Strapping my sword back to my belt, I cast a glance around the dining room. With their lord now gone, the atmosphere relaxed, though only slightly. The twins moved with silent efficiency, clearing plates and stacking silverware with practiced coordination.
Subaru, naturally, disrupted the rhythm. He leaned too close to Ram as she passed, grinning like a fool. "Ram-senpaaai~! You didn't even smile once during dinner! You'll get wrinkles if you keep that up!"
She shot him a withering look that promised violence, but didn't say a word.
Rem, meanwhile, ignored him entirely, her eyes never leaving her task.
I exhaled through my nose and turned my attention to Emilia, just rising from her chair. Her hands smoothed the folds of her pink dress, graceful and unhurried, before she tucked a few strands of silver hair behind her ear and met my gaze.
"I'm surprised," she said with a soft smile. "I didn't think you'd be staying, Ethan."
I watched her a second too long. No suspicion in her eyes. No probing intent. Just curiosity… and a faint melancholy.
"Do you not approve?" I asked, tone lighter than usual, not teasing, but brushing the edge.
"I didn't mean it like that! I just—"
She waved her hands quickly, only to pout as she caught the smirk forming on my face.
"You're a dunderhead, Ethan," she muttered, lips twitching. "And hard to read sometimes."
"My bad, my bad." I lifted both hands in mock surrender. "Anyway, you said you were going to talk to the spirits after breakfast, right?"
Emilia nodded and turned to glance out the nearby window.
"I'm a bit late," she murmured, "but I still have time."
I followed her gaze briefly, then looked back to where Subaru was now trying to hold a conversation with the twin maids as they shooed him out of the room. Most of their responses were curt and pointed, jabs at his eating habits or general lack of decorum.
'I can't exactly follow Subaru around 24/7. Not that I even want to… I either wait for a reset, drag him to the capital, or, well… kill him myself. I think I'll just take my time. If something happens, the Witch will make sure I know. One way or another.'
I kept watching him with a growing intensity as he reached the doors, only for him to suddenly spin around and wave, as if this were the last time we'd ever see him again.
"Bye, Emilia-tan! See ya around, Ethan. I'm heading off first! To the promised land of... employment…"
I shook my head at the dramatic flourish, exchanging a quiet wave with Emilia as he disappeared around the corner, trailing after the twin maids like a baby chick following its handlers.
With him gone, my eyes drifted to the last two figures in the room: Puck and Beatrice.
Still wholly engrossed in each other.
Still completely detached from everything else.
"Bubby, you promised you would spend the day with me earlier, right!? You'll keep your promise this time?"
"Of course, Betty." Puck floated gently from her grasp, earning him a displeased grumble, before turning to Emilia.
"I'll be nearby, Lia."
She gave a faint nod. With that, he nestled back into Beatrice's waiting arms. Together, the pair trotted toward the dining room doors. A soft click echoed as they shut behind them.
And just like that, it was only me and Emilia.
'So… now what?'
Since the looping began, it had been one mission after another. Each with a purpose. A goal. A direction. And now… I'd hit a patch of dead air.
'The goal is still the same. Get stronger. Survive. Kill the Witch, and regain control of my life. But how? There's no walkthrough. No guides. No tutorial pop-up for how to get gud.'
The realization hit with a strange weight. I'd spent my life on rails, point A to point B, clear expectations, clear rewards. My parents had paved the way, and all I had to do was follow.
Even here, in this world, Reinhard had provided structure. All I had to do was learn from him, train like him, stick close, and survive. But now? That scaffolding was gone.
Ever since I stepped outside that loot house and chose to follow Emilia, I'd known I was on my own. But knowing it… and feeling it, feeling that uncharted freedom closing in from all sides, were two very different things.
Overwhelmed. That's what I was.
Too many paths.
Too much space.
And apparently, I'd been staring at Emilia for longer than I thought.
"Uhm… Ethan?" she asked softly, rocking on her heels. Her slightly pointed ears flushed pink. "I can't help you if you don't say anything, you know?"
"Right… yeah, of course."
'Should have used Reason and Judgement.'
"Sorry about that, not sure what came over me. Just a little tired, I guess."
"Hmm. Do you need to lie down?" She tilted her head, that familiar expression of curious concern returning.
"No… I'll be fine." The words came out flat. Automatic.
But inside, my thoughts kept racing.
'...Fuck it.'
'The world won't end if I take a small break.'
"Mind if I come with you?" I asked. "To speak with the spirits, I mean. I won't interfere, I'm just curious to see what it looks like again."
