Chapter 3 – An Ominous Sign
At that same time, near the imperial palace of Florence, inside the Elementalist Association.
Rowen, who had recently become the head of the association, was still working late into the night alone in his office.
Moonlight seeped through the window, softly illuminating his face as he sat at his desk.
Under that pale glow, his mysterious and beautiful appearance was revealed.
Platinum blond hair that seemed to hold the moonlight itself. Eyes that shone like sapphire gems.
He truly deserved the title of the most beautiful young man in the Florence Empire.
The Elementalist Association was a special department established by the imperial palace after the corruption of spirits, meant to protect the nation.
As the crown prince, Rowen had taken the position of its head.
Driven by a sense of duty to restore the devastated empire, he willingly accepted the role.
Of course, it wasn’t just duty that earned him that position at the young age of sixteen.
From childhood, he had already contracted with a high-level ice spirit, Glacier. And a year ago, he successfully formed a contract with the Lightning Spirit King, Lioner.
He had earned the title of one of the empire’s few top-tier elementalists purely through his ability.
Because of his overwhelming talent, many people said it felt like Julia Glen—who disappeared 15 years ago—had returned.
Living up to those expectations, Rowen worked tirelessly day and night.
[Rowen, aren’t you overworking yourself lately?]
[That’s right. I’m worried you might collapse at this rate.]
Lioner, glowing bright yellow with electricity flowing through his body, and Glacier, radiating a cold blue light like ice itself, hovered around him as they spoke.
Though spirits had no gender, Lioner appeared as a male figure with wild yellow hair and a golden toga, while Glacier appeared as a female figure with white hair tied in twin tails and a snow-white dress.
“Thank you for your concern, but you’re interrupting my work. Both of you, go back into your spirit stones for now.”
At Rowen’s cold response, Lioner glared at him sharply and spoke bluntly.
[Since Julia died, you’re the only multi-element elementalist left in the empire. If you keep working like this, you’ll collapse too. And people will call you a workaholic even after your death.]
Despite his harsh tone, his face was full of concern.
“This is nothing. And don’t call me a workaholic—call me diligent.”
Rowen smiled lightly, still holding his pen.
[Honestly…!]
[Hehe, don’t mind him, Lioner. Let’s just let him finish his work. Fighting!]
As Lioner was about to snap again, Glacier quickly stepped in.
[Glacier, move aside!]
In the end, Lioner reluctantly returned to the spirit stone along with Glacier.
With a flash of light, both spirits disappeared.
‘Now that I think about it… I heard the number of spirits around the Mares family estate suddenly increased today.’
Rowen recalled the report his aide had urgently delivered earlier.
For some reason, a large number of spirits had gathered in that area. Thankfully, there were no signs of corruption, but it was still something to be cautious about.
‘It could just be a passing phenomenon, but for this many spirits to gather in one place… that’s unnatural. Could it be that an elementalist has appeared near the Mares estate?’
Spirits without contracts tended to gather around humans with strong elemental affinity.
A sudden increase of spirits in a specific area usually meant that someone nearby had the talent to become an elementalist.
That was exactly why the empire had established the Elementalist Association—to discover and train such individuals.
The association taught methods to manage spirit stones and handle corrupted energy, ensuring that contracted spirits remained safe.
As a result, trained elementalists could protect and purify spirits effectively.
They were even dispatched to areas where corrupted spirits appeared.
‘The Mares family is a knightly house with no connection to elemental arts. It’s unlikely someone with strong affinity would appear there… though not impossible. Either way, we should keep an eye on it.’
***
Meanwhile, Julia had spent quite some time examining the room.
But surprisingly, there was little useful information.
Aside from a wardrobe full of luxurious dresses, the only things she found were several swordsmanship books on the desk.
Next to them was a tightly packed training schedule.
‘It seems she trains in swordsmanship regularly.’
Sword theory, training sessions, horseback riding, and even noble etiquette…
Her schedule was filled from early morning until late evening.
It reminded Julia of her own childhood, when she had been forced to work tirelessly in the fields by her parents.
‘Well… this might actually work out in my favor.’
She decided to treat this situation as an opportunity.
To summon higher spirits—and eventually reclaim the Spirit Kings—she needed the physical stamina she once had.
Spirit contracts always came with a price.
While spirits lent their power, the contractor had to supply stamina and mana in return.
The stronger the spirit, the greater the cost.
Inexperienced elementalists often died from exhaustion after overusing spirit power.
Right now, Julia had more than enough mana and affinity.
But her body couldn’t handle it.
‘At this rate, even handling mana is difficult. I should build my stamina through sword training.’
With that, she set her next goal.
***
After some time—
[Julia! I found something useful!
Sylph returned, speaking quickly in her cheerful voice.
“Slow down and explain.”
[The body you’re in belongs to a fifteen-year-old girl named Angela del Mares. Her family includes her father, the Marquis; her mother, the Marchioness; and a younger brother named Theodore—he’s called Theo.
“I see…”
Julia carefully organized the information in her mind.
The Mares family is a prestigious knight house. Also, judging by how everyone obeys him, Angela’s father seems very strict.]
“…Calling someone like that ‘father’ feels strange when he’s probably close to my age.”
Everything about this situation felt surreal.
Fifteen years had passed, and she had awakened in a completely different place.
[Hehe, but right now, you’re fifteen—and he’s your father.]
“You’re right… but I still remember being Julia. It’ll take time to adjust.”
[It’s okay! You have me, after all!]
Sylph smiled brightly at her.
If she had been alone, this would have been much harder.
Angela gently poked Sylph’s cheek with her finger instead of answering.
***
She spent the rest of the day learning everything she could from Sylph.
Though it was a lot to remember, it wasn’t difficult for someone like her.
Once she had a basic understanding of her new identity, Angela finally left the room.
In the hallway, several servants were busy cleaning.
“Lady Angela!”
A maid rushed over—it was the same one from earlier.
“Are you feeling better? You should have called me instead of coming out…”
“I’m fine now. I can move on my own. Thank you for your concern.”
“Oh, that’s such a relief. I was worried since you stayed in your room all day.”
“Where is everyone else?”
“It’s almost dinner time. They’re all in the dining hall.”
“I see. Then I should head there as well.”
As Angela began walking, the maid followed closely behind.
‘I don’t really need someone accompanying me…’
She wasn’t used to having someone follow her like this.
But drawing attention would only cause problems.
For now, it was better to act naturally.
It was also a way to respect the girl whose body she had taken.
[Angela, this way!]
Following Sylph, who fluttered ahead, Angela made her way toward the dining hall.
