Chapter 2: Exploring Ancient Ruins
The day after being forced to attend a mentally draining discussion and an evening banquet I couldn’t refuse, I was walking to the academy with an exhausted expression on my face.
“Hey, Rourke, good morning!”
“…Yeah.”
“You look really tired. What’s wrong?”
Gareth, who joined me on the way to our first class, whispered with a worried look on his face.
“Ah, it’s just yesterday’s fatigue… As expected, those fancy places don’t suit a commoner like me.”
“You were hiding in the corner the whole time, weren’t you?”
“Of course I was.”
The evening banquet, held in the auditorium with third-year students, was too much for me. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the nobles in their luxurious clothes, and the solemn music played by the orchestra – honestly, it was so out of place for me that I thought I’d die from the stress. If Gareth hadn’t been there, I probably would have.
Seriously, why was I the only one forced to go? All the other students from commoner backgrounds refused to participate. It doesn’t make sense.
“Are you okay? The first period is Advanced Spirit Magic, you know?”
“Ah~ I can’t do that. I’m going to sleep.”
The academy’s lectures are elective, and basically, as long as you get the required credits, you can take whatever classes you want at any time.
However, there are some compulsory lectures that you absolutely must take. The Advanced Spirit Magic lecture we’re heading to now is one of them.
Since it’s compulsory and attended by over a hundred students, it’s held in a large classroom that takes up the first and second floors of a separate building a little away from the main building. To put it bluntly, it’s easy to sleep without getting caught.
Moreover, the Advanced Spirit Magic class is taught by an elderly spirit mage, and his voice is so sleep-inducing that, combined with the time of day, students often end up face-down on their desks before they know it.
Usually, I can endure it, but given my fatigue level today, I’ll probably succumb this time.
“If I fall asleep, wake me up, okay?”
“Sure, if I’m not asleep myself.”
“Don’t say such ominous things.”
We’re paying high tuition fees to attend these lectures. It wouldn’t do to spend all of them sleeping.
“By the way, it’s a bit late to ask, but was that really okay?”
“Hm? What are you talking about?”
“About Ogun.”
“Oh, that.”
For a moment, I wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but it seems Gareth is asking about yesterday’s incident.
“Wasn’t that response appropriate?”
“No, you could have easily gotten Ogun expelled or even disowned.”
In the end, Ogun, who had unleashed water magic during the discussion, was suspended for about thirty days. Or rather, I should say I forcibly ended it that way…
“Why defend him? He’s the one who tried to humiliate you.”
“Well, everything he said was true. It wouldn’t be right to expel someone for telling the truth.”
Well, I was scared when he unleashed magic on my back and sicced a spirit on me, but I managed to end it without injury, so I’m not that angry.
I thought about making him pay for the ruined tea and sweets if they asked for compensation, though…
“Is that really the issue here?”
“That is the issue. Besides, if I could contract with spirits, none of this trouble would have happened…”
It can’t be helped, but no matter how seriously I fight, because I don’t summon contracted spirits, my fighting style ends up looking like I’m just taunting my opponent. Ogun probably still holds a grudge from when I totally beat him in the rank battle.
Back then, I had just established my fighting style and was pretty excited, so I was a bit overconfident. When I think back to my disrespectful attitude then, I feel guilty and apologetic.
Actually, Misha seemed to remember this point too, and when I used it as the main point in my persuasion, she surprisingly agreed quite easily. Additionally, the fact that she dealt with it as the student council president rather than as royalty was also a big factor.
“I always think you’re oddly conscientious about strange things.”
“It’s not strange at all. More importantly, I’m worried about the terrifying condition Misha put on me for agreeing to my persuasion – that I have to do anything she says once.”
Misha agreed so easily, but in reality, she put this terrifying condition on me that I have to absolutely do one thing she says.
“That’s reasonable, considering you argued with royalty. If anything, getting off that lightly is too lenient.”
Gareth says that, but still, one absolute command from royalty?
I mean, royalty who can usually order most things, what are they planning to command with this ‘anything once’?
“Well, it’ll probably be fine. You could even think of it as a reward.”
“A reward? Would you be happy if you were ordered to behead your entire clan under the guise of a ‘reward’?”
“Hahaha, that’s hilarious!”
“Don’t laugh!”
I’m seriously troubled here!!
As I was angrily telling Gareth off, I suddenly felt an impact from behind, and the force made me lose my balance and hit the ground.
“Oof!?”
“Yo.”
“Hey, Lily. Good morning.”
The person who was probably riding on my back ignored my cry of pain and casually greeted Gareth. Hey, at least get off my back.
“Good morning to you too, Rourke.”
“Yeah, good morning. By the way, could you get off my back?”
“That’s not possible.”
“You’re going to stay there forever?”
“Carry me around like a carriage horse.”
“You brat, I’ll crush you.”
Finally, the soft weight disappeared from my back, and as I got up, I turned my gaze to the person who had been riding on my back.
Semi-long light green hair, a beautifully sculpted face with few expressions, combined with her well-proportioned features, she really looks like a doll.
Her name is Lily Oralia. Despite being from a commoner background like me, she passed the entrance exam’s written test in first place, surpassing even Misha – a true genius. Moreover, she’s quite socially awkward and won’t talk at all unless you become close to her.
As a result, like me, she’s a bit of an outsider in the academy, and naturally, we outcasts became friends.
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“Rourke barbaric.”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who tackled me from behind.”
Although we can joke around like this now, at first, even though we were both commoners, she wouldn’t respond to me at all, which was troublesome.
Still, she’s as expressionless as ever… I consider myself relatively inexpressive because I’m acting, but in her case, it’s like her facial muscles have already died.
“By the way, Lily, did you go to the recreation yesterday?”
“It was troublesome, so I didn’t go.”
