56 Episode 55: Contracts And Promises
We sit back in front of Llumiel so we can face back. It was from Uffi who cut the mouth fire.
"Rhumiel, I'd like to ask you to teach me about spiritual contractors. Will you not give me that wisdom?
"Hmm? Stop being so human. But you want to be king?
"Yes, otherwise the throne is far from me, and the dream I want to accomplish will not come true unless I become king"
"Dreams, hey. What the hell do you want to achieve?
"Have a new era. … I want to put an end to the lessons of the old days correctly in order to take over from Ennis to a new era."
Llumiel stares at Ji and Yufi. Its mixed colored eyes reflect Uffi. Uffi takes that gaze head-on without being frightened.
Then the colour of Llumiel's eyes shows a change. It returns to one color so that the mixed colors blend together. Its colour is deep blue, reminiscent of the sea.
"I once destroyed my father, who became king of madness as the people wished. I can't say that you're not going to be one of those two dances. Yes, I've been bound to the end of a spiritual covenant" a wish that would otherwise not be fulfilled ". Face the Spirit who dwelled in you, pursuing only its essence, and shredding away everything"
"Yes.... that's why I want to be the last one. We may not be able to shed light on all the facts and truths, but people still need to know."
"Know what? Knowingly the people may seek a new sacrifice. Who can tell you not to ask God for a convenient king? There are truths you shouldn't know."
Close your eyes and Rhumiel tells Uffi. I feel signs similar to quiet anger. The light behind my eyes is shaking as if the pale flame were shaking.
"... Llumiel. You may be surprised now, but please ask."
"Hmm?"
"That's not what I knew."
"What?"
Llumiel looks like he's been taken aback. I accidentally opened my mouth and watched Uffi too.
Uffi stays flat and keeps spinning his words pale.
"If you want to seek God, you can do so. That's not what I found out. Because I haven't said a word about becoming a god. I will be king, but that consists of me wanting to be. It's not like I want to be someone's god, and I don't need to hear what you have to say. If you don't like it, you can set up a new god."
"... Ufi?
That? Yufi was such a freaking kid to say!? Oh, but I might say...? Was this what I looked like when I was a student...?
"I just don't recommend it as a national teaching. If you want endorsement on that, you just have to prove it by your own deeds. If that is to be the voice of the people, if you want it from me, then it is time for me to leave the kingdom without having to take over. So if you want to be a god, let's give it back." Did you know that? "
"... did you find out?"
"This country has already been saved. I can't figure out how things were in the past, either, but I certainly don't have a chopped crisis. The people live healthy and the nobles are filled with wealth. It is also all due to the reign of a man who is not God. At the earliest opportunity, we don't need God in this country. Yet seeking God, etc., and that seems to me to be the extreme of decadence. Why should we reach out even if we shelter such a people?
"... does that mean trumpeting a people who want God?
"No. It's not worth dealing with, that's all. You can ask for it if you want. So if you call the country a disaster, it is a rebel. If I had seen the tragedy and yet sought the danger of inadvertently seeking God, I would never have seen the deed done."
Yufi ran out of words to be nothing and moved her gaze to me.
"People can pursue happiness without having to rely on God. I have learned from Anis that it is possible to build a new era that is impossible. It is then that I will be the representative of the former king to guide the people. The old days will end with a king named me."
"... some people think you've been betrayed?
"Betray? What? Expectations? Then you just have to accomplish it yourself. The Spirit will respond if you pray. If that wish is sincere, let the path of the Spirit's covenant be paved by itself."
"So what if a spiritual contractor was born that didn't do it for the people?
"I will defend my country with all my might."
Llumiel has silenced himself in Yufi's response. And distorted my lips. There was a loud laugh from his lips.
Rhumiel is laughing down to the point where his breathing becomes painful as he holds his belly. After laughing out to the point where she was a little worried, Llumiel corrects her posture as she wipes her fingers with the tears that floated.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's crazy..."
