Agnes-Style Spirit Contract (2)

About an hour had passed since Lilith and Agnes met in front of the Black Forest.

Agnes, who still hadn’t formed a spirit contract, was only able to enter the Black Forest at midnight to attempt a contract with a spirit.

Though, the method of entry was slightly different from what she had initially imagined.

‘Why, why do I have to enter this pitch-black forest alone at this hour….’

In one hand, she held a lantern that didn’t use magic to avoid alerting spirits while reading magical reactions.

In the other hand was a map of the Black Forest’s interior to prevent her from getting lost.

Both items had been given to her by Lilith. In fact, the map looked oddly crude, likely drawn by Lilith herself.

Rationally, Agnes knew she shouldn’t resent Lilith, who had gone to such lengths to prepare her until the very end.

-Rustle.

“Eeek?!”

…But even so, Agnes had never imagined Lilith would abandon her alone in the Black Forest at such a late hour.

‘I didn’t think I’d have to go in alone….’

She had braced herself somewhat since the moment they agreed to meet in front of the Black Forest, but she never expected to actually enter alone.

Naturally, she had assumed Lilith would accompany her. After all, Lilith always wore an expression that suggested she wasn’t afraid of anything.

Of course, Agnes herself wasn’t particularly fearful of things like large monsters or high falls.

But darkness in the dead of night was one environment she didn’t particularly enjoy.

In fact, her obsession with flame magic stemmed from its ability to produce light in the darkness.

Had she had an affinity for light magic, she would’ve naturally specialized in it instead.

‘This is an oil lantern unaffected by magic. It should last about two hours, so I recommend returning before then.’

‘Got it.’

‘This is a map of the Black Forest north of Luminor Academy. Follow this thin path with the lantern, go around the back of the large tree, and you’ll find a place called the “Spirit Pond,” where spirits gather in large numbers.’

‘Can’t I just follow you? Why go through the trouble of giving me a map….’

‘What are you saying, Miss Blaze? If I enter the forest with you, all the spirits’ attention will be drawn to me. How could you possibly form a contract then?’

‘…I guess that makes sense. Wait, does that mean….’

‘Surely the top student of the Magic Department, Miss Blaze, wouldn’t tremble at the thought of entering the Black Forest alone.’

‘…Hmph, of course not. Give me the map and lantern. I’ll go in on my own.’

No, it actually made perfect sense.

The moment Lilith-whose presence Agnes had taken for granted-disappeared, an inexplicable unease gripped her, making her body tremble.

As a result, even the magic she had painstakingly controlled and suppressed began leaking out uncontrollably.

Realizing too late that her magic was spilling out, Agnes quickly reined it in using the method Lilith had taught her.

‘Any spirit will do. Just let me contract with any spirit as quickly as possible….’

If she could just form a contract-whether with a low-tier spirit or even a non-flame spirit-it didn’t matter anymore.

She just wanted to escape this eerie forest as soon as possible.

Of course, it was unlikely she’d be attacked by any dangerous monsters. At least not tonight.

The Black Forest was, after all, a training facility within the academy, designed to match the students’ levels.

Even as a first-year, Agnes was already stronger than most second or third-years, meaning no monster in the Black Forest could currently defeat her.

-Whoosh!

“Eeep…!!”

…But that fact did little to ease Agnes’ fear of being left alone in the dark forest.

‘I’ve only made it halfway in….’

Why on earth was the Spirit Pond Lilith mentioned located so deep in the Black Forest?

Why was she being forced into such a dangerous place just to form a spirit contract?

For a moment, she wondered if Lilith had tricked her into coming here alone, but-

“……Huh?”

The moment she spotted a young spirit before her, Agnes could finally dismiss her suspicions of Lilith.

-Huuuung.

“No way…. That’s… really…?”

So it was true-new spirits were born on the day of planetary alignment.

Though it was still nothing more than a small orb, not yet fully formed into a spirit’s shape, Agnes could sense the mystical energy radiating from it.

She was certain the blue orb flickering before her was the young spirit she had been desperately searching for.

‘There’s still a bit left to reach the pond….’

Lilith hadn’t insisted she had to contract at the pond.

She had only mentioned that spirits gathered there in large numbers, making it easier to find one that suited Agnes’ preferences.

In other words, if she could contract with a spirit here, she wouldn’t have to stay in this dark forest any longer.

Agnes’ steps toward the newborn spirit grew slightly more hurried.

-Snap! Crack!

“H-Hey…!”

-Whoosh!

“……Huh?”

But the moment she approached, the young wind spirit vanished in a flash.

As the spirit slipped through her fingers right before her eyes, one of Lilith’s warnings from their supplementary lessons echoed in her mind.

‘The younger the spirit, the more wary they are. An older spirit might overlook Miss Blaze’s clumsy communication skills, but for now, you need to be calmer in front of spirits.’

“……Ah.”

…She knew that.

In her haste, she had momentarily forgotten.

In her excitement at the thought of escaping this darkness as soon as she contracted with a spirit, she had acted recklessly.

“…It was a wind spirit.”

Had she succeeded, it might have become a great partner for her flame magic.

But no amount of regret would bring the vanished spirit back. Agnes could only rely on her lantern and the hand-drawn map as she trudged deeper into the Black Forest.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before she encountered another spirit.

-Rustle.

‘…Found one.’

A young earth spirit, quietly stirring as it rose from the ground.

Its barely formed body made it clear it had only recently been born.

Determined not to repeat her earlier mistake, Agnes approached cautiously.

-Step, step.

“H-Hey….”

‘……?!’

“W-Would you… make a contract… with me?”

‘…….’

‘……Ah!’

The spirit seemed startled by her sudden appearance but didn’t flee, listening calmly to her words.

This was the first time a spirit hadn’t run away when Agnes spoke to it.

Not only had she completely suppressed the magic that usually repelled spirits, but the young spirit, still fresh to the world, was more curious than wary.

Thus, it remained despite Agnes’ awkward communication skills.

‘Con…tract?’

“…Yeah.”

‘What’s… that…?’

“……”

How was she supposed to explain a contract to a spirit that barely understood the world?

Agnes, whose deepest conversations had mostly been with Lilith lately, found persuading a young spirit no easy task.

“A contract is, uh….”

‘…….’

“I-It means….”

‘…….’

“W-We’ll… stay together, from now on….”

-Crackle!

“W-Wait…!”

The earth spirit, unimpressed by her stumbling words, burrowed back into the ground.

Agnes desperately reached toward the spot where the spirit had been, but it was already gone.

Having wasted her second chance, she quietly brushed off her uniform skirt and stood up.

‘…Let’s head to the Spirit Pond.’

Lilith had said that tonight, the pond would be where the most spirits were born in the Black Forest.

Surely, among so many, at least one would be willing to contract with her.

With that faint hope, Agnes continued deeper into the forest.

About 20 minutes later, after burning through half the lantern’s fuel and following the map,

“……Huh?”

A faint glow seeped through the darkness behind a large tree, drawing a soft gasp from Agnes.

“C-Could it be….”

Was this the Spirit Pond Lilith had mentioned?

Suppressing her pounding heart, Agnes gripped the tree and stepped around it.

With each step, the hidden pond gradually revealed itself.

“W-Wow….”

The sight left her breathless, able only to utter a few words of awe.

A beautiful pond shimmering with countless colors in the heart of the dark Black Forest.

Hundreds of newborn spirits emitted dazzling lights, their reflections dancing on the water like a grand spirit ballroom.

For Agnes, who had struggled to even encounter one or two spirits before, this was nothing short of a dream.