from the spirit.
That’s why I thought maybe I could contract with it, but looking back, that was probably the start of my failure.
Now I understand that those who went mad after contracting with evil spirits likely let their guard down just like I did, leading to their tragic ends.
“…One last thing. Rourke, have you ever encountered a evil spirit before this one?”
“…No, I don’t think so… Probably not.”
“…I see.”
After finishing his questions, my master nodded and tossed me the spirit stone containing the sealed evil spirit.
“Huh?!”
“Wha—?!”
“I’m giving it back to you, Rourke. It seems to have taken a liking to you, after all.”
“…But, Master…”
“Just don’t try to full contract with it again, obviously. If you ever really need power, stick to the temporary contracts you’ve managed without issue. Got it?”
“…Are you sure it’s okay for me to keep it?”
After causing such a mess, was it really alright for me to take care of this spirit? When I asked, my master gave me a look as if to say, “What are you talking about now?”
“If you pick up a spirit, it’s your responsibility to take care of it, contract or not. If you really don’t want to, I’ll take it, though.”
“But, Owen, won’t the spirit go wild if it’s with Rourke…?”
“Probably not. At least when it was summoned, it didn’t go berserk, and the rampage only happened when Rourke tried to full contract with it. As long as he doesn’t attempt the ritual again, it should be fine.”
“…………”
Listening to my master’s words, I stared at the spirit stone containing the sealed evil spirit.
Was it really okay?
If I kept this thing, would I really not go wild again?
Until yesterday, I hadn’t been too worried, but now I couldn’t help but feel anxious. I couldn’t believe I’d been living with this ticking time bomb all this time.
“Rourke.”
Seeing me frozen while staring at the spirit stone, my master called out to me.
“Don’t you trust it?”
“…Huh?”
“That spirit. And yourself, maybe?”
“…………”
Hit right on the mark, I fell silent, and my master chuckled.
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“That’s unusual for you, Rourke. You’re being quite timid.”
“Well, of course I am. I thought I could contract with a evil spirit, and look how that turned out.”
In the end, all this proved was that I’m still a half-baked spirit user who can’t even form a contract. Still, having taken that risk with a glimmer of hope, the shock was pretty significant.
“…Do you know what’s most important when forming a contract with a spirit?”
“…What’s with the sudden question?”
“The answer is mutual trust. You form a bond between your souls, and under the contract, you literally become one, trusting each other completely.”
“…Trust.”
So, does that mean this evil spirit doesn’t trust me?
Well, we did try to kill each other, so I guess that’s only natural…
“But this applies to temporary contracts too.”
“…………”
“Even with a temporary contract, a short-term one, borrowing power requires a foundation of trust. It’s impossible without it.”
“…Is there any? Between me and this thing?”
“At least some, since you managed to form a temporary contract, right?”
“…………”
Is that… really the case?
“Besides, isn’t the Rourke Areas I know the kind of person who’d try to earn that trust if it wasn’t there?”
“…!”
Startled by his words, I looked up to see my master still smiling.
“I didn’t just hand it over to you without thinking. I believe in you, Rourke. Even if you can’t form contracts, you’ve got the grit to keep going as a spirit user. That’s why I entrusted it to you.”
“…Master.”
“Or, if you’re still that uneasy, I can take it. That’s fine too.”
As he reached out, I exhaled, slowly stood up, and shook my head.
After hearing that, I couldn’t just stay silent.
“No, I’ll take care of it. It’s fine.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’ll never lose control like that again, and I’ll never let this thing go wild either.”
That’s right. It’s not like me to get scared after one failure. If I fail, I just need to learn from it and make sure I don’t make the same mistake again.
Nothing’s changed.
I just need to keep working hard, like I always do.
“If you’re fine with it, then I am too. But it’s not just your problem. Gareth, what do you think?”
“Well, if he’s that confident, I’m okay with it. I was worried about Rourke earlier, but the current Rourke seems fine to me.”
In response to my master’s question, Gareth laughed and said it was fine.
It seemed Gareth’s earlier concern was due to seeing how pathetic I’d been acting.
“Besides, this time was my first encounter, so I got caught off guard. But I’ve seen you fight Owen now. Next time, I’ll cut you down.”
“Please don’t cut me down…”
I’d die if you did, so at least use the flat of your blade… But if I don’t lose control, it shouldn’t be a problem.
“…Looks like we’ve settled everything. Let’s head back. How about grabbing some food on the way? My treat, Rourke.”
“Wait, me!?”
“Thank you, I’d love that.”
“Alright, let’s go. Thunderbird.”
“Wait, seriously? I’m paying?”
As the two of them carried on with this hard-to-ignore conversation, I called out in a panic, but they ignored me as if they hadn’t heard and climbed onto Thunderbird’s back.
“Hey, wait a second!”
In any case, my attempt ended in what I thought was a failure.
Dealing with a evil spirit, it’s no surprise it didn’t go well, but I still gained something from it.
Swearing to remember this failure and use it as a lesson for the future, I climbed onto Thunderbird’s back and returned to the academy city of Galadea.
By the way, we ended up at a ridiculously high-end restaurant that my master frequents, one that no student could afford. My master paid for it, saying he’s owing me a favor.
I silently vowed to somehow weasel my way out of paying him back.
Click-clack. The sound of quick footsteps echoed through the academy’s hallway as a female student hurried along.
Her name was Shiltot-Millrain, a second-year student. She was on her way to report to her master about the details of the upcoming ranking match, which had just been announced.
Eventually, she reached the large lecture hall at the end of the hallway. Pushing open the heavy doors, she stepped inside.
Immediately, a smooth melody filled her ears. The beautiful music echoing through the hall almost made her stop and listen, but she quickly refocused and called out to her master, who was standing on the stage, conducting with exaggerated movements, his golden hair swaying.
“Lord Kay! You’ve been selected for the next ranking match!”
“…………”
Her loud voice, almost competing with the music, made the boy stop conducting. The music came to an abrupt halt, and silence filled the hall.
“…Who’s the opponent?”
“Rourke Areas.”
At those words, the boy’s back stiffened slightly.
Slowly, he turned around, his well-defined face now facing his servant as he spoke.
“That’s perfect. Last time, even if it was my own fault, I ended up with a loss. Let’s call this a rematch.”
With that, Kay Trallus, the third-ranked spirit user in his year, smiled faintly.
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