I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 61
CHAPTER 61
“Uh…?”
The first one to make a deflated sound was Sylphid.
“Us, too? Not just Elam? As water spirits?”
“Oh my.”
I shook my head.
“This time, it’s about the overall safety of the spirit world, isn’t it?”
I squinted.
“Honestly, if it wasn’t a big deal, would you have come all the way here?”
Spirit Kings, having lived for so long, were inherently lazy beings.
Not just lazy, but very, very! Lazy beings.
It was natural for them not to leave their territories for hundreds, thousands of years.
Sometimes, even when summoned by a contractor, they would refuse to come until they judged it wasn’t a big deal.
There were several times in the past when they were called and refused, saying, ‘Oh, that’s not urgent at all. I’ll take a little break.’
Now, they came to the water realm, saying they would see me.
Where did this puppy-like lie come from?
“If this goes wrong, it will affect you too, so you came to check, didn’t you?”
“….”
The Spirit Kings closed their mouths at my words.
It was a piercing expression.
“And just in case, did you come to see solutions so that you won’t be affected too?”
“….”
The silence deepened.
Now they were avoiding each other’s gaze.
“So, hand it over.”
I stretched out my hand.
“Hand over whatever you can!!”
No, even if you can’t hand it over, empty your pockets and hand it over!!
Perhaps my momentum was intimidating, as the Spirit Kings took a step back in fear.
Some even flinched.
Yeah, because I’m serious enough to devour Spirit Kings!
“Ah, no! We’re willing to give too!”
Gnome quickly interjected.
“But you know, Contractor, the spirit world belongs to the mental realm! That’s why there aren’t many things with substance.”
One existence but no substance.
Even if I sweep away the treasures of the spirit world, they will disperse like illusions in the human world.
“R-Right!”
At that, the Spirit Kings quickly nodded their heads.
Thinking it was correct, they added a word or two.
“W-We, we can give, um, the jewels we’ve collected little by little each time we descend into the human world?”
“I’m sorry, Contractor. If you wish, we’d like to give you anything. How about a spirit flower? It affects insomnia. We can materialize the flower for you.”
Alright.
The reaction I wanted came out.
“I forgot. Items from the spirit world don’t have substance.”
Phew, the Spirit Kings breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well then, if there’s something with substance or something that can be materialized, will you give it to me?”
“Of course!”
“Absolutely.”
“Really?”
The three Spirit Kings nodded randomly.
Promise, you guys?
“Then give it to me.”
“What?”
“I’m asking you to give it to me.”
“….???”
Now they were looking at me with completely drained faces.
Ah, why am I right?
“You said you’d give anything if it had substance in the spirit world? You also have substance.”
Technically, it could be materialized, but it wasn’t different from the promise.
Furthermore, they didn’t even mention excluding “themselves” but rather “the prime spirits”.
“Didn’t your recent promise contradict what you just said?”
“….”
At my words, the Spirit Kings now had shocked expressions.
Gnome blinked a couple of times before speaking up.
“…Is that so?”
“Gnome.”
“Why, it’s right! There’s no mistake in what I said?”
“W-Well, that’s true but…”
“It’s oddly convincing.”
Blink, blink, blink.
Disasters, calamities, and punishments beyond human control.
Arrogant beings referred to as nature itself, are unable to be controlled or stopped by any other entity.
That’s what the four Spirit Kings were.
And now.
“Hurry!”
The four Spirit Kings were in a panic because of one human.
“I-Is this correct?”
Sylphid, holding her head as if dizzy, stumbled.
“It’s not different from the promise.”
Even the golden eyes of Gnome were swirling.
“Wait a moment, this seems strange.”
It seemed like Ifrit, the most rational one, was the first to regain his composure.
Not regain, but appear to.
“While it’s certainly not different from the promise, we still can’t give ourselves…”
“Here.”
Interrupting Ifrit was Elam.
“Here it is.”
In his hand was a small bead.