I'd only caught the tail end of it once before, back in the slums, when she used spirit magic to track Felt. Small motes of light had danced around her, like a constellation coming to life. It had been… beautiful.
Seeing a pretty sight might help take the edge off.
"Hmmm." Emilia tapped her chin, then leaned in close, eyes narrowing like she was trying to see through me.
"I wouldn't mind," she said at last, spinning on her heel with surprising grace. A flash of silver hair brushed my shoulder as she turned toward the door.
As I moved to follow, she paused with her hand on the knob and looked back at me.
"I know we don't know each other that well yet… but if you ever need help with anything, please tell me, Ethan."
I stopped mid-stride.
For a moment, I just stared at her, into those strange amethyst eyes. Funny. I'd said something similar to Reinhard once. Now here I was, on the receiving end.
I nodded once, then caught up with her in a few long strides. We walked together through the silent halls, side by side.
The quiet stretched on, just long enough to start feeling awkward.
So I broke it. "Why do you speak with spirits, anyway? Are they friends of yours?"
"It's part of my contract with Puck," she said simply. "I wouldn't say the lesser spirits are friends… they're not really developed enough for something like that."
"And what exactly are spirits, anyway?" I asked, brows furrowing. "I mean, I've heard the usual rumors, but you're a spirit arts user yourself, maybe you've got a fancy way of spinning it."
She laughed. A soft, airy sound that pulled me out of my own head for a second.
Before I could wonder why, she continued.
"I wouldn't say I have a special way of explaining spirit arts. I've just always had a strong affinity. Ever since I was young, spirits would show up and help in little ways."
She smiled, her voice gentle as she went on. "Anyway, I'm sure you already know this, but spirits are beings of nature. They're made of pure mana, each with its own elemental affinity from birth. That determines where they like to gather… and how they behave."
"So fire spirits like heat?" I asked absently as we turned a corner and approached the side door that led out to the garden.
Emilia gave a light hum in response.
"Yes! Fire spirits usually show up around fireplaces, forges, places like that. But they can just as easily be found somewhere cold…"
Her voice softened.
"Like frozen forests," she whispered.
I glanced at her.
But she was looking out a passing window, her expression unreadable.
'That's… oddly specific.'
"So," I said after a beat in an attempt to recover from the odd atmosphere, "what're the odds of someone like me being able to form a contract with one?"
She turned back to me, no sign of whatever had caused her little pause present in her expression.
"Hmm… I'm not sure. But Puck said you have a good affinity with spirits. Maybe we'll find out when I call them in just a minute."
"Sounds like a plan," I murmured.
Having a spirit, whatever that actually meant, sounded useful. And even if I couldn't… it was interesting to think about.
Stepping ahead of Emilia, I opened the door for her. She flashed me an appreciative smile for my dumb little attempt at chivalry.
Together, we walked beneath the warming light of the late morning sun, making our way back to the shade of the same stone gazebo from earlier.
"So… how do you want to go about this?" I asked, settling into the rhythm of conversation again. "Back in the capital, you had Reinhard and Puck step away. Puck said it was because they were 'strong.' Do I need to do the same? Sit off to the side while you politely introduce me like a guest at a tea party or something?"
She laughed, light and amused. "I think you can just sit. I'll call the spirits over. There shouldn't be any problem with you being here, after all, Reinhard and Puck are special cases."
I gave her a thumbs-up and took a seat to watch the literal magic happen.
Emilia stepped to the center of the gazebo, eyes closed and head tilted down. Her lips moved, whispering something I couldn't hear. A silent conversation to the wind.
I watched the breeze gently lift strands of her silver hair, ruffling the hem of her pink dress. The moment felt like it had been stolen from a painting.
Then it began.
A faint glow surrounded her, subtle at first, then brighter. The world seemed to fall away. Hundreds of tiny motes of light shimmered into being, blinking in and out of existence like fireflies trapped in a dream.
Emilia kept whispering, smiling at times, as if reacting to something said in return. The spirits danced around her, brightening and dimming with no clear rhythm, but I didn't care.
All I could think was:
'This is beautiful.'
It was the only coherent thought in my head until I noticed something... strange.
The colorful spirits, mostly blue and green, never came near me. They clustered around Emilia, but there was a clear, invisible barrier between us, like I was encased in a bubble.
And for once, I didn't need Reason and Judgement to guess why.
'It's the miasma, isn't it? Reinhard said Authority users give off miasma, corrupted mana. But he also said mine wasn't corrosive like it should be. So... what gives?'
