Chapter 57: The Evolution of Thea

A rustling sound stirred Hay awake earlier than usual. Renki was rummaging through books borrowed from Stan’s house and his own belongings, apparently searching for something. He tilted his head incessantly, repeatedly exclaiming, “That’s strange.”

“Why?”

Hay’s voice was still rough with sleep. Renki flinched, startled by the sudden question, then offered an awkward laugh as he turned to face Hay.

“I can’t find one of my books. It was definitely on the table yesterday. Did you happen to see it?”

“What book?”

“A basic magic textbook.”

“No, I haven’t seen it. I didn’t touch anything. Keep looking.”

Hay replied absently, already lying back down. Despite this, Renki continued to search, pacing the room for a considerable time without finding the book.

Hay fell back asleep, and when he woke again, Renki was seated at the table, studying.

“The book?”

“Oh, Lady Lorelai brought it back. She said it was in Master Stan’s backyard.”

“The backyard?”

“Yes. Isn’t that odd? I have no recollection of taking the book out there. It’s truly peculiar. Just yesterday, I was solving a problem, and then, without remembering lying down, I found myself asleep in bed!”

“Is that so? How truly bizarre. It’s enough to make one question reality.”

Once more, Hay’s response was offhand. He rose from his seat and stumbled groggily towards the bathroom, intending to wash up.

“Oh, Master Stan returned early this morning. It seems like classes will resume as normal today.”

“That’s good. Did you finish the homework Stan gave you?”

Renki responded with a smile that was undeniably, agonizingly awkward.

“Just a little more to go. Oh, I’ve already drawn your bath water. It should still be warm.”

True to Renki’s word, the water in the tub was still pleasantly warm. As Hay bathed, he mentally sorted through the previous day’s events and the tasks awaiting him.

Yesterday had been unusually eventful.

He had evolved Kelpie into Nix, made contact with Hellheim for the first time, and acquired a Red Jade through Lorelai.

He had also encountered a suspicious mage named Dylan. The way that fellow spoke, as if privy to information about Hellheim, had left Hay feeling uneasy.

‘But the old man seemed oblivious.’

Lorelai had introduced him as a friend, but Hay doubted the truth of that claim.

More importantly, there was that massive magic circle, its layers beyond counting.

Its power was such that Hay couldn’t help but wonder if it rivaled even Stan, an 8th-class mage.

The standard of mages in the Eastern Continent wasn’t typically that high, so encountering three mages of such caliber in less than a year, one after another, was truly unusual.

Having finished his bath, Hay emerged, vigorously toweling his hair. He then used his hand to conjure a gentle breeze, meticulously drying every strand.

The cool breeze was a welcome sensation against his scalp, and Hay closed his eyes, savoring it. Renki then brought him his usual daily chamomile tea.

“Will you go straight to eat after drying your hair?”

“Yes.”

Having answered, Hay lowered his hands, quickly draining the tea that had cooled to a perfect drinking temperature. He then began to don the clothes Renki had laid out for him.

Renki had already been fully dressed even before Hay started his bath.

Hay put on his coat and went to the dining hall to eat, but having gone down a little late, the bell rang as soon as he finished his meal.

As a result, Renki had to rush off to Stan’s house.

Hay sat in the guest lounge, idly waiting for Lorelai.

His plan for the day was to give her the healing potion, then go for a jog by the lake, followed by some training.

Today, he intended to evolve either Thea or Sylph.

‘Who should I evolve first?’

Hay lifted his teacup, then glanced down at his hand.

Yesterday, his hands had been marred by burns, yet they were now entirely unblemished, a testament to the healing potion he’d consumed before leaving the forest.

Suddenly, Lorelai’s image, glowing from within, came to mind.

“The mana road burned out, huh…”

Hay recalled Lorelai’s words.

‘Because my mana road is broken, if I use too much, it will burn away my flesh and even my soul.’

Just then, Lorelai arrived at the lounge.

From the doorway, he heard her requesting jasmine tea from a staff member. Hay didn’t bother to turn, instead fixing an unseeing gaze upon his own hand.

“What are you thinking about so intently?”

With a bright smile, Lorelai positioned her wheelchair opposite Hay.

Hay set his teacup down.

“I have something I’d like to ask.”

“About the Red Jade?”

Hay nodded. Lorelai cast a discreet glance around the lounge. Other guests were indeed present, but they were all too absorbed in their own conversations to notice.

“I don’t know much about the Red Jade myself. But go ahead and ask. What is it you’re curious about?”

“Does the ‘mana road burning out’ effect from using a Red Jade only apply to those whose mana roads are already damaged, like yours?”

“I don’t know that either. All I know is what my friend told me. Oh, right. Before I forget, I should give you this.”

Lorelai pulled money from her pocket. Ten gold coins, each no larger than a fingernail.

This was payment for dealing with the spirit summoned by the Red Jade at the lakeside yesterday.

“Thank you for yesterday. Now, until I meet Kasa again, I can cherish that joyful memory of them. This will sustain me, no matter how many decades it takes.”

Watching Lorelai’s joyful smile, Hay recalled a part of the message Hellheim had sent last night.

‘If you want to burn to death or become a spirit, go ahead and use it.’

Hay shook his head.

“There’s no need to thank me. I just earned ten gold for a short battle.”

“I also have something I’m curious about. What kind of person is your master, Mr. Styles?”

“Just a crazy elf. And what about your master, Lorelai?”

“They’re a wonderful person. More free-spirited than anyone I know. Though I haven’t seen them since I was a child.”

