-I am Minatos, the heir to the Spirit King. Hehe.
It was one shock after another.
Leo had gained the opportunity to form a contract with a Spirit, only for that Spirit to be the heir to the Spirit King.
The moment he heard the introduction, Leo immediately took Minatos’s hand and spoke the contractor’s declaration.
“So this is what it feels like.”
After completing the contract, Leo quietly murmured and rubbed his stomach at the foreign sensation within his Mana Circle.
It felt as though white had blended into his blue mana, turning it sky-blue.
-My energy is currently being absorbed into your Mana Circle. Hehe. Your mana allows me to exist in the Human Realm, and in return, you can receive my assistance.
Leo nodded at Minatos’s explanation, then noticed something strange and spoke.
“But I don’t feel my mana decreasing at all right now?”
-Of course not. This is not the Human Realm.
“Then where are we?”
-Hmm…… Somewhere between the Spirit Realm and the Human Realm? It’s a place where a contractor and a Spirit meet and form their contract. Hehe.
Leo smiled gently when Minatos dipped their head slightly.
They looked exactly like a five-year-old child.
Their neat features, enormous eyes that seemed to occupy half their face, and soft, pale baby skin all added to the impression.
Even the way they unfailingly spoke so politely was adorable.
“You’re very well-mannered. How old are you?”
At Leo’s question, Minatos flashed their white teeth in a broad grin.
The single snaggletooth peeking out filled their expression with innocence.
-Me? Let me see…… I think I’m 13,400 this year?
Leo furrowed his brow at Minatos’s answer.
“……You shouldn’t play tricks like that.”
-It’s true! I can swear on the honor of my father, the Spirit King.
Leo’s pupils trembled slightly at the seriousness in the child’s eyes.
Was this Spirit truly more than ten thousand years old?
“But…… why are you still the heir? At your age, shouldn’t you have become king long ago?”
-My father is 142,800 years old this year. He can remain on the throne for another 60,000 years or so.
‘That’s fucking insane…….’
Leo could not hide his shock at the unimaginable numbers.
He had been king for 140,000 years?
“No…… Then…….”
Minatos smiled as though amused by Leo’s bewilderment.
-Do not try to learn too much at once. It’s complicated. It’ll give you a headache. Hehe.
Leo had been about to continue asking questions, but at Minatos’s words, he sighed and nodded.
“Fine. We can learn about each other slowly. But…… I think I need to know about you now.”
-Is there something you wish to know about me?
Leo smiled at Minatos’s sparkling eyes.
“What kind of attribute you possess, and what powers you have…….”
Minatos listened, nodded quietly, and spoke.
-You’re worried because I look like a child, aren’t you?
Leo felt a guilty twinge but answered without showing it.
“That’s not why I asked. I just think it’s something I should know.”
Minatos smiled faintly and slowly continued.
-I look like a child right now because you and I are not close yet. Once we become closer, I will probably grow taller. Hehe. And I am incredibly strong!
Minatos continued with an innocent smile.
-Ahem. More importantly, I can wield the power of all five elemental attributes.
Minatos smiled again after finishing.
Their innocent expression seemed to declare that they could do absolutely anything…….
‘Isn’t that too adorable?’
To Leo, that infinitely pure smile was simply too adorable.
***
The first thing to greet Leo when he returned safely after completing the Spirit Contract was his mother’s embrace.
Tears streamed down her face, but her lips were filled with a smile that showed how proud she was of her son.
When she saw Minatos, whom Leo had brought back, Adite immediately dropped to one knee and bowed low, while Aria could not hide her astonishment.
“I did not expect anything this extraordinary…….”
“What do you mean by extraordinary?”
Leo gave his mother a puzzled look.
“It was a highest-grade Contract Magic Circle, but I never imagined you would contract with the heir to the Spirit King.”
Aria repeatedly expressed her amazement as she looked at Minatos standing behind Leo.
“Minatos, return for a while. I’m feeling dizzy.”
-Yes. I will do so. Call me whenever you need me. Bye!
At Leo’s words, Minatos dispersed like smoke.
