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“Park Shin-woo, I’m here!”

A dazzling and boisterous entrance.

As a petite girl, uncommonly seen even in the vibrant Great Forest, appeared, all attention shifted from Ray, who was summoning spirits amidst pounding heartbeats and swirling mana, to her.

“Hmph… that’s the spirit…”

Friel had only heard rumors floating within the mansion; she had never seen Tania in person.

The moment Friel’s remark, smirking, resonated through the barracks, a ripple of excitement began to spread.

“…Lady Eunice.”

“She really summoned a spirit. It was obvious she wasn’t ordinary from the first glance.”

Eunice marveled at Tania.

Making a pact with a top-tier spirit is an achievement almost impossible for humans.

Sadly, it is an undeniable truth that humans have a dismal affinity for spirit magic compared to elves.

As a fellow human, Eunice understood that to achieve such a feat, one must have an inherently remarkable talent bestowed at birth.

Nodding at her grandeur, Eunice reflected.

And that much made her think.

‘Indeed, different from our family’s fake.’

Her foolish younger brother, Allen Kalia, who calls himself a knight. She couldn’t help but compare him to Ray.

No matter if it’s self-proclaimed or otherwise, they are both labeled as knights, so naturally, her thoughts drifted there.

‘He must have originally come from a commoner background.’

Despite inheriting one of the finest bloodlines, he is a worthless fake knight.

Compared to Ray, who even with humble roots shines brighter than anyone else.

The stark contrast between the two drove her deeper into her thoughts.

‘Allen… tsk.’

Ultimately, as her thoughts wandered back to Allen, Eunice plunged deeper into her own musings. The whispers of the Kalia Marquis family diminished under the weight of her darkening mood.

Yet the commotion within the barracks showed no signs of ending.

“…This spirit truly reaches the top tier. However, in the current Great Forest, aside from the World Tree, summoning a top-tier spirit like this is impossible.”

Head of the Chelness family narrowed her eyes, a hint of curiosity flickering in her deep ocean-blue gaze.

“How on earth did they summon it here?”

“Like Grand Elder Casia said, I’m rather curious about that part as well…”

Fletta had witnessed it. Just yesterday, the moment Tania stepped away from the sacred tree, she transformed into her superior form.

That being so, it implied that like the elders, Tania, too, couldn’t freely escape from the degradation of spirits.

But he is a hero favored by the Grand Elder, isn’t he?

“Surely, if he is to be called a hero chosen by the World Tree, he should be able to surpass such challenges, don’t you think?”

“Oh…”

Fletta and Casia quietly turned their focus from Tania back to Ray.

“Hmm…”

The elder of Ianette, Ania, simply brushed her scarlet hair while casting her gaze upon Tania.

Even Diolia seemed surprised, gazing at Ray as if asking when he had formed a bond with such a top-tier spirit.

Amidst this barracks where everyone else seemed enraptured by the heavy atmosphere, there was but one person who didn’t fall in line… or rather, could not align.

Only Shione Shianella remained unaffected.

“Ah.”

Shione’s eyes met Tania’s.

She glanced around to gauge the others’ reactions and then said softly,

“Oh, hello…?”

With a gentle wave of her hand, she greeted Tania.

Tania stared back silently at Shione, then lifted her tiny hand and waved.

─…Hello.

“Wow…”

Until now, the Cotton Puff had only been babbling every day. They had never exchanged proper words.

Thinking she successfully initiated communication with a proper spirit unlike the low-tier ones, Shione’s bright blue eyes sparkled.

But that didn’t last long.

“…”

Staring intensely at the numerous eyes and mutterings directed toward her, Shione lowered her hand and her head.

“…Princess Shione, what’s wrong?”

“Lady Diolia, just hold on for a moment…”

Shione hid for a while behind Diolia, using her as a shield.

*

The countless gazes and whispers surrounding me were pushed to the back of my mind.

I figured I’d be getting quite a bit of attention ever since Tania was summoned anyway.

But currently, what’s this bizarre Status Window that keeps popping up?

No, I did summoning the upper-tier spirit…

Tania appeared in all her splendid top-tier glory.

It was all rather distracting.

Especially the troubling Status Window.

[…@, *※# is interfering…….]

Who suddenly popped up to mess with my affairs?

“Qualification Proof”…. Alright, a quest title isn’t too outrageous.

“Prove your abilities to the elves of Ianette and the barracks. If you possess deserving qualifications, the elves will… *※※…###…”

Just what a mess of a quest description! No wonder I’m caught off guard.

It was perplexing that just before I summoned Tania—

‘…Mana just improved.’

Conditions were automatically fulfilled, the quest cleared without my doing, and I could even feel the rewards coming in, causing an even more chaotic situation.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Last time I summoned Tania, there had been some odd word arrangement that felt rushed.

