Episode 23. Contractor (complete)
“No contract?”
I don’t understand.
Not only Ariel, but the spirit kings also looked puzzled.
“Try again.”
“Oh, yes.”
Ariel spreads a magic circle around me, and I try to make a contract, but her effect is quickly lost and it is cancelled.
“Strange? It seems my mana is refusing to enter Prause’s body? Can this be?”
Considering the worldview settings I know, this could never happen.
Did Ariel make a spirit contract with someone else without my knowledge?
No, it can’t be. If that was the case, he wouldn’t have told me that he would make a spirit contract with me.
Then why…… ?
Do you have any history of contracting with spirits before I was possessed by Prause?
No, not this either.
When I was possessed, I was able to remember all of Prause’s past that I didn’t know about. In the process, there was no history of contracting with the spirits.
Even if there is, humans can make double contracts with spirits. It doesn’t make sense if the contract doesn’t come true.
Then what is the reason?
“I can’t make a contract with the Spirit King… …. Let’s wait a minute.”
Naiad closed her eyes and muttered something, and the interior of her room flashed in a blue light. She closed her eyes and waited for the light to fade.
When I opened my eyes again, there was a slime in the shape of a woman standing there, her body looking like it would melt.
It was Undine.
“Ah, ah! Meet the Spirit Kings!”
When the manifested Undine saw the four spirit kings, they hurriedly bowed down. Apparently Naiad had called for her experiment contract.
“Undine, are there any current or prospective contracts?”
“Not right now.”
“Then, would you like to sign a contract with Prause?”
As Naiad pointed at me, Undine’s head turned.
“Yes? Ah…… He’s the one who passed Mr. Glasher’s test before. I remembered it because it left a deep impression on me that especially the lower spirits followed it well.”
“That’s because they misunderstood me as a hero.”
“No matter how low-level spirits are, they are not complacent enough to be wary of humans they meet for the first time. Even if that’s a hero.”
Come to think of it, he let go of his guard as soon as he released what held him, right?
At the time, she didn’t question the unusual likability, but now that she’s listening to her, she does.
“Besides, didn’t the lower spirits readily accept your request? You should have dealt with me, an intermediate level spirit, and then went to Mr. Glasher. I made it go straight to Mr. Glasher.”
“Then I am friendly with spirits?”
“I don’t think so. Perhaps there are other reasons.”
“I see.”
I thought I had a power I didn’t know about! After all, I was a normal person!
“Anyway, I will fulfill the contract.”
Perhaps it is not a sub-spirit of Naiad, Undine recited a thoroughly formal contract procedure, and asked me to agree. I nodded.
A blue magic circle surrounds me. However, the blue light of the magic circle gradually lost. It was like Ariel.
“The contract doesn’t work. Humans can also become a double contract……. It’s the first time this has happened, so I’m embarrassed.”
Undine bowed her head as if to apologize to the spirit kings.
“Sorry. It seems that I am incompetent and have caused trouble to Niad-sama.”
“No. This problem is with Prause, not you.”
From noble mtl dot com
Thank you so much for your honest evaluation.
Seeing that even though I tried to make a contract with another spirit, it didn’t work. As he said, this was a problem for me.
But it was such a peculiar case that even I couldn’t figure out the cause. I didn’t know the cause, so of course I couldn’t find a solution.
“I don’t know because it’s the first time I’ve seen it in hundreds of years. What the hell is wrong?”
I also saw it for the first time.
Even if I pulled out all the information I knew and thought about it, I couldn’t quite clear my doubts.
“In this state, stepping into the spirit realm is not allowed. If you go over to the spirit realm without the spirit you contracted with in the first place, the flow of mana can be twisted, so you can’t go over even if you want to.”
Ah, that’s a million. Why can’t I make a spirit contract?
It was just frustrating for me, who had to somehow get information about the players.
“…… But I have a question for you.”
Orient slipped into the conversation.
“I’ve felt this for a long time, but how can Prauss have more mana than the Spirit King?”
It was a random question. At Orient’s words, the other spirit kings also expressed their curiosity.
“Plaus is neither a hero nor a contract with the King of Spirits. However, he is not an S-class adventurer or archmage with the talent that the World Tree bestowed on him. I don’t even know what the source of your magical power is.”
At Orient’s words, those present look at me strangely.
“Player…… Because?”
Someone said. The owner who said that was Phoenix.
The question lingered on her face, but there was a strange certainty in her voice.
“Come to think of it, the World Tree was written as a player. World Tree didn’t say anything about it……. No, should I say that it seems to be partially hidden?”
The spirit kings created by the splitting of the primordial spirit created by the World Tree.
Currently, they were the ones directly under the World Tree.
A matter to be kept secret even to such people meant that only the World Tree knew about it or that only those involved in it should know about it.
“Then, is there any possibility that Prause’s contractor is the World Tree?”
“It can’t be.”
Naiad immediately denied Ariel’s words after thinking about it. She seemed to think that it made no sense that the World Slayer, who was in a higher position than herself, was not even a hero, and that he signed a contract with me.
“Isn’t there any reason for World Tree to make such a contract?”
“You know. The Demon King who can dye the World Tree with demonic magic.”
“If that was the case, I would have lent my strength to the heroes, not to Prauss, from the beginning.”
“However, the only person who escapes causality is the World Tree, who can coordinate causality in this world. If Prause’s contractor is the World Tree, doesn’t it make sense that we can’t sign a contract?”
