Chapter 204

Chapter 204

Chirp, chirp. I opened my eyes to the sound of birds coming from the open window. Naturally, the chirping birds were not ordinary birds, but spirits in the form of birds. Even though the window was open, they couldn’t come inside and were just perched by the window, chirping.

Hmm…

It seems I drank too much yesterday as well. I have no memory of what the drinking party was like. I remember sitting across from Clarice at the table and toasting with her, but after that, I have no memory at all.

There’s no way I got drunk on just one drink, so it seems my memory was completely wiped out due to excessive drinking. I had prepared all sorts of things, like water and snacks, to avoid getting too drunk, but to get this drunk… Just how much did I drink….

“Huuu… I did bad…”

Looking at Clarice, who was lying next to me and still mumbling in her sleep, it seemed she also drank heavily and couldn’t even muster the energy to return to her room.

Ugh, I stretched lightly and got out of bed. I thought I might suffer from a hangover like yesterday, but for some reason, I felt fine. No, beyond fine, I felt even more refreshed than usual.

I must have fallen asleep late, past midnight, so I should be tired, and I should feel thirsty from drinking so much, and I should have a headache from the hangover, but there’s no sign of any of that.

I felt as refreshed as a good child who had a good night’s sleep. Far from being thirsty, my throat wasn’t hoarse, and my mind was sharp.

Instead, seeing Clarice, the Spirit King, still lost in sleep, unable to shake off the effects of the alcohol, made me feel a little smug. Isn’t Clarice sleeping soundly proof that my drinking capacity surpasses hers?

It might be a childish thing to do, but men are inherently like that. Still, it’s better than hearing someone say, ‘You can’t drink as well as I can.’ Of course, even if I boasted about beating a Spirit King in a drinking contest, most people wouldn’t believe me, but it’s enough for me to know and feel satisfied by myself.

I got completely out of bed and walked towards the spirits in bird form chirping by the window. As I approached, they also chirped busily and greeted me.

Perhaps it was because I drank Clarice’s tears, but unlike yesterday afternoon when I had no spirit affinity at all, I could now feel the spirits’ energies more subtly. Clarice said yesterday that my spirit affinity was only enough for low-level spirits, but it was definitely different from the time when it was completely useless.

As I was admiring the aura of spirit affinity surrounding my body, I suddenly felt a strange sensation.

Compared to the aura I felt last night, the aura of spirit affinity I feel today felt a bit more vivid. Of course, it might be my imagination, as it’s a new power I’ve only been able to feel since yesterday. Perhaps it’s the effect of Clarice’s tears kicking in over time.

But what if it’s not?

What if… I had drunk another bottle of Clarice’s tears last night?

She clearly said yesterday that the small bottle she gave me was all she had, but what if she actually had more tears hidden away?

And what if she, in her drunken stupor, unconsciously took them out while intoxicated?

And what if I drank them… Wouldn’t that explain the increased spirit affinity compared to yesterday?

Of course, all of this is just my speculation. But it was a rather convincing speculation. In fact, considering Clarice’s reaction yesterday when she saw that my energy was only at the level of low-level spirit affinity and looked disappointed, it’s quite possible.

“Ugh…”

As I was diligently deducing on my own, I heard the sound of Clarice stirring and getting up behind me. Turning my head, I saw Clarice, who had just woken up, with a dazed expression. Just as I was trying to recall last night’s memories, she also seemed to be recalling the memories of yesterday’s drinking party.

As she looked around, her gaze met mine as I sat by the window, and Clarice was startled, her face flushing red. Well, it’s not strange for her to be embarrassed.

Clarice, who loves drinking parties very much. She herself woke up late with her clothes disheveled from drinking, but unlike her, I was awake early and looked relaxed.

It was clear to anyone that I had a higher alcohol tolerance than her, so her pride as a Spirit King must have been hurt.

“You’re awake?”

“Uh, um…”

“Yesterday was really fun, wasn’t it?”

Having lost in terms of drinking capacity, Clarice couldn’t bring herself to say yes due to her pride, so she just nodded with her face flushed red. Anyway, Clarice had a cute side, just like her appearance.

“Speaking of which, they said the ritual to lift Lindy’s seal would take a few days. Did you know that?”

“Yes. Since it was quite a strong seal, it will probably take at least four or five more days.”

Well, she, a Spirit King, would know more details than I, who only heard about it. But the reason I brought this up wasn’t because I genuinely wanted to know.

“Heh heh… That’s good.”

“Huh? What’s good?”