As I pondered, a sudden flash of white flickered past my eyes like a tiny comet.
I looked up.
A small, white spirit hovered in the air above me, larger and more solid than the others. It flew slow circles around my head, moving with deliberate focus.
I glanced over towards Emilia, but she was still deep in conversation with her crowd of lights, eyes closed, lips moving.
I was on my own, but that didn't bother me. A small grin tugged at my lips.
'Alright then. Let's play detective.'
'So what are you, little one?' I mentally questioned, not wishing to break the ethereal silence that had blanketed the small part of the world we were sequestered in.
And then, clear as a bell in the quiet of my mind, I heard it.
'Spirit.'
I tilted my head, both surprised and amused. 'Well, yeah, I figured that part. But why aren't you afraid of me? Why are you the only one who isn't keeping distance?'
The spirit hovered in front of my face, then spun upward in little figure-eights, practically radiating confidence.
'Me.'
It paused.
'Stronger.'
The most articulate elucidation I'd ever been provided when asking a question. Truly, this was the peak of conversational skills.
'So you're stronger than the others here?' I teased, tone light and half-sarcastic.
But the little orb didn't seem to notice. If anything, it basked in what it must've interpreted as praise. It twirled around me again, weaving through the air as if inspecting every inch of me.
This time, it didn't speak.
It felt.
Emotion flooded into me, not as words, but as sensations, as impressions pressed into my consciousness.
Interest.
Ambition.
Pride.
I blinked, startled. The emotions were clear. Direct. Alien. They weren't exactly mine, but they weren't entirely not mine either. It was… disorienting.
I shut my eyes, trying to parse them, like sorting through a conversation spoken entirely in gut feeling.
By the time the weight of it passed and I opened my eyes again—
The white spirit was gone.
And so were the rest.
The gazebo stood empty aside from the presence of Emilia.
"Ethan? Are you alright? What happened?" Her questions came rapid-fire as she rushed over, clearly reacting to the look on my face.
"You didn't see any of that?" I asked, blinking at her. She shook her head, confused.
"There was this white spirit," I began, still processing. "Larger than the ones orbiting you. It floated over, circled me a bit, spoke a few words, and then vanished."
Rather than alarm, Emilia's face lit up.
"That's wonderful!" she said brightly, while I remained… less convinced.
"If it talked to you, that means it took interest. And if it could speak at all, it must've been a high-grade spirit. Did it say much?"
"Not exactly," I replied. "Its speech was… primitive. Just one-word replies. But it also communicated through emotion. That part was clearer."
Emilia clapped her hands softly, visibly thrilled. "Then it must've been a quasi-spirit! That's the stage right before becoming a true spirit."
I blinked. "Ah, I see."
I did not see.
"…Could you maybe run me through the levels?"
She plopped down beside me and held up her fingers, clearly happy to explain.
"So, first, you've got lesser spirits. They're super basic, and they can only convey emotions, no words, no real self-awareness."
I nodded slowly, following so far.
"Once a lesser spirit gathers enough mana, builds a stronger sense of self, and gains a little more knowledge, they can evolve into a quasi-spirit. They still struggle with language, but they're better at interpreting emotions and have a basic identity."
I tilted my head. "So if they're not supposed to speak… why could mine?"
She gave me a contemplative look. "It probably means it was on the verge of evolving again, very close to becoming a full-fledged spirit. That's the next grade. At that point, they're able to understand language well and speak clearly."
"Got it," I said, though some part of me was still stuck on the strange feelings that had flooded into me. "That's… good to know."
Then I frowned. "Oh, right, do you know why the other spirits avoided me? It looked like they were all deliberately staying away."
She paused, then gave a small shrug.
"I'm not sure," Emilia said as she glanced toward the now-empty air where the spirits had once been. "The feeling I got from them during our conversation was… they felt overwhelmed. That always happens with Puck, he's the Great Spirit of Fire, so his presence can be a little intimidating to smaller spirits."
She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing with curiosity as they settled back on me. "But I don't think you have that same kind of power...?"
I rubbed my chin, brow furrowed in performative thought, leaning back just slightly like the idea hadn't even occurred to me.
"Yeah. No idea what that's about."
"Well then," I added with a casual shrug, "I guess I've got a spirit that might be interested in me." My eyes drifted toward the sunlit edge of the gazebo. "Oh, and I'm guessing because they were white, they were a spirit of Yang?"
