Chapter 555: A Moment of Pause
“By the way, did I end up binding you all by calling your names?”
It’s not just a contract; it’s more like I overwrote your names, or in my current state, it feels like I’ve made you my retainers.
I braced myself and called out everyone’s names while holding the Magic Stone. Even though my magic power took a significant hit, it wasn’t enough to make me collapse. It was easier than when I contracted with Neneto and Skos, and then Es.
“Some of us were directly bestowed upon by Rishu,” Haralfa said, smiling meaningfully as she glanced around.
A few of them averted their eyes, looking a bit embarrassed.
“Since we accepted being called by Gene,” Mishto said with a cheerful grin.
“There are those who resisted being bestowed upon, even challenging Rishu knowing they would lose. They could have taken it lightly,”
“Rudil wanted to become Rishu’s retainer and went straight for it, but he got ignored!” the two of them bantered back and forth.
I couldn’t help but glance at Rudil, then down at Rishu at my feet. Our eyes met, and Rishu tilted his head up at me. Alright, let’s change the water to a fresh one. I might even bring out some Dragon Bone.
“Gene, you know our treatment won’t change, right?” Mishto said, happily bringing a spoonful of honey to his mouth.
It seems the gods who provided protection didn’t mind being named by me at all. However, those gods who had some resistance to being named—well, they were bestowed upon Rishu.
Rishu is the strongest.
“Should we call Van too?”
“Don’t!” Pal interrupted as I casually suggested it, thinking everyone was here.
“That would be the most awkward,” Kadal chimed in.
“If the god of war loses, it wouldn’t look good for him, especially to become a disciple of a swordsman,” Ish said, carefully sprinkling salt on grilled vegetables.
“Hehe, I’ve seen a lot of interesting things,”
“It was a fine entertainment,” Mishto and Haralfa shared mischievous smiles, making me decide against calling Van. Those two would surely tease him…
“Thanks for the meal, see you later,” Mishto said, finishing his food and disappearing, prompting the others to bid me farewell before vanishing as well.
Well, Rudil went to Rishu, but it had been a while since the house felt so lively.
“Rishu, thank you.” I cupped Rishu’s face in my hands and affectionately ruffled his fur.
The gods who provided protection aren’t ancient like Es. They were probably born after humans arrived in Nakahara. That’s just my guess, though.
The beings that seemed to be wary of being talked about were likely newer than Es but older than the gods who provided protection. Well, Es and the others probably existed before humans—or Luf—showed up.
I wonder which category Rishu falls into? Right now, Rishu is my beloved dog, so it doesn’t matter either way. Even among the ancient spirits, there are those who have been named, and new spirits have been named by me and others too.
The treatment I receive was likely granted to me through those beings, so I have no intention of being hostile. However, I do have a curiosity to know what kind of existence they are. I feel like I have a general idea of what they want, but their whereabouts remain a mystery.
Now then, it’s time to take a bath and go to bed. My ongoing task is to improve the standard of living! I want to spread vegetables and cooking methods so that people can enjoy delicious food.
It seems my sisters are handling clothing and accessories. I’ve heard rumors that the stable carriages didn’t turn out well, though.
By the way, my sisters only give their opinions, while the people of Shulm are the ones actually doing the work. They didn’t create a suspension system; instead, they tried to eliminate the bumps by attaching spirits, but when they delivered the finished product, it failed.
I couldn’t help but think, “Did the spirits attached to the dolls get eaten?” as I listened to the story.
Well, I hope they manage to stay out of my affairs over there. I don’t want them to provoke any fights, but it seems like they’ve been having skirmishes long before Shulm intervened, so Nakahara is quite unsettled.
I’m an outsider, so I won’t get involved. The conflict has dragged on for so long that it feels pointless to determine who is in the wrong, and I can’t side with any country. I do hope everyone can settle down and live peacefully soon.
For now, I want to spread potatoes to reduce hunger. I sold the rights to merchants in Naruadeid to avoid drawing too much attention, and it’s going relatively well.
The tomatoes coming through the Blue Island are looking good too, and I hope chefs everywhere start using them soon. With spirits around, information spreads quickly, but transporting the actual goods takes time, so it might take years for them to reach Kanum. I hope they can manage.
“Rishu, good night.” I reached out from the bed to pet Rishu as I said my goodnight.