Volume 1 - CH 9

Aoife was evidently trembling when I said that.

[Eh……W-what are you talking about?]

[To tell you the truth, I’ve seen Aoife’s eyes following the soul of an animal or something several times.]

[Seika-kun can see it too!?]

[Well…]

In my case, I was born with it but spirits can also be seen through the likes of training.

But that was an exception.

[But that’s not all, is it?]

[……]

[Your eyes can follow after the things that I can’t see and you can even see them. Aoife, what can you see other than souls?]

[……You’re amazing, Seika-kun. You know something like this. My deceased mother told me not to let never anyone know about it.]

With that said, Aoife reached her hand out to something in the air.

Of course, nothing could be seen there.

[This must be a spirit of a deceased.]

[Spirit……]

[Yes. Those that appear in fairy-tale, you know.]

[……That is, what form does take?]

[They are round and vague with small wings. But they take the forms of small animals and children at times: crows, lizards, fish and moles. I think they’re probably strong children. Because the place where such a child went was warm and the wind blew……As expected, you can’t believe it, can you?]

[No……I believe you.]

The presence of something that was neither spirit nor demon that I had been felt in my previous life.

On my journey to seek the wisdom of the West, I met a Celtic shaman — a druid — who possessed a special staff made from common mistletoe.

He told me that his staff was inhabited by a spirit but……I wasn’t able to see its presence even though I could certainly feel the flow of power.

A person like you can’t see it? This indigo blue of a common raven.

Those surprising words didn’t sound like a lie.

As I thought, they were in this world too……

It could be the remnants of a soul like a spirit or a soul of a demon, which came from the body……Or it could be something else entirely.

[Your mother was wise. It probably wouldn’t have done you any good to let people around you know about it.]

[……If it wasn’t for Seika-kun, I wouldn’t even believe it. I’m sure of it.]

Yes, I guess so.

[By any chance, was it the spirits that helped you find the carbuncle today and also my clothes?]

[Uh, yes. Those children gather around magic. Only Seika-kun’s belongings are……a little special.]

[Special?]

[Whenever Seika-kun’s belongings are around, the spirits get weird. They strangely gather around and some of them start spinning around like they’re drunk……That’s how I knew immediately if they were near me.]

[Really……By the way, what about me?]

[That, there aren’t any around Seika-kun at all. I have a feeling that they avoid you instead. Normally, people with strong magical powers — such as master — always have several of them attached to him……so it’s very strange.]

Hmm, I wonder why? Oh well.

[Doing things like touching a spirit……you can’t do it right? Do they listen to what you say?]

[No. They have no relation with humans, so they’re like children who live as they like.]

[Really?]

[Yes……Ah, yes. There was once.]

Aoife said like she was remembering something.

[There was once where they did as I asked. When I was hanging the laundry, a number of children in the form of birds were playing but……at that time, the wind sent the master’s shirt flying, so I yelled at them to stop it. Then all of them fled. They came back soon after but they were all very quiet after that. Yes……that’s it. I’m sorry it wasn’t a significant matter.]

[No, not at all.]

They will listen to you. That was a big factor.

This could be it.

[Aoife. It’s out of nowhere but don’t you want to be able to use magic?]

[What! It……would be nice being able to use magic but I can’t.]

Aoife laughed helplessly.

[I don’t have any spirits coming to me at all. Perhaps I think that I don’t have magical powers or I don’t have much.]

[No, you don’t need magic.]

I opened the door with the shikigami I held in my hand behind my back.

[You can just let these guys do the magic.]

<Divine Call――――Hitodama>

Many balls of fire were summoned from the phase and materialised. Flickering orange flames floated behind me.

……I mean, these guys are hot. I got a bit further away from them.

[Eh, eh, what are these monsters!? Seika-kun, what are those!?]

[Errr……I found them.]

[I found them!?]

It wasn’t a lie.

They were floating in a cemetery in my previous life so I collected them.

They were dangerous because they were simply the cause of fires.

If I pushed it with an invisible shikigami, the hitodama would drift towards Aoife like so.

[A spirit-like monster, I guess. It’s not the kind that attacks humans, so don’t worry.]