‘As expected, I still don’t have enough mana.’
Although he was currently training at the 3-Star stage, the stages up to 3-Star focused more on tempering the Mana Circle and Mana Road than increasing the quantity of mana.
The process of increasing one’s mana in earnest began at the 4-Star stage.
Until he began training at the 4-Star stage, his ability to summon Minatos would probably remain quite limited.
Of course, that did not mean he intended to sit idle without gaining anything.
‘I need to deepen our bond and help Minatos grow.’
Although Minatos was the heir to the Spirit King, aside from their exceptional ability to wield all five elemental attributes, they were currently no different from a Low-Grade Spirit.
However, they would gradually grow as their bond deepened…….
Until Leo possessed enough mana, he intended to help Minatos grow as much as possible.
“So, Leo. How does it feel to wield the power of a Spirit?”
At Aria’s question, Leo clenched his fist tightly.
“It feels new. And I think I’ve grown stronger.”
“Yes. But there is something you must always remember.”
Leo answered his mother without even pausing to breathe.
“Never reveal the power of the Spirits. Correct?”
Aria nodded.
Of course, just as his mother instructed, Leo had no intention of revealing his power yet.
He intended to use it, but as carefully as possible.
When he quietly concentrated on his Mana Circle, he could feel the powers of the Five Elements: fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning.
Of course, he could only use them while Minatos was summoned, but even that was extraordinary.
Even the continent’s most skilled mages could wield no more than two attributes, yet he had gained the power to wield five.
That was precisely the problem.
The frail illegitimate son of a count’s house, who had never known how to do anything, suddenly wielding such versatile power?
It was the perfect way to draw people’s attention.
The moment he drew attention, he would need to explain himself. If that happened, his mother’s identity would also be exposed.
And the real problem would arise when that ‘word’ spread among the people, swelled in size, and became a ‘rumor.’
‘The unidentified organization.’
The unidentified organization that had buried House Rayner.
While he still knew nothing about them, creating needless rumors and drawing attention to himself would be extremely dangerous.
‘I should remain careful until I’m stronger and more certain.’
Lost in thought, Leo suddenly snapped back to awareness when warmth enveloped his entire body.
At some point, his mother had pulled him tightly into her arms.
“I still do not know whether giving you this power was the right thing to do.”
At his mother’s worried voice, Leo smiled gently, raised both arms, and embraced her slender body.
“You unquestionably did the right thing. House Rayner now has another heir who can remember its name. Thank you, Mother.”
Thus, mother and son held each other for a long time at the center of the fading Contract Magic Circle.
***
The next day arrived.
After waking and washing his face, Leo immediately opened his door and stepped outside.
‘He must’ve been exhausted.’
The first thing Leo saw was Hans leaning against the wall and nodding off like a sick chicken.
“Hans.”
“What? Ah, no. Yes, yes! Young Master!”
Hans wiped away the drool running from his mouth and hurried over to Leo.
“You did well. Go back and get some rest.”
“No, I am fine.”
“Really?”
“Yes, yes. I am fine. More importantly, where are you going so early in the morning? I will accompany you.”
Leo slowly spoke as he looked into Hans’s hollow eyes.
“Judging by your condition, it seems I should be attending to you…….”
“No! Not at all!”
Hans forced his eyes wide open.
Seeing the blood vessels that had burst crimson across his eyes and the heavy lids that seemed ready to fall shut at any moment, Leo shook his head.
“I’m only going to look around the Valantes Inner Castle for a while. Go inside and rest.”
At Leo’s words, the tension immediately left Hans’s wide-open eyes.
“Would that be all right?”
“Yes. You worked hard guarding the room. You did not let anyone inside, did you?”
“Of course not, Young Master.”
“Good. Go on inside. I’ll see you again this afternoon.”
“I am sorry, Young Master.”
Leo smiled with satisfaction when Hans bowed deeply.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m the one who should be grateful.”
After parting with Hans, Leo resumed walking.
Then—
‘Minatos.’
He quietly called Minatos in his mind.
-Ta-da! Did you call me?
