She Professed Herself The Pupil Of The Wiseman (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

THE CONTRACT’S LIGHT condensed, and the room regained its calm. The Spirit King’s satisfied voice broke the silence. “Seems it worked. So, Martel. Do you feel it?”

“…Umm, yes, actually. This, right? It’s as if your presence is closer than before, Sym.”

Through the contract, she was linked with Mira. By extension, she was tied to countless other bonds through the Spirit King’s blessing. After slowly focusing on them, Martel was able to feel them. Her smile was mysterious yet soft.

Martel felt the connection between them. “Goodness… Wasra…is that you? It’s been so long.”

Mira was lost for a moment, but it didn’t take her long to realize that a new conversation was taking place. It seemed Martel had met the spirit of quietude, Wasranvel, through their linked bonds. Apparently, they were acquainted.

“Yep, I made a contract with Mira too. I was just checking out those links that Sym mentioned. This is incredible, isn’t it? I’m amazed that I get to talk to you again, Wasra.” Martel talked excitedly, showing Mira a new side of herself.

She was so into their conversation that the Spirit King had trouble getting a word in edgewise. Seeing him left to wait, Mira was made aware of just how amazing the progenitor spirits were.

“Yep, I’m still doing the same work. Sym’s power allowed her to break through the seal. Oh, by the way, weren’t you protecting San? How’s she doing?”

Martel paused.

“Huh? Wow, San made a contract with Mira too? Um… Oh, there you are. I found the link to San—oh, absolutely! Mira is definitely something else. Oh, San, hello! It’s been so long. I’m glad you’re doing well.”

There was another pause.

“I’m sure he’s fine. Give me just a second, and I’ll ask.”

Martel spoke with Wasranvel and Sanctia like a businesswoman on a conference call. Then she turned to Mira and asked, “San’s worried her daddy is bothering you. Is he, Mira?”

“Uh, well…” With the conversation suddenly turned to her, she spoke truthfully. “I’ve never felt annoyed by his presence. He’s a very convenient source of trivia.”

“Source of trivia…” the Spirit King repeated dejectedly, though nobody paid him any mind.

“She says he’s fine. Sym’s helping her out.”

She paused.

“Yes, of course. I’m going to do my best to be as helpful as you, San. Oh, how nostalgic… Ah, if Was and San are here, that should mean Tine is, too, right? Hmm, that’s strange, though. I can’t find a connection to Tine.”

Again, Martel paused.

“Oh, really? She didn’t contract with Mira? Why not? Oooh, Mira has a water spirit already… Well, that happens. Shame, though.”

When she said Tine, she must have been referring to the water spirit Anrutine, who Mira had met alongside Wasranvel.

“How long do you think she’ll be?” Mira asked as she watched the seemingly endless conversation.

“Nobody can stop Martel once she’s got to talking,” the Spirit King replied, raising his hands in surrender.

“And I’ve given her the power to talk as much as she wants over my connections…” Mira chuckled. “This may get noisy.”

“Well, it’s been thousands of years. She’ll calm down, given time. Hopefully…” He didn’t sound too confident, despite his claims.

“I hope so…”

While Martel enjoyed her lively conversation, Mira found a place to sit and relax as she waited for her to return. However, as an old progenitor spirit, it seemed she had a lot of spirit acquaintances. Mira also had many contracts, and before she knew it, Martel was greeting all of them, one by one. This could take a while.

The fact that Mira could hear Martel’s voice was actually a result of the link being so new. Once they got used to it, her voice would stop leaking to Mira’s side, over time.

***

An hour and change after Martel had started talking with the other spirits, she finally found a stopping point and turned to Mira with a satisfied smile. “Sorry, I got a little carried away. But this is really something else.”

“I’m happy that you’re happy.”

She’d waited patiently, but this place was full of so many surprises that it was easy to pass the time. Just looking at the many new breeds of plants here and there was entertainment in itself. As such, Mira and the Spirit King were in the middle of looking at various incomprehensible flowers when Martel finished her chat.

“It’s strange, though,” Martel mused. “You feel even closer to me than before, Mira. And there’s this really soft, warm feeling… Is this how it feels to bond?”

On top of their new tie through the summoning contract, the Spirit King’s blessing created a special bond. Emotions passed through the bond, so Mira experienced Martel’s unabashedly tender feelings.

“I’m happy to be working with you, Mira,” the progenitor spirit said, pulling Mira into a forceful hug. Was she moved by witnessing Mira’s emotions, or did she really miss human contact after all? To an onlooker, they might’ve looked like mother and child—though, despite Martel’s matronly figure, she could act a little immature.

A sweet, floral scent tickled Mira’s nose. Though a little sheepish, she tightened the hug and replied, “Indeed. The feeling is mutual.”

This was the ideal relationship between humans and spirits. The Spirit King smiled paternally at the sight.

***

“There are so many out there who see you as a mother. All of them are happy and healthy. Thank you, Mira.” Many of Mira’s contracted spirits, like Salamander, had been under her care since their birth. It seemed Martel knew their circumstances through the links she’d used. Mira replied with her own gratitude for all of their help.

