Chapter 12 : Contract

Luen, who had appeared in an unfamiliar place through teleportation magic, narrowed his eyes as he scanned his surroundings.

Stepping into a forest that looked almost identical to the one before, Luen turned to Ophelia and spoke.

“…This place.”

“Do you know about Gigarious?”

Gigarious.

Luen paused at Ophelia’s question, recalling the name from his memory.

Then, he nodded calmly.

“The last spirit sorcerer mentioned in ancient texts, isn’t he?”

Not all mages were knowledgeable about ancient texts.

However, Luen did not come from an ordinary mage family.

His mother, Luana, had a particular interest in ancient texts, and as a result, Luen had also learned a bit about them.

Of course, Gigarious was a name known to anyone with even a slight interest in ancient history.

The first and last spirit sorcerer.

“That’s right. This is the forest where Gigarious is said to have resided.”

“Was that mentioned in the texts as well?”

Luen tilted his head at Ophelia’s words.

It was true that ancient texts recorded Gigarious as the last spirit sorcerer.

However, it was unlikely that they contained detailed information about him.

After all, spirit sorcerers were among the most ostracized beings in the world of mages.

Ophelia, smiling slightly at Luen’s question, placed her hands on her hips and spoke confidently.

“Of course not. Those damn old geezers shudder at the mere mention of spirit sorcerers.”

“Then isn’t the claim that this is Gigarious’s dwelling groundless?”

Despite Luen’s logical inquiry, Ophelia answered firmly.

“No, it’s not.”

“Because I’ve been following the traces of Gigarious.”

“…Why are you so obsessed with spirit sorcery?”

Ophelia had been investigating spirit sorcery for a long time.

Since there weren’t many records left about it, the only lead she could pursue was the most famous spirit sorcerer—Gigarious.

Thus, she had continued researching Gigarious, and in that process, she discovered this very forest, which was said to be his.

“Well, I have my reasons.”

Why was she so obsessed with spirit sorcery?

From Luen’s perspective, it was something he could never understand.

Ophelia had already reached great heights in magic, and since she had a long life ahead of her, focusing on magic rather than spirit sorcery would allow her to achieve even greater accomplishments.

However, Ophelia could not provide Luen with a clear answer.

“…Is that so.”

Luen noticed that Ophelia was deliberately hiding her true reason, but he didn’t bother pressing her further.

At this moment, it simply didn’t matter.

“Alright, shall we go?”

Ophelia started walking as if she knew the path by heart.

From the moment she had discovered that this place was once Gigarious’s dwelling, she had spent most of her time here.

Of course, she occasionally wandered to other areas for a change of pace, but for the most part, she remained within this forest.

As a result, she knew the geography of this place like the back of her hand.

Following Ophelia’s lead, Luen calmly observed the forest’s interior.

I hear them.

[It’s a human! A new human!]

[A human who isn’t quite human brought another human!]

[Familiar! So familiar!]

[A human who can hear us!]

From the moment they stepped into the forest, the voices of the spirits residing within echoed clearly in Luen’s ears.

Listening to their chattering, which was no different from what he had heard before, Luen suddenly felt a gaze on him.

He turned his head.

“What do you see?”

“I don’t see them. I only hear them.”

Luen couldn’t see the spirits clearly, but he could hear them.

Hearing his response, Ophelia outwardly remained composed, but inwardly, she couldn’t help but be impressed.

For a human who had yet to form a contract with a spirit to be able to hear their voices—this was nothing short of an innate talent.

“I’m not sure exactly… but it feels like there are far more spirits here than in the previous forest.”

“Of course. This is the forest where Gigarious resided.”

Gigarious, the first and last spirit sorcerer.

Someone like him wouldn’t have settled just anywhere.

With his heightened sensitivity to spirits, he must have chosen this place, naturally creating an environment where spirits could thrive.

Understanding Ophelia’s words, Luen nodded and let out a long breath.

Gigarious’s dwelling.

The first and last spirit sorcerer.

A man whose talent was so immense it was said to be a gift from demons.

His story felt strangely similar to Luen’s own, stirring a complex mix of emotions within him.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

The scenery was familiar.

