Ch.88Hersy Minerva (4)

# Synchronization

“Synchronization is a trait only possessed by high-level spirits. It allows the caster to use the spirit’s physical form to the extent their spirit power permits, and their appearance changes to match the spirit’s current state. There are no other side effects.”

‘…So that means I can return without waiting three days?’

It was just as I finished reading that section that I noticed Miho cleverly hiding between the bookshelves.

Angry at being tricked three times in a row, Ruide had restrained Miho—

but remained still, not wanting to disturb Hersy’s studies.

“Want me to tell you?”

Seeing her struggling alone, I spoke up to offer help.

Hersy was startled by the sudden voice beside her. She looked Ruide up and down.

[P-please spare me…!]

She jumped to her feet when her eyes met with Miho, who was dangling by the scruff of her neck in Ruide’s hand.

“What are you doing?!”

Hersy quickly snatched the fox from Ruide’s hand.

Moisture welled up in Miho’s eyes as she clung tightly to Hersy.

[Hersyyy! I was so scared!]

‘That sly fox.’

As Ruide trembled with anger, Hersy approached him with a face hardened in fury.

Hersy was slightly shorter than Ruide.

‘Oh.’

It felt good to be looking down at Hersy for once, after always having to look up at her.

But—

“How dare you? What is the meaning of this?”

“…Huh?”

“Explain yourself. Why were you terrorizing an innocent familiar by grabbing it by the neck!”

Seeing Hersy angry for the first time, Ruide was taken aback.

“Do you even know whose familiar this is, to commit such disrespect?”

“……”

Ruide couldn’t answer.

“This is Lord Ruide’s familiar.”

Hersy lovingly stroked the fox, calming it down. The fox was trembling in apparent fear.

Seeing that act made his blood boil again.

The corner of Ruide’s mouth twitched.

“That fox is a bad fox.”

“…!”

“Give it here. I need to teach it a lesson.”

Slap!

Hersy knocked Ruide’s hand away.

Ruide’s eyes widened.

“I can’t stand by and watch your disrespect any longer.”

Hersy was genuinely angry.

She could tolerate everything else. Hersy often ignored commoners who picked fights with her.

She would curse them only in her mind, without taking any action. Because that’s what Ruide wanted.

But this was different.

‘Ruide entrusted it to me.’

She couldn’t forgive anyone who touched Ruide’s familiar.

“I’ll ask one last time. Why did you intimidate an innocent fox?”

Ruide understood intellectually, but he was too shocked by Hersy’s transformation to regain his composure.

He couldn’t even apologize. He didn’t think he had done anything wrong. This was just a ridiculous misunderstanding.

In the end, Ruide blurted out:

“…I have my reasons.”

Hersy glared at Ruide with contempt.

“You truly are the worst.”

She gathered her writing materials and stormed out of the library with angry steps.

Before leaving, she turned to look at Ruide and said:

“Please stay out of my sight from now on. I don’t want to waste Minerva’s power on a worthless commoner like you.”

Hersy’s eyes were filled with killing intent. Even without reading her eyes, Ruide, sensitive to mana, could tell that the mana around her was filled with hostility.

This was Hersy, who had always smiled in his presence.

Ruide was too shocked to move.

**

Ruide walked with a blank expression.

It wasn’t because he had fought with Hersy. After all, he would soon return to his original form, and then it would be as if nothing had happened.

But what troubled Ruide was this thought:

‘In the end, all I have is just a shell.’

The name Ruide Christopher. The Windsor status. Natural magical talent. The computational ability that could produce 10 results from a single input.

All of those things were obtained for free through possession.

He hadn’t achieved anything himself. At most, maybe a tteokbokki recipe.

‘At this rate, I seem like a nobody.’

Ruide suddenly had that thought.

And he had no grounds to deny it.

Indeed, he was a nobody.

That fact tormented him.

Both Hersy and Amelia.

They only liked him because he had possessed the character Ruide Christopher, without him having to do anything.

If he had possessed an extra, no—even the protagonist Justin, he wouldn’t have been able to become close to them.

These relationships felt as if they didn’t truly belong to him.

“Hey, you there, commoner with the half-dead face.”

He stopped walking when he heard the voice.

