Eldest SS5

Mostyn understood Killian’s shock all too well—she herself had nearly laughed to tears on first hearing it.

Nesia always seemed like a pure white rabbit amid the black panthers of House Alton.

That such a child would be called the “Spirit Master of Demons”?

Suppressing a fresh fit of giggles, Mostyn recalled Ryuspell’s recent letter.

[To my brother,

It’s been a while. How’s life as Duke Fredo?
It still feels strange to think of you as Duke, but with all the loyal retainers in the West, I’m not too worried.

As for me, I just finished my last exam the day before yesterday. Now, all that remains is the graduation ceremony. Soon, I’ll finally be able to return to the Dekardil Empire.

That makes this probably my last letter from the Academy.

With the exams over, honestly, there’s nothing left to do. I’ve got too much time on my hands.

So maybe now’s the time to tell you something I’ve hesitated to bring up before.

Brother, do you know what Nesia and I are called at the Academy?

The ‘Spirit Master of Demons from the Dekardil Empire’ and ‘her dog.’

I ended up as ‘the dog’ because I always just follow Nesia everywhere, and honestly, I don’t mind. If I said I rather like belonging to her, you’d probably tease me and call me a pervert.

But listen.

You’ll probably be more interested in how Nesia got her nickname.

Aren’t you curious why she’s called the Spirit Master of Demons?

To explain, I need to start with the achievements she made at the Academy.

When we first arrived, I was terribly nervous, struggling to adapt to life in a foreign land.

Nesia, two head-lengths shorter than me, must have found it even tougher.

And from the very start, all eyes were on her as a rare spirit master.

But brother, do you know what was the first thing Nesia did on arriving here?

She immediately requested ‘unlimited access’ to all the Academy’s spirit summoning circles, rituals, and stones.

Supposedly, this was a privilege reserved only for direct royalty of the Magala Empire. Not even His Majesty Killian had such rights during his studies here.

But Nesia, being a priceless spirit master, had the Academy eating out of her hand.

Whenever the spirit master created a new summoning circle or ritual,

“At last, is the Magala Empire to have its own spirit master?!”

Everyone buzzed with excitement and anticipation.

In the end, their hopes were only half right.

Nesia did indeed create entirely new summoning circles and rituals.

But what she invented was a ‘compulsory summoning circle’ capable of forcibly contracting summoned spirits, and a ‘multi-contract ritual’ allowing a person to contract with several spirits at once.

Nesia promptly summoned spirits with these and succeeded in forcibly forming contracts.

With a single body, she contracted with five spirits.

Can you believe it?

Later, I heard from Shannon, Nesia’s first spirit, that she has a natural affinity with spirits far beyond most spirit masters.

She was also physically strong, thanks to regular training from Duke Alton, so her vessel for spirits was sturdier and larger than most.

To quote Shannon exactly,

“If this were a novel, Nesia would undoubtedly be the main character! She’s got endless, inhuman talent—criminals wouldn’t stand a chance!”

When I asked,

“Then what would the Duke of Alton be?”

Shannon, sounding weak, muttered: the final boss.

Anyway, the summoning circles and rituals Nesia finalized turned out to be usable only by her, especially the multi-contract ritual.

The compulsory summoning circle was a little different.

Anyone with enough affinity for spirits could theoretically use it—as long as the spirit agreed to be summoned.

The people of the Magala Empire hold spirits sacred and dear above all else.

The idea of ignoring a spirit’s will and binding them by force made everyone recoil.

So when Nesia forcibly contracted with four spirits, you can imagine how flustered they were.

You asked why she would contract with so many spirits, and why the spirits allowed themselves to be summoned, even knowing it would be a forced contract.

For the latter—it wasn’t as if Nesia summoned spirits at random. She’d picked out the ones she wanted: spirits of Water, Light, Earth, and Wind. Four in all.

And, incredible as it sounds, Nesia summoned all four at once!

At first, the spirits came out of curiosity, impressed by such overwhelming affinity—thinking they’d just leave if they didn’t like it.

They were leisurely about it until they were well and truly caught.

And the reason Nesia targeted these four spirits so precisely…

Let me quote her words directly.

“You’re the ones, aren’t you? The treacherous spirits who hurt Sister Belladi and Lord Theodore?”

It turned out these were the very spirits that had crippled former Duke Theodore Alton’s arms.

