CH 99

However, Riett changed her mind soon after. 

It was still too early. It had only been a day since she made a contract with the spirit. She wanted to make it clear when she felt more confident.

“Okay, let’s forget about the talk of selling the compass.”

Even though Riett took a step back, Lucas’ expression remained sour.

“I’m sorry, Riett…”

“It’s fine, it’s your business anyway.”

Riett smiled and raised her hand, signaling him to stop.

* * *

After finishing her conversation with Lucas, Riett returned to her room, closed the door, and went to the window to draw the curtains, preventing a single ray of light from seeping in. 

Then she carefully scanned the room once again to make sure there was no one else inside.

Having confirmed that she was alone, Riett slowly called upon the spirit.

“Mishan.”

Soon, a small gust of wind swirled on the floor and formed the shape of a person. Eventually, Mishan revealed his appearance.

“You called, master.”

Mishan, once again, displayed an elegant figure in an ethereal form. Riett still hadn’t fully adapted to the fact that she was the owner of this spirit.

“Hello, Mishan.”

As she greeted him, Mishan quickly brightened his expression.

“You called me faster than I expected.”

“Oh, I wanted to have a little chat.”

“With me…?”

Mishan covered himself with a slightly flustered expression.

“Yes.”

Riett found it surprising that the desire to have a conversation could be such a startling event.

“…I’m glad you wanted to talk to me first.”

Without even asking, Mishan blushed and responded. This guy seems to be reading her thoughts again.

As Riett glared at him, Mishan hurriedly tried to explain.

“I-I’m sorry…! I was called out suddenly, so I was flustered…”

Yeah, it’s because he can’t do something as natural as breathing.

Nevertheless, having Riett’s thoughts read was quite uncomfortable. If Mishan continued to read her thoughts, she might hesitate to call him.

“Oops! That, that’s not…!”

Mishan’s face turned pale as if he had read her warning inside. She warned him inwardly, not outwardly.

“It’s not at that level yet, so don’t be scared already.”

“Yes…”

Mishan replied with a slightly dejected expression. Riett shrugged her shoulders and recalled what she wanted to say.

“Mishan, do you happen to know a person named Perante?”

“Perante… You mean the owner of Avlam?”

When Avlam came out of the spirit’s mouth, Riett quickly nodded.

“Yes!”

“Hmm… I don’t like that person.”

Oh, really? It seems like she and Mishan are getting along well already. 

Concealing her satisfaction, Riett asked further.

“Why?”

“Because I can see that Avlam is struggling.”

Mishan said slowly, his face filled with concern. 

“Are you close with Avlam?” 

“Avlam is my brother. Spirits are born in the same place at the same time every tens of thousands of years. He was born with me.” 

It sounded like a mythical story, with everyone being born in the same place at the same time. Setting aside her amazement for a moment, Riett focused on the conversation at hand. 

“If Avlam is struggling, can’t he terminate the contract with Perante?” 

“It’s not that simple. The bond between a spirit and its owner is significant. The owner is like the spirit’s world.” 

Cough. Riett let out a hollow laugh at the grand explanation. 

“No, if the owner is such an important existence, then how did you casually enter into a contract with me?” 

“As I mentioned, it wasn’t a casual decision. I have observed and decided to serve you for a long time.” 

Mishan’s tone was resolute, showing no hesitation. 

“Anyway… Let’s move on from that. Going back to Perante, is there something wrong with Perante?” 

“Yes, Perante has changed.” 

“How…?” 

Mishan furrowed his brows slightly. 

“He has become murky.” 

Although it was an abstract description, Riett could understand it instantly. 

As the criteria for becoming a spirit mage were having a pure soul, Perante’s soul becoming murky meant something similar. 

“At first, he was as clear as I was observing him closely. But at some point, dark energy started swirling around him.” 

Greed. Riett thought that it was the dark energy that tainted Perante’s soul. 

The mister had said the same thing. That Perante seemed to have changed at some point. 

” Mishan, do you know that Perante is looking for the Spirit Stone?” 

“I am aware. It is not a good sign. If someone like him were to obtain the Spirit Stone… no one would know what he would use its power for.” 

Riett suddenly realized. Although she had been searching for the Spirit Stone, she hadn’t discussed with the Truto Empire how to use its power in detail. She had assumed that with a spirit mage present, she could hand it over and anything would be possible. 

But now, since the spirit mage had betrayed Truto, she needed to seriously consider how to use the Spirit Stone in the capital. 

“But… why are you asking me these questions, master?” 

Riett wondered how to explain the complicated events involving Perante. So she summarized it simply. 

“Perante is a bad guy, as you said. He’s my enemy.” 

“An enemy?” 

“Yes. So I’ll say it’s for the sake of gathering information.” 

Mishan murmured, 

“Perante was your enemy…” 

Then he clenched his hands tightly and put on a determined expression. 

“If you have any more questions, I will tell you everything I know.” 

“Thank you.” 