I see, that was my initial plan too. But then, a question arises in my mind.
“Didn’t the student council come to you?”
“Student council? What are you talking about?”
Lily tilts her head curiously at my question. From her reaction, it seems the student council didn’t approach Lily. Considering her achievements, Lily should definitely be a student they’d want to bring to the welcome party…
“I was told by the student council that as the second-ranked second-year student, I absolutely had to participate, and they forcibly took me along.”
“I don’t really understand, but it seems Rourke is special.”
“It’s not the kind of special I want to be.”
Being targeted by the student council is definitely not a good kind of special. At worst, I’m afraid they might expose the fact that I haven’t contracted with a spirit.
“Alright, you two, that’s enough chitchat. We need to get to the classroom soon, or we’ll be late.”
At Gareth’ reminder, I check the clock and indeed, there are only a few minutes left until the start. We hurry to the lecture room, open the door, and rush inside.
Many students are already seated, and as expected, the most comfortable seats at the back are already full. Knowing we wouldn’t get back seats arriving this late, we sit down in relatively front row seats by the window, the three of us in a row.
“Good night.”
“Hey, don’t try to sleep right from the start!”
I thought the brightness of the sunlight might keep us from sleeping, but rather, its warmth seemed to affect Lily, who was already getting into a sleeping position even though the teacher hadn’t arrived yet. Stop it, don’t sleep in such a conspicuous place.
I lightly tap her head, and Lily raises her face with a dissatisfied expression.
“Don’t interfere.”
“I don’t remember raising you to be this kind of child.”
“Are you Lily’s father or something, Rourke?”
“You two are as close as ever, I see.”
As we were performing this silly comedy routine, a voice called out from the seat behind us, and we turned around. Celia was sitting in the seat right behind us, smiling cheerfully.
“Hey, Celia. It’s rare to see you sitting in front, isn’t it?”
“Fufu, just for today. I came when I saw you all sitting in the front.”
“So you have some business with us?”
Hearing Celia’s words, I said with certainty. It’s unlikely that someone as surprisingly cunning as her would come to us just for small talk.
“Hehe, don’t be so cautious. It’s quite valuable information.”
“Just tell me without beating around the bush.”
As I rushed Celia, who was teasing me, she said, “Well, if you insist.”
“Actually, we might soon get permission to enter the ‘Luna Ruins’. Would you like to explore it together?”
“…Huh?”
Gareth and I were stunned by this shocking news, while Lily’s sleepiness vanished as she exclaimed, “I’m in!” with sparkling eyes.
The Luna Ruins.
It’s a relic believed to have been built in the era of primordial spirits and gods, more than ten thousand spirit years ago.
As mentioned in spirit theology lectures, the Luna Ruins, true to its name, is a structure built by people who worshipped Luna, the Moon Goddess, one of the deities said to have existed long ago. Its distinctive feature is the statue of Goddess Luna in each room, with her symbol, the moon, engraved throughout.
The tower-like Luna Ruins has been subject to various theories among researchers. Some suggest it was an altar for offering prayers to Goddess Luna, while others believe it served as a lighthouse. However, many details remain unknown.
We were invited to explore one of these ancient ruins, shrouded in mystery.
“So, are you joining?” Gareth asked.
“I’m in,”
Lily responded instantly, munching on her bread.
It was past noon, and we three were having lunch in a corner of the bustling cafeteria, filled with hungry students.
“Well, I know Lily’s in. I was asking Rourke,”
“Hmm, what should I do?”
I pondered, chewing on my meat and vegetable stir-fry set meal.
“You’re not going?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“Let’s go. It’s decided.”
“Don’t decide for me,”
I said, calming down a disgruntled Lily while considering my options.
Exploring the Luna Ruins is certainly appealing. It would count towards our credits, and we might even receive rewards for new discoveries. We could even keep any artifacts we find inside the ruins.
Just a little thought reveals numerous benefits.
However…
“Surely it’ll be fine, right?”
“Well… I suppose so,”
Gareth, who seems to have seen the look on my face, throws these words at me, but I can only reply vaguely.
My main concern about exploring ancient ruins is the risk of others discovering that I don’t have a contracted spirit. Especially in the Luna Ruins, where anything could happen. I want to go, but it’s not worth the risk of exposure.
“Are you going, Gareth?”
“Of course. Opportunities to enter the Luna Ruins are limited. We should go while we can.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
For a normal student, participating would be the obvious choice. The Luna Ruins, due to their danger, have stricter entry restrictions compared to other ancient ruins.
As a spirit mage with some skill, I should participate, but…
“Even Gareth is going, Rourke. You’re not coming?”
“Well…”
But still, “Shall we go?” Group activities are “You’re going, right?” The risk is big “You have to go, right?” … “Let’s go” …
“Be quiet for a bit. I’m trying to think.”
“I’ll be quiet if you say you’re going.”
“That defeats the purpose of thinking about it.”
It seems Lily is determined to drag me to the Luna Ruins no matter what. About ninety percent of her words have been about going.
“It’s better to go with friends, right Lily?”
“There’s no way we’re not going. It’s not even an option.”
“…You’re right about that.”
Opportunities to enter the Luna Ruins are rare. We might not get another chance during our time at the academy. We should go while we can.
“I guess I’ll go then.”
“That’s more like it!”
“Got your word on it.”
As I decided to go, Gareth smiled happily, and Lily nodded with satisfaction while continuing to munch on her bread.
“Let’s go tell Celia we’re participating after this.”
“Sorry, I have a part-time job later. Could you two explain it for me?”
“Oh, that’s right. Well then, Lily, shall we go together after we finish eating?”
I watched Lily nod in agreement as I calculated the list of things I needed to prepare for the ruins exploration and their costs, letting out a small sigh.
It looks like I’ll need to be even more frugal this month.
*****
Galadea, the Academy City.
