Chapter 18 - The Spirit of Darkness
"Why is there a cat?"
While I sat there in a daze, my head spinning with confusion, the cat—no, Kuro—let out a long yawn and stretched. I stared at him, and he stared back. Kuro was pitch black from his fur to his pupils, and he fixed those large, round eyes directly on me.
He was... so cute.
What was this adorable creature? Were cats always this precious? I had always considered myself a dog person, mostly because my previous spirit had been a dog. I used to find so much comfort in the way he would race toward me as if running through the sky, his tail wagging so hard it looked like it might fall off. But cats had a different kind of charm. The gaze that had been fixed on me just a moment ago turned away with a sharp, fickle flick of the head, as if he had already grown bored. Yet, despite that, he remained settled comfortably on my lap. His tail stood straight up, swaying slowly back and forth. It was an indescribable kind of cuteness.
I didn't know how to express these feelings. While I sat there practically squirming with delight, Theodore-sama tilted his head slightly.
"Like I said, it's a spirit. He's been by your side since I visited the other day. I thought it was strange."
"By my side the whole time?"
"Yeah. He was peering into your face while you were sleeping, Rachel."
"My!" Just imagining it was adorable. But when had this little cat started following me? "But why is there a spirit here? Spirits are only supposed to appear during the summoning ceremony."
"Normally, yes."
"And aside from the Spirit King, spirits aren't supposed to be visible to humans until a contract is formed."
"That's true too."
"But you could see this cat, couldn't you, Theodore-sama?"
He gave a casual nod, leaning his chin on his hand with a daring smirk. "Did you notice?"
"Anyone would notice that!"
Theodore-sama let his gaze wander for a moment, scratching his head. "Well, I guess it's fine to tell you," he muttered. "I don't really want this getting around, but... I can see spirits and the auras of others."
Seeing spirits? Usually, the ability to see spirits was tied to one's mana capacity. Even at the magic academy, only about five students per grade could see them. In other words, most people could never form a contract with a spirit. Furthermore, spirits who hadn't contracted with a human were normally invisible. Once a spirit accepted someone as their contractor, they would become visible to that person. Then, by giving the spirit a name, a bond would be formed between the spirit and the human world, allowing others to perceive them as well. Was it truly possible to see a spirit without a contract? It was said that the Saint of old could see spirits other than her own because she held the blessing of the Spirit King.
As I looked back and forth between Theodore-sama and Kuro in wonder, Theodore-sama's lips curled upward. "I do have the blood of the previous Saint in my veins, after all. Maybe it's some kind of genetic throwback?"
"A throwback?" I blinked, stunned by the revelation. But it made sense. The previous Saint had married into the royal family, and a princess had married into the House of Marquis Camus generations ago.
"To think such a thing was possible..."
"Yeah. They say only two people in the royal line have had this kind of power in the last three hundred years."
"Two people! That is incredible!"
Theodore had been speaking so lightly, but the content of his words was staggering. I had been surprised so many times that my head was starting to ache. I had always thought I was special because of my high mana, but here was someone truly special. A person with real power didn't need to flaunt it. I felt a sudden surge of respect for him. No wonder they said he would surpass the Marquis.
"Hmm. But even I've never seen a spirit take a liking to someone outside of a summoning ceremony before."
It was true; encountering a spirit anywhere else was unheard of. Spirits generally never left their homes in the forests. Most only emerged during the ceremony. So why was this black cat here with me? Usually, spirits were drawn to high mana or a specific quality of magic. But I didn't possess the kind of mana spirits typically favored.
"Well, even for me, uncontracted spirits are a bit blurry. But I can see him clearly now. This is a low-level Spirit of Darkness."
I froze. What did he just say? Darkness? "Wait... Darkness?"
"I thought the Spirit of Darkness was just a fairy tale too. The existence of dark magic was always just a hypothesis—like, if there's light, there must be shadow. Even the records in the Order of Mages only treat it as fiction."
Theodore-sama stood up and crouched beside me, peering intently at Kuro. He placed a hand on Kuro's back, stroking him gently. Kuro leaned into the touch, narrowing his eyes and purring loudly. He even rolled over to show his belly, letting out a soft meow as if demanding more.
He warmed up to him so fast! Wait, I'm the one who contracted with you, right? Did you mistake him for me?!
"I have a constitution that makes spirits really like me," Theodore-sama said.
"I'm not even surprised anymore."
"But even I'm a bit thrown off by a Spirit of Darkness, you know?"
He didn't look thrown off at all. If anything, his eyes were sparkling with childlike excitement. When he pulled his hand away to return to his seat, Kuro looked visibly annoyed. I tentatively reached out my own hand to stroke him. His fur was glossy and felt wonderful to the touch. But as I was enjoying the sensation, Kuro twisted his body and pushed my hand away with his paw. He curled back up on my lap and closed his eyes.
How cruel. He had looked so happy when Theodore-sama did it. As my shoulders slumped, Theodore-sama let out a hearty laugh.
"Still, I wonder why he came to me."
"I have no idea. How long he's been there, why he left the forest... we know almost nothing about dark spirits."
"I see."
"But hey, look on the bright side."
"Pardon?"
"You've contracted with a spirit, even if it's a low-level one. Now you can borrow his power."
"Huh?"
"He can lend you mana."
I had been so overwhelmed by everything else that I had completely forgotten the most fundamental benefit of contracting with a spirit!