BSS 30

Chapter 30

“It’s really simple. You just need to have a name.”

I find naming spirits or anything else to be the most bothersome task. Even with Rai, I had to rack my brain coming up with a name. In that sense, Undine is really a dutiful daughter.

[…What does that mean?]

“You said you need a name.”

[Right.]

“If you need one, then just make one! Your name!”

[Hehehe!]

Rai started chuckling, and the Electric Spirit seemed utterly confused. I get it too—naming a spirit is no trivial matter.

[What nonsense is this! A spirit naming itself! Such an absurd thing has never happened in the history of spirits.]

“How would I know the history of spirits?”

[I could never do such a foolish thing!]

As it snorted, Rai flicked its tongue and whispered into my ear.

[Master! I have a brilliant idea.]

“A brilliant idea? What is it?”

[About that cheeky Electric Spirit’s name. I know the perfect one for it.]

“Really? Tell me.”

[Electricity goes zap, right?]

Right? Rai was shaking its head with excitement, as if it couldn’t contain its joy. Even snake eyes can smile, apparently.

[So, how about we call it “Jjiri”?]

Not a bad suggestion. It was easy to say, stuck in the mouth well, and I nodded automatically. Even Rai is helpful sometimes.

“Oh, nice. Alright, Electric Spirit? Your name is Jjiri…”

[Wait! I-I-I’ll name myself instead.]

Tch, I liked that name. What a stubborn creature.

“Then name it quickly. Your mana is starting to run out.”

[Uuuugh, hmm…]

“See? It’s hard, right? Naming is tough.”

[Unbelievable! An 8,000-year-old contract is on the brink of failure just because of a name… sniff, sob.]

“Don’t cry! It looks like I’m tormenting you! I said just go with Jjiri!”

[I absolutely won’t! Just call me Electric Spirit! Sob, sniff.]

Seeing the previously boastful creature cry like that made my heart ache a little.

Rai and spirits in general seem to cry easily. Undine, on the other hand, never cried.

But what should I do when it refuses so stubbornly? Maybe I should go with a couple-style name with Rai. Jjiri seemed fine to me… so why was it so against it? Then… oh, right. That name!

“Oh, then how about Ador? It’s the name of the spirit mage who developed the Electric Spirit Stone you came from.”

[Ador? In the ancient tongue, that means “flame.” That’s a bit…]

“Oh, then do you want to stick with Jjiri?”

[Ador… that’s cool. Let’s go with Ador! No, you must call me Ador!]

Good, it liked the name. So that annoying task is taken care of.

“Alright, Electric Spirit. Your name is Ador.”

[My name is Ador. And my master’s name is?]

Ador approached me, sparks flying slightly as it circled me slowly, as if it wanted to study me closely.

“My name is Jin Crowell.”

[Jin Crowell.]

“Yes, call me whatever you like.”

[I will serve as your master until the day you die.]

“Okay, but for now, return to the spirit realm. Your mana is running low.”

[Master! I will return for today, but call me again as soon as possible…]

I cut off its mana supply. Perfect for a chatty spirit.

Not that this method works on Rai.

“That was a noisy one, huh?”

[Yes, utterly lacking in dignity.]

“You remind me of it.”

[A very elegant creature, indeed.]

I found my bed in the messy room and lay down. Everywhere in the room was charred.

I looked around, wondering what to do, when Rai suddenly popped its face in front of mine.

[Master, you seem to be in better spirits than before.]

“Huh? Come to think of it, yes.”

Somehow, I felt lighter than before. Does the Electric Spirit consume negative emotions too?

It was too noisy to let me sink into gloom. It also had a clumsy side that made me laugh.

I guess it was an unexpected mood lifter.

“All my worries seem so foolish now.”

Because of my memories of my past life and the fact that entire swarms of bees died because of me, I realized that worrying wouldn’t change anything.

Especially since past lives are chaos I’ve experienced countless times. Why I died back then, why I remember past lives… The answers were never there, and now, it seemed natural that there wouldn’t be answers.

Perhaps that’s just how death works too.

Maybe it’s self-rationalization, but my mind felt at ease.

[As expected of a master I chose. One with strong mental fortitude doesn’t collapse easily, and if they do, they recover quickly.]

“Mental fortitude? No, it’s just troublesome…”

[Humans experience confusion over murder. But the strong survive, isn’t that the way of the world? The dead were simply weak.

Sympathizing with weakness only makes you weak too. Survival is the rightful choice.]

“Hmm, maybe because you’re over a thousand years old? Rai, sometimes you act like an old man.”

[Old man? How dare you say such a thing!]

Rai flailed in strong protest, flapping its head and tail, rolling around when I wouldn’t indulge it—a rare sight for a snake.