Emilia's eyes lit up as she straightened, clasping her hands together in excitement. "Ah! That slipped my mind, but yes, that's even more impressive. Yin and Yang attributes are already rare, but to attract a quasi-spirit of Yang? That's incredibly lucky if you can get closer to it!"
She took a breath, then leaned toward me slightly, her expression bright. "You said at breakfast that you could use Yang magic, and I remember you using it back in the slums, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I've got decent affinity for Yang."
"That would explain it," she said, tapping her chin with a thoughtful finger. "Contracting with a spirit takes a few factors, but the two big ones are spirit affinity and sharing an element. Sounds like you've got both in this case."
I grinned faintly and leaned back on my hands, stretching out my legs under the bench. "Yeah. I must be really lucky, huh? I'll keep an eye out for the little one. Maybe it'll stop by again."
Emilia clapped once, then stood up in a fluid motion, brushing off her dress. "Please do tell me if it shows up! I'd love to talk with it. Higher-ranked spirits get rarer and rarer the further up in grade they go."
"I'll keep you in mind, Lia."
She smiled softly at that, then peeked out from under the gazebo roof, squinting at the angle of the sun overhead. Her shoulders lifted slightly, like she was bracing herself.
"I think I've spent enough time out here for now," she said. "It's probably time I get back to studying."
'Studying? What for… oh, right. She's a candidate for the throne. Easy to forget with how relaxed she can be.'
"Of course," I said with a nod. "Don't let me keep you. Though…" I scratched the back of my neck and looked away for a second. "I figure I might as well ask, any chance I could study with you sometime? I won't be a bother or anything. Just… if you have any spare books or—"
She cut me off before I could finish, stepping back in with an eager smile. "I wouldn't mind at all! Do you want to come right now?"
The sparkle in her eyes made it hard to say no.
But unfortunately, I did have plans.
"I'm afraid I can't at the moment," I said, standing slowly. "I was hoping to drop by the village near the manor, get a better lay of the land, see what's in stock."
"Oh… sure," Emilia murmured, her gaze dropping to the floorboards. Her hands folded in front of her skirt. Her entire frame seemed to shrink.
That was the saddest "oh" I'd ever heard.
And now I felt like a jackass.
"Tell you what," I said quickly, stepping closer. "You tell me how far Arlam is, and I hoof it there and back. When I return, you can tell me all about what you've been studying. They say the best way to test what you've learned is to teach it to someone else."
She blinked, lifting her gaze, and her smile returned, warm and surprised. But after a moment, she pulled it back, trying to mask her excitement.
"Really? You don't have to force yourself if you're busy. I won't mind."
I scoffed and gave her a mock-offended look. "Nah, none of that. I promise, when I get back, we can go crazy with the studying. You can bury me in flashcards if you want."
"You… promise?" she asked, voice smaller. Her hands were still clasped in front of her, her thumbs fidgeting.
"Mhm." I gave a single, slow nod. "That's what I said, didn't I?"
Emilia held my gaze for a moment longer. Then nodded back, more firmly this time.
"...I'll hold you to that, Ethan."
We wrapped up our conversation not long after.
I already had everything on me that I'd brought to the manor, so there wasn't much else to do but get walking.
By the time I reached the metal gates, the afternoon sun was warm on my shoulders. I turned for one last glance back and saw Emilia still standing on the front steps, gently waving.
I lifted a hand in return, just a small wave, then turned and started down the dirt road leading out.
She said Arlam was about a half-hour walk from the gate. Judging by the sun, it had just hit noon. If I kept a good pace, I could make it there and back without wasting the rest of the day.
I wasn't under any illusions about what I'd find. There was no way a village as small as Emilia described would be able to break a holy gold coin, not without gouging me or outright laughing in my face. So I wouldn't be able to buy any goods.
But that wasn't really the point.
This was my so-called "break."
And right now?
I just wanted to explore.
Author's Note:
Uhhhh, not much happened in this chapter like progress-wise. We have a strange Spirit of Yang that's taken an interest in Ethan, and he had some more bonding moments with Emilia.
We also got the lore drop on Spirits, in which I may or may not have gotten some information wrong because I cannot be bothered to go searching through every volume of the LN searching for facts. So if something is wrong, then do let me know.
Next chapter, we step away from the manor for a little bit. I said that I didn't want Ethan just sitting in there the whole time, and I plan on keeping that promise. He'll get back to the actual grind soon enough, but for now he's on "break."
One last thing! Should I use "Yang Magic" or "Light Magic" going forward? They're basically the same thing, just worded differently. (Imagine I'm confidently wrong on that.)