Over the past few years, the number of adventurers coming to see me had noticeably decreased.
The reason was simple. A man named Yuuki Kagurazaka had renamed the adventurers' mutual cooperative to the Free Guild and established a system of mutual aid with various nations.
He took advantage of the fact that most countries focused solely on protecting their own borders. By taking responsibility for the subjugation of monsters, he reduced the burden on these nations and used that leverage to his advantage.
Despite his unassuming appearance, the man was exceptionally intelligent and quick-witted. He secured negotiating rights with the Council, expanded the guild's reach, and increased their influence. By overseeing the Free Guild, he utilized the information adventurers gathered during their travels—monster distribution, breeding patterns, and danger levels—to make travel significantly safer.
By monitoring monster distribution, he could predict and prevent abnormal occurrences before they became crises. He also took charge of investigating unidentified monsters and the early elimination of species that were increasing in number at an alarming rate.
As a result, human settlements expanded, and there was a tangible increase in the population.
Furthermore, he introduced a rank system for adventurers, which drastically reduced the mortality rate. His achievements were truly remarkable.
Thanks to his efforts, the number of people visiting me naturally dwindled to only those who were severely injured on the job or those suffering from incurable illnesses.
Then, on one such peaceful day, I received a very unexpected visitor.
"Yes, welcome—"
"...Pleased to meet you."
The visitor wore a mask and spoke in a voice that made their gender difficult to discern, but the curve of her chest made it clear she was a woman.
Her mask was engraved with beautiful patterns, yet two conflicting auras seeped from behind it. Despite this, I treated her with the utmost courtesy.
With a light clap of my hands, Amrita placed a porcelain teacup and a bowl of simple sweets on the table. The woman and I sat facing each other.
"I hope it suits your taste."
"...Thank you."
She nodded at my words and immediately got straight to the point.
"So... what brings you here? Ruler of Scorching Flame, Izawa Shizue."
At my words, she muttered, "As I expected," and removed the mask from her face. As it came off, her stunning beauty and raven-black hair were revealed. Simultaneously, the aura she had been suppressing began to leak out.
"...I'm surprised. I thought you might be older, but you are truly beautiful."
"I-is that so?"
Shizue blushed faintly before answering my question.
"I would like you to treat me."
"I can certainly do that, but where exactly are you hurting...?"
As my gaze fixed on her, I sensed the fiery magicules swirling within.
"...That magicule signature... is it Ifrit?"
"!! You knew?"
"With such a ferocious aura of fire, it would be impossible not to notice. May I examine your condition for a moment?"
"...Yes."
She held out her hand, and I carefully placed my fingers on her wrist as if taking a pulse. After a few moments, I withdrew my hand.
"I see. You wish to separate Ifrit from your body because you fear it may go berserk. But are you sure you want to do that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your condition tells me everything. The reason your appearance remains unchanged from your prime is that you have become a manawoman fused with Ifrit. However, you and Ifrit are like oil and water."
For those who command spirits, the most critical factor is the compatibility between the spirit and the host. Because their modes of existence were polar opposites, their synchronization rate was abysmal.
Shizue had merely been suppressing Ifrit through her skills and that mask. Because of this, she could not fully harness the spirit's power, and the risk of Ifrit going berserk remained constant.
Had she been in harmony with the spirit, she would have wielded far greater power, and the threat of a rampage would have vanished.
She likely had her own tragic history, but prying into such matters would be rude, so I returned to the main issue.
"To be blunt, I can separate Ifrit from your body, but if I do, you will weaken rapidly. In human terms, your actual age would be that of an elderly grandmother, correct?"
Shizue nodded silently.
"The choice is yours."
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but soon reached a decision. Rather than separating Ifrit entirely, she asked me to suppress the spirit instead. I agreed.
"Then, please sleep for a while."
After putting her under anesthesia, I used Extraction to pull out only her information and memories.
"...Extraction!!"
I swiftly swung my sword, extracting the information of Ifrit from her. Immediately, the memories and data of two distinct beings surged into me like a flood.
Her memories rushed in as if they were my own.
I saw how she had been summoned to this world by Demon Lord Leon, her deep hatred for both the fire and Leon, the agony of hurting a precious friend with her own hands, and the salvation brought by a Hero. Her entire life's journey flashed through my mind in an instant.
"...I've done something terribly rude."
If I had known her memories were like this, I wouldn't have looked.
As I had predicted, the moment I attempted to separate Ifrit, her body began to deteriorate rapidly.
"...As I thought, this method is impossible."
I clicked my tongue and halted the separation process.
If I separated Ifrit, the spirit would manifest right in the center of the village. Furthermore, if I had to use my full power to deal with it, the entire surrounding area might be completely annihilated.
"What should I do...?"
I pushed my brain to its limits, cycling through several solutions. The first was to separate and destroy Ifrit simultaneously, but the resulting explosion would be catastrophic, making it a last resort of last resorts.
The second option... regardless of whether her body could endure it, was to use a spirit stronger than Ifrit to completely suppress the one inside Shizue.
That would almost certainly quell Ifrit's rampage and potentially extend her lifespan. Synchronization could be dealt with later.
Since my awakening, my mana capacity had increased, and the abilities of my skill, Maker, had evolved significantly.
It was now called the Creator God.
As long as I possessed accurate information, creating a living being was a simple task.
If we look at Pokémon, water beats fire. In that case...
Using the Creator God, I fashioned a new water spirit based on Ifrit's data. Since I used Ifrit—the highest-ranking fire spirit—as the template, the new spirit was of equal or superior rank.
"Your mission is to control the Ifrit possessing this girl, Shizue. Can you do it?"
The water spirit nodded, and I merged it into her body.
Inside her, the water spirit clashed with Ifrit. Due to the elemental advantage, it quickly overwhelmed Ifrit and seized control.
With this, Ifrit would never go berserk again. At least, for now...
A short while later, Shizue woke up and immediately noticed that Ifrit's power had weakened. However, she also sensed the presence of another spirit and questioned me.
"I couldn't separate Ifrit, so as a temporary measure, I've had another spirit suppress it. It shouldn't go berserk anymore."
Well, since I peeked at her memories without permission, this is the least I could do.
"Thank you."
She bowed her head in gratitude and left the room.
I had been mentally bracing myself, expecting her to be furious and attack me for forcing another spirit into her body without asking, but...