The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower-Chapter 231

[Translator - Night]

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Chapter 231: An Old Promise (5)

Silmarion looked out at the world unfolding before his eyes.

One Thought, Pure Land was a world modeled after the real White Tower—beautiful like a painted picture.

— …

As a spirit of the wind, he could tell.

There was no intent of attack in the wind that brushed over each joint of his fingers.

Yet even this peaceful space could not quell the surging desire for destruction boiling inside Silmarion.

— Destroy.

That desire did not stem from reason or instinct—it was the demonic energy commanding him.

Silmarion’s body fluttered violently as the red demonic aura roared.

───!!!

Just as Silmarion let out a scream loud enough to tear eardrums and was about to unleash a blast of wind—

“Don’t.”

It was a calm voice.

Sasha Maestro.

She spoke to the nearly berserk Silmarion in a lecturing tone.

“You’re not allowed to act like that here.”

This was the White Tower from the time she remembered.

No matter who the opponent was, she would not permit the sanctuary of her memories to be destroyed.

“It’s okay, so don’t resist.”

Her voice felt like it gently soothed the listener’s heart.

With a light wave of Sasha’s hand, a cool breeze rose and held Silmarion still.

“Just for a moment—if you can endure just a little longer, this nightmare will be over.”

— …

The wind began to erase all demonic energy it touched.

Its purifying power was on an entirely different level compared to when it had erased Yuribe’s demonic energy days ago.

As the warm wind—like spring sunlight—cleansed the demonic aura, long-forgotten memories began to surface one by one.

* * *

The Garden of the Ancients, Elysian.

Located deep within the great forest in the southwest of the continent, this kingdom of elves worshiped the World Tree.

They lived in harmony with nature, strictly forbidding contact with the outside world.

There were several customs in this land.

For spirit mages, the coming-of-age ceremony involved summoning the spirit they would bond with for life.

“Yena Ardel, please step onto the altar.”

At the high elf’s summons, a young woman slowly stepped up to the altar.

At the same time, countless eyes of other elves sparkled as they gazed at her.

‘The rumors say she’s the greatest talent of her generation.’

‘I wonder what kind of spirit Princess Yena will summon.’

‘If the rumors are true, she’ll summon at least a mid-tier spirit.’

Even to other elves, royalty was not someone they saw lightly.

So the coming-of-age ceremony of Yena Ardel, known as the greatest genius in the royal family, was an event all the elves had eagerly awaited.

“Begin the spirit summoning.”

“……”

With a slight nod, Princess Yena solemnly began to chant the summoning spell.

A moment later, a storm-like wind swept across the altar.

— …

When the gust settled, what appeared was a spirit composed entirely of wind, standing three meters tall.

Silmarion scanned his surroundings before fixing his gaze on Yena.

— Are you the one who summoned me?

“……”

Little bird.

That thought crossed his mind as he saw the nervous girl give a small nod.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Silmarion spoke again.

— I feel sorry to say this after you went through the trouble of summoning me, but I do not wish for a new contractor. If you permit it, I will call upon another top-tier spirit for you. Would that be acceptable?

Shake, shake.

Princess Yena shook her head.

Then, snap!—she pointed her index finger directly at Silmarion’s face.

Staring blankly at her pointed finger, Silmarion asked,

— Is there a particular reason I must be the one you contract with?

“……”

There was no answer, but he could feel it just by looking into her eyes.

This elf will never back down.

That much was clear.

— Even among top-tier spirits, personalities vary greatly. I must warn you—I have some flaws. Will you still proceed with the contract?

A nod full of certainty.

Seeing her resolute attitude, Silmarion let out a quiet sigh.

‘I suppose I have no choice.’

He had hoped to avoid contracts for the time being.

At least until the memories of his previous contractor had faded over a thousand years or so.

‘But perhaps this too is fate.’

Silmarion closed his eyes and gave a slow nod.

— If you wish to forge a bond of comradeship with me, speak your name.

“…Yena Ardel.”

— I hereby declare that a pact of comradeship has been formed between Silmarion and Yena Ardel.

She was Silmarion’s first contractor in hundreds of years.

‘This one is quiet, at least.’

That wasn’t especially important.

A spirit and its contractor were connected heart to heart.

Even without words or actions, they could understand each other.

