Episode 7
The Young Lady Hides Her Strength (1)
At first, Angela didn’t mind losing.
But now that she was falling behind by such a wide margin, a strange sense of competitiveness began to rise inside her.
It was a habit left over from her days as Julia, when she always wanted to show only her best side in front of her disciples.
[Angela, you want to win, don’t you?]
Sylph, having read her contractor’s feelings, leaned close and whispered.
“I think it’s because Theodore is about the same age as the students I used to teach. It feels like I’m losing to one of my own disciples.”
[Yeah! I get that feeling. It’s sad when a teacher loses to their student.]
“Right? So… could you help me just once more?”
Angela whispered to Sylph.
Part of it was her competitive spirit flaring up, but she also wanted to test how much speed she could reach using Sylph’s power alone.
Earlier that morning, during sword training, she had clearly unleashed tremendous power even though it was her first time using spirit energy in this body.
If that wasn’t a fluke, then she should be able to draw out Sylph’s full strength again.
And the more I use Sylph’s power, the less tired I seem to get. I can still hold on… maybe I can use it just a little more?’
[If you start feeling dizzy, tell me right away.]
“Okay. I will.”
Only after hearing Angela’s reply did Sylph relax and transform into wind.
Bright green air slipped into Shade’s running body.
“Neeeigh!”
Filled with the wind spirit’s energy, Shade let out a powerful neigh.
His movements became visibly livelier as he began to race forward at incredible speed, stirring up strong winds around him.
Theodore flinched when he noticed Angela suddenly closing the distance.
“Yah!”
He hurriedly urged Ray forward to widen the gap again, but Angela caught up in an instant.
Running side by side with Ray, Shade suddenly leapt high, clearing an obstacle that had been blocking the path.
Was what he was seeing real?
Theodore stood frozen in shock—he was witnessing a technique he hadn’t even learned yet.
A powerful gust, completely different from the wind felt while simply riding, swept past Theodore’s side.
While he hesitated for just a moment, Angela was already turning Shade around and heading back toward the starting point.
Theodore pushed Ray harder and chased after her, but the speed difference was overwhelming.
The gap never closed.
Not long after, Angela rode straight back into the arena, and the match ended with her victory.
A result no one had expected.
“Miss, that was incredible!”
Vincent, who had been watching the students without taking his eyes off them, exclaimed in astonishment.
“Haa… haa…”
The joy of winning lasted only a moment.
Angela stopped Shade and panted heavily, having burned through an enormous amount of stamina using spirit power.
Her heart felt like it might burst, and her vision turned white.
If she had pushed herself even a little more, it could have been truly dangerous.
“Ugh…”
“Noona, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“…Miss! Are you alright?!”
Through the ringing in her ears, she heard Theodore’s and Vincent’s worried voices one after the other.
“Hoo… I’m okay now.”
Angela barely managed to answer after steadying herself.
“It seems pushing the horse to a full sprint was too much for your body. I think it would be best for you to return to the estate and rest for today.”
“Yes… I’ll do that.”
She wanted to train nonstop until sunset, but even she knew her current condition couldn’t handle it.
Vincent supported Angela as she unsteadily dismounted from Shade.
[Angela… I shouldn’t have encouraged you earlier.]
Sylph’s tiny face looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
[That’s not your fault. And I’m fine now.]
Angela spoke to her through telepathy, meeting her gaze and sending reassurance with gentle eyes.
‘It’s frustrating that I can’t last as long yet… but stamina can always be trained. Once my stamina improves, I won’t struggle this much even when consuming lots of mana.’
For now, she was satisfied knowing that she could use spirit arts to some extent in this body—and that she had confirmed Sylph’s abilities.
Looking at it positively, it was a pretty good result for the first day.
Recently, the number of spirits appearing in the Mares family territory had increased rapidly.
Fire spirits, corrupted by the chaotic energy spread by Arcane, caused fires large and small.
Water spirits polluted drinking sources.
Various natural disasters had been occurring all over the continent, but lately they had been happening most frequently around the Mares domain.
Invisible to ordinary people, these small beings had begun posing a serious threat even to visitors from nearby regions.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, the corrupted spirits in Drake Forest are continuously causing trouble in nearby territories. Only spirit masters can purify them, so on behalf of the people, we ask the Association for assistance.”
To deal with the situation, Antonio urgently requested help from Rowen, the head of the Spirit Master Association.
Coincidentally, the Association had already recognized the seriousness of the situation and was preparing to dispatch personnel.
The day after receiving Antonio’s request, Rowen and several spirit masters arrived at Drake Forest, the main hotspot of the corrupted spirits.
[It looks like an ordinary forest, but the energy here is no joke.]
Lioner muttered while surveying the surroundings, summoned alongside Glacier.
[Yes… it even feels a bit chilly somehow.]
[Do ice spirits feel cold too?]
Lioner questioned Glacier’s comment.
[Of course! Even I, who’m resistant to cold, can feel this creepy chill.]
[That’s because you’re still a lower-grade spirit.]
[Hey, I’m a top-tier spirit, you know…]
As usual, Lioner and Glacier bickered over trivial things.
“Guys, please stay quiet while we’re investigating. What if we miss the corrupted energy?”
Rowen was used to this, but if he let them go on, the day would end with nothing but listening to their chatter.
[Sorry, Rowen.]
Glacier apologized immediately, while the prideful Lioner crossed his arms and stayed silent instead.
“Wait… don’t you feel something nearby?”
Rowen suddenly stopped, sensing something unusual.
Lioner and Glacier closed their eyes and focused on the surrounding energy.
[There’s definitely something here. I can sense corrupted spirit energy.]
The moment Lioner finished speaking, forest spirits—blackened by corruption—charged at Rowen’s group all at once.
Forest spirits were normally gentle and peace-loving, never attacking first unless nature was harmed.
Their sudden aggression was proof they had been completely corrupted.
“Prepare for battle!”
At Rowen’s urgent shout, the spirit masters summoned their own spirits.
At the same time, thorny bushes and sharp vines lashed out violently from all directions.
Getting pierced by those looked like it would be fatal.
“Everyone, fall back!”
Rowen moved swiftly, dodging the vines shooting up from the ground.
“Ugh!”
Some spirit masters were grazed and injured, but thanks to their spirits’ protection, no one was seriously hurt.
[Haa—]
The moment Glacier breathed out, the bushes and vines rushing toward them froze solid.
Crack!
Reaching their limit, they shattered and scattered in all directions.
Seizing the momentum, Lioner stretched out his hand toward the forest spirits.
Bzzzt—!
A flash of light burst forth, and lightning struck down, slamming into the spirits.
Hit directly, the forest spirits fell to the ground.
Drained of all strength, they gradually turned into jet-black spirit stones.
If they had been evil monsters from the start, the battle would have ended there.
But the goal was not to destroy the corrupted spirits.
Rowen gathered spirit affinity throughout his body and placed his hand on the fallen spirit stones.
Then something miraculous happened.
A bright light spread from Rowen’s fingertips, and the blackened spirit stones slowly became clear and transparent, as if storm clouds were lifting away.
