Spirit Arts User

"Last night, were you the one who went inside my body?"

Subaru asked the question outright. The lesser spirit's consciousness rippled gently through his heart, conveying its unease more clearly than words.

"You weren't sure I'd accept you, so you couldn't help yourself and acted first without asking?"

The lesser spirit flickered weakly in acknowledgment.

Subaru rubbed his brow, trying to take it in. His thinking yesterday had been simple: he had earned its favor on their first meeting, so if he came back a few more times, perhaps they could gradually grow closer and eventually form a contract.

Who would have thought that just one meal would be enough to make the little one follow him home?

That was way too easy!

"Was this the first time someone's been so nice to you? Is this imprinting? I don't mean to make fun of you."

The emotions coming from the lesser spirit gradually shifted from unease to relief, though some nervousness lingered at the edge of its consciousness. Subaru remembered something else, and his expression grew a little more serious.

"But about that earth dragon, you were the ones who hurt it, right? If you did it on purpose, I'll have to think this over carefully."

The lesser spirit immediately began shaking violently, the emotions it conveyed a mixture of guilt and protest. Its fragmented meaning gradually came together into a complete explanation.

The earth dragon had accidentally come too close, and the lesser spirits had retaliated purely on instinct. They had meant no harm.

"So it was an instinctive reaction. But that dragon meant no harm, you know. You'll have to give it a proper apology when you see it again."

The lesser spirit bobbed up and down, as if nodding vigorously. Subaru asked the question that concerned him most.

"Also, what's going on with my body right now?"

"You absorbed mana from the air and then stored it in my body? A lesser spirit's ability sounds a lot like an Oni's horn."

"But if you come with me, what about your... ahem, your lesser spirit friends?"

He had been about to ask about its "parents," but just as the word reached his lips, he suddenly remembered what he had read in the book: lesser spirits were born from the mana of the world and had no parents in the traditional sense.

The lesser spirit's next answer left Subaru stunned.

"You're... special? Wait, can ordinary lesser spirits absorb mana from a human body?"

He had read that spirit arts users fought by relying on lesser spirits to absorb mana from the air and supply it to their contractors. But things between him and this lesser spirit were completely reversed-last night, it had clearly been absorbing mana from his body. That made no sense at all.

"You can absorb mana from anywhere? Seriously...? The first lesser spirit I helped turned out to be a special one? Is that special ability why you smelled bad?"

The lesser spirit's mood sank. A feeling of hurt and confusion slowly flowed into Subaru's heart.

Some time ago, it had accidentally absorbed a kind of mana with a strange smell. That mana was not something ordinary lesser spirits could absorb, but somehow, it had absorbed it anyway.

After that, its companions had begun to dislike the "stink" on it, gradually refusing to let it near their colony.

"Mana... can be contaminated too?"

That information bothered Subaru a little, but he set it aside for the moment.

"But there's one more thing I don't understand. When you lesser spirits look for contractors, shouldn't you prefer people with strong magical talent? People like that are everywhere in this village, right? And I have the weakest magical talent here."

At those words, the lesser spirit pressed against him. It settled on Subaru's chest like a tiny, warm cat, radiating happy, affectionate emotions.

"You feel... really happy when you're near me? Wait, could it be-Spirit Affinity?"

Subaru suddenly remembered the term he had read in a book. The lesser spirit immediately flashed in agreement, continuing to rub happily against his chest.

Subaru held out his hand, and the lesser spirit obediently floated into his palm, circling his fingers joyfully.

"This is such a surprise... Haha, my magical talent is awful, but it turns out I have Spirit Affinity?"

"Oh, oh, okay, okay, I won't throw you away. What, you want to prove yourself? Where are you-"

While Subaru was still speaking, the door suddenly swung open.

"Subaru. You overslept today. Sorry to trouble Rem to wake you again."

A familiar voice came from the doorway, cool but carrying a hint of concern. "Hurry up and finish eating, then get to work. Otherwise, Rem won't look after you anymore."

Rem walked in carrying a bowl with a steamed white sweet potato in it, as usual. Then she stopped, her gaze falling directly on Subaru's open palm.

"What is that..."

"Crack."

Subaru held out his hand, and an invisible force split the firewood in front of him cleanly in two.

