Chapter 348: Under Repair
“Note isn’t a twin, right?”
“…Of course not.”
Retze confirmed with the butler.
“Rather than a changeling that gained flesh from a spirit, that was definitely the presence of a spirit, right?”
“More importantly, that ominous aura!”
Dinoss and Haulon chimed in.
“I’m shocked! For a humanoid to be that size, in my understanding, that’s god-level!”
Chris, please stop exaggerating.
“Listen, I’m going to say this clearly this time. It’s fine to ask Gene something, but stop putting him through practical tests or trials.”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t help wanting to see and judge for myself…”
Haulon, scolded by Retze, lowered his eyebrows in defeat.
I wonder if eyebrows start moving more as you age? I still can’t move mine that much. The best I can do is furrow my brow, and even that, Ash does better.
“Gene, you don’t have to show it so honestly, okay? Well, I know you’ve been cold to the guild members and giving the Merchant Guild receptionist the cold shoulder to protect yourself, so I won’t say it too strongly.”
Retze sighed.
It’s more about self-defense; the adventurers keep pestering me to join their hunts or form a fixed party, and the receptionist from the Merchant Guild seems to want to push me from being a boyfriend to a potential husband if I show any weakness.
“—Is it okay to ask? Hey, Gene, who’s over there making the destruction wolf do tricks! What’s that note that looks just like you?”
After a moment of thought, Haulon suddenly raised his face to ask.
“Haulon, puppy! Puppy!”
“Deceit is not good!”
Haulon firmly told a flustered Dinoss.
“That’s a memo pad where I wrote the names of spirits, and somehow it turned into a spirit. I think its appearance is because I imagined a note from the memo pad.”
No ulterior motives here.
“A memo pad… Spirit names?”
“It started as a memo pad, but once it’s full, I bundle several together and bind them into a book.”
It’s a properly bound leather book, with matching foil stamping on the cover, lined up on the bookshelf. To distinguish them, I attached magic stones according to their attributes, and the note’s tie pin became one of those.
“Why does it have such a dangerous aura?”
“Probably because it’s a memo pad with the name of a black spirit written on it?”
I can’t say for sure if it’s dangerous, but it definitely has a more sinister vibe.
As I answered, Haulon buried his head in his hands and fell silent.
“What…?”
“Whoa!”
“What?”
Haulon, Dinoss, and the butler all exclaimed at once.
“What is it?”
“What’s going on?”
Retze and Chris looked on curiously.
“—Ugh, a lot was taken away.”
My magic power was suddenly drained, leaving me feeling a bit sluggish.
That slight tremor earlier must have been the aftershock from the Spirit Realm affecting the Material Realm, right? I don’t know which spirit it was, but I wish they’d stop with the large-scale intimidation or fighting.
The Forest Note mentioned that the influence from the Spirit Realm would affect the House. It shouldn’t be immediate for the Material Realm to show the effects of what happens in the Spirit Realm. Even if there’s a shift in the Spirit Realm, the effects on the Material Realm should manifest gradually.
But the House I received was created from my lifespan by the Gods, and it’s fundamentally supported by the Spirit’s Power. The land is probably safe, but the buildings and the things I planted from the Pantry might be in trouble. Then there’s the Barrier.
—What broke? If it’s the bathroom, I wouldn’t know what to do. No, will it even be fixed? If so, it’s a hassle, but I wouldn’t mind if they took a bit more magic power.
“No, no, no, that moment before the magic was taken away was insane, you know?”
“Seriously. It’s impressive that it can unleash that many Fire spells…”
“Usually, I can keep my magic power in check. But it seems to leak during sudden fluctuations in power; I’m not sure if I can control this, but I’ll teach you how to conceal it later.”
Thanks, Haulon. But right now, I feel sluggish.
Rishu leaned against my leg. His small body tilted, snuggling up to me, a strangely reassuring weight.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m a bit sluggish, but I’m fine.”
I replied to Retze and took a sip of tea.
“Still, to be able to fly to your master despite having a physical form is quite a powerful spirit. That note…”
“Is it usually impossible?”
Chris asked Haulon.
“If there’s a contract, a spirit without a physical form can be summoned if the conditions are right. It does use magic power, though. But if there’s a physical form, the spirit first has to be able to leave its body. Even if it can fly, it might only be within that spirit’s territory.”
Ah, this is the butler’s territory of the Forest. Also, while there’s a memo pad in the Forest Sanctuary, the filled memo pads and the bound ones are in the House, so I can go back and forth freely, huh? It’s similar to how the spirit of the Fireplace moves between fireplaces.
“—Rishu, I would be immensely grateful if you could refrain from chewing on Ex-Staff in my presence.”
Just as the conversation paused, the butler’s voice fell with a hint of sorrow.
Looking at Rishu, he was gnawing on the Ex-Staff that was propped up at my feet.
“Are you more interested in that than your own spirit form? Is that what catches your attention?”
“The King’s Branch, there are bite marks on the King’s Branch…!”
“Haulon too!? Please don’t faint; I don’t want to carry you!”
Dinoss was busy mediating between the butler and Haulon.
It’s fine; the Ex-Staff won’t get bite marks. I didn’t get scolded as much as I thought this time, so I’ll take that as a win. I’ll head back and decide to take a nap.