‘But an elf, huh…’

Silmarion slowly nodded, thinking that perhaps it was for the best.

* * *

Yena Ardel’s silence was to an extreme degree.

Unless absolutely necessary, she could go over a month without speaking a word.

— …

Silmarion actually found it comforting.

His previous contractor had been a human who talked endlessly.

Because of that, he had come to know all sorts of trivial details about them.

Perhaps that’s why he had grown so attached.

— …

In contrast, his current contractor suited him perfectly.

All she did was read and study.

Her subjects varied widely—

From royal studies in preparation for leading a kingdom, to the languages of humans and dwarves, and even books illustrated with various monsters.

— …

Silmarion followed her around like a bodyguard.

No matter how much time passed, she never asked for his power.

She even wielded a broom herself when cleaning.

— If it’s just a simple errand, you can ask me.

“……”

When he couldn't hold back and spoke up, Yena would simply smile faintly and shake her head.

Time passed like that.

A year, ten years, a hundred years…

The longer he spent with her, the more peace Silmarion felt.

‘Not bad.’

As the first of the top-tier spirits, Silmarion was highly sensitive.

He had no benchmark when he was created by his mother, Silaphrion of Serenity.

Perhaps that’s why—

Whenever a contractor died, he would fall into deep depression.

‘It’s laughable, really.’

A top-tier spirit suffering from depression.

Because of that, after a contractor’s death, he would go at least a thousand years before forging a new bond.

Until the memories of the time they shared naturally faded away.

‘Utterly pathetic.’

Silmarion let out a self-mocking smile.

If that wasn’t the definition of a defective, half-baked spirit, then what was?

Poke. Poke.

“……”

Whenever he got like that, Yena would widen her eyes and jab him with her finger as if to say “stop that.”

In the end, Silmarion always gave in.

— Very well. I shall refrain from such thoughts.

“……”

— Yes, it’s a promise.

It was a peaceful time that seemed as though it would last forever, unchanged.

* * *

[Translator - Night]

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The continent fell into chaos.

A stranger from beyond the Red Mountains—once believed to be completely uninhabited—had appeared.

“They refer to themselves as demons. They seem extremely aggressive and brutal.”

“During the first encounter, the White Tower Master was killed, and the human emperor quickly dispatched an army.”

“At the same time, they sent a request to us, asking us to join the Continental Alliance.”

“Absurd. Why should we involve ourselves with the greedy humans?”

“Now, now. This isn’t just a human problem. The dwarves already joined the alliance and sent warriors to the mountains.”

Even the elven kingdom was on high alert.

Meetings were held daily.

After extensive discussion with the elven elders, the king reached a decision.

“Though the fire still burns far from us, the day will come when its heat reaches our forest.

If we wish not to be fools who see only what's before them, then we must begin gathering information on these unknown beings. Let Elysian join the Continental Alliance as well.”

Thus, a historic alliance was formed, and Princess Yena was chosen to lead the investigation team.

“Go with your fellow elves and return safely.”

“…Yes.”

Yena Ardel left the great forest, leading more than fifty elves.

They were welcomed as honored guests in the empire’s royal court, rested well, and then departed for the Red Mountains.

— The Red Mountains, huh.

It was a place so notorious that even his previous contractor had heard of it.

The only relief was that the peak they were set to investigate was considered relatively safe.

‘At least there are no disasters there. That’s a blessing.’

The disasters that roamed the mountain range led by the Red Witch—

He was glad there would be no encounter with those infamous beings, whose names were even whispered in the Spirit Realm.

Though there was a slight chance of encountering the roots of the “One Who Devoured the Mountain,” it was widely accepted that its power was significantly weakened at the first peak.

-Hmm.

The joint investigation force of elves and humans, led by Yena, numbered over a thousand.

With well-trained knights, mages, and spirit summoners moving together, there seemed to be nothing in the world to fear.

‘Unless the demons have lost their minds, they wouldn’t dare strike.’

Though called an “investigation force,” it was capable of going to war with a major city.

Even Silmarion, a top-tier level-7 spirit, would hesitate before such a force.

-……

Having seen contractors for over a hundred years, he could tell.

She was extremely tense.

-Are you that nervous?

“……”

-Afraid? Haha, don’t worry.

“……”

-Hmm. Very well. No matter what happens, I will protect you.

Hearing those words, his contractor’s expression noticeably relaxed.

