In the original work, a Grand Spirit Mage referred to a master who could control all spirits, including the four great elements.
Was Rose really such a legendary being?
Ian thought it was absurd. After all, in the original story, Rose was a dark sorcerer.
Moreover, Spirit Mage existed in Ian’s original world as well, and he had worked with them as party members, so he was knowledgeable about spirits.
Spirits, being incorporeal, were invisible to the human eye, and even if they had a form, it was not normal for them to bleed like humans. Yet this one was bleeding.
There was indeed a cut from where the blood was dripping.
[You must be thinking about an injury.]
The bandage tied around the animal’s front paw unwound smoothly, and the previously wounded paw was now pristine.
“…An illusion?”
[Correct.]
At that moment, rainbow-colored wings spread out behind the animal.
It was the spirit of illusion, Ermenia.
Even the most beloved Spirit Mage, who received abundant love from the Spirit Constellations, had never managed to summon this spirit on Earth, as the price of summoning was one’s life.
And yet, this spirit clung to Rose without being summoned.
“What do you want?”
The creature purred contentedly like a cat at Ian’s sharp question.
[A contract with that child. It’s been a thousand years since I’ve seen a human with such a pure soul, and I don’t want to miss this opportunity.]
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Though Rose had more mana than her peers, it wasn’t enough to sustain a spirit.
Spirits consumed mana.
On Earth, where there was no mana, many Spirit Mage struggled to supply mana to their spirits.
If the frail Rose made a contract with Ermenia, one of the Grand Spirits, her body, which had only recently recovered, would undoubtedly deteriorate due to mana deficiency.
[Contracting with me is wise. Otherwise, the child will die.]
“What?!”
Killing intent radiated from Ian’s body, and Fragarach, reacting to its master’s call, was summoned from the inventory on its own.
[Spirits cannot die, human. Don’t you know that?]
“Whether you die or not, we’ll find out.”
With Rose secured in one arm, Ian charged at Ermenia.
[Do you think the mark I placed will disappear just because I return to the spirit world?]
“Shut up.”
Fragarach slashed through Ermenia’s body, but it only wavered momentarily before remaining intact.
Ian swung his sword again, but the result was the same. Ermenia clicked its tongue.
[Are you going to waste time like this? You must know that the child’s mana is running out.]
Ian discarded his sword and hurriedly looked at Rose.
As Ermenia had said, more than half of Rose’s mana had been depleted in that short span.
Unlike Earth, where only those chosen by the Well of Mana, everyone here possessed it.
Hence, if mana was insufficient, the body would automatically start depleting its life force.
At this rate, Rose would soon lose her life force.
“You bastard. Get lost right now!”
[There is only one way. Make a contract with me.]
“What difference does it make if a contract is made? You’ll still drain Rose’s mana. Just go away. Rose doesn’t need a spirit.”
In an instant, Ermenia pointed a paw at Ian.
[I make the contract with the child, but let me consume your mana instead.]
“…………”
[Your mana and the child’s mana are the same color. With your mana, it should be sufficient to handle someone like me, right?]
Ian glared at Ermenia.
‘I want to kill it.’
If only he could kill and get rid of it, but spirits didn’t die unless they self-destructed. The same applied to the mark.
The mark was like a seal that spirits imprinted on humans they liked.
Unless the spirit voluntarily retracted it, the mark couldn’t be removed.
[Time is running out, isn’t it? You’d better decide quickly. I don’t want to lose such a pure soul that I met after a long time, either.]
Grinding his teeth, Ian spat out his words as if chewing them.
“Let’s make the contract.”
At that moment, Rose, who had been sleeping soundly despite the chaos, suddenly opened her eyes.
“Uncle?”
Ermenia, which had been floating in the air, sat on the floor and meowed innocently.
‘This damn cat-like bastard!’
Suppressing his rising anger, Ian smiled at Rose.
“Rose, you seem tired.”
“Um, no, I’m not.”
Despite her seemingly fine body, Rose’s mana was now less than a third.
Ian approached Ermenia.
He found the spirit’s contented purring displeasing, but there was no other way.
‘If only I could talk to the <Well of Mana>.’
Sighing, Ian called Rose.
“Rose, come here for a moment.”
“Yes?”
Ian grabbed Ermenia’s fluffy paw and placed it on Rose’s palm. Then he put his own hand on top.
‘I’m glad I know how to make a spirit contract.’
