Chapter 08
The spirit completely changed its attitude the moment it tasted the pancake.
[I always thought humans were scary. But I’m glad I met a human like you!]
It must’ve taken a liking to me because it started chattering non-stop.
[Every time I passed by this place, I smelled something amazing! And the humans always looked so happy while eating! I was so curious what it tasted like, and thanks to you, I finally got to try it!]
“I see.”
[So, how about making a contract with me? You’re a good human, so I’ll share my power with you!]
What a nice spirit.
A contract already?
By making a contract with a spirit, one could quickly grow stronger by gaining magical power or other special abilities.
‘I don’t need any other powers—just magic.’
Holding back the urge to cheer out loud, I kept a calm face and asked,
“A contract sounds good. What do I have to do?”
[Bring me pancakes!]
‘That’s easy.’
As expected, anyone who likes tasty food can’t be all that bad…
[For 100 years! Just bring me one every week!]
…Was this guy a scammer?
I couldn’t help but glare coldly at the spirit.
It tilted its head, seemingly not understanding why I was giving it that look.
[What’s wrong? Isn’t that pretty easy?]
Maybe someone else would’ve fallen for this deal, but I’d met plenty of spirits in my time.
I crossed my arms and stared at it.
What a spirit could offer in a contract depended on how strong it was.
Powerful spirits could cause typhoons, earthquakes, and all sorts of chaos, but the one in front of me was basically a tiny mouse.
And it couldn’t even fully hide its form—it was clearly still a child.
“First off, humans don’t usually live for 100 years.”
[What? Humans are that weak?]
“Yeah. That pancake guy you saw earlier? He’s probably dead and buried by now.”
[Then how about 50 years?]
“And if I do that, what exactly are you giving me in return?”
[Hmm.]
The spirit tilted its head, then said,
[How about my acorn collection? I’ve been gathering them since the spring 30 years ago!]
This guy was a scammer among scammers.
You couldn’t even buy one pancake with those acorns.
“Humans aren’t really into acorn collections.”
The spirit looked at me, devastated, as if its world had ended.
[Th-they’re not? Why not?]
“Humans usually expect special abilities from spirits. Something like prophecy. Acorns? You can just pick those up off the ground.”
[B-but my acorns are especially round and shiny…]
“Doesn’t matter. Humans won’t care. If anyone else heard you, they’d walk away immediately.”
At my blunt words, the spirit started to sniffle and cry.
[Th-then what should I do? I want more pancakes. Now that I’ve tasted one, I want more… But I’m still too young to give you a prophecy. You have to be at least 5,000 years old to do that.]
After a pause, I said casually, as if I wasn’t particularly eager,
“Well, I might still be willing to make a contract with you.”
[Really?]
“Yeah.”
Because I desperately needed magical power right now.
I needed to grow stronger—fast—so I could slice off the head of Regan, who had become the Pope.
“But I’m not agreeing to 50 years of weekly pancakes.”
[Then what?]
“How about I give you 50 pancakes all at once?”
[Fifty pancakes… at once?]
“Yep.”
The spirit thought about it for a while.
Then, it nodded.
[Alright, fine! I wouldn’t have gotten to eat any if not for you anyway!]
“Great.”
[So what do you want in return? My acorn collection again? Hmm… That’s kinda too valuable for 50 pancakes…]
“How about magical power?”
[Magical power? You’re okay with just that? I’ve only been alive for 200 years, so I don’t have much to give you.]
“That’s fine.”
Anything helps.
Even two years’ worth of magic was precious to me right now.
[Alright! Then let’s do it!]
The spirit floated into the air and placed its hand on my forehead.
[If you give me 50 pancakes, I’ll share my magical power with you!]
The moment the contract was completed, I immediately stood up.
[Where are you going?]
“To buy pancakes.”
[Already?]
“Yep.”
Offering pancakes for 50 years was too much, but 50 all at once was something I could solve with money.
And thankfully, Duke Clasta had plenty of it.
“The water flow is blocked, you say?”
At Swell’s question, the village chief spat as he spoke.
“That’s right! It’s definitely Kanro! I saw it with my own two eyes! It looked exactly like the picture in the monster guide!”
“I see.”
Swell replied calmly as he reviewed the monster traits he had jotted down in his notebook.
Sudden changes in water flow.
Mass death of fish.
Appearance similar to a blue marlin.
All matched the traits of the monster Kanro.
Just in case, he’d asked others, but they all said the same thing.
Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
‘The chairman wouldn’t have sent me and the young lady just to deal with a monster like this.’
Kanro was a tricky monster to deal with, but someone of Swell’s level could take care of it easily.
‘What are they scheming? Did they use this as an excuse to have the young lady assassinated?’
After all, Ariel had only lived in the orphanage. She likely didn’t know how to swim.
If someone pushed her into the water while she was distracted by the monster, she would probably drown.
‘What a pain.’
Just then, the chief grabbed his hand.
