Melkith’s admiration continued throughout the entire walk. The forest had lush vegetation, something unbelievable considering the weather. Spirits, including primal ones, were everywhere in this forest.
“This forest is heaven for a spirit summoner!” Melkith excitedly yelled. “I am really not exaggerating, you should believe me! I went to dozens, hundreds of places that are known to have many spirits while I learned spirit summoning magic all these dozens of years, but I have never seen such a lively place, much less one with more spirits than this forest!”
“Ah, sure,” Eugene absentmindedly answered.
“In this forest, even the most minimal spirit affinity is enough to create a contract with a spirit. If you already have a contract, the level of your spirit summoning magic would increase by just living here. No, no! Not only the spirit summoning magic! What’s up with this place? How could this place have so much mana?” Melkith was so thrilled that she threw her hands in the air. Then she suddenly pounced at Eugene and grabbed his collar.
“Why are you doing this to me?” Eugene asked.
“This is a crime!” Melkith raised an outcry. “It’s a crime for a mere clan to own this spot full of mana and spirit!”
“Er…Umm… The Lionhearts are not really a mere clan…” Eugene answered with a reluctant face.
“Hey, even the magic kingdom of Aroth does not have this kind of mana site! I’m pretty sure that applies to every other country on the continent!”
“I assume Helmuth has one.”
“…Thaaat…is…possible. Ah, anyhow, this place isn’t an ordinary mana spot! Even in Helmuth, there isn’t a better spirit sp… hmm… but they probably have plenty of darkness spirit gathering spots…” Melkith was flustered, unable to finish her sentence. Still, she was able to reach a conclusion soon.
“…I really can’t live here?”
“Tsk, I already said no.”
“Then, forget about living. How about visiting twice a we…”
“No, you can’t.”
“You are being so cheap. Technically, this forest isn’t even yours. Lady Ancilla seems to like my gift very much… I can just negotiate with her, can’t I?”
Eugene didn’t answer Melkith, but just stared glumly at her. Truthfully, there wasn’t any reason for him to unconditionally say no.
However, Melkith’s eccentricity, which Eugene had heard about from Tempest, troubled his mind. What if Melkith ran around here naked in the middle of the night just like she had done with Wynnyd? Eugene really didn’t want to imagine it…
“…You cheap bastard, you don’t have to glare at me like that. I’m not going to pester you anymore since you are being really, really cheap. Actually, I have everything. Do you know that? I’m already at a peak as a spirit summoner.”
“That’s awesome,” Eugene nonchalantly answered.
Melkith gritted her teeth as she glared at Eugene. Then she quickly turned away from Eugene and started walking down the forest.
“…Come to think of it, where’s Mer?”
“She’s here.”
When Eugene lifted the cloak as he answered, Mer stuck her head out. For a moment, Melkith felt mixed emotions as she saw Mer. Her treasure, the Cloak of Darkness, was being used as that little girl’s house…
‘…I never imagined the cloak would be used like that.’
“You are really making good use of it,” Melkith said bitterly.
“Don’t worry, I will be returning it to you in one piece after six years.”
“Of course, you should. If the cloak has a single scratch, this entire forest will…”
“…”
“I’m joking, jooooking. You are really something, how could you have no respect for the elders? You are glaring as if you are going to kill me every time I say something. This big sister is so scared of you.”
“You, a big sister…?”
“Be quiet,” snapped Melkith.
No matter how hard she thought, it was all because the Green Tower Master, that son of a bitch, caused a scene. Of course, Melkith hadn’t wanted the Green Tower Master to win the fight. However, she was certain Eugene had no respect for the Tower Masters because of the Green Tower Master’s inelegant act.
“But where are you heading right now?” Eugene questioned.
“The place full of spirits and mana.”
“I think that applies to the whole forest.”
“There is a particularly dense spot in this forest. You don’t need to guide me. I’m already sensing it.”