He saw Damon sitting on a bench with an arrogant expression.

He rested his arm on the backrest and raised the corner of his mouth with a smirk.

“Got something troubling you?”

“……”

“As a reward for making me interested in you, I’ll give you some advice. Well, I won’t force it if you don’t need it.”

Damon looked arrogant.

And he actually was arrogant.

But his insight had already been proven.

Ruide walked over and sat down beside him.

“I don’t have much time, so get to the point, commoner.”

With such an attitude, it was questionable how much counseling could be done.

But Ruide was desperate to grasp at any straw, so he spoke with half resignation:

“What should I do when I realize I’m nobody?”

“You speak as if you were a young lord yesterday and became a commoner overnight.”

‘M-mind reading?’

Damon looked at Ruide’s face and smirked.

“I’m joking, commoner. That couldn’t be the case. All the nobility of the empire are in my noble mind—but there’s no purple-haired one like you.”

“…Ah, right.”

“To answer your question, it’s too trivial to even respond to.”

Damon crossed his legs and looked straight ahead.

“Status, talent, wealth—all of those things are inherited.”

“…That’s right.”

“But—charming character, the ability to make bloody efforts—people don’t realize those are also inherited.”

“Effort is inherited? Character too?”

“Yes, the first words I uttered when I was born were, ‘Don’t cry, woman.'”

Ruide’s eyes wavered.

‘That’s just being crazy?’

But it seemed entirely plausible for Damon.

“So what’s your conclusion?”

“If you weren’t born with those things, be reborn. Conversely, if you were born with them, shut up and live with the blessing.”

“……”

Ruide was at a loss for words.

There was a moment of silence. Ruide asked in a small voice:

“What if it feels meaningless even if you’re born with everything?”

“Say that after you’re born with everything. It’s impossible anyway.”

Ruide felt frustrated.

It was frustration from not being able to convey his situation.

But Damon pinpointed it:

“In your case, it’s character.”

“…Huh?”

Damon looked at Ruide seriously.

“Character is the one thing you weren’t born with.”

It was a cold gaze, as if seeing through everything.

“…Really?”

“Effort and character are inherited. But those two are also the only values that can change even if you weren’t born with them. With the right catalyst. Let me give you an example. The empire holds an annual martial tournament. If you win, you can join the Imperial Knights as a reward.”

This was a fact Ruide already knew.

Damon raised the corner of his mouth as if finding something amusing.

“Do you know what’s funny? Most winners have tragic circumstances.”

“…Tragic circumstances?”

“For example, they lost their parents, or someone they love suffered at the hands of some noble. Such clichéd stories. Most have feelings of revenge. Desperation changes people. But this is just a story of commoners.”

Damon took out his spear, twirled it once, and gripped it tightly.

“Look at this.”

“…I’m looking. You waved it around flashily.”

It was a thoughtless report he had given.

Come to think of it, Damon seemed to cherish this spear greatly. He always carried it like an extension of himself.

“This spear was given to me by my friend. The youngest of the Windsor Duchy. To give such a magical weapon without asking for anything in return. He is truly the greatest man I’ve ever seen in this world.”

‘…You thought that highly of me?’

Damon looked at Ruide.

“What do you think?”

“Uh, what?”

“If you were that young lord, what emotion would you feel right now?”

“…I would probably be grateful.”

Damon asked sharply.

“Why?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“It’s because I showed respect. When someone of my position shows respect, anyone would feel that way. And the reverse is also true. When I received this spear, I felt respected. I felt considerable goodwill.”

Ruide suddenly recalled his interaction with Miho.

-Are you going to ignore what I say?

-Do as I tell you.

There was no respect in that conversation.

‘…Is that why Miho didn’t listen?’

Thinking about it now, it was embarrassing.

“A great noble doesn’t need to feel the catalyst himself. He only creates catalysts for others. The method is respect. This is the only character a great noble should have, nothing else is necessary.”

Ruide quietly asked.

“…Do you show respect too?”

“Of course.”

Damon nodded.

Ruide opened his drowsy eyes.

‘While calling everyone commoner all the time…?’

As if reading Ruide’s thoughts, Damon said:

“How could I reign without them? Not a single commoner is useless. They’re just common.”

Something seemed a bit off, but Ruide understood clearly.

