The spirits gathered around the unconscious crow.

• Isn’t this Rianne’s home? Let’s carry her to her bedroom.
• Are you crazy? If someone sees us, we’re screwed.
• Then what, you’re saying we should just leave Rianne lying here? If some wild animal comes along and eats her, are you going to take responsibility?
• Why the hell are you yelling at me?! Was I the one who turned our Pactmaker into a crow?!

As Undine and Salamander bickered, Gnome fidgeted nervously between them.

Sylph, who had been quietly watching the all-too-familiar scene unfold, finally spoke.

• We need to talk. Before Miss Rianne wakes up.

There was an unusual gravity in Sylph’s voice.

Undine and Salamander immediately stopped arguing and turned to her.

• Don’t be alarmed… but I think Miss Rianne may be the one who summoned the Demon King.

The surroundings fell silent.

The spirits, who had been staring speechlessly, let out disbelieving laughs.

• Sylph, did you have some weird dream or something? What do you mean, “the Demon King’s summoner”?
• What kind of insane crap is that? Cut it out. It’s not even funny.
• The Spirit King told us once before. Dark sorcerers possess the ability to transform into the phantom beast of the demon they’ve made a pact with. I couldn’t remember it until now… but the moment Miss Rianne turned into a crow, it all came back to me.

Sylph paused and looked at the crow.

• Humans, including Miss Rianne, don’t know this… but we spirits do. We know what kind of beast the Demon King’s phantom beast is.

The Eighth Demon King’s true name was Raven.

Its phantom beast was a gigantic three-headed crow.

If what the Spirit King had said was true, then the very fact that she’d transformed into a crow was proof that Adrianne had made a pact with the Demon King.

Undine asked in a dazed voice,

• …Are you saying our Rianne really summoned the Demon King?
• More accurately, the original owner of that body was the dark sorcerer who summoned the Demon King.
• My head’s gonna explode. So you’re saying the original owner of that body summoned the Demon King, our Pactmaker died fighting him… and then reincarnated into the body of the very dark sorcerer who summoned him?
• Yes.

The spirits couldn’t say anything for a while.

They had finally found the enemy they’d hated with every fiber of their being.

Yet they couldn’t take revenge.

Because that enemy was now their precious Pactmaker.

But letting it go without revenge wasn’t easy either.

The shock and fury they’d felt when their Pactmaker died had been far too overwhelming.

• I think Miss Rianne will figure out at least part of it herself. That maybe she turned into a crow because she’s a dark sorcerer. If she asks us then… what are we supposed to tell her?

Back then, as the expedition pursued the Demon King, they’d witnessed the devastation he’d left behind with their own eyes.

Cities trampled beneath his feet.

Villages attacked by demonic beasts.

People driven by demons into slaughtering one another.

No matter what horrific scene she encountered, she’d always kept up her cheerful demeanor.

Not once had she shed a tear.

But the spirits knew she’d cried countless times in her heart.

They knew how deeply she loathed the Demon King.

The feelings their Pactmaker held most strongly reached them without any effort at all.

• …Do we really have to tell her everything? Rianne is still Rianne. Our precious Pactmaker.

• Water-idiot is right. I’m not saying we should lie, but let’s just not tell her that the Demon King’s phantom beast is a crow. Sylph, what do you think?
• I feel the same. Adrianne committed terrible crimes not only against us but against humans as well. But Rianne is the Pactmaker we must protect. Gnome, what do you think?
• Gnome! I’m asking what you want to do!

Gnome just kept his head down without answering.

Just as the spirits, sensing something ominous, were about to approach him—

The ground began to tremble ever so slightly.

• H-Huh?! Gnome!

Something was very wrong with him.

Vein-like vines bulged across his ocher-colored body, and his eyes had turned blood-red, their focus completely gone.

Ever since their Pactmaker’s death had left Gnome mentally unstable, the spirits had kept him together by fueling his desire for revenge.

They knew it wasn’t the right thing to do.

But they hadn’t had any other choice.

To them, stabilizing Gnome came first.

And then they’d learned that Adrianne was the one who had summoned the Demon King.

It was only natural that Gnome would lose all reason.

• Gnome! Please, get a hold of yourself! Miss Rianne isn’t someone to take revenge on! She’s our Pactmaker!
• Can’t you see his eyes have completely glazed over?! Talking won’t get through to him! Just stop him!

If only nature’s power had been weak here.

Instead, they were in the middle of a forest on solid ground.

The place where the earth’s energy was strongest.

It wasn’t as effective as using mana, but burying a single crow alive would be easy enough.

• Sylph! Protect our Pactmaker! Water idiot, you’re on defense!
• Leave it to me!
• Got it! I’ll hold Gnome down- Aah!

Undine threw herself at Gnome, only to be flung away like a dead leaf.

Salamander charged in next, but Gnome kicked him away, sending him tumbling across the ground.

• Gnome! Stop!

Sylph stepped in front of him.

Fortunately, the wind was blowing.

She should be able to hold out for a while.

Drawing the sword she always carried, Sylph warned him,

• I don’t want to fight you! Please, come to your senses!

The crimson in Gnome’s eyes never faded.

Even his body had begun turning pitch-black.

It was proof that malice was consuming him.

At this rate, Gnome would become a dark spirit.

• Gnome!

The spirits’ faces turned pale.

At that very moment…

A man with a cigarette between his lips suddenly appeared and lightly tapped the sprout growing from Gnome’s head with a fingertip.

The instant he did, Gnome collapsed limply like a puppet with its strings cut.

