The phoenix still looked impressive on the outside.
But without a contractor, a guardian spirit was nothing more than a powerless spirit.
Which was how he ended up flailing helplessly in my grip.
[W-what is this! Why are you doing this all of a sudden?!]
The great bird of eternity forgetting me? I'm hurt. You really don't recognize me?
[Has this brat lost his mind right after being born?!]
Want a taste of a crazy brat?
Still clutching Hierenirn's head, I began to manipulate mana.
I hadn't formed a mana heart yet, but tormenting something already in my hand wasn't difficult.
All I had to do was twist the attribute of the mana flowing nearby just slightly—
「Frost attribute temporarily applied. May adversely affect nearby spirits.」
[Skreee! C-cold! It's freezing! Put me down—no, wait, don't drop me!]
I toyed with the phoenix like a plaything.
Gripping him firmly by the scruff, I spoke.
Hieren, consider this revenge from the expedition.
[W-what? The expedition? Don't tell me you mean the Kircheis expedition—wait, did you crawl back from hell?!]
Yeah, I'm back, you damn pigeon.
Hierenirn had belonged to the Kircheis expedition back then, too.
He'd fought alongside his master, the All-Master, and had definitely entered the Demon King's Castle with us.
But the moment Ulrikh fell—
[Co-contract terminated! Rebirth! Rebirrrth—!]
Using a phoenix's innate ability, he fled the battlefield.
The sight of him vanishing in a blaze of flame was burned into my memory.
[Has a vengeful ghost possessed a baby's body? How could this be—!]
A ghost? Watch your beak, featherbrain.
Some habits never changed—he still yapped as much as ever.
With a touch of old affection, I squeezed harder.
[Gk—wait! Just a moment! Hear me out! Please!]
Shut it.
Even if one spirit's help wouldn't have defeated Ulrikh, this bastard deserved punishment on principle.
But Hierenirn kept screaming like he had something to say.
[I had no choice! To uphold the contract binding me, I had to flee!]
What nonsense.
[I'm serious! There was another contract! One I absolutely could not break!]
A double contract?
[Not that! Just let go! Let's talk after you let go!]
After warning him that any more nonsense would earn him a one-way trip to the freezing depths of the northern sea, I released his collar.
He coughed for a moment, then opened his beak.
[Before I was Ulrikh's familiar, I was the guardian spirit of House Kircheis. When he ceased being human, the familiar contract broke—but the house contract remained. It still does.]
What kind of contract?
[Protecting the bloodline of Kircheis, of course!]
Oh, so since the All-Master was Kircheis blood, you couldn't fight and had to run? That's your excuse? You're lower than a sparrow—
[No! That's not it! With a new Demon King born, I had to return to protect the house! That was my oath with the first patriarch—my very reason for existing!]
He couldn't even meet my eyes.
I let out a long sigh.
Nice excuse.
[It's not an excuse—]
Quiet.
In the end, nothing would change. It was all in the past.
Still, it would take time for my anger to cool.
During that pause, Hierenirn finally recognized me.
[Ah! Tiberian! I knew your soul felt strangely familiar—it was you! Reincarnated as a human again? How astonishing.]
Shut it, unless you want another beating.
[Yes, sir.]
I asked how much time had passed.
"Five hundred years," he said.
Long enough that the world changing beyond recognition wouldn't be strange at all.
Then what happened to Ulrikh?
[Don't know. The north became a forbidden region wrapped in red fog. No one can enter, so his whereabouts are unknown.]
Fog? What's that?
[A poisonous crimson mist that divides human and demon territories. Mages nowadays call it the Red Miasma.]
Because of the Red Miasma, the northern continent had solidified into the Demon King's domain—an area no longer permitted to humans.
And the fact that Ulrikh had fallen and become the Demon King was completely unknown.
Instead, he was revered as a great hero.
Saint-Hero Ulrikh.
You've got to be kidding. That's historical falsification.
[No one knows the truth. What can you do?]
Unbelievable. And you just watched?
[I told you! I'm the guardian spirit of House Kircheis! If I exposed the truth, this house would be dragged through the mud. What could I possibly do?]
It was maddening.
That bastard, who deserved to be chewed to bits, recorded as a holy hero.
If Ulrikh had invaded humanity as the new Demon King, the truth would have surfaced quickly.
But he hadn't.
He vanished after seizing the Demon King's authority.
So humanity's betrayal was buried forever.
[You could look at it this way—he disappeared with that power, so it's basically the same as killing the Demon King, no?]
Say that one more time and I'll turn you into fried chicken.
[J-just joking…]
Given the circumstances, it wasn't strange that the world worshiped Ulrikh.
Thanks to that, the Kircheis house had ruled the continent with wealth and power as the family that produced a saint-hero.
