BSS 98

Chapter 98

“Don’t wanna.”

“…I may be a spirit summoner, but I’m actually pretty smart!”

“Nope.”

“Come on! I’m bored— I mean, I want to do something meaningful.”

To be honest, this was the perfect pastime I’d found just before dying of boredom.

But Magi shook his head firmly, eyes making it very clear he had no intention of agreeing.

With that level of stubbornness, even Magi’s mother must have had trouble dealing with him.

Still, I had a killer temptation up my sleeve.

“Magi, you like making swords, right?”

“I do! Mom says it’s pointless, though.”

She wasn’t exactly wrong.

Looking at it now, it also felt like he’d gravitated toward that because magic was hard for him.

“Then think about it. The greatest swords are ego swords, aren’t they? Swords with souls.”

“So?”

“And giving objects will or souls can only be done with magic. Which means—you need to learn magic too!”

“Then I’ll just ask Mom to do that part.”

“No! Magi! It only means something if you do everything yourself! If you borrow someone else’s help, it’s not really your achievement!”

“But she’s my mom…”

“Still no! Even teachers don’t accept homework your mom helped you with!”

“I don’t get what you’re saying.”

Ah, right. He wasn’t an elementary schooler—he was a dragon.

“Anyway! You’re destined to learn magic!”

“I have a destiny like that?”

“Yes!”

“Since when?”

Ugh! If he weren’t a dragon, I’d have already smacked him. There are limits to wasting talent.

“Let’s do this, Magi. If you learn some simple math and magic theory from me, I’ll let you do something really fun.”

“Something fun?”

“I’m going to make Rai a new body. Ever done something like that?”

“A new body?”

He was already taking the bait.

“Metal spirits, unlike other spirits, need physical bodies for the mortal realm. Naturally, you make them out of metal.”

“Whoa—how do you do that?”

He was practically sold already.

“You melt various metals and gemstones together, then put in the corpse of an animal you want as the body. That becomes Rai’s new body.”

“…That’s awesome!”

“I knew you’d like it.”

“I wanna do it too! Me too! Let me do it!”

“If you listen to me properly, I’ll let you join in.”

[Master! What about my opinion?!]

I think it was time for Rai to learn that such a thing didn’t exist.

“Then just play with me a little. What do you say?”

“Hmm… Can’t we play without studying?”

“Play how?”

I asked, genuinely puzzled.

I’d searched this place top to bottom—there was nothing for entertainment.

Magi spent all day hammering away, and I spent all day sitting in a corner watching him.

At first, I was just grateful he wasn’t trying to eat me, but before long I realized boredom could kill me instead.

“Making swords together—!”

“Rejected.”

“Why?!”

“Let’s just study. I’m kind of fragile, you know.”

I was never the physical type, and I had no interest in lifting anything heavier than a fork. I’d rather study.

“That’s not fun at all!”

“I know that better than anyone, but I think you need it.”

“Grr…”

“Magi, trust me. Just a little. I don’t do things that are hopeless.”

After hesitating, Magi eventually snapped up the bait I’d dangled.

“Really? Just a little?”

“Of course. After that, we’ll do a fun crafting lesson.”

[Why does the crafting lesson have to use my body?! Master! Master! What about my rights?!]

That was the first I’d heard of a spirit having rights.

[Serving one’s master through sacrifice is a spirit’s happiness!]

[No, it isn’t!]

More importantly, it was clearly written in the introductory textbook on spiritology:

‘The master’s will is the spirit’s will!’
I know that’s not what it means, but still!

I ignored Rai’s fierce protests.

All that remained were Magi’s shining, expectant eyes.

In many ways, Rai was the perfect offering for Magi. For a dragon with the unusual hobby of blacksmithing, nothing could be more appealing than a metal spirit.

Working day and night to extend his master’s life, Rai truly was a fine spirit.

“Hey, Genie!”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Can we—can we start with the crafting lesson?”

“Hmm…”

“Can’t we?”

If he weren’t wearing an old dwarf’s face, his pose would’ve been adorable—hands clasped tightly, eyes sparkling as he looked up at me.

“Well… I suppose we could. We’re a bit short on materials, though.”

“What do we need? I’ll help!”

“A large cauldron, gemstones… Oh, right. You’ve got plenty of gems, Magi. Could you share some?”

I asked in an especially gentle voice.

“Sure! I’ll give you some!”

And I didn’t ask to borrow them. I asked him to give them. We needed quite a lot.

“Thanks. Go wash your hands.”

“Okay!”

“Hey—stop sucking your fingers.”

I stopped Magi as he tried to suck on fingers smeared with ogre blood.