At first glance, the bead, looking like a sapphire, seemed unusual at a glance.
“We can’t give ourselves, Contractor. We are the four pillars that support this world.”
However.
“We can give power. This is power condensed from me.”
“Elam!”
Ifrit shouted.
“If you give something like that recklessly…!”
“Why can’t I?”
Elam murmured.
“Do you think the Contractor will use this power recklessly? That’s not it. And if you were worried about this, you shouldn’t have made the promise.”
“….”
The three Spirit Kings closed their mouths at his words.
“And I…”
Elam bit his lip.
“For the water spirits who follow me, I’ll do anything.”
A deep shadow fell over the face of the young boy.
“And even to save my successor.”
“Elam.”
The three Spirit Kings closed their mouths.
Amidst their troubled expressions, other emotions seeped through.
“Ah! Thinking isn’t my job!!”
The first one to give up was Gnome.
“Here!”
Gnome, who had been gathering her hands tightly, reached out to me.
A gem, looking like a yellow topaz, hung from Gnome’s finger.
“This is my power.”
“Me too, here.”
Sylphid reached out her hand.
Sure enough, a bead resembling an aquamarine was in her hand.
“Hah.”
Ifrit, exhaling deeply, reached out his hand. A gem resembling a ruby was hanging from it.
The power of each Spirit King.
“We can’t give ourselves. Please consider this as fulfilling the promise, Contractor.”
“Of course.”
I chuckled.
I had no intention of devouring the four Spirit Kings.
Dragging around those guys who don’t listen and cause a scene, what should I do with them all?
Moreover, the Spirit Kings had no intention of being kind to a contractor who had neither mana nor affinity. Even now, they were only begging like this because they were in a regrettable position and had some familiarity.
‘So this should be enough!’
Just having this power means I don’t have to worry about my body for a while. Isn’t this the power of the Spirit Kings themselves?
‘I cried tears of blood because I had no power until now, but this is good enough!’
“For now, keep it.”
I chuckled as I shrugged my shoulders.
“I’ll receive my compensation after the job is done, that’s the deal.”
At my words, the Spirit Kings nodded.
I turned and stood in front of the cradle.
Due to the contamination from the successor, the cradle was already turning black.
On the other hand, the successor’s aura was slightly lighter than before.
I wanted to continue purifying the cradle like this, but if I kept doing so, the successor would tire out first.
So, this method was correct.
‘Good.’
I took a deep breath and placed my hand on my chest. It was to check if the World Tree’s fruit had been absorbed properly.
‘It wasn’t in vain to eat the World Tree’s fruit.’
Certainly, it had a faster and more pronounced effect than when I brewed and drank the leaves of the World Tree.
“Well.”
I narrowed my eyes as I stood in front of the cradle.
On one hand, I held the relic of Detmé.
“Elam, Ifrit.”
I turned my head and looked at the two Spirit Kings standing behind me as if waiting.
“You know, I’m purifying myself as soon as I get contaminated. It shouldn’t touch my heart.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry, Contractor.”
Good.
I took a deep breath. Then, I extended my arm straight towards the cradle, piercing through it and reaching the successor.
“….!!!”
Rustle!
As soon as my hand touched, something black rose on my arm at an incredible speed.
It felt like dozens of bugs were crawling up my arm rapidly.
Cold sweat broke out.
‘Faster!’
It was much faster than expected.
“Ifrit, Elam!!”
As soon as I shouted, flames and the purifying water surrounded me. The relic emitted light, and my body, having eaten the World Tree’s fruit, responded.
Kwung!
Multiple powers mixed in my body, repeating the process of contamination and purification.
“…Kukk!”
Blood burst out.
Kyaaak!
The darkness, which had been crawling up my body at an incredible speed, screamed and fell away.
At the same time, the successor became noticeably brighter.
My method was indeed correct.
There were still countless curses to purify, but I couldn’t help but chuckle.
I wiped the blood with my sleeve and tightened my grip on the successor.
Where, who dares to challenge me?