Chapter 684 - Searching for a Castle Lord
The woman's sudden appearance left me more than just surprised. My mind went completely blank. Even Lupi and Raz hadn't noticed her at all, and for once, they actually looked shocked.
"Ah, uh... hello?"
Her entire body was slightly translucent. Was she a ghost-type undead? But neither Lupi nor Raz showed any sign of aggression. If anything, they just seemed to be wondering what she was.
"I apologize for the delay in introducing myself. I am the Silky who dwells in this castle. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask."
Wasn't a Silky a spirit that haunted houses? In any case, she didn't seem to be an enemy, which was a relief. But before that...
"I'm sorry for entering without permission. I also looked around and even peeked inside the storage box."
"Please, do not trouble yourself over it."
I apologized for intruding and looking in the storage, but she simply replied with a smile.
"So, uh, I'd like to greet the master of this castle..."
"Unfortunately, there is currently no master of this castle. Therefore, we are recruiting! How about it? Would you like to become the master?"
"Eh? Wait!"
I instinctively backed away as the Silky pressed in on me. Being told to become the master so suddenly was a lot to handle. Besides, I already had a manor where I lived.
"Anyway, I can't decide on my own, so can I consult with the others?"
"Yes. You have others with you, I see."
"They're in the courtyard, so I'll call them."
She seemed to settle down once I answered, and she stepped back to give me space.
"Mion, can you all come inside?"
Ah, yes.
Soon I heard footsteps running up the stone steps, and Mion and the others arrived. Naturally, they noticed the Silky's presence and huddled close to me.
"Um?"
"Welcome."
The Silky gave a deep bow and showed a brilliant smile. I was about to explain what had happened, but...
"To think I would encounter a Silky in a place like this. Shou, she is a Silky, an upper spirit. They are benevolent spirits born in houses that have been used for a long time."
El-san stepped in with an explanation.
"An upper spirit? Is she not a fairy?"
"I do not know the details myself, but beings without physical bodies are called spirits. They are called upper spirits because they have the ability to communicate through speech."
"I see..."
As for why El-san knew, apparently there were some in the Dragon Capital, in the castle where the White Dragon Princess lived, and they handled all the housekeeping inside the castle.
"Are they perhaps my sisters? I am glad to hear they are being of use."
Mion looked relieved after hearing that. At first glance, she really did look like a ghost. Then, I explained that since there was no master for this castle right now, she had asked me to become one.
"But we already have a manor..."
"Yeah, that's true."
It was a manor we'd renovated with the help of Pan and the others, and it had a backyard that Mion and Sweee's group took care of.
"You do not have to live in this castle permanently. You may contract it as a villa. How about it, Madam?"
"M-Madam..."
Mion turned bright red. Well, yeah. But anyway...
"Is it okay to treat it as a villa? I think we'll only come once in a while."
The size, space, and coolness were all perfect, but it was in such a remote location.
"It is lonely to manage a castle with no one in it. I would be happy if I could have even a little work to do..."
Ugh, when she put it that way...
"How about having her come to the manor where the two of us live?"
"Eh? Can she come to another house?"
"It should be possible with a taming contract. In fact, there are Silkies that travel back and forth between the Princess's villas."
Mion seemed to have taken a liking to the idea too.
"If you come to our house, there are fairies there, so you won't be lonely."
She said. It would probably lighten the burden on El-san too. Even now, she was doing things like cleaning the rooms while we weren't around.
"Once the taming contract is signed, you will need to prepare a reasonably sized Magic Crystal Stone for the move."
What was a taming contract? I thought there were some medium-sized Magic Crystal Stones in the manor's storage...
"Shou-kun, use this."
"Eh? Is this not yours?"
"Yes, it is fine."
It was the spoils from when we defeated the Wither Lacy on the Southern Island. I'd given it to Mion thinking she'd use it, but she said she hadn't been able to use it at all yet.
"Is this enough?"
"It is more than enough. First, the taming contract... I thought it would be possible... but..."
Eh? Was it impossible? Even though my Spirit Magic skill had broken its limit, I wondered why... Ah, I see!
"Shou-kun?"
"Ah, yeah. I just remembered what happened with Lupi."
The Taming skill only became available because Lupi was there, and conversely, since a Silky was right in front of me and wanting a contract, there must be a new skill I could take... I opened the menu and searched for "Spirit." ...There it was! This is it! Spirit Command!
[Spirit Command]
[Allows for contracts with upper spirits. Prerequisite: Spirit Magic LvMAX, existence of an upper spirit desiring a contract.]
It was another Epic Skill, but I had SP to spare, so I took it. I showed her by pouring mana into the Magic Crystal Stone.
"How is this?"
"Thank you very much. As proof of our contract, I would like to ask for a new name."
Ah, a name... I couldn't think of one on the spot, so I looked at Mion.
"Um... how about Sera-san?"
"Okay. Then, Sera-san. I look forward to working with you."
"Yes. Neither the Master nor the Madam need to use formal speech. I look forward to serving you."
According to Sera-san, she would enter the Magic Crystal Stone when we left this castle to return to the manor, and at that time, I, as her master, had to be the one holding it. We still had about an hour left here. I figured it would be good to have her show us around while we talked.