X
Releasing the enchantment of
Hay, unable to comprehend the change, scanned his surroundings. The only discernible sound was the gentle crackle of the bonfire, steadily consuming its fuel before Lorelai.
‘Was it merely my imagination?’
A strange itch prickled at his nape, prompting him to rub the spot as he approached Lorelai.
“Stan must have fallen asleep. I tried to tell him you were here, but he didn’t answer the door.”
“Ah, Stan was likely summoned back to his hometown quite suddenly.”
“What? At this hour?”
Hay was rather surprised. How could he be returning to his hometown so soon after just coming back?
“No, where exactly is his hometown?”
A sudden realization struck Hay.
Lorelai hadn’t seen Stan today. How, then, could she know? Had she received a message carried by fire?
Just then, Lorelai opened the lid of a box, retrieving a teardrop-shaped necklace from within. A potent aura of fire pulsed from it.
“Mr. Styles, do you recognize this?”
“Is it a spirit stone, perhaps? One imbued with a fire spirit?”
“Close, but not quite. This is known as a Scarlet Ruby. Have you ever heard of it?”
Hay shook his head. The name was entirely unfamiliar.
“Would you like to touch it? It’s quite warm.”
Lorelai extended the Scarlet Ruby necklace towards him without hesitation.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Hay placed his hand upon the stone. A distinct warmth emanated from its smooth surface.
Indeed, it was more than merely warm; it was scorching. The fire contained within that stone was undeniably real.
“It’s a gem known as ‘Sol’s Tear,’ said to be from the Spirit King of Fire. One of the great artifacts, it’s rumored to grant the power of fire even to those without a mana core.”
“What? Is that truly possible?”
“Quite tempting, isn’t it?”
Lorelai extended the Scarlet Ruby to Hay once more.
Hay gazed at it for a moment, then lifted his eyes.
‘A Spirit King’s artifact.’
He had heard tales of their divine authority, but never of their physical artifacts.
If true, its value would be immeasurable.
“Where did you acquire such a thing?”
“A friend gave it to me.”
“The one who visited this morning?”
“Yes.”
Hay found himself thinking that friend was remarkably foolish.
If genuinely authentic, this artifact was priceless. How could anyone consider gifting something so profoundly valuable to Lorelai?
“You certainly have an extraordinary friend. Are you two, perhaps, romantically involved?”
“No.”
Lorelai’s expression turned serious.
“Regardless, it’s truly astonishing. To part with something so precious.”
Hay clicked his tongue, impressed. Whether it was authentic or not, Lorelai’s connections were truly astounding.
Her cousin, Stan, was a Great Mage; she inexplicably knew the Yefisnon family; and now, she even possessed a friend who would bestow upon her a Spirit King’s artifact.
“I’ll give this to you, Mr. Styles.”
“What? Why would you do that?”
Hay stared at Lorelai, utterly bewildered. He couldn’t fathom her intentions, yet Lorelai’s face remained perfectly serene.
“I have no need for it. But there is one thing I must do first.”
Lorelai smiled, a wide, knowing grin, and draped the necklace around her own neck. Leaning back fully into her wheelchair, she gently caressed the crimson Scarlet Ruby.
“I’m going to say goodbye to Kasa today.”
Hay blinked, struggling to comprehend Lorelai’s words.
“My friend is rather unique; she can see the future, and she told me something vital. If I don’t let go of Kasa, both I and everyone around me will face great misfortune.”
‘If you don’t let go of Kasa, you’ll be ruined.’
There was certainly a logic to that statement.
Indeed, an inability to relinquish obsession ultimately leads to self-destruction. And when one breaks, those who care for them are inevitably wounded.
Lorelai’s friend was likely referring to this very truth.
“Then she brought this to me. She said that with this, I could summon Kasa even with a broken mana core. However, she warned that using it too much would consume my body and soul, given my damaged core. Since that would only bring unhappiness to those around me, she advised me to bid Kasa farewell.”
“You mean she brought you such a precious item just to allow you to say goodbye?”
“She said if I die, Stan would be utterly devastated. And severely so. Consequently, all those who cherish Stan would also suffer. She must have witnessed a future where I perish. It wasn’t particularly surprising, as I’ve often wondered if it would have been better to simply die and return to chaos, or perhaps be reborn as a spirit someday to reunite with Kasa.”
Yet, Lorelai could not simply die.
Had she been utterly alone, she might have joyfully cast herself into the flames. But Lorelai had Stan.
“But I cannot hurt Stan merely to sate my own desires. Having already lost something precious, I understand the profound agony of such a loss; I cannot inflict that upon him. I could never betray Stan, who sacrificed nine years for me without any obligation. That would be the height of ingratitude.”
“So, you’re abandoning Kasa?”
After all, her mana core remained irreparably broken.
Whether a remedy might emerge in the far-off future was uncertain, but clinging stubbornly to an impossible task was sheer folly.
If she merely clung to that hope, she would never progress. Relinquishing the mana core could, in fact, be a prudent decision for Lorelai’s future.
“I will never abandon Kasa. Rather, I intend to bid her farewell until we can reunite. It is best, after all, to remember each other fondly. I will endeavor to find a way, whether it takes ten years or fifty.”
Lorelai recalled Kasa’s final appearance, a bitter smile gracing her lips.
“Kasa wasn’t just a spirit to me.”
“You mentioned Kasa wasn’t merely a spirit to you.”
“Precisely. She was like a sister to me. We parted under terrible circumstances. The last time I saw her was when I set the mansion ablaze to kill everyone on the day I escaped from the noblewoman who had purchased me.”
“You used Kasa’s fire for vengeance?”
“Yes. That has always weighed heavily on my conscience: using Kasa to take a life. That is why I must say goodbye. Oh, Mr. Styles, do you have any family?”
