Episode 75

If this really was an ancient spirit, it was no small matter.

In ancient times, even the imperial family had bowed before these spirits. A person who contracted with such a being was revered more than the emperor.

They received the devotion of a being far beyond human comprehension, a limitless love.

The Disell family, blessed by the spirits, was once considered a sacred family, much like the Chetwind family.

But the disappearance of the ancient spirit, which once had such immense influence over the empire, occurred hundreds of years ago.

The Disell lineage, which had formed contracts with spirits for generations, gradually declined until they, too, faded into history.

The empire, which had been under the protection of the spirits, faced a sharp decline in power after losing them. The imperial family made numerous attempts to summon the spirits back but ultimately failed.

And yet now, what? This ancient spirit had been residing in a little gemstone?

I clutched the necklace tightly, grappling with the impossibility of it all. It seemed crazy, but I couldn’t think of any other explanation.

‘What do you mean by making a contract with my mother? And why are you only appearing now after staying hidden in the necklace?’

[I awoke from a long sleep. Didn’t you lose the precious spirit stone where I was slumbering for a while?]

Spirit stone? If he meant the pink gemstone set in this necklace… then yes, that was true.

I had thought I lost it when I was young, only to find out that Zeria had kept it all this time. It came back into my possession only recently.

[That’s why I could awaken now. I can only manifest in this world through someone with a vessel strong enough to contain me, someone from the Disell lineage.]

‘I heard that the Disell lineage vanished along with the spirits in ancient times…?’

[The descendants of Disell have continued to exist. But it wasn’t until 30 years ago that someone with the strength to awaken me appeared.]

Thirty years ago?

[Sionna.]

There was a tender, almost sorrowful note in the way the spirit uttered her name.

‘Wait, are you saying my mother was a descendant of the Disell family…?’

But my mother grew up in an orphanage and was adopted into a humble baron’s family.

The thought that the supposedly extinct Disell lineage survived through her was almost too much to believe.

[Now I understand. My contract with her has completely ended. That means she must have passed away.]

“…It happened 15 years ago.”

[When the contractor’s health deteriorates, the connection to me weakens. That’s why I couldn’t even say goodbye. It’s regrettable….]

I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination, but the light from the necklace seemed to be fading.

And the voice, which had been so clear, was growing faint.

[While we haven’t formed a contract yet, you are the summoner who has called me back into this world after Sionna.]

Now I had to strain my ears to catch the increasingly distant voice.

[You possess a power even greater than hers, though your body struggles to handle it. The connection… is breaking… apart….]

‘What? I can’t hear you!’

[We’ll meet again soon.]

The voice, after breaking up intermittently, left that final, clear message and then disappeared entirely.

The glow from the necklace faded, and the room plunged back into the darkness of midnight.

I couldn’t tell if all that had happened in those brief moments was reality or a dream.

I just held the necklace, which still felt warmer than usual, and stared at it, bewildered.

‘Soon? When is that supposed to be?’

Leaving me with only cryptic words and then disappearing—what am I supposed to do with that?

The flood of questions and mysteries ensured that I wouldn’t be sleeping soundly tonight.

‘But more importantly….’

He had revealed his true name to me.

The name ‘Askan.’

In all of recorded history, the true name of an ancient spirit had never been documented. It was not something humans could utter lightly.

Only the chosen contractor, the one who held the spirit’s trust, was ever allowed to speak such a sacred name.

‘If my mother was a descendant of the Disell lineage, then I must be as well.’

And the spirit even said that I was born with a power surpassing hers, despite my frail body.

If he entrusted me with his true name, then perhaps…

“Is he going to suggest making a contract the next time he appears?”

The term “contract” sounded nice, but being loved by a spirit meant something else entirely.

Every contractor in ancient history had lived a life of hardship, burdened by the role of the empire’s—no, the continent’s—only spirit mage.

My mother must have kept her contract with the spirit a secret to avoid such a fate.

She was a particularly wise and perceptive woman, always seeming to look a step ahead into the future.

The mother I knew was like that. And now to think that a spirit had been by her side all along….

Why had that same spirit appeared before me now?

‘Ugh….’

No matter how much I thought about it, it felt like a stone had been thrown into the calm waters of my mind, leaving everything in turmoil.

As I lay in bed, restlessly turning over my thoughts, I thought I heard a voice from somewhere saying, [Sleep.]

Strangely, as soon as I heard it, my eyes, which had been wide open, grew heavy with drowsiness.

A comforting warmth enveloped me, and I drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

With the dawn, the mansion was bustling from the early morning hours.

Although most of the preparations had been completed the day before, there was still much to load into the long line of carriages.

“Robert, how was your rest?”

“Oh, it was the best I’ve ever had in my life.”

“That’s good to hear. Ah, it looks like the carriage is ready to depart.”

Since Robert and Sharon had few belongings, they were the first to finish preparing for departure.

“In that case, we’ll head to the carriage. See you again soon, Miss.”

Robert and Sharon climbed into their carriage, and I made my way to the next one as preparations wrapped up.

“Sierra.”

I turned at the sound of a voice calling me from behind.

Even without seeing his face, the rich, deep tone told me it was Ludwig.

He wouldn’t be traveling with us to the capital today.

He still had matters to address in the south regarding the Neibon City reforms, so he wouldn’t be able to join us for another week.

“Travel safely.”

“Thank you for your concern, Ludwig. Finish up your work here and come back soon.”

I smiled brightly at him.

Watching Ludwig skillfully navigate his first major external duties as a Grand Duke had inspired me as well.

There were so many things I needed to handle as soon as I reached the capital.

* * *

The carriage, just like when we had come south, was enchanted with a high-speed travel spell, allowing us to reach the capital in half a day.

The energy source for the high-speed spell was the magical ice stones buried beneath the snowfields of the northern mountains.

Even a small piece of those stones could be worth hundreds of thousands of gold. Using them to power an entire carriage convoy like this…

‘It’s impressive. I knew the Karsian family was wealthy, but seeing it firsthand is something else.’

As we approached the capital, part of the convoy continued toward the Karsian estate, while the rest turned toward Drenihan territory.

When the fortress walls of Drenihan finally came into view, the carriage followed my prior instructions and turned off the main road rather than going directly to the estate.

Before heading south, I had prepared a two-story house on the outskirts of Drenihan’s territory as a research facility for Robert.

The carriage took a quiet, serene route and soon arrived at the location.

I stepped out as the carriage slowed to a stop.

At the same time, Robert and Sharon, disembarking from another carriage, walked over to me.

“It’s a fine place. The mountain behind us looks like it could yield many useful herbs. Is this the research facility you mentioned, Miss?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve prepared everything inside that you’ll need for your work.”

“Ho ho, so you were confident you’d bring me here from the start.”

“You could say that.”

I laughed and led him into the research facility.

The spacious, two-story house was perfectly divided into living quarters and research areas.

Sharon’s eyes sparkled when she saw that every room was furnished, and all the essentials were already in place—they could have moved in with just the clothes on their backs.

“It’s close to the Drenihan estate, so it will be easy to travel back and forth. And…”

I gestured toward Eve, who had accompanied us.

“The Empire’s top informant has provided extensive research materials and rare medicinal ingredients.”

Though I hadn’t had a chance to review them myself, I remembered Eve’s confident words, so I trusted they would be valuable resources.

Robert glanced around at the numerous drawers, each neatly organized with thousands of medicinal herbs, and remarked with a sense of satisfaction.

“Now it finally feels like I can truly focus on researching Lisbeth.”

He turned to me, his expression filled with determination.

“Leave it to me, Miss. I’ll make sure to repay the kindness you’ve shown me.”