Now it was clear someone unidentifiable was firmly messing with my Status Window…

SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1VzVsZXFxVFpPYVBhSlBkZG52WHNRR281NXZyZW9iLzBpMXhhYU9zekE0Tg

While I was thankful for the boost in mana, such discomforting thoughts couldn’t be helped.

‘And Tania—’

Could it be because of this Status Window’s effect?

My mind shifted back to the spirit who did not appear merely as upper-tier but as top-tier.

Ending my solitary reveries, I directed my gaze back to where Tania was summoned, right at the center of the round table.

As I lifted my head to face her, the moment I looked up—

“Eek, seriously…! Not a word in response even when I called you.”

Uh-oh, that startled me.

There she stood, arms crossed, frowning before me.

“…Tania?”

“What’s with you being all gloomy on your own?”

Pouting her cheeks, Tania gently thumped my solar plexus with her tiny fist.

After showing her a sheepish smile for a moment, I patted her head to ease her irritation.

Fortunately, that seemed to calm Tania’s antics down.

After the playful tussle with Tania, the attention of everyone gradually shifted back to us.

Feeling the weight of so many gazes and the heat of their stares was almost unbearable.

Noticing this, Tania seemed to scan the surroundings before cautiously whispering to me.

─The elf eavesdroppers are all around. So, where is this place?

─It’s just an extension of the Great Forest from yesterday. We have to sync before catching the demon. But… can a spirit call elves eavesdroppers?

─What does it matter? I’ve had my fair share of trouble with the elves while tagging along with you. I’ve even been forcibly unsummoned for getting hit by arrows.

─Well, true.

─I don’t let it show in front of Shin-woo… but does Changsik dislike elves? Every time he got unsummoned, he cried about how scary the eavesdroppers were. It was tough soothing him every time.

Considering Changsik’s nature, it’s no surprise he’d hate pain and be timid. I could vividly imagine how that played out in the spirit realm.

─Oh, now that you mention Changsik, speaking of which… is he still weeping?

─What? Why?

─Who upset our Changsik again?

─Shin-woo claimed he’d only leave him in the spirit realm and only summon me. He’s been comforting him since, but you summoned and just brought him along.

─Ah.

Changsik…

─…Can you say something nice to him? It couldn’t be helped.

─Heh, I’ll think about it.

As Tania and I exchanged banter, smiles began breaking out between us.

Fletta, waiting for her cue, turned her gaze sharply towards Aina. Despite her sleepy eyes, her youthful voice stood out as she questioned Aina.

“Would this suffice for qualifications? Considering his accomplishments and enough spirit magic to control a top-tier spirit, he could very well outperform a typical forest guardian.”

“Physically, he’s got no complaints either. Didn’t this knight inform us? He has remarkable stamina, wielding his sword all night atop the castle walls.”

“Moreover, according to my daughter, he possesses the audacity to drop himself below to slay that half-demon under the castle walls without hesitation. Finding someone qualified to capture that hybrid would be challenging.”

Under the fierce barrage of Fletta’s arguments, Aina sealed her lips tight.

It seemed like she had no intention of speaking readily, and Fletta elegantly redirected her gaze back at Aina.

Mother or daughter, strikingly similar. As she looked at me, her expression was reminiscent of the amusing smile Friel was wearing.

“Ray, what do you think? Do you believe you would be sufficient to join the hunting squad?”

Certainly.

To be honest, even though for the past several centuries, the Great Forest has enjoyed peace, it has lately grown a tad perilous. They’re elves, and blessed with longevity, they’ve enjoyed prolonged tranquility.

Compared to those elves, having braved life-and-death experiences in dungeons, I should be more than qualified to eliminate those damned demons.

“I…”

I looked over at Tania.

─You caught on to the situation, right?

─Yeah, should I spew flames or something?

─No, just a bit of heat and intensity, please.

After huddling to finish our little scheme, I continued speaking.

“I myself believe—”

From Tania coursed the unique aura of a top-tier spirit.

A spirit commanding fire and summoning calamitous disasters. The essence she radiated bore subtle warmth, alongside a profound pressure.

The little girl’s esteemed presence imposing weight behind my words.

“…I possess no shortage in joining the hunting squad to exterminate demons—”

Indeed, the hybrid half-demon that neither belongs to demons nor humans, they are not alone in that regard.

With Tania and Changsik back at my side, regaining our full strength would be achievable.

“I have no doubt.”

I am determined to bring change to this generation of elders without faltering.

So, without a shred of hesitation, I spoke with confidence.

Tania stared at me intently, sending me a message.

─Shin-woo, that expression is unsettling. Seriously thick-skinned.

─…Shut up.

 

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