Episode 636

Episode 636

As there were quite a number of mages contracted with low-ranking spirits, spirits were more familiar and commonplace to Imperial people than one might think.

For example, just by opening up a fairytale, there were many stories where a child in danger would talk with a spirit to escape.

But on closer examination, most of these stories were actually fiction. Ordinary people couldn’t converse with spirits.

Spirits were beings of another dimension, and crossing that wall required a strong contract or magic.

Just as Lee Han couldn’t even perceive the true name of the spirit contracted to the Pengerine family, that’s how it worked.

Even Lee Han, who was contracted to a powerful spirit like Perkuntra who could speak to humans on its own power, couldn’t recognize the name unless he was of the Pengerine bloodline.

Yet to natively speak the spirit tongue?

“To be able to speak the language of spirits… Sir Arsill, what kind of magic do you research?!”

“My brother isn’t a mage.”

“What?!!!”

Alsicle was even more shocked than when he heard Arsill could naturally speak the spirit tongue.

With such extraordinary talent, to not be a mage?

“Why on earth not!?”

“Because he’s not interested in magic?”

Arsill shrugged and said something. Lee Han listened and translated.

“He also says he has little talent for magic.”

“……”

Alsicle almost shrieked, “What do you mean?”

If you could command spirits like that, wasn’t that enough? Since when did you have to be able to flip heaven and earth with a finger for it to be considered talent?

“Ah. No, no. Haha. No, really, you’re flattering me too much.”

“What did he say?”

“He said compared to me, he has no talent for magic… But don’t take it too seriously. He’s just complimenting me because a guest is here.”

‘Hmm. That might be true.’

Alsicle unconsciously agreed inwardly.

Except for being beloved by spirits, he didn’t seem more magically talented than the Wardanaz family member before him, Lee Han.

“How does one even come to speak the spirit tongue naturally? Even spirit half-bloods struggle with that…”

Alsicle muttered, stunned.

Among spirit half-bloods who inherited strong spiritual traits, differences sometimes showed as asexuality or innate use of spirit abilities.

But even among such half-bloods, none spoke the spirit tongue natively. At most, they could understand a few words from a spirit they had strong ties with.

To natively speak the spirit tongue with such strong affinity, wouldn’t he have to be a spirit himself?

‘Isn’t he actually a spirit?’

Alsicle entertained the disrespectful thought that his counterpart might be a Wardanaz family spirit.

That would explain a lot.

Able to speak the spirit tongue (because he was a spirit), able to talk to Lee Han (as a family contractor’s bloodline)…

“Master Pengerine?”

“Huh? What?”

Alsicle looked up when Lee Han called.

The two Wardanaz brothers were looking at him. Arsill in particular gazed at him with interest.

“My brother wishes to see you eating sardines… He’s requesting it. Sorry.”

“N-no, I was just about to want sardines.”

• * *

“Right. That makes sense. Summoning demons is possible, after all. Yeah. That makes sense. You can even summon demons.”

“Master Pengerine, you’ve said that nearly a hundred times.”

“Broken phonograph?”

At the junior’s remark, Lee Han made a shushing sound.

“He’s just surprised, that’s all.”

Recovering from his shock, Alsicle finally said,

“No, I just… I’m just surprised. That’s such an amazing talent.”

“Oh, I have a similar ability myself.”

“What?! Don’t tell me you can talk to spirits, too?!”

Alsicle yelled in shock.

So Lee Han could converse with spirits because he, like his brother, had that ability!?

“No. Unlike my brother, I have the ability to make all the spirits in the places I go run away… Just kidding. Sorry.”

“……”

Alsicle was taken aback, but Arsill beside him burst out laughing, striking the table.

“I was so stunned, I didn’t even introduce myself properly to Sir Arsill… Please apologize for me.”

“He says not to worry at all.”

“What does Sir Arsill do?”

“My brother finds treasures.”

“Oh!”

Alsicle unconsciously glanced at the old, large backpack Arsill had put down earlier.

Could those be ancient artifacts inside?

‘…?’

But even on a second look, there was no magical energy from the things inside the bag.

Alsicle cautiously asked:

“Are those, by chance, the treasures?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t sense any magic from them?”

“Not all treasures are artifacts, right? Some might have archaeological value.”

At those words, Arsill added something.

Lee Han, with a slightly awkward face, explained.

“Um, he says none of those items are even 30 years old.”

“So, what makes them valuable?”

“He says he likes their weathered look. He plans to give them as gifts to the spirits…”

“……”

Alsicle was even more disconcerted.

No matter how you looked at it, those were common scraps you could find on the street.

And he was going to gift those to picky spirits?

Alsicle, having sought the spirit’s help in research before, knew the conditions for presenting gifts well.

If you offered a mediocre present, you might earn their wrath.

-■■■■! ■■■■!

When Arsill gifted a chipped and cracked ceramic cup, the drought spirit sitting on his shoulder was so pleased it flew off to the spirit realm.

Alsicle’s beak dropped open.

Did spirits actually get this happy over gifts?

