I woke up to the sound of birds chirping from beyond the open window. Of course, the birds happily chirping were not ordinary birds but spirits that had taken the form of birds. Even though the window was open, they were unable to come in and were only perched beyond the window frame, chirping.
Hmm…
It seems like I drank too much again yesterday. I can’t remember a thing about how the drinking party went. I clearly remember sitting across from Clarice at the table and raising a glass to toast with her, but I don’t recall anything after that.
It wasn’t likely that I got drunk from just one drink; rather, excessive drinking probably wiped out my memory. Even though I took all the precautions like drinking water and eating snacks to prevent getting too drunk, I ended up in this state. I wonder how much I actually drank…
“Hooang… I messed up…”
Lying next to me, Clarice seemed to still be mumbledreaming, lost in slumberland. It seems like she drank a lot and couldn’t find the strength to return to her room.
I let out a small groan and stretched slightly before getting up. Though I had gone to sleep late, well past midnight, and expected to feel some fatigue, or even a headache from a hangover considering how much I drank, I oddly felt fine. Actually, I felt better than usual—refreshed in a way.
It was as if I had gone to bed at a proper sleeping time for a good child, waking up refreshed without the slightest hint of thirst or sore throat, and my head was functioning fine.
Looking at Clarice, still trapped in sleep while struggling to shake off the effects of last night’s drinking, I couldn’t help but feel a little smug. After all, her deep snoring was proof of my superior tolerance over hers.
It might seem immature, but that’s men for you. It’s still better than hearing someone say, “Hey, you can’t even hold your liquor like I do!” Even if I boast anywhere about winning over the Spirit King with alcohol, probably most people wouldn’t believe me anyway, but it’s enough for me to enjoy this personal satisfaction.
After getting up from the bed, I approached the spirits in bird forms sitting at the window and chirping loudly. As I moved closer, they greeted me in cheerful chirps.
Was it because I drank Clarice’s tears that my sensitivity to spirits had improved? Unlike yesterday when I couldn’t perceive anything, today I could clearly feel their energies with more detail. Clarice mentioned that my level of spirit sensitivity could only summon lower-level spirits, but even that seems to have improved from the complete void it was before.
As I enjoyed this newfound energy surrounding me, a strange feeling came over me.
Compared to the energy I sensed last night, the spirit sensitivity I feel today seemed more vivid. Of course, since this power just became accessible yesterday, it could easily be my imagination. Perhaps it’s an ongoing effect from Clarice’s tears that’s gradually manifesting.
But what if it isn’t?
What if I had drunk an additional bottle of her tears last night?
She definitely claimed that the one bottle she handed me was all there was, but what if she had more hidden away?
And if she, being drunk beyond belief, had unknowingly brought out the hidden tears…
And if I had ended up drinking them, could it explain why my spirit sensitivity has grown stronger than yesterday?
Of course, this is nothing but conjecture on my part. Yet, considering her slightly regretful reaction when she confirmed my capability for only lower-level spirit sensitivity yesterday, it seems quite plausible.
“Umm…”
As I was lost in my own deductions, I heard Clarice stirring behind me. Turning around, she was just waking up, her face groggy like she was still trying to piece together last night’s events, just like I had attempted earlier.
Upon spotting me sitting at the window, she blinked a few times and then her face turned red.
Of course, it’s not odd for her to feel embarrassed.
Clarice loves her drinks, but to see her wake up late with her clothes all in disarray while I am fully composed and awake—this clearly shows who has the better alcohol tolerance.
This must have left a dent in the spirit king’s pride.
“Are you awake?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“Yesterday was really fun, wasn’t it?”
She merely nodded with a reddened face, likely unable to admit that she came up short in her drinking ability. Well, it only adds to her adorable charm, even with her pretty looks.
“By the way, Lindy mentioned the ritual to remove the seal would take a few days, didn’t she? Were you aware of that?”
“Yeah. Considering the strength of the seal, it might take at least three to four days.”
Of course, she, as the Spirit King, knew this in detail whereas I just heard about it. However, the real reason I brought this up wasn’t out of curiosity.
“Hehe… Good news, then.”
“Huh? What good news?”
