“Wow….”

The spirits of wind, water, and earth. Seeing these spirits gathered and dancing in a colorful display, Agnes was mesmerized and couldn’t take her eyes off them.

It was the first time she had encountered so many spirits at once. Even in Professor Erin's secret garden, she had never seen such a large number of spirits. While those spirits were mostly intermediate spirits and therefore stronger, the spectacle before her, with spirits shining like stars in the night sky, was enchanting.

For Agnes, who had been obsessed with forming a spirit contract for a long time, the scene was so captivating that she almost forgot her purpose.

‘I can’t be idle now.’

Though she wanted to watch the fairytale-like scene of newborn spirits gathering and playing, she knew she couldn’t let this precious opportunity slip away.

The reason she braved the dark night and came here was to form a spirit contract. According to Lilis, today was the most favorable day for forming a spirit contract, which only came once every hundred years.

‘I don’t fully trust what she says, but…’

At least, she couldn’t deny that today was an extraordinarily favorable day for such a contract. She was well aware, through painful lessons, that her presence was not particularly welcomed among spirits.

She knew that if she clumsily tried to mingle with the spirits, she would only be rejected. Though it felt a bit selfish to intrude on the gathering of newborn spirits for her own benefit, she feared the prospect of falling behind as a mage or wasting the opportunity someone else had created for her even more.

She especially didn’t want to receive a failing grade in the spirit communication class this semester.

-Hum. -Rustle! -Tap, tap.

Agnes moved carefully among the spirits, suppressing the mana leaking from her body as she had been taught. Many spirits were curious about the unfamiliar presence.

For the first time, Agnes felt like she was being ‘chosen’ by the spirits.

...Of course, this feeling was fleeting, as the spirits quickly showed their usual cold response towards her.

“Um, excuse me….”

-Whoosh!

The moment she spoke, the wind spirits, most sensitive to air currents, disappeared into the breeze.

“Would you like to form a contract with me…?”

-Tap!

The water spirits vanished like droplets as soon as she touched them.

“Just, just form a contract with me…!”

-Tap, tap, tap!

Even the earth spirits, who she managed to talk to almost until the contract stage, tasted a bit of her mana and then fled.

“...Hmph.”

Maybe it was a bit too harsh a trial for a girl who had just become an adult. Tears welled up in Agnes’s eyes as she faced repeated rejection.

The beautiful sight of the spirits was no longer appealing to her. It didn’t matter how beautiful or numerous the spirits were; none of them wanted to be her partner.

She hadn’t wanted to be born with mana that was unpopular with spirits. Feeling pathetic and miserable, Agnes sat down by the pond, hugging her knees and sobbing quietly.

‘Maybe I should just go back.’

She didn’t see any point in staying here. It would be better to leave now while there was still fuel left in her lamp, rather than being rejected by all the spirits and then having to walk back alone in the dark.

With this thought, she picked up her lamp and was about to leave the Spirit’s Pond when she heard a small voice.

-Tap.

‘Ow!’

“Huh?”

Agnes looked down into the lamp she was holding.

-Hum.

‘That hurts! Can’t you move more gently?!’

Inside the glass lamp, a small flame spirit looked at her.

It was a newly born flame spirit.

⁂

About an hour after sending Agnes into the Black Forest.

“She should have arrived by now.”

I muttered to myself, staring blankly at the night sky. Agnes was a determined character, so she probably wouldn’t give up halfway.

Despite her fear of the dark, I believed she was strong enough to overcome it. While I wanted to follow her and ensure her safety, I knew my presence would hinder her from forming a contract.

If I were there, the spirits would be drawn to me, including the flame spirit that was supposed to be born from the lamp I gave her.

‘Soon, she’ll return with a spirit just like mine~.’

“Yes, I hope so. It was a lot of work over the past few months to ensure she could form a contract today.”

‘And I didn’t expect you to give her a lamp made from the embers of my body! As expected, my chosen master is very clever~!’

“Well, I don’t want her to fail and take it out on me.”

Considering she might become the main damage dealer in the hero’s party, I also wanted to ensure she was properly upgraded.

The lamp I gave her was not an ordinary one. It was a lamp made from the embers of Sally’s body, which had a high ‘spirit affinity.’

Although having a lamp with high spirit affinity wouldn’t directly affect its owner, Agnes wouldn’t be well-received by the spirits. However, if she kept the lamp burning until she reached the Spirit’s Pond, everything would go smoothly from there.

The bond with a spirit is a rare occurrence before forming a contract. Unless something extraordinary happens, like when Sally and I wiped out the demons together, it's difficult to form such a bond.

But spending an hour exploring the dark forest alone with a lamp made from the embers of a spirit would naturally create a bond. The flame within the lamp, when it became a spirit, would feel a connection to Agnes, who was the closest to it.

Moreover, the ember from Sally’s body had high spirit affinity, making it easier for unstable mana to coalesce into a spirit.

When Agnes reached the Spirit’s Pond, she would almost certainly be able to form a contract with a spirit.

‘It’s really tricky to complete a quest.’

When playing as the protagonist, I probably would have accompanied Agnes to the pond and guided her through forming a contract directly. Even for Agnes, having the protagonist, blessed by the goddess, by her side would naturally attract the spirits out of curiosity.

With the protagonist’s help, Agnes could easily form a contract with one or two young spirits.

The problem is that, as Lilis, I can’t use the same method as the protagonist. If I went to the Spirit’s Pond with Agnes, most spirits would be drawn to me.

Why would any spirit choose a rotten egg over a fresh one?

Instead of interfering and making things worse for Agnes, I repeatedly taught her how to form a contract and somewhat forcefully sent her into the Black Forest at night.

This was the only way I could help her form a contract under the current circumstances.

And most importantly, this method would allow Agnes to form her first contract with a flame spirit.

In the game, the most powerful combination for Agnes was with a wind spirit that synergized well with her flame magic.

A decent second choice would be an earth spirit, although in this case, Agnes would have to play a supporting role.

A water spirit was the worst match. Unless both the spirit and Agnes were perfectly synchronized, their attacks would interfere with each other.

But it seemed that forming a contract with a flame spirit at the Spirit’s Pond wasn’t possible. I didn’t know the exact reason, as I hadn’t played that part myself.

I assumed it was because there was no seed of a flame spirit near the pond. While it was natural for seeds of earth, water, and wind spirits to form in a remote pond, flame spirit seeds could only be found in places like the Black Rock Canyon, where dwarves lived, or the lairs of flame dragons.

Or from the embers of a high-ranking spirit that had lived a long time.

‘Having Sally around was really helpful this time.’

As I thought this, I saw a girl with red twin-tails quietly walking out of the forest. A flame spirit circled around her endlessly, indicating that a contract had been formed.

‘Agnes! I look forward to working with you! The name you gave me is awesome! It’s the best!’

“Yeah. I look forward to working with you too, Infernosilia.”

‘Yeah! Nice to meet you, Agnes!’

She hadn’t lost her sense of naming even at the moment of forming a contract.

...As long as they liked it, it didn’t matter to me.