Chapter 52

052.

A brilliance so intense it hurts.

It fills the vision completely, and adapting to it seems impossible.

Kalen lost for words as he faced the reality of the spirit realm.

It’s not just the sunlight.

The spirit realm itself radiated blinding brilliance.

Perhaps one should say the lines are different.

The lines that form the shape of the world were, without a doubt, different from the human world.

Enough to make one involuntarily exclaim.

An utopia that everyone dreams of, as if it belongs in a romanticized novel.

Kalen blankly stared at it for a moment,

then,

tap-

regained his senses as he felt a light tap on his back.

“We don’t have time…! There’s no time for this. There are people to meet.”

“…”

I’m sorry.

For a moment, Kalen almost blurted those words but quickly suppressed the surprise in his mind.

Though he was not the type who couldn’t apologize or had a twisted personality,

Kalen didn’t think he was one to say sorry easily either.

Thinking about it, the only time he genuinely apologized was to Sinat.

Was it because of the somewhat mature tone, similar to Sinat’s, that made Kalen unconsciously hesitate as he almost apologized to Felicious?

“What are you looking at like that? The spirit you have contracted with is coming with you too.”

“I don’t have a contracted spirit.”

“Are you serious? Where in the world is there a person who doesn’t know the spirit they’ve contracted with?”

Kalen frowned, failing to understand Felicious’s statement.

First Tier magic serves as a foundation, Second Tier and Third Tier correspond to the attributes of nature and combat respectively.

While Sinat may not have, Kalen had not learned contract attribute magic,

and naturally, he couldn’t possibly have a contracted spirit.

As Kalen looked at Felicious with a puzzled expression, Felicious pressed his forehead while pointing at him.

“When you left the second time and came back.”

Felicious is Sinat’s spirit.

Naturally, he stays close to Sinat and spends most of his days with her.

And while Kalen had spent every day with Sinat, there were two exceptions.

When he left to deal with Lakatus and Hiart.

The second occasion he mentioned referred to when he was away from the small cottage due to Hiart’s matter.

“So?”

“…Are you really unaware?”

“I did attempt contract attribute magic just before, but nothing happened. That was my first and last attempt to contact the spirit realm.”

Felicious widened his eyes in genuine surprise before sighing deeply.

“…Tia-se will be disappointed. She had high hopes for the first human she’s meeting.”

Kalen could easily infer that the spirit named Tia-se that Felicious mentioned refers to the spirit he unknowingly contracted with.

Removing his hand from his forehead, Felicious continued with a look of deep pity.

“You. Think about it. Apart from the encounter with the betrayer, wasn’t there a similar experience?”

A cave comes to mind.

It was the cave that he discovered while isolated with Serasie in Hiart Mountain, surrounded by an unusual fog.

The entrance had a symbol similar to the one representing Sinat and Felicious’s contract.

“Yes, the second among the three betrayers. How could someone encounter two of the betrayers in hundreds of years? Is it possible for someone to meet them both?”

“There hasn’t been such a case. But you didn’t contract a spirit there, right?”

“That mark on your back is from the Claeimene family…or rather, Tia-se’s designated family.”

The symbol is similar but slightly different, isn’t it?

A feeling of scratching an itchy spot washed over him.

“Haa… I never thought it was a forced contract.”

“If I contracted with Tia-se, why is the mark on my back and not my wrist?”

“I don’t know. Moreover, there are no such rules. The mark of a contract can appear anywhere. It’s just that the wrist is the most straightforward, so most people go with that.”

He’d heard something similar before.

‘The North has its own traditions.’

Recalling those words, Kalen understood Felicious’s point.

Given that Kalen had never deeply considered the concept of the spirit realm,

it isn’t strange that spirits have their own unique culture.

“For a long time, my family Eklarath has had a deep tie with Tia-se’s Claeimene family. The same age, old friends, and Tia-se has… a few quirks, so I’ve always kept an eye on her…”

Felicious glared at Kalen with sharp eyes.

