Book 1 Chapter 610

610.

Thump- thump-

"This isn't just a simple palace."

Leo muttered as he walked down the palace corridor.

A powerful spiritual energy permeated the entire palace of Tunkan.

"Is this a spirit's domain?"

As Tunkan had a history intertwined with the Great Spirit of Fire, this place had become like a spirit's domain.

-It seems to have completely settled here.

Elsie, who had appeared, said as she sat on Leo's left shoulder.

A spirit's domain.

Literally, it meant a space occupied by spirits of a specific attribute.

This land had been occupied by the Spirit of Purification for a long time.

'Didn't they say this place was once a volcano?'

And if one were to compare the palace's location to a typical volcano, it would be right in the center of the crater.

'It's more like the palace of the Great Spirit of Fire than the palace of Tunkan.'

Judging by the lingering spiritual energy in the air, this place had been transformed into a spirit's domain over hundreds of years.

"Its dominance seems incredibly strong."

-It has to be. Istar was renowned as a more powerful spirit than Undine just decades ago.

Leo nodded at Laruel's words.

Great spirits usually possess equal power.

Sometimes an exceptionally powerful great spirit is born, but that's a very rare case.

If they possess equal power, their hierarchy is not fixed.

However, the strongest great spirit definitely exists.

The measure that determines the power of a great spirit.

It was the number of subordinate spirits.

So-called dominance.

How many.

And how powerful are the spirits they command.

That too was definitely a measure of a great spirit's power.

'Spirit mages who contract with great spirits are usually divided into two types.'

There are spirit mages who maximally draw out and use the great spirit's inherent power, and there are spirit mages who handle the immense number of spirits commanded by the great spirit.

Leo was the former.

'Lisinas was good at both.'

Lisinas changed his combat methods as needed.

Sometimes he fought armed with a great spirit, and other times he overwhelmed with an immense number of spirits.

'Well, in the Age of Calamity, the number of spirits also decreased significantly, so he often had to draw upon the great spirits' inherent power more.'

Recalling Lisinas, Leo looked down at his hand.

Lisinas's jet-black mana flickered according to Leo's will.

Lisinas's mana, which had dwelled in Leo's body as a reward after conquering Lisinas's world.

'Sometimes it moves without my will.'

Leo silently stared at the jet-black mana, but it showed no reaction.

Clenching his fist, Leo muttered.

"By the way, why did Istar take Celia?"

There was no hostility in the spirit's power when Celia was taken.

-Istar is a spirit with strong vanity. The reason Istar has granted blessings to Tunkan royalty for so long is partly because their ancestors fought alongside him long ago, but before that, it was because they possessed the lineage with the qualities to maximize his power.

Laruel clicked her tongue.

At that, Elsie made an understanding expression.

-Ah, so by contracting with Tunkan royalty, Istar could be called the strongest great spirit.

To a spirit, a spirit mage is an existence that amplifies their power.

Depending on the spirit mage's capabilities, they can draw out power beyond their limits.

-Yes. Moreover, the Tunkan royal family revered Istar as a sacred being. A renowned family that maximizes his power and serves him well. It was the perfect condition for that bedbug, a lump of vanity, to cling to.

Laruel spoke acerbically.

"But Celia doesn't have talent as a summoner?"

The progenitor of Zerdenger received the power of the Phoenix.

But just because the root of her power is the phantom beast Phoenix doesn't mean she has talent as a summoner.

-He's not the type of guy to care much about that. He's just a brainless fellow who readily latches on if there's someone who can make him stand out.

Laruel said disdainfully.

As the oldest existing great spirit, Laruel had a good grasp of the other great spirits' dispositions.

Hearing Laruel's words, Elsie tilted her head.

-In that case, wouldn't Leo be more suitable? He's already a hero and has a higher reputation as an All-Class. Why specifically Celia?

Laruel clicked her tongue at Elsie's words.

-Istar must have felt my presence, which dwells in Leo's mana, when Leo touched the gate. And those idiots' presence as a bonus.

Peep- peep-

-Idiots! Apologize!

-Ah, Laruel's disparaging gaze!

Fiora flapped her wings and peeped, and Kirian waved his hands in the air, protesting.

