[V9C16] The Spring Storm

Rynzbelfied drifted on the wind, before eventually making a gentle landing on the roof of the temple.

Even without listening for it, he could already hear lively voices and music coming from the direction of the town. The festival was about to begin.

A large crowd had gathered in front of the wooden fence set up a short distance away from the temple, eagerly awaiting the performance from the Songstress, as well as the magical dedication of the Sage.

——I’ll show you something amazing.

After speaking those words, Carla had folded her tent and left the forest. Rynzbelfied had not seen her since that day.

The spirit found himself regretting that Carla only voiced his name a single time.

(Regret…? Is this… attachment?)

It seemed that even the personification of the wind itself could feel attachment somehow.

Rynzbelfied had a premonition. Once Carla left the town, he would finally fade away for good.

Rather than dying to a lack of mana, he would disappear from a loss of ego, causing him to forget his own existence… a fitting fate for a whimsical spirit of the wind.

In contrast, Rubelmeria was a mass of self-awareness. His younger brother would likely continue as usual, even with Rynzbelfied gone. Today, he could be seen high in the skies, reveling in anticipation of the festival.

The sound of a piano playing came from the plaza in front of the temple, followed by the voice of the Songstress.

Her song was lovely, and Rynzbelfied genuinely enjoyed it. All wind spirits loved beautiful music.

In fact, her song was so outstanding that in another era, it might have been offered directly to the Spirit King of Wind. Her voice was truly a once-in-a-century treasure.

A slight jingle echoed in the background of the music. This came from the decorated staff held by the robed figure standing next to the Songstress.

It was Carla. Her reddish-brown hair could be seen from under the hood.

Carla raised her staff and began a long, long incantation. However, as Rynzbelfied listened to the chant, he noticed something off.

(This chant is… different.)

Carla had said she would showcase the Starspear at this festival, but this was not the same incantation from that night.

Her staff became enveloped in a white glow, and a vast amount of mana gathered in the sky. Rynzbelfied looked up to see the white particles of light converging to form a shape.

——This was… a gate.

A gate formed of white light. Rynzbelfied understood the meaning of this.

“…Spirit King… Summoning…”

Once the gate is opened, the caster gains the ability to manifest a portion of the Spirit King’s power into the physical realm. As this was one of the most powerful spells in existence, only a handful of mages could use it.

So this was what Carla wanted to show him. She probably thought that Rynzbelfied might be able to regain his self-awareness by touching the Spirit King’s power.

However, the gate in the sky remained firmly shut.

Amidst the commotion of the people wondering what was going on, Carla continued her chant. Beads of sweat began slowly dripping down her cheeks.

(No way…)

Her staff jingled again, and another wave of mana gathered in the sky.

Carla had created a second gate. And yet, her chanting did not stop there.

(This… is…)

A third gate emerged in the sky.

The three gates floated directly above the Rainfield Forest, facing north, south, and east.

Even then, Carla continued her chant.

“Ah…”

When was the last time Rynzbelfied had sighed in admiration?

When the fourth gate appeared in the sky, a sigh indeed escaped the spirit’s lips.

The Songstress paused her song, and the Starspear Witch raised her voice in sync with the piano accompaniment.

“Open the gate.”

The four gates flung open simultaneously, causing the nearby wind spirits to fall silent. For a brief moment, their silence spread like a ripple.

“Come forth from the edge of silence, Spirit King of Wind, Shefield!”

The four gates shone with additional brilliance as they brought in the distant winds.

The art of Spirit King Summoning does not summon the Spirit King himself, rather calling forth and wielding a part of his power. Therefore, deploying four gates simultaneously was not impossible, theoretically speaking.

But in all of history, how many mages could actually hope to accomplish this?

At the very least, Rynzbelfied had never seen or heard of anything similar.

This was a miracle that only the genius Starspear Witch Carla Maxwell, capable of manipulating seven magics at once, could perform.

Before he knew it, Rynzbelfied had leapt from the temple roof and plunged into the raging winds.

