Chapter 48: The Fair Predator

Lorelai lit fires every day. Sometimes she’d make a bonfire in the backyard, and on days when it poured, she’d light every candle in the house.

Each time, Stan would throw open all the windows, grumbling about being suffocated. Yet, he never once told Lorelai to extinguish the flames.

He understood why she always lit fires.

Today, too, Lorelai lit a fire.

She sat before the fire, gazing endlessly into the dancing flames. Doing so always brought a sense of peace to her heart.

‘Fire is like a predator,’ Renki had remarked unexpectedly one day.

This was when a small burn scar still lingered on his face. Beside them, the young Duke Benjamin clumsily poked at the bonfire with a poker, hoping the potatoes in the iron pot would cook quickly.

‘A predator?’ Lorelai echoed, questioning. Renki nodded in response.

‘It reduces its surroundings to ashes, doesn’t it? Where a great fire sweeps through, only ruins remain. It swells in size as it devours everything around it. The way it consumes all reminds me of a predator, don’t you think?’

His face, unmasked, remained utterly composed. While he often acted like a child in front of Hay, this expression was far from childlike. When Lorelai mentioned it to Stan later, he simply said, ‘You were far worse at that age.’

‘What do you think, Young Master Ben? Do you also believe fire is a predator?’ Lorelai asked the young Duke.

The young Duke, who had been quiet, seemed startled by the sudden question directed at him. His eyes widened, and he traced a finger under his nose.

‘Well,’ the young Duke replied, seemingly unaware of the soot smudged on his face.

‘As Renki said, fire certainly has predatory aspects. When it grows uncontrollably and spreads, it becomes truly terrifying. Sometimes it only seems to be sated and dies down after consuming everything in its path. So, I don’t think it’s an inaccurate description. Is that why…’

The young Duke continued, idly poking the bonfire with the poker.

‘I believe fire is fair. It devours everything it can, without prejudice for status or race.’

Lorelai swallowed, leaning back against the chair.

“A fair predator, indeed…”

The bonfire blazed hotly.

Gazing at it intently, Lorelai extended her hand towards the flames. The warmth emanating from them caressed her palm.

Even though her Mana Rod was broken, preventing her from using spirit magic or communicating with spirits, she could still distinctly feel their aura.

Within this fire, a Kasa resided. Whether it was her own Kasa or another, she couldn’t tell.

“Are the sweet potatoes roasting well?” a voice from beside her asked, but Lorelai didn’t turn. It was Hay.

“They’re roasting perfectly. Would you like a sweet potato?”

“I already had one inside. But why are you roasting so many? Are you planning to sell them?”

“No. I’m taking some to the Fortune-teller next door, some to Gnolan Venter, and some to Saila. I’m just roasting them all at once.”

“Where did all these sweet potatoes come from, anyway?”

“Where else? I bought them. I was just getting a bit bored only lighting fires.”

Seeing the pile of sweet potatoes still in another basket, Hay looked a little overwhelmed.

“Don’t just stand there, sit down.” At Lorelai’s words, Hay fetched a stool from against the wall and settled beside her.

“Your meeting finished quickly, didn’t it?” Lorelai gripped the poker and stirred the bonfire. Sparks crackled and flew. The iron pot remained nestled within the flames.

“Yes, well. It was over in a flash.”

“I imagine so. It was just a brief update on how the training was progressing. Oh, did you hear that Stan will be away from home starting tomorrow?”

“He mentioned having some business to attend to.”

“Yes. His family elders called him back to his hometown. He’s just going for a short visit.”

‘So, his family elders summoned him.’ It only takes three days to go to his hometown and return, so it must be quite close.

“Then you’ll be going with him, Lorelai.”

“Oh, no, I’m not going. It’s not my hometown, and I wasn’t summoned.”

“Different hometowns? But you two are siblings.”

“Stan and I are cousins. My mother is his aunt. Didn’t I tell you when we first met? I thought I mentioned it while we were talking about old times.”

“No, you didn’t.” Hay was slightly surprised by this unexpected revelation. Given their similar hair color and features, he had always assumed they were biological siblings with a significant age gap. So, they were cousins.

“I guess I didn’t. Anyway, I’m not going.” Lorelai shrugged. Believing the fire to be too weak, she added another log from the pile beside her.

Hay glanced at Lorelai’s legs, covered by a blanket.

Though the blanket was thick, the outline of her legs beneath it revealed them to be gaunt, even without looking directly.

Her legs were healing. The healing water had also proven effective against her neuralgia.

However, the muscle loss from disuse was not something the healing water could fix, so she still couldn’t walk.

“Are you keeping up with the exercises I prescribed?”

“A little at a time. You told me not to overdo it, didn’t you? I’m doing just enough so it’s not too strenuous.”

“That’s good. You need to be consistent. Rehabilitation could take one or two years.” It might even take longer.

“I know. I’ll exercise diligently.” Lorelai replied with a grin.

“But the one thing I really want to fix isn’t showing much progress.” Disappointment laced her voice. She was referring to the Mana Rod.

“I told you not to get your hopes up.”

“Even so, it’s too early to give up. It’s only been a month since I started drinking the healing water. I still have two months left, so I have to keep trying.”

