Chapter 67
It seemed that Hyst had snapped out of his daze, as he stepped closer to me.
“Congratulations, Princess. Now that you have this dagger, the problem is solved.”
“Problem solved?”
“You asked me for help, remember?”
Once again, he waved his hands through the empty space as if rummaging through an interdimensional pocket and pulled out the piece in which Dimodi had been sealed.
“No way…”
“That ‘no way’ is exactly right. If you think about it, the principle is simple. Dimodi was sealed with the dragon’s magic, right? So you need to apply a stronger opposing force to break the seal!”
A stronger opposing force!
I widened my eyes and stared down at the dagger I was holding.
Hyst nodded as if confirming my thoughts.
“Dragons and spirits are natural opposites. So if you apply natural affinity, the seal should break. The holy power in this dagger will elevate your natural affinity to its maximum.”
“So this is holy power after all.”
“Come to think of it, you don’t know your own holy power, do you?”
“It’s my first time, yes. But it feels very similar to the energy of spirits.”
So it didn’t feel strange at all.
Muttering this, I felt the spirits around me touch the dagger and chatter excitedly.
[That’s right! It’s similar to our power! Amazing!]
[Hehe~, it feels nice~. Somehow familiar~.]
[I agree. Perhaps we’ve felt this holy power at some point in the past.]
“Really? You don’t remember when?”
[Indeed, master. When the contracted master returns to the earth, we leave all memories behind and return to the unconsciousness of nature.]
[Then when we sense a new master, we are reborn~.]
[Old memories are faint! Hehe, so I only know my current master! The master is the best!]
[Oh my~ I feel the same~.]
[Of course! No master compares to the current one!]
Listening to the spirits, I let out a quiet sigh of admiration.
‘So that’s how spirits are born and disappear.’
No wonder there was so little information about them, even though they had been contracted with a child of God for a long time.
As I absorbed this new information, Hyst tilted his head curiously.
“What is it? What are you talking about? Don’t leave me out—tell me too, okay?”
“First, we need to break Dimodi’s seal.”
“Will you tell me when it’s broken?”
“……”
“You will? As expected, Princess, you’re loyal.”
“Hyst Neiton.”
“Alright, first, hold this dagger properly.”
Hyst adjusted my stance so I could grip the dagger again, then stood close behind me and aimed it at the piece of Dimodi resting on the table.
“You should know, the dragon’s magic sealing Dimodi is incredibly strong. Even I, called the genius of the age, feel chills from it.”
His voice, whispering in my ear, was strangely serious.
Thanks to that, I could clear my mind and focus on the task before me.
After all, Hyst was putting aside everything else to help me wholeheartedly.
‘I can’t afford to slack off when I asked for his help.’
Noticing my attentiveness, Hyst pressed closer from behind, almost like a hug.
Before I realized it, our hands were overlapping on the dagger.
“To break the seal, we need to combine my holy power, your holy power, and the holy power contained in this dagger.”
“I’ve never used holy power before.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not difficult.”
He lightly patted my hand that was holding the dagger tightly.
The tension in my grip eased slightly.
I was a bit surprised.
‘Was I really this nervous?’
…Yes. Finally, this is my chance to meet Dimodi.
Whenever the topic of Dimodi came up, the spirits would show subtle signs of longing. I, too, had been anxiously awaiting the last spirit’s reunion.
‘So this is it.’
“You said the spirit energy and holy power are similar, right? Then just think of it as sending the spirit’s power into the dagger. You can do that, can’t you?”
Hyst’s voice sounded so close.
I bit my lip lightly at the unfamiliar closeness. My ears tingled.
“Princess?”
“Phew… I’ll try.”
“Good. It’s okay if you fail a few times.”
“There is no failure.”
“That’s a cool answer.”
Hyst smiled habitually and nodded.
Then the piece on the table floated lightly.
“When you’re ready, slice the piece with the dagger.”
Instead of replying, I closed my eyes and began to channel the spirit energy.
A familiar yet strange feeling washed over me along with his laughter.