This is a city that developed around an academy for training spirit mages. To the west lies the urban area, while to the east spreads a grand market where you can find everything from food ingredients to spirit art books and sealing stones. It’s also equipped with churches, temples, red-light districts, theaters, libraries, arenas, and even water and sewage systems, making it undoubtedly the second-largest city in the Romus Kingdom after the capital.
“Sigh…”
And here I am, working my part-time job in a room of a building in a corner of the grand market.
I let out a deep sigh as I pick up and organize books and documents scattered all over the floor, leaving no space to stand.
The pay is quite good, which helps, but despite coming here quite frequently, the unchanging sight is puzzling.
“Ah, sorry for the trouble again today, Rourke. I’ve been so busy, I couldn’t find the time to tidy up.”
“If you feel that way, you should try to keep it organized on a regular basis.”
The one apologizing with an unapologetic expression is my part-time boss and mentor, Owen Libria.
With his red glasses, he looks intellectual yet somewhat disheveled. While he has a somewhat suspicious air about him, he’s a skilled spirit mage and a senior who once attended the same Utrea Academy as me.
“Haha, it’s strange, you know. I’m sure I organize it many times, but it never seems to stay tidy.”
“That’s because you start messing it up again right after organizing it.”
When I point out the truth, irritated by Owen’s cheerful laughter, he responds with an equally cheerful “I guess so~”.
“Please pay a little more attention to your surroundings, not just your research.”
“I try to, but once I start, I just get so focused.”
Owen is not only a spirit mage but also a historian.
All these papers scattered on the floor like trash are his precious research materials.
He should treat them with more care.
“By the way, I heard you’re going to the Luna Ruins? That’s great. I’m looking forward to some souvenirs.”
“There won’t be any souvenirs. More importantly, Master, what kind of place are the Luna Ruins?”
“Well, who knows? There are various speculations – an altar, a lighthouse, a building for communicating with gods – but nothing’s been confirmed.”
Owen answers my question while returning the scattered books to the shelves one by one. It seems even Owen doesn’t know much about it.
“Well, one thing’s for sure – that ruin must have had some important role, unlike other ruins.”
“An important role…?”
I wonder if that oddly shaped tower really had such an important role. To me, it seems to have no value beyond being a historical relic.
“Do you know why entry to those ruins is usually restricted?”
“…I only know it’s because it’s more dangerous compared to other ruins.”
The main reason for that is the presence of guardian spirits.
The people of the past must have worried about their temples and tombs being desecrated after their death. They entrusted the protection to spirits, and not just any spirits, but high-ranking ones at that.
As a result, not only grave robbers but also modern researchers trying to investigate the ruins have been spectacularly repelled by these spirits, hindering progress in the investigations.
“That’s right. The defense mechanisms in the Luna Ruins are a bit… excessive.”
“Excessive?”
Ignoring my confused expression, Owen continues.
“Rourke, if you could place a guardian on either a safe or a pencil case, which would you choose?”
“The safe, of course.”
“Exactly.”
It’s an obvious choice when comparing the two values.
But what’s the point of this question— Ah, I see.
“You mean the more important the building, the stronger the security?”
“Precisely. Well, this is just our speculation. We can’t be sure that human thinking was the same in the past as it is now.”
Owen says with a wry smile, but I have to agree. It’s human nature to strengthen security for valuable things.
“That being said, be careful. You never know what might happen in such places. Especially since you have your own secrets to keep.”
“…I understand.”
Owen, knowing my circumstances, ends with a teasing warning, to which I respond with a sigh while scratching my head.
As a side note, it was later revealed that Leia the priestess of the Flame Dragon would be part of the exploration team. When I tried to decline, Gareth and Lily stopped me with all their might.
*****
Luna’s ruins are hidden within the Judecca Forest, which spans across the western part of the Romus Kingdom. To enter Luna’s ruins, one must first go to the Judecca Forest. However, the surrounding area lacks proper transportation infrastructure, so reaching the ruins requires classic means such as horse-drawn carriages or walking.
That said, this only applies to ordinary people. Spirit users have another option.
“As expected of the Valhart family’s spirit, it’s fast and comfortable!”
“I’m honored by your praise, Senior Celia.”
Carrying Leia and Celia on its back, flapping its large red wings, was Salamander, Leia’s contracted spirit.
Behind it, an even larger wind spirit named Sigrum, resembling a hawk, was soaring through the sky with me, Gareth, and Lily on its back.
I had formed a simple contract to control one of the high-ranking spirits that Owen had previously sealed in a spirit stone for this occasion.
“It’s a nice ride.”
“Comfortable.”
“Well, of course. This spirit would normally be sleeping quietly in a vessel, not out here like this.”
I respond to Gareth and Lily’s comments about the pleasant breeze while looking at the emerald-colored stone, the spirit stone containing Sigrum, in my hand.
Spirit stones are commonly used as vessels for spirits, but they’re not made to contain such high-ranking spirits. Normally, it would break free and rampage, but it’s behaving because Owen tamed it beforehand.
In fact, with a high-ranking spirit of this level, a simple contract shouldn’t even be possible.
Even if it were possible, it should be impossible to fully control it, but the fact that it is possible shows just how advanced Owen’s taming techniques are.
“Rourke, you always bring high-ranking spirits on missions like this… Who exactly is this master of yours who lends you spirits?”
“Sorry, but that’s a secret.”
“Keeping secrets isn’t good.”
“My master made secrecy a condition for borrowing them. It can’t be helped.”
“Hmph.”
As Gareth sighs disappointedly at my words, Lily pouts and starts poking my back. Stop it, you’ll make me fall.
“Hey there~ It’s fine to flirt, but we’re about to arrive, so get ready to land!”
