“I want to contract with Silphy.”
[Huh?]
[What?]
Well, it’s one thing for Sally to be surprised, but why is she the most shocked about this? Maybe she realizes that her personality isn’t great either.
It wasn’t specifically due to personality that I chose the Wind Spirit.
The main reason was that the areas where the Forest Spirit could be effectively utilized were quite limited.
Wasn’t it said that the Forest Spirit is the one most closely connected to nature and in need of it?
No matter how I think about it, as a count’s daughter, I wouldn’t have the chance to be close to nature like a forest.
On the other hand, the Wind Spirit had a much wider range of applications. Sure, one reason was that I could enjoy a cool breeze on hot days, but that wasn’t everything.
If it grows well, the Wind Spirit can become powerful enough to create typhoons, right?
Moreover, it would be much easier to control compared to the Flame Spirit.
[Really, you want me? Why?]
[Silphy.]
[But that sounds weird.]
Silvana gently tried to soothe her, but Silphy raised her voice in questioning.
[Until now, nobody chose me over Sally and Silvana?]
[Then shouldn’t you first think about changing your personality?]
[Ukh…]
Silphy seemed at a loss for words and closed her mouth again. She must realize it too. That her personality isn’t great.
“How do we contract?”
[..How do we do it, Silvana?]
When I asked Silvana, she looked at her as if she didn’t know either. Seeing her, Silvana chuckled and said,
[Hehe. Are you embarrassed since it’s your first contract?]
[Shut up.]
Despite her grumbling, she didn’t deny it. So this is Silphy’s first contract.
After all, she had said until now that she had only contracted with Silvana and Sally.
[The contract is simple. Just touch your hands together.]
The fiery figure of Silphy slowly approached. It was slightly smaller than my hand. At this size, I should be able to just touch it to complete the contract.
Thinking that, I brought my hand closer to the flames. At that moment, I felt a clear sensation in my mind.
It was like a refreshing feeling that filled my entire body. It felt similar to when I caught a whiff of Louis’s tobacco smell.
All the worries, insecurities, and fears that had been pushed to one corner of my heart vanished cleanly.
Silvana, who had briefly come closer, nodded slightly. If shaking her head up and down is a nod, that is.
[Silphy, get ready.]
[..Okay.]
Suddenly, I felt the wind.
A gust of wind was sweeping across the green plains. The expression was a bit odd, but it really felt like that.
Caught up in the wonderful sensation, I unknowingly closed my eyes. At the same time, I felt a cool breeze brushing from the fingertips that were touching Silphy.
[Concentrate on that sensation, Contractor.]
Silphy’s gentle voice rang clearly in my ears. It was a significantly more serious tone than before, devoid of any bluntness.
Hmm…
I could feel the vibrations of the air distinctly.
[The wind is a being that passes through all things.]
[That’s why it is the most free of all beings.]
The wind wrapped around my entire body.
I felt a sense of liberation as if I could fly across the world at any moment. Is this what Silphy means by the sensation of freedom?
[Yet, it is also one of the loneliest beings.]
A sense of loneliness welled up somewhere deep in my heart.
Is this the world that Silphy sees?
A Spirit Conduit refers to someone who communicates with spirits and grows together with them. When a Spirit Conduit contracts with a spirit for the first time, they experience the world as the spirit sees it.
Endless freedom and loneliness.
Could that be the essence of the world as seen by Silphy?
Somehow, it didn’t seem much different from the world I saw.
After all, I too was an outsider, possessing the villainess in another world. I could understand well what Silphy was feeling.
[So, this is the world you see.]
“..Did you see it?”
[..Yeah. I won’t say anything about it.]
Communication is essentially about feeling each other.
Silphy must have felt the world I see as well. Was it just my imagination, or did I sense sympathy and compassion from that blue flame?
[I, Silphia the Wind Spirit, will form a contract with Adele von Este.]
With Silphy’s declaration, I felt something inside me connect. Is this the link to the spirit that Arin had explained?
Hmm…
The air shook slightly as Silphy began to blaze fiercely. Surprised by the sudden change, Arin shook her head and tried to calm me.