Melkith thought this was a good opportunity. She grinned and dramatically turned to make her coattails fly. As she did so, the ground beneath her rose like a sea wave.
“These spirits of the earth are guiding me.”
Eugene looked up to Melkith with a reluctant face. Waiting for Eugene’s admiration, she was still spreading out both her arms as she stood on the earth wave.
“…Shall we go?” Eugene asked after a pause.
“Do you want to ride it too?”
“No.”
“You don’t need to refuse. Riding this is quite fun!”
When Melkith flicked her finger, the ground beneath Eugene wriggled. It was actually pretty surprising: the earth was being moved by the spirits, not magic.
‘Well, she did make a contract with the Earth Spirit King,’ Eugene thought.
He stopped walking and stood still. Melkith was still not getting down from the wave. Like that, they moved forward, standing on the moving ground. In the meantime, Mer also wriggled out from the cloak and stood beside Eugene.
“Have you ever surfed before?” Melkith asked.
“No.”
“You can always ask me if you feel like it. We don’t even need to go to the ocean, I will create a wave for you.”
“That’s a bit too much…”
“Why? Did this big sister make your heart race?”
“Please don’t say such a gross thing,” Eugene answered with a disgusted face.
However, Mer didn’t look displeased. Maybe because she liked what Melkith said… or maybe she was having fun riding the earth wave.
“…Ooooh…”
After crossing the forest, they arrived at the elven village, which had just been completed. It was probably the supply delivery day, too—carriages were lining up before the village entrance.
“Master Eugene, what brought you here?”
Standing in front of the carriage, Narissa and Lavera were checking the supplies being unloaded.
“Your…preferences are very…unique and…er…umm…shocking.” Melkith stuttered, looking at Narissa and Lavera.
The two elves were wearing the Lionhearts’ maid uniforms. One had a prosthetic leg and another was wearing an eyepatch.
It wasn’t rare to use elves as servants, but both of these elves had damaged or missing body parts. It made Melkith imagine something very dark and decadent.
“Don’t get any weird ideas.”
“…I’m a person who tries to understand every person’s preference. There’s no need to be shy. Uh…you already know a lot about my embarrassing secrets.”
“Don’t say something that will cause a misunderstanding either.”
Narissa and Lavera, who politely bowed before, were now staring at Eugene’s group. They were currently apprentice maids of the annex, and they had become Nina’s subordinates while Eugene was gone. The nonsense babbled by Melkith would reach Nina, and from there, it would reach his father, Gerhard.
“So is this the place with a lot of spirits and mana?” Eugene asked.
“Hmm… Hmmmmm…”
“Seriously, stop thinking weird shit.”
“Fine. You really shouldn’t be so shy.”
Melkith cleared her throat and raised her finger. “That’s the place.”
Her finger was pointing at the back of the elven village. It was where Eugene had planted the saplings of the World Tree. It had barely been weeks, but the saplings had become much taller than when he got them from Samar.
“…Aren’t those the fairy trees you’ve brought from Samar?” asked Melkith.
“Yes.”
“Even I have never seen a live fairy tree. Can I get one sturdy branch as a gift?”
“It depends on you, Lady Melkith,” Eugene grumbled as he approached the fairy tree. As Melkith followed him, she saw a hut not far from the fairy tree.
‘The hut is the center of this forest,’ thought Melkith.
It was the leyline of the Lionheart clan.
‘Is the root of the fairy tree connected to the leyline? That’s why the leyline’s power amplified, so the mana… No…wait a minute… The spirits in this place…why are they somewhat different?’
She was familiar with primal spirits who didn’t have egos, but the primal spirits in this forest were a little different from the other spirits.
“…Am I mistaken?” Melkith murmured.
“Mistaken about what?”
“The primal spirits in this place…they are somewhat differ… Oh my god! Is this the World Tree, not the fairy tree?!” Melkith shrieked and flung herself toward the sapling. Then she wrapped her limbs around the trunk like a cicada.