"Did I say something so strange?
"No, I don't think so.... Oh well. If you want to be happy, be yourself. That's the new era you want."
"Yes."
"... if that's the" essence, "your daughter will be fine. You will never step off the path like my father, nor will you ever be like me. You should stick your chest out and go back as a spiritual contractor."
"Thank you. Now I'd like you to teach me how to do that spiritual covenant..."
"Hmm? Aren't we done already?
"Huh?"
"To?"
"... Huh?
... silence falls. The three of us looked at each other and we became silent.
"... are you done?
"Huh. I've already finished my contract with the Spirit, young lady"
"Huh!?"
"You didn't notice?
"... Specifically, how do you exchange contracts?
"It's an exchange of magic. At the price of his magic, he receives his magic by manifesting the manifestation of the Spirit, a mirror that goes hand in hand with the Spirit within him. So a great spirit is already born in your daughter's soul. I think I can feel the signs if I'm conscious. Besides, we've been talking for a long time, haven't we? You look better than you did when you got here, don't you?
"What!? If you think Yufi is alive enough just now, it's the effect of a spiritual covenant!?"
I'm circling my eyes like Uffi surprised me. He wasn't conscious at all. Speaking of which, it's like he said the magic was restless and fluffy or something.
Was that when the Great Spirit was born within him and the magic was replaced with the usual magic, he didn't calm down?
"... I don't have any particular sense of change."
"That's why I told you. Originally, he said he was spiritual. It's not that different."
"... but it changes, doesn't it?
"Originally, spirits don't have flesh. That's why I tend to be greedy about what I want. That's more than you can handle. Of course, my father, many spiritual contractors hide in some distress where their temperament is not understood by the people around them. The longer you spend, the more uneven you'll feel with people."
"... become greedy"
Hey, I think Uffi saw me all the time. I had a bad feeling that I couldn't help but look at that instant and shook my body for the first time.
"If it's your daughter's case, that seems to have meshed well. How hard did your parents hurt you? I don't think I feel the same way about my weakness as a human being as a spirit."
"... is this a place to rejoice?
"Well. It's up to you to decide that, from me."
Llumiel laughs as she flaunts her shoulders. Yufi doesn't seem to be an interpreter, but he's convinced for now.
... so I was listening to Lumiel's explanation and could be a little concerned.
"Lumiel, I'd like to ask you one thing..."
"Hmm?"
"... can a spiritual covenant do something similar to a demon?
"Hmm? I'll ask you a strange question. I think a demon with a demon stone in his body can theoretically do it. I just don't think that's possible."
"Why?"
"The Spirit becomes a match mirror for a man's wishes, but the demon is what lives by instinct, isn't it? If you're not a demon like that, you can't get to the point where you can make a deal."
"... like a dragon or something?
"Right. Anyway, if it's a young dragon, if it's more dragons than Cheng Long, isn't it possible?
"What if? If something similar happened to the Spirit Contract, would we stop being human after all...?
"I've never heard of such an example."
I don't know what that means, Rhumiel tilts his neck as he says. Then Yufi's jittery gaze pierced him from next door.
"... what if I told you that the real example was me?
"............ what?
I decided to give an overview of the engraving to Llumiel with my eyes rounded.
Llumiel, who was half-hearted at first, also tested me in surprise when he actually saw my engraving. And I said this as if I were frightened.
"Are you crazy?
"I'm going to be sane myself!?"
"Then a rare fool, I wonder if he's a genius... Oh, don't worry. While it is true that your engraving, it is also grossly similar to a spiritual covenant to exchange demon stone magic for your own magic, it is only temporary. You can't stop being human if you don't accept it completely. Just..."
"... just?
"You're so fond of me. In the meantime, if I accidentally become a dragon, I'll point it at you and laugh at you."
"... I mean, there's a lot of potential for you not to be human."
"It's less likely than a spiritual covenant, but you can't say you don't. You're the only one I know."