The chilly winds of the north, the eastern winds carrying the scent of dried grasslands, the warm southern winds filled with the fragrance of fruit, the damp western winds with a hint of salt… Buffeted by these winds, Rynzbelfied reached the center of the four gates.

Only there, at the center of the four winds, at the center of the four gates, did the wind become calm and gentle.

(That’s right, I am…)

In the center of the tumultuous storm, Rynzbelfied remembered his birthplace: the storms of spring.

It was there in the center of a swirling spring storm that the wind spirit Rynzbelfied came into being.

Rubelmeria considered him a brother because they were both born from the same storm: Rynzbelfied was the eye of the storm, and Rubelmeria was the raging winds that surrounded it.

Now that he finally remembered, Rynzbelfied felt something snap inside him.

The spirit turned to look down at the temple below. At the woman on the altar holding a staff and looking up at the sky. At the great witch who had performed this miracle, looking back up at him with a smile.

The moment he saw that smile, Rynzbelfied heard it clearly. The non-existent heart in the depths of his chest started beating.

A powerful emotion welled up in his chest, and the world began to sparkle and shine. Standing at the center of that shining world, was the smiling Starspear Witch, Carla Maxwell.

“———♪! ———♪!”

There at the center of the gates, Rynzbelfied sang a song of joy.

The songs of spirits were, in essence, the same as magical incantations. A glittering vortex of light swirled around Rynzbelfied, calling forth the gales of spring.

Following the musical interlude, the Songstress began her song again, which overlapped with the song from Rynzbelfied to echo throughout the entire town.

Despite being completely different languages and entirely different songs, their voices melded together, resonating in the hearts of humans and spirits alike.

＊　＊　＊

“Summoning and maintaining… four Spirit King gates… simultaneously…”

Monica desperately tried to hold herself together, otherwise she felt like she might collapse on the spot.

Before visiting Rainfield, Monica had investigated the records to find out what magic had been used for previous magical dedications.

The record had only mentioned ‘Summoned the Spirit King of Wind’. Seeing that, Monica had a doubt that had been eating away at her the entire time: Why not the Starspear?

(I can’t even handle two simultaneous Spirit King gates… but four… four of them…!)

Mana capacity was not the only issue. The more advanced the spell, the harder it becomes to maintain other spells at the same time.

Carla’s talent for casting multiple spells at once was quite literally a miracle, and one that Monica lacked the ability to emulate.

“Starspear Witch-sama… You truly were amazing…”

“Yes, she was truly amazing,” Ryn added, nodding vigorously at Monica’s praise.

Monica slumped down onto the tree stump and held her head, lacking the energy to stand up.

The most impressive spell she could perform was Spirit King Summoning, which she had intended to showcase for the magical dedication. However, Carla had performed the same spell ten years ago, times four.

It was only now that Monica realized the main problem. The advantage of her chantless magic was the ability to cast spells quickly and inconspicuously. But this was fatally incompatible with the showy and spectacular nature preferred for magical dedications.

Previously, the Black Lion Emperor had told Monica that her chantless magic lacked glamour and appeal. Now, those words rang true.

(W-What am I supposed to do for this year’s magical dedication…?)

As Monica worried anxiously, Ryn continued speaking in her usual tone.

“And so, thanks to Carla, I remembered who I am and regained my sense of self.”

“Oh, um, okay…”

Unable to ask Ryn for advice, Monica simply returned an awkward nod.

Ryn turned her head and looked at Rubelmeria.

“I believe you should remember everything up to this point as well, Rubelmeria.”

“Yes, yes, I remember. You vanished from the forest after the festival… So you contracted with the Starspear Witch in order to leave the forest?”

“No.” Ryn shook her head.

It was then that Monica realized the discrepancy in Ryn’s story. She had contracted with the Barrier Mage, Louis Miller, rather than Carla.

(So why…?)

Carla could summon the Spirit King of Wind, and Ryn’s affinity was wind. They clearly shared the same elemental affinity, so there was nothing stopping them from forming a contract.

And yet, why didn’t Ryn contract with Carla?

Ryn quietly voiced the answer.

“I was rejected by Carla.”

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