“I… I’m amazed. Truly. To see spirits rejoice like that…”

“Oh, brother. I made a contract with that spirit.”

Arsill pointed to the symbol of Perkuntra and asked with interest. Lee Han shook his head.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Look at this instead.”

Lee Han summoned his sparrow and squirrel spirits.

Arsill gave a gentle smile at the sight. He thought it admirable that a brother known for struggle with spirits had gotten so close with them.

Though he was curious as to why the mighty thunder spirit just accepted it so easily…

Tap—

As soon as the sparrow and squirrel spirits were summoned, they ran to Arsill and hopped up on each of his shoulders.

“Hey. Over here.”

Lee Han called to the two spirits. But they, as if not hearing, played around on Arsill’s shoulders.

At this, Lee Han’s face grew shadowed.

“…I said, come this way, didn’t I?”

The spirits were so excited playing they didn’t hear Lee Han.

Seeing Lee Han’s face twist in increasing sorrow made Alsicle panic.

“Hey, hey. Move! Move already!”

Even Alsicle’s shout didn’t work, until Arsill tapped them and they came to their senses.

The two spirits scampered over to Lee Han and tried to hop up on his shoulders.

But Lee Han, with a cold face, moved away.

-!?

While Arsill smiled as he watched his little brother interact with the spirits, he suddenly seemed to remember something, rummaged through his backpack, and called Lee Han.

“Yes, brother. Oh, a present? I’m really fine. To celebrate surviving a year under a rotten official? Who’s the rotten official… Oh. The principal. Thank you.”

Alsicle asked cautiously.

“You don’t get along with Principal Gonadaltes?”

“Well, Principal bought up a lot of treasures, after all.”

Arsill traveled the Empire searching for artifacts and relics, but his methods differed from ordinary collectors.

Where most collectors waited for adventurers to bring things to auction, Arsill traveled personally, wearing out his shoes.

There was nothing as painful as seeing relics you wanted fall into the hands of a collector at auction, just because you had only gold coins left after the fact.

‘Oops. I buy a lot at auctions, too.’

Alsicle felt a twinge of guilt.

Among wealthy nobles, few never went to auctions, since all sorts of goods funneled there and browsing alone was fun.

“Does Master Pengerine buy a lot of treasures? Oh, no way. Master Pengerine isn’t like that.”

“P-Principle Gonadaltes is just too much! She ought to yield some treasures for future scholars, not snatch them all up herself!”

Alsicle hurriedly blamed Gonadaltes. Arsill smiled in sympathy.

“Choose one from here? But brother, a lot of your treasures are dangerous… This time it’s different? Wait, you said that last time, too.”

Arsill looked at Lee Han with innocent, gentle eyes, in a way that made it hard to hate him even if he were an enemy.

But Lee Han was cold.

“Last time you gave me a present, a monster came out when I wound it up. Allarlong took pains to catch it.”

“……”

Alsicle came to his senses.

Just because someone seemed like a spirit didn’t mean they were in their right mind.

‘Get it together. This is the Wardanaz family!’

“This time it’s really different? You picked it out carefully just for me? Hmm. You really didn’t have to… Alright. What’s this dagger? It burns the opponent’s blood when stabbed? I’ll pass on that one for now. This landscape painting? Is this the western imperial coast? Oh, you drew it yourself?”

Arsill nodded.

While traveling out west, he saw an aurora in the distance and sketched it, thinking of his brother.

‘I should skip this one.’

Lee Han quickly passed over it.

By value, it was less than the cursed dagger. Arsill was slightly hurt as Lee Han moved past the painting.

“What’s this necklace? If you break the gem, a demon appears? Is there a contract? No contract? So it’ll just attack at random?”

Arsill nodded.

That necklace was a relic found deep within the imperial southern great desert.

It was a beautiful design, and the demon’s name inside gave it extra value.

A truly wonderful gift needed the surprise of the unexpected…

Lee Han coldly passed over the necklace. Arsill felt regretful.

“What’s this cloak? If you wear it, do you become a berserker? Oh. It’s just a defensive cloak? Then I’ll take this. No, it’s fine. I won’t change my mind. I really like it. It’s not boring, no? Look at the design! So interesting.”

“……”

Alsicle only heard Lee Han’s side, but somehow felt he could follow the whole conversation.

• * *

“You’re the best coachman in the Empire!”

“Heh. Just leave it to me.”

Gainando lay sprawled in the carriage. The most comfortable posture in the Empire.

It was a carriage drawn by eight horses, but the family’s own hired coachman, true to his reputation, drove it without even the slightest shake.

Watching the scenery flash by in an instant, Gainando nodded to himself.

‘We’ll get there in no time.’

As the carriage sped along, it stopped momentarily at a fork in the road.

The coachman, letting the horses rest, asked a passing traveler.

“Excuse me. Can I ask something? Is this the road to the Wardanaz estate?”

“You’re heading to the Wardanaz estate?”

“That’s right. As a guest…”

The passerby suddenly turned around and sprinted away at full speed.

“…?!!”