Ch.178178. Manifestation (1)

“Then let’s not talk here… let’s speak in the garden.”

Despite the High Elf’s leisurely tone, I was quite busy trying to decipher the meaning behind her serene voice.

‘She mentioned two highest-grade spirits… reminds me of Friel and Elisa from before.’

In the past, Friel’s spirit, Piel, had also noticed. That there were two spirits who had already formed contracts engraved on my soul.

However, I recall that Piel’s contractor Friel and her servant Elisa showed no signs of noticing anything until Piel arbitrarily revealed my situation.

It was a natural reaction, if anything.

Although Friel and Elisa did express considerable interest after hearing Piel’s words… what good is contracting with two spirits if I can’t summon them, or rather, if I’m unable to? Moreover, if I had successfully established normal contracts with them, I wouldn’t have impulsively followed these women upon hearing their offer to help with spirit contracts.

‘Even when Piel mentioned it, Friel and Elisa were initially interested… but eventually seemed to dismiss it.’

Friel and Elisa had lived for what could rightfully be called a long time for humans, but they lacked the discerning eye to perceive spirit contracts and their bonds. Especially since the World Tree connecting the spirit realm and this continent was so ill. Seeing spirits was extremely difficult unless one was near the Great Forest.

No matter how talented I might be or how rumors spread about me, spirit contracts require the presence of spirits to even attempt.

Not only is it difficult to find even traces of spirits far from the Great Forest in the County of Sianella, but Piel claimed I had contracted not one but two spirits. It wasn’t something easily believable.

‘Though hard to believe, the genuine surprise Piel inadvertently revealed seemed sincere. Just enough to plant seeds of doubt about me.’

That was the reaction of the two elves upon hearing that I harbored two spirits.

‘But this High Elf is different.’

Born superior even among the naturally superior pointy-eared race, the Great Elder of the Great Forest was different.

Unlike the previous elves’ foundational doubts, she spoke with thick certainty, didn’t she?

‘She must have noticed.’

I didn’t expect her to recognize it at a glance, though.

As expected of a thousand-year-old pointy-ear, the Great Elder possessed monstrous perceptive abilities.

The High Elf’s ash-gray pupils were focused precisely on me, and during our brief exchange of glances, Sione and Pleta showed completely different reactions.

“Hmm…”

Sione, who knew something of my past, seemed surprised by the Great Elder’s unhesitating assertion.

“Does the Great Elder mean… that he has contracted with two highest-grade spirits?”

Pleta, on the contrary, was expressing disbelief about me.

The Great Elder glanced at me once, then simply opened wide the temple door she had emerged from without giving any answer.

“Elder Pleta Arielt, these matters are too early for you to hear.”

The Great Elder was resolute.

“From now on, I will be conversing with my honored guests in the garden. Elder, please go inside and offer prayers to the World Tree. If you have more time… yes, cutting off the withering branch tips of the World Tree in my stead wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“…I understand.”

“However, there is something important.”

The Great Elder’s demeanor subtly shifted.

Though slight, a subtle coldness seemed to constrict Pleta’s breathing.

“The Elder must not listen to what might be heard from the garden from now on. And even if you unavoidably hear something from here, you must never disclose it outside until I give permission. If unnecessary complications… variables arise, and if fate twists in an even worse direction because of those variables… it would be quite troublesome.”

Pleta quietly nodded. Afterward, she entered the temple without a word and firmly closed the door.

After confirming the receding presence behind the closed door, the High Elf turned again to welcome Sione and me.

“Now, let’s go to the garden. I’ll introduce you to the garden I’ve diligently cultivated.”

The High Elf clasped her hands behind her back and began leading us with soft, quiet steps. As the hem of her dress fluttered in the breeze, she glanced back to check our faces.

“Oh my, I just realized I’ve forgotten the most basic thing.”

She bowed her head to us again.

I doubted my eyes. The High Elves I knew didn’t easily bow their heads to others, even in greeting. Especially not to young humans under thirty.

“I am Edelin, Great Elder of the Great Forest and a High Elf. Please feel free to call me Edelin.”

I had to doubt my ears as well.

High Elves also disliked having their names casually spoken by others, so those they permitted to use their names were mostly equals or those with whom they felt a comparable emotional connection.

While I was quietly observing the High Elf’s unexpectedly gentle manner, Sione promptly responded to Edelin’s words.

“…It’s a pleasure, Great Elder. I am Sione, and this is Ray.”

“Young lady, please feel free to call me Edelin.”

“But…”

“Edelin.”

“…How could I casually address the Great Elder of the Great Forest by name?”

“Hmm. The young lady and Ray are more than qualified to use my name.”

“…?”

Edelin shrugged and continued.

“For over a thousand years, I’ve read the destined fates with these eyes whenever oracles descended. Blessed by the World Tree’s grace, as my time to fulfill my long life approaches, my eyes have gradually opened to gauge and read fate. Though not as powerful as the purple eyes of the Royal House of Aicilia… I pride myself on having quite exceptional eyes.”

Her ash-gray eyes gleamed.

