I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 58
CHAPTER 58
“Damn.”
As soon as the first song ended, I bolted in fear.
Lionel, whom I thought would follow me to the end, didn’t come after me, only laughed.
‘Now I have the upper hand!’
Standing alone in one corner of the empty garden, I gasped for air.
“Ugh…”
Fortunately, there was a garden chair nearby, so I sat down there without hesitation.
“Why is this life really like this.”
Empress’ assassination, Baron Dean’s incident… Ah, it’s painful even to speak of it now.
‘Things I buried in the past suddenly rush back all at once.’
I blinked slowly, looking up at the sky.
‘Ugh, I thought I could rest for a few more years.’
Involving the gods, involving Lionel.
My head was already pounding.
Ugh.
I exhaled and closed my eyes.
‘…Should I run away?’
Just leave everything behind and go back to Cranis.
If I stay there, most people won’t be able to touch me.
‘That won’t work’
It’s not just about health…
“Ugh.”
I furrowed my brow.
If I can’t leave, it would be better if I had some strength.
Whether it’s fantasies or past powers.
I can’t avoid a crisis by clinging to such things.
‘And Lionel…’
I don’t know.
For now, I have to take him with me.
Ugh.
I sighed softly.
‘Call the carriage and let’s go back.’
Did I dance and run around too much?
I was exhausted to the point of collapse.
I need to go back quickly and lie down on a soft bed to rest.
<Wanderer!>
At that moment, an Undine suddenly appeared.
It was the Undine who watered the Starlight Flowers in my palace.
<Wanderer!>
The little Undine spun around me, not knowing what to do.
“Calm down.”
<It’s, it’s a big problem.>
Despite comforting him, Undine spun even faster.
“What kind of big problem?”
<T-the, that.>
That’s when it happened.
I felt an immense surge of water.
“…!!”
I looked up towards the garden.
There was no drop of water there.
But a whirlpool of water was swirling there.
This, this!
It’s the materialization of a spirit!
<The Spirit King is calling for the Wanderer!>
Oh, come on.
Let me rest for a bit!!
I tore at my hair.
But the stream of water didn’t stop and soon formed the shape of a small boy.
As I slowly opened my eyes, colors and shadows began to form on the figure made entirely of water.
“Long time no see.”
The boy with sky-blue hair and slightly darker blue eyes that shone brighter in contrast.
This boy, who looked like he could be ten years old, was the Spirit King of Water, Elam.
“What brings you here?”
“You haven’t greeted me after such a long time.”
Tears fell from Elam’s big eyes.
“You, are you infinite?”
Tears trickled down his big eyes.
Oh, why is this water elemental king so tearful?
Unable to pat my made-up face with my hands, I tore at my hair again.
I just managed to fix that habit, and now it’s back!
“So.”
I asked, catching my breath.
“What’s going on here that you’ve even manifested?”
There were two ways for a spirit from the spirit realm to come to the human realm.
One was through summoning by a contractor.
This was the common method.
And the other was the direct manifestation.
It involved creating a physical body in the human realm using only the power of the spirit.
Compared to the well-known summoning, not many knew about manifestation, and opinions among spirit users varied.
It was natural.
‘Manifestation isn’t possible unless the spirit’s power is strong.’
Among the top-tier spirits, only a few could do it.
And even then, it was only possible for a brief moment in a summoned state.
However, just four spirits could manifest without a summoner.
Those were the spirit kings.
No wonder people died from a lack of mana trying to summon them.
They were powerful beings….…
“Uwaah!”
It was.
“This is too much!!”
A spirit king…
“Aaah!”
I glanced at Elam, who was crying hard again as I tore at my hair.
“What on earth! Why did you come here even though you’ve manifested!”
“Help me.”
Elam looked at me with his clear face as if asking when I’d cried.
“I need help, contractor.”
“I refuse.”
I was already quite mentally exhausted.
“Ask someone else.”
“No.”
Elam said firmly.
“Ordinary people can’t help. Besides, you’re the only living contractor.”
“Weren’t there two of us?”
If I remember correctly, there was another who contracted with Elam, a high elf.
“He’s dead.”
Elam pouted his swollen cheeks.
“It was about ten years ago. There was a conflict among the high elves at the time. He died then.”
“I see.”
But high elves have conflicts too.
I thought they wouldn’t fight because they’re such a small race.
But intelligent beings are all the same, aren’t they?
“So, contractor.”