As I’m fending off Lily’s attacks by holding her head, Celia calls out loudly from Salamander’s back as it slows down to fly alongside us. It seems we’ve arrived near the ruins while chatting.
I order Sigrum to follow Salamander as it begins its descent, and Sigrum responds by flapping its wings wide and lowering its altitude.
As we land on the ground, we dismiss the spirits and gaze at the tower before us, which rises high into the sky in a distorted spiral shape.
“We’ve finally arrived.”
“So this is… Luna’s ruins.”
“What a distorted shape.”
“I’ve seen it in photos, but this is my first time seeing it up close.”
While everyone expresses their thoughts as they look up at Luna’s ruins, I remain silent.
“…”
What an eerie-looking building.
Owen said the purpose of this building was to be used as an altar for prayer, but it doesn’t look like a place for such sacred acts.
“Alright! Let’s go!”
Under the command of Celia, the leader of this team, we begin walking towards the entrance of Luna’s ruins.
To be honest, I feel hesitant about entering the ruins, which give off a more ominous atmosphere than I expected, but it’s too late to say I want to go back now.
For now, I summon a minor spirit I had sealed in a scroll-shaped vessel and form a simple contract with it, just in case we need to counterattack quickly.
“You’re quick to prepare.”
“Just in case.”
I say this to Gareth as I heighten my vigilance.
Apparently, weak spirits like minor spirits don’t approach the area around Luna’s ruins.
This means my combat options are limited to the spirits I’ve brought sealed in vessels. I need to be careful not to make any careless moves that could get the spirits hurt, or I’ll become completely useless…
“Alright, I’m going to open it. Are you ready?”
As we reach the entrance of Luna’s ruins, Celia makes a final check.
I’ve already completed the simple contract and am ready to move quickly if anything happens.
The other members also seem fully prepared.
After we nod, Celia takes out a key engraved with the dispelling formula for the spiritual seal placed to prevent illegal entry and inserts it into the door. As soon as we hear the sound of the seal being dispelled, we all enter.
“It’s dark.”
“I can’t see anything…”
“Come forth, flame.”
Since it was pitch black inside with no sunlight or lighting, I channeled spiritual power into a nearby floating fire spirit to illuminate our surroundings. A mural depicting a crescent moon and a woman gazing up at it came into view.
“This is…”
“Probably the moon goddess Luna.”
Leia murmured while using fire magic to light up the wall and examine the mural.
“It’s beautifully painted.”
“It must have been done by a renowned artist.”
Celia admires the mural with interest, and Gareth agrees.
I don’t know much about art, but even as an amateur, I think it’s a beautiful painting that well expresses the mystical nature of the goddess, with her hair and eyes shining golden in the moonlight.
While we were carelessly admiring the mural, I completely forgot that there was one person we shouldn’t have taken our eyes off, quietly exploring the surroundings.
As a result—
“Ah.”
Along with Lily’s voice, which sounded either flustered or calm (I couldn’t tell which), a sound like something sinking echoed. She’s done it again, this one.
Before we could even panic, the temple interior, which had been shrouded in darkness until now, became as bright as day, and we could clearly see countless geometric magic circles drawn on the floor and ceiling.
I had an unpleasant premonition.
“Lily, what did you press?!”
“I don’t really know, but when I touched the wall, it suddenly sank in.”
“It’s not just the lights coming on… is it?”
As if to confirm Celia’s concern, several magic circles drawn on the ground began to glow with spiritual power. No matter how you look at it, these are summoning circles. Well done.
“There are many. How should we fight?”
“No, let’s escape. It’s not a good idea to keep fighting against this number. Let’s go up the stairs in the back.”
“Understood. Then I’ll take the rear guard.”
Celia immediately decides to retreat in response to Gareth’s question. As I agree with that decision and offer to take the rear, a voice interrupts.
“Wait, please. If it’s the rear guard, I should be the one as I’m….”
“Your Salamander can’t go all out in this enclosed space, right? Besides, we can’t carelessly damage this building. I’m the most suitable.”
Salamander is a powerful spirit, but it’s also difficult to use.
As is often the case with high-ranking spirits, even when holding back, its power is still too high, making it unsuitable for combat inside valuable structures like these ruins.
If we accidentally turn the murals to charcoal, who knows what kind of backlash we’d face.
“I’ll stay behind too. Beowulf should be able to fight well here.”
“…Alright, I’m counting on you.”
I hesitated for a moment at Gareth’s offer, but indeed, his contracted spirit should be able to perform well in this space without problems. Additionally, since he knows about my circumstances, I can fight without worrying too much.
“I’ll stay too—“
“You go with Celia and the others.”
When the troublemaker tried to stay behind as well, I immediately rejected the idea. Looking dissatisfied, she was pulled back by Celia. While this exchange was happening, guardians resembling knights in black armor with surprisingly plump figures began to appear one after another from the magic circles. Moreover, they all seem to have black wings on their backs. Could these possibly be angels?
“Rourke, this is…”
“A man doesn’t go back on his word. Let’s do this.”
While breaking out in a cold sweat at the sight of this defense system that seems more intent on destroying the ruins than protecting them, I summon a sword spirit from my vessel.
“Come, Beowulf.”
As Gareth draws his magic sword from its scabbard, his contracted spirit appears beside him.
With a body larger than a normal tiger or lion, covered in gray fur and emanating cold air from its entire body, its appearance was majestic and somewhat eerily beautiful.
Beowulf the Ice Wolf – that’s the name of his partner, the contracted spirit.
Beowulf, capable of both ranged attacks and close combat without any weaknesses, and able to fight without using flashy techniques, is the perfect spirit for the current situation.
“First, Beowulf will create a path with one strike, then you dash to the stairs. After that, Rourke and I will hold them off. Is that okay?”
“No objections.”
As I nod, Celia and the others also agree by nodding their heads.