The inside of Ophelia’s cabin was exactly the same as before.

It was as if the space itself had been transported, unchanged.

Gazing at the unchanged interior, Luen gave a small nod at Ophelia’s words.

Using magic, Ophelia cleared the sofa and table that had been in the center of the room.

Then, with serious eyes, she turned to face him and spoke.

“Do you know why mages reject spirit sorcerers?”

Ophelia’s question was somewhat abrupt, but I took it seriously and began to ponder.

It was a well-known fact that mages had rejected spirit sorcerers for ages.

However, the exact reason was never properly documented.

All I had ever heard was:

“Because their power comes from demons.”

Magic was said to be a gift from the gods.

The ability to wield mana, the mana that drifted in the air—everything was bestowed by divine forces.

Thus, spirit sorcery was branded as power granted by demons.

Some even went as far as to claim that spirits were mere servants of demons.

Reciting what I had learned, I saw Ophelia nod slightly before continuing.

“Yes, the ancient mages used that reasoning to reject spirit sorcery. They claimed magic was a divine power… But then, what is the real reason?”

“…I don’t know.”

No matter how much I thought about it, as someone who used spirit sorcery, it was clear that it wasn’t some demonic power.

Spirits could be mischievous, even troublesome, but there was no proof that spirit sorcery itself originated from demons.

Seeing me shake my head, Ophelia answered her own question.

“Magic is broadly classified into four elemental forces: water, fire, wind, and earth. And spirit sorcery…
…completely neutralizes all of them.”

“In other words, spirit sorcery is considered a superior force to magic. Of course, this is just one perspective, but still.”

Her words made me furrow my brow in thought.

“So, you’re saying that mages rejected spirit sorcery… because it was stronger than magic?”

“It’s not an absolute fact, but you understood correctly.”

I couldn’t understand it.

If spirit sorcery was superior to magic, why were spirit sorcerers persecuted by mages?

Even if mages outnumbered spirit sorcerers, if spirit sorcery truly had such an overwhelming advantage, mages should have been the ones struggling, not the other way around.

Once again, Ophelia had the answer to my unspoken question.

“Of course, to overpower magic with spirit sorcery, one would need overwhelming strength. And that’s exactly why spirit sorcerers never managed to dominate mages.”

“…How overwhelming are we talking?”

“Hmm. I don’t know for sure, but…”

Even Ophelia wasn’t an expert in spirit sorcery.

To be precise, she only had theoretical knowledge—a shell without substance.

After all, the first time she had seen spirit sorcery in action was when I used it.

Because of this, she couldn’t provide a definitive answer.

Instead, she carefully considered her words before speaking again.

“If one could form a contract with a Spirit King, then they could probably overpower magic completely.”

“A Spirit King…”

“Yes. You know about spirit classifications, don’t you?”

I slowly blinked and gave a quiet response.

From the lowest spirits to lesser spirits, intermediate spirits, greater spirits, and supreme spirits.

And at the very pinnacle stood the Spirit King.

The lowest spirits were the weakest, lacking self-awareness.

They could understand a spirit sorcerer’s words but could not respond properly.

Lesser spirits, on the other hand, had a sense of self.

They resembled children in both appearance and voice, and they could communicate with spirit sorcerers.

The voices I heard in the forest must have belonged to lesser spirits.

Intermediate spirits were far more difficult to contract with.

Even for most spirit sorcerers, making a contract with them was a daunting challenge.

But their power was vastly superior to that of lesser spirits.

Though intermediate spirits were within reach for talented spirit sorcerers, greater spirits were another matter entirely.

The chances of a first contract involving a greater spirit were less than one in ten thousand.

Supreme spirits, on the other hand, did not form contracts.

They were four powerful entities that served the Spirit King.

To contract with them, one would need enough power to summon all four—

Or, as some legends said, one would have to become the Spirit King.

Recalling Ophelia’s explanation, I let out a small breath.

Recognizing that I was ready, Ophelia curled her lips into a smile and slowly spoke.

“Well then… shall we begin the contract?”

It was time for my first spirit contract.

To be continued…