I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 60
CHAPTER 60
“Elam.”
I turned my head and called out to Elam, whose face was dark.
“You said earlier that the spirits trying to extract the successor from this cradle had been contaminated.”
“That’s right.”
Elam nodded heavily.
“Even Elastra lost its strength and collapsed in an instant.”
It meant that Elam couldn’t purify it, and even the highest-level spirits were contaminated in an instant.
It meant that the curse placed on the successor was not usually strong.
‘But it’s much clearer now.’
Although the successor still had a dark aura.
Wasn’t the cradle clearer?
‘A curse this powerful must have its limits.’
That’s when it happened.
The filth emanating from the successor was subtly tainting the cradle black again.
And there was a change on the side of the blackened successor as well.
‘Hmm.’
It was a very slight change, but it was evidence that my expectations were spot on.
‘I think I can do it.’
I gnawed at my thumb.
I think I can completely get rid of this if I do it the way I think…
But can I handle it?
And do I have a reason to go this far?
“…”
But.
I recalled the appearance of the spirits I saw earlier.
Thousands, tens of thousands of spirits drifting leisurely in the blue sea.
This must be their foundation of life, homeland, and an important space for their future.
And.
<Wanderer!>
<Would you like to see it? Would you? We’ve bloomed flowers!>
<Is there anything else you’d like us to do? Nothing??>
The Undines who used to come running to me for any little thing fluttered through my mind one by one.
I bit my lip.
“Elam.”
“Why?”
“What if, really if. What if the successor remains in this state?”
“What happens, it will fail.”
Elam replied calmly.
“If the successor leaves the cradle in a contaminated state, it will become a fallen spirit.”
Elam leaned his forehead against the cradle.
“We cannot make such a being the spirit king. So if there is no way to cure it, I…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but I understood what Elam was trying to say.
He must mean he’ll directly annihilate his successor.
“…”
Spirits are born from nature and return to nature.
There was no concept of parents and children.
However, that didn’t mean that Elam taking the effort to care for his successor and then directly annihilating it was a light matter.
“Haah.”
I sighed deeply.
Then I grabbed my hair.
I know too!
I know I’m doing something foolish!
‘But, but…!’
There’s no other way.
I put my hand in my pocket.
I touched the small, round thing the size of a candy, just in case.
I bit my lip tightly.
Alright, let’s go.
Since I’m doing something foolish anyway.
It’s better to do it decisively.
“Hey.”
I looked at Elam with a determined face.
“Go and summon Ifrit. Prepare yourself for purification again.”
“Why summon Ifrit? And we’ve tried purification earlier.”
“No, it’ll be effective now.”
I neatly folded the billowy sleeve of my dress.
Elam’s expression became subtle as he watched me.
Soon, his blue eyes widened as if realizing something.
“Contractor, are you in your right mind?”
“I’m perfectly sane.”
Except for trying something foolish, that is.
“So, quickly summon Ifrit before I change my mind.”
My plan was simple.
After making contact with the successor, I’d continue contaminating my body.
‘When the cradle’s water was contaminated, the curse weakened.’
It meant there was a limit to it, just as I predicted earlier.
So, what would happen if I did this?
Ifrit’s purification fire.
Elam’s purification ability.
The sanctity of the relic I possessed.
And finally…
“…”
I discreetly took out something from my pocket.
It was the fruit of the World Tree.
‘The purification ability of the World Tree.’
Pouring these four together would dispel any curse.
The only issue was whether my body could withstand it.
“You can’t endure it.”
Elam said firmly.
“It’s a miracle you’re alive with that body. Why are you unaware of your physical condition?”
His words were sharp and piercing, like thorns.
“Elam.”
I looked at Elam while holding the fruit of the World Tree.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“What?”
“Even if I don’t do it, you should order me to.”
“…”
Elam’s face grew stern.
“Honestly, is there anyone else with less risk than me?”
For some, the greatest threat and fear was the possibility of death.
But death was no longer a fearful presence to me.
Haven’t I experienced too much to be afraid anymore?
“I will be reborn even if I die.”
I would just be reborn and live again.
So, I have the least burden.
<Contractor.>
The face of the young boy was slowly revealing its true form.
<How do you see me?>
The voice completely changed.
