Eat The World Tree

Chapter 297: Cheonma Uses Magic (6)

the one that looked like a sparrow had quite a nasty temper.

contrary to my expectation that it wouldn’t be able to use magic, it seemed to have stored at least minimal power in its clone, making it difficult to capture. i heard it was some kind of princess or something. noble, beautiful, pretty, cute, and all that babble. they talked about it endlessly, but to my eyes, it was just a fluffy bird.

still, its magic skills were quite exceptional. if it were before i traveled back in time, i might have struggled to handle it. perhaps i might not have been able to subdue it.

the methods of contracting with spirits generally fell into three categories.

the first was contracting through the spirit’s goodwill, free of charge. cases arose where there was a special bond with a spirit from childhood, such as love or friendship.

the second was establishing an official relationship through mutual agreement. this involved paying a sufficient price to borrow the spirit’s power.

lastly, the third method was overwhelming and subduing the spirit into submission. originally, i intended to choose the second method. however, given that this princess’s attitude far exceeded my expectations, the sage recommended that i subdue her by force.

kwaaang!

a bright yellow sword brushed past my cheek, and an explosion echoed from behind me.

‘even the woodpecker was quite strong... but this one’s even more formidable.’

if the woodpecker had overflowing but unrefined talent...

then this sparrow gives off the impression of a seasoned soldier skilled in the chaos of the battlefield despite lacking talent.

thanks to the sage teleporting me to an uninhabited area, there wasn’t any commotion. standing on the ground without flying, i looked at the fluttering woodpecker.

dozens of yellow sword tips were entirely directed at me.

[let go of the princess!!!!]

the shout came from a female knight. her voice resounded across the battlefield like a commander’s.

i looked at the sparrow in my grip. unable to use magic anymore, it was panting in exhaustion, hanging limp in my hand.

the little sparrow that insisted it would never show its belly was now blankly revealing its soft, white body.

[i said let go!!!!!]

[...luci.]

[princess, ah... princess eleonore. i... i must protect the princess....]

the intense, desperate dialogue of the two women on the battlefield played out passionately.

-cheep, chirp! chirp!

-chirp... cheep cheep.

thankfully, i could eavesdrop on the conversation through spirit resonance; otherwise, anyone else would have asked what on earth was happening. i scratched the back of my neck awkwardly.

“are you two playing house?”

two birds chirping back and forth—honestly, it was just funny. cute, yes, but that was about it.

anyway, that magic was quite annoying. i didn’t know spirits had kingdoms, but if she was a warrior from one, she could be hiding her true power.

“eleonore. so you had a name?”

[hmph... i didn’t want you to know it.]

did she think there was an escape route with the fight dragging on? the prideful gleam returned to the eyes of the creature that had just been happily snuggling against me.

oh, was that so. i infused my fingers with magic and lightly stimulated under her wing.

[...ah, ah! father....]

-chirp chirp.

[youoooooo!!! stop fooling around!!!!]

the woodpecker cried out with fury, trembling as if convulsing. to an observer, it might look like i was hurting the bird.

injecting high-quality magic to overwhelm a spirit into submission is naturally effective. that kind of reaction is fascinating.

‘if she hates it so much... do i even need to keep fighting?’

as that question briefly crossed my mind, i looked at her with a smirk.

“withdraw your sword.”

[...what?]

“unless you want to see your princess collapse under my magic. withdraw it.”

[luci... don’t worry about me... ah!]

“quiet, you.”

i tapped her bottom with my finger. the little sparrow shivered all over, but this time, i didn’t stop there.

ten fingers. both hands.

when it came to magic, they were the most sensitive beings.

[...ah, luci... why?]

the sparrow looked on in despair, her mouth open, witnessing the dire scene.

her initial resistance to my touch lasted only a moment. now she was rubbing against my hand.

[no... nooo, aaah!!]

“you’re finally chirping like a real bird.”

until just now, her loud cries didn’t sound like pleasant bird calls at all. koreans, who appreciated the poetic, had a beautiful expression for chirping that went beyond merely ‘crying.’

if not for the context, one might mistake it for a beautiful bird singing a song.

‘but why are they acting as if they’re in heat?’

it was a necessary tactic, but the sounds they were making were really on the suggestive side. all i was doing was stroking her, yet this made me feel like some ogre doing unspeakable things.

“do you want to form a contract?”

[...with someone like you? never!]

“imagine receiving this magic for a lifetime.”

[...a... lifetime.]

the woodpecker’s gaze grew hazy as she looked at me. those damp eyes were deep in thought.

well? didn’t it sound appealing? it was not like i was a tyrant who’d summon it at every whim. just for a bit when i needed magic and, in return, i’d give it some extra power. who’d turn down a deal like that?

my sultry voice tickled the woodpecker’s ears.

[a lifetime. with you....]

thump, thump.

its heartbeat quickened, proving birds had hearts too. at the same time, i patted its fluffy bottom like tapping a cat’s rear. then, as if it couldn’t hold back, the response burst out.

[...ghhh! i’ll make... the contract. please let me!]

[luci....]

[princess... i’m sorry, but, but....]

swooosh.

this was a disaster.

[...i... with this person....]

an unavoidable catastrophe, one that couldn’t be reversed or escaped.

[...i said i’d serve only the princess...]

[luci!]

its legs stretched out as it collapsed in exhaustion. its feathers glistened with a beautiful sheen. overwhelmed by the excess magic, its bird form looked exceptionally radiant. with its body mostly made of magic, receiving this much supply means it’s basically filled with my essence.

[ughh....]

[ah, luci. how... how much...]

its voice trembled.

the woodpecker, having submitted to me, now had a black magic thread around its neck. originally, it would have been yellow, but after receiving my magic, the aura emitted from its body turned black.

the thread connected to me—a symbol of the contract. there was almost no price involved, just that i’d supply magic every now and then.

finally, i pressed some magic into its belly with a gentle push.

“the contract’s done. this means there’s no point in resisting anymore. got it?”

[y-yes! i’m sorry...!]

“alright, now for the next one.”

i turned my gaze to the sparrow. it couldn’t even take a step back, staring blankly at luci with unfocused eyes. i slowly reached out my hand.

[luci....]

[p...princess.]

the moment my hand approached, it pecked at me with its beak in defiance. a resistance that didn’t hurt in the slightest. the sparrow, fitting perfectly in my hand, looked at me with eyes that seemed mixed with curiosity and anticipation.

[ah, ahhh.... i want, that too.]

it would happen. my magic engulfed the sparrow.