Chapter 18: The Dark Spirit Kuro.

「Why… a cat?」

While my head spins from confusion, this cat—no, Kuro—stretches with a lazy “guu〜” and lets out a wide yawn.

I stare intently at Kuro.
Kuro stares right back.
Its body and eyes are pure black, yet those large, round, sparkling eyes fix on me without blinking.

C-Cute…

What is this adorable creature?

Wait—cats can be this cute?

I’ve always been more of a dog person.
Of course—because my previous spirit was a dog.
Whenever it appeared, it would dash through the air like it was running across the sky, tail wagging so furiously it seemed ready to burst.
That sight alone had always healed me.

But cats… they have a completely different kind of charm.
The gaze that was just watching me now turns away with an air of “I’m bored,” yet Kuro remains quietly perched on my lap.
Its tail stands straight up, gently swaying back and forth.
That too… is somehow unbearably cute.

How do I even describe this feeling?!

As I squirm internally, Theodore-sama tilts his head slightly.

“Hm? Like I said—it’s a spirit.
It’s been by your side ever since I came last time, so I thought it was strange.”

“It’s been by my side… all this time?”

“Yeah.
When you were sleeping, it kept peeking at your face from right beside you.”

“Oh my!”

Just imagining it is unbearably adorable!
But… when exactly did this precious little cat start staying with me?

“Still… why is a spirit here?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Spirits are only supposed to appear during the summoning ceremony.”

“Normally, yes.”

“And except for Spirit Kings, people can’t even see a spirit’s form until they form a contract, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“But… Theodore-sama, you could see this cat, couldn’t you?”

He gives a small, casual nod at my words, humming absently as though only half-listening.
But when I press further, he props his elbow on the table, rests his chin in his hand, and flashes a mischievous, lopsided grin.

“You noticed, huh?”

“Anyone would notice something like that!”

Theodore-sama lets his gaze wander for a moment, scratches his head with one finger, and mutters under his breath, “Well… I suppose it’s fine to say.”

“This isn’t something I spread around, but…
I can see spirits. And people’s auras too.”

He can see spirits?

Normally, seeing spirits requires exceptionally high mana.
Even at the magic academy, probably only about five students per grade can manage it.
That means most people can never form a contract with a spirit at all.

Moreover, until a spirit acknowledges someone as its contractor, no one else can see its form.
Only after the contractor gives it a name does the connection between the spirit’s world and the human world form—allowing others to perceive it too.

Seeing an uncontracted spirit… is that really possible?
Certainly, it’s said that past Saintesses, blessed by the Light Spirit King, could see spirits other than their own contracted ones.

As I look back and forth between Theodore-sama and Kuro in bewilderment, he lifts the corner of his mouth.

“And, well… I do have a bit of the previous Saintess’s blood in me.
Maybe it’s some kind of atavism?”

“Atavism…?”

The unimaginable revelation makes my eyes widen.
But… it might actually be possible.
The previous Saintess married into the royal family.
And generations ago, a princess was married into the Camus marquis house.

“Something like that… really?”

“Yeah.
In the past three hundred years, even among the royal family, only two people have had that kind of power.”

“Only two?! That’s incredible!”

Theodore-sama has been speaking so casually this whole time—as though none of this is a big deal.
But the content of his words is so unbelievable that I’ve been shocked over and over; my mind is starting to tangle itself in knots.

And here I was, once thinking I was special because of my high mana…

The person sitting in front of me is truly, genuinely special.
A real special person doesn’t go around flaunting their power.

Amazing… truly amazing!
No wonder people say he’ll surpass even the kingdom’s greatest—Marquis Camus himself.
I can’t help but feel deep respect for Theodore-sama.

“Hmm… but even for me, this is the first time I’ve seen a spirit take to someone outside of a summoning ceremony.”

Indeed—meeting a spirit outside the summoning ceremony is unthinkable.
Spirits basically never leave their home in the forest.
Almost all of them only emerge for the first time during the ceremony.

So then… this black cat—
Why is this child here with me?

Normally, spirits are drawn to the quantity or quality of a contractor’s mana.

But I… don’t have any mana that a spirit would possibly desire.

“Well… even so, to me uncontracted spirits are a little blurry.
But right now, I can see this one clearly.
It’s a low-tier dark spirit.”

…Huh?
Did Theodore-sama just say… dark?

No, surely not.
Dark…?

I reflexively double-take at Kuro.
Noticing, Kuro looks up at me too.
Those big round eyes seem to say “What?”
(Or maybe not.
Possibly not.)

“Eh—dark? That can’t be…”

“I thought dark spirits were just fairy-tale stuff too.
Dark magic exists because light exists—so maybe dark spirits do too, that kind of hypothesis.
Even in the Magic Corps’ archives, they only appear in fictional stories.”

Theodore-sama stands, crouches beside me, and peers closely at Kuro.
He places a hand on Kuro’s body.
With a gentle expression, he strokes it—Kuro immediately presses happily against his hand, narrowing its eyes and purring loudly.
It even rolls over to show its belly, meowing “Nya〜” and posing for more pets.

Don’t get so cozy with Theodore-sama!
Hey—you’re supposed to be contracted with me, aren’t you?!
Did you mistake him for me?!

“I’m pretty well-liked by spirits, you see.”

“Ah… yeah, I’m not even surprised anymore.”

“But even I’m a little thrown off by a dark one.”

He doesn’t look thrown off at all.
If anything, his eyes are sparkling like a child’s with excitement.
When Theodore-sama finally lets go and returns to his seat, Kuro sits up looking distinctly displeased.

I hesitantly reach out and gently stroke Kuro too.

Wow… its fur is so glossy and smooth—it feels incredible.
As I savor the texture, Kuro seems dissatisfied with my technique; it twists its body and pushes my hand away with its front paw.
Then it curls up again on my lap, closes its eyes, and settles in.

What…

You were so happy when Theodore-sama petted you just now.

I droop my shoulders in disappointment.
Theodore-sama laughs amusedly—“Haha.”

“Still… why do you think this child came to you?”

“That’s something even I can’t answer.
When it started staying by your side, why it left the forest…
We know almost nothing about dark spirits.”

“I see…”

“But hey—isn’t that great?”

“Hm?”

“You formed a contract with a spirit—even if it’s low-tier.
That means you can borrow its power now.”

“…Huh?”

“You can borrow mana from it?”

I had been so overwhelmed by one shock after another that I completely forgot the fundamental benefit of contracting with a spirit!