20 – Gift

I thought it would evolve immediately as the signs of evolution became visible, but it didn’t change no matter how long I waited, as if it still needed time.

Therefore, I gently stroked the head of the peacefully sleeping spirit before lying down on the bed.

‘The incident isn’t perfectly resolved yet, so I’ll have to keep an eye on the progress, but…’

It’s nearly over, so I can at least rest well today.

I slowly closed my eyes, resolving to dedicate myself to training as usual tomorrow.

“……”

I came to my senses to find it was morning.

Just in case, I checked on the spirit, wondering if she had awakened.

But it seemed she needed a bit more time; she was still fast asleep.

‘She sleeps longer than I thought.’

In the original story, it was written that she’d wake up “before long,” so I thought she’d be up in a few hours at most, but it’s somewhat bewildering that she’s still asleep even after I’ve woken.

‘Could it be because she ate the black bead?’

I can’t think of anything else.

Looking at the spirit, I wondered if I should lay her on the bed so she could rest comfortably before I left.

‘But if I leave her, she’ll be terribly sad, I think.’

So, having no choice, I decided to take her with me, cradling her in my arms.

Watching the spirit nestle into me in her sleep, I rose to my feet, feeling I’d made the right decision.

*

To train, I needed four things.

Lorraine, potions, tea, and a training spot where Lilia, my sister, wouldn’t catch us.

Three of these were always on hand, so preparing them wasn’t too difficult.

But choosing a training location was quite tricky, and while I was agonizing over it, Lorraine happened to discover a decent place, allowing us to proceed with the training without major issues.

“You’ve definitely become more skilled in combat, probably because you’ve experienced actual battle.”

I nodded, blocking Lorraine’s attack.

As Lorraine said, perhaps it was because I’d experienced life-or-death combat, but I could read my opponent’s movements more easily than usual.

Moreover, I could now do things without hesitation that I would have previously hesitated over.

So, somewhat satisfied, I continued our sparring match when Lorraine made a suggestion.

“Which brings me to this, wouldn’t you like to focus on practical experience for growth from now on?”

“Practical experience?”

“Yes. I think you’ll grow faster if you focus on practical experience rather than sparring.”

It wasn’t a bad suggestion… but the problem was where to find practical experience.

The last combat I engaged in had the justification of defeating the black mages, so it wasn’t hard to come by.

But usually, it was difficult to find such justifications, making combat quite challenging.

When I asked about this, Lorraine chuckled and waved her hand.

“If that’s the issue, there’s a simple solution. Take on missions.”

“A mission?”

“Yes. If you accept and proceed with combat-related missions from the guild, you can fight to your heart’s content. It was a method I often used when I was still growing.”

Hearing that, I thought it sounded good and nodded.

Receiving missions would allow me to gain ‘varied experiences,’ and that would trigger a significant surge of experience for my combat stats.

It was determined that doing it was unconditionally beneficial.

So, deciding to keep the guild in mind, I swung my mace at Lorraine.

*

After finishing training, while strolling down the hallway to take a brief rest.

In the small garden located in the center of the mansion, Siren was sitting on a garden bench, blankly gazing at the sky.

Bathing in the warm sunlight, appearing as if reverently praying, stirred a strange emotion in me.

She, who was called the worst curse born from swallowing despair in the original story, longed for and enjoyed the light, a stark contrast indeed.

I was glad, albeit by chance, that I had saved Siren, and as I approached her.

Siren looked up at me silently and began to wave her hand slightly.

Her expressionless wave was surprisingly adorable.

A smile escaped me, and as I approached her and said, “Thank you for last night,” Siren shook her head and said to me.

“There’s no need to thank me. Ever since you saved me, I’ve decided to help you for the rest of my life.”

So, she was saying that helping was natural, so there was no need to thank her.

Listening to those words, I was reminded of what Elysia had done to me in the past.

Those days when she didn’t properly look after me, despite having brought warmth to the north, contrary to her promise.

As those memories bloomed in my mind, my expression naturally hardened.

At the time, I had forced myself to endure, convincing myself that it was okay, but in reality, it was far from okay.

Just as I was struggling to shake off those memories, Siren grabbed my hand and began kneading it, asking me a question.

“Warm?”

At her question asking if her hand was warm, the intrusive thoughts filled with only pain quickly vanished.

“Yes. Warm.”

“That’s a relief then.”

Siren nodded somewhat triumphantly, looking at me, then tilted her head and said to me.

“Come to think of it, where did that dwarf go?”

“Dwarf? Ah, the spirit.”

I carefully took out the spirit I had kept in my pocket and said.

“Just slumbering, to evolve.”

“Aha.”

Siren gazed at the spirit for a long moment, then, as if struck by a thought, tilted her head and spoke to me.

“Come to think of it, haven’t you given the spirit a name?”

“…Have I not?”

Why hadn’t I, truly?

I wasn’t sure of the precise reason, but if I were to hazard a guess, it was likely because I was so emotionally overwhelmed, I simply hadn’t the wherewithal to concern myself with such things.