“I never thought I would see the World Tree in this life!”
“Technically, it’s not the World Tree. It’s a branch of the tree…”
“Oh my god, oh my god!”
“How did you know?”
“Levin and Yhanos told me. How, how is this possible?! For a mere mortal clan to have THREE World Trees in their forest!”
“Who in the world are Levin and Yhanos?”
“The Lightning Spirit King and the Earth Spirit King!”
“Are you going to stay there?” Eugene asked.
After a while, Melkith slid down the tree.
“…You aren’t going to give me one even if I ask for it, right?”
“Never.”
“Ughhh… I’m so sad. I can’t even pester you anymore, I kind of grasp the current situation. Be thankful for the humanity left inside me.”
The elves were brought from Samar, where Sienna was known to be secluded. The World Tree was here probably for the elves and because of Sienna’s wish. Melkith looked up at the young World Tree with eyes full of lingering feelings.
‘If only I could do as I please… I want to have one in the White Tower…’
However, she couldn’t. Melkith sighed heavily and collapsed against the tree.
“Come here.”
“Are you going to negotiate with me or something?” Eugene asked.
“No, I’m not. I’m trying to start the contract between you and the spirit. I came here today for that, right?”
Melkith opened her coat wide and took out a big box from it, placing it in front of Eugene. After that, she moved her hands here and there, light radiating from the tip of her fingers. She used the light to inscribe a formula and draw a magic circle in the ground.
Eugene sat in front of Melkith and watched the whole process.
“Do I need to sit too?” Mer asked, but Melkith firmly shook her head.
“No, you stay outside. Somewhere far away from here. Your delicate control formula might interfere with what’s about to happen.”
“…Is it dangerous?” Mer nervously asked again.
“The mood is important when you’re making a contract with the spirits. The lightning spirits especially have a nasty temper. If a random familiar stays in for no reason, the spirits might strike you with lightning or something,” Melkith explained. She scanned Eugene up and down. “Do you want to take off your clothes?”
“Do I have to take off my clothes while I contract spirits?” Eugene asked reluctantly.
“I prefer that method. When I approach them in a primal state, without any unnecessary decorations, my connection with the spirits strengthens.”
“Tempest told me that’s a superstition.”
“…Every spirit has different preferences. Anyhow, my advice is to take off your clothes. I recommend at least taking off your top. It might burn away during the signing of the contract.”
Eugene frowned, but he didn’t ignore her advice.
“That’s a fine body you got there, little brother.” Melkith whistled as she looked at Eugene, who came back after taking off his top.
He looked at her with disgusted eyes before plopping down onto the ground in front of her.
“Just open up the box. I’m really curious if it’s worth all the fuss.”
“Hehehe!” With a wicked smile , Melkith flicked her finger toward the box, which opened. Eugene opened his eyes wide as he looked inside the box. Something that was crouching inside jumped up with a flash.
“What’s this?”
Pzzzz! Inside the barrier made by Melkith, lightning went on a rampage. It was so fast that Eugene had a hard time following its movement, even leaving afterimages as it bumped against the barrier and flew erratically. Every time the lightning sparked, Eugene’s naked upper body stung.
“A lightning flame.” Melkith adoringly watched the lightning flame running wild. “There is a magic material called ‘lightning ore,’ which holds lightning. It’s a very valuable gemstone that is normally used to make artifacts. However, a high-level spirit summoner can process the lightning ore to hold a lightning spirit.”
Melkith’s snapped her fingers. The rampaging lightning flame flinched, then dropped to the floor of the box. .
“This lightning ore has been processed using alchemy. It was a piece of ore, but it has been refined into a flame, not a refined ore.”
“…is that supposed to mean something?”
“The gemstone is a stone, after all. No matter how it’s refined, the stone can never become bigger than its original size. We carve and crush a stone, making it smaller in the end. But how about a flame?”
Grinning, Melkith continued to explain as she pushed her head in Eugene’s direction.