He obediently nodded, making me proud—and at the same time, I felt a strange sympathy for his parents.

To think I’d ever feel this way about a dragon. I genuinely felt bad for them.

How worried they must have been, letting this dense kid live independently.

It must’ve felt like leaving a child by the edge of the water.

I stroked Magi’s silky blond hair and whispered in his ear.

“By the way, Magi—since we’re at it, why don’t you polymorph into a different form?”

“A different form? Like what?”

“Not a dwarf… something cuter.”

I needed to coax him into transforming into a pretty boy that matched my tastes.

The kind of artistic beauty where everything would be forgiven just because he was adorable.

Magi was innocently splashing straight into every trap I laid.

I really should teach him how to be more wary of humans.

I was starting to feel like a nanny.

The candidates for Rai’s new body were the wolf boss we’d hunted most recently, a large eagle we’d caught to eat but left untouched because preparing it seemed like a hassle, as well as a fox cub and a squirrel.

They’d been stored in the freezer and were frozen solid, so I took them out to thaw and lined them up.

Then I asked Rai.

I wasn’t going to follow his opinion, but politeness demanded at least a survey.

“Which one do you like, Rai?”

[The wolf!]

“Oh? For once, we’re thinking the same thing?”

Even if he’d picked something else, I’d planned to go with the wolf anyway.

It looked dog-like enough to be easy to take around, and it was big enough to ride—clearly the most practical.

[The fox and squirrel are too small. The eagle’s cool, but I might not be able to fly.]

“Huh? Why not?”

[I’ve never flown before.]

“But it’s an eagle’s body.”

[I’m not an animal spirit, you know? What I imitate is only the appearance. Things like flight are impossible. Impossible.]

I see. That’s a shame. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

“Then four legs is the safest choice.”

[Exactly.]

“Hmm… I’ve gotten used to you as a snake, so it’s a bit sad to change.”

[Why? You’re just switching shells, right?]

After being struck by lightning, Rai was charred black—less like a snake and more like a crawling lump of charcoal.

His once-smooth skin had become rough and damaged, and he was currently banned from climbing on me.

“Wait, doesn’t making a new body mean the snake one disappears?”

[Nope. Once a body is made, I can bring it out anytime.]

“…What? Really?”

[Yes! No matter how many I make, they’re all saved!]

“So I could make all of these into bodies?”

[Of course! As long as there are gems!]

Gems weren’t a problem. This was a dragon’s lair—there were more than enough.

The reason I’d delayed making Rai a new body until now was partly because gathering materials was difficult.

You had to melt many different gemstones together in a single cauldron.

“I had no idea you had a feature like that…”

Still rubbing my chin, I looked down at Rai, who was coiled at my feet.

[Honestly, Master! You pay so little attention to me! My abilities don’t end here, you know!]

“I mean, you’re just too weird. What kind of spirit has transformation abilities? It’s completely abnormal. And needing a mortal body in the first place…”

[Hehehe!]

“Why are you laughing?”

[Because it means I’m multifunctional and innovative!]

I wasn’t praising him, but he seemed satisfied, so whatever.

Ever since hanging around Magi, Rai’s laugh had gotten strange.

He’d always been lively, but not this frivolous.

“Then we’ll need a really big cauldron if we’re going to put all of this in and boil it.”

[That won’t work.]

“Didn’t you say it would?”

[Creating a mortal body is a sacred process. It’s a kind of offering. One body per cauldron is the rule.]

“Yeah, I don’t see what’s sacred about it at all.”

Metal spirits were truly incomprehensible beings.

And that was coming from someone with doctoral-level knowledge of spiritology.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t tried to study Rai in depth.

But the deeper I delved into spiritology, the clearer it became just how exceptional Rai was.

[I keep telling you! Pay more attention to me, Master!]

“I dote on you plenty.”

[Where?! You dote on Undine more than me, even though I’m rarer, more versatile, cuter, and more adorable!]

“What’s wrong with Undine?”

[Low-grade spirits like that are as common as pebbles in the spirit realm!]

“I don’t care if she’s common. I like both you and Undine equally. You’re my spirits. It’s just that… you’re too rare, Rai. I can’t use you openly in front of others.”

Rai’s eyes darted around as he tried to figure out whether that was a compliment or not.

I crouched in front of him and lightly tapped his ash-stained head.

“You’re my trump card, Rai. My secret weapon.”

[…S-secret weapon?]

“Good things should be saved, Rai.”

[I see! I failed to understand your deep intentions, Master! You’re right. I should be kept secret! Because I’m your one and only secret weapon!]