It was like a reproachful look aimed at an adult who had tempted a pure child.

It made Kalen feel subdued.

“Anyway… She’s coming soon…”

Felicious paced about, restless.

Apparently, after joining forces with the spirit Tia-se, they planned to depart together.

At least Kalen could cool his head during this time.

The longstanding relationship between Sinat and the betrayers,

as well as Kalen’s strange sensations, started to piece together.

With the revelation of the differences in the symbols, Kalen moved on to the next topic.

“You say you’re in a rush. I want to check on Sinat quickly. Can’t we leave now?”

“No.”

Felicious firmly shook his head.

“Even if our paths diverge or if you, who didn’t even know you’ve contracted with Tia-se, were incomplete, we can’t go to re-seal the betrayer.”

Felicious, who had claimed they were in a hurry, now hesitated,

“Even if you’re in a rush, this is essential. For your own safety, if nothing else.”

Taking a few steps forward, Felicious approached Kalen.

“You said your soul is here in the spirit realm, right?”

“Master knows about this and is guarding my body.”

“That’s correct. But do you understand what happens if your soul gets injured, or you receive a near-death blow here?”

Felicious’s question wasn’t just a query but rather something with a deep underlying meaning.

It’s not easy to think positively about scenarios concerning soul injuries or death.

“Since my contract partner is Sinat, it’ll be hard to expect good teamwork from you. However, since Sinat regards you as a genius, we’ll try to minimize the time by meeting Tia-se.”

“Understood.”

“The reason we’re in a hurry is that there’s a high probability that Sinat’s soul is in the tomb. If the betrayer who confined Sinat breaks the rules and attempts possession, we need to act quickly. That’s likely the situation we’re facing.”

In the middle of Felicious’s explanation about Sinat’s condition,

a clear voice came from behind Kalen.

“Felicious!”

Turning around, Kalen saw a girl with a pure smile waving.

The girl then quickly approached with small steps toward the human and spirit.

“Take care, Ti-a.”

“Sorry, but I’m a bit late…”

Her mouth froze mid-sentence.

Her pale violet gaze landed on Kalen, a boy.

“Ah…”

It was a stifled exclamation.

Ti-a, the girl called, stopped her embrace of Felicious and only stared at the boy.

Kalen was the same, though for slightly different reasons.

The resonance in his back became stronger, confirming that the girl was Tia-se.

Maybe he should shake her hand?

Just as Kalen awkwardly extended his hand,

“A, hello…”

The girl bowed deeply to greet.

Her hair, which shared the same color as her eyes, fluttered in the air.

It became awkward to even initiate a greeting in return, so Felicious cut in, seemingly bothered.

“Let’s save greetings for the human world later, Tia. Hurry up.”

“A, uh, okay.”

Kalen curiously observed the two girls, noticing Tia-se’s face turning red.

“Just a moment…”

Looking away, Tia-se shyly turned her back.

Her hands moved to hide behind her.

After a few coughs,

Tia-se turned around with both hands together.

“This…”

The neatly clasped hands were presented respectfully toward Kalen.

On the palm lay a faintly wet light spark.

Before Kalen could question,

“P, please have it…”

Tia-se, whose face turned beet red, bowed her head deeply and whispered softly.

Her voice was so small that Kalen, unable to comprehend, stood there frozen.

“Eat it quickly.”

“…Where is this…”

“While in principle, spirits who move to the human world must teach elemental magic, since this wasn’t the intended contract, this time we’ll use a shortcut.”

Upon hearing this, Kalen looked at Felicious, who turned her head while her ears perked up.

Her ears were notably flushed.

“We are still in the midst of our successor training and cannot seal the betrayers. You will have to use the power from your world. As long as you consume this, you can fully borrow Tia-se’s strength.”

“…”

“This method works only when a human comes to the spirit realm, not when spirits go to the human world, so hurry…”

Turning back again, Kalen noticed her ears and neck were almost burning red.

Tia-se’s extended hands trembled.

Without a doubt, this act was extremely embarrassing for her.