“The spirit that has contracted takes on the form that is most familiar to the Contractor.”
“Oh, I see.”
It takes on the form that is most familiar to me.
What kind of form would that be? A bit of curiosity arose, but for now, I decided to just watch in silence.
[Ooh! This is my first time seeing Silphy transform!]
With Sally’s exclamation, the blue flame began to take shape.
It shrank to the size of a palm-sized doll and then started adding details as if drawing a picture.
As I watched, Arin’s expression began to light up with a smile. In contrast, my face started to heat up little by little.
[This form is…]
A small boy. Gray hair and silver eyes. And a small scar near his eye.
It was undoubtedly a boy version of Abel.
“Oh my, it’s the Duke!”
“Ugh…”
The form that’s most familiar to the Contractor is Abel, huh.
Sure, I had quite a few thoughts about him, but it didn’t seem likely that even spirits would take on his appearance.
[..Oh. So this is the form that the Contractor likes the most?]
“Wait? You never said that!”
When I questioned Arin, she just smiled shyly without saying a word. My already heated face now felt like it was burning like lava.
[Oh dear, you’re as red as a beet.]
“I’m not a beet!”
[Heh, humans are scary.]
Sally teased as she dragged her words toward Silvana. I felt my temperature rise a bit, but I tried hard to suppress it.
“When I was younger, I wanted a friend, so I took on the form of a girl, but my lady wants the Duke, huh, ugh!”
“Shut your mouth!”
Covering her mouth, Arin finally calmed down. Seeing her smiling face reminded me of the embarrassment I had felt earlier.
“Kuh…”
[This is fun. This human is interesting.]
[After all, Silphy’s first contract is with her! What a show-off!]
[Be quiet, Sally!]
I ended up with a rather noisy spirit.
§
It was a sunny day, just like any other.
The high spire and the attached monastery. The church felt alien compared to the surrounding buildings.
It was a building characterized by its impressive pure white color.
The holy nation of Numen, where the goddess is worshipped.
Those blessed by the goddess can wield divine power as priests and are sent to most nations. Naturally, the Empire of Arye was no exception.
This place could be considered a sort of hospital where the priests of Numen are dispatched.
The reason I came here was to visit Evan, who had been severely injured last time.
I had been worried for a while because he had been unconscious for several days after being attacked by the emperor.
After all, it was because of my own greed that he got hurt in the first place.
“Please remain quiet as his condition is still not good.”
I nodded at the words of the priest clad in white. Then, I entered the patient room with Arin, who stood beside me.
Inside, I saw Evan smiling faintly and waving his hand leisurely. Seeing him look relatively lively eased my worries a bit.
“You’ve come, my lady. And…”
As Evan turned to look at me, his face turned a bit pale. How had I been treating him that even a hospital visit caused such a reaction?
“D-dear Duke…”
“Long time no see.”
“H-ha, it’s been a while.”
Was he nervous enough to slip back into his dialect? Seeing that wasn’t easy on Arin’s heart, she sighed deeply and sat down on a chair next to the bed.
“If someone saw you, they’d think I was going to eat you.”
I cautiously sat down in a chair as well, observing Evan. Most of his injuries vanished due to divine power, but he didn’t look that good.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah? Ah, yes, of course.”
Evan scratched his head as he answered. However, his complexion wasn’t great. Arin noticed his condition first and spoke up.
“You got hurt by that guy, right?”
“..Yeah. He was strong.”
Evan bit his lip, looking troubled.
As he said, the Emperor was powerful. He had ended up capturing Evan without giving him a chance to react.
“I’ll be your lady’s bodyguard starting from now.”
“Is that so?”
After a moment of hesitation, he nodded as if finally understanding. That made him look a bit pitiful.
[What about that guy?]
Silphy whispered in my ear.
He’s my bodyguard. He got really hurt this time.
[Oh, I see.]
She didn’t ask any further, likely because it didn’t seem like a good moment to pry.
“Use this experience to get stronger and come back.”
Having said that, Arin stood up and left the room. Evan, watching her retreating figure, smiled faintly.
“Still cold as ever.”
And while I could feel her reliability, he muttered that and smiled faintly.
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