ALL NOVEL Chapter 130
Boulder thought, Did she want to make a fuss and yell at him? How could one refuse the demands of the contractee who had made up their mind and given orders?
“Pose has caused me enough headaches lately; and now you, too? Are you guys made to break taboos?”
“Lady Wilkin, do you happen to know where Vista is?”
“Why are you looking for Vista?”
Boulder simply ignored the irritated Wilkin and asked the spirits next to him, “Do you guys know? Tell me.”
“…Uh.”
“Um.”
“No, no.”
Spirits resembling rabbits, fireflies, and butterflies all kept their mouths shut as if they had made a promise.
Why, you ask?
“Vista says that the king’s contractee lied about being her contractee.”
“That’s right, that’s right. That’s what she said.”
So, it’s a heart-wrenching effort to help the esteemed Spirit King’s contractee safely by letting her parade her name around.
“I wanted to ask Vista something, so I’m looking for her. Just for a moment—”
“What will you ask her?”
When Wilkin got upset, Boulder sighed deeply and said, “I’m curious if there will be any danger for my contractee in the future.”
“Hah! And what if there is? What can you do, especially when you can’t be summoned?”
“…”
Wilkin’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the deflated Boulder. It was a face that seemed sympathetic at first glance.
“If it’s a danger you’re worried about, it’s already happened.”
“What? Wh-what happened?”
Boulder visibly flinched in surprise.
“He got a significant injury that could have killed him. If it had been treated hastily, he would have survived; otherwise, he would have died.”
“S-so what happened? Did he survive?”
“What are you saying, you foolish fellow? If he had died, your contract would have been completely severed, and you would have known that first.”
Tsk tsk, Wilkin clicked her tongue and gestured to her tree trunk.
Written beneath <The Troublemakers>, there was…
<The Hardworker>
Wishit
/////////
Boulder understood the significance of the tally marks made with the stick.
Common spirits received penalties for breaking taboos, with the severity of the penalty depending on the transgression. However, the Spirit King, being the king, was subject to special rules.
When taboos were broken, or the king used their power at their discretion without the contractee making a wish, the Spirit King’s contract would end once a certain accumulation of violations occurred. There mayn’t even be time for a farewell with the contractee.
“The king’s contractee’s wishes weren’t consumed, so the king must’ve used their power again. Your contractee got some time with the king’s power and received treatment from a human.”
“Phew.”
Seeing Boulder breathe a sigh of relief, Wilkin got annoyed. “Do you think you’re lucky now? Look at this; you’ve ruined everything!”
“…”
“The remaining power of the king is on the edge! Regardless of how many wishes are left, the king’s contractee might be unable to use them!”
Boulder didn’t seem particularly concerned.
Well…
For spirits who had formed long-lasting bonds with humans and were deeply influenced by them, the safety of their own contractees was the most important thing. Other issues were not of great concern.
‘Perhaps it’s only natural. We can’t help but become more like the king.’
Wilkin sighed inwardly. The Spirit King would even sell the Fountain of Spirits for their contractee’s sake if necessary.
“How many days should I be bound for?”
“How many? How many days? Even the highest-ranked Pose took four months, and you’re asking about mere days? Are you kidding? It’s six months, you fool!”
“Oh, please, just cut me a little slack. Six months is too long.”
In response to the impertinent request, Wilkin’s mouth fell open. “Am I the one who decides this? Huh? Do I decide? It’s a rule set by Diollus I’s command and the king’s decision, isn’t it?”
“Isn’t the rule set up so it would be discovered in the first place?”
“Ugh…”
The contract terms with the Spirit King and their whereabouts—If one were to contract with them, the contractee would immediately be sealed. If the Spirit King abused their power to hide the contractee’s existence, it would somehow be revealed to the world. That was Diollus I’s wish.
So, in exchange for disclosing the Spirit King’s whereabouts, the price was a mere four months for the highest-ranking spirit and half a year for a higher-ranking spirit.
‘Ugh… This tug of war is really getting on my nerves.’
The first contractee had created sealing stones for the Spirit King’s “freedom” and meticulously established rules and taboos; ironically, the Spirit King wished to be eternally “bound” to the contractee who desired their freedom.
The tug-of-war between the two had started again after a very long time.
And…
‘Pose.’
The one who wanted the king to lose was Pose. While all the spirits followed the king’s will, Pose differed.
Even now, when humans influenced everyone, one spirit loved their own kind, this Fountain, and the Spirit King more than humans. Paradoxically, he was the only one opposing the king.
‘Perhaps Pose’s victory might bring peace.’
Wilkin thought.
If Pose didn’t intervene, the winner in the long-standing tug-of-war between the contractee and the Spirit King would invariably be the Spirit King. Even if the contractee ultimately wished for the “freedom of the Spirit King,” it would be meaningless. In fact, it would be a bigger problem. With the freedom granted by the contractee and no restrictions on their powers, what would the Spirit King do? They would willingly become subservient to their contractee!
