His name was Kel-Beron.

The surname was “Kel,” and “Beron” was his name.

Spirits naturally acquire names at birth, but those born with the surname “Kel” were particularly special beings.

[What’s your surname?]

[My surname is Kel.]

[Wow. Really Kel?]

The spirits celebrated the birth of a new “Kel.”

[So, you’re going to become the Spirit King when you grow up?]

[Of course.]

[What kind of Spirit King do you want to be?]

[I want to be a very, very great, powerful, and incredibly cool Spirit King.]

Spirits born with the surname “Kel” were destined to grow into Spirit Kings.

Some spirits worried about the existence of Kel-Beron.

[But your name is Beron?]

[Yeah. Kel-Beron.]

[The name Beron sounds really ominous.]

[Isn’t Beron the name of demons?]

One of the names considered taboo among spirits was Beron.

Beron was the name of a high-ranking demon that massacred spirits during the Great Spirit War long ago.

So the name Beron was synonymous with ominousness and fear.

[A spirit bearing the surname Kel and the name Beron?]

[Isn’t that a horrifying spirit king of blood?]

The newly born Kel-Beron could feel it.

The Spirit Realm was not a place for him.

The spirits hated Kel-Beron.

At least, that’s how Kel-Beron felt.

So he wanted to escape the Spirit Realm.

Just then, he saw the Spirit Gate and threw himself out without a second thought.

[I will become the great Spirit King!]

Unfortunately, not a single spirit tried to stop him.

Kel-Beron thought he wasn’t sad at all.

Because he was a spirit destined to become the great Spirit King.

Being sad over such things wouldn’t be great.

He was proud of it.

“Hmm?”

But then he felt a girl approaching.

At first, he was curious about the girl.

“How is her Spirit Affinity so high?”

The world seen by spirits was somewhat different from that seen by humans.

To Kel-Beron, the girl looked like a giant.

“Should I play a prank?”

So he approached the girl to play a prank.

He attempted to read memories and show illusions.

“Eeeek!”

But Kel-Beron couldn’t control his own body.

It felt as if a tremendous suction magic was placed upon him.

He got trapped in the girl’s mental world.

His Spirit Affinity was so high that it absorbed him.

“Sa-save me!”

To survive here, he had to crack the girl’s mental world.

Whether by breaking it or creating a slight gap.

So, he had to rummage through her weakest part.

‘This, this is it!’

Korea.

Traffic Accident.

Emergency Room.

Kang Han-jun.

To be honest, he didn’t really know what any of these were.

He had to break through somehow.

He couldn’t be absorbed and annihilated here.

“I am Kel-Beron, who has been alive for only eight hours!”

No one destined to become the great Spirit King could die here.

And in the end, he survived.

Kel-Beron was a bit terrified of the girl, who looked like a giant, but he didn’t show it outwardly.

‘Ugh, ugh!’

It was truly frightening when the dagger touched his throat.

It felt like he would get sucked into that horrifying world again.

In the end, Kel-Beron followed Viola’s directions.

‘So, so shameful.’

Grabbing his head, a future great Spirit King being humiliated like this.

It felt like all his hair would fall out.

‘Just you wait!’

Once the power of the Spirit Realm returns a little!

Then, I will fiercely scold you!

When the power of the spirit was slightly restored, he tried to scold fiercely, but he was subdued by Jeremy.

‘Wh-what is this?!’

To Kel-Beron, Jeremy looked like an ant through the Eye of the Spirit.

It was because of his low Spirit Affinity.

Therefore, he didn’t think much of it, but now Jeremy looked like a giant again.

It seemed to be mana, which existed among humans.

“Be still.”

“W-will do it specially.”

Kel-Beron stood still, pretending not to be afraid.

His gaze was fixed on Jeremy’s sword.

Magic weapons of humans are indeed terrifying.

He’d have to endure until he became the great Spirit King.

Just then, the magic circle activated.

As the magic circle activated with brilliant colors, Kel-Beron was filled with an indescribable confidence.

“I will scold you fiercely!”

It felt as if he had become the Spirit King.

A dignified aura and immense power seemed to reside in his body.

“You two will pay the price for daring to grab the back of Kel-Beron’s head!”

Ho ho ho.

The candidate for the Great Spirit King.

I’ll show you the power of the Spirit Candidate!

“I am the Spirit Candidate… Huh?”

But his bold proclamation didn’t finish.

“U-uhhh?”

He felt as if he was being sucked into somewhere again.

The young Spirit Candidate Kel-Beron didn’t know what would happen if he stayed near a human with ridiculously high Spirit Affinity.

*

The magic circle emitted colorful lights.

Having seen so many in novels, Viola wasn’t particularly surprised.

Used to the dazzling lights of modernity, it was nothing that amazed her.

Instead, it was a bit irritating hearing the spirit babbling.

‘What is it saying?’

She couldn’t really hear it.

Though they shouted earnestly, the mana waves here were too strong to hear.

It just sounded like baby babble to her.

‘Hmm?’

What surprised Viola was not the activation of the magic circle.

‘What is this?’

Like being drawn to a magnet, the blue-haired spirit was pulled toward her.

“My name is Kel-Beron. Will you make a contract with me?”

Viola tilted her head.

It felt awkward and strange somehow.

As if he didn’t want to talk, yet was compelled to do so.

Against his will.

“A contract? So sudden?”

“Will you make a contract with me?”

Kel-Beron seemed unable to say anything else.

The magic circle buzzed and poured out mana, and enormous spirit energy seeped from the Spirit Realm.

“I’ll ask you again. Will you make a contract with me?”

Suddenly, Viola felt something was off.

The name Kel-Beron.

She felt she had heard it somewhere.