So this is Hyst’s holy power.
“Alright, let’s awaken Dimodi.”
[Master! Hyst! You can do it!]
[You both can do it~.]
[Scold that sleepyhead, Master!]
With my eyes closed, my senses sharpened.
First, Hyst’s holy power slowly wrapped around the dagger.
Following his direction, I released the trembling spirit energy from my body into the dagger.
‘Is this how it’s done?’
It wasn’t difficult at all, just as Hyst said.
My energy flowed easily along my fingertips into the dagger.
Then it happened.
A surge of energy flowed into the dagger as if it were being sucked in, and my eyes snapped open.
Blinding light!
The white blade shone intensely.
Warm, radiant light that seemed like it could break my body apart.
Yet it was perfectly safe to look at.
“Ugh.”
I winced at the brightness, but a groan of discomfort came from beside me.
Entranced by the light, I pushed Hyst away in a flash of realization.
“Close your eyes! I’ll do this alone now!”
This light could only be handled by someone blessed by God, and my instinct filled my mind. Hyst stepped back obediently.
“Haha! This is my first time experiencing this! Fun!”
[Idiot! You can’t even see properly right now!]
[If the master hadn’t pushed you, you’d be blind~.]
[Fool! Be thankful to the master!]
Hearing the spirits, I understood the situation Hyst was in.
I clicked my tongue lightly and readjusted my stance.
‘Slice the piece, right?’
Taking a steady breath, I released the energy and swung the dagger horizontally.
The dagger emitted a brighter light than before, leaving a crescent-shaped afterimage as it struck the piece.
Bang!
A strong vibration surged from my fingertips throughout my body.
It felt as if I had struck a solid piece of metal rather than a small fragment.
“Ugh!”
With a single strike, the impact was too much, and I dropped the dagger.
The light vanished instantly, and my arm muscles trembled.
But I had no time to dwell on that.
Clang!
[Wow! The piece cracked!]
[Dimodi’s energy is so strong~!]
[What a historic moment!]
Finally, the cracked piece broke with a clear, heavy sound.
Clang!
Strangely, the broken fragments turned to liquid, dripping onto the greenhouse floor.
And within the broken pieces, the being that appeared before me was…
[Guys, I was bored…]
A small mole-like creature with soft, brown fur.
[Dimodi!]
[You’re so late~!]
[Come here quickly!]
The spirits rushed to Dimodi, welcoming him excitedly.
Dimodi mingled with the spirits, glancing around curiously.
I quietly observed him, not wanting to interrupt their reunion.
‘So that’s Dimodi.’
A mole-like creature, just like an earth spirit.
As I made that observation, Dimodi’s gaze met mine.
His tiny eyes, like pinpricks, twinkled.
[Master…]
Dimodi murmured softly and flew into my arms.
Slowly inspecting me, he nestled comfortably against me.
[I missed you.]
Dimodi looked so relaxed that I couldn’t help but smile.
“I missed you too, Dimodi.”
Really, a lot.
Finally reunited with Dimodi, I gently patted him, unable to hold back my affection.
Understanding my feelings perfectly, Dimodi murmured lazily.
[I’m okay.]
“Thank you for saying that. Still, I’m sorry. I found you too late.”
I whispered and lifted Dimodi so he could look at me.
“Dimodi, if it’s okay with you, will you make a contract with me?”
Contracting with a spirit wasn’t complicated.
As long as our hearts connected, the spirit’s power and presence would imprint on me, completing the contract.
[Yes, let’s make a contract…!]
Dimodi nodded as if it were obvious.
Then his energy stirred, flowing naturally into me.
As if he had been mine from the start.
The simple procedure was complete.
[Done…!]
“See? It’s done.”
[Finally, we’re all together! Exciting!]
[So exciting~!]
[Exciting!]
[Exciting…!]
However, I couldn’t celebrate with the joyful spirits.
Suddenly, my head spun, and I struggled to maintain my balance.
“Princess!”
Hyst rushed over, catching me as I began to collapse.
