Chapter: 638
These days, it feels like our mansion is experiencing a late Christmas.
Every room sparkles with spirits that shine like Christmas lights, and even in the corridors, they’re flitting about. When the family gathers to eat, it seems like these little guys are joining the feast too, hopping in with a “Let’s chow down!”
Honestly, at first, everyone welcomed this bizarre and magical situation. I mean, if they had looked like grotesque monsters, that would have been one thing, but luckily they resemble glimmering fireflies. Plus, with all the vibrant colors, it felt like our mansion just got a brightness upgrade.
I thought that sentiment would last a week.
“What now, was it you again?”
During one midnight patrol, a guard spotted an eerie glow and rushed over to find a spirit.
“Guys… can I just get some sleep…?”
Some of the wandering spirits entered the maids’ room, blinding them with their shine, while others left one hapless maid awkwardly coexisting with spirits in the restroom.
Of course, those spirits didn’t cause any actual harm. They’re very gentle and shy, avoiding contact with everyone except Katlea. They just happened to bump into people while darting around the mansion.
But I can’t very well cage them in or chase them out, can I? Even if I tried, they’d just sneak back in without a care.
“If only they stayed near Katlea, I wouldn’t have to worry…”
Sighing in frustration, I recalled that not long ago, the spirits were only seen around Katlea. They adored her to the extent that they wouldn’t venture further than her side.
However, the reason they were now spotted all around the mansion was simple.
“Christmas tree…”
Katlea’s vicinity was already at full capacity.
The eight spirits multiplied day by day until they started clustering around Katlea, glowing like a Christmas tree. At this rate, it seems there are at least a hundred of them.
As a result, those spirits who couldn’t cling to Katlea or stay in her room gathered around the mansion, watching from a distance. I was starting to worry if our house might also reach saturation soon.
“Katlea?”
“Wuwung?”
“Are you feeling uncomfortable…?”
“Good!”
Anyway, after cautiously asking the now bioluminescent Christmas tree aka Katlea, she beamed and flapped her arms enthusiastically.
Great. She’s happy about it, which is a relief…
“Can we go visit Grandma together?”
“Yup! Good! Let’s go!”
The moment I mentioned visiting her Grandma, Katlea bounded over and leaped into my arms.
I can’t put this off any longer. I need to show this situation to the Spirit Kings and grill them for answers. If I wait much longer, I have a bad feeling Katlea might end up getting too close to the spirits in a bad way.
“Wuwung?”
“Oh.”
Just then, as Katlea snuggled into my arms, the spirits that had been around scattered in all directions.
Such a harsh reaction; it was a bit disappointing yet infuriating. They’re treating me like I’m some germ!
I don’t like you guys either, you nuisances!
I gathered up all the spirits around the mansion and set off with Trixie towards the Elf Residential Area.
At first, I was tempted to leave them be, but I feared the leftover spirits might cause mischief. If my beloved Katlea, who adores them, suddenly vanished, they could run wild. How the heck could we control and calm hundreds of fireflies?
“What in the world is all this?”
When Katlea, now surrounded by hundreds of spirits, landed in the Elf Residential Area, her surprise quickly overshadowed the warm welcome from Grandma.
“Granny…”
However, as Katlea dashed toward her Grandma, my mother’s initial confusion dissipated into a warm smile.
“Did our Katlea come to visit? Have you been well?”
“Wuwung!”
As Katlea dove into her Grandma’s embrace, the spirits began scattering once more.
Still, Grandma, being a pure elf and an elder, appeared to draw in more spirits than she dispersed.
“Guess this is indeed a rare occurrence.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that sight. The joyful meeting between my mother and granddaughter was heartwarming, but even Grandma couldn’t hide her surprise upon seeing Katlea. It was clearly a situation unlike anything she had experienced in her hundreds of years.
Eventually, only the Spirit Kings remained. Living nearly immortal lives, surely they’d have an idea about this situation.
– Benefactor! It’s been a while!
From a distance, the Fire Spirit King zoomed in. Must be their new form—looks like their agility has really improved.
Anyway, I’m glad they’re here. I wanted to immediately ask about Katlea’s condition—
– …What’s all this?
Huh?
“What?”
I blankly stared at the Fire Spirit King after hearing their bewildered words. What do you mean, “What’s all this?” You can’t ask me that!
‘We came here because we don’t know either!’
If the Spirit Kings are clueless about the spirits, who else could possibly have a clue?
*
When a blessed one approaches, they can instinctively sense it. If someone who has received part of my power is nearby and I can’t sense it, that’s the odd part.