“… ….”
“Besides, Prause also knew the word player, which only World Tree-nim knows. No matter how you take this, isn’t it certain that there is some kind of relationship between the World Tree-sama and Prause?”
The more Ariel’s reasoning seemed plausible, the more Naiad remained silent. He sighed at the growing suspicion.
“Prause, have you ever met the World Tree?”
“…… But no.”
If I had a chance to meet you, I wouldn’t have been so nervous.
The world tree has never directly revealed its power in the game, but if the world tree intervenes, the possibility of seeing a happy ending will be very high.
In this world, the world tree is an absolute being as strong as the demon king.
It wasn’t for nothing that the community said that if the world tree intervened, the game balance would collapse.
“Then, this must be something that I have no choice but to check directly with the World Tree. There is no point in guessing between us.”
“As a rule of thumb, what would happen if the contractor for Prauss was the World Tree?”
“That… ….”
Niad didn’t answer easily. Instead of hesitating to answer, Phoenix spoke.
“How is it? It means Prause is more important than the heroes.”
Another silence fell upon Phoenix’s wedge-piercing words.
“…… Anyway, nothing is certain right now. Judging from Prause’s reaction, it can’t be said with certainty that he signed a contract with the World Tree. So I will ask the World Tree directly. How it happened.”
“I see. Then, next time we meet, I hope to hear that answer.”
“I will do it if necessary. But I won’t do it if you don’t hear anything good about it. Come back, Undine.”
They end the conversation by saying only what they want to say.
“Yes! Let’s go first. Kings.”
Naiad created a circular blue portal on the wall and entered it. Undine also went inside after saying hello to the spirit kings. Then, as if waiting, the original form disappears.
“I’m going to go too.”
Orient glanced at Ariel, then disappeared as if being absorbed into the floor. Seeing this, Phoenix sighed.
“I’ll go too. Because Naiad is going to f*ck again.”
Phoenix also disappeared, leaving only me and Ariel in the room.
“Prause, what are you going to do?”
“…… No matter what happens, the spirit world must go.”
“By the way, Prause, don’t you remember signing a contract with World Tree?”
“I don’t know that part either. In the first place, I had never met the World Tree. What’s more, it’s a contract. It’s nonsense.”
“I see… ….
Me and Ariel sighed almost simultaneously. As if it left an aftertaste, the crampedness did not disappear.
A lot of questions floating around in my head kept stimulating my brain. From the reason I possessed this world, to the visible hologram.
I felt more impatient at the thought that the World Tree might hold the answers to disparate phenomena that didn’t fit with this world.
In the end, without being able to come up with an answer to any of them, I erased the questions pouring out of my head like a tail bite.
* * *
After returning to the spirit realm, Naiad found a huge tree in the center of the spirit realm.
A huge, green tree that can be seen from anywhere in the spirit realm.
It was a world tree.
Just looking up makes me feel uplifted, and seeing the splendidly shining gigantic body, I was even thrilled.
Naiad, mesmerized for a moment, shook his head to shake off the elation.
“World Tree. If you are watching, would you please listen to me?”
He bows his head.
Niaad, who does not bow his head to anyone, is the only one who bows down to the world tree.
“World Tree, have you signed a spirit contract with Prause? If so, can you tell me why?”
[Naiad, I can hear your concerns from here.]
Naiad’s head heard the woman’s voice ringing in her head. His eyes trembled as he looked up at the tall tree. Because it was such a noble voice.
But now there was something more important than faith.
“World Tree, can you answer my question?”
[I wonder if a contract without asking the other party’s will can be called a contract.]
“Yes?”
[…] … Prause is the one who will save this world from crisis. Just know that for now.]
“The one who will save the world… …. Isn’t that the warrior’s duty? Prause is not a warrior.”
[All who risk their lives are warriors.]
“That is too vague an expression. There are only three real heroes: Tina, Iris, and Maria.”
[If Naiad is like that, it would be like that.]
Even though he was only listening to his voice, Naiad felt as if the world tree was smiling benignly in front of him.
However, there was no clear answer to the question, and a feeling of frustration remained in a corner of my heart.
“What the hell is Prause?”
[I can’t say that. At least for now.]
“Do you mean that you will say that someday?”
[Well. Whether or not to say it seems to be up to Prause, not me.]
Naiad gasped at the World Tree’s ambiguous and vague words. It was because he left room for every question he threw.
“Then what does it mean to be a player?”
[…] … There is only one thing I can say right now.]
A gentle voice erases Naiad’s question.
[Trust Prause.]
“Trust me, what is that…….”
[Prause has gone through ‘trial and error’ more than anyone else, so he knows what he has to do. Don’t doubt his actions.]
“…… Are you really trustworthy? He said he wanted to come to the spirit realm and face the World Tree.”
[We’ll have to face it someday, but it’s still early.]
“Why?”
[Because Prause must be very angry with me. So, not until everything is over.]
“What…… ?”
Naiad couldn’t help but be taken aback by the attitude of the World Tree, the absolute leader of this world, as if he was stumped by only one human being.
[Ah, everything I’ve told you is a secret, Naiad.]
Naiad was just astonished at the sight of the World Tree, which was so high that he couldn’t look up to it.
‘Could it be that Prause is a being in a higher position than the World Tree?! Ha, but…….’
Recalling the conversation with Prause, Naiad was confused between increasingly complex thoughts.