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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“My communication crystal is still dead.”
Tia sighed, staring at her device. It was a new model, but it was useless.
Whoever had sabotaged the practical exam would have made sure to disable communication.
“Should I climb a tree and see if I can get a signal?”
Tia was a skilled climber, a trait inherited from her elven ancestors.
But it was pointless.
The thick fog obscured their vision.
But Tia climbed a tree anyway, effortlessly scaling it.
As expected, there was still no signal.
“Can you see anything?”
Tia shook her head and gracefully climbed down.
“This… I think we’re stranded.”
“That much is certain.”
“It’s getting dark and I can’t even tell which way we’re going.”
Something landed on Ethan’s shoulder.
He and Tia looked up simultaneously.
Raindrops began to fall.
They needed to find shelter.
“This is bad.”
“Yes, very bad.”
They wandered through the forest for what felt like hours.
They had lost track of time. Their communication crystals were useless.
They were drenched.
“Ethan, look!”
Tia pointed. They had finally found a cave.
They stepped inside and stared out at the rain.
“Wow… How long have we been walking?”
“At least we found shelter.”
Tia looked cold. She was shivering like a wet puppy.
“W-what… what are you looking at?”
Tia asked, her voice weak. She pulled her knees to her chest.
“Are you cold?”
“I’m okay. I can handle it. How about you?”
She said she was okay, but she was clearly freezing.
Her lips were turning blue.
Their uniforms were enchanted with temperature regulation, but it didn’t work when they were wet.
“I have high resistance to heat and cold, so I’m fine.”
He wasn’t just fine. He was resistant to both heat and cold to the maximum level. He could probably sleep comfortably in a snowdrift.
Tia stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Y-you… you have resistance to heat and cold…? How…? How did a first-year student… learn those skills…?”
She continued, her voice trembling.
“Ethan, you know…”
“What?”
“You’re… a mystery.”
Ethan glanced at her, then looked back at the rain.
Mysterious also meant suspicious.
“You were Sepia’s servant, you’re being trained by the Silver Knight, you defeated two demons in a short period of time… and you always manage to surprise me.”
Tia sighed.
Her breath formed a cloud of fog in the cold air.
“You’ll keep losing body heat if you just sit there.”
If it wasn’t raining, they could have gathered some dry branches and built a fire. But that wasn’t an option.
The best way to stay warm was to remove their wet clothes.
“That’s… true.”
“The only daughter of the Erze Trading Company can’t die of hypothermia.”
“I was trying to tough it out, but… I can’t anymore. Ethan, would you mind turning around?”
Ethan turned around obediently.
He could hear the sound of wet fabric clinging to skin.
“Don’t turn around. I trust you’re not that shameless.”
“Okay, okay. If you’re cold, I can hug you.”
“Hug me?! That’s… something couples do! Just keep an eye out for the enemy.”
Tia’s voice was a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.
She had always disliked physical contact.
“Okay, okay.”
Ethan heard the sound of dripping water.
She was wringing out her uniform.
There was a common trope in these situations: A man and a woman, stranded together, seeking warmth in each other’s arms.
But…
Tia could summon spirits, and Ethan had resistance to both heat and cold.
A wave of warmth enveloped him. Tia had summoned fire spirits to warm the cave.
“I summoned some fire spirits. It’ll drain my mana quickly, but it’s better than freezing to death.”
“Make sure you conserve your mana. It wouldn’t be good if you ran out in an emergency.”
“I can handle it.”
Ethan chuckled. She sounded like a tamed Sepia.
“What…? Why are you laughing?”
“I just had a good idea.”
“What is it?”
“I can form a contract with your spirits.”
His mana reserves were overflowing.
There was no need for Tia to waste her mana.
He heard Tia sigh.
“Spirits aren’t stupid. They don’t form contracts with just anyone.”
“Am I ‘just anyone’? Do you have to have a high affinity for spirits?”
“Even if you’re not ‘just anyone’, spirits only form contracts with people with pure hearts.”
Right…
He could hear Tia’s voice behind him.
“But if you really want to, I can give you a few low-level spirits. I can always contract with new ones.”
What was the point of having low-level spirits?
They were practically useless.
Did they exist just to add variety to the world?
“Runtar, where are you going?”
Ethan noticed one of the fire spirits approaching him. The red orb hovered around him, like a firefly.
―Do you wish to form a contract with a spirit?
“You want to form a contract with me? Yeah, sure.”
The fire spirit examined him carefully, then bobbed up and down, as though it were nodding.
―Tia, do you consent to me forming a contract with this individual?
