Chapter 51

Episode 51

To be exact, it was something in the shape of a woman.

The woman standing right in front of Lydia, with hair so faintly bluish it could be mistaken for pure white and hanging ghost-like, had skin that was unnaturally pale.

Her flowing, elongated robes rippled like waves, creating the illusion that she was underwater despite standing on land.

In short, if someone were to come across such a figure in a shadowed forest like this without any warning, it would be a collection of features that would make them run away in fright without a second thought.

Likewise, her gloomy eyes, capable of dragging even the viewer into a pit of despair, turned toward Lydia.

—You… you’re not the one.

Her mouth opened, but the voice sounded as though it were echoing deep inside the mind.

Lydia tapped at Ilian’s hand, which was tightly gripping her waist, signaling that he could let go.

He clearly didn’t want to, but reluctantly stepped back.

Still, it was obvious he was ready to draw his sword at any moment.

“What do you mean, not the one?”

—My contractor.

Spirits were usually beings that appeared in this world through a contract, so it made sense that one should have a contractor.

But the spirit before her had vacant eyes, as if lost, and Lydia felt that the theory forming in her mind was likely correct.

“Who’s your contractor? Where did they go, and why are you here alone?”

—I fell asleep long ago… and when I awoke, my contractor was gone. They said they’d come… Where did they go? I can’t feel them…

Then, with a gloomy expression, the spirit buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

In response, the water in the pond churned and overflowed.

Around where the spirit stood, the surrounding plants seemed to wilt and droop under the pressure of her overwhelming emotions.

“Did you sense my energy and come to see if I was the one?”

—Yes. Among the humans who entered this forest, you’re the only one who feels even slightly like my contractor. But you’re not.

The spirit suddenly lifted her head, tilted it forward and stared at Lydia once again before shaking her head and drooping her shoulders in disappointment.

—Do you… happen to know my contractor?

“No.”

Lydia recalled the unique sense of time magical beings had and instinctively realized that the contractor must have died.

There was no way any mage capable of contracting with a spirit still existed in this era. The spirit’s “long ago” likely meant over a century at the very least.

—Then where could they be?

Still, she couldn’t bring herself to bluntly say, “They’re probably long dead, that’s why you can’t feel them.”

The spirit seemed extremely sensitive, and though she didn’t look aggressive now, there was no predicting how she might react or what might happen next.

—My contractor… My contractor…

“Maybe something happened and they couldn’t come. I don’t know who your contractor is, but could you stop bothering the people passing through here? Everyone’s getting frightened.”

It was hard to blame the mage who had once formed the contract but failed to properly close it. Surely, they hadn’t intended this outcome either.

If they had known they couldn’t return, they should have declared the contract ended so their spirit wouldn’t be left wandering endlessly in the human world.

—Give me back my contractor…

But the spirit, as if she’d lost interest in Lydia, just kept repeating the same words over and over. Lydia couldn’t help but feel at a loss.

“Is this really something we can solve with words?”

“So what, should I slash the spirit with my sword?”

She hadn’t stopped him from bringing a sword, but it wasn’t because she thought force would be necessary. It had just seemed like a precaution.

“There’s no loss of life yet, but who knows what might happen. I’m the lord of this land. I can’t just leave a threat lying around.”

But from Ilian’s perspective, it was a different matter. If he thought of the spirit as a dangerous wild animal, his logic wasn’t entirely wrong.

Something unknown, hard to communicate with, and potentially threatening—was it wise to leave that be?

Even Lydia was beginning to retreat slightly from the spirit, who exuded a gloom so intense it was hard to endure.

Spirits were typically indifferent to anything but their contractors, but since they didn’t operate by human standards, their actions were unpredictable.

“I do understand how you feel, but… let’s just try one more approach first…”

—You.

Ilian had stepped in front of Lydia and whispered closely, which must have drawn the spirit’s attention.

Her gaze, once fixed solely on Lydia, now turned to Ilian.

Specifically, the way she stared at his bright blond hair as if enchanted made Lydia sense something ominous.

—You look like him. Exactly the same. It’s you. Did he send you?

As the spirit stepped closer, Ilian moved Lydia behind him and gripped the sword’s hilt tightly, as if ready to draw at any moment.

“What kind of misunderstanding is this?”

“Apparently, someone from the Esteban family in the past made a contract with a spirit.”

If so, maybe this could be resolved peacefully.

Maybe they could gently persuade the spirit to return to nature.

Lydia poked Ilian’s back, whispering a suggestion.

“Try pretending it’s true. Say the contractor isn’t around anymore, so she can let go and return to where she came from, to nature.”

“You want me to pretend I know that mage?”

“Yes.”

Ilian glanced sideways at Lydia whispering into his ear, then sighed and slid the half-drawn sword back into its sheath.

“The person who was your contractor left a message. They said they can’t come back here anymore, so you should return.”

—…Why?

“Because they no longer exist in this world.”

—What does that mean…?

“As far as I know, there’s no one in the Esteban family who made a contract with a spirit. So that person must have died a long time ago.”

Lydia buried her head in Ilian’s back in despair.

No, she had been trying to avoid such a direct approach by carefully choosing her words.

But he had just dropped a devastating truth like slicing clean with a blade.

—No, no… That can’t be… If I wait… I’m still here…

As expected, the spirit’s reaction was terrifying.

She covered her ears and shook her head violently, mouth gaping in a silent scream, as the pond water suddenly surged upward and came crashing down all around.

Thanks to Ilian quickly pulling her behind a tree, Lydia avoided the deluge.

She gripped Ilian’s shoulders as he shielded her and said,

“That’s not what I meant for you to say!”

“Lies don’t help solve problems.”

“Sometimes, a kind lie is helpful.”

If she’d had a tarot reading, it would’ve screamed at her to stay away from water this year.

Otherwise, there’s no way she’d keep getting dragged into water-related incidents like this.

“If we leave it alone, it’ll only get worse.”

Now, a column of swirling water was rising from the pond.

The spirit, standing before the violently spinning water, had changed—her skin now tinged blue, her entire form dark navy.

It was a gloomy appearance, as if the depths of a deep lake had taken human shape—like a harbinger of death.

“She has a limit to how much power she can use without a contractor. She’ll run out soon.”

The moment Lydia finished speaking, the swirling water collapsed to the ground with a splash, sending spray in all directions. But the spirit remained still, staring ahead.

—I need… a contractor…

The spirit’s gaze shifted toward them. Ilian instinctively shielded Lydia with his body. And just as he turned his gaze to observe the spirit’s next move—

Their eyes met, and with a feeling of being swept into something, a voice layered several times over began to whisper and echo.

—We respond to powerful desires. The most primal emotion: yearning.

Ilian felt as if all his senses had shut off, as though he were submerged in water. A chilling sensation crept up from his feet, and the whisper returned.

—You have such a feeling too, don’t you?

He felt as if the spirit had dug into every corner of his heart, laying bare and stirring up all his emotions.

The moment he realized what he longed for, it was as if he’d already been ensnared.

‘Lydia.’

There had never been anything in his life he wanted to hold onto this badly. He tried to deny it, but it was impossible.

Though he knew it was greed, his desire grew more selfish. Wanting to let go, to walk away—that only meant he wished to have all of her by his side, always.

Lydia shone so brightly that it was nearly impossible to have that light shine only on him. But he still wished for it.

—I can grant your desire, Ilian Esteban.

“How would you know what I want. How…”

That was why Ilian, knowing it was a mistake to respond at all, could only answer.