[Yes, it’s kind of hot but……]

[Then let’s put out the fire.]

[Eh?]

[Please do me a favour. Like you did with the wind spirit.]

[Yes……Ok. I’ll try it.]

After Aoife looked at the hitodama, she shut her eyes tightly like she was thinking about something.

Just like that, about half of an hour (※fifteen minutes) has passed.

Nothing, in particular, was happening.

[Seika-kun. The fire, did it disappear?]

[It didn’t disappear.]

[Ehー! Even though you asked me to do it……]

Aoife slumped her shoulders in disappointment.

[Why don’t you say it out loud? It doesn’t have much to do with spirits but it gets you into the state of mind.]

[Ok……Please disappear. Please.

[……]

[Please disappear. Please, I beg of you.]

[……]

[Um, really……please……]

It didn’t disappear.

[……Come on! Disappear!!]

It went out.

All of the flames have disappeared as if they had been doused with water and the temperature around us dropped quickly.

[Huh? Eh? T-they’re gone!?]

[They’re here. Look.]

As Aoife looked up, small dots of fire flickered out in midair.

[……You don’t have to come out.]

When Aoife stare intensively as she said so, the fire forcefully became smaller.

Ah.

[Good. Let’s try a little more.]

For the next one hour.

As the balls of fire showed themselves and disappeared many times, Aoife was able to control the hitodama without speaking aloud.

[S-something like this?]

[You’re improving fast. If you do this, you will soon be able to manipulate the direction and the strength of the flame. I’m sure of that.]

I was inwardly satisfied.

In my previous life, there was a kind of ghost fox that often controlled the hitodama.

When I saw this, I thought that a human sorcerer could definitely do the same. I had been researching it for a long time but it was impossible for me in the end. That’s why I wanted to find a talented child one day and thought about letting him or her inheriting my ambition but……I never thought it would come true so soon in my next life.

Finally, my hypothesis has been proven……

It was worth the effort, even though I was treated like a weirdo by my peers.

[Anyway, the fire arts of a ghost fox……that’s not it, it should be similar to do the same thing as fire attribute magic.]

[Really!?]

[Not only that. Perhaps we can get the spirits that Aoife can see to do us a favour. Like a princess in a fairy tale.]

The druid in my previous life could do it. So it’s not impossible.

[Amazing……Seika-kun knows everything.]

[I don’t know everything but I’m studying hard.]

[I will also try my best in this too! I thought it was a useless skill but now I feel a little more confident! Thank you, Seika-kun.]

Yes, yes. Good luck, good luck.

I’m lucky too.

I was able to find such a talent just after my reincarnation.

Well, it seems that this child was a bit out of my depth but…… it’s always good to have friends.

[That’s right, does Aoife ever think of getting out of here?]

[Ehh……?]

[No, I don’t mean escape. Even if a slave was freed, they will still work as a servant in this residence, right? Aoife’s father was like that. Even with his status as a slave, it must be hard to leave the place where he has lived all his life but I wonder how Aoife feels about it.]

[I want to leave.]

Aoife said firmly.

[It’s not that I don’t like it here, I just want to go to different places. I want to know a lot of things and I want to see a lot of things. This country is so vast, isn’t it? That is why I feel like it’s a waste to stay here forever. Perhaps someday when I’m freed, I’ll be able to……]

[Hmm, I see.]

Aoife’s eyes seemed to be looking somewhere in the distance.

As I thought, this docile child is rather energetic.

Like I how I used to be……or not.

My impulses were not this positive.

[Ah, yes. I have one more thing I need Aoife to do.]

[What?]

[I’m going to be away from home several times from now on. Could you just cover up for me? Tell them that I’m not feeling well so I’m sleeping in my room.]

[Uh, yes. It’s fine but……]

[I’d like to look around on my own but I don’t want my brother to get in the way. Please.]

After I said that, Aoife nodded her head in agreement.

This was good.

I’ll get started with the preparations tomorrow.

Aoife had to get back soon, so I put a shikigami on her when she was in a hurry to get back to the mansion.

It was a doll with the art of the water phase.

Naturally, it was used to extinguish a fire just in case.

It would be a disaster if the mansion got burned down by a hitodama.