So, as soon as I felt the aura of blessings, I stopped my stroll and soared into the air. Today was a lovely day for a walk, but who cares about that? What matters is seeing the precious future contractor.
“What’s happening?”
Though my heart raced with excitement at the arrival of the future contractor, I was also puzzled.
I hadn’t heard from the elder about the blessed children coming, nor had we ever requested a visit from them. It’s nice that they came, but I couldn’t think of any reason they’d have to be here.
“Doesn’t matter.”
Of course, my pondering didn’t last long. Irrespective of the reason, here they were. This is a rare chance to bond with the future contractor and leave a good impression.
So, with a fluttering heart, I swooped down and quickly spotted the Benefactor, along with the elder and her granddaughter. And in the elder’s arms rested the very small elf I had hoped to see.
– Benefactor! It’s been a while!
I greeted them with joy from a distance. Though we were still some way off, this distance was nothing…
until…
– …What’s all this?
As I drew closer, I finally caught sight of the bizarre scene.
I hadn’t noticed due to the aura of blessings surrounding the future contractor, but now I could clearly see that hundreds of lower spirits were gathered here—fire, water, wind, earth, you name it.
What’s going on? Why are spirits that should be around the World Tree here? More importantly, why did no one notice while they gathered in such numbers?
“Welcome.”
– Ah, um, yes.
Staring dumbfoundedly at the spirits, the Benefactor opened his mouth first.
“…Do you have any guess as to what’s happening?”
He demanded an explanation for this strange situation. What’s up with these spirits? Why in the world are they gathered here?
– ….
Sadly, I couldn’t muster any plausible responses.
– Is there a World Tree near the mansion?
“Yes?”
I simply blurted out a bizarre excuse that even I found bizarre.
Fortunately, there was a king able to explain this situation.
– It seems that when the children received their blessings, the spirits attached themselves to this child and followed her to your mansion.
Feeling the shift in aura, the wind and water spirits gathered around; the Wind Spirit King swiftly grasped the situation while eyeing the hundreds of lower spirits.
“Though the blessing happened months ago, we only started seeing the spirits about one or two weeks ago.”
– They most likely fell asleep during that time. It’s impossible for spirits to operate outside the World Tree without a contract. Yet, due to their instincts being stronger than their rationality, they attached themselves to this child.
The wind spirit demonstrated by casually licking a lower spirit circling the future contractor.
– Your daughter possesses an incredible charm, along with our blessings. To lower spirits, she must have been far more interesting than the World Tree itself. Plus, since they can’t form a contract with a child, they decided to attach themselves for now.
“So that’s why they’ve only just started being active…”
– It means this child is currently digesting the blessings. Much like how other spirits draw power from the World Tree to act, the lower spirits will be able to operate based on the aura they receive from this child.
Both the Wind Spirit and I nodded in understanding.
Indeed, this unexpected situation was the result of the future contractor’s extraordinary powers.
– However, this is also a surprise for me. Even powerful spirit masters like me must establish a contract to work with spirits.
After observing the spirits for some time, the Wind gently patted the head of the future contractor.
– What a remarkable child. As time passes, lower spirits as well as intermediate spirits may come to regard her as their World Tree.
“Is that a good thing?”
– If she grows up to be a spirit master, it wouldn’t be a bad outcome. However… one could say it’s a bit ambiguous since her surroundings will be brimming with spirits.
Hearing those words, the Benefactor pondered, stroking his chin.
– Lower spirits can’t exert physical force unless there’s a formal contract. But as for intermediate spirits, they can perform small favors even without being contracted. That means your child will gain many friends and errand helpers.
Eager to ensure he saw this situation positively, I shared my thoughts without delay.
The Wind Spirit wasn’t one to be too persuasive, so I needed to imprint a positive perspective onto the Benefactor about this situation. This was by no means a harmful scenario for his child.
To be frank, that’s not inaccurate. The spirits presently around them are classified as low-tier among the lower spirits, but those among the upper tiers can certainly become extensions of the child’s limbs. She could just lie in bed peacefully, and they would bring her whatever she needs.
“Is that so?”
It seemed my persuasion did manage to soften the Benefactor’s expression a bit. Thank goodness.
*
I continued gazing at the spirits sparkling around Katlea’s body.
Now, I found them to be even lovelier, especially when thinking of them as symbols of Katlea’s talents.
‘Talent is something one can’t help.’
This incident arose because our little genius was born. What could I do?
As a dad of a genius daughter, it’s just something I have to understand. Of course!
‘… Does that mean they’ll increase even more?’
My only worry now is that, even with this amount, they’re supposed to multiply as time goes on.
Should I be considering relocating Katlea’s room to a more spacious area?
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