"Y-Yes... I should have told you right away. I-I'm Hanji, the one with the Soul Companion supernatural ability. A-As you can see..."
Before he could even finish, three spirit beasts circled around him protectively, taking up positions at his sides.
"Ugh... That wolf spirit beast I was trying to befriend seemed mid-grade..."
Hanji winced, his face twisting in pain from his knee as he trembled uncontrollably.
"I got too greedy. Please... spare me..."
Now, what to do with this guy.
My decision was already made.
Take Hanji to Cheongam Castle. But this wasn't a game—it was reality. Somewhere in the village, he might have family waiting for him.
I looked into his trembling eyes.
Kneeling there, shaking in fear, he looked pitiful.
I could force him if I wanted...
Still, I didn't want to drag him along by force. After all, wasn't he like a child he'd raised himself?
"Fine. I won't kill you."
I softened the intimidation in my voice as I spoke.
Only then did Hanji relax his expression, breaking into a bright smile.
"Thank you! Truly, thank you!"
"But it's intriguing. You said your ability draws mid-grade wolf spirit beasts here?"
"W-Well... more precisely, it tells me I can befriend them."
Hard to explain. He's just following his instincts.
Soul Companion.
Thinking of that ability brought a wry smile to my face.
What a tricky power. One that forced you to heed sudden instincts whispering from nowhere.
Chasing faint threads of sensation without knowing what spirit beast you'd encounter.
And once you found one? That was when the real fun began. The "befriending methods" his instincts suggested were always absurdly bizarre.
When I played as him...
A sudden memory made me chuckle.
I hung upside down from a tree for two hours because of a monkey spirit beast.
Amid all that eccentricity, this ability was special. Low-grade spirit beasts just had enhanced physical prowess, but mid-grade ones possessed unique powers.
Commanding several of them was like leading an army.
"I value fateful encounters deeply."
Rowen and Hanji both gave me puzzled looks at my abrupt words.
"Our meeting can't be mere coincidence. It's fate. Won't you come with me to my domain, Cheongam Castle? This place is too small to let your talents rot."
"Uh... th-that... I mean..."
Hanji stammered as if his tongue were tied in knots, his face flushing red as he fidgeted with his fingers.
"Is that a refusal?"
"N-No... I mean... it's just... so sudden..."
"Do you have family in the village?"
"N-No, not that... but there's the village chief who raised me... and... and I worry I'd be a burden to you, Captain..."
He's rejecting me pretty blatantly...
I got it. From what he said about the village chief, he lived in some backwater village not even recognized as a proper domain. But even there, he'd grown up hearing rumors about Haven's captains.
Monsters who toppled small kingdoms in drunken revelry, massacring hundreds of domain folk over a minor slight.
And those rumors were true.
Captains really would destroy kingdoms for fun and never spare domain folk who erred against them.
"I know why you're afraid. But your talent intrigues me. If you follow..."
I paused, locking eyes with Hanji directly.
"I'll treat you better than you can imagine. This is a promise on my name, Astra."
Silence fell.
Hanji pressed his fingers together tightly, agonizing over it for a long while before finally mustering the courage to speak in a trembling voice.
"Th-Then... could we wait for the wolf spirit beast... and stop by the village to say goodbye to the chief...?"
"How dare you make Lord Astra wait! Do you know your place—"
"Rowen."
I raised a hand, cutting him off.
"Don't move without permission."
"My apologies."
Rowen bowed his head.
"We'll wait. If the wolf spirit beast comes, it'll benefit us to take it too."
With that, I plopped down onto the ground with a thud.
"L-Lord Astra!"
Rowen rushed over in a panic, his voice full of dismay.
"You should rest comfortably in the carriage..."
"I'll wait here."
"But your dignity as—"
I fixed him with a cold glare.
"Rowen, last warning. Don't question my decisions. And..."
I paused.
"Does the dignity you imagine for a captain crumble if he sits on the roadside?"
"I spoke out of turn. Kill me."
"You're a knight assigned by Balderic, so I'll show mercy. Don't let it happen again."
"H-How can you be so merciful..."
I'd given Rowen my firm verdict, then turned to Hanji, who was still kneeling rigidly.
"You too. Sit comfortably."
"Ah... yes, thank you..."
Hanji adjusted his posture faster than he'd done anything so far, like a bowstring finally released after being drawn taut. It was a huge sigh of relief.
His legs must hurt a lot.
"..."
"..."
A long silence followed.
In the awkward quiet, I held back a sigh.
This is uncomfortable. No one's saying anything.