I snickered, remembering the contents of Ador’s diary from earlier in the day.

“That’s right. Why spirits help humans… do you know?”

[You mean why we form contracts with humans?]

“Yes, that.”

[We learn emotions from humans. What life and death are.]

“Huh?”

[But that’s not the only reason. There’s a more primordial issue. Do you know why spirits are born in the first place?]

I thought for a moment, then came up with an answer. Even a dog at a temple school learns a verse after three years, as the saying goes.

“Harmony and balance.”

[Correct. We exist to maintain the balance of the world.]

“I already know that. But it doesn’t answer my question.”

[Simply put, if a powerful force arises or threatens to arise somewhere, we share power with humans to maintain the world’s balance.]

I blinked widely, having listened casually to Rai’s words.

“That… is way too universal.”

[The conclusion is simple. We spirits exist to restore the balance of power when it starts to tip.

If harmony and balance are disturbed, we naturally intervene. It’s the flow of the world, not decided by anyone.]

“Are you sure you can explain this so easily? Even ancient spirit mages didn’t know, right? Spirits are supposed to be full of secrets.”

[It’s not that it’s secret, it’s just that few spirits understand it. Low-level spirits probably don’t know, and high-level spirits do, but they don’t talk carelessly. The Spirit King looks down on humans, so he wouldn’t say anything.]

“And you?”

[I’m an independent entity. I don’t care about that stuff.]

I thought it was peculiar, but Rai was actually… incredible.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Jin Crowell? Are you in there? Open the door immediately! The smell of burning is reaching the next room!”

“Ah.”

“Miss Jin!”

Should I run? I glanced at the window, but I didn’t have the nerve.

Judging by the voice, it was Teacher Irito at the door.

What should I say? I quickly scanned the charred room, starting with the jet-black table.

I picked an excuse and opened the door.

Normally gentle, Teacher Irito could be extremely strict when things went wrong. Right now, for instance.

She lifted her glasses with a stern expression.

“Jin Crowell! There was a mana flow detected! What exactly happened in there?”

“…Ah, well.”

“Tell me honestly!”

Being the economics teacher, she was strict to the extreme. But my excuse was perfect.

“You know about the incident in town today, right?”

“Yes, you encountered a swarm of bees? The knights told me. They let you rest for safety.”

“The shock was too much. I lay down and dozed off…”

“Wait, did you thank the knights properly? They saved your life, you know.”

I had completely forgotten.

“Of course. I thanked them sincerely.”

“Good. Let’s hear the story again.”

I explained with gestures.

“I was asleep, and the smell of smoke woke me. The table was on fire! So I summoned Undine, the Water Spirit, to put it out. It was a minor issue.”

“You should’ve called an adult if there was fire.”

“I’m a Water Spirit Mage. So I thought of summoning a spirit first.”

“…Phew, I see. It’s dangerous, so next time, call an adult.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Were you hurt?”

Teacher Irito glanced around the room.

“After today’s chaos, plus a fire… you’ve had quite the day.”

“Seems like a bad omen today.”

“I’ll see if we can change your room. You can’t stay in this one. But… why did the fire start?”

I hadn’t thought that far. Irito was not someone to underestimate.

I stammered a little.

“I had left a candle burning… I guess my snake knocked it over.”

I pointed to Rai, lying belly-up on the bed.

[What? Master! I never did that!]

“Oh, so that snake is the one I’ve heard about. You were allowed to bring your pet by the king, right? I didn’t know you brought it on this trip.”

“It’s usually calm, so you wouldn’t even notice it.”

“Seems gentle enough.”

“Yes, right?”

“But fire is dangerous, so get a basket or something to contain it.”

“Yes….”

“Since you had a big incident earlier, I won’t scold you too much. But next time, place candles on a water plate when you sleep. And also…”

Teacher Irito lectured me at length before leaving, seemingly satisfied.

She said she would check for another room, so she should return soon.

I returned to my room and started rummaging through my melted bag.

Hoping to salvage something, but nothing was intact. The Electric Spirit was truly powerful.

Its attack power made me happy, but all the pocket money I had melted away, which was depressing.

The most shocking discovery was yet to come. As soon as I realized it, I screamed.

“Ahhh!”

[What’s wrong?]

“My book!”

As I suspected, it had burned. My book was reduced to a black lump of charcoal.

The ancient spirit mage’s diary I bought for 10 gold!

“Even with preservation magic, a book that’s thousands of years old!”

[Ah, fire is unstoppable.]

I hadn’t even finished half of it, and now it was excellent firewood. It could’ve been valuable research material for spirit history!

I had to endure immense stress again, and the fact that I, myself, would bear this loss made me furious all over again.

After all, it was my spirit who caused the accident.