Chapter 70

070.

“…So, you called me because you were bored?”

“Yep.”

“Haa… really… I was worried something happened.”

“You don’t need a special reason to call a spirit, you know. And anyway, you’re the only human I can talk to, so I’m never really bored.”

“But still…”

“So? What’s wrong with that, Felicious?”

At Eklesea’s private teahouse,

At its entrance, a boy was quietly babbling.

The boy’s name is Kalen.

Though not publicly known, he reached the Fourth Rank at the youngest age and is a genius who defeated an ancient existence from the spirit realm.

Despite such greatness, the boy was crouched in the corner of the teashop, muttering to himself.

However, upon closer inspection, one would realize he wasn’t actually alone.

Two spirits—one dark-colored, the other light purple—were by his side.

The teashop owner had long since slipped away, sensing the situation.

If someone were to see him conversing with spirits normally, they’d be shocked beyond measure.

Luckily, there was no one around.

At the same time, that was the problem.

Even Daphnis and Licheisa had gone inside, and suddenly Kalen felt lonely.

Blamia and Sinat, Eliana and Serasie.

From Felicious and Tia-se to Daphnis and Licheisa…

Kalen had come to understand the emotion of loneliness well.

Still, he was fortunate.

He always had friends he could call upon.

“In the end, you’re the only one I can rely on, Tia-se.”

“Fuh… Saying that would make Felicious sad, you know?”

“…”

“It’s fine. Felicious must dislike me, right?”

“Wha-Who said they dislike me?! You keep summoning me at random times…!”

“I’m sorry.”

Felicious exaggerated their reaction as if stung unnecessarily, and Kalen apologized upon seeing this.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

Kalen’s expression tends toward the colder side, making it difficult to discern his emotions just by looks alone.

It’s hard to differentiate between his jokes and sincerity.

Additionally, Kalen isn’t the type to joke around often, which makes it understandable that Felicious misinterpreted his previous words.

Kalen smiled slightly upon seeing Felicious’s flustered expression.

Only then did Felicious realize they’d been tricked and flailed their ethereal form.

“To think you’d deceive me…!”

“Sorry. Your reaction was amusing.”

“Felicious does have a sensitive side, you know.”

Kalen didn’t fully understand the reason himself,

but there was just something about teasing Felicious that was satisfying for some reason.

He thought he wasn’t the type to joke or tease others,

but it felt different when it came to Felicious.

“Haa… so when is Sinat coming out?”

“Hmm. I don’t know either, which is why I called you two.”

“It would be nice to see Sinat while we’re here.”

“They must be quite busy.”

The one responding was Tia-se.

“Because of the last incident… Although everything turned out well in the end, there are still many things that need to be dealt with.”

“What kind of things?”

“Well… the most important task is confirming other traitors. Since the traitor in Eclerart caused chaos, we need to make sure there are no issues with other houses’ traitors.”

“Is Climen safe?”

“Yes. Mother herself went to check, and our seal seems fine.”

“That’s fortunate. I thought the person I saw at Hiart Mountain might have been the traitor from Climen’s side.”

Even an ancient existence so old that their past could be considered spirit realm history surfaced,

and a traitor on the verge of breaking free from their seal was put to eternal rest.

Not an easy feat.

It seems the spirit realm is quite busy dealing with the aftermath of that incident.

“It’ll be fortunate if there’s no trouble. Also, if you want to see Sinat, I’ll have to dismiss this summoning first. Tia-se needs to return.”

“Why?”

“I can’t reveal my magic is at that level yet. Felicious, it’s fine since you’re a spirit connected to Sinat, but Tia-se, unfortunately, you’ll have to go back when others arrive.”

“Are you just playing with me and then discarding me…?”

“…Where did you hear that phrase?”

Although Kalen enjoys the protection of Lacatus, Hiart, and Dranunus, he’s somewhat free from the envy of the nobility.

Blamia wants to bring Kalen into the Dranunus family as a son-in-law.

Beyond simply envying and being jealous of his shining talent,

there are those who might want him close to exploit his abilities.

The grand mage advised against Kalen’s talents becoming too exposed.

Of course, the danger still exists.

If two of the four great houses were to endure the backlash and target Kalen,

it very well could happen.

“Ah, Kalen.”

“Hm?”