Lorelai fiddled with the ivory bracelet on her wrist.

“Speaking of masters, what exactly is the identity of that mage named Dylan we met yesterday?”

“Dylan? Oh, Dylan is just an ordinary mage.”

“Didn’t you claim he could see the future? That hardly sounds ordinary. Furthermore, his habit of always concealing his face is rather suspicious.”

“He’s simply very shy. I, too, was initially surprised when I couldn’t recognize him because of his covered face.”

“I have something to ask him too. Do you know how to contact him?”

“There’s the Flame Message spell, isn’t there?”

“But I don’t know his face.”

“Oh, right. Should I try to contact him for you?”

Hay thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“No. I’ll ask Stan if he knows anything about the Red Jade.”

“When you ask, could you please refrain from mentioning me? And from stating that you acquired the Red Jade through my assistance?”

Puzzled, Hay lifted his head. Lorelai responded with an awkward, somewhat sheepish smile.

“If he knew my mana road was burned out, he’d think something was wrong and get very upset.”

“Understood.”

Hay nodded once more. When the staff member delivered the jasmine tea, Hay simply replaced it with spring water and stood up, ready to depart.

“Are you leaving already?”

“I have a lot of training to do today. And I need to evolve the other spirits too.”

Lorelai didn’t try to stop him.

“Good luck with your training. I should drink this and head off for my rehabilitation exercises.”

Hay gave a light nod of farewell and exited.

Watching Hay’s retreating back, Lorelai sighed deeply, sinking her small frame into the wheelchair’s backrest.

Her expression hardened as she recalled her friend’s serene face.

‘Make your choice. Between Stan and Kasa. If you choose Stan, you can at least say goodbye to Kasa through this. If you choose Kasa and wish to become the Red Jade’s spirit, I won’t stop you. Whatever your choice, Hay Styles will ultimately become the owner of this stone, so if you become a spirit, he will take you in.’

She then offered a bitter smile, adding, ‘Then Stan would become your enemy, wouldn’t he? If the future doesn’t change, that is.’

Lorelai drained the spring water from her teacup.

****

Arriving at the lakeside, Hay was struck by how dreamlike yesterday’s events seemed. The forest surrounding the lake, which had been ablaze yesterday, was now perfectly intact.

There was not even the slightest trace of what had transpired the day before.

As he shed his thick outer coat, the cool air brushed against his entire body.

Hay tried to ignore it, loosening his muscles before beginning to run along the lake.

The lake was quite large, and even two laps left him breathless. Still, Hay persevered, completing five full circuits before finally stopping his run.

Despite the cold, he was drenched in sweat.

Next, he commenced his usual training routine.

Having been engulfed in flames for quite some time yesterday, he couldn’t even bear to look at fire, so he skipped lighting a bonfire.

The final step was to summon either Thea or Sylph and evolve them into a higher spirit.

He hesitated for a moment, pondering who to evolve first, but ultimately decided on Thea.

After all, even cold water has its proper order, and it seemed right to evolve Thea first, given she was contracted before Sylph.

“Thea.”

Readjusting his staff, he summoned Thea.

Thea emerged from the ground in the form of a large dog, wagging her tail vigorously. She barked happily, leaping left and right as if overflowing with joy.

“Are you that happy?”

It seemed Thea already knew Hay was about to evolve her into a higher spirit.

Thea made a strange sound, “Kaa-woo-wa-woo!”

She even stood on her hind legs, prancing and rushing towards Hay. He burst into laughter at her adorable display.

Hugging the large Thea, he scratched the top of her head.

“Alright, alright. Now, sit still over there.”

At Hay’s words, Thea swiftly sat down. However, unable to contain her excitement, she thrashed her tail wildly, sweeping the ground.

Hay squatted down and stroked Thea’s cheek.

“Shall we begin, then?”

“Woof woof!”

Hay chuckled softly, drawing upon his spirit power. He then poured all of his accumulated spirit power into Thea.

This time, he didn’t close his eyes as he had with Kelpie. Instead, Thea, seemingly thrilled, closed her own eyes.

Thea absorbed Hay’s spirit power at an alarming rate. Moments later, her body began to glow with a brilliant white light.

The light enveloped her entirely, becoming so dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at her.

After some time, Thea’s form began to change.

She grew larger and larger, her skeletal structure transforming. Crucially, thanks to the increased spirit power, Hay didn’t have to expend all of his own, unlike when he evolved Kelpie.

Finally, confirming that her growth had ceased, Hay withdrew his hand.

The light faded, revealing Thea’s transformed appearance.

[“Huh? It’s over? It’s done? This is it?”]

Her gender remained ambiguous, just like Nix, but a young, cheerful voice could be heard.

“Yes, it’s over.”

Hay grinned widely, looking up at Thea, who was now towering above him.

She had become a colossal wolf with glossy black fur, a stark contrast to her previous yellow, and brilliant, deep golden eyes.

“Thea, congratulations on becoming Nora.”

Nora’s eyes widened. Her mouth also dropped open.

[“Wow! Whoa! Wooow!”]

Then, with her enormous body, she began to leap and sprint wildly.

[“Whoa! Hay understands me! Woooow!”]

Hay was certain Nora was indeed a young spirit.

[“Whoa! Hayyyy!”]

Nora, who had run far ahead, now charged back towards Hay.

Hay chuckled, waving his hand, but his expression slowly hardened.

She looked exactly like a dog off its leash, hurtling forward for a body slam. Hay suddenly felt a sense of danger.

[“Hayyyyyy!”]

‘If she hits me, I’ll die.’