Minatos appeared in midair in a translucent form like Adite’s, then sat on Leo’s shoulder.
‘Did you sleep well?’
-Yes. I slept very well. What about you, Leo?
‘I slept well enough.’
-By the way, what is the matter?
‘Nothing. I just woke up, so I called you to say hello.’
At Leo’s answer, Minatos tilted their head and placed an index finger against their chin.
‘Well, that’s one reason…….’
Leo had also summoned Minatos in advance because he might need their power where he was going.
-Where are you going now?
‘The center of Valantes Castle.’
***
It had been far too long since Leo last walked these streets.
In his previous life, these were the very streets he had wished to visit just once before he died.
After regressing, he had briefly forgotten them because he was so focused on growing stronger.
Of course, he had been given an opportunity to set foot here before the final war.
The streets had looked exactly the same, and the people had not changed either.
However, at that time, it had been called Metiller Castle rather than Valantes Castle.
‘Because House Valantes had been annihilated.’
After walking through the streets while lost in his memories, Leo silently watched two middle-aged men talking in front of a shop.
“I heard the Blood Axe Merchant Company is arriving today. Have you heard?”
“Of course. Their head merchant is a Dwarf, isn’t he?”
“No, what are you talking about? I heard he’s a Half-Dwarf with equal parts Human and Dwarf blood.”
“Oh, really? Hahaha. Which of his parents is Human?”
“I don’t know that either. All I know is that whoever it was, the whole thing is rather amusing, isn’t it? Haha-.”
“Shall we go take a look later? Aren’t you curious what a mixture of a Dwarf and a Human looks like?”
“Hahaha. Sounds good.”
This was why Leo had come to the center of Valantes Castle today.
The Blood Axe Merchant Company was a weapons-trading company.
He had come to meet its head merchant, the Half-Dwarf Exile Iron Max.
But first—
“Hey, you two.”
At Leo’s call, the two men stopped snickering, straightened their expressions, and studied him carefully.
“You shouldn’t mock a stranger merely because he’s different from us.”
As he spoke, Leo lowered the hood of his robe.
Only after staring at Leo for quite some time did the two men realize who he was.
“Oh my, Young Master.”
“What brings you here……?”
‘I really must’ve changed a great deal.’
Although he rarely ventured outside, most of the residents of the territory still knew Leo’s face.
Yet the two men had taken quite some time to recognize him.
That was because his outward appearance had changed considerably as he trained in swordsmanship and the Mana Cultivation Method.
His once-gentle eyes had grown sharp, and his gaze had taken on a fierce edge.
His body had become far more solid than before, and the loss of fat from his face had brought out the sharp line of his jaw.
Above all, unlike before, when he had cowered despite being surrounded by an attendant and numerous guards, he had appeared here alone and carried himself with confidence. It was only natural that they had failed to recognize him.
“Do you know where my brother is?”
At Leo’s question, one of the men bowed his head and answered.
“I believe he is at ‘The Wolf That Drinks Moonlight’ in the center of the territory.”
“I see. Thank you. And do not judge people carelessly by their appearance.”
At Leo’s final words, the two men repeatedly bowed and answered.
“Yes, yes. We apologize.”
“Of course, sir. It was our mistake.”
Leaving the two men behind, Leo resumed walking toward the center of the castle.
‘It’s still magnificent.’
Before long, he reached the fountain at the center of the castle.
It had been carved in the likeness of a Martial God (God of Martial Arts) from ancient times.
“Ohhh.”
“Amazing.”
“Wow.”
Leo had been standing before the fountain and admiring it when he turned toward the murmuring crowd.
The Blood Axe Merchant Company was approaching, led by its head merchant, Exile.
He was around 170 centimeters tall, yet his build was somewhat plump by comparison.
A brown beard reached his chest.
Brown, tightly curled hair fell to his shoulder blades.
He had fleshy eyelids and a bumpy nose.
His lips were hidden beneath his beard, and his overall appearance was closer to a Human than a Dwarf.
‘He hasn’t changed at all.’
Exile slowly rode through the center of the territory under the people’s stares.
Leo began following him.