I think I've been told far away that I'm an idiot with no precedent. I thought it might be something like that, but could it be a dragon...
Something is itching on my back. It's like being laughed at by an engraving. What, even if it's will, it's still there, this... let's go over it properly, let's do that.
"Oh, you're really delightful kids.... Yeah, I made up my mind."
"Yeah? He said he decided... what?
"Shall I return home too for a long time? There's no shadow left."
"... eh!? Are you going to come to Wangdu!?"
To Llumiel's words I opened my eyes and revealed my surprise. Is Uffi surprised, too, staring straight at Llumiel?
"Funny kids like you don't always show up in the future! Besides, Uphilia is already one of my countrymen. Maybe I shouldn't be helping you with that?
"That helps..."
"... isn't the world of men painful for you?
"Once upon a time. But you're gonna build a new era, aren't you? Then maybe it's why I survived so far."
That's what I say and smile. Llumiel cuddles us in.
I don't even feel like shaking it off somehow, making Llumiel want to keep it that way. Did Uffi feel the same way about me, and the time passes for the three of us to turn ourselves in just like that?
This is how we were brought back to the King's Capital as spiritual contractors and our distant ancestors, Lhumiel.
If I went back out of the woods, Raini greeted me with joy as if I were a ho. The Commander of the Sprout Knights was with him, but when he saw Rhumiel, he opened his eyes like a ghost.
"Lord Lumi!? Why are you out of the woods?!?"
"Oh, Matthew's boy. You've grown up, haven't you got any more Orphans escorts?
"How many years do you think it's been since then! Boy, I want you to stop!
"Really? Hehe, I came out of the woods because I liked Anis and Uffi. I'm going to see what happens to these kids for a while. Is it disrespectful for someone who's not even a nobleman to want to enter the castle?
"Something like that! Queen... Master Silphine will be delighted!
"Oh, that's the horse girl. Maybe that heartless thing got a little better."
The two people whose conversation bounced to warm up their old relationship left early if they didn't put in a report to Father as well.
Raini prepared dinner to relieve the fatigue that was diving in our woods. Though not as luxurious as the outhouse, it was a heartwarming meal. So I explained to Raini what was happening in the forest.
So, you're sure you got what you came for?
"Yep.... I will push Yuffi to the king. That's what I'm going to tell your father."
"Really?... Congratulations, Master Uphilia"
"Yeah, thanks.... Raini, will you support me from now on?
"Of course it is. It's not what they say."
Raini laughed at Couscous and responded with pleasure. You must be tired, so I was told to rest on my bed for a long time.
I look up at the ceiling as I fall asleep in bed and my thoughts circle. But it doesn't feel real and fluffy as a cloud.
"... oh, you really don't have to be king"
There seemed to be a hole in my chest. I even felt like something that had been tied up and suppressed all along somewhere would be solved.
Is that pleasant, regrettable, or vain? Anyway, I can't get my emotions together. I'll put my hand on my forehead at this rate for a while.
"... this is what Raini said, you should rest early"
I guess I'm tired too. I knew a lot of things, and I showed the way.
All you have to do is push on. Me too, for what I want. If Yufi is building a new era and expecting me, I can't lose either.
The sound of a knock echoed where I tried to close my eyes to try to renew that thought from tomorrow.
"Who?"
"It's me, Master Anis."
"Uffi? I'm still awake, go ahead."
Uffi in her bedroom came into the room if I gave her forgiveness. If you keep in your room, you'll walk up to me.
"May I put you to bed here today?
"I don't mind..."
"I'm sorry. I couldn't stand it..."
And Yufi's eyes narrowed. That gaze seems to tangle with me, and it runs on my spine.
This is a red flag, I don't know why, but my body complains it's dangerous. Yufi's eyes seemed to be more true than I had ever seen before, and he wanted me in agony.
Yuffi approaches me as she is and hugs me to bury her face in my chest.
"... you wanted to be sweet?
