Chapter 96: CH 96

Riett’s eyes widened.

“What kind of contract…?”

The spirit stared at Riett with an unnatural blink, appearing quite taken aback.

“Of course, you called me for making a contract, didn’t you?”

“No, not really…?”

The spirit’s expression showed considerable shock at Riett’s nonchalant response.

“Then… you called me here but don’t intend to make a contract?”

The spirit spoke as if Riett were an enormous troublemaker. Surprisingly, it was Riett who felt confused.

“I just summoned you, that’s all. I didn’t know I had to make a contract.”

“I see… So, you called me here without knowing anything about the contract, and now you’re saying you won’t make one?”

The spirit shrugged helplessly, and his limp, blue hair looked somewhat wilted, resembling spinach leaves.

‘What exactly is this contract about…?’

Was it something important to the spirit? Although Riett had hesitated and quietly considered withdrawing upon hearing the sudden mention of a contract…

Curiosity got the better of Riett, prompting a question.

“What’s in it for you if I make the contract?”

The spirit, who had been sulking, looked up. The flicker of excitement in his eyes was fleeting.

“You would become my master!”

Riett found it difficult to comprehend. What was so good about having a master? It’s not like he would receive a salary.

“Is that a good thing?”

“Of course! It means I can reveal myself whenever you want.”

“But you appeared when I called you just now.”

“No, to manifest without a contract, it takes some time. There are also limitations on the frequency.”

The spirit complained, sounding indignant.

“It was even difficult to reach the point where I could manifest in this form… It took decades.”

Riett had doubts about the spirit’s words.

“If that’s the case, why didn’t you appear while you were around me for such a long time?”

“I cannot reveal myself to just anyone. Only those with a pure soul can see me.”

“So, my soul gradually became purer, and that’s why I can see you now?”

The spirit blinked hesitantly in response.

“Yes.”

Riett felt a sense of disbelief.

She had lived her life by setting goals one after another, striving to achieve them like conquering mountains.

One could say that her approach was straightforward, or one could criticize it as being simplistic. Her mother once compared her to a charging bull.

But it was fascinating to have a spirit, who praised her as being straightforward despite living this way.

‘Have I… been living straightforwardly?’

She felt slightly moved.

Riett stared intently, wondering if the spirit was merely saying sweet words.

Apart from his handsome appearance, he gave off an innocent vibe, like a naive young man from the countryside. It was a conclusion she had drawn based solely on intuition, but she didn’t think the spirit was lying.

At that moment, the spirit glanced at Riett.

“And above all else…”

“Huh?”

“Because we are forming a special relationship.”

A special relationship. Dependency, or something like that. The more they talked about it, the more it became a mystery. It’s not like being dependent on someone is a good thing.

Riett gave up trying to understand. The spirit’s way of thinking is probably different from that of humans.

“Well, do you have any other questions?”

Upon hearing the spirit’s question, Riett realized that she hadn’t asked any important questions.

“Well… the benefits.”

“Benefits?”

“Yeah. If I make a contract with you, you’ll have a cool owner like me. So, what’s in it for me?”

Riett felt a bit cheeky saying it, but the spirit nodded as if it was obvious, especially at the mention of a “cool owner.”

“If there’s a benefit for you… it would be gaining power.”

The spirit waved its hand with a solemn expression as if it governed nature itself. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew inside the tightly closed room, causing the blanket and curtains to flutter.

Riett stared blankly at this strange phenomenon for a moment.

“The power of a spirit…”

It was said that Perante received royal treatment because he could handle spirits. That’s how incredible the power of spirits was. And if combined with the power of the Spirit Stone, it would become even more tremendous.

Although she didn’t necessarily desire that power, hearing about the spirit made her realize that she didn’t have much to lose.

“Let me tell you one thing in advance. After the contract, I will be bound to you, so I can only use my power to the extent allowed by your abilities.”

“That means…”

“Of course, you will be able to use power beyond that of a human, but don’t expect an enormous power until you properly master spirit magic.”

There are conditions attached.

Perante must have grown powerful in handling spirits over a long period.

Still, it was a hopeful thought that if she continued to develop her abilities, she might be able to rival Perante.

With this, the decision was clear. There was no reason to reject this favorable offer.

However, the distressed spirit, who didn’t seem to have heard her thoughts just now, was about to step back with a gloomy expression.

“I didn’t expect you to refuse the contract, but if you happen to change your mind, just like when you called me on a stormy night…”

“Wait.”

Riett interrupted the spirit’s rambling.

“Even if I make the contract, there’s nothing I would lose, right? Like a shortened lifespan or having to exchange something…?”

Riett recalled occult movies with contracts with demons. As she thought earlier, ghosts and spirits are just a small difference, so…

“No, there is certainly nothing like that. And ghosts and spirits are different.”

The spirit answered calmly.

Although it was unsettling that the spirit seemed to have read her thoughts again, Riett naturally accepted it since he said it flowed into his mind.

Riett stared at the spirit, firming her resolve.

“Alright. Then let’s make the contract.”

The spirit’s eyes widened.

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Upon hearing the definitive answer, the spirit jumped up from its seat.

