Chapter 35
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Chapter 35
Vivian turned the page without noticing anything amiss.
Spirits came in six varieties: water spirits, fire spirits, earth spirits, wind spirits, light spirits, and dark spirits.
Though there were six types in total, light spirits and dark spirits were considerably rarer than the others.
Dark spirits in particular responded only to those with demon blood, so they had become even harder to find since humanity turned hostile toward demons.
Perhaps as perceptions of demons worsened, dark spirit users began hiding themselves out of fear of judgment, making them appear even scarcer... (continued)...
I'd heard that until two hundred years ago, humans and demons weren't friendly, but they did exchange with one another.
However, the half-demon offspring born from unions during that period had their bloodlines diluted over several generations, and as a result, dark spirits had become difficult to encounter in the present age.
'Never mind all that! So what actually happens when someone becomes a spirit user?!'
Vivian turned the next page with gleaming eyes.
There was only one condition necessary to become a spirit user.
To be chosen by a spirit.
There was no particular method to be chosen; if one possessed mana suited to a spirit's taste, one could encounter that spirit.
In other words, it wasn't something you could become simply by wanting to.
Some encountered spirits in life-threatening situations, while others woke one morning to find a spirit had appeared.
And some people, no matter how hard they struggled, never encountered a spirit in their entire lives.
So don't be foolish enough to deliberately court danger trying to meet a spirit.
...That last sentence somehow feels like it's directed at me.
Vivian felt an inexplicable pang of guilt and checked even the tip at the very bottom of the page.
One piece of information worth noting: spirits typically appear in places related to their respective element.
'Oho.'
Just then, a lamp sitting right before Vivian caught her eye. It wasn't lit yet since it was daytime.
"Should I give it a try?"
Vivian hastily lit the lamp.
Before Rachel could even react to what she was attempting, Vivian reached toward the lamp.
"Appear, fire spirit! Hiryah!"
She chanted a peculiar incantation as she did.
Vivian gazed at the lamp with hopeful eyes while Rachel watched with an expression of unease, but...
"...Nothing's happening?"
The lamp remained silent.
Even after several more attempts, the result was the same.
"Tch, so it's not a fire spirit."
Then, a warm breeze carrying heat brushed past Vivian's lovely hair as she grew dejected from the repeated failures.
'Wind...?'
Following that sensation, I turned my head, and beyond the open window lay the Estate's Garden.
A fountain, trees, and a gentle breeze rustling through them.
Color bloomed across Vivian's face upon discovering that sight.
Vivian sprang to her feet as though she'd never been downcast at all.
"Rachel, let's go out to the Garden!"
"The Garden? ...Ah."
Rachel watched as Vivian, brimming with enthusiasm, dashed ahead, then pressed his lips firmly together.
If Vivian truly became a Spirit Mage, she would no longer need to hold his hand.
Simply sharing mana with a spirit would be enough to alleviate her condition.
Of course, even if Vivian learned to control her overflowing mana on her own, I knew she wouldn't leave my side.
She had promised to be on my side even before learning that my constitution helped ease her ailment.
But...
'Then will the natural hand-holding moments become less frequent?'
It should certainly be a relief if Vivian's condition improved without my help.
Rachel's hand, which had always been holding Vivian's, trembled slightly as it fell away.
The hand that had lost its soft warmth felt strangely hollow.
* * *
Before long, evening descended as the sun began its descent.
As the relentless sun broke and night fell, a rather cool breeze swept through.
Waiting for Rachel in front of the Estate, I discovered a nearby fountain and reached out my hand toward it.
"Yay!"
From that day onward, I made efforts to summon the spirit whenever I had a chance.
In the shade of the Garden Tree, before the window where the wind drifted through, during my bath, even before the lamp before sleep.
But...
"...Tch."
Still, I hadn't seen even a trace of a spirit, let alone the spirit itself.
Not even until today, when the Festival began.
'Hmm, do I really need to be in a dangerous situation?'
But I didn't have the nerve to deliberately throw myself into such circumstances.
I was a second-time child who knew the value of life, after all.
Instead, I decided that once Curtis Rohan returned, I would ask his permission and go to the Western Forest with Rachel.
The fact that I only felt a calling energy from the Western Forest might mean that's the only place where I could meet it.
'I hope Father returns soon.'
As I was consoling my impatient heart, Rachel emerged.
"Vivian."
After finishing magical training, he had dressed in plain commoner's clothes to go see the Festival.
Rachel wore humble attire like mine to avoid drawing people's attention.
And beside such a Rachel...
"The Duke asked me to look after you and the young lady well while he's away."
Nanny had followed along.
"So I thought I'd accompany you to the Festival today. That's alright with you, isn't it, Vivian?"
I regarded her with reluctant eyes.
Since Rachel's mother's memorial day, Nanny had stopped showing me open hostility like before.
'Sally still can't wait to devour me the moment she sees me, though.'
Even Sally could no longer openly torment or slander me as she once had.
But that didn't mean the clear animosity they had shown me disappeared, so I still found Sally and her mother uncomfortable.
'But I have no grounds to stop the Nanny from following the young lady.'
After all, she's Rachel's Nanny, and while the knights will be accompanying us, having one more guardian is always safer.
The discomfort was something I had to bear.
I deliberately smiled brightly and asked.
"Of course. But Sally isn't coming along? It would be nice if she did."
"Sally isn't feeling well. She wants to rest at home."
I tilted my head quizzically.
'I saw her glaring at me with displeasure just a moment ago.'
But it wasn't the first time Sally had excluded herself from between Rachel and me out of pride.
Besides, I had only asked out of courtesy anyway, so I didn't read much into the Nanny's lie.
"I see."
"Shall we go then, young lady?"
And so we boarded the carriage with the Nanny and headed toward the Village.
* * *
By the time we arrived at the Village, the sun had completely set and night had fallen.
But since the summer Festival was an event for hot days, it began in earnest once the night grew cool.
Because of this, it was even more crowded at night than during the day.
The Village was already packed with merchants, locals who had come to watch, and outsiders from distant places who had come to see the Festival.
'It does seem like there are more people than usual.'
But who am I?
Though not a native of this Village, I've spent half my life as the queen of these streets!
I know the Festival routes like the back of my hand.
"So, shall we properly explore the Festival now?"
I confidently grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her along.
We wove through the crowds, watching the street vendors and people dressed as demons and ghosts.
Rachel, who had seemed tense at first by the large crowds, gradually melted into the atmosphere.
Before long, our eyes, now thoroughly absorbed in the Festival mood, were caught by a dart game booth.
It was a game where you threw darts and received a prize if you scored above a certain threshold.
Among the prizes were dolls.
Their adorable appearance ignited my competitive spirit.
"Rachel, let's try that!"
But contrary to my enthusiastic momentum, every dart I threw missed... sigh.
'I was good at it when I played with Curtis Rohan!'
I eventually exhausted all my darts without achieving the desired score and withdrew dejectedly.
Now it was Rachel's turn.
Rachel lightly checked his wrist snap and made a throwing motion, then immediately released the dart.
The dart he threw landed precisely in the center of the dartboard.
Not only did my eyes widen, but even the merchant running the game booth stared in shock.
'That's not the wrist snap of a ten-year-old...'
Yet Rachel, who had just recorded an incredible score, threw the next dart with an unfazed expression.
The next dart landed with equal precision, embedding itself right beside the previous one on the board.
'Could Rachel be a dart prodigy?'
I stood there gaping, my mouth hanging open in astonishment, when Rachel picked up the next dart and asked.
"Vivian, that doll is what you want, isn't it?"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org