"Yes, not... I'm really, really sorry..."
Just apologizing earlier, Yuffi looks up at me as she buries her face in her chest. My eyes wet enough to cry are turning a feverish glance at me.
"... magic."
"... magic?
"... I want the magic of Lord Anis."
From the bottom of my heart I seem sorry, I meditate on my eyes and Yufi squeaks weakly.
Well, magic? And it was me tilting my neck, but it immediately occurred to me.
"Maybe, the impact of a spiritual covenant?
"Probably..."
The Spirit feeds on magic. Then it is not surprising to say that Uffi, who housed the Great Spirit, has also begun to seek magic as food.
But that's where I tilt my neck. Then I wonder if my magic without the Spirit is a food magic for Uffi.
"Can't it be someone else's magic?
"... why are you saying such a mean thing"
Phew, and Yufi, swelling her cheeks and staring at her, seemed younger than her age, no.
Until now, I suppressed my emotions and my emotions other than those I needed were an unlikely trick to Yufi, who had cut them off before they got high. It even seems ironic to me if I wonder if this is also the effect of becoming a spiritual contractor. I can't believe I got rich because I quit people.
"... I thought you said the Spirit had the magic of his choice. Well, for me, it's Lady Anise."
"But I'm a rare man with no spirits, right?
"So, it is. I had it all from the beginning. No talent, no power, no position. I've never been hungry. I had nothing to wish for. It was just about fulfilling what I was given. That's why I wanted you. Lady Anise has everything I need. So the truth is, I want it as much as I want to take it all away, and I'm a little surprised myself."
"... I'm surprised you let me out of your mind."
Are you going to kill me with shame, Yuffi? I don't see how you can speak such a do-on-the-ball favor.
But I think as I stroke Yufi's hair. I'm sure Yufi hasn't grown any more minded than she is old. That opened what was lidded by the Spirit covenant.
That's why I don't want it. It's like a toddler doesn't stop looking for it. Though he enjoyed being deceived as an aristocrat, Uffi still seemed to have become more emotionally unstable than he could bear.
"Magic is like sipping blood like Raini or something?
"No... you just have to touch me like this"
Yufi shrugs in her dreams as she cheeks on her chest like a jerk.
The Spirit exists close to man. He watches over us as we take people's wishes, prayers, and all of that.
Maybe that's why Uffi also wants to lean in and feel the person he seeks. Maybe you want to get my magic food and fill it up. That was embarrassing, but it never seemed like a bad thing.
"... now, I will put up with that"
"Now...?
"... you want me to say something ahead?
I thought I was laughing innocently. Uffi narrowed his eyes and turned to the sight of that chill.
Oh, I finally figured it out. This is a crisis of being "eaten". In the sense of predation or otherwise.
I can put my strength into the arm that was turned to say I wouldn't let you get away with it. I'm pointing my lips at you somewhere dissatisfied to delude you. I stroke Yuffi's head.
"... you can laugh at me if you don't"
"Yufi is cuter now. I'm sure Lord Grants and Mrs. Nerschel will be surprised to see Caindkun."
Speaking of cute, Yufi comes over with her eyes closed and her cheeks rinsed.... My heart jumped by accident. There's a gap, but it made this kid seem really cute because he was a jerk.
"... only when we're two, forgive me, right?
"Of course. It's a promise."
"In front of everyone, I'll do it right"
"Yeah. Yufi would be fine"
"Dear Anis,"
"What?"
"... I admire you"
I accidentally bit it in my cheek. Will I be able to withstand Yuffi's onslaught and welcome him safely into the morning? I'm sure it's a happy thing to worry about such crap.
It would be a lot harder if we went back to Wang Du. Still, I'm not lost in my mind. If you've decided on a way forward, you can go straight ahead. I'm ready for that, because I've already decided.
"... oh, the moon is beautiful"
Off my gaze, I looked at the moon floating in the sky and I shrugged so small.