Boulder continued to negotiate in the meantime, “Please, just cut me some slack. Just one month.”
Furrows appeared on Wilkin’s forehead as she thought deeply and agonized. “No, no, no!” Her booming voice echoed widely through the Fountain. “No! I won’t cut it! I won’t allow it! Go away!”
***
It was 1 AM in the morning. I could not sleep in my room on the first floor when I heard a gentle tapping sound on the window.
I rushed to the door, opened it, and greeted the familiar voice with a quiet whisper.
“Your Highness!”
It was Lark who had come after receiving a message from the steward. He gave a bitter smile. “I’m sorry for disturbing you. I’ve been busy with work.”
“What are you saying? It’s my dad’s son who’s been keeping you busy.”
“True; I just discovered that Sir Victor visited the Altar of Spirits.” It seemed like Lark had come to deliver a brief update on the situation without wasting any time. “He went to see the list of contracts of the members of the imperial families. Probably to find out which spirit you have made a contract with.”
“I’ve heard about that. He discovered I’m a summoner by breaking a taboo, but fortunately, he found out which spirit I had contracted with on his own.” I sighed in relief and added, “If he broke that level of taboo…”
“He’ll be able to summon again soon. Besides, Sir Victor is incredibly skilled, even more so than you know. So, there’s no need to worry too much if he doesn’t have a spirit for a while,” Lark reassured me, trying to calm my concern for Victor. “This was a special situation, but in most cases, very few people can defeat Sir Victor without the protection of a spirit. My record against him in mock duels is currently 62 matches with 30 wins, 2 draws, and 30 losses.”
“Pfft.”
“And don’t worry about the duke and the young duke. I’ve taken care of them.”
“I wasn’t worried. I had faith.”
“Good.”
“I’ve realized from this incident that we made a mistake. We underestimated Victor.”
“I agree.”
“Our plan, while hidden from everyone else, should have been revealed to Victor at least—”
“He should have known. We should have disclosed everything when we still had control over Victor.”
“Yes. So, I’ve told him everything I could and calmed him down. After spending a few days with him here, I plan to inform him of the remaining facts and adjust his personality slightly.”
“…You mean about the grand madam?”
“Yes. He should know at any time, but it would be unsettling to tell him at the duke’s estate, and it would be difficult even for Your Highness to appease him. I plan to tell him while I have him on a leash here.”
“Alright. You’re going to have a tough time. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.” Lark sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“Why do you keep apologizing?”
I wanted to hug the slightly weary Lark, but there was a window between us, making it difficult.
I stepped on the windowsill and stood up.
“Are you trying to come out? You’re barefoot. No, don’t.”
“I’ll just need to wash later. It’s okay.”
“No, don’t do that.” Lark, looking embarrassed, approached and reached out his arm. I immediately hugged him. “Step on my foot.”
He carefully held me, allowing me to place my two feet on his feet.
“Is it too heavy? Your feet don’t hurt?”
“Not at all.”
As two people enjoying a secret rendezvous amid a storm, we were completely content, just like those who did it during wartime. With our waists tightly pressed against each other, we gazed at each other and laughed.
With a faint smile, Lark whispered in a worried voice, “But Victor is here right now. What if he catches us? I feel like I’m being completely watched.”
“Oh, right. Don’t worry. My brother’s room is on the third floor, and he’s completely exhausted. He won’t be able to get up until tomorrow afternoon.”
“Oh, dear. Is he not feeling well?”
“No, not at all. Don’t you know how robust that monster’s health is? I called a physician earlier, and they said only the external wounds from the stitches had opened up, but the internal ones are healing well. As soon as he heard that, he…” I shuddered at the thought of Victor. “He went out to work. He took on a temporary job request at the Mercenary Guild and earned 3 million marks. He’s been saving it up to feed me.”
“What?” Lark’s eyes widened. “You sent him out to work even though he’s a patient?”
“He insisted on going out no matter what. Besides, he must experience how tough life can be without a home or a job.”
“Hmm.”
“By the way, you haven’t accepted his resignation, have you?”
“Of course I haven’t. Without Sir Victor, the entire Order would fall apart.”
“Thank you.”
Lark’s face looked even more stunning, illuminated by the moonlight under the dawn sky.
Nice, as always. So handsome.
I smiled and asked, “The atmosphere is nice; do you want to kiss?”
“…”
In response to my bold request, the momentarily stunned Lark sighed and mumbled, “You’re too much. On a night like this…” Then he gently smiled and kissed my lips.
***
Under the moonlit night, the kiss between the two lovers was nothing short of intense. They savored each other as if they were the only two people in the world for a very long time…
“Oh, come on.”
…Watching from the third floor, Victor, with gritted teeth, abruptly closed the curtains. His expression, tormented as he witnessed a sight he shouldn’t have, was deeply troubled.