What’s there to be so excited about when all that happens is getting a troublesome owner? Riett was a little worried about the innocent spirit.

“I may seem strange, but I’m not crazy. Spirits have different personalities, but I’ve always wanted to make a contract with you.”

As the spirit blatantly read her thoughts, Riett felt embarrassed. However, the spirit seemed completely unfazed, humming a tune and pulling out a parchment paper that looked slightly different, but honestly, it was just like a regular human contract.

“I’ve already signed it, so you just need to do yours.”

The spirit muttered and extended the pen, saying,

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

The spirit smiled.

Riett stared at the pen for a moment. She had expected the pen the spirit used to be somewhat different, but it looked just like a regular human pen. It seemed that the spirit had adapted well to human civilization.

After writing her name, yellow light emanated from the paper. Soon, the light disappeared, and the spirit spoke,

“The contract is complete.”

With a smile, the spirit collected the signed parchment.

Riett didn’t expect anything grand to happen, but it felt surprisingly anticlimactic. She had anticipated something more special about making a contract with a spirit.

“If you desire a more dramatic change, I can create some effects.”

The spirit said, reading Riett’s thoughts. With a flick of its finger, flower petals started raining down from the sky, covering the ground.

“No, there’s no need for this!”

“Alright then.”

The shower of flower petals ceased as the spirit flicked its finger again.

“Besides, didn’t you say I can only use your power through you?”

“I can grant you minimal power to use on your own.”

But even so, using such abilities for trivial matters… Riett silently resented the spirit, gazing at the scattered flower petals around the room.

‘Moreover, Natasha will come in the morning…’

If she sees the room filled with flower petals, she’ll find it strange.

She should clean them up before anyone sees them, but it’s already quite late.

“Please don’t worry about cleaning it up. It’s not a chore.”

The spirit reassured as if it had read her thoughts once again.

“How?”

“If you imagine blowing them away with the wind, they’ll be gone.”

The spirit’s response made it seem like such a simple task, but suddenly, it appeared excited, as if a brilliant idea had struck.

“Would you like to try using your powers now?”

“Huh? Can I use my powers right away?”

“Of course! Blowing away flower petals should be possible.”

Riett tilted her head in confusion.

“How do I do it?”

“Make a hand gesture like you did when the lighting malfunctioned.”

At that time, she had held her hand in a posture resembling a loose fist. Awkwardly, Riett assumed the same position and looked at the spirit again.

“Like this?”

“Yes, and now move your hand while imagining the movement of the wind.”

Following the spirit’s words, Riett visualized all the flower petals on the ground disappearing, carried away by the wind. She extended her hand accordingly.

Swoosh…

Unbelievably, a gentle breeze blew inside the room. However, it wasn’t enough to achieve the desired effect. The flower petals fluttered briefly and settled back on the floor.

“Try focusing a bit more.”

Following the spirit’s instructions, Riett concentrated harder. Then, the flower petals twirled and finally flew out of the window.

Riett’s mouth fell open in astonishment as she watched the scene unfold.

Wow…! So this is spirit magic!

“You did well. Actually, it’s premature to say that this is the power of a spirit. The power you just used is at a very minimal level.”

The spirit seems to be acting a little restless. Maybe it’s because of its mood?

“The hand gesture you just made amplifies the power of the spirit. It’s like a magician’s wand, you know.”

So that’s why Perante made the same hand gesture, even when she made the overhead light move away from her head. Of course, back then, she didn’t know this fact, but unconsciously, she made the same gesture.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t made a contract back then, so how did she use the power?

“It’s because I lent you my power. Of course, it required more than ten times the energy before the contract, but still.”

As expected, the spirit read Riett’s thoughts and immediately answered. It’s convenient to have someone who can provide answers without asking, but it felt a bit uncomfortable.

When Riett looked at the spirit with suspicion, the spirit opened its mouth first as if it was pricked.

“It’s not going to be a quick fix to not read your …… thoughts, but I’ll try.”

Can’t be helped. Riett nodded.

Looking at the clock, it was already well past midnight. Tomorrow would be another busy day, so it was time to sleep.

Riett walked to the window, closed it, and spoke.

“Shall we call it a night?”

“Yes, but…”

The spirit hesitated as if it had something to say.

“Why?”

“Because I haven’t taught you my name yet…”

Ah, the name. Riett realized that she hadn’t asked the spirit’s name until now.

“I’m sorry. What’s your name?”

The spirit hesitated and blushed at the tip of its ears as it answered.

“Mishan… That’s my name.”

“Mishan.”

With blue hair, neat features, a gender-neutral voice, and a name that suited it well.

Riett reached out her hand.

“Mishan, please take care of me from now on.”

But Mishan didn’t shake hands and just looked down at Riett’s hand. When Riett looked at Mishan in confusion, Mishan quickly exclaimed, ‘Ah!’ and promptly took Riett’s hand.

It seemed to take some time for Mishan to understand that the extended hand meant a handshake request.

“Yes, I’ll do my best…!”

Mishan’s voice trembled at the end of the words as if filled with excitement.

It was the first night Riett made a contract with a spirit.