Gareth, having confirmed it, turns his gaze towards Beowulf while readying his sword.
Understanding his master’s intention through his gaze, spiritual power begins to overflow from Beowulf’s body.
“Well then, I’ll start the countdown. 3… 2… 1… Go, Beowulf!”
“GRAAAARGH!!”
Simultaneously with Gareth’s command, Beowulf lets out a roar so loud it might echo throughout the entire ruins. At the same time, an ice tunnel forms from our location to the stairs, spanning just over 200 meters.
“Everyone run! It’s not that sturdy, so it’ll break soon!”
With Gareth’s shout, everyone sprints through the ice tunnel at full speed. Meanwhile, Beowulf leaps high to hold off the approaching Guardians who are wielding halberd-like weapons, trying to eliminate the intruders.
“Go.”
I also summon a small wind spirit bird from my medium to cause a distraction, form a contract, and send it towards the Guardians before starting to run, slightly delayed.
“Tch! Too slow!”
“Eh? Kyaa!?”
Soon after starting to run, I head towards Leia, who isn’t exactly slow but is falling slightly behind compared to us. I scoop up her small body in a princess carry and resume running at full speed.
Leia looks confused by the sudden turn of events, but there’s no time to worry about that now.
“Rourke. Me too.”
“Is this really the time for that!? You’re fast, so run!”
“I object to this rough treatment.”
“This is all your fault to begin with, isn’t it!?”
As my physical abilities are enhanced by spiritual power, far surpassing the others, I catch up to Lily running ahead. She shows a disgruntled expression for who knows how many times today. This girl… should I seriously smack her head once?
As I’m thinking that, the ice behind us shatters loudly. It seems the Guardians that Beowulf and the wind spirit couldn’t handle are catching up.
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There’s no time for pointless arguments with Lily anymore.
“Just run!! I’ll do it next time if you want!”
“Okay, promise.”
Amid screams at the scene behind us, I promise to carry her next time, and Lily nods with satisfaction. Lily’s composure to have such a conversation in this situation is truly remarkable.
“The stairs! Keep going up!”
“Leia, I’m putting you down! Can you manage!?”
“Y-Yes!”
At Celia’s shout, I check with Leia while looking towards her.
Perhaps because she was being carried by a man who once insulted her, her face was bright red with anger. I’m sorry, but please forgive me, it’s really an emergency right now.
As I confirm the three of them, including Leia whom I just put down, disappearing up the stairs, the ice tunnel completely collapses, and numerous Guardians come charging towards us.
“Can you handle this, Gareth?”
“Who do you think taught you how to use a sword?”
Facing the approaching Guardians, Gareth and I exchange smiles before readying our swords to intercept them.
“Haa!”
“Huh!”
Gareth and I each dash towards the Guardians closing in, dodging their swinging halberds and aiming our swords at their exposed chests as we pass by. The swords collide with their armor, producing a high-pitched metallic sound that echoes through the ruins, but we feel no resistance at all.
“Tch!?”
“This is tough!”
As we turn back, our opponents also face us again. We look at the part of the armor we just slashed, but there’s only a single line on the chest plate with no apparent damage. Wait, isn’t this bad?
“Whoa!?”
“Rourke! Ugh!?”
While feeling this anxiety, a Guardian charges in again, swinging its halberd horizontally. I hastily use my sword as a shield to block the attack, but I can’t completely nullify the momentum and end up being blown back against the wall. It hurts like hell, but I guess it’s fortunate that I didn’t hit the mural.
Gareth, seeing me blown away, tries to come to my aid but is immediately overwhelmed by defending against the attacking Guardian. I look towards Beowulf, wondering if Gareth’s spirit could help, but Beowulf is also fully occupied dealing with several Guardians, albeit without much difficulty, and doesn’t seem to have the leisure to assist us.
By the way, it seems my wind spirit has already been defeated. The temporary contract has been broken, and I can’t sense its presence anymore. It’s probably safe to assume it was defeated by the Guardians and sent back to the Spirit Realm.
“This is bad.”
Two Guardians, now focused on me since the distraction is gone, charge towards me with their halberds ready. I dodge the wide swing of the first one by jumping to the right, but the second one, as if coordinated, brings its halberd down aiming to split my skull.
“Tch!!”
Judging that my arm would be torn off if I took it head-on, I time it to hit the side of the halberd’s shaft with my sword, deflecting its trajectory. The deflected axe blade of the halberd hits the ground beside me, shattering it with a thunderous sound.
Hey, hey, come on now.
“The Guardian is destroying the ruins!”
While making this retort, I channel spiritual power throughout my body and into my sword, gripping the hilt tightly and delivering a more powerful slash to its side.
“Tch!?”
The Guardian, caught off guard and taking the blade directly, bends its body into an L-shape and rolls forcefully towards the entrance.
“Tsk.”
I click my tongue, unsatisfied with the result. I had intended to cut it down completely, but I only managed to crack its armor. It seems I still lack power.
“Having a hard time, aren’t you, Rourke?”
“Shut up, you’re not one to talk.”
“Grrrr!”
As I lament my own ineffectiveness, Gareth, who seems to have been knocked back by a Guardian, stabs his sword into the ground to kill his momentum and lines up next to me. Further back, Beowulf, who had been fighting, also runs along the wall to avoid the Guardians and stands in front of us, sensing his master’s peril.
His massive gray body, while not bearing any major injuries, has several lacerations here and there, indicating that even he found it tough to handle multiple Guardians.
Or rather, considering they’re technically a higher-ranked species, it’s quite strange that he only sustained minor injuries… Come to think of it, looking closely, there are a couple of Guardians frozen solid and lying around in the back, so he’s definitely been more useful than me who hasn’t managed to take down even one yet.
As expected of Gareth’s contracted spirit, I suppose.