“The fate I saw in you all through the previous oracle and now with my own eyes is truly immense. The young lady’s fate is equal to or greater than my friend Sianella’s… so I deemed her worthy of being my friend like Sianella was—”

Edelin’s gaze slowly moved from Sione’s side to the cotton ball on my shoulder, then shifted to me.

“Ray, you…”

For some reason, the Great Elder stopped mid-sentence and pressed her lips together.

Her clouded pupils looked like someone reminiscing about the past.

“You also resemble the soul and fate of my friend, so you may call me by name if you wish.”

* * *

The garden Edelin had cultivated contained every kind of flower imaginable. Unlike Sione or most elves who enjoyed gardening, I didn’t have much interest in such static plants.

‘…Boring.’

Flower beds here, flower beds there. If I looked up at the sky, instead of bees hovering over flower beds, there were only spirits playing around fiercely with each other.

Occasionally, I had to dodge spirits that rushed toward me at full speed, either trying to embrace me or strike me—it was hard to tell which. I was passing the tedious time by avoiding them.

The ones enjoying this situation the most weren’t the spirits who had started fighting while playing, nor the spirits endlessly clinging to me, nor even the cotton ball that was keeping those spirits in check.

“Wow… Edelin? Isn’t this flower only found in the Empire? I thought it couldn’t be seen in the Kingdom…”

“Oh, Sione, you know this flower?”

“Yes. I remembered it because the legend associated with this flower is quite poignant. I never expected to see it here.”

“Sione, you’re more knowledgeable about flowers than I thought. Then… do you know that flower over there?”

“That flower is…”

Sione narrowed her eyes.

“It’s a baby giraffe flower.”

“Oh. Then do you know its flower language?”

“Of course. It means ‘a girl’s love,’ doesn’t it?”

“Sione, you really seem interested in flowers! You appear to have as deep an affection for plants as we elves do.”

…Baby giraffe flower.

It reminded me of the nightmare of Evan Feiosha’s sudden engagement cancellation confession a year ago.

At that time, I thought, what is wrong with that bastard? But looking back now, it seems like quite an amusing memory.

I think Diolia was sitting there, clutching her head in front of a letter to be sent to the Count’s family, wondering how to convey the news about the broken engagement. Her distorted expression was truly a masterpiece. I can still vividly remember her anguished and desperate expression, so unlike her usual self.

While I was briefly lost in reminiscence, Edelin suddenly turned around and looked directly at me.

“Well, let’s take a break from sightseeing for now and have a conversation with Ray.”

“…”

“What Ray desires most deeply right now is a conversation about spirits. The contract bound to your soul. You want to meet those friends again.”

The bright smile she had while looking at flowers with Sione was gone. Edelin spoke with a serious expression, giving depth to each word.

“I won’t ask how your soul is bound to highest-grade spirits, or how you possess such an impossibly pure energy. Those with souls and fates like yours have always had such special qualities. Especially you, who is protected by divine energy.”

From the incomprehensible mention of divine energy…

“A thousand years is not a short time even for me. Many like you have existed during that long period,” Edelin added.

Words with much to consider.

However, as if suggesting this wasn’t the time for me to be lost in contemplation, she cut off all digressions and continued speaking without pause.

“Your spirits are connected to your soul, but for various complex reasons, they cannot manifest. Explaining would be lengthy, so I’ll set aside the boring details. Ray, I might not be able to bring both to your side, but if it’s just one, I can reunite you right now.”

Suddenly, Edelin’s eyes flashed sharply.

She raised her hand. Her slender index finger pointed directly at my chest.

“Of course, if we use the Great Forest’s finest spirit stone that I gave to Sianella after the war with the demons now.”

She had perfectly discerned the existence of the spirit stone inside the wooden box in my possession.

At the mention of the Great Forest’s finest spirit stone that Edelin had given to Sianella, Sione flinched in response.

The Sianella Edelin referred to was none other than the first head of the County, and this meant that the treasure this High Elf had given to the first head she so respected was not deep in the Count’s treasury but in my possession.

With her family heirloom now in my hands, Sione couldn’t help but find Edelin’s words quite strange.

“Ray…?”

“Take it out.”

Yielding to their words, I reluctantly took out the wooden box from my chest.

And opening its lid, I revealed the brilliantly jade-colored jewel to the world.

Sione must have known about this spirit stone too, as she showed signs of confusion at the sudden appearance of the precious item.

“Uh… this is the one kept in the innermost part of our family vault. It’s extremely valuable… important. Ray, why do you have this…?”

I stared blankly at Sione before calmly saying:

“…Lady Siabel gave it to me.”

“But this… is a precious item that can’t even be taken from the vault without the Count’s permission…?”

“…”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Sione tilted her head slightly with a look of disbelief.

“Surely it’s not what I’m thinking?”

I responded to Sione’s question as calmly as possible.

“What you’re thinking is probably correct.”

“…That sister Siabel?”

I nodded gently at Sione’s words.

The Siabel Sianella I knew was a knight who valued loyalty and also the County’s greatest thief.

And at the appearance of that spirit stone.

“Hmm.”

Edelin merely smiled, a smile incomparably richer than before.