Second Semester Classes (4)

About ten minutes had passed since Sally made the request for me to contract with an unnamed sylphid.

The wind spirit, which had been wandering around Professor Erin’s garden without any contractor until just moments ago, had now become my officially contracted spirit.

‘I thought it was a long shot, but it actually worked.’

To be honest, I had planned to make an excuse and give up if it didn’t work on the first try.

While it’s true that opportunities to contract with mid-tier spirits don’t come easily, that doesn’t mean I should impulsively contract with just any mid-tier spirit either.

Having a spirit’s assistance can provide immediate advantages in battle or help in complex situations, but of course, spirit contracts aren’t all about benefits.

In a way, it meant permanently adding an ally I couldn’t fully control, and sometimes spirits would act contrary to my intentions.

For example, they might accidentally kill an enemy I was trying to capture alive with binding magic by adding extra attacks, or pour water on a burn-vulnerable enemy I was trying to weaken with fire.

Such scenarios occasionally appeared in [Luminor Academy].

To avoid these issues, I usually had to be very cautious about spirit contracts, so I was prepared to cut this one short if the response was lukewarm.

‘Uu, uuu~! Uu~!’

But the moment I fed her a small clump of mana from my fingertips, the sylphid clung to me, eager to form a contract.

It seemed our compatibility wasn’t bad at all.

I could somewhat understand what Sally meant by “mana so delicious you could lure anyone,” and…

When I played [Luminor Academy], I mostly contracted with high-tier spirits, so I never realized it, but apparently, with Lilith’s charm stat, mid-tier spirits could be easily attracted.

Or maybe this particular sylphid just had unusually good chemistry with me.

“Hmm… Would you like to make a contract?”

‘Uuuu~! U~!’

As a mid-tier spirit, she couldn’t speak yet, but seeing her nod enthusiastically and cling to me, her determination to form a contract was clear.

It felt wrong to send her away when she was this eager… I guess I’ll just accept it as fate.

With that thought, I used up most of my remaining mana to complete the contract-just moments ago.

As soon as the contract was finalized, Sally, who had briefly stepped away, rushed back to my side.

‘Lilith! You just contracted with her, right?! You really did, didn’t you?!’

“Yes, yes. We did, so stop making a fuss, Sally.”

‘Squeee! So cute! Do you have a name? If not, should big sis give you one?!’

‘Uu, uuu~?! N-nooo~!!’

Sally, with an undeniably dangerous expression, lunged at the sylphid, who panicked and fled.

Even though I had contracted with the sylphid at Sally’s suggestion, I obviously didn’t want her to become Sally’s plaything.

To prevent them from getting off on the wrong foot, I quickly separated them with both hands.

“Hold on, Sally. Didn’t you promise not to do anything weird?”

‘…I wasn’t doing anything weird?’

“Excuse me?”

‘I-I was just saying hi… What’s wrong with greeting someone I just met…?’

“A high-tier fire spirit should be much more careful when approaching a mid-tier wind spirit, don’t you think?”

‘O-okay… S-sorry…’

…Given her usual behavior, she’ll probably pretend to reflect now and then shamelessly revert later.

For the sake of the sylphid who just contracted with me, I needed to mediate between these two spirits.

Since the sylphid had officially contracted with me and not Sally, as her contractor, I had a duty to protect her from Sally’s… questionable desires.

“I’m sorry. That pedophilic salamander must have bothered you.”

‘Uuu, fire… scary… fire, scary…’

‘N-no need to be scared! I-I just really want to be friends! You don’t have to be wary just because I’m a fire spirit…’

“I told you not to approach her, Sally.”

‘F-fine…’

Sally, who had been unusually cheerful until now, looked a bit dejected as she stepped back.

I almost wavered seeing her like that, but I had to stay firm.

If I softened now, I’d be at her mercy even after formally contracting with her, and that wouldn’t be fair to the sylphid who had just trusted me.

“Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, she won’t be able to get close to you.”

‘Calling me “that” is too harsh! We’ve been together for months!’

‘Eeek! F-fire scary…’

‘N-no! I-I wasn’t mad at you…’

Surprisingly, Sally seemed genuinely smitten with the sylphid, fidgeting anxiously the moment the wind spirit showed fear.

Seeing that, I was certain I had the upper hand in this relationship.

With the pretext of having contracted the sylphid, I made sure Sally couldn’t act recklessly.