“Well, what should we do? We’re at a disadvantage if this continues.”
“Yeah, and it’s pointless if we keep worrying about the building.”
I mutter while staring at the Guardians lined up in front of us.
I wanted to fight while minimizing damage to the ruins as much as possible, but facing this many Guardians, we’ll almost certainly be defeated if we continue like this.
Besides, what’s the deal with us being careful about the ruins while they, who are supposed to be the ruins’ guardians, don’t care at all? They’re too focused on eliminating the intruders.
“After talking big earlier, I don’t want to retreat just like this.”
“Yeah, I at least want to incapacitate them.”
Gareth mutters with a wry smile beside me as I involuntarily grimace.
It’s not just about looking uncool, we don’t know how far these guys will chase us. We need to render them immobile as much as possible to avoid trouble later.
…I guess this can’t be helped.
I exhale, steeling my resolve, and slowly readjust my grip on my sword. And then—
“Sword of Karmic Fire.”
The fire lesser spirit floating gently beside me inhabits my sword spirit, causing its blade to burst into red flames.
Simultaneously, an incredible spiritual power is released from the sword spirit, and the Guardians take a few steps back, overwhelmed by the intensity of the spiritual pressure.
“Weren’t you going to conserve that?”
“Doesn’t look like we can take them down if we keep trading blows like this.”
What I used was an elemental enchantment technique on the sword spirit through the lesser spirit, but honestly, I didn’t want to use this from the start. This technique is a common attribute-granting skill that channels fire-attribute spiritual power into the sword spirit through the lesser spirit, but there’s a problem.
[Sword of Karmic Fire] pours an enormous amount of spiritual power into the sword spirit, right up to its limit, to produce firepower effective even against high-ranking spirits. As a result, it consumes a massive amount of spiritual power. Moreover, because it uses a lesser spirit as an intermediary, if the balance is off even slightly, the lesser spirit can’t withstand it and gets sent back. It requires a lot of concentration.
I didn’t want to use this technique in this situation where consecutive battles are expected.
“Your spiritual power is monstrous as always.”
“It’s my only redeeming quality. Anyway, I’m going to test if this actually works, so cover me.”
“Good grief.”
I laugh as I say this to the exasperated-looking Gareth, not waiting for a reply before dashing forward at once.
Faced with me approaching while drawing a red trajectory, the Guardians, perhaps feeling instinctive fear, try to retreat, but their bodies don’t move and they lose their balance on the spot.
“Tch!?”
“It’s not befitting of knights to flee.”
When the immobilized Guardians look at their feet, they find them glued to the ground by a spiritual technique Gareth activated. As expected, nice support.
“Never let your guard down.”
“!!”
Startled, I quickly darted under the Guardian, who was trying to shatter the ice beneath him. With a swift and precise upward slash, I sliced through him diagonally.
The Guardian, though rattled, instinctively raised his halberd to block the strike. However, this was a mistake. My blade, engulfed in flames, cut through the halberd’s shaft without any resistance and sliced the Guardian in half.
“That’s one down.”
Without even glancing at the Guardian as he disintegrated into particles and vanished into the spirit world, I leapt into the air.
Drawing a fiery arc in the sky, I moved above the second Guardian, who was left defenseless and unsettled by the sight of his fallen comrade. I struck down with a single vertical slash, cleaving him in two as well.
“!!”
In the blink of an eye, two of their comrades had been slain. The remaining Guardians on the ground, now terrified, flapped their wings and tried to escape into the sky.
“You’re not getting away!”
I swung my sword in a wide arc, aiming at a Guardian who had hesitated just a moment too long while trying to shatter the ice.
The flaming slash flew through the air, slightly missing its mark but still managing to burn off the Guardian’s right wing, sending him plummeting to the ground. I was about to finish him off when I felt a surge of spiritual energy from behind.
In that instant, a streak of violet lightning flashed past me.
“Magic Sword Gram, limited release!”
Gareth, having unleashed the power of his magic sword, wielded it with a crackling energy. Timing his strike perfectly, he slashed horizontally at the falling Guardian, the thunderous blade cutting cleanly through its torso.
“Can’t let you hog all the glory,” Gareth said with a confident smirk.
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“Impressive,”
I muttered in admiration, dodging an incoming attack from another Guardian by leaping into the air. Gareth’s swordsmanship was as precise and swift as ever, slicing through the Guardian with effortless grace. As expected from my swordmaster—he’s incredible.
“Raaaahh!”
Enraged by the loss of their comrades, the remaining Guardians let out furious roars as they rushed toward Gareth. But they seemed to have forgotten something crucial.
A Spirit Master is never alone; they are always paired with their contracted spirit.
“Roarrr!”
With a ferocious roar, Beowulf, Gareth’s contracted spirit, appeared. He pounced on the Guardians from above, slamming them to the ground with his sharp, clawed forelimbs. Then, with a burst of freezing energy from his entire body, he encased them in ice within moments.
“As always, an amazing spirit,”
I shouted, dodging the halberd aimed at my face with a mix of envy and awe.
Though several Guardians had now surrounded Gareth, diving at him from the sky, he managed to fend them all off effortlessly.
The speed and power with which the Guardians wielded their halberds were certainly impressive, but their technique was quite poor.
I’ve honed my skills under Gareth’s rigorous training, so these brute-force attacks won’t get to me.
“Raaahh!”
“Hah!”
I deflected a clumsy, heavy swing with the flat of my sword, redirecting it toward another Guardian behind me.
“Guh!?”
“!!”
“Wide open!”
Taking advantage of the Guardians’ confusion at this unexpected friendly fire, I gripped my sword with both hands, spun around, and unleashed a fiery slash. The two Guardians caught in the arc of flames collapsed to the ground, their bodies consumed by fire.
