episode_0128

Pinae thought to herself.

‘Wh-what kind of situation is this?’

She knew just how incredible Teacher Kain was.

The core of the hero’s party, A great man who was a friend of Lady Serena, the Goddess of Light.

Not only did he take Lady Ria, the daughter of the Goddess of Light, as his wife, but he also declared he would marry every other member of the hero’s party.

Honestly, she had doubted whether joining this harem was truly the right thing to do.

But Lady Serena, the Goddess of Light, had said it herself.

Sex is a good thing.

The filthy mindset is that of the elves, who treat sex as something dirty.

The goddess herself had told her so.

Therefore, there was no reason to oppose the harem.

The goddess had personally given her the correct answer.

‘Besides…’

It was because of the elves’ belief that sex was dirty that she had become an orphan.

If they hadn’t treated sex as something filthy, she could have lived happily, loved by her mother and father.

…When she thought about it that way, no matter how much she reflected, the goddess’ words were a hundred times right.

Sex was good. Polygamy was good.

…And so, she joined Teacher Kain’s harem.

‘He’s also a good person…’

Until now, her life had been one where no one had ever acknowledged her.

A pathetic elf who couldn’t even use magic. The disgrace of the elf race, unable to commune with spirits.

Those were the only words she had ever heard.

But.

Teacher Kain had acknowledged her.

He had seen the talent she possessed, and even provided her with education tailored to it.

Thanks to him, she had gained confidence.

She had become an elf who could stand tall before everyone.

All of it was thanks to Teacher Kain.

So.

She could love him.

If it was this man, she could entrust her entire life to him.

‘Even though we haven’t known each other for long…’

He was the first man who had ever done this much for her.

She could trust him.

‘And he’s a good man, acknowledged by Lady Serena, the Goddess of Light…’

A man recognized by a goddess.

There was no way he could be a bad person.

‘And if I marry him, I can call Lady Serena, the Goddess of Light, “Mother”…’

This was the biggest reason.

If she married him, she would become family with the Goddess of Light.

If she married him, she could even live together with the Goddess of Light.

How many people in the world would refuse such an opportunity?

At the very least, she wouldn’t.

If such a chance came her way, she would snatch it up in an instant.

‘Because being alone is lonely.’

Though the Great Mother, the World Tree, had been by her side, the World Tree was not entirely on her side.

She was a mother who loved all elves.

When Pinae cursed other elves, when she said she was suffering because of them, the World Tree did not fully take her side.

That was why she had been lonely.

She had wanted someone who would stand completely by her side.

Someone who would say, “The elves are the ones at fault. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

And she had met that person.

Teacher Kain.

She had met someone who cursed the elves for her, who stood by her side.

That had made her so happy.

Enough to feel that this was love.

Enough to believe she could stay with him until the very end.

That was it.

Lady Serena, the Goddess of Light, had just been an excuse.

She simply liked this man.

She liked this man, the first to ever affirm her.

This feeling was new to her, so she had just been looking for a justification.

“……?”

Huh?

What was she thinking about just now?

She had realized just how much she liked Teacher Kain…

She had definitely done some self-reflection…

But…

It felt like she had forgotten something important…

“……”

For a moment, she stared at the soft, cool-feeling spirit resting in her hand.

A small green spirit.

At a glance, it looked like a low-ranking spirit, but its presence was so overwhelming it could be called a Spirit King.

She had heard this was the World Tree in the form of a spirit.

Then she remembered.

On the way here, Teacher Kain had casually handed her the World Tree as if it were a gift, and the shock of it had made her mind wander.

She understood now.

If someone suddenly told her to form a spirit contract with the World Tree, of course she’d be stunned.

What did a spirit contract even mean?

It was a contract.

A vow to stay together for life.

By elven standards, it was even more significant than marriage.

It was an incredibly important pact—so much so that one’s status could be determined by the spirit they contracted with.

But…

A contract with the World Tree?

No way…

How could someone like her ever do something so monumental?

Though Teacher Kain had helped her gain confidence, she wasn’t at the level to form a contract with the World Tree.

“My child?”

“……”

“Will you not contract with me?”

“……”

“I’ve already prepared the contract magic. All you need to do is say the word.”

The World Tree, resting in her palm, had even prepared the contract magic for her as it spoke.

Uh…

What was happening?

A real contract?

She was going to contract with the World Tree?

Become an elven spirit mage who wielded the Great Mother, the World Tree?