The body that had been turning black immediately returned to normal as well.

“Hoo…”

The man exhaled a stream of smoke as he picked Gnome up.

His long crimson hair fluttered in the breeze.

Rather than handsome, he was the kind of man better described as alluring.

• Your Majesty!!!

The spirits rushed toward the Spirit King.

Undine’s eyes welled up with tears, Sylph beamed brightly, and Salamander looked visibly relieved.

• Your Majesty! If you were here, you should’ve helped sooner!
• Did you come all this way because of us?
• Our King really is the best!

A thin stream of white smoke drifted lazily from the Spirit King’s red lips.

“What are you talking about? I was just passing by.”

The spirits, who had been flying about in a panic, awkwardly came to a stop.

Watching them, the Spirit King playfully arched a crimson eyebrow.

“Still, I had a feeling you lot would cause trouble sooner or later.”

• W-We… what trouble did we cause?

“I told you not to cover Gnome’s wounds with dark emotions. You never listen. Look at the mess you’ve made.”

• W-Well… we knew that, but we didn’t have a choice… Waaah, we’re sorry!
• We’re sorry, Your Majesty.
• Fuck! Then what were we supposed to do? Just watch the kid turn into a dark spirit?! You just stood there watching too!

The Spirit King flicked the ash off his cigarette with a long finger, then promptly kicked Salamander.

• Gyaaah!

Undine and Sylph watched impassively as Salamander flew off into the far side of the forest.

He gets scolded all the time, and he still never learns.

Undine shook her head.

• Your Majesty, could you move our Rianne for us?

“Don’t you know that I am a being who must maintain balance?”

• We’re not asking you to turn her back from her phantom beast form. Just carry her to her bedroom. Isn’t that a rather grand excuse?
• We’re not asking you to take Miss Rianne’s side. If we leave her here, a wild animal might eat her. That’s why we’re asking, Your Majesty.

“Wouldn’t that be unfair to the beast that would have survived the day by eating that crow?”

With a single remark, the Spirit King effortlessly silenced both Undine and Sylph before flashing a grin.

• No, then why did you come? Did you come all this way to calm Gnome down?

“I told you. I was just passing by.”

The Spirit King left the Spirit Realm to wander the human world fairly often.

To collect treasures.

‘What kind of Spirit King is that materialistic?’

Undine grumbled under her breath before casually asking,

• By the way, Your Majesty… did you already know that Rianne’s body had summoned the Demon King?

Without answering, the Spirit King merely shrugged.

Sylph nodded.

• As expected, you knew everything, Your Majesty. Then… do you also know how to erase the summoning circle?

“As a being who maintains balance, I cannot interfere in the affairs of humans.”

• Then at least give us some advice. We’ve decided not to tell Rianne that the crow is the Demon King’s phantom beast.
• We’d like to know whether we made the right decision, Your Majesty.

“As a being who maintains balance…”

• Oh, come on! We’re asking you to tell us, the spirits—not Rianne, who’s human!

At Undine’s exasperated outburst, the Spirit King wore a curious expression.

His alluring lips parted, offering only an ambiguous answer.

“Trust your decision.”

• …Your?

“That’s right. Your.”

Not plural, but singular. It meant his advice wasn’t for the spirits—it was for their Pactmaker.

“What’s gotten into that man?” Undine and Sylph were startled at first, but soon their brows drooped.

Undine and Sylph were startled, but their expressions soon fell.

They couldn’t make heads or tails of what he meant. They couldn’t even guess which decision he was referring to. Perhaps this was the most the Spirit King, as the guardian of balance, could say. Even so, they couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

Undine pouted.

• Yeah, yeah. Thanks a lot. Humans make countless decisions every single day… That’s so helpful.
• Thank you for your advice, Your Majesty.

The Spirit King set Gnome down next to the crow.

“Keep this fellow stuck to the Pactmaker’s side. He’ll heal on his own then.”

• Isn’t there anything else you want to tell us? Leonhart and the others are on the verge of finding out Rianne’s true identity!
• It seems Owen has gained the ability to see auras. I believe he’s sensed the aura of a dark sorcerer… The situation isn’t looking good, King.

“How much longer are you planning to keep Lulu in the Spirit Realm?”

Lulu was the name of the Ego Sword Adela had once wielded.

Whenever mana was poured into it or it was swung quickly, it would go ruluuung, so Adela had named it Lulu.

• …Why bring up Lulu all of a sudden? You’re the one who took her, Your Majesty.
• You took her, saying that she had absorbed too much of the Demon King’s demonic energy and would turn into a demon sword if left alone.

“Her master has returned. For balance to be restored, Lulu has to return to where she belongs.”

The spirits simply stared at the Spirit King as he continued saying things that seemed completely out of the blue.

The Spirit King cleared his throat.

“Ahem! Anyway, make sure your Pactmaker doesn’t get herself into any trouble. Got it?”

• …Understood.
• Have a pleasant journey, Your Majesty.

True to his role as the Guardian of Balance, the Spirit King could not stay in one place for long.

As he vanished like the wind, a fresh scent of grass lingered before slowly dissipating.

After a moment, the spirits exchanged glances.

If the Spirit King was a master of speaking ambiguously, the spirits were masters at extracting the core meaning from those ambiguous answers.

• At least he solved one problem before leaving.
• Indeed. I didn’t know Lulu was the key.

The answer to concealing Rianne from Owen’s ability was Lulu, the Ego Sword that had absorbed an immense amount of demonic energy.

The spirits waited for Adrianne to wake up.

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