“This is exhausting…”
While I can defeat them, the spiritual energy it takes to bring down each one is immense. Grimacing slightly, I raised my sword to face the approaching Guardians.
*****
“Rourke, I think it’s time to call it a day, don’t you?”
About five more minutes into the fight, Gareth’s voice cut through the chaos. I glanced over to see that he had just finished cutting down another Guardian.
His body crackled with violet lightning, but his breathing was heavy, and signs of fatigue were beginning to show on his face.
We had bought enough time, and we’d taken down a fair number of Guardians. It was probably time for us to retreat.
“Yeah, let’s get out of here.”
Nodding in agreement with Gareth, I summoned a second minor spirit from the spirit substitute—this time an earth-elemental one.
“Alright, Beowulf!”
Seeing my nod, Gareth called for Beowulf, who rushed over and nimbly leapt onto his back, then dashed toward me.
I extended my hand, and Gareth reached out to grab it, but as he did, a Guardian suddenly descended from above, swinging his halberd down at us. Gareth had to withdraw his hand and swing his magic sword to block the attack.
“Beowulf! Grab him!”
“Gah!?”
In a split-second decision, Gareth ordered Beowulf to grab me. The ice wolf clamped its jaws around the back of my neck and took off toward the stairs. Ugh, I can’t breathe.
“Keep going up!”
“So… suffocating…”
Even as I was being tossed around by Beowulf, struggling to breathe, I managed to place my hand on the spirit wall at the base of the stairs and activate my spirit art.
Using earth magic, I caused the ground to rise, completely sealing off the entrance to the staircase we had just ascended. That should hold them off for a while.
“Hey, is it really okay to do that?”
“It was… already… like this…”
“You’re something else, aren’t you…”
Gareth chuckled, clearly amused by my breathless reply as he rode on Beowulf’s back.
But seriously, just let me down already. I’m about to pass out…
Despite my desperate thoughts, Gareth didn’t seem to take my condition too seriously. Beowulf, still holding me by the scruff of my neck, continued to run, bumping me against the floor as we rushed to rejoin our companions.
*****
These days, spirits have become so deeply integrated into human life that there’s even a profession called Spirit Master. However, there’s still a lot we don’t know about spirits.
One of the few known facts is that spirits don’t experience death the way humans do.
Unlike humans, spirits are beings composed of vast amounts of spiritual energy, so even if they are injured, they do not die. Instead, when they are on the verge of losing their connection to this world, they disappear into a separate dimension known as the “Spirit Realm,” a place where only spirits can exist.
This phenomenon is known as “banishment.” When a spirit is banished, they lose all the memories, knowledge, and experiences they gained in this world, and regardless of how powerful they were, they revert to a minor spirit.
Hearing this, one might think that while spirits don’t technically die, being banished is pretty close to death for them. But since they don’t cease to exist, in the field of spirit studies, banishment is not considered the same as death.
You could compare it to the concept of reincarnation in humans.
According to common belief, all spirits are born as minor spirits in the Spirit Realm and gradually raise their rank as they gain experience in this world over a long period of time… But this is still a subject of ongoing research, and nothing is definitive.
The important thing to remember is that while spirits don’t have a concept of death, they lose their rank and power if they’re banished.
Except for contracted spirits.
That’s right—everything I’ve said so far applies only to wild spirits or those bound by simple contracts through spiritual power.
Contracted spirits, on the other hand, are linked to their summoner through a contract sigil. Though they might temporarily be unable to manifest, they can generally recover within a day or two, depending on the summoner’s spiritual power, and return as if nothing happened.
It’s believed that this is because the contracted spirits store their experiences and knowledge through the contract sigil, but this isn’t certain either.
Anyway, after all that, what I’m trying to say is…
“So all those fat knights we worked so hard to defeat will be back in full force by tomorrow?”
“Yeah, that’s the terrifying thing about Guardians.”
Having somehow managed to climb onto Beowulf’s back before losing consciousness, I talked with Gareth about the Guardians.
All those heavy knights we worked so hard to take down would be back again tomorrow. Ah, the world is such a cruel place.
The thing about these Guardians is that they’re like contract spirits bound to ancient ruins, so no matter how many times you knock them down, they come back full of energy the next day, ready to attack again.
This is one of the main reasons why progress on investigating the ruins has been so slow.
If we destroyed the ruins to a certain extent, the Guardian problem would be solved, but then we wouldn’t be able to investigate the ruins at all, which would be pointless.
Seriously, though, even if it’s some ancient technology or whatever, the fact that even inorganic matter can contract with a spirit while I still haven’t been able to contract with any spirit…
“Rourke, we’ve reached the upper floor.”
“Yeah.”
As we reached the end of the spiral staircase, the door to the second floor loomed before us—loomed and then, without stopping, Beowulf charged straight into the door. Hey, wait a second!
“Ugh!”
The moment Beowulf smashed through the door and came to a sudden stop, I was thrown to the floor along with the shattered door, thanks to the law of inertia. As I tumbled across the floor, I felt something soft against my head.
“Ouch…”
That damn wolf… I cursed inwardly as I raised my head and saw a triangular piece of white fabric in the dim light.
Huh? What’s this?
Suspicious, I narrowed my eyes and stared at the white fabric.
Upon closer inspection, the fabric seemed to have some lace woven into it, along with some decorations that gave it a somewhat provocative yet innocent design.
I tilted my head, trying to figure out what it was. Then, as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed the smooth, pale skin on either side of me, and finally, I understood everything.
…Oh, I see. That’s what’s going on here.
Feeling the wild spirit energy emanating from right above me, I let out a quiet sigh.
What’s done is done. There’s nothing I can do to change it now. The important thing is how I manage to survive this. Since it wasn’t my intention to end up in this situation, I should have some leeway, right?
Having resolved myself, I slowly lifted my face from the darkness—or rather, from under the skirt.