She seemed to deeply trust him—so much so that she, who hadn’t slept properly in days, finally fell into a deep sleep.

It was the night the demon assault began.

* * *

There is no color in the wind.

But that night, the wind rising from the first peak was red.

Because the blood of elves and humans flowed like rivers.

“This one’s no good… this one too…”

And at the center of a mountain made from piled-up corpses stood a demon.

The thousand-member investigation force that arrived at the first peak had been annihilated by a single demon.

He introduced himself as—Darvas.

Injecting demonic energy into the scattered corpses, he shook his head.

“Hmm. This ratio is off. I suppose more refined research must be done back home. Still, acquiring quality materials like elves is a fortunate result.”

Like a child playing with toys, he sat in a pool of blood, inserting demonic energy into the bodies and collecting unknown data.

“...Cough!”

Yena Ardel coughed up blood.

A massive hole in her abdomen—she was dying.

Silmarion was in no better shape.

Though a spirit should have no physical form, he was torn as if made of flesh and bone.

-Yena… my… contractor…

He slowly reached out to her, but couldn’t make contact.

Being wind, he could tell—

Her body was rapidly cooling.

It meant her time was almost up.

With her last strength, Yena Ardel moved her lips.

Though already blind, she looked precisely in his direction.

“……”

Her lips moved faintly.

Was it because the bond of their spirit pact was fading with her nearing death?

He could no longer understand her.

All Silmarion could do was read her lips and guess her final message.

‘Thank you… for making a contract with me.’

Her eyes lost focus.

But only for a moment.

“A spirit, huh… now that I think of it, there’s no reason I can’t use one.”

Crack!

A giant hand of demonic energy gripped him tightly.

At the same time, Darvas began injecting demonic energy into him.

“Don’t resist. From now on, I’ll make you stronger.”

The last thing he saw was Darvas’s chilling smile.

Then Silmarion’s mind was torn to shreds.

—Destroy.

Not long after, rumors began to circulate:

A corrupted spirit wandered the first peak of the Red Mountain Range.

* * *

“Did you have a nightmare?”

A calm voice asked.

Silmarion slowly lifted his head.

He looked at the small woman with red hair and nodded.

-Yes… it was an ancient nightmare.

“I’m glad you woke up.”

-…I thank you.

“No need to thank me.”

Seeing his form beginning to collapse, Sasha asked:

“Are you returning to the Spirit Realm?”

-…No.

Silmarion shook his head.

-I no longer have the face to meet Mother. More than anything… I’m too tired.

He chose to fade from existence.

As he vanished into sparkling particles, he looked one last time at Sasha and Oscar, then closed his eyes.

-Please make use of what remains of me.

In the place where Silmarion disappeared, a small orb was left behind.

“...I hope, wherever you go, only peaceful dreams await you.”

With a bittersweet expression, Sasha honored the spirit’s soul and picked up the orb.

Then she hurried over to the exhausted Oscar.

“Here, take this.”

“?”

Oscar looked puzzled.

“Why give this to me?”

“I— I wanted to apologize for the disgrace I showed over the past few days.”

“Come on, I’m not the kind of teacher who takes things from his disciple. You keep it.”

“No, please, Master. I really want you to have it. I won’t even need it—there’s too much I need to sort out first.”

“……”

Fair point.

She had just reached level 8—there’d be a mountain of things to re-evaluate.

A lot of existing knowledge would need restructuring.

‘More than that…’

Seeing how her hair now reached her waist—it was clear she’d gone through the process of reconstructing her body.

In Yan Kingdom, this was called—a total rebirth.

Oscar clicked his tongue and accepted the orb.

“Hmm…”

He stared at it, wondering what it might be.

Then, a familiar voice whispered in his ear.

-Thank you… for keeping the ancient promise.

The voice faded away with the collapse of the One Thought, Pure Land world.

‘Shilaphrion of Silence…’

What parent wouldn't grieve the loss of their child?

While silently praying for her, Sasha stretched and yawned.

“Well, one matter resolved. I’m glad things ended well.”

“……”

Indeed, it was good that things were resolved.

But then why…

Even after hearing that final line, did he feel so uneasy?

Soon, Oscar realized the reason.

“…Oh right. Oran Quill.”

“Huh?”

Sasha tilted her head in confusion.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]