“I think you should give it one. If I were that dolt, I’d feel left out.”

Bickering every time they met, I’d assumed they were at odds, but it seemed they were quite fond of each other after all.

At those words, I offered a small smile and sought Siren’s opinion.

“Perhaps you have a name you’d like to suggest?”

To that, Siren replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Myang-myangi.”

“…Isn’t that Myang-myangi a bit…much?”

A puppy is Mung-mungi, a kitten is Nyaong-nyi, and a spirit is Myang-myangi…

It was cute, but too lacking in sincerity, so I tried to persuade her to come up with something else.

“Myang-myangi.”

“……”

She was utterly fixated on the name Myang-myangi, recommending it incessantly.

I said I understood for the time being, deciding to finalize the name when the spirit awoke, and nodded my head.

*

After that, Siren and I were exchanging various trivial bits of chatter.

When the manor grew somewhat noisy, with a multitude of people beginning to move along the corridor.

‘It seems the document I gave to the Lord has proven to be true.’

There was no other reason so many people would be moving with such coordinated purpose.

As I watched the knights and mages moving busily, Damian’s brother, Aiden, approached me.

“Thank you.”

He patted my back gently, offered his thanks, and then moved on.

I watched his resolute back as he went, offering my support in my heart, when this time, Lilia Noona appeared.

“I hear our youngest has accomplished quite the feat?”

Lilia *nuna*, the moment she arrived, began kneading my cheeks with both hands, expressing her affection, chuckling softly. Then, turning her gaze, she greeted Siren.

“Siren, hello to you too?”

“Hello.”

It seemed they had become friendly in my absence.

Seeing this, I was thinking how fortunate it was when Lilia *nuna* nudged my back and said,

“Oh, right. Show Siren around the city a bit. When you weren’t here, she’d just linger in the park all day, waiting for you. It made my heart ache.”

Hearing those words, the fact that I had brought Siren to the manor only to neglect her resurfaced in my mind.

I had nothing to say, even if I had ten mouths, so, filled with guilt, I nodded and spoke to Siren.

“Want to go see the city together?”

At my suggestion, Siren nodded her head incredibly fast and grasped my hand tightly.

*

Truthfully, I don’t know much about Siren.

All I know is that she has swallowed countless despairs and that she will become a great mage.

Therefore, what emotions or memories were mixed together to form the feelings Siren held for me were beyond my understanding.

‘Of course, it might not be that complicated. Perhaps she’s simply grateful for being rescued, or maybe she’s just emotionally unstable…’

For some reason, I felt there was a more fundamental reason, and I wordlessly gazed at Siren.

I hoped that one day I would be able to completely understand Siren’s feelings, but just then, Lorraine, who had been following behind us, chuckled and spoke to us.

“Just looking at you two, it’s obvious you don’t know how to have fun, so I’ll show you.”

“…Are you sure that’s alright?”

“Yes. Back in my wild days… well, that’s not important. Anyway, shall we go have some fun? I’ll be your guide.”

With those words, Lorraine led us and we did all sorts of things.

Eating sweets, watching a play, eating sweets, watching birds, eating sweets, watching a street performance, eating sweets, buying clothes, eating sweets, eating sweets, eating sweets.

It’s not a mistake that one particular activity appears so often.

It was because Lorraine, spouting some strange logic that it was a loss not to eat them, bought every kind of sweet she saw.

Therefore, it had essentially turned into a gourmet tour rather than a sightseeing tour.

But since Siren was clearly enjoying herself while eating the sweets, I didn’t say anything and was content with it all, until Lorraine pointed to one side and said,

“And the last place I recommend is the giant flower garden! I heard there are flowers that sway their bodies there. Anyway, it’s incredibly popular, so I’m sure you’ll both be satisfied.”

Flowers always stirred up complex feelings in me, so I gazed at it somewhat strangely.

As I was looking down at it for quite some time, Siren suddenly tugged at my sleeve and offered me a flower ring.

“A gift.”

It was the first endearing gift I’d ever received.

I smiled with satisfaction, carefully accepting it, and Siren looked up at me, speaking.

“I can make you one anytime, if you want.”

She must have offered those words after seeing my expression.

Realizing it was the best Siren, still awkward with human interaction, could offer as comfort, I stroked her hair and thanked her.

“…Thank you.”

“Mm.”

As I was carefully tucking the flower ring into my pocket, a vaguely familiar figure caught my eye in the distance.

Squinting, wondering who it was, a rather peculiar sight came into view.

A woman with a cold yet beautiful appearance, so perfectly suited to the word ‘aloof.’

Her presence evoked a high-ranking figure, a characteristic that would be obvious to anyone.

Therefore, an unapproachable aura emanated from her…

Yet, unlike her appearance, her actions were strangely familiar.

She was watching someone frantically shaking a flower, clapping her hands with fervent energy.

It wouldn’t be so strange if she clapped elegantly.

As I stared, finding the frenzied clapping so out of place, I finally recognized her identity.

‘Riana, an executive of the Information Guild.’

One of the core members of the protagonist’s party, always providing the right direction.