“…”
“…”
The first thing I saw when I poked my head out was a beautiful head of silver hair. Next, I saw Leia’s well-defined face, blushing red like an apple. She was desperately trying to keep her composure, maintaining a blank expression, but her body was trembling, and her eyes were unfocused. To make matters worse, the red dragon Salamander had appeared behind her at some point and was glaring at me with an expression that screamed, “What do you think you’re doing to my master?”
Of all people, I had to stick my head under the skirt of the one person I really shouldn’t have.
—Come to think of it, the princess didn’t get embarrassed at all when I saw her in her underwear.
A memory from the past flashed through my mind.
There was one time when I accidentally got a full view of Misha in her underwear, but she didn’t seem embarrassed at all. Maybe she had no sense of shame, or maybe she was just confident in her figure, but she was completely unfazed, even looking proud.
As I recalled that memory, momentarily escaping from reality, I looked at Salamander, who was now beginning to gather flames in its mouth right in front of me. I smiled in resignation. This is it. I’m done for.
“I’m sorry for seeing your white underwear. But it was a complete accident, and I want you to understand that it wasn’t intentional.”
“Kyaaaahhhhh!!!”
I tried to apologize as a last-ditch effort, but it probably didn’t reach her ears, as she let out an adorable scream. As I prepared to be engulfed by the flames from Salamander’s mouth, I only hoped that it would at least leave me medium rare.
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***
“Anyway, I’m glad we were able to regroup safely.”
“Didn’t feel so safe just a moment ago, though.”
While Celia looked around at everyone, relieved, I muttered as Lily healed my stinging body with her spirit magic.
Celia smiled wryly, while my junior, the culprit responsible for my condition, averted her gaze, looking both embarrassed and guilty.
To be honest, I had my thoughts on the matter, but after what happened, I couldn’t bring myself to blame her. So I quietly let Lily continue treating me.
“That was your fault. Don’t blame Leia.”
“It was your damn dog that caused it in the first place.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
As I trembled in response to the words of the dog’s owner, Lily, who was treating me, patted my head.
Her kindness hit me right in the feels. Meanwhile, Gareth had somehow managed to land smoothly. Seriously, why am I the only one…
Currently, we had climbed the stairs from the first floor and reached the large hall on the second floor. This place, with its vibrant stained glass, didn’t seem to have any traps or Guardians, so the advance team had used it as a temporary base while waiting for Gareth and me.
“So, how did the battle downstairs go?”
“We managed to send most of them back, but it was impossible to deal with all of them. We had to retreat midway.”
“I see. Any sign of pursuit?”
“They were following us, but I blocked the stairs with spirit magic. Even if they come, it should take some time.”
“So, we don’t have to worry about them chasing us right away.”
Celia nodded as she confirmed the situation downstairs, then touched her chin, deep in thought about our next move.
She was the leader of this party. All decisions were hers to make.
If she deemed it too dangerous and ordered a retreat, we would retreat. If she told us to push forward, we would. Personally, I already wanted to go back, but…we’ll probably end up pushing forward.
“Let’s split into two teams again. Two will stay here to rest and intercept any pursuers. The other three will continue exploring. Any objections?”
“What about the team members?”
“The resting team will be Gareth and Lily, and the exploration team will be me, Rourke, and Leia. Any objections?”
“Objection. Why am I not on the resting team?”
I raised my hand and immediately voiced my opinion after being casually assigned to the exploration team.
Why does Gareth get to rest, but I have to go explore?
“Because you haven’t summoned your contracted spirit, so you should still have plenty of energy, right?”
That’s because I don’t have a contracted spirit!
But I couldn’t just say that outright, so I hesitated for a moment.
“Well, yeah, but…but Gareth should be able to move fine now too, right?”
“I used my magic sword. It only works with my spirit energy, so to be honest, I need a break.”
Oh, right. His magic sword, Gram, only works with the user’s spirit energy, and it’s pretty draining.
“Well then, take Lily with you.”
“She’s a bit…unpredictable.”
With a rather indescribable expression, Celia explained, and Leia awkwardly agreed. Apparently, Lily had caused quite a ruckus while Gareth and I were gone.
“You…”
“I couldn’t suppress my curiosity. I regret it, but I don’t feel sorry.”
“I-It’s okay. Thanks to her, we were able to confirm this room’s safety.”
Lily boldly declared, and Leia, unable to stand by, jumped in to cover for her.
Aren’t you embarrassed that your junior has to cover for you?
“…”
“U-Um…something wrong?”
“…”
Lily silently stared at Leia, who had just defended her.
Leia looked flustered under her senior’s silent gaze until Lily finally gave a small bow. It seemed she wanted to express her thanks for being covered.
“Say it with words.”
“Ugh…”
I lightly tapped Lily on the head, scolding her, but she just groaned and still didn’t say a word of thanks. She really was the pinnacle of social awkwardness.
“Ah, um, I really don’t mind, so it’s okay.”
Seeing Leia trying to ease the situation with an awkward smile, I couldn’t help but feel like she was strangely harsh only towards me. It was probably because of the incident during the freshman welcome battle, but still, isn’t there anything I can do…
“Anyway, to sum it up, are all four of you okay with the team arrangement?”
Celia asked for final confirmation, and the three of us nodded in agreement. Even though I’d used up a lot of spirit energy and really wanted to rest, I couldn’t go against the flow, so I hesitated slightly before nodding in agreement as well.
“Okay, Rourke, we’ll head out after a short rest. Please be ready.”
“Got it.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing your contracted spirit this time, senpai.”
“Haha…”
Leia’s request to see something that didn’t exist left me with nothing but a dry laugh. Feeling a sharp pain in my stomach, I leaned against the wall and took a brief rest.
I didn’t notice the gaze fixed on me during that time…
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