Chapter 292: A Spirit?

Cliank— Thud— Thwack—

"Yah!"

"Hah!"

Take this!"

...

The sounds of weapons clashing along with loud shouts echoed throughout the underground training hall of Regis and the others’ residence.

At this moment, the five squads that made up the Sanguine Order were having a mock battle in order to increase their cooperation and minimize the room for errors.

This was their preparation for the big battle they were about to participate in when they arrived in Edenelia.

Watching them battle, Regis felt nervous inside his heart, ’Everything’s too sudden... Initially, I was hoping that we could take it easy for our first mission, since I know that cooperating in training and in real battle is still different...’

’Fortunately, Killian and Pandora seemed to be blending in seamlessly with the other teams...’ He felt a little relieved, witnessing the fruits of their countless hours of training.

Just as he was immersed in his thoughts, Killian noticed him.

In an instant, the mock battle paused as everyone turned to look towards him with respectful expressions on their faces.

’Oops...’

Feeling their gazes, Regis snapped out of his daze, "Oh, don’t mind me. I just came here to check on ya’ll. Also, I apologize since I wasn’t able to participate in this last training ..."

"Don’t worry about that, Leader. We understand." Zild was the first one to reply, which earned him a glare from Killian and Pandora.

Noticing their searing glares, he puffed his chest with a proud expression.

’Haha, those two are like Regis’s protective puppies who easily get jealous of anyone he gives his attention to...’ Marzana thought to herself with a giggle, glancing at Killian and Pandora.

"I appreciate it."

Regis nodded with a smile, "Anyways, I’ll be going now. Later in the evening, I will be summoning all of you to tell you about the details of the mission and what time our departure will be. However, I do recommend that you prepare everything immediately after training."

"""Understood, Leader!!!"""

Everyone responded simultaneously, looking at his departing figure.

Creak— Thud!

The moment the door to the underground training hall closed, the mock battle resumed immediately with intensity that made it look like a real battle instead.

***

"I wonder how things are going on Aurelia’s end..."

Regis muttered under his breath as he walked up the stairs.

In the mock battle, only he and Aurelia are not participating due to the matters that needed to be taken care of before their departure.

"It’s a pity that the building of our headquarters still isn’t done..."

Regis felt that it was a pity, since having their very own headquarters would be a great help, as the facilities, such as the accommodations, would make it convenient for everyone.

This was because, as of now, except for Regis, Aurelia, Killian, and Pandora, who originally lived in this house, the others still spend time traveling back and forth.

Regis soon arrived in his study.

"Huh?"

The moment he entered the room, he instantly felt something amiss.

’Something’s changed...’

Regis’s eyes instantly wandered all over the room, and he soon noticed a small figure sitting on the windowsill.

’It’s... glowing?’

Squinting his eyes, he observed while taking slow steps, trying to mask his presence.

Aside from the green light covering its whole body, the small figure seemed to be a silhouette of a normal human.

The only difference was the fact that it was only the size of a palm.

It was wearing a long black dress that reminded him of the ones the witches in those fairytales wore in the illustrations or covers of the books.

On its head was a witch cone hat of the same color.

And lastly, it had silver hair that reflected the rays of the sunshine, making it look even more ethereal.

’Strange... a small human?’

Regis thought to himself, his heart filled with nervousness.

’No, according to the books about elves I read in the past, it seems to be a spirit.’

Spirits.

They are special beings entirely made of the mana in nature.

It was said that only the most noble of elven bloodlines and the chosen ones would have a chance of contracting one.

’The records about them are little... the only thing I know about them aside from the general information is the fact that their coming into being was an anomaly in nature itself and that they have no uniform appearance...

The reason Regis could still be somewhat relaxed was due to the fact that he did not feel even an ounce of malice from the miniature figure.

After a few moments of ascertaining whether the small figure truly had no malice, he cleared his throat with an audible cough.

(Took you long enough. I thought you’d just continue staring at me.)

"!!!"

’What is this!? It’s like Mist Communication or other sorts of telepathic magic spell...’’

Regis felt shocked hearing a lazy voice directly inside his mind.

The small spirit stood up and looked towards him with half-closed, languid purple eyes that made it look like it did not have a care in the world.

Aside from it, another one of its striking features was its slight smile that reeked of laziness and carefree will.

Its long black dress accentuated its curves while the slit on the side made it easier for it to move, seemingly showcasing its legs.

The spirit soon floated and landed on the low table in between the two couches in front of the desk.

’What is it doing...’

(Come sit.)

As if reading his thoughts, a lazy voice once again sounded in Regis’s mind.

He involuntarily swallowed his own saliva as he moved carefully and sat on the couch near the spirit.

The spirit’s red lips remained closed, yet its voice echoed clearly in Regis’s mind.

(Greetings, Leader of the Sanguine Order. I am Wisteria, the Queen’s contracted spirit.)

’The queen? Does she mean the queen of elves or some other queen?’

Regis leaned more on the chance that this spirit was from the elven queen herself, with his knowledge as the basis.

Looking at him, Wisteria tilted her head lazily.

(The queen has asked me to personally deliver a letter to you.)

As the sound of its voice in Regis’s mind faded, a black envelope with purple patterns appeared in his hand.

The purple glow around it also made it seem ethereal.

"What’s this letter abou—"

Before Regis could even finish his words, he noticed that the spirit named Wisteria was nowhere to be found.

"Such a strange spirit..."

He muttered under his breath as he opened the envelope.

As Regis read its contents, his frown became deeper, "T-This..."