Elam took my hand tightly and twinkled his eyes.
“Please help me, please? It’s urgent.”
…Does this little one know I’m soft on kids and is playing this card?
As I looked at him suspiciously without saying a word, Elam added one more thing.
“It’s a matter of succession.”
“Succession issue?”
Then it’s urgent.
“What do you need me to do?”
As I reflexively asked, Elam smiled slightly.
“That.”
A powerful surge of water emanated from our joined hands.
Wait, wait a minute!!
“I’ll explain it in the spirit realm!”
I felt nauseous, my stomach!
Oh, my!
* * *
“Uwaaah!”
It wasn’t a deep sea hue but a mix of gold that fell to the ground.
Ugh, I’m gonna die.
“Wow, it’s dirty.”
Elam stood a foot away, covering his nose from behind.
“Ugh. I, need water.”
As I waved my hand, Elam sent me a round water droplet.
As I put it in my mouth, it felt refreshing and relieved my discomfort a bit.
Must be some special water.
“So.”
Wiping my mouth, I approached Elam.
“Is this the spirit realm?”
I’ve only heard stories; it was my first time here.
‘It’s underwater.’
If there were a greenhouse made of glass underwater, would it feel like this?
I blinked as whales passed over my head.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen so many spirits.’
There were numerous spirits freely floating around.
Lower spirits like undines, middle spirits like undains, and higher spirits like endyrons.
I didn’t see any of the supreme spirits like Elastra.
But they all looked free and somewhat happy.
Well, it’s their world after all.
“Yes, precisely, my domain.”
Elam floated around, smiling smugly.
“So, about the succession issue?”
Let’s handle this quickly and leave.
I urged, and Elam lowered his hand.
“Just wait a moment. Since you’re here, the others want to see you too.”
“If you mean the others…”
“Contractor!!!”
With a roar, flames erupted from one place, earth surged from another, and wind, which couldn’t be in the water, gathered in one spot.
And one by one, spirit kings began to reveal themselves.
“It’s been a while, contractor.”
A cool-looking man with fiery red hair emerged from the flames, the king of fire spirits, Ifrit.
“Indeed, it has been a while, hasn’t it?”
A girl with short golden hair and rough skin emerged from the earth, the king of earth spirits, Gnome.
And…
“It’s been a long time since we last met.”
A gentle woman with long sky-blue hair emerged, the king of wind spirits, Sylphid.
“It’s been a while.”
I smiled as Gnome rushed over and hugged me tightly.
“I missed you, contractor!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I patted her back like a child.
Despite being thousands of years older than me, she acted like a child at times like this.
“To be honest, I missed you too.”
Ifrit said, putting his glasses back on.
“There haven’t been any summoners capable of summoning us among humans or elves lately.”
“Ah, right. It’s been frustrating in the spirit realm lately.”
“I’ve been frustrated since ancient times! Can’t we have some fun like dragons?”
“Ah, right. I miss having fun.”
“Are you a kid?”
“Ifrit always says something like that to me! How rude!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Contractor, you have no soul!”
As if you have a soul.
I swallowed those words silently.
“I have to go quickly.”
“W-Why?”
“Let’s go slowly.”
“Y-Yeah, right. Let’s wait a bit before going.”
“Sure, let’s wait a bit~~”
These guys?
I sighed deeply and grabbed the arms of the closest gnome and Ifrit.
“Contractor?”
“Hold hands… huh?”
As I subtly applied pressure, the faces of the two spirits turned pale.
They even groped my arm or other places with their other hand.
“…You are alive, right, contractor?”
“You’re not some necromancer’s summoning or something like that?”
“No.”
I sighed deeply.
How can I say the same thing as I was initially diagnosed?
“Sure, I’m alive, but I have no affinity, no mana.”
“Goodness.”
Elam and Sylphid, who were floating around, approached and touched my hand, then recoiled in horror.
“Wow, at this point, it wouldn’t be strange even if buried underground.”
“Y-Yeah.”
“If you die, die underwater. I’ll take care of your body.”
After smacking Elam’s head for his inappropriate comment, I spoke up.
“So what’s the reason you brought me all the way here?”
What could be so important?
Why would they bring me to the spirit realm, which is off-limits to humans?
Elam, who was massaging the spot where he’d been hit on the head, looked at me.
His eyes, which had been full of mischief just a moment ago, now had a calmness to them.
“Contractor, I’m going to die soon.”
Elam said sadly.