[The countless vitality dwelling in Mother Nature and the refreshing coolness of the blue waves. Drawn by your call, I, Infernon, have arrived in the human world. I have translated this into the human tongue as best I could; is it acceptable?]
“…Ye—yes.”
The sudden appearance of a supreme-tier spirit left Anakin thoroughly flustered.
She hadn’t even thought about what she would do after summoning a spirit.
She didn’t have any intention of becoming a spirit summoner, either…
She had simply touched the ground and recited the incantation.
Even for a protagonist, wasn’t this a bit too much of a “cheat” ability?
For the record, the Anakin in the original story hadn’t shown an ounce of interest in magic, let alone spirits.
“I didn’t… intend to form a contract.”
At Anakin’s words, Infernon blinked and stared at her expressionlessly.
One usually expects spirits to be bubbly or cute, but the actual spirit was unexpectedly cold and eerie.
A mysterious and noble creature—it was impossible to predict what thoughts lay behind those infinitely deep eyes.
After observing the troubled Anakin, Infernon lowered its pink eyelashes and smiled faintly.
[A contract is unnecessary. You are special, so there is no need for you to borrow our power.]
“…Huh? Why have you been calling me a ‘noble guest’ since a moment ago? I’m just an ordinary human…”
When Anakin asked back with wide eyes, Infernon spoke.
[Because you are a special existence. May I ask your name?]
“…Please call me Anakin.”
[I see. Anakin-nim, I feel an energy from you similar to that of Lord Etherion, the Spirit King. He can command the power of all spirits, and everything in the spirit realm exists for him.]
“…”
The Spirit King?
What kind of relationship did Anakin have with the Spirit King for her to possess a similar energy?
It was all nonsensical to her.
[Lord Etherion bestows a blessing upon the human world once every five hundred years. The human chosen by him is imbued with his energy and can wield the power of spirits. Unlike conventional spirit summoners who borrow power through contracts, you are capable of wielding that power directly.]
“Ah… then am I the human chosen by the Spirit King?”
Infernon nodded.
[His true intentions are unknown, but that is the presumption.]
Only then did Anakin understand the situation—specifically, how many complex plot devices the original author had built into Anakin’s character.
‘So that’s why two colors appeared when I placed my hand on the sphere.’
She didn’t even need to ask why the Spirit King had chosen Anakin among so many humans. It was because Anakin was the protagonist…
Whether Anakin’s purity and mystery were innate or enhanced by the Spirit King’s blessing, she could certainly feel that the nature of her mana was influenced by it.
She surmised that Anakin’s clear, pure mana originated from the Spirit King’s blessing.
“In that case, can a blessed human not form contracts?”
When she asked tentatively, Infernon paused for a moment before answering.
[It is impossible for a mere spirit to form a contract with a human chosen by Him.]
“…I see.”
So she could use the power, but couldn’t form a contract.
While the conditions were certainly better than those of a standard spirit summoner, it meant the possibility of keeping Infernon by her side had essentially vanished.
[The number of spirits you can currently use is a maximum of two. You do not need to summon them individually; you can utilize the powers of spirits in the spirit realm through the Ether bestowed by the Spirit King.]
“Ah…”
Anakin was lost for words. This was… a total “cheat” ability.
[As you cultivate the Ether you possess, the power will become even stronger. Furthermore, as your Ether increases, the number of spirit powers you can use will also grow.]
“What exactly is Ether?”
[In the vocabulary of the human world, it seems to be what you call ‘mana.’]
After Infernon finished speaking, Anakin thought deeply.
To summarize Infernon’s explanation: I can enjoy the abilities of spirits by using Ether—called ‘mana’ in the human world—from the spirit realm?
‘Wait… if I just grow my Ether, doesn’t that make me the Spirit King of the human world?’
“How do I grow my Ether?”
At Anakin’s question, asked with sparkling eyes, Infernon answered kindly without any sign of annoyance.
[It is the same as the method for increasing mana in the human world. However, there are limits to the human body when it comes to training and raising Ether in a short period. Other methods include understanding the essence of spirits or absorbing the energy of sacred substances, which can rapidly increase Ether, but…]
“…I see.”
[I do not know if this was helpful.]