Clarice tilted her head in confusion, asking me. I smiled broadly and replied to her.
“Hey, there’s nothing to be shocked about. Shouldn’t you go drinking again tonight?”
“Oh, tonight as well…?”
“Are you really satisfied with just yesterday’s level, Clarice-sama? That would be quite disappointing.”
“More than yesterday…”
And there it was. Just the slight mention of her pride and the topic of drinking brought out a predictable reaction from the alcohol-loving Clarice.
Since Lindy left for the ritual, it will be at most three days. If my conjecture is correct, spending each night until Lindy’s return drinking with Clarice and receiving her hidden tears, which she might give me in her drunken state, could increase my spirit sensitivity that currently lingers at the lower end.
At least reaching the intermediate level, I might start seeing the charming, impressive, and beautiful spirits in the material world.
Of course, I’m not forcing Clarice or demanding her tears. I’m not that shameless or bad of a person. It’s just a coincidence of drinking together, and a happy Clarice in her drunken state offering them willingly.
Then again, I shouldn’t keep calling them ‘tears’ to avoid sounding like I’m making her cry.
“Hmm… Clarice-sama, since we had the same drink for two days straight yesterday and the day before, could you bring out something a bit stronger today?”
“I don’t have anything stronger though… Is this one not good enough?”
“No, that’s not the case. I just want to go a bit deeper tonight.”
“Deeper than yesterday…?”
See? She’s already looking forward to it. Even though her expression shows fear and shock at my suggestion, her gleeful eyes still sparkle with expectation.
If we choose something stronger, she’ll get drunk faster and go deeper into a drunken stupor. Her mood should improve further, and she might pull out that hidden bottle of tears without any hesitation. Everyone’s winning here: I receive the tears that help increase my sensitivity, and she enjoys her daily drinking sprees.
“Alright! By the way, Flora’s not around now, so I’ll sneak into her storage and bring out a few bottles!”
Wait, did I ask her to steal them?
Oh well, she probably lost her judgment from drinking, and Flora is just a friend she shares everything with, so she probably sees no problem.
*
The ritual ended, and Lindy returned. I can now summon the Highest Level spirits anytime, though with minor restrictions like no female forms, which is trivial enough to overlook.
“You waited long! Sorry. Removing the old seal didn’t take long, but applying the new restrictions took more time.”
“No, no. Lindy’s been working hard. I’ve simply been drinking with Clarice-sama every day, so what.”
She returned on the fifth day, a day later than our initial expectation, but I managed to extract another bottle of tears from her last night. We both were so drunk that I don’t even remember how many she still has.
This is enough, though. I’ve already achieved the goal I initially set: reaching the sensitivity level to contract with intermediate-level spirits. Anything more would be greedy now.
Still, I haven’t formed any contracts yet, having just hit this level this morning. Contracts themselves don’t necessarily have to happen in the Spirit Realm. While there’s certainly an appeal in selecting which spirit to contract with beforehand in the Spirit Realm, there’s also the excitement of meeting an unknown spirit in the material world.
Nevertheless, having spent six entire nights in drinking sprees with Clarice since my first visit to the Spirit Realm, it was quite a week dedicated to receiving her tears and, I suppose, as a token of gratitude for her help.
Still, considering how much I’ve drank over this week while feeling completely fine, I’m quite lucky. Normally, drinking so much would have triggered warnings in my body telling me to cut back, but I woke up completely fresh every day.
Rather, it was Clarice, the Spirit King, who seemed exhausted each day. And yet, anytime I suggested more drinking, she never hesitated, truly showing her love for drinking.
“Shall we go?”
“What, leaving already? Shouldn’t we say goodbye to Silfi?”
“It’s fine. She’s been helping with the ritual the entire time, and even though the contract has changed, it’s not like we can’t summon her again in a different form when needed.”
True enough.
“Alright. Let’s just say goodbye to Clarice-sama then. I would’ve liked to see Flora-sama too, but that would be too difficult.”
We went to the western wing of the palace where Clarice was staying. Through the open doorway, we saw Clarice staring absent-mindedly at nothing in particular.
“Knock, knock!” As I signaled to the open door, Clarice jumped and turned her head to look at us.