Just then, there was a dull rumble, and the room shook—another earthquake. Irregular, ripple-like tremors shook beneath their feet. Perhaps because of how deep underground she was, Mira found this one felt bigger than the previous ones. “Shaking again… I hear this is common here of late. What could it be?” she muttered aloud.

“Yep, that’s right,” Martel replied. She sounded as if she knew something more.

Surprised by her tone, Mira whipped around. “Come again?”

Martel looked at her earnestly—pleadingly, rather than discerningly. “Mira, I have to ask a favor of you. Would you do it?”

Mira braced herself for an outrageous request—after all, it came from a progenitor spirit—but the seriousness in Martel’s eyes made her straighten up.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I need you to save a wolf,” Martel said with a sorrowful look.

It all began a year ago. A single wolf had come to the Ancient Underground City in search of his lost little brother and sister. He was no mere wolf; he had real power and intelligence. The wolf had sensed something akin to its siblings in the dungeon. But after some time, he underwent a change. He started to slowly lose his grasp on sanity. Realizing his own deterioration, the wolf came to Martel. After some discussion, he asked Martel to seal him before he lost his mind.

The wolf was very strong. There was no telling how much damage might be done if he fully lost his senses. So, Martel acquiesced and sealed him here. After he was sealed, the wolf descended into madness and trapped himself in a cycle of struggling and resting.

“It was really hard for me to fully seal his powers. Whenever he struggles, everything shakes, just like it did a moment ago.”

Martel told the story without any drama, but when Mira heard it, she shuddered. A progenitor spirit had sealed the wolf, yet he could still create earthquakes just by struggling. How much of a monster was he? But at the same time, she found herself interested.

Was the wolf a spiritual or holy beast? Though he’d lost his mind for the time being, he must have been a very clever being, long ago. He’d objectively analyzed his situation and asked Martel to seal him in order to avoid casualties. It was clear that he had a good heart.

Perhaps…I could even form a summoning contract! Mira dared to dream. However, that would have to wait until the problem was resolved. The most pressing issue was that the wolf had lost his mind.

“You ask me to save it, but is there a way to do so?” she asked.

That was the first thing they had to work out. Martel’s explanation lacked a clear reason why he had lost his mind; that would be a critical clue to allowing Mira to reverse the process. Why had he ended up this way? Mira racked her brain, but Martel had already investigated the matter.

“Well, I have a…rough idea.”

The reason the wolf had lost his mind was an unidentifiable power he had been feeling. Martel didn’t know the details, but when she looked into the sealed wolf, she found many mysterious powers had mixed in with his existing power. She figured that this was the reason for his spiraling.

“It seems like that same mass of power is always here, deep below.” Whatever powers stripped the wolf of his sanity could always be felt beneath the Ancient Underground City. She didn’t know their true identity, but she knew that they must be the cause.

“In other words, you’re asking me to expel whatever is below. Correct?” If she eliminated the cause, she could save the wolf. 

But Martel had something slightly different in mind. “That would be a huge help, but let’s try something else first,” Martel said. She held out a pure-white fruit to Mira. When asked what it was, she explained that she’d fine-tuned it to expel the dark powers inside the wolf.

“Goodness… You never cease to amaze.”

She’d somehow made a fruit that would bring the wolf back to his senses. Amazed, again, by the potential of the progenitor spirit of flora, Mira accepted the fruit. But then, why couldn’t Martel have given it to the wolf already?

“That was my plan at first, but things took a little turn for the worse,” Martel answered.

The wolf had transformed. When he lost control, the power originally contained within him was released, mixing with the unknown powers. As a result, the special plant cage Martel had created to seal the wolf was corrupted by the sinister powers, making him impossible to control. Even worse, Martel had revealed herself as an enemy to the dark power by trying to control the wolf. 

Martel’s seal had been compromised. If she approached, she could fall victim to the same evil. On top of that, the original seal had transformed into a maze that had grown into a three-level labyrinth. All she could do was cover the labyrinth with another seal from above, in order to keep it from spreading.

“That’s more than just a ‘little’ worse…”

Mira’s eye twitched. How much worse could it get? She had to feed this fruit to a being that could create earthquakes just by struggling? That could corrode a progenitor spirit’s seal and turn it into a labyrinth? Mira could only imagine that she might wind up as the snack instead of the fruit.

Despite Mira’s worries, Martel was surprisingly optimistic due to her new connection with Mira. “I’m certain you can do it! Come back safe!”

Summoning contracts were tied by fated bonds, and these bonds had the potential to become extremely powerful. That was why Martel could feel Mira’s strength—and why she was certain that the summoner would be just fine.

“The wolf has great power…but don’t worry. I can strengthen the seal from the outside. If you meet the wolf, I’ll dial it up to maximum power; that should give you an opportunity to feed him the fruit.”

Martel trusted Mira deeply, even beyond the initial trust that had come from the Spirit King’s appraisal of her. And when someone pleaded this much, Mira didn’t have it in her to refuse.

“Understood. I will undertake this challenge! Besides, we never know what might happen until we try!” she replied with gusto. Besides, she just couldn’t refuse after being given such valuables as the ring and necklace.