The Oni children beside him let out a chorus of amazed cries. They were not surprised that Subaru could split wood; even a five-year-old could do that with magic.

It was the sight itself that amazed them. A red lesser spirit was circling Subaru's shoulders and fingers affectionately like a clingy kitten, flashing in response every time he cast a spell.

"The lesser spirit's circling around big brother!"

"That's amazing! How did you do it? Last time I just got a little closer, and they attacked me fiercely. Good thing I ran fast."

"It's so clingy. Kind of cute."

The Oni children cried out in wonder.

"Amazing..."

Subaru looked down at his open palm and murmured, "I couldn't manage that spell after a whole month of practice, but with a lesser spirit's help, I did it so easily?"

He looked up to the side. The split firewood was stacked neatly into a small mountain, each piece bearing a clean cut.

"I sensed a lesser spirit's mana and thought some little brat had been naughty and bothered the lesser spirits again, getting hurt in the process. So it was you."

An aged yet dignified voice came from behind him. Subaru turned and saw a face he had only seen once before, on his first day in the village.

The Oni village chief, Setanta.

The gray-haired elder stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling on the red ball of light on Subaru's shoulder.

"So people really do have to show some actual results to get noticed. This is only our second meeting, right? Is it really okay to leave everything to Rem?"

Setanta ignored Subaru's little jab and examined the lesser spirit closely, giving a slight nod.

"A fire-attribute lesser spirit. Just as well. There aren't many villagers with fire-attribute mana to begin with. You can help in the tavern kitchen, then go to the infirmary to boil water and brew medicinal herbs."

"Hey, hey, that's a little too practical, isn't it?"

"I am the chief of this village. Of course I must put its interests first. It's not as though I'm asking you to work for nothing. Aside from healing magic, fire-attribute magic is what the village needs most."

Subaru knew that everyone in this other world was born with mana, but its attribute varied from person to person. Usually, a person had mana of only one attribute. Of course, the number of attributes did not determine talent-for example, Ram, the village prodigy, had only the wind attribute.

The chief seemed to have come only to confirm what was happening. After assigning Subaru his new tasks, he strolled away with his hands behind his back.

Subaru paid him no mind, his thoughts entirely focused on testing one thing. He recalled a chant he had memorized in the library, sensing the lesser spirit constantly absorbing mana from the air beside him and converting it in a steady stream into energy he could use.

His eagerness to try it shot through his fingertips like an electric current.

"El Goa!"

"Boom!"

A fireball suddenly appeared in front of Subaru's palm and roared away, trailing a blaze of crimson. It worked. Subaru had actually cast magic!

But his first attempt at casting was ultimately rather unstable. The fireball failed to hit its target accurately, swerving into the ground instead and instantly setting a patch of weeds alight.

"Wait, wait, wait! An open flame here is a terrible idea! The fruits of my labor! My wages!"

The flames spread merrily, threatening to lick the pile of firewood he had worked so hard to split. Subaru hopped about in panic.

"Whoa, looks like big brother messed up."

"The fire's spreading this way."

"It's okay! I can use wind magic! Let me blow the fire away-"

"Stop! Don't you dare do that!"

Subaru was so frightened his voice cracked. Wind would fan the flames!

At that critical moment, a new thought came into his mind from the lesser spirit.

"...What? Ice? Cooling things down? Aren't you fire-attribute?"

The lesser spirit sent him another, clearer thought.

"The essence of the fire attribute is controlling temperature? Seriously? Doesn't that mean fire-attribute users can cultivate both ice and fire?!"

"No time to hesitate! Ice... the chant for ice is-El Shuma!"

Subaru roared the incantation he had read in the book.

The next second, cold air burst from his palm. The Oni children watching all shivered at once, and moisture in the air began to condense. Tiny ice crystals whirled and drifted down around Subaru like fragments of diamond.

All the heat was instantly drawn from the flames raging across the ground. The temperature of the combustible material was forced below its ignition point, and after flickering feebly a couple of times, the fire went out without a sound.

Subaru stood frozen in place and slowly raised both hands.

Above his left palm, a mass of scorching flame danced silently. Above his right, cold air swirled and ice crystals formed.

It wasn't a dream. It wasn't an illusion.

He... really could use magic now. And not the half-baked kind that could only knock wood flying, but real magic that could be called "combat power" in another world. He had actually become a spirit arts user!