Rowen stared up at me with eyes shining even brighter than when we'd first met, while Hanji glanced nervously between us like an intruder at a family gathering.
Someone say something...
It would've been more comfortable waiting in the carriage. But Soul Companion... I wanted to witness its true effects with my own eyes.
About ten minutes of silence dragged on, pushing me to the brink of impatience, when a distant animal howl echoed.
"Awooooo~"
"A wolf."
I turned toward the bushes on the right where the sound came from. A massive wolf with silver fur emerged.
The wolf tilted its head at Hanji for a moment, then seemed to notice me and approached slowly.
What? Why's it coming to me?
The effect of Soul Companion should draw spirit beasts instinctively to Hanji. Yet it was heading straight for me instead. No idea why.
The wolf halted as it approached. Rowen had stepped in front of me.
"Hanji, why is the wolf approaching Lord Astra?"
"I'm sorry... my instincts suddenly vanished... This has never happened before."
Instincts suddenly gone?
Even when I played as Hanji, nothing like this occurred.
The befriending instincts had always worked fine—until the spirit beast appeared, and then they just... stopped.
What the hell is going on?
* * *
"Grrr..."
Life had grown unbearably dull for the wolf, day after day.
Its surroundings were filled only with weaker spirit beasts and ordinary animals. They submitted before fights even began, never daring to leave a footprint in its territory.
A hunter by instinct, it found everything boring as it grew stronger.
What fun was there in felling everything with a single swipe of its claws?
And the mysterious energy within it meant it didn't even need to eat, eliminating the need for hunts altogether.
But today was different.
A special visitor had entered its monotonous routine.
A shaggy-haired human with three low-grade—but unmistakable—spirit beasts had stepped into its domain.
For the first time in ages, the wolf felt intrigue.
Normally, it would punish such rude intruders immediately. But this time, it was curious about their next move.
"Awoooo~"
Will you stand against my howl without flinching?
But as expected... he fled, leading his low-grade spirit beasts away.
Hmph. Disappointing.
He could command three low-grade spirit beasts and carried a pure energy that stirred its instincts. Yet humans were just humans.
All the humans it'd met were frailer than low-grade spirit beasts.
It had deemed the species worthless... only for this intriguing one to appear and disappoint.
Time passed, and the wolf felt a natural urge.
A common beast might handle it anywhere, but as a mid-grade spirit beast, it had a designated spot to maintain its dignity.
Sigh... better go take care of it quick.
But upon arrival, the wolf couldn't believe its eyes.
There sat that human with his low-grade spirit beasts... in its "special place."
Does this human not know this is the holiest spot in my domain? Or are all humans this rude?
For the first time, the wolf felt flustered.
How am I supposed to go now?
Oddly, it wasn't angry. The human's boldness fascinated it.
Finding—and casually occupying—the domain's holiest site with low-grade spirit beasts in peace? Extraordinary.
Hm... Did he flee earlier knowing about this place?
The wolf approached slowly, masking its threatening aura, observing like a mere watcher.
Then, spotting the small human behind the shaggy-haired one, it froze.
How can such energy...
All humans it'd encountered reeked of murkiness and malice.
That's why the shaggy man's relatively pure energy had caught its interest...
But the energy radiating from this one was different. Pure white hidden within overwhelming charisma—like untouched by the world's sins.
As a mid-grade spirit beast, the wolf now understood: aura color revealed a being's essence.
Isn't that the energy only newborn life has?
It had never seen a baby, but once sensed something similar from a pregnant woman's womb.
What is this human...?
Unable to resist curiosity, the wolf took a step forward.
Suddenly, a human blocked its path—one with energy rivaling its own mid-grade power.
Unlike the other two, this one exuded deep darkness and killing intent.
Instinctual revulsion made the wolf growl.
"Grrr..."
The blocker faltered briefly, sensing the wolf's power.
Deal with this one quick and uncover that pure white energy.
It doubted such opposites could be allies.
As it prepared to attack—
An overwhelming pressure descended, like gazing down on all creation—the way it viewed lesser beings.
"Yelp..."
"Wolf, do not bare your killing intent before me."
The wolf panicked at the human's words.
How... can one wield such dominance yet retain pure white energy?
It had never understood spirit beasts submitting to humans, despising them for it. But now, it felt that incomprehensible urge itself.
I want to follow...
The weak following the strong was nature's law. And this being wasn't merely strong.
Pure white energy coexisting with absolute power—an unprecedented existence.
The wolf's body prostrated instinctively, pride as a mid-grade spirit beast forgotten.
Such a being... would make a fine master.
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