Arti covered his entire body and rolled on the floor.

-What does contracting with you all have to do with it?

-Huh?

Laruel looked at Elsie with a slightly flustered expression.

As Elsie tilted her head, confused, Kirian spoke.

-Oh? I heard that great spirits are very picky about contract relationships, wasn't that the case?

-Is that so?

-Yeah. They say if you've contracted with the Three Great Phantom Beasts or other great spirits, they refuse the contract.

-Really? Leo?

"That's what I understand."

-Ah, so that's why Ignit called Leo a womanizer back then.

Elsie nodded, understanding.

Seeing such an Elsie, Laruel asked, flustered.

-Elsie-nim, are you alright with Leo-nim contracting with other great spirits?

In fact, when contracting with Leo, Laruel had subtly watched Elsie's reaction very closely.

-Yes. Rather, I'm happy because I feel like I can make new friends. And in fact, it's more lively and enjoyable since Laruel contracted with Leo, isn't it?

-Ahhh! How can you be so benevolent!

Laruel clasped her hands together, looking moved.

'Well, in Elsie's case, she couldn't possibly have the unique possessiveness that other great spirits have now. Because she was born during the Age of Calamity.'

-Speaking of which, didn't Lisinas make pacts with all the great spirits 5000 years ago? Was it because the situation was urgent that they contracted then?

At that time, Luminus, the Great Spirit of Light, suffered a great injury in battle with the Legion Commander, Gluttony King Jormungand, and fell into a deep sleep to prevent her demise.

Elsie, who was the Great Spirit of Darkness, perished in the fight against the Necromancer King.

Because of that, only the great spirits of the four elements remained.

And they were all Lisinas's sworn allies.

Seeing Elsie ask with a puzzled expression, Leo calmly said.

"They also refused the contract at first."

As Leo spoke indifferently, Laruel sighed.

-It seems the predecessors were the same. How did the King of Wisdom make contracts with all of them? Were the predecessors also moved by him?

"He persuaded them with his fists."

-Huh?

"He beat them until they agreed to the contract."

-…Leo-nim?

"No. Lisinas."

Among great spirits, the legendary summoner, the King of Wisdom Lisinas, beat up great spirits because they wouldn't contract with him. Laruel couldn't help but make a dumbfounded expression.

For reference, Kyle and Luna, who have bad personalities, make fierce expressions when attacking someone, but Lisinas doesn't.

He smiles.

So sometimes he's even scarier.

"The world was in crisis, but they were being prideful, so they deserved it."

Leo clicked his tongue and said.

Of course, the great spirits didn't refuse the pact simply out of pride.

There was also the reason that one sworn ally would find it difficult to perfectly control all four great spirits.

Of course, such worries completely vanished after the battle.

-I can't imagine it?

Beep…

Kirian and Fiora also couldn't easily believe it.

-Ugh! A sworn ally who beats you up if things go wrong! I love it!

Arti liked it.

It was then.

Clang- clang-

The sound of metal friction was heard.

Leo looked straight ahead.

Knights armed with reddish armor were approaching Leo.

"Spirits?"

They looked like fire spirits armed with armor.

-They don't seem to be in a welcoming mood.

Leo chuckled at Elsie's words.

"Indeed."

-Insolent.

Laruel gritted her teeth.

"In that case, I'll have to make them understand, even by force."

Leo approached the fire spirits.

"Whether I'm qualified as a contractor or not. Elsie."

-Yes.

"It's your turn."

***

"Look at this, girl."

Istar said, holding up a splendid red dress with both hands.

"This dress is a dress of flames, painstakingly made by yours truly stitch by stitch."

Celia stepped back with a pale face, looking at Istar approaching her.

She felt a biological repulsion at the sight of the tall man, shirtless, holding a dress and approaching her.

"If you become my knight, you will not only become king of this Resen-tung region but also be able to wear this beautiful dress of flames."

"Um… actually, this land is Leo's inheritance, and I'm not really interested."

"Hmph! I have no interest in human politics. This Resen-tung region has long been my domain, Istar, the Spirit of Purification. I merely lent it to my noble and loyal Tunkan family!"

Istar snorted and dropped the dress.

