Chapter 387: The One Who Wants to Test
“Blorp!”
Haulon burst out laughing.
“Guh…!”
Karn seemed to be choking on something.
“Ugh…”
Dinoss clinked his teeth against the cup.
“Ah… It feels rather light for a contract between a Spirit and a human, or is that just my imagination?” Retze said, addressing no one in particular.
“I can’t shake the feeling that it’s mostly just how things turned out,” I replied to Retze.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Haulon was coughing violently.
Karn looked pale; he needed to clear whatever was stuck in his throat quickly. Dinoss remained frozen, clutching his head.
Retze glanced at Neneto and Skos.
“According to the little Spirits, it seems this human doesn’t do much even after forming a contract,” Skos said, bringing the cup to his lips.
“Ah, yes. Just leaving it be,” I added, finding it too much trouble.
“Aren’t you supposed to form a contract to borrow power?”
“But I can live just fine borrowing power from the Spirits I named on the spot.”
“Cough, cough!!”
Haulon was at it again, coughing up a storm.
“…”
Karn didn’t budge an inch.
“…”
Dinoss remained completely still.
Even if I said I could use magic, I had no intention of causing destruction around me. Just hitting the bare minimum weaknesses of Demon Beasts was enough. If I needed to do something special, like entering the lake, I could just stop and form a few more contracts then.
I often asked the Spirits residing around my House and the Island for help, but right now, it was just Seabird-kun working outside.
“Now, let’s form a contract.”
“Contract!”
Skos and Neneto stared at me expectantly.
“Skos, Neneto, let’s do this.”
If they were willing to accept, forming the contract was as simple as calling their names. It was incredibly easy.
“Oh, sweet nectar!”
“Nice!”
Skos and Neneto squinted their eyes happily, transforming into a plump crocodile and a pink snake, wriggling around for some reason.
“Is this their true form?”
Retze observed them with a slight frown.
“I’ve never heard anyone say magic power is delicious before.”
“The Spirits that dwell in the lands of the barbaric are just omnivorous as long as their attributes are compatible! In that regard, we are quite picky!” Wanwan declared proudly, puffing out his chest.
“Oh? To think you could contract with Asas, Wanwan, and now these two in such a short time without faltering. Human, you’re more capable than I thought. But what about me?”
He looked down at me with a gaze that seemed to mock my efforts, as if to say it was impossible.
“S!? Whoa…!”
A sudden shock coursed through me, like something had been pulled away. I felt the familiar heaviness of near Magic Power Depletion creeping in.
“Hey, are you okay?!”
It took a moment for Retze’s voice to register in my mind. I could hear it, but it took a second to understand.
Perhaps because of that, Retze began pulling something out of a bag. Oh no, not the bitter stuff!
And Karn and Dinoss, stop reaching for your swords!
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
So please put away that thick greenish-brown substance. Don’t carve it with a knife. And Haulon, put away the Magic Circle too.
Next to Retze, Wanwan looked between Es and me, flustered, and then gaped at the object Retze was handling.
Huh? This definitely feels dangerous, judging by the smell. It’s the bitter stuff. I’ve seen it being made before, and I absolutely don’t want to drink it.
“It’s a type of Revitalizing Potion, but the Spirits nearby will scatter their Magic Power and flee,” I recalled the explanation. It was said to have the effect of revitalizing the drinker while also slightly recovering the Magic Power of nearby Spirits.
Haulon told me it was based on a story from a fallen Priest who was an Adventurer, with a few tweaks added.
“Oh? Can you endure it?”
Es seemed amused.
“Stop trying to test people so much.”
I almost named her the Sadistic Goddess by mistake!
“Guh!”
As soon as I opened my mouth, Retze unceremoniously tossed the bitter substance inside.
How terrible!
“Ugh…!”
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
The moment I swallowed Retze’s potion, Wanwan dug his claws into the ground, and Skos and Neneto staggered back a bit.
From the spot they retreated to, the “little ones” born from Skos and Neneto floated toward me.
“Huh? Does this potion damage Spirits?”
The “little ones” were unstable, ephemeral beings that were born at night and vanished in the moonlight. They emerged with various natural phenomena like splashes of water and sunlight, easily disappearing. However, when these “little ones” gathered, they could become Spirits that didn’t vanish, or Spirits could absorb them to grow larger and stronger.
When Spirits used their power or took damage, remnants of that power and life would manifest from their bodies and drift into the air.
“Normally, the effects are quite minimal. However, since it works to replenish the drinker’s diminished Magic Power, perhaps it reacted strongly this time. Your Magic Power and the amount you lost this time are extraordinary…”
Haulon sighed as he returned the Magic Circle to his pocket.
“That stung a bit. It’s been a while since I felt that sensation.”
Es chuckled.
— I feel like I accidentally became a Sadistic person, but since the sound is the same, it’s not a problem. Yeah, no problem at all.