“What? Wait a minute! Why would you want to form a contract with him?”
Tia sounded like a protagonist whose childhood friend had been stolen.
It seemed like she was reluctant to give up her spirit, even though they hadn’t formalized the agreement.
―I sense pure mana in him. It won’t be a bad deal.
“Do as you wish. I can’t afford to be picky right now.”
Tia hesitated, then agreed.
There was no point in arguing if the original contractor had given her consent.
The fire spirit absorbed some of Ethan’s mana and initiated the contract.
―I, Runtar, wish to form a contract with a new master. Do you, Ethan, consent to becoming my master?
Ethan had hoped to contract with an intermediate-level spirit.
He had enough mana to spare.
But as Tia had said, he couldn’t afford to be picky.
He could use the fire spirit to keep them warm.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
A red magic circle appeared in the air.
And the contract was finalized.
Runtar’s form began to change.
He took on a humanoid form, about 1 meter tall.
He had leveled up.
“This… This is impossible…”
Even Runtar was surprised.
He now had a human form, which meant Ethan could read his expressions.
Ethan couldn’t believe it either.
“He became an intermediate-level spirit just by forming a contract! This… this has never happened before!”
Spirits were ranked as follows: low-level, intermediate-level, high-level, and Spirit King.
And an intermediate-level fire spirit was a Lesser Ifrit.
A spirit’s power depended on its summoner.
A spirit could grow stronger by absorbing its summoner’s mana, and the summoner could borrow the spirit’s power when needed.
They grew stronger together.
―His mana is not only abundant, but also incredibly pure! How is this even possible…?
Even if he explained,
Ethan didn’t want to reveal his secret.
“Good, Runtar. Now dry our clothes.”
―Using an intermediate-level spirit to dry clothes…
Runtar grumbled, but he created a wave of heat, drying their clothes.
Ethan could feel the temperature in the cave rising.
―I can even stop the rain if you want. Think about it. Using an intermediate-level spirit to dry clothes… Isn’t that shameful, not just for the spirit, but also for its summoner?
Ethan still had plenty of mana.
But he didn’t know how much mana it would take to stop the rain, and he didn’t want to waste it needlessly.
They could be attacked at any moment.
“Just dry the clothes, please.”
“Um… Runtar, if you don’t mind… could you take my clothes and dry them over there, with Ethan? It’s just… I’m a little uncomfortable being naked…”
―Humans are so troublesome.
Runtar grumbled again, but he gathered Tia’s clothes and flew over to Ethan.
It was warm and cozy now.
It would take a while for the clothes to dry.
Ethan kept an eye on the entrance of the cave.
How much time had passed?
“Ethan…”
“What?”
Tia hesitated, then spoke.
“I’m… I’m curious… who was that person you were with on the weekend? A lover? A friend? A senior?”
Tia’s voice was soft and hesitant.
“Were you spying on me again?”
“N-no! I swear to the goddess, I wasn’t! I just… overheard some information.”
“Really? Why are you so curious?”
“Just… curious.”
Ethan hesitated, then replied.
He didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings because of Vivian.
“She’s a servant from the Logness family. But why are you asking?”
“Anya said she saw you with someone.”
“Really?”
“…Yes.”
The sound of rain filled the silence.
Ethan felt exhausted. He closed his eyes and massaged his neck.
How much time had passed?
“Ethan… would you like to marry me?”
“What?!”
“What’s wrong with me? I’m beautiful, I have a good figure, and my family is wealthy and influential. Honestly, I’m the one who should be asked that question, don’t you think?”
What was this out-of-the-blue marriage proposal?
Ethan was caught off guard. He didn’t know how to respond.
“…Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m kidding. Haha, you’re so gullible, Ethan.”
“…”
“You can turn around now. I’m dressed.”
Ethan turned around. Tia was wearing her dry uniform.
Runtar looked disgruntled.
But it was still too dangerous to leave the cave. It was dark and the rain was heavy.
“Ethan…”
“What?”
Tia hesitated.
“The Erze Trading Company wants you. We can negotiate any amount.”
“Tia…”
“I’m listening.”
“Have you ever considered that there are some things money can’t buy?”
Tia fell silent.
Ethan wondered if he had been too harsh. He could hear her shifting uncomfortably behind him.
“I don’t know. Good night. I’m going to sleep now.”
“Okay, good night. I’m going to get some rest too. I’m tired.”
He had assigned Runtar and the other spirits to keep watch.
He retracted his earlier statement about low-level spirits being useless.
They were perfect for night duty.
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