“Flame can change in any way really, depending on how it’s controlled. Water requires a bowl to be held, but flame doesn’t even need a bowl. It grows bigger, it shrinks…and it’s violent at the same time. In other words, a flame is a very belligerent and also a very convenient material.”
“Aha…” Eugene quietly chimed in.
“Of course, this is not an ordinary flame. It burns like a flame, but the ore is actually hosting a primal spirit of lightning. Therefore, it doesn’t have any ego, just aggressiveness. What do you think? Isn’t this material charming?”
“It is, but…”
“Your reaction is so boring! Do you know what I went through to make this? Tons of lightning ore were used to make this flame. I changed that ore into flames and personally summoned the Lightning King to literally pour high-power lightning into these pieces!”
Eugene stared at the lightning flame with narrowed eyes. The lightning flame curled up on the bottom of the box was only as big as a bonfire, but he felt the immense mana concentrated inside.
“Don’t worry about compatibility,” Melkith spoke as she shook her head. “There is a reason why I made it to look like a flame. It’s because your mana looks like a flame while you use the Lionheart’s White Flame Formula. It might seem like it doesn’t mean much, but it’s actually pretty important. It’s like adding color to the clothes you are wearing. In a nutshell, I’m making it appear more familiar, since you lack spirit affinity.”
“…How do I proceed with the contract?”
“Hold the lightning flame.” In front of Eugene, Melkith opened her hands, then clenched them into fists.
“Make it answer to your mana, using the White Flame Formula. The trick is… hmm, make it answer to your mana, your power, and your existence. Change the shape of the lightning flame like that. Then, the lightning flame will naturally resist the outside mana.”
“Are you telling me to make it surrender?”
“As a summoner, I think it’s better to call it ‘harmonize’ rather than surrender. But that’s up to you. Wouldn’t it be better for you to try it yourself?”
Melkith had a point. Eugene nodded and reached out for the lightning flame.
‘Huh? Look at this bastard,’ Eugene thought.
When his hand got closer, the lightning flame flinched and then increased its size as if it was going to swallow Eugene’s hand whole.
He smirked and used the White Flame Formula.
Woosh! The white flame twirled around Eugene’s body. Soon, the flame was dyed a cerulean hue. Eugene grabbed the lightning flame with a flame-wrapped hand.
Pzzz!
The lightning sparked. Eugene’s arms ached and his teeth chattered. In spite of Eugene’s will, his two arms trembled like aspen leaves, and they became hot as if they were burning. However, Eugene didn’t let the lightning flame go. He tightened the grip around the flame instead, as he brought it closer to his body.
“Umm… Wouldn’t it be better if you treat it more gently?”
“You said it’s up to me whether I make it surrender or harmonize.” Eugene smiled as his cheeks twitched. It resisted harder than he had thought. It was pretty interesting.
Pzz..! As Eugene pressured it, the lightning flame began to shrink.
“Uh…hmm… You are…right. So, if you continue… you will be able to feel the spirit attracted by the lightning flame. There is no way it’s a low-class spirit. You should be able to contract with an intermediate-class spirit, at the very least,” Melkith explained.
‘Though I think he won’t be able to contract a high-class spirit,’ she thought.
Actually, the class of spirit didn’t matter. When a summoner contracted any spirit, their spirit affinity increased afterward depending on how they treated the spirit. Even if Eugene only contracted a low-class lightning spirit right now, he could always get a higher-class lightning spirit afterward.
‘Or, Levin. How about if you help him out a little? You can call a high-class spirit from the start…’
[A contract should be fair.]
The Lightning Spirit King, Levin, answered in Melkith’s head.
[I didn’t like that lightning flame thing in the first place. I only conceded because you stubbornly insisted on it, Melkith. Since you’ve been accommodating him this much, he should at least proceed with the contract on his own.]
‘You are cheap…’ Melkith grumbled.
[If you wanted him to get a high-class spirit, why didn’t you just make an artifact that could hold a spirit?]