“Thank you so much! We’ve been so worried about that monster, but with a fine knight like you here, we can rest easy!”
“As a knight of House Clasta, protecting the people of this territory is my duty.”
“Speaking of which, I’ve been saving something just for this kind of moment…”
The chief got up and rummaged through a cupboard.
“Ah! Found it!”
What he pulled out was a large jar of liquor with ginseng roots inside.
“I can’t drink. I’m going to fight a monster.”
“Oh, come on, just a taste. This stuff is precious!”
“It’s really not—”
“Now, now. They say the best liquor is like medicine. It’s not that strong—just try a single sip.”
Swell sighed, rubbing his temple.
‘This is why I hate coming alone to rural villages…’
For some reason, in small villages, people always insisted on sharing their local brew.
“Fine. Just one sip, then.”
“Right, right! I’m not the kind to force a second glass on a man headed to work.”
In the end, Swell gave in and took a sip.
The chief beamed as he watched.
That evening, Swell and Ariel set out for the cave where the monster was said to dwell.
As he rode beside her, Swell glanced at her face.
‘She ate fifty pancakes this morning and still looks fine.’
No sign of stomachache. Guess that’s a relief?
“Young lady. Do you know about the monster we’re hunting today?”
“Yes. Kanro, right? A fish-shaped monster. Usually, you lure it with nets and kill it using a wide-range attack.”
Swell looked at her in surprise.
‘Did she study in advance? She’s better prepared than I expected.’
He thought of his subordinates who still couldn’t memorize the entire monster manual.
It was over 1000 pages long—practically a weapon in itself—but he’d forgotten that.
Of course, he didn’t believe she’d memorized the whole thing—just a lucky guess. Still, she earned points for trying.
‘Now that I think about it, Officer Orwell praised her a lot too. Said she stays calm no matter what and thinks deeply.’
Even now, with a monster hunt ahead, she looked composed. Perhaps that praise was justified.
‘Even trained knights get scared the first time they face monsters. She’s got guts. Still…’
If she couldn’t wield a sword, she could never become the Duke of Clasta.
No matter how many commands she gave, the knights wouldn’t follow someone who couldn’t fight.
They reached the cave. Swell went in alone to set the net around the pond where the monster lurked.
Soon, the water churned and a giant fish-like monster leaped out.
“It’s Kanro, alright. I’ll handle it. Please stay back and don’t interfere, my lady.”
Swell drew his sword and stepped forward.
Ariel narrowed her eyes.
‘Something’s off.’
She was the daughter of the Evil Dragon, trained with Regan’s sword, and had slain countless monsters.
No one alive had seen more monsters up close than her.
‘Kanro doesn’t usually move that fast…’
Plus, neither the net nor Swell seemed to register with it.
‘Kanro is smart. It should realize it’s outmatched and try to flee into the water.’
But instead, Kanro looked like it feared the water.
‘Could there be something in the water?’
Then it happened.
SPLASH!
A centipede’s head shot up behind Kanro and bit down in an instant.
The giant monster was chewed up like a snack by the centipede.
“Kiiek… Kieeek…”
As Kanro screamed, the centipede slowly turned its eyes toward them.
“That’s…”
Recognizing the creature, Swell smirked and readied his sword.
‘So this is what the chairman planned? Makes sense. Kanro would’ve been too easy.’
Centpede.
Vicious, persistent, and nearly impossible to injure with its tough shell—a terrifying monster.
‘Tough opponent, but not impossible to beat.’
Swell glanced at Ariel.
‘…Whether I can protect the young lady is another matter. That’s probably what the chairman wanted. She’ll get caught in the crossfire and die.’
A fragile girl like Ariel could easily be killed by a single swing of that monster’s tail.
The centipede looked back and forth between Swell and Ariel, as if deciding who to eat first.
Swell seized the moment and swung his sword with magic.
Or tried to.
“…What?”
His magic didn’t move at all.
At that instant, the liquor from earlier flashed through his mind.
‘Don’t tell me… the chief was in on it!’
He didn’t know when they’d started working together, but—
WHAM!
The centipede’s tail smashed into him and sent him flying.
“Ugh!”
Rolling across the ground, Swell looked up at Ariel still standing in the corner and shouted,
“Young lady! I can’t defeat that thing! You must flee!”
Ariel simply looked at him, unmoving.
‘Damn it! She looked fine earlier, but now that she’s facing the monster, is she too scared to move? We’re screwed.’
“Young lady! Run now!”
At that moment, the centipede struck the entrance with its tail.
CRASH!
Dust fell as rocks collapsed, sealing off the cave entrance.
‘…We’re done for.’
Only he, without magic, and Ariel, who couldn’t even swing a sword, remained inside.
Swell, sword in hand, stared up at the monster with a tense expression.
“Kiirrk. Kirrk.”
The centipede gave a strange, gleeful laugh as if excited to feast.
‘…We might not make it out of here alive. If I’d known this, I would’ve written a will.’