No way…

That couldn’t be.

Something like this couldn’t be real.

It had to be a dream.

A dream that would vanish like dust when she woke up.

‘Is that it…?’

Now that she thought about it, it was strange.

Her, the disgrace of the elven race who could do nothing, suddenly being acknowledged by everyone?

The World Tree itself turning into a spirit and asking to contract with her?

Wasn’t this all too unrealistic?

So.

This had to be a dream.

Her desire to be recognized by everyone had conjured up this fantasy.

…Or so she thought, but—

“Sis.”

“……Huh?”

“Hurry up and make the contract so we can leave. We’re going to recruit the next companion.”

“……Is this real?”

“Hm?”

“This isn’t a dream? It’s reality?”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“This is really happening? Me, the most useless elf in the village, joining the hero’s party, becoming a spirit mage who wields the World Tree, and even marrying a man acknowledged by Lady Serena, the Goddess of Light?”

“Well… When you put it like that, it does sound like an unrealistically huge change, but… It’s not a dream.”

“This isn’t a dream?”

“It’s real.”

“Ughhh…”

“Let’s get the contract done first.”

“C-contract?…”

“For a spirit to properly exert its power, it needs to form a contract with someone.”

That was true.

Spirits had no physical form.

Having abandoned their bodies, they had gained immortality, but in doing so, they had also lost the strength a physical form provided.

They were unstable beings, having discarded the vessel that stabilized their power.

That was what spirits were.

Beings who had traded infinite life for lost strength.

But.

They hadn’t lost all their power.

Though they had lost the strength of the flesh, they still possessed the power of the mind.

Their power had become unstable, but given time, it could be stabilized.

They had grown weaker, yes, but with enough time, they could regain their former strength.

And.

With even more time, they could grow stronger than before.

Having reached the realm of immortality, time was on their side.

But.

Spending time idly was inefficient.

That was why they sought contractors.

If they had no body of their own, they would borrow another’s.

They would borrow another’s body to grow their strength.

That was how spirits grew.

They could grow stronger without a contractor, but having one accelerated the process.

However.

If they were mere parasites offering no benefit to their contractor, no contract would form.

So they helped.

They became their contractor’s strength, their ally.

Until the contractor’s death, they would be the most dependable partner imaginable.

That was a spirit contract.

The contractor became the spirit’s home.

The spirit became the contractor’s power.

A symbiotic relationship where both benefited.

…That said,

this only applied to beings of similar standing.

The stronger the contractor, the faster the spirit’s growth.

So.

Spirits sought contractors who matched their level.

Contracting with a D-rank.

Contracting with an A-rank.

There was no need to say which was more beneficial.

The same applied in reverse.

Contracting with a D-rank spirit.

Contracting with an A-rank spirit.

The better choice was obvious.

Thus.

Contracts were usually formed between beings of similar strength.

A D-rank elf contracted with a D-rank spirit.

An A-rank elf contracted with an A-rank spirit.

That was the norm.

Of course.

Exceptions weren’t unheard of.

Lower-ranking spirits, eager to grow quickly, were passionate about contracting, but higher-ranking spirits were more relaxed.

Having a contractor was nice, but they didn’t particularly mind going without one.

They had already grown as much as they needed.

Seeing no need to rush, they wandered leisurely.

The Blizzard Dragon had been one such spirit.

Though it possessed strength comparable to a Spirit King, it had a habit of contracting with weaker individuals for amusement.

That was why Pinae had been able to contract with it.

Even if it was only temporary, that was the reason it had agreed to contract with someone like her.

…Or so she thought, but—

“Ah…”

She had already contracted with it.

Forming contracts with two spirits wasn’t entirely impossible, but forcing them to share a vessel would inevitably lead to conflict.

Of course.

If the vessel’s owner was overwhelmingly strong, they could silence the spirits’ complaints, but she wasn’t at that level.

Subduing two low-ranking spirits was already no easy task.

Mediating a fight between a dragon and the World Tree?

Absolutely impossible.

Even attempting to suppress the World Tree was borderline blasphemy.

So.

She had no choice but to pick one, but she had already made the contract.

Even if it was temporary, a contract was still a contract.

Thus.

A contract with the World Tree was impossible…

“That one’s fake.”

“……Huh?”

“The Blizzard Dragon is a fake spirit I created.”

“……Huh?”

“The contract is fake too, so you can just contract with the World Tree.”

“……Huh?”