If moments ago it was a voice that could be heard by ears, now it sounded like the voice of nature.
Not the pleasant sound of rustling wind and pattering rain.
<Did you think I wouldn’t know what you fear, what you dread?>
The sound of disaster easily takes away dozens or hundreds of lives.
If ordinary people heard this sound, they would’ve fled in terror.
Or perhaps fainted.
“How do I see you?”
Though, I wasn’t scared.
“You’re the Spirit King. The king of this world.”
I gestured around.
“If you’re a king, you should protect those under your rule.”
Even though Elam didn’t say it directly, I could understand it immediately.
“If the successor is born in that state, it will have a strong impact on this world and the water spirits.”
It’s like one of the four pillars supporting the world collapsing. How could it not shake?
Many water spirits would perish in the process.
“And as a father, you should protect your child.”
Though it’s not the same concept, it seemed the closest.
“…”
As I continued speaking, Elam fell silent and seemed somewhat calmer. He returned to his appearance as a young boy, lips gnawing slightly as if lost for words.
“And also…”
I smiled at Elam in that state.
“I’ll endure.”
I took a bite of the fruit of the World Tree and chewed it resolutely.
“So, quickly summon Ifrit.”
Let’s try our luck.
Oh, by the way.
I’ve never lost a gamble.
* * *
“Have you gone mad, Contractor?”
Elam stood still for a moment, seemingly in disbelief, before summoning Ifrit.
Gnome and Sylphididid also followed suit.
And as soon as the Spirit Kings heard my plan, they each had a word to say.
“T-That’s fine, Contractor! I know some good herbs for your head.”
That was Sylphidid.
“Wow~ Our Contractor talks like she has multiple lives, huh?”
That was Gnome.
“…”
And Elam stood there silently, turning his head without a word.
“She’s gone mad.”
Exhaling deeply, Ifrit raised his head.
“Combining my purification fire with Elam’s purification ability, sanctity, and the fruit of the World Tree… It’s like gathering all the purification abilities in the world. Do you want your soul to be purified as well?”
“Ah, that’s not it.”
I grinned and extended my hand.
“I just want to make sure.”
“But won’t you die for sure before that?”
Ifrit’s tone turned sharp.
“Seriously, Contractor, why are you doing this? When you contracted with me, didn’t you just try to avoid danger?”
When I contracted with Ifrit, I was on my way to Cranis.
It was a longer journey than I thought, with a lot of risks, but I managed to avoid them all with Ifrit’s abilities.
After that, I was holed up in a tower in Cranis and didn’t go out much.
“Even when you contracted with an elf, it was the same.”
Sylphidid grinned.
“Even though you died after 10 years.”
… That’s because I was sick.
“Was it like that when you signed a contract with me? Hmm, my memory is a bit fuzzy~. But for a dwarf, you died quite early.”
That was when I was a dwarf.
Why did I die back then?
Ah, I remember now.
I suddenly drowned in the underground water that erupted from the mine, before I could even call for Gnome.
“…My life when I contracted with you was like that too. I stayed in a safe place but died early. I was even a mermaid then.”
I think I died early due to illness back then too.
Wait a moment.
‘…Come to think of it, I lived longer when I was human than among the long-lived races, didn’t I?’
I lived the longest when I contracted with Ifrit.
About 40 years, I think.
But aging was a sign of it.
“No, no.”
I shook my head vigorously.
“The story of my death isn’t important now. Elam’s successor is more important.”
At my words, the heads of the four Spirit Kings nodded up and down.
Sylphid chuckled softly.
“That’s right, Contractor, it was nice meeting you in this life.”
…Don’t send me to the afterlife already.
“Anyway!”
I interrupted.
“I won’t die and I can endure it, so don’t worry.”
The faces of the four Spirit Kings became complicated by my words.
They know very well that there’s no other option.
“Don’t feel too guilty.”
I chuckled softly.
“There’s no other way but this, right? I’m glad it helps you.”
“Contractor…”
The Spirit Kings looked at me as if moved.
Ah, except Elam.
“So…”
My laughter, which seemed benevolent just a moment ago, twisted.
“If you have something you can offer, go ahead and offer it!”
Why, did you think I’d work for free?