‘Kel-Beron?’

Viola snapped her head up and stared at Kel-Beron.

Blue hair. Blue eyes.

‘Oh my, is that Kel-Beron of all Kel-Berons?’

Kel-Beron.

This spirit was incredibly famous.

One of the merciless and powerful villains that appears in the latter half of the story, guarding the ‘High Die.’

‘The Water Spirit King?’

High Die had committed numerous heinous crimes and massacres.

Even the Empire issued a hunt order to apprehend him, and he had even been captured a few times.

‘Capturing him was just the beginning.’

No magical weapon, spell, or any weapon could attack High Die.

That was because Kel-Beron, the Water Spirit King, protected him.

‘That Kel-Beron is THIS Kel-Beron?’

Viola smiled.

“Of course.”

Upon hearing that, Kel-Beron seemed quite flustered.

Why, why is the contract being made so easily!

I declared I would fiercely scold you!

‘This isn’t what I wanted!’

In fact, Kel-Beron was afraid of Viola.

When he was stuck in that mental world and struggling, he thought he was drowning.

An utterly unfamiliar and terrifying feeling towards the Water Spirit.

If he made a contract with Viola, he felt he would experience that feeling again.

It felt like he would be trapped in the huge abyss that was Viola, never to escape, and that smile seemed like the devil’s smile.

“L-let me double-check. You really want to contract?”

Viola seemed a bit suspicious.

Kel-Beron appeared to have no intention of making a contract at all.

Though he didn’t know why, it seemed like she could feel that Kel-Beron regarded her with some wariness.

“Of course. I like Kel-Beron.”

“Why, why?”

Well.

Isn’t it because I will become the guardian spirit that protects you once I become the Spirit King!

“Is it not allowed to like you?”

“I-I was going to dig into your weakness and attack!”

“There must have been a reason for that.”

What’s the big deal?

The Water Spirit King proposed the contract first.

If she missed this, she would regret it deeply.

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course.”

Viola smiled again.

Seeing that, Jeremy was a bit dumbfounded.

‘Viola is smiling?’

It didn’t seem like she was toying with him wearing a mask; it looked genuinely happy.

Jeremy scratched his head and observed Kel-Beron.

Which part of Kel-Beron did Viola like so much?

This was the first time Jeremy saw Viola laugh like that.

Wanting to get close to Viola, Jeremy contemplated seriously.

‘Should I dye my hair?’

Would she like him more if he dyed his hair blue?

He couldn’t comprehend it in his mind.

“Let’s make a contract, Kel-Beron.”

*

Swoosh—

Kel-Beron’s body melted away.

To be precise, it flowed down like a waterfall, turning into a huge droplet that covered Viola’s body.

How warm.

It felt like being trapped in water, yet breathing was not difficult.

In fact, it was warm and comfortable.

It felt like enjoying a spa with his whole body.

‘Is this a world under the sea… or something?’

Before long, Jeremy also disappeared from her sight.

It was like entering a warm ocean.

From within, a voice came.

“Our contract is complete… um.”

For some reason, Kel-Beron’s voice seemed to tremble.

Unable to resist her curiosity, Viola asked.

“Do you dislike our contract? If you contract with me, you can fully exert your power as a spirit, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

Bubbly sounds.

As if rising droplets manifested before her, they soon took the shape of a boy.

He seemed to be fearful and could not come closer.

“Ah, anyway, our contract is complete, and I have become your guardian spirit.”

“That’s a good thing.”

Viola reached out as if to shake hands.

At that, Kel-Beron gasped in surprise and moved back.

“N-no need for a handshake.”

“Why not?”

“It’s nothing. There’s a difference between genders, and I can’t hold hands.”

“Do spirits have genders?”

Kel-Beron momentarily lost his words.

‘True, I do not have a gender.’

Kel-Beron grew more afraid of Viola.

A newborn spirit with no gender believed it suddenly had a gender of its own.

Moreover, he unconsciously thought of that as male.

‘This is all… because of your absurdly high Spirit Affinity!’

He was trapped in that mental world, and to escape, he had touched the most vulnerable part, “Kang Han-jun.”

“Kang Han-jun” was the biggest weakness of that mental world.

And “Kang Han-jun” was male, which left an enormous influence on the current Kel-Beron.

Kel-Beron regretted, once again.

‘What a stupid pride I have.’

He should have just run away when he first got out of the mental world.

[What on earth is Korea?]

[So, you’re Kang Han-jun?]

Purposely showing off, he forced himself to appear before Viola.

At that moment, Kel-Beron thought he had to face and overcome his fears.

‘Because I am a man destined to become the great Spirit King… No, no. I’m a spirit destined to become the Spirit King!’

However, that was a grave mistake.

Now, he could not escape.

If he slipped up, it felt as if he could get sucked into the contractor’s mental world and face a traffic accident.

Meanwhile, Viola, now the contractor, could somewhat feel Kel-Beron’s heart.

She didn’t precisely know what he was afraid of, but it was clear that Kel-Beron was indeed afraid of her.

A special measure was needed.

The great guardian spirit who protects the incredibly powerful villain High Die. Kel-Beron had to become that guardian spirit.

For a happy and secure old age!

“Kel-Beron.”

She knew all too well how to comfort and soothe Kel-Beron.

As a reader, she was well aware.

“What, what?”

“What was the first thing you wanted to do when you made a contract with a human?”

Kel-Beron thought about it.

Something he wanted to do.

He surely had something in mind. But it was embarrassing to say.

It was a wish not befitting of the great Spirit King.

“I don’t have any simple little wishes like that.”

“I never said it was simple.”

Viola smirked.

“Wouldn’t you like to water pretty flowers together? My house has a huge Marguerite flower field.”