Seeing Mishan’s determined expression, Riett gave a light smile. She felt reassured having a spirit on her side. 

“Do you have any other questions?” 

Hmm… Riett thought for a moment before answering. 

“Yes. It’s about the Spirit Stone. Do you happen to know… where it is?” 

Since Mishan was a spirit, he might have had a better understanding of the Spirit Stone.

It was his spirit, Avlam, who informed Perante that there was a spirit stone in the northern snowfields of Parman.

However, they couldn’t find it. If Mishan knows more information, it will surely be helpful.

“I don’t know the exact location of the spirit stone. However…”

“However?”

“I believe it might be somewhere nearby.”

Mishan expressed a similar opinion to Avlam.

“Why do you think so?”

“Well, I’ve occasionally felt strong disturbances in this area. They have been more frequent recently.”

“But you don’t know the specifics?”

“No. The energy was inconsistent… and now I can’t feel it at all.”

With this, Lucas’ speculation became certain.

The spirit stone is indeed somewhere nearby. The information about it being in the northern barren wilderness was probably not wrong. If they had a spirit compass, they could find a more precise location.

But Riett had a question based on Mishan’s indifferent response.

“Mishan, aren’t spirits interested in spirit stones?”

Mishan looked at Riett with a puzzled expression and scratched his head.

“Well… I don’t need immense power, so…”

Riett made an “Ah” sound.

So, spirits aren’t driven by ambition. It’s the actions of materialistic humans driven by greed that desire spirit stones. Thinking that way made Riett feel a little uneasy.

“Spirit stones are created when long-lived spirits pass away. They’re like the bodies of spirits.”

The realization that the spirit stone was like a corpse of a spirit left Riett feeling uneasy.

“When spirits vanish without binding their power somewhere, that power runs wild and disrupts nature.”

“…I see.”

“That’s why spirits near the end of their existence concentrate and seal their power into spirit stones. The one you’re looking for is a trace of a particularly long-lived spirit, so its power is beyond imagination.”

“Then… will Mishan leave a spirit stone behind when he’s been around for a long time?”

“Yes, that’s right. However, the lifespan of a spirit is on the scale of tens of thousands of years, so you don’t have to worry about it anytime soon.”

Tens of thousands of years… Riett’s mouth was slightly agape at the enormous timeframe.

Indeed, spirits were close to transcendent beings.

“Do you also want to find a spirit stone, Master?”

Riett blinked at Mishan’s question. If she answered yes, would Mishan be disappointed?

The truth was, she didn’t particularly desire such overwhelming power, but her reason for wanting to prevent Perante from obtaining it was strong. 

If she had power, she would have to think about how to use it, no matter what.

Riett shook her head.

‘Then, maybe the issue of tax reform can be easily resolved by force? Just blow away everyone who opposes.’

While indulging in unnecessary imagination, Mishan’s calm voice reached Riett’s ears.

“It doesn’t matter to me what choice you make, Master.”

“…Really?”

Although it was a touching statement, Riett found it hard to believe all at once, perhaps because she had been deceived many times.

“Yes, I believe you won’t make a wrong choice.”

“…Thank you.”

Feeling a little ashamed, Riett abandoned her plan to forcefully implement tax reform. 

As she looked at the sparkling eyes of the spirit, it seemed that her previous thoughts had not been read.

“There’s one last thing I’m curious about.”

“Is this already the last one?”

Mishan asked with a hint of disappointment.

Already? They’ve been talking for quite a while. The bright sky has turned into dusk. 

What worried Riett the most was how others would perceive Mishan’s presence. 

Mishan is currently manifesting, so even to others, it would be visible. If someone like Natasha were to suddenly enter and see them alone together, it might seem strange.

Riett reassured Mishan dryly, 

“I’ll call you again.”

“Yes…” 

Mishan nodded reluctantly.

“So… what’s the final question?”

“Well… I’m curious about when I’ll be able to use power like Perante’s.”

“That will take quite some time.”

With a firm answer, a sense of defeat appeared on Riett’s face.

Because there might be a conflict with Perante over the spirit stone later, Riett needed to be prepared for a fight. 

If she couldn’t wield power as strong as Perante’s by then, she would lose the battle.

“Perante has been in sync with Avlam for a long time.”

“I suppose so.”

Mishan nodded and continued, 

“But don’t worry too much. You’ll quickly become familiar with spirit magic.”

Whether it was part of Mishan’s nature or not, Mishan was excessively optimistic. Besides the gentle impression, Mishan seemed to have finite emotions.

Riett found it strangely both human-like and non-human-like, which made it feel unreal, yet it also brought a sense of comfort.

“Well, Mishan, thank you for answering.”

“You’re welcome.”

Mishan averted his gaze shyly. Riett found Mishan’s behavior cute and sent him off with a smile.

Alone again, Riett went to the window and opened it. The wind caused the curtains to flutter.

‘Perante…’

Riett hoped that with the rustling wind, rumors would soon reach them confirming that Perante was indeed a spy.