“Even if it does show results later, I’ll be leaving in two months. What will you do then?”

“Hmm, I suppose I’ll try contacting my master again, or if that doesn’t work, I’ll just follow you around, Mr. Styles.”

Hay let out a wry chuckle at her joke, finding it absurd.

“And how is your training progressing, Mr. Styles? I recall you saying your goal was to reach an intermediate level.”

“Yes. I’m trying to summon a fire spirit before I leave, but it’s proving difficult to bond with them.”

“I’ve only ever contracted with Kasa, so I don’t know for sure, but I have heard that fire spirits are the most challenging.”

“It’s not just ‘a bit’ difficult. More often than not, they don’t even speak to me.”

“Even so, Mr. Styles, you have Kelpie, Thea, and Sylph. Some spirit users only ever contract with a single spirit their entire lives, so having three is quite remarkable. I also heard you were stuck at the lowest rank for over fifteen years before recently advancing to low-tier and mid-low-tier within the last six months. And you just contracted with Sylph not long ago, too.”

“Did Renki tell you that?”

“Yes.”

‘It seems Renki leaked his information to Lorelai before.’ He felt he ought to give Renki a warning this time. While it wasn’t particularly hidden or secret, needlessly exposing information shouldn’t become a habit. He resolved to have a stern talk with him soon.

“Did you have some kind of change of heart? Such rapid growth in a short period isn’t easy.”

‘Not a change of heart, no, but a change in personality.’ Unfortunately, he couldn’t share that story, so Hay simply offered a slight smile.

“I suppose it’s just because I’ve become more ambitious.”

“Ambitious for what?”

“For money. And the desire to live comfortably.”

“Living comfortably sounds wonderful.” Lorelai nodded in agreement.

“Would you mind showing me your spirits?”

Hay blinked, a hint of confusion on his face, before summoning his three spirits. Kelpie settled on his shoulder, Thea at his feet, and Sylph floated above his head. Seeing them, Lorelai let out a small chuckle.

“But why the spirits?” Hay asked.

“No reason, really. I just like seeing them; they look like cute animals.”

“What did your Kasa look like, Lorelai?”

“She was a humanoid girl who resembled me. She was my irreplaceable friend, almost more like a sister, actually. Perhaps she appeared that way because I longed for siblings or friends when I was young. They say a summoned spirit’s appearance reflects the contractor’s desires and inner self.”

Hay nodded, yet found himself perplexed. He knew that principle, having learned it from Hellheim, but he couldn’t understand why his own desires and inner self manifested as small animals.

“Do you know what? When I first saw Sylph with Renki in front of the house, I had a feeling. I sensed that Sylph’s contractor must be a good spirit user.”

“Why did you think that?”

“They look like weak, young animals. And all three of them are simply adorable. So, I thought the contractor for these spirits must be someone with many things they want to protect. And I also guessed that you probably don’t care much for people. Am I right?”

Hay didn’t refute her words. They weren’t entirely wrong, after all. Hay had never been interested in others. It had been that way for a long time.

“Do you know why you can’t connect with fire spirits, Mr. Styles?” Hay lifted Thea, who was scratching at his leg, begging to be held, onto his lap. Sylph, who had been hovering above his head, flew up and began circling the fire, chirping excitedly.

“It’s precisely because of your personality.”

“What about my personality?”

“You tolerate Stan’s rudeness, you don’t ask questions even when you’re curious, and you refuse greater profits. You seem to dislike standing out or getting involved in conflicts. That kind of personality doesn’t align with Kasa.”

Lorelai picked up the poker and, this time, pulled the iron pot from the bonfire.

“My master once told me this: water is life, wind is freedom, and earth is peace. So, what do you think fire is?”

Hellheim had said the same thing.

“—Passion.”

“You lack that, Mr. Styles.”

That’s why it was so hard for him to befriend fire spirits, Lorelai was implying.

“To befriend fire, you need the will to destroy… no, to burn everything down. Whether it’s anger or passion. Similar qualities include a sense of mission or justice.”

With a clatter, Lorelai lifted the lid from the pot, revealing perfectly roasted sweet potatoes inside. Steam rose in wisps. Hay, pondering Lorelai’s words, nodded.

“I understand completely. I’ll keep that in mind for my training.”

“That will isn’t something you can acquire through training. Your heart must become that way. If you wish to gain fire, you must become the flame yourself. Only then will you attract the attention of the Kasas.”

The sweet potatoes were transferred one by one into a basket. Once all were placed inside, she pulled the entire basket and set it at Hay’s feet.

“Take these and share them with the inn staff. The ones just taken out are still warm, so you and Renki should eat those.”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy them.”

“By any chance, is there anyone in Cheaf you dislike?”

“Pardon? Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”

“Burning down the house of someone you dislike might help.”

“That’s a crime.”

“Of course, it’s a joke.”

‘Was it really a joke?’ Lorelai smiled and waved him off, urging him to go.

Hay turned, cradling the basket, warm with freshly roasted sweet potatoes. On his way back to the inn, he kept thinking about Lorelai’s words.

The will to burn everything down.

He had a rough idea of what Lorelai meant. Of course, there had been a time when Hay possessed such a will.