MSMH 34

CHAPTER 34………………………………………………

“…Hahaha.”

Adamas suddenly laughed loudly. Then, he briskly walked toward the wall.

“Hey, you damn ghost! I was a fool to think I could trust you even for a moment.”

He kicked the stone wall with all his strength, again and again.

—No, no. Calm down. If it weren’t for that cursed Chain of Kanil, I would’ve answered the summoning too.

“…The Chain of Kanil?”

—Yeah. Kanil trapped me so I couldn’t move.

“Why?”

The ghost didn’t answer.

“You’re not going to answer, huh? Fine. Then you stay here alone. Come on, Ross!”

Adamas said loudly, like a parent pretending to be stern while dealing with a child throwing a tantrum.

—No. Don’t go. Please help me. If you save me, I can show you the dungeon’s exit!

“…Really?”

—Of course. I’m a spirit of the Earth!

You have to be able to believe that. Well, since I need to find the exit anyway, maybe I’ll be fooled one more time.

“Phew. Ross, did you hear that?”

Sapeiros frowned and shook his head.

“No. Not at all? You’ve been talking alone this whole time.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say that the ghost muttering to itself looked scarier than a ghost.

“Oh, sorry. This ghost claims it will help us find the exit if we help it. Well, nothing to lose, so let’s meet it.”

“Alright? What am I supposed to do?”

“Hmm… look at it affectionately?”

Sapeiros chuckled faintly, then stared at Adamas.

“…Sorry. You just stay put. I’ll handle this.”

Adamas, embarrassed as Sapeiros’ blue eyes fixed on him, turned his attention back to the stone wall in front of him.

It was the same spot he had kicked earlier in a fit of anger.

He imagined a door in his mind.

Two meters high, one meter wide, and the depth… he didn’t know yet, but he would dig and see.

Adamas summoned Lightning.

“Ghost, I’ll start digging slowly from now.”

—Hurry, hurry and get me out.

“Shut up. I’m not getting you out.”

Well, if it really was “it” as it claimed, this chattiness would make sense…

“Lightning!”

Crack! Small fragments flew off the stone wall. Adamas summoned Lightning repeatedly, performing the same action over and over.

“Should I just do it, Mas? This is going to take a while.”

Seeing Adamas throw Lightning almost twenty times, Sapeiros spoke.

“No, Ross.”

Adamas shook his head firmly, sweat forming in beads across his forehead.

“You’re too strong. If you mess up, the chamber could collapse—or worse, you might accidentally kill that ghost.”

Taking a deep breath, Adamas threw the twenty-first Lightning forward.

Then, suddenly, the air twisted, and the Lightning bounced back.

“Ugh!”

Adamas screamed, dropping to the ground. Sapeiros’ shadow loomed over him.

He lightly swung his sword, deflecting the Lightning, and asked,

“You okay?”

“Ah, yeah.”

Sapeiros knelt and extended his hand.

When Adamas took it and their eyes met…

—Love comes later. Save me first!

The clattering voice pierced Adamas’ ears.

He turned quickly toward the sound. There was a small man in a red pointed hat, tightly bound in chains. He looked about five years old, yet had a long beard on his face.

Good heavens! He really looks like “it”!

While Adamas was too shocked to speak, Sapeiros tilted his head.

“…Smaller than a dwarf?”

—What nonsense. Who’s a dwarf? I said I’m ‘it’!

“Ross sometimes says things honestly without meaning harm.”

“Huh? What’s honest about that, Mas?”

Sapeiros, not hearing the ghost at all, asked puzzled.

Adamas smiled and changed the subject.

“Alright, let’s seriously try to rescue our guide now.”

He adjusted his sleeves and slowly reached out.

It felt like there was a transparent wall in the air.

He tapped it a few times. Neither magic nor normal physical force worked.

“Hmm… the chain is similar to a cabinet. What is this chain made of? Ogre sinew?”

—Nothing that special. That Kanil just enchanted an ordinary chain. That alone is exhausting enough…

“Ah, what a troublesome genius mage.”

Adamas scratched his head in frustration. Sapeiros spoke.

“…Do you want me to help?”

“Can you? It’s different from the cabinet. That you can just break, but this is a guide; you can’t kill it.”

“That’s easy. If you don’t do what you’re already doing, it’s doable.”

“What are you doing right now? Just talking to me.”

“I’m looking at you affectionately.”

“….”

“Sorry. Don’t look at me like that. All I need is to break the magic, right?”

“Yeah. Never kill ‘it.’”

“Well… I’ll try.”