Whoosh-!

Then the dress, transformed into blue flames, flew towards Celia.

Celia flinched.

The flames burned Celia's clothes and then transformed back into the dress.

Celia, who found herself wearing the dress in the blink of an eye, looked flustered.

"Oh, black hair and red eyes suit you too. Your appearance is very beautiful. Hmm hmm."

Celia trembled, feeling as if she were being appraised like an object, with Istar's deep gaze.

"As expected of the king I chose. Now, next is this sword. This sword, too, was made by me and imbued with my power…"

"As I'm not a spirit mage, I won't be of much help to you, Istar-nim."

Istar smiled faintly at Celia's words.

"It doesn't matter."

"Excuse me?"

"In your blood flows the blood of Zerdenger, who received the blessing of the Phoenix, the emperor of phantom beasts of flame, and the blood of Tunkan, who received the blessing of me, Istar, the Spirit of Purification. You are not a spirit mage, but it means you possess the blood that can grant you the best qualities as a spirit mage."

"So?"

"Bear many children! If you do, a child with the best qualities of a spirit mage will be born!"

"…"

"Then I, Istar, the Spirit of Purification, will crush that disgusting deep-sea spirit and be reborn as the strongest great spirit! Of course, your descendants will also prosper!"

Celia pressed her temples.

It seemed this great spirit was indeed a pervert.

It was then.

"Hmm?"

Istar's face changed drastically.

"How did they infiltrate this palace?"

The palace was a domain under Istar's control.

He immediately noticed any unusual occurrences within the palace.

"The power of a dark spirit? Ha! Laruel. Did he contract with that old hag and that sinister Ignit fellow as well? Two great spirits contracting with one sworn ally! What a disgrace for a great spirit!"

Istar made an expression of utter disbelief and displeasure.

"Indeed, not content with making a pact with the Three Great Phantom Beasts, he even contracted with two great spirits, and now he intends to contract with me, Istar? Insolent!"

Istar returned to the throne, plopped down, and crossed his legs.

Then he looked at Celia.

"Girl. You surely attended Lumern with Leo Plov, did you not?"

"That's right."

At Celia's words, Istar's lips curled upwards.

"Is that so? Then you must have always been defeated by Leo Plov."

At those words, Celia looked upset.

It was true that she lagged behind compared to Leo.

But spoken like that, it was bound to make her feel bad.

Istar grinned, looking at Celia.

"Girl, I will show you what power you will gain if you serve me."

"Huh?"

Whoosh-!

As Celia made a flustered expression, blue flames erupted from Istar's body.

***

Crash-!

Leo grabbed the knight's helmet in front of him and slammed it onto the floor.

"Indeed. Is the spirit dwelling within this armor itself?"

In the past, the Tusen Knights were said to be called the Knights of the Fire Spirit.

And after Tunkan fell and they lost Istar's blessing, they lost that moniker as well.

'It seems the reason was that they couldn't use spirit-imbued armaments.'

These armors were clearly the armaments of the old Tusen Knights.

And the one who made them was.

'The Spirit of Purification, I presume.'

He wondered why Istar had learned magic formulas, but it seems this is how Istar had been using them.

'Lisinas or Luna would have really liked this.'

Recalling his friends who would have glittered their eyes, exclaiming at something new, Leo looked straight ahead.

In front, a door with elaborate flame patterns embroidered on it was visible.

Slam-!

Leo kicked open the door and burst into the audience chamber.

Thud-!

Leo stopped on the floor and looked up.

"You've come, rude one."

On the throne sat a tall man with a displeased expression.

"The Spirit of Purification, Istar."

"That is correct. If you understand, then kneel and show respect. Then I will somewhat forgive the sin of your rudeness."

As Istar gestured with his chin in an arrogant voice, Leo was about to smile and open his mouth.

-Oh my?

'Hmm?'

-What an incredibly rude spirit.

Elsie, who had appeared, stood beside Leo.

-How dare you look at someone with such undisguised disgust?

Elsie's face was devoid of expression.

'Huh? Is she angry?'

It was a sight he had never seen before.

No, 5000 years ago.

Leo showed a rare flustered expression at the sight, reminiscent of Elsie when he first met her.