Yoon Sijun of Earth had once asked a Spirit Mage about contract methods out of curiosity, thanks to Yoori’s interest in magic and spirits. But Yoori died before he could tell her.
That insignificant matter became a regret he couldn’t forget.
Forcing himself to erase the memory of losing Yoori, Ian spoke to Rose.
“From now on, just repeat what I say.”
“Okay!”
Seeing Rose’s bright response, Ian smiled and then spoke seriously.
“Spirit of illusion, Ermenia.”
“Spirit of illusion, Ermenia.”
“The one who desires a contract with you stands before you.”
“The one who desires a contract with you stands before you.”
“My name is Rose Loenbaum.”
“My name is Rose Loenbaum.”
“Through Ian Loenbaum, I ask of you.”
“Through Ian Loenbaum, I ask of you.”
“Your enemy shall be my enemy, and my enemy shall be your enemy. Lend me your power.”
“Your enemy shall be my enemy, and my enemy shall be your enemy. Lend me your power.”
As Rose uttered the final words, a small whirlwind formed where she sat, causing the gem in her hand to sparkle.
“Huh?”
“It’s okay.”
Ian reassured the startled Rose and watched the light emanating from the spirit’s body.
The iridescent light gathered into Rose’s palm, forming a diamond pattern before disappearing.
It was the proof that the contract was complete.
“Uncle.”
At Rose’s frightened voice, Ian quickly picked her up.
“Rose, do you feel any pain?”
Rose shook her head.
“What was that just now?”
“Oh, Rose and this spirit just promised to be friends.”
“Friends? Promised?”
“Yes.”
“Then can I be with it every day?”
Ian patted Rose’s head as she excitedly asked with sparkling eyes.
“Yes, you can be together every day.”
“Yay!”
Excited, Rose jumped out of Ian’s arms and hugged Ermenia tightly.
“That’s great! We can stay together forever! Heehee!”
Rose spun around with Ermenia in her arms but staggered, prompting Ian to quickly hold her.
“Be careful.”
“Hehe, I’m just so happy.”
Unlike the delighted Rose, Ian was displeased with the connection he now shared with Ermenia.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, but what was done was done.
Although it would have been ideal to cancel the contract, a contract with a spirit was akin to a soul-binding agreement, much like the bond with the Constellations.
Since the spirit favored Rose, it might bestow numerous gifts upon her, just as the Constellations had done for Ian.
Didn’t the Spirit Mage on Earth also say that while spirits weren’t essential, they were incredibly useful when present?
The drawback was that spirits consumed the contractor’s mana. However, since Ermenia would draw from Ian’s mana, it wouldn’t harm Rose.
‘It might be useful later on.’
Reluctantly concluding, Ian embraced Rose, who was hugging Ermenia, and said,
“Let’s go explore the village now.”
“Yes!”
Ian held Rose securely to ensure she wouldn’t drop Ermenia and began walking towards the village.
***
Being close to the capital, this village was more crowded than any they had passed through before.
“Uncle, I want to eat that.”
Rose pointed at a fruit candy that resembled tanghulu from Earth.
Ian, who already had some questions for the merchant, walked over to the stall.
“Welcome. Would you like a fruit candy?”
“Yes.”
The vendor expertly coated the strawberry on a stick with a thin layer of melted sugar, twirled it to cool, and handed it to Ian.
“Here you go.”
As Rose received the candy, Ian paid and quietly asked the merchant,
“I heard there’s a secret market in this area today. Do you know the exact location?”
The merchant didn’t seem surprised by the mention of a secret market.
“Oh, you’re here for the secret market. If you go straight down that road and take a right, you’ll see it. You should hurry; they’re closing soon.”
“Thank you.”
Ian quickly walked in the direction the merchant indicated. As he approached, he saw people hurriedly packing up their goods, likely due to the market closing soon.
“Hey, what are you here to buy?”
A man busy with packing asked as Ian got closer.
“I heard there’s a silver pendant here.”
“A pendant? I don’t think we have that.”
Ian firmly replied,
“It’s here. I’ll pay double… no, triple the original price.”
“Well, let me check.”
The mention of money immediately changed the man’s attitude.
“Jason, do we have a pendant in our stock?”
“Wait a minute… Oh, we do! We have one!”
Jason’s response caused the first man to scratch his head awkwardly.
“It seems we do. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes, I want to confirm if it’s the pendant I’m looking for.”
“Just a moment.”
The man disappeared behind a curtain and returned holding a silver pendant.
“Is this the one?”
Ian examined the pendant carefully.