—Who is this? Annoying. A sword-wielding fool acting like he can handle this. This is Kanil’s chain.

“Shut up. Just watch.”

Our genius isn’t so genius.

Sapeiros quietly enveloped his longsword with aura.

Perhaps worried about killing ‘it,’ he slowly swung the aura-covered blade through the air.

It was just like Adamas’ attempt. The Chain of Kanil even slowly pushed Sapeiros’ sword away.

The difference: Sapeiros didn’t get pushed back. He increased his aura and held the magic in place.

“Wow, brute force.”

“What did you say, Adamas?”

“Nothing. Focus. It’s too cool.”

“Got it. Tell the dwarf to stay still.”

—No, not a dwarf! Why does everyone keep calling me that?!

Sapphire-like eyes glowed coldly. The ghost stopped struggling.

—An ignorant, sweaty swordsman with no respect for spirits whatsoever.

Its mouth didn’t stop moving.

Sapeiros swiftly drew his sword straight from above his head.

Seconds later, the chains binding the ghost snapped with a loud shatter.

Simultaneously, a scream echoed through the chamber that was nearly unbearable to hear.

—Aaaah! You should count first! One, two, three, didn’t you know?! That annoying swordsman almost killed a kind spirit! Divine punishment will come!

“It’s over, Mas. Huh? Why are you covering your ears?”

Adamas quietly sighed and smiled.

The ghost’s tantrum was so huge, yet Sapeiros didn’t hear a thing—it was adorable.

“Hmm. Based on all its talking, it’s ‘it.’”

—Why do you keep doubting me? A high-ranking spirit like me should be begging to contract!

“No, I don’t have the talent to contract with a spirit.”

Adamas knew his own limits. Any offer for better treatment than his ability could only be a scam.

“Father always said to be cautious with contracts. Do you have to contract to show the way? Isn’t saving you enough?”

—Hmph. I won’t lend my power without a contractor.

Ah, he had forgotten the introduction in Spiritology Primer.

“All spirits are inherently selfish and capricious before a contract. This is an unavoidable fact.”

“Indeed, it is ‘it.’”

The ghost’s true identity was a high-ranking Earth spirit.

Its presence now was completely different from when it was chained. No wonder Adamas had doubted it.

“Why do you want to make a contract with me? Or rather, why were you trapped here?”

—Because Kanil captured me! He made me create this dungeon, then trapped me here.

“You created this place?”

—Of course. Who else could make such a magnificent dungeon?

The ghost shrugged and twitched its nose.

“Why did Kanil trap you?”

Perhaps because it was noisy?

—He said, ‘Afraid it would get out.’

Seems somewhat accurate.

Kanil had sealed it to prevent anyone from knowing of the dungeon’s existence.

“Wait. Kanil is alive? If he died, the contract would dissolve automatically, right? Then it should be able to return to the Spirit World regardless of the seal.”

—Right before dying, Kanil implanted his magic core into a golem and forced me to contract with it. If the master lives, I can’t return to the Spirit World without permission. And unfortunately, golems can’t talk.

The ghost sat, striking the ground in frustration.

“Where is your master golem then?”

—There…

It quietly pointed a finger. Following it, Adamas saw the shattered remains of the stone scorpion Sapeiros had destroyed.

Ah… that destroyed scorpion was Kanil’s last legacy.

“Oh… I see. Then you have no contractor now. Go back. But first, show the way.”

—If you want the way, make a contract with me!

Its eyes sparkled like a five-year-old spotting the perfect toy.

The same situation repeated endlessly. It really didn’t listen to anyone.

Indeed, all spirits were selfish and capricious.

Adamas recalled a passage from Spiritology Primer:

“…‘It’ is talkative. Of the four great spirits, it is closest to human form and human-friendly.”

Why would it want to contract with me? To see how humans have progressed while it was trapped?

“‘It,’ I’ll be honest. This friend is a swordsman, and I don’t have the talent to contract with you.”

—No, that’s not true?

The ghost tilted its head and began circling Adamas.

Not true? It totally is.

Ouch, my eyes hurt. My head’s spinning.

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden? I’m dizzy.”

Adamas sighed. He couldn’t shout at a high-ranking spirit to stay still.

—Do you dislike me?

“I couldn’t possibly.”

We aren’t close enough to discuss likes or dislikes.

—Then why won’t you contract with me? You’re covered in the energy of the earth.

“What?”

—I said you have talent. Didn’t I look like I was whining for nothing? I want to contract with you.

Adamas swallowed hard.