“No. They are all gone.”
“Siblings?”
“I acquired a new one last year.”
Lorelai let out a soft chuckle at his words.
“Then, among the precious people you’ve lost, if you had the chance to meet them like this and deliver the farewells you never could before, what would you do?”
‘Why ask?’
Hay replied with unwavering conviction.
“I would seize the opportunity.”
“Indeed. You would seize the opportunity, wouldn’t you?”
Lorelai beamed, apparently pleased with Hay’s response.
The bonfire’s flames surged, swaying violently despite the absence of any wind.
Suddenly, the bonfire’s form began to shift. Hay’s gaze snapped towards it.
From within the inferno, a child, ablaze with roaring flames, stepped forth.
It was a spirit.
Hay instinctively recoiled a step.
“So, I was wondering, could we perhaps make a verbal contract?”
“A verbal contract?”
Hay echoed, his eyes still transfixed on the child wreathed in fire.
A potent force emanated from the childlike spirit.
The surrounding spirits stirred restlessly. The wind seemed to welcome the fire, while the tree spirits shrieked and scattered in terror.
“I wish to hire you, Mr. Styles, for ten gold.”
“What?”
“Please, dance with our Kasa just once.”
Lorelai cast a subtle, knowing smile towards her spirit.
The Scarlet Ruby pulsed with light, and the child’s form became distinct.
The roaring flames subsided, revealing a bright-faced girl with long, fiery hair and a skirt of pure flame, which she held daintily in her hands.
She was the spitting image of Lorelai.
The spirit lifted her skirt and offered a graceful bow, as if observing a formality before a dance.
Yet, the transformation did not conclude there.
The spirit was once more enveloped in flames, its size dramatically shifting.
It grew into the form of a female knight, far taller than Hay, clad in armor, with flaming swords held in her hands, which were also wreathed in fire.
Hay observed the spectacle with an impassive gaze.
“You’re offering me the Scarlet Ruby for ten gold?”
“I said I would.”
“You’re not planning to kill me or anything, are you?”
“Why would I ever kill you, Mr. Styles?”
“No changing your mind later.”
“I won’t.”
“May I sell the Scarlet Ruby at an auction?”
“If I give it to you, Mr. Styles, it becomes yours. You may do with it as you please.”
Lorelai offered a sweet smile.
Meanwhile, Hay’s mind raced, calculating the potential sum he could acquire by auctioning off that Scarlet Ruby.
Considering Lorelai, despite her broken mana core, had managed to wield fire and summon a spirit, the artifact was undoubtedly authentic.
It was a genuine artifact.
“Excellent.”
‘This is money.’
“It also presents a fine opportunity to test my skills against a fire spirit.”
The Scarlet Ruby and everything else had come upon him quite suddenly.
Coincidentally, his own spirit, Kelpie, had just evolved into Nix.
“……Nix.”
Water and fire are natural adversaries.
This was, indeed, a perfectly suitable opponent for him to test his mettle against.
[“…Fight against great fire?”]
A hint of irritation laced Nix’s voice.
‘Great fire or whatever, fire is still fire.’
“No. Great water is facing it.”
Hay tapped Nix’s form with an impassive expression.
The fire knight swung her sword in a horizontal arc, settling into a ready stance.
“Oh, do not let your guard down.”
Lorelai warned.
“From the looks of it, Kasa appears to have become a mid-to-high-level ‘Raon’.”
Hay ran a hand over his face at those words.
‘Raon,’ Kasa’s evolved form.
“Mr. Styles, do you recall what I told you before? That you lack ‘passion’.”
Lorelai seemed utterly delighted.
“I’ll show you what the passion of fire truly means.”
****
“Ah, I truly cannot grasp this formula.”
Renki tugged at his hair in frustration.
He sighed, leaning his head against the chair’s backrest, utterly deflated. He desperately wanted to solve the final problem, yet the answer eluded him entirely. He knew if he went to bed now, the lingering frustration would keep him wide awake.
Then, a thought struck him: Stan had returned.
‘It’s late, but should I go and ask him? No, he might scold me. Still, if I don’t solve this problem now, I won’t be able to sleep.’
Renki groaned, caught in a dilemma.
After much deliberation, he mustered his courage, donned his coat, and stood. He decided he would rather be scolded after asking than not at all.
He habitually reached for his mask, but then recalled Stan’s instruction not to wear it in his presence, and simply tucked it into his pocket.
Renki gathered his book and papers, then exited the inn. He approached Stan’s house and knocked, but received no answer.
“Master? Master?”
He dared not call out loudly, fearing he might disturb the neighbors, so he tapped softly, *knock-knock-knock*, on the door. Still, there was no response.
‘Did he go out again?’
Disappointment washed over Renki, and his shoulders slumped.
Just then, a peculiar sensation emanated from the forest.
It felt as if someone’s presence lingered, and something seemed to shimmer.
Hesitating, Renki considered that Stan might be in the backyard, and so he made his way there.
But the yard was empty.
He glanced around, then turned his attention back to the forest, now a skeletal expanse of bare branches.
He thought he discerned something like a transparent membrane. Renki squinted, drawing closer to examine it.
On the ground, a faint, purplish mana traced a long line along the perimeter.
It was a sophisticated magic circle, intricately woven with runes.
‘What is this?’
Renki cautiously extended his hand.
His hand passed over the ground where the purple mana pulsed. Instantly, a translucent purple membrane shimmered into existence before his eyes.
He was startled, but the membrane caused Renki no harm whatsoever.
Renki’s momentary wonder at the sight quickly faded.
He then realized that Hay was situated beyond this magic circle.
Renki cautiously stepped inside the magic circle. Immediately, he sensed something that had been imperceptible from the outside.
It was the faint, acrid scent of burning.
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