As soon as Infernon’s polite words ended, its body began to flicker transparently.
Watching this, Anakin became flustered.
Was the time it could stay in the human world short because it was a sudden summoning?
However, Infernon spoke to Anakin as if to reassure her.
[Unless it is an emergency, you can summon me again at any time. Though, without a contract, I cannot remain in the human world for long.]
“Ah… I see. Thank you for letting me know…”
As Anakin bowed her head to express her gratitude, Infernon stared at her intently for a moment.
Then, closing its eyes, it smiled warmly.
[It was an honor for me as well. As expected of the one chosen by Lord Etherion. You possess loveliness and purity beyond imagination.]
Infernon’s form was growing fainter.
Faced with the farewell of a supreme spirit she had just met, Anakin could only stare with a face full of regret.
Smiling brightly at Anakin’s expression, Infernon said:
[It is about time. I must return to the spirit realm now.]
“…”
[Next time, let us have a deeper conversation in a perfect state… without any interrupters.]
Interrupters?
As Anakin looked on curiously, Infernon placed a hand on Anakin’s forehead with a strange expression and spoke.
[May the protection of Lord Etherion and the Gods be with you.]
After bestowing a brief blessing and a smile, Infernon vanished, leaving behind only sparkling crystalline dust.
For a while, Anakin dazedly rubbed her forehead and fiddled with the dust disappearing in her hand.
‘Was it actually a dream?’
Just as that thought crossed her mind, the door swung open. It was Harca, and he didn’t look happy.
“Harca.”
As Anakin turned toward him with a surprised face, he walked slowly toward her.
“Who were you with?”
“…”
Should I tell him?
Seeing Anakin hesitate, Harca narrowed his eyes.
“There was a barrier set up outside the door. It felt different from other barriers. It was a… repulsive energy.”
‘Was that the barrier Infernon set up?’
No wonder it mentioned an interrupter at the end.
Harca must have been trying to break the barrier.
“It’s nothing. I was just… talking to someone else for a moment.”
At this, Harca leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and looked down at Anakin with a cold tilt of his head.
“I suppose you can’t tell me who it was.”
“Uh… well.”
Unable to explain, Anakin let her voice trail off.
“Yeah. I’m sorry…”
She felt she had to hide the story of what happened with Infernon.
She felt bad for Harca, but she didn’t think she should spread the news that she had met a spirit here.
Seeing Anakin’s troubled face, Harca approached her and abruptly lifted her chin.
“Ah.”
Her soft skin was lightly cupped in Harca’s hand.
At the same time, Anakin’s long, elegant eyelashes flickered once.
His cold, heartless black eyes moved quietly, unreadable.
“…”
Anakin was used to Harca’s occasional rough behavior by now.
He had grabbed her face when they first met here, too.
“I don’t know what you were doing in here, and it seems you just want to move past it… I suppose I have no choice but to play along.”
“…”
“Because it’s you, Anakin.”
At Harca’s low voice, Anakin couldn’t even let out a breath.
Those eyes, as cold as a sheet of ice, seemed to say, ‘If it weren’t you, I wouldn’t have let this go.’
Whenever she faced his chilling gaze, Anakin could never look back deeply; she always turned her eyes toward the empty air.
Just like now.
Because Anakin turned her head away completely to avoid his gaze, Harca was silent for a moment.
Then, he whispered softly.
“Don’t keep secrets from me.”
A youthful, beautiful voice echoed through the quiet, blue sanctuary.
“…”
Startled, Anakin met his eyes again. Her red pupils dilated as she stared at Harca.
“And don’t turn away from me.”
“…”
In his face as he looked at Anakin, a hint of loneliness was visible.
Anakin stared at him wordlessly. Then, she smiled at him tenderly and spoke.
“I understand.”
Harca’s face right now looked just like it did back at the Imperial Palace—the face he wore when he was left alone to see Anakin off.
Anakin couldn’t bring herself to turn away from a Harca like that.
As her graceful lips curved into a smile like old times, Harca stared intently at her with his eyelashes lowered.
It felt as if time, for the two of them, was flowing slowly.
And so, for a long time, Harca found himself hopelessly submerged in Anakin’s mysterious red eyes.