Only I knew the truth.
I wanted to grind my teeth, but I didn't even have baby teeth yet.
There was one small comfort.
[The elves still send scouts beyond the Red Miasma. Though they cut ties with humans long ago.]
At least the elves still opposed the Demon King.
Long-lived as they were, the forest folk hadn't forgotten the past.
They might even know the new Demon King's identity.
But if they'd cut ties with humans—
They may have decided humans can't be trusted anymore. Ulrikh was human, after all.
I sighed and steadied myself.
Thanks to Ulrikh vanishing, the war had ended—but even that disgusted me.
Did you want territory, Ulrikh? So you took the Demon King's throne and drew borders?
He stabbed his disciples in the back and ascended the Demon King's seat.
That fact didn't change.
If I gave up revenge, this reincarnation would be meaningless.
I'll make you pay—with five hundred years of interest.
After organizing my thoughts, I continued questioning Hierenirn.
And learned why I was being neglected in this shabby room.
[Your mother died giving birth to you, and your father ran away and doesn't care for you. Naturally, you're treated poorly. You're practically an orphan.]
Though I was born of the current patriarch Rohvach Kircheis's bloodline, I wasn't the main heir.
Just one grandchild among many.
In truth, I was the result of a major scandal caused by his troublesome youngest son.
That was why I was left to rot.
[Rohvach might not even know you exist. He has a great many children and grandchildren.]
I see.
I fell into thought.
I needed to set priorities and plan what to do next.
The first step—
Prove my worth and survive.
Then stand out, gain support, and grow strong quickly.
Using the legacies left by the All-Master and successive patriarchs, a path would open.
I had to find a route to avenge my past life and retry what I'd failed to accomplish.
I should visit the Forest of the Elves too.
Ifriel might not be there, but there would be elves willing to fight.
Any force or individual I could make an ally—I had to recruit them.
[Ahem. Are your questions answered now?]
Hierenirn spoke cautiously, scratching at his flaming feathers with a talon.
[I apologize for what happened five hundred years ago. But I truly didn't know Ulrikh would do such a thing, and I hope you understand I was bound by contract.]
Understand? A bird spouting nonsense.
[Hmph! You used to be so polite. Reborn, and now your mouth's foul. Well then, this sinful being will take his leave. There are many fine spirits here—choose well. Farewell.]
But Hierenirn didn't get to turn away.
A new mana particle burst from my fingertips, releasing a rich fragrance.
To him, it must have felt like a lethal perfume.
Where do you think you're going?
[W-what now?]
We still need to talk about the contract.
[I told you to contract with someone else—]
No. I want a contract with the great guardian who's protected this house the longest. And now that I'm Kircheis blood too, you'll protect me well, right? Or not?
I wasn't joking.
Hierenirn was the apex of all spirits residing within the Kircheis main estate.
Contracting him meant effectively gaining all the other guardian spirits as subordinates.
[Ahem. Well, that's true. Very well—if you insist on contracting me, I graciously accept—]
But I have one condition.
[A condition? What?]
I'd take him in and let the past lie, on one condition.
Simple.
Serve for free until I turn three.
[Wha—free? Serve for free?! What nonsense is this?!]
Exactly what it sounds like. Work without taking mana for a while.
[Impossible!]
And you running away five hundred years ago was possible?
[It… wasn't.]
Contracts with spirits were always bilateral.
Mana in exchange for service—that was the principle.
Even giving spirits physical form required a mage's mana.
But if I could use this great guardian for free and command the other guardians too?
Huge profit. I need to minimize external mana use right now.
My brain was still extremely underdeveloped.
From red to black, this world held many mana attributes—but all were burdensome to such a young body.
Until I grew a bit, it was better to avoid handling mana as much as possible.
Hierenirn was the perfect assistant.
And he couldn't refuse, given his past failure.
[You little—]
"You little" what?
[I mean—how exciting! Of course I'll do it!]
Spirit culture's changed a lot, I see.
[But what are you planning? I may be a great guardian, but without a master's mana there's only so much I can do.]
I answered simply.
I'm going to form a mana heart. You'll help with the preparations.
[Preparations for what—]
Why does a free laborer ask so many questions?
[I merely worry whether my capabilities will suffice…]
They will. Just follow orders properly.
[…]
The plan was already set.
Proving my worth was also my ticket out of this miserable room.
Right now, I was treated like trash—but what if I formed a mana heart on my own before I could even read?
Their view of me would change completely.
I had to prove my talent and grow stronger.
I also wanted to learn the magic that must have advanced over the centuries.
Step one was, of course, restoring my mana heart.
As I stared at him, the eternal bird sighed deeply and nodded.
[This is my karma. Very well—I shall obey quietly.]