“Sally, are you going to keep scaring Sei? If you keep being this oblivious, I have ways to deal with you too, you know?”

‘H-huh?!’

“From what you said earlier, it seems you want to use me to get closer to Sei. But if you keep being a nuisance, I won’t contract with you at all.”

‘W-what?! Why?! We’ve been getting along fine until now!’

“That’s only from your perspective.”

Not mine. That Sally had woken me up countless times when I was exhausted, ruining my sleep.

And since Ethan couldn’t hear spirits, every time she made a ruckus, only I had to suffer.

Until now, I tolerated it for her buffs, but with Sei around, I didn’t strictly need Sally anymore.

Even if Sei was only a mid-tier spirit, her blessings were sufficient, if slightly weaker.

Besides, Sei was my first official contracted spirit, so prioritizing her was only natural.

“We haven’t even made a formal contract yet, let alone a temporary one. But Sei is already officially contracted to me. If you try anything suspicious with ‘my spirit,’ even you won’t get off lightly, Sally.”

‘O-okay! I’ll stop being scary, so just give me a chance, Lilith!’

“Maintain at least a one-meter distance until Sei warms up to you. And obviously, no sudden hugs like earlier.”

‘Ugh, ughhh…’

Sally reluctantly stepped back with a conflicted expression.

At least I’d successfully separated that lolicon salamander from Sei for now.

Now that we could communicate a bit after the contract, I exchanged light introductions with Sei.

“Sorry about the commotion earlier. That fire spirit won’t be able to bother you for a while-“

‘You’re… cool.’

“Huh?”

‘You’re strong. Your mana… tasty. Yeah.’

“Oh… thanks?”

‘Take care of me? Um… Master?’

“Lilith Blackwood Rosewood. Just call me Lilith.”

‘Okay, Lilith. I’m… um, I don’t… have a name… What do I do…?’

From the looks of it, she hadn’t been contracted before.

Unlike Sally, who seemed worldly, Sei had an innocent purity about her.

Somehow, it made me feel oddly protective of her.

“If you don’t have a name yet, would you like me to give you one?”

‘Yeah, yeah.’

“How about Sei? It sounds like the whisper of the wind, don’t you think?”

‘Yeah, nice. I’m Sei.’

“Looking forward to working with you, Sei.”

‘Yeah, Lilith.’

With that, she carefully flew up to my shoulder and nestled against me, quietly dozing off.

She must have been exhausted from the contract.

Well, spirit contracts consume vast amounts of mana, so both parties need time to adjust.

I wasn’t sure if contracting her would ultimately be a boon or a burden, but since she was my first contracted spirit, I couldn’t help but feel a bit attached.

As I pondered this, my own mana was nearly depleted, and I was starting to feel tired. Then, I felt a hesitant tug on my sleeve from behind.

“Hey.”

“…Yes?”

“Sorry for running off earlier.”

The tug felt like it came from someone short, and sure enough, standing behind me was the fire mage who had stormed off earlier.

I hadn’t expected her to return so soon, so I cautiously called her name.

“Miss Blaze?”

“H-how do I get closer to spirits? And how do I contract with one quickly, even if it’s just a low-tier spirit?”

…Judging by her expression, she’d made up her mind.

She must have needed time alone to confront her limits. I should’ve told her that earlier.

Well, if she’s determined to do it right, I’ll support her properly.

“You’ve made up your mind? Starting with a low-tier spirit?”

“Yeah. You were right-trying for a mid-tier spirit first was too hasty. So I’ll start from the bottom, like you said… Huh?”

Agnes, who had been looking up at me with resolve, suddenly shifted her gaze to my shoulder.

Her voice turned uneasy as she pointed at the mid-tier spirit sleeping there.

“W-what’s that?”

“Hmm?”

“T-that spirit sleeping on your shoulder…”

“Oh, Sei? She’s the wind spirit I just contracted while you were gone.”

“Y-you just contracted her? A mid-tier spirit?”

“Well, I already have Sally. Wind and fire synergize well, right? Though Sei’s still scared of Sally, so it’ll take time for them to get along…”

“Ugh…”

“…Miss Blaze?”

“Waaahh!! That’s cheating!! No fair!!”

“W-wait, Miss Blaze! Weren’t you going to ask me how to contract with a spirit?!”

Even if I hadn’t paid much attention to her character in the game, Agnes was truly unpredictable.

Will I make it through this semester in one piece…?