To Clarice, who asked with a tilt of her head, I replied with a smile devoid of any pretense.

“Hey, why are you asking? You have to drink again tonight.”

“Oh, tonight too…?”

“Or, are you perhaps satisfied with just yesterday, Clarice? If so, I’m a little disappointed?”

“More than yesterday…?”

As expected of Clarice, who loves to drink, she reacted to my words that subtly challenged her pride and brought up the topic of drinking.

Since Lindy went to perform the ritual yesterday, the remaining time is at most three days.

If my guess is correct, if I have drinking sessions with Clarice every day until Lindy returns, and if, like yesterday, she secretly gives me her hidden tears today and tomorrow, wouldn’t my spirit affinity, which is stuck at low-level, also increase?

At least if I had intermediate spirit affinity, I could see the cute, cool, and beautiful forms of spirits in the material world.

Of course, I’m not forcibly taking Clarice’s tears, nor am I demanding them. I’m not that shameless or a bad person. It’s just that while we’re drinking together, she, in her drunken state, willingly offers them.

No, speaking of which, it feels a bit strange to keep calling them tears, as if I’m trying to make Clarice cry.

“Um… Clarice. We’ve had the same drinks for the past two days, yesterday and the day before. Could you bring something stronger today?”

“Well, that’s the strongest I have… Why? Don’t you like it?”

“No. It’s not that, but I was thinking of going a bit stronger today.”

“Stronger than yesterday…?”

See? She’s already looking forward to the drinking session. Even though she’s showing a scared expression at my suggestion of drinking stronger alcohol than yesterday, her eyes are sparkling with anticipation as she looks at me.

If we drink alcohol with a higher proof, she’ll probably get drunk faster and more deeply. Then, her mood will be even more uplifted, and she’ll take out her hidden tear bottles without hesitation. This is a win-win situation. I get the tears that will increase my spirit affinity, and she gets to enjoy her favorite drinking sessions every day.

“Alright! Flora is also out of the room, so I’ll sneak into Flora’s storage and get a few bottles of alcohol!”

No, I didn’t mean for you to steal it…

Well… she’s probably not losing her reason due to alcohol, but rather, they are close enough to share each other’s belongings freely.

***

Lindy returned after the ritual was completed. From now on, she could summon highest-grade spirits at any time. Of course, there were minor restrictions, such as prohibiting female forms, but that was a minor detail that could be easily tolerated.

“You waited a long time! Sorry. Removing the existing seal was quicker than I thought, but imposing the new restrictions took a bit longer.”

“No, no. It’s Lindy who worked hard. I just spent my time drinking with Clarice every day, that’s all.”

Although Lindy returned on the fifth day, a day later than initially told, the delay in Lindy’s return allowed me to obtain another bottle of tears from Clarice.

I received it from Clarice while drunk, but even I, who received it, was drunk and couldn’t remember how many bottles she had hidden. But this much is enough. I’ve reached the level of spirit affinity required to contract with intermediate spirits, which was my initial goal. Asking for more would be greedy.

Of course, since I only reached this level this morning, I haven’t contracted with any spirits yet. However, contracting with spirits doesn’t necessarily have to happen in the spirit realm. Of course, being able to choose which spirit to contract with in advance in the spirit realm is quite attractive, but on the other hand, it’s also another charm to wonder which spirit to contract with in the material world.

Speaking of which, I’ve been having drinking parties every night for the past six nights since I first visited the spirit realm. The goal of obtaining tears from Clarice… No, the goal of repaying Clarice for her help, but it was truly a week spent like a loafer.

It’s fortunate that I’m still in good condition despite having been drinking all week. My body should have sent warnings to stop drinking so much, but every morning I felt refreshed.

Rather, Clarice, the Spirit King, looked more tired every day. Yet, every time I suggested drinking, she always said okay, so she must really like alcohol.

She’s not good with alcohol, so she should rest and drink… Of course, it was good for me because I could get more tears.

“Shall we go?”

“What? Are you leaving right away? Don’t you need to say goodbye to Sylphy?”

“Forget it. Sylphy helped me throughout the ritual, and our contract isn’t broken, so I can summon her in a different form and meet her again anytime.”

Well, that’s true.

“Yes. Then let’s just say goodbye to Clarice. It would be nice to see Flora too, but that might be difficult.”

When we went to Clarice’s room in the west of the palace, I saw Clarice through the open door. Clarice was staring blankly at the empty air.

Knock, knock. When I knocked on the open door, Clarice was startled and turned her head to look at us.

