Chapter 47
The hallway was empty except for Lucy and Nayla.
With no one around to witness, Nayla had free rein to press Lucy mercilessly.
“Do you know what happens to maids who steal from their masters?”
Nayla stepped closer, her fingers tugging at the ribbon of Lucy’s blouse.
With a slow pull, the ribbon unraveled, and the front of Lucy’s uniform fell open.
“First, you’ll be strip-searched in front of everyone. After all, who knows what other jewels you’ve hidden on your filthy body?”
“……?!”
Tears streamed down Lucy’s face as she began to hiccup uncontrollably—her body locked in terror.
Nayla smirked and dropped the ribbon to the floor, grinding it under her heel until the pristine fabric was soiled.
“After the search, of course, comes the whipping. But they won’t stop there.”
“H-Hic…! P-Please, my lady…!”
“Stealing is a terrible crime. Your parents must be held accountable for raising such a thief. So they’ll be summoned, and you’ll be beaten in front of them. I wonder what expressions they’ll make?”
Lucy’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.
Nayla watched with mock pity before reaching down to pat her head gently.
“Should I forgive you? I could pretend I never saw this…”
“……?!”
“Just tell me where Claudia is. She’s not in her room, is she?”
Lucy wanted to keep her promise to Claudia—but Nayla was an opponent she couldn’t withstand.
“F-Forgive me…! I-I’ll tell you everything…! This ring—I didn’t steal it! Lady Claudia gave it to me… to keep a secret!”
“What? Speak clearly.”
“L-Lady Claudia went… to find a spirit! She told me to keep it quiet… and promised me this ring if I did…!”
“A spirit?”
A passage from Regis’s letter flashed in Nayla’s mind:
[Claudia demonstrated the spirit’s power to Father, but his reaction… wasn’t positive. He called it dangerous and forbade her from using it again.]
Regis had written it plainly—the Emperor had warned Claudia against wielding the spirit’s power.
‘So Claudia dared to defy the Emperor’s direct order?’
A cold smile curled on Nayla’s lips.
“She really went to find a spirit? You’re certain?”
“Y-Yes…! It’s true!”
“Good. I’ll forgive you, Lucy.”
Lucy exhaled as if granted a second life—but her relief was short-lived.
“On one condition. You’ll repeat this story in front of the Duke and His Majesty.”
“W-What?!”
Watching Lucy’s face drain of color, Nayla finally burst into laughter.
Arrival at the Seluna Plains
I’d expected the spirit’s power to get me here faster.
I was wrong.
By the time I arrived, the sky was already pitch black.
It wasn’t that I’d moved slowly—with the spirit’s power, I’d traveled faster than a fish.
The delay came from elsewhere.
‘Why is the path so convoluted? I got lost so many times.’
Man-made roads were intuitive, but nature’s waterways twisted unpredictably, with dead ends and forks.
A single misstep led me astray.
‘What a hassle… But I made it. The heart of the Seluna Plains.’
Like Elliot’s island, this place was a monster-infested zone.
Thankfully, traveling underwater kept me out of sight.
‘Good thing I came alone.’
I took a moment to survey my surroundings.
The first thing that caught my eye was an unnaturally large full moon—blood-red from the lunar eclipse.
‘Eerie.’
Beneath it stretched an open field, empty except for me and a single withered tree in the distance.
For a moment, the loneliness of the scene sent a chill through my chest.
‘Now I just have to wait… But how long?’
Time wasn’t on my side, and impatience gnawed at me.
Just as my sigh deepened—
<Need help?>
A voice echoed in my mind, startling me before I recognized it.
“Elliot!”
<No need to shout. I’m inside you.>
Though I was glad to hear him, his tone remained indifferent.
Still, the fact that he had initiated the conversation was progress.
“You said you’d help? Do you know what I’m trying to do?”
<Of course. You’re here to meet fire.>
“Can you summon him for me?”
<If you insist. But first, you should know this:>
His voice turned stern.
<He is violent. And dangerous.>
“I’ve heard the rumors, but—”
<He’s far worse than you imagine.>
A nervous gulp stuck in my throat as his warning continued.
<Frankly, I’d advise against meeting him. But since you’ve come this far, I’ll call him.>
“That bad? You two didn’t get along, huh?”
<No.>
The blunt reply made me suspect Elliot had let me get lost earlier to delay this encounter.
Curiosity got the better of me.
“But you’re both spirits. You’ve known each other forever, right? Is it just because fire and water are opposites?”
<No. I dislike him because he’s loud, obnoxious, and… clingy.>
“Oh…”
<I prefer solitude. Meditation enriches the soul. But he would barge in daily, spouting nonsense. Eventually, I banned him from my island.>
The more Elliot spoke, the more my dread grew.
Violent. Dangerous. Noisy. Restless. Clingy.
‘The fire spirit might be more than I can handle.’
I was about to meet a living natural disaster.
My pulse quickened.
Then, Elliot said calmly:
<It’s done.>
“A-Already?! How?? Did you telepathically call him or something?”
<I don’t know what ‘telepathy’ is, but he’s coming.>
It was true.
A pillar of fire erupted in the distance.
“……?!”
Before I could react, a second explosion followed—closer this time.
Then a third. A fourth.
Each fiery burst advanced toward me in 50-meter leaps.
‘This is… a grand entrance, right? Not a threat. It can’t be a threat.’
Despite the urge to flee, part of me found it beautiful.
The flames shattered the plains’ silence like celebratory fireworks heralding a festival.
By the time I finished marveling, the fire was at my feet.
‘Hot…! Is he trying to intimidate me?’
Refusing to back down, I stood my ground.
Then, the raging flames suddenly shifted form.
“……!”
Fire coalesced into limbs.
Embers wove into crimson hair.
A man materialized before me.
‘So this is him…’
I studied the fire spirit carefully.
His attire resembled the loose robes of Greek gods, the open collar revealing a toned torso.
His skin was pale, radiating light and heat.
Crimson hair flickered like flames, unruly and wild.
As I observed him, he stared back with detached indifference.
‘How long is he going to stare?’
Just as the thought crossed my mind, he reached out—gripping my chin to force my gaze up.
His first words were utterly unexpected:
<You there. Come out. Or I’ll burn this one to ash.>
Finding the Fire Spirit was a lot quicker this time around compared to the search for the Water Spirit. Hopefully he won’t try to kill her too 🤞🏻 Thanks for the update
Right?! No cryptic riddles or deadly trials this time—just a literal hot guy erupting from the ground like a supernatural fireworks show.
🔥 But don’t let the dramatics fool you… something tells me this fire spirit’s ‘friendly’ greeting (cough threats cough) is just the spark of the chaos to come.
😏 Thanks for reading—next chapter’s gonna be lit!