‘That’s not a contract, that would be using the spirit in the weapon.’
That was why Wynnyd was a ridiculous treasure. The sword didn’t just ‘host’ spirits, it enabled the owner to make a contract with the Wind Spirit King himself.
“…Hmm…” The look on Eugene’s face changed as he controlled the lightning flame. It was because Eugene felt a disparate ‘presence’ within the lightning spewed by the lightning flame.
There was no way that Melkith, who had an overwhelmingly sensitive lightning affinity, could have missed the presence. Melkith beamed and said, “A spirit is answering.”
“…Low class?”
“No, it’s an intermediate class. I knew it. Okay, now. Concentrate on the spirit to start the con…”
“That’s too weak, isn’t it?” Eugene answered as he frowned. The power of the spirit he could feel right now was weaker than the lightning flame, and it was incomparable to the bolts of lightning he could shoot using the Thunderbolt bow.
“Don’t be too greedy now. Let’s first begin with the con…”
“Let’s go on with this a little bit more,” Eugene interrupted. He wasn’t fully controlling it yet, but his confidence wasn’t groundless. Eugene’s mana control was so exceptionally good that even Sienna admitted it. The lightning spirit that answered him from inside the lightning flame was a primal spirit. And a primal spirit was another form of mana.
Eugene couldn’t sense primal spirits normally, but this time, a primal spirit was captured using this processed ore. It was more than possible for him to sense and control it as he did with mana.
As the White Flame Formula circulated, his Cores spun faster. Explosions blasted the inside of Eugene’s body, amplifying his mana. The flame wrapped around his body turned a perfect cerulean.
Pzzz, pzzzz!
As Eugene proceeded with controlling the flame, the blue flame and the lightning mixed up. The flame sparked up and the mana scattered away. Using the White Flame Formula, Eugene drew both of them inside his body, letting them flow inside his core with no waste of energy.
“Er… Ummm…” Melkith was unable to say anything, so she just watched the scene unfolding before her eyes.
‘Is it even okay to do that? … I don’t know.’
Let alone trying to do something like that herself, Melkith had never even thought that it was possible. Besides, that wasn’t why she had created the lightning flame in the first place.
“Hey… are you alright? Doesn’t it hurt?”
Eugene didn’t answer. Gritting his teeth, he just glared at the lightning flame. The light blocked his view. As he proceeded to suppress it, the lightning flame became smaller and smaller. Conversely, every time the White Flame Formula made his mana explode, the lightning flame swelled up.
[Melkith?]
Levin watched Eugene through Melkith’s eyes.
[Who is that guy?]
‘…I don’t know.’
[How is it possible to control primal spirits like that…?]
Levin’s shock was understandable. A primal spirit was pure essence. It was weaker than low-class spirits, but it didn’t lose itself even before high-class spirits’ power. Every spirit in this world had once been a primal spirit, and that also applied to the Spirit Kings.
[Melkith.]
‘I don’t know, so stop calling me!’
[No… I’m not trying to ask you anything, we just got sidetracked.]
‘What?’
[The barrier is collapsing.]
Surprised, Melkith raised her head up. It was just like Levin said; the barrier which she had cast to prevent the lightning flame from running wild was now cracking because it wasn’t able to withstand the power moving around this place.
‘I thought it was something serious… I just have to make another one, don’t I?’
[No, let it be for a moment.]
The moment Melkith tried to recast the magic, Levin stopped her.
‘Why?’
[Look at the cracks.]
Levin’s voice shook. Unable to understand his trembling voice, Melkith stared at the cracks. It didn’t take long for her eyes to open wide in shock.
[The World Tree’s spirits are responding to the lightning.]
Lightning seeped in through the cracks. It merged of its own volition into the lightning flame and was driven inside Eugene’s body by the White Flame Formula.
“…What the…” Melkith stutteringly spoke.
Rumble!
The lightning exploded.
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