CH 21

Chapter title: Marie’s Past

★

I was remembering a time when I was happy.

This is the memory of the time when I was on a journey with my master and my seven friends to defeat the evil god.

It’s a memory that has come back to me over and over again for hundreds, thousands, ten thousands of times…..

Everyone, including myself, loved the master…… but I was not good at asserting myself, so I enviously watched as the other children fought for the master.

Our journey continued, and we finally invaded the Evil God’s castle.

The evil god’s followers and demons appeared in large numbers.

We fought them. We continued on, wounded, and finally reached the evil god.

If we defeat the evil god, the world will be saved. With that in mind, my old master drew his divinely forged sword and fought the evil god.

At first, the fight was evenly matched. The magic attacks were steadily chipping away at the evil god’s body, and the master’s sword was driving him back.

The moment when the thought of winning came to mind, everyone loosened up.

Then, one of my friends was pierced by the black light that the evil god shot out and disappeared.

From that point on, it was quickly over.

With one of us missing, our competitive strength was pushed back, and we were at a disadvantage.

Master realized that we couldn’t win if we continued like this, and ordered us to run away.

The evil god who had heard those words put a curse on us.

He cursed us to take the form of beastmen when we take our human form……

Master was defeated and we were scattered.

★

「I, I see… Is that the Spirit Queen that you contracted with, Elt?」

After we returned from the Valley of the Winds, we told Yomi the details of what had happened.

As soon as we got back to the village, we were surrounded by people who were probably worried about us, but now that we’ve finished explaining, they all have astonished expressions on their faces.

「Elt didn’t even have spirit vision until just yesterday, did he?」

「Isn’t it amazing that the first spirit he signed a contract with was the Spirit King?」

「I never thought I’d be able to see the Spirit Queen alive, I have to worship her.」

There’s been a lot of talk about what’s going on, but I’ve decided to ignore it because the people in this village have no ill intentions.

I looked at Marie, who was hugging my right arm……

「Hmm?」

Our eyes met, she rubbed her body against mine and looked happy.

I don’t feel like rejecting her because I know her past…………

「Uuuu, get away from Elt, will you?」

I don’t know why Serena’s mood has been so bad since we got back.

「No. Marie doesn’t want to have any more regrets because I was reserved.」

At Serena’s words, Marie hugged me even tighter. I felt a soft touch on my arm and continued to listen to their bickering.

I went back to my room and lay down. When I was done, I checked my status again.

Name: Elt

Title: Citizen, God Slayer, Giant Slayer, Contractor

Level: 874

Constitution: 1761

MP: 1761

Strength: 1761

Agility: 1761

Defense: 1761

Charm: 8400

Skill: Agriculture Lv.2, Spirit Slots (40/42)

Unique Skill: Inventory (630/875)

The spirit contract took 40 slots from me.

「It’s a good thing I ate all the rainbow fruits.」

I didn’t expect to be able to sign a contract with the Spirit Queen, but it helped to be prepared. The cost of contracting with Marie was just about right, and I managed to stay within range.

「I’m tired….. Let’s get some rest for now.」

I finished checking my status and closed my eyelids, which had become heavy.

「Okay, Marie. Take care of the forest wolf on your left.」

「Yes! Leave it to Marie.」

The next day, Marie and I were hunting around the village.

Just because I’ve made a contract with a spirit that doesn’t mean that we’ll able to fight together perfectly right in.

We also needed to show each other our skills and see if we could work together.

「Gulllll!」

I watched Marie’s movements while I kept a few Forest Wolves in check with my sword.

「I must quickly defeat them so that master will praise me! Shatter!【Vayu Tornado】」

The wind magic that was shown to me the other day was pushing forward. The wood in the direction we were going was scraped off and turned to dust.

「Cawngh?!」

Startled by her power, the forest wolf squealed, but…….

The next moment, it was caught in the wind and its life was scattered.

「I did it!」

She comes back to me with joy. Then Marie looks at me and says……

「Huh? Is Marie going to beat that Wolf over there too?」

She asked, tilting her head. I sheathed my sword.

「No that’s not necessary,」

「Huh?」

「【Vayu Tornado】」

I followed Marie’s lead and cast a spell, hitting a few forest wolves.

「Amazing. Is this the power that allowed Master to defeat the evil gods he hated?」

Marie gave me a respectful look.

「Yeah. My unique skill, [Inventory], allows me to stock up on anything and take it out at will. That’s the magic you cast on me, right?」

「Uuuuu, I’m so sorry.」

As if remembering this, Marie flattened her rabbit ears and reflected on the situation.

I stroked her head and said…….

「Now, let’s continue hunting for a little while longer.」

I urged her to do so.