"Mr. Azik, the way you're looking at me is making me really uncomfortable..." Karen felt a little uneasy and instinctively straightened up, causing Silica, who was perched on his shoulder with her face pressed against his, to lean sideways and almost fall off...
Fortunately, Silica was a Dead Spirit, and being a "floating ghost" was one of her innate abilities, so no actual accident occurred.
Just as Karen was about to say something, he heard the bronze-skinned gentleman opposite him speak in a slightly lowered voice: "Your strength is still too low... This will make Silica worry."
As he spoke, he took a bone flute about twenty centimeters long from his robes. It had seven holes and he continued:
"This is a token from a powerful Spirit World creature that recently chose to follow me... As long as you blow it, you can summon 'Tajik' into reality to help you fight... Mm, 'Tajik' is that Spirit World creature's true name.
"Of course, since it serves me rather than you, you'll have to pay a certain price every time you summon it.
"Take it, so Silica won't have to worry about you getting into danger again."
Karen was silent for a while. He turned his head and glanced at Silica, who was chirping away on his shoulder. In the end, he accepted the bone flute and said, "Thank you."
After holding the bone flute and examining it for a while, Karen asked calmly, "That Your Excellency... I mean, what exactly do I have to pay to summon 'Your Excellency Tajik'?"
"Every time it takes action, it will take twenty years of your lifespan... So you'd better become a Demigod as soon as possible. Otherwise, with your current lifespan, you'll probably die after only a few summons." Mr. Azik patted Karen on