However, he couldn’t hide a certain emptiness.

‘I never thought I’d learn about character from Damon.’

Seeing Ruide’s expression improve slightly, Damon got up from his seat with a grin.

“I’ll be going now, commoner. I’ve spent too much time. And.”

Damon slightly turned his head toward Ruide.

“Let’s not meet again. I find it unpleasant to be with a noble pretending to be a commoner.”

“…!”

‘Did he figure it out?’

Ruide watched Damon’s back and jumped to his feet.

“Hey.”

“…Did you forget what I just said?”

Ruide pointed at Damon’s spear.

“That spear.”

“Hmm?”

“It has a return function.”

“…A return function?”

“Name it, and when you call it, it returns. That’s the magic embedded in it.”

Damon’s eyes widened. Ruide turned around with a sense of victory and coolly disappeared.

‘That should be payment enough for the advice.’

Though it was a shame to lose a magical weapon that would have been returned to the Windsor armory.

**

Ruide drew a magic circle in a secluded place. Carefully, with his staff.

It was a magic circle he had seen in an ancient spirit studies book.

Ruide had an incredible memory that never forgot anything he had seen once.

“…It’s done.”

He modified it appropriately. The interpretation of this magic circle was ‘forced summoning,’ ‘forced contract.’ A magic that imposes severe sanctions if refused.

If this were activated, Miho would never dare to be impudent to him again and would become an eternal slave…

-Show respect. That is the only character a great noble should have.

“……”

Ruide modified the magic circle.

The once complex magic circle now had a simple form.

All that remained was ‘summoning.’

Ruide stretched out his hand and infused his magic power into the magic circle.

The magic circle shone intensely.

“…Answer my summons. Great Spirit, Nine-tailed Fox.”

As he recited the simple spell, the magic circle responded.

After counting to about three in his mind—

Pop!

A small fox jumped out of the magic circle. Ruide caught the fox.

“……”

[……]

The two looked at each other for a moment.

Miho fidgeted nervously while watching Ruide, who stared at her calmly.

“Miho.”

Flinch.

The fox’s delicate body trembled.

She spoke in a tiny voice.

[Yes…]

“This time, I was too harsh.”

Miho’s eyes widened.

Ruide spoke seriously.

“You’re a great spirit, and I think I didn’t respect you enough.”

Miho’s eyes welled up with emotion.

“I’m sorry. I mean it. It might not be much as an apology, but this time I’ll make a proper formal contract with you.”

“—!”

Miho’s tail wagged back and forth.

[I-I’m sorry too, Master! I was too arrogant for a pet fox.]

Ruide smiled.

“Then give me back my body. I’ll forgive your lie about it taking three days.”

‘Yes, I’ve been too immature until now.’

He decided to apply what he had learned from Damon from now on.

Respect for others.

If he did that, he could manipulate people more easily than before.

‘At least I should use what I have.’

Normally, he would have forced it with magic. But that wouldn’t be certain. Ruide didn’t know much about great spirits. However, if he made her submit deeply in her heart this way, she would never defy him again.

Ruide’s eyes turned cold for a moment.

Miho stiffened.

“I can’t stand this body for even a day. It might be a joke to you, but it’s a terrible nightmare for me. Please.”

[Um… about that.]

“Yes?”

[…I only made your hair longer.]

“…What?”

[I only changed your voice and hair. So, this appearance is actually your future grown-up form, Ruide. Hehe.]

“……”

Ruide’s smiling face froze.

He spoke seriously:

“…From the beginning?”

[I-I did have intentions, but I didn’t expect you to be fooled so easily…]

“From the beginning?”

[From the beginning where…]

“From the beginning?”

[…If you mean when I changed in front of the classroom. Yes.]

Ruide stood up. Miho tumbled to the ground.

“See you in ten years.”

[Excuse me…?]

Ruide’s eyes were dead. It was the typical reaction of a human who had glimpsed a hopeless future.

“I need to develop an immortality spell. If I don’t stop at 12 years old, I’m doomed.”

[W-wait! What about Hersy?!]

When someone has a childlike appearance, it’s often hard to distinguish between male and female.

So, he needed to stop his body before it grew further.

At that moment, Ruide couldn’t think of anything else.