“Clarice. We came to say goodbye. Lindy’s ritual is finished, and we should be heading back soon.”

“Thank you for everything, Clarice.”

She didn’t invite us in, but the door wasn’t even properly closed, so it didn’t matter. And after a week of drinking with Clarice, we had become close enough that such a thing could be overlooked.

“Oh… B-but already? Yes, that’s right…”

I would be sad to part with Clarice, so why would Clarice be any different? Over the past week, Clarice and I had become inseparable drinking buddies. Of course, I have no memory of it because we drank so much… Well, you know… We can consider ourselves drinking buddies whose bond is etched in our bodies and souls.

“W-wait a moment!”

Clarice, who was seeing us off at the door, suddenly shouted and stopped us. Turning around, I saw Clarice fidgeting with her fingers.

“Um…”

“Do you have something to ask?”

“Well…”

Clarice seemed hesitant, wanting to say something but unable to. I wanted to wait, but we had been like this for several minutes, so I urged her a little.

Of course, it’s presumptuous to rush a Spirit King, but as I said earlier, Clarice and I are like drinking buddies of body and soul. Clarice would surely overlook this much.

“Clarice? If you don’t tell me properly, I won’t know?”

“Yes, yes!”

Instead of scolding me, Clarice spoke to me in polite language, showing how nervous she was.

“So… um, Elysia!”

“Yes, please tell me.”

Fortunately, she seemed to have made up her mind, and after pursing her lips, she called my name.

“Will you… contract with me! Well… now that Elysia’s spirit affinity has reached intermediate level, and with that, assuming I limit my power to the maximum, I can barely go to the material world…”

“”What?””

However, what came out of Clarice’s mouth was something neither I nor Lindy had expected.

“No. More importantly, Elysia, when did you gain spirit affinity? And a contract with Clarice?”

“The story about spirit affinity is a bit complicated… And this contract with Clarice is the first I’ve heard of it…”

Seeing our bewildered expressions, Clarice spoke rapidly, her face even more flustered.

“W-well… Lindy! I have to monitor Lindy’s new restrictions! Although I trust Lindy, other Spirit Kings… especially Truwell and Ignis, said they need to keep an eye on her! Ignis, who talked about dignity, said that a contract with a hero wouldn’t tarnish his reputation!”

Indeed, why would Clarice have a reason to contract with me, limiting her power to the level of an intermediate spirit?

“Well… if Clarice stays as a supervisor, we’d be more comfortable and grateful…”

On the other hand, Lindy spoke slowly, her voice wavering, as if something was not right. She was even sending me a suspicious glance. What, why are you looking at me like that? Are you suspecting me of blackmailing Clarice by holding her weakness?

Of course, I understand your concern as an elf, a friend of spirits, but I am innocent and blameless. I just drank with Clarice. It’s wrong to mistake me for Lindy from the past, a perverted lesbian like you?

“Is it… not possible…?”

Clarice’s voice, as she asked with her head bowed and only her eyes slightly raised, was faint but clearly trembling. Well, she must have mustered a lot of courage. As Clarice, who advocated for lifting Lindy’s seal, she would have had no reason to refuse Truwell and Ignis’s words.

If she were to send another spirit, she might have had doubts about whether they were lying. Then, she must have decided to endure the humiliation of contracting with me by limiting her power to that of an intermediate spirit, far below her own.

If I refuse Clarice’s proposal here, she will feel extremely ashamed of today’s events. To be rejected by an intermediate spirit user, even though she is a hero, not a great spirit user.

However, I have no intention of embarrassing Clarice. Rather, I am grateful to her for helping me gain intermediate spirit affinity. Therefore, I extended my hand towards her.

“Why wouldn’t it be possible? It’s my honor. I look forward to working with you.”

As the words “I look forward to working with you” came out of my mouth, Clarice immediately smiled brightly and clasped my hand. Of course, due to the limitation of me, she wouldn’t be able to help us much by using only the power of an intermediate spirit.

But what does it matter? My original goal in wanting to contract with spirits wasn’t because I wanted spirits that would help in combat, but simply because I was captivated by their cuteness, coolness, and beauty.

For that purpose, Clarice was a being who satisfied all aspects. She had a cool and stylish personality within her beautiful appearance, and she also possessed the cute sides that she sometimes showed, hidden deep within.

In fact, the words “it’s my honor” were not meant as mere modesty.

“Hmm…”

So, Lindy, can you stop giving me that suspicious look now?