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“Did you sleep? Did you fall asleep?”
“Yes, baby, I fell asleep!”
Once they confirmed that Luria had fallen asleep, the spirits immediately began to cheer.
They ignored the presence of Luria ‘s parents, nurse, and doctor, since they couldn’t see or hear the spirits anyway.
“How cute! How cute!” “How cute!”
The spirits fluttering around Luria were soft, fluffy ball-shaped creatures. There were also other spirits around them, too young to speak, who looked vague and indistinct.
“Can we talk?” “Babies can’t talk!” “I see. Because they’re babies.”
The spirits knew that babies couldn’t speak.
Spirits, too, could not speak when they were newly born. The newborn spirits had no sense of self and no will or distinction between themselves and others. As they grew older, their forms became more distinct, their sense of self emerged, and they could speak.
The spirits causing a ruckus around Luria were young in speech but had actually lived for a long time and were quite strong.
“You were born, huh?” “Oh, the king!”
What appeared was the current spirit king.
Spirits govern nature, and in a sense, they are nature itself. The spirit king governs the harmony of the spirits. The previous spirit king, Loa, had used all his power to protect Luria ’s soul after her physical body was burned away, ensuring she would reincarnate in the future, and he passed away.
The great disaster that occurred after Loa’s death was not solely caused by the spirits’ will. The collapse of nature’s harmony due to the death of the spirit king caused many of the disasters.
“Luria -sama. May you live in health…”
The spirit king gently stroked Luria ‘s forehead with his prized tail. The spirit king, among the strongest of spirits, could transform into human or animal forms. The current spirit king had taken the form of a black cat with wings, with two tails as his pride.
“You all. You understand, right? Do not speak to her until she grows up.” “Yes, we understand!” “We know!” “But why?” “If a baby looks up at the sky and talks to something, adults will get scared.”
Children who speak with spirits before they understand the world tend to be slower in learning to speak with humans. And adults often find such children unsettling, distancing themselves from them.
“So, just look, okay?” “Okay, we understand!” “Normal humans cannot see our forms or hear our voices.”
“I understand!”
The spirit king smiled as he watched the spirits cheerfully respond. Then, he gazed at Luria ’s sleeping face.
“Luria -sama. The great saint. We are here because of the escape you granted us.”
Among the powerful spirits captured by the church of the one true god, the current spirit king had been one of them. It was only when the church’s building began to melt that the spirits realized what Luria had done for them.
“Thank you. Please, please, may you find happiness in this life.”
The spirit king looked at Luria with kindness. Luria ‘s soul was not the same as an ordinary human’s.
Loa’s life-risking reincarnation spell had altered Luria ’s soul.
“To be human, yet also a spirit…”
“King, what are you saying?” “Ah, nothing. Don’t mind me.” “You’re weird.”
Humans can only perform magic by borrowing power from spirits. And spirits can only unleash their power through humans.
“To use magic without borrowing from spirits…”
The spirit king had repeatedly ordered the spirits not to lend their power to Luria until she grew older. Using magic as a baby would be too taxing. Overusing magic could harm her growth or even jeopardize her life.
That’s why the spirits hadn’t lent Luria any of their power. Yet, Luria had used magic to enhance her sight, lift curses, and heal.
“…May nothing happen to her.”
A human capable of directly affecting the world through spirit power. That is Luria .
Even the spirit king could not predict how she would grow.
“…May you grow healthily. Please, may you find happiness in this life.”
Great power often brings misfortune to those who wield it. May this not be the case for her.
The spirit king prayed to the gods, kissed Luria ’s forehead, and wished her well.
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Immediately after Luria was born, a small puppy was running across the wilderness.
It ran straight toward Luria ’s home, determined and without pause.
There were no sibling dogs or parent dogs around.
The helpless puppy was attacked by predators, such as birds of prey and snakes, which tried to prey on it.
“Woof!”
The puppy, using all its might to intimidate, dodged the bird’s claws and swatted at the snake’s head with its paws, escaping.
After many close calls, the puppy ran throughout the night.
Eventually, the puppy arrived at the mansion where Luria was born.
“…Ah.”
The puppy, hiding behind some cover, waited for the right moment to enter the mansion.
After observing for half a day, it saw the merchants and servants coming and going, and the puppy sneaked inside.
“…………”
The puppy quietly made its way through the mansion, making sure not to be seen by the humans.
Finally, the puppy found Luria sleeping on her bed.
“!”
Overcome with joy, the puppy wagged its tail so hard it seemed ready to explode. Forgetting that it was dirty, it couldn’t resist and jumped onto the bed.
“Fugya.” “Hmm hmm… hmm hmm.”
The puppy sniffed at Luria ‘s scent as she slept. It felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.
Finally, having found Luria , the puppy felt at ease and, surrounded by the sweet scent, it fell asleep.
The puppy was utterly exhausted.
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