Nesia had labored day and night in her studies for revenge.

And having summoned her targets, what did she do?

…Well, I never actually saw it for myself. But according to Shannon, who was there—

“That was when I first truly realized spirits are mortal beings.”

Apparently she put those spirits through hell, just as she’d learned from House Alton.

Whenever I saw those four later, they looked utterly drained, listless.

Still, as the spirits were worked harder, Nesia’s own affinity only grew sharper—so I’d call that a win.

For the record, Nesia never tried to hide her motive for revenge.

Thanks to that, most of the Academy students knew exactly why she’d summoned the spirits.

Many criticized her, saying she was abusing her power and violating the spirits’ freedom—but what could they do?

Nesia was the one who’d made the contracts, and she had no intention of releasing them.

Rather, she was so riled by the students’ protests, she destroyed her own research on forced summoning, saying it was to keep others from misusing the magic.

Academy scholars who spoke against her ended up losing sight of precious knowledge, right in front of their eyes.

So Nesia carved out her place, standing taller every day as the strongest spirit master at the Academy, and soon, not a soul could stand against her.

Thus she earned the nickname, the ‘Spirit Master of Demons’—for torturing spirits like a devil.

Nesia remains petite, with short silver hair and huge round eyes—an impossibly cute child.

But every time she walks by, the students quake with terror.

I wish you could see it; I bet you’d clutch your stomach and roll on the floor.

By the way, Nesia is secretly proud of her nickname. She says it finally makes her feel recognized as a true Alton.

But she does insist, no matter how pleased she is, that she doesn’t want Duke Belladi Alton to hear about it.

‘But wouldn’t she be praised for thorough vengeance if you told her?’ I asked.

She just wants to stay the little, beloved youngest sister in the Duke’s eyes, I guess.

Honestly, with the North’s information network, I’m sure she’s already heard, but maybe Nesia hasn’t thought of that.

So I decided to keep my mouth shut. You should too; don’t bring it up in front of Nesia.

Whatever the case, Nesia’s sure to go down as the strongest spirit master in history. Good for the Empire, too—her best friend, the Crown Princess, is protected by the most powerful spirit master around.

Speaking of Dekardil Empire, I’m already feeling homesick.

Well, it’s time to sign off. My hand’s starting to cramp.

See you back home. Give my regards to Father.

Ever faithfully performing the role of Nesia’s dog, Ryuspell.]

Tsk tsk. The blindness of those in love.

What’s so great about playing the dog, anyway? Same goes for Killian, and Ryuspell.

From Mostyn’s rational perspective, they were all fools.

Having finished the story, Mostyn watched in satisfaction as Killian let out a contented chuckle.

“I’ll admit I always harbored animosity for the spirits who hurt Belladi. Nesia did well.”

“Fascinating story, isn’t it? With Nesia coming home, I’m sure Belladi will welcome Her Highness Hera warmly.”

That thought brought Killian a measure of relief.

Mostyn grinned, beaming with pleasure.

“I’m curious how much Nesia’s grown. And just think, Your Highness won’t be the only one with someone on your side to gripe about you anymore.”

“Ugh.”

Faced with Mostyn’s renewed mischief, Killian hurriedly steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Ahem! Duke Fredo. As interesting as your tale was, it’s not why I called you here.”

“Pray, speak, Your Majesty.”

Mostyn’s laid-back grin vanished the moment Killian slid several photographs across the desk.

“Y-Your Majesty, these…”

“I never imagined I’d take on a task like this—but so many requests have come my way, all because of our close friendship.”

Killian savored Mostyn’s stricken expression, feeling a peculiar sense of satisfaction.

The tables had turned.

“Well then, Duke Fredo.”

Killian spoke slowly.

“Perhaps it’s time for you to find a suitable fiancée. The ladies pictured here are of excellent family and character—I vouch for them personally.”

Indeed, what Killian had just handed Mostyn were photographs of eligible noble ladies.

Mostyn was, at this point, first on everyone’s list of desirable bachelors.

Countless families coveted the young, unmarried lord of the West, calling in favor after favor to forge a match.

Their enthusiasm for matchmaking ensnared even the Emperor.

Mostyn looked at Killian with a gaze full of aggrieved accusation.

‘Killian Allerman Dekardil. Easy for him to say, when he’s already found his own ideal spouse.’