“Clarice-sama, I’ve come to say goodbye. Lindy’s ritual has ended, and we’re preparing to depart.”
“Thanks a lot, Clarice-sama.”
Though an invitation to come in wasn’t necessary since the door was already open, I entered anyway. Having spent the whole week drinking with Clarice, we have grown close enough to overlook minor formalities.
“Uhh, already? Yeah… sure…”
I feel the same sadness in saying goodbye to Clarice as she surely does. We became the best of drinking companions over the past week. Of course, our memories of it are completely gone due to how much we drank, but let’s consider us bonded through body and soul as drinking partners.
“Wait, a moment!”
As she was escorting us to the door and saying goodbye, Clarice suddenly yelled and held us back. Looking back, I saw her nervously wriggling her fingers.
“Uhh…”
“Do you have anything to ask?”
“Well…”
She paused a little, still hesitant to say something.
“What is it? If you don’t say it outright, we won’t know.”
“N-Neh…”
Instead of shouting back at me, she seemed to get even more nervous and began addressing me with honorifics.
“So… E-Elicia!”
“Yes, what is it?”
Deciding finally, she took a deep breath before calling my name.
“Would you… form a contract with me? I mean… Now that Elicia has reached the intermediate level of spirit sensitivity, if we contract with maximum power restraint, I can visit the material world barely, and….”
“‘What?’”
What Clarice said was unexpected—not just to me, but clearly to Lindy as well.
“What? When did you even develop spirit sensitivity, Elicia? And a contract with Clarice-sama too?”
“Regarding spirit sensitivity, it’s a complicated story… And the contract with Clarice-sama is the first I’m hearing of it.”
As we showed confused faces, Clarice grew even more flustered and quickly spat out her words.
“That, that… Lindy! You know, because of the need to monitor Lindy’s new restrictions! Of course, I trust Lindy, but we have to keep an eye on other spirit kings like Truwell and Ignis! Even Ignis mentioned that he wouldn’t lose face over a contract with a hero.”
Of course, why would Clarice need to force herself to contract with someone at the intermediate spirit level?
“Still, if Queen Clarice-sama could act as our observer, we are thankful, and it would certainly be more convenient…”
On the other hand, Lindy seemed to have some doubts, her voice hesitant as she talked slowly. She looked suspiciously at me. What’s with that kind of look? Is she suspecting I found something on Clarice-sama and is threatening her?
Of course, I should be honest here as a friend of elves. All I’ve done is drink with Clarice-sama. Don’t mistake me for being some perverted lesbian like young Lindy used to be.
“Would it be unacceptable…?”
With her head bowed and only a glance upwards, Clarice’s trembling voice, though soft, spoke clearly. Given the context, it probably took a lot of courage for her to say this. After all, as the one advocating the removal of Lindy’s seal, she couldn’t reject Truwell and Ignis.
On the other hand, entrusting someone else as the observer, without knowing if they would lie, would naturally spark unwarranted suspicions. This led her, despite the humiliation, to limit her powers to the level of an intermediate spirit to form a contract with me.
If I refuse this suggestion of hers, she would feel greatly ashamed of today’s incident. For a non-extraordinary spell caster, how embarrassing it would be to be rejected by a mere intermediate-level spirit caster.
But I have no intention of embarrassing Clarice-sama. Thanks to her, I’ve gained intermediate-level spirit sensitivity. Only gratitude lies in my heart. Thus, I extended my hand toward her.
“It’s unacceptable to turn it down. It’s an honor for me. Please take care of me moving forward.”
As I said this, Clarice lit up with a bright smile and grasped my hand in return. Of course, with the limitation on my power, her capacity to lend significant help will be limited in what she could offer as an intermediate spirit.
But so what? Originally, my purpose in forming contracts with spirits was not to seek strength for battle but rather due to my admiration for their cuteness, majesty, and beauty.
In this regard, Clarice fulfilled all criteria. Beneath her beautiful appearance lies a straightforward and majestic personality, and deep within her, the occasionally adorable traits she shows, like now, make her all the more endearing.
My declaration of honor was far from modest and sincere.
“Hmm…”
Lindy, it’s time to stop shooting me those suspicious looks, okay?