“Mother wishes to meet you once.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Felicious’s mother is the ruler of Eclerart,

and also one of the queens who divide the spirit realm.

Kalen considered her words for a moment but found no real reason to refuse.

There were things he wanted to do.

His plans after Sinat’s protection duty included visiting the spirit realm.

If they invited him, he’d welcome it.

“I don’t mind. I was planning to ask anyway.”

“To visit the spirit realm?”

“Yeah. I want to learn more about my past.”

When Felicious first met Kalen,

she mentioned he possessed the power of Eclerart.

That was in reference to his aura,

revealing quite the grand secret for a bastard child born from a prostitute and a low-ranking noble.

Kalen suddenly grew curious about his past.

Was he truly abandoned?

Or did he even originate from the parents he vaguely remembers?

If that were true, how could his constitution, aura, and talent be explained?

Kalen, who had overcome countless odds, had matured accordingly and

was finally ready to reflect on himself.

The boy who once begged on the streets

was slowly growing into an adult.

“Then it’s decided. I’ll inform my mother.”

“But Sinat’s task needs to be completed first. I can’t go right away.”

“Understood.”

Thus, Kalen’s visit to the spirit realm was reconfirmed.

Tia-se, who had been listening to the conversation between Kalen and Felicious,

cautiously joined in.

“Kalen…”

“Tia-se?”

“Could we also stop by Climen?”

“Climen too?”

Kalen had faced a traitor from Eclerart.

It was probably because there was some connection when looking at the entirety of the spirit realm.

Tia-se also mentioned she had persuaded the ruler of Climen to join this adventure, so there was no reason not to show her face.

“Alright.”

“Really!”

“Yes. Really.”

“…Thank you so much…”

Tia-se’s shy response was slightly curious,

but she naturally felt embarrassment in strange situations.

Kalen vaguely thought this was the kind of reaction.

As Kalen was talking with Felicious and Tia-se,

the inside began to get a bit noisy.

It seemed Sinat’s debut in society had come to an end.

Kalen shook his legs, stood up, and said his goodbyes to Felicious and Tia-se.

“If you want to see Sinat, I’ll let them know. Sorry, Tia-se. I’ll summon you again soon.”

“Understood.”

“Yes.”

After watching the two spirits return to the spirit realm,

Kalen headed toward the corridor leading inside,

ready to greet Sinat.

After a moment,

he waited patiently for Sinat who would soon appear.

Suddenly,

a vibration was felt from the floor.

Kalen furrowed his brows and looked down the corridor at the unexpected tremor.

From the inside, he could sense numerous footsteps, and he saw noble young ladies approaching him with purpose.

Their elegant gait might’ve restrained a full-on sprint,

but if not for that, they would’ve undoubtedly run towards him.

At the same time Kalen instinctively took a step back,

Sinat arrived first, followed by Eliana, Serasie, Daphnis, and Licheisa making their way to Kalen.

“What are you doing?”

“Kal!”

Without hesitation, Sinat grabbed Kalen’s hand.

Kalen tried to calm Sinat, whose excited demeanor was evident,

but he couldn’t interrupt due to her abrupt question.

“At our house, there’s a banquet! Will you come?”

“…A banquet?”

“Yes. The banquet.”

A question without clear context or meaning.

Though Sinat occasionally acted odd,

this was the first time she’d burst in without setting the scene properly.

Kalen closed his mouth, apparently unable to make sense of Sinat’s words.

The other four young ladies’ eyes also focused on Kalen, excluding Sinat.

Even though Kalen had associated with Sinat,

it was Blamia, along with Lacatus and Hiart, who had been preparing for the return of the Dranunus House.

Talks of banquets and procedures were something Kalen couldn’t possibly know about.

Sinat’s sudden, clipped words presumably referred to that.

Since it was a banquet hosted by the Dranunus House, it was likely to celebrate their revival.

Realizing this fact,

he found no reason to hesitate.

After all, he had already accepted the role of Sinat’s protector,

which meant he would naturally serve as her support during the event.

With this thought, Kalen nodded.

“I’ll participate.”

“Yay.”

“…?”

Only then did Sinat seem satisfied and release her grip.

She emitted her characteristic laugh and exaggeratedly chuckled.

From that point onward,

the expressions of Eliana, Serasie, and Daphnis became serious.

“What are you looking at?”

“…”

Licheisa continued to glare at him.