Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, married.
Wife: Suella Handelberg.
Memoria Tris.
Profession: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee).
Magic Aptitude: Nine (Quasi Demon Lord Class).
Position: Warrior.
The drinking party with my parents continued after that, but we called it a night at a good time while talking with my mother. I feel like I didn’t get enough sleep, but I need to be awake.
“Are you leaving already, Mom?”
This mother of mine disappears whenever she pleases. I felt her presence out of nowhere and woke up, leaving the bedroom for the living room. There, despite having the same amount of sleep as me, she was already fully dressed and tending to my father, who was half asleep.
“Well, I just came back because I was worried about you. I got to ask what I needed to ask, and I saw my daughter-in-law’s face, so I’m satisfied. Don’t worry, I’ll be back for the wedding.”
“You’re so hurried.”
“That’s how it always is, isn’t it?”
“No doubt about it.”
It’s always like this. When something happens to me, she’ll suddenly show up, see it through, and then quickly leave. My unchanging mother— I can’t help but smile wryly, wondering if she’s off to challenge some jungle again.
It’s still before sunrise, so Suella and the others are still asleep. If I were to ask if I should wake them, knowing my mother, she’d probably leave before they even got up.
“Well then, take care.”
“Mom, please try to be a little more settled.”
“This is just about right for me.”
Carrying my father like a sack of rice, my mother walks towards the entrance, a cheerful laugh on her face. I watch her go.
“Has the storm passed?”
She arrived as suddenly as she left, without any hesitation. Immediate decision, immediate action, immediate movement. I can only let out a wry smile at my mother’s behavior.
“Now, what should I do?”
It’s not the time to go back to sleep. Moreover, my eyes are already wide awake. So, I decided to make breakfast. After about ten minutes in the kitchen, as the sun began to rise, the smell of coffee started to fill the living room, and the Dark Elf family, including Suella, began to wake up.
“It smells good.”
“Good morning, Suella.”
“Good morning, you made breakfast. Thank you.”
“You woke up early. Memoria… she can’t wake up, can she?”
“Yes, she’s a vampire, after all.”
With a shake of my head to Suella’s offer to wake her, I prepared coffee for everyone. I then served bowls of miso soup to my father-in-law and grandfather, who were suffering from hangovers. As expected, the vampire family, including Memoria, couldn’t wake up in the morning due to their nature. I’ll reheat their meals later when they wake up.
“Speaking of which, I don’t see my mother-in-law. Is she still asleep?”
“She went home.”
“What!?”
Suella, looking for my mother at the breakfast table, was surprised as expected when I told her she had gone home. “I suppose that’s a normal reaction,” I said, and Suella nodded with an unreadable expression. “My mother is like freedom personified. I’m used to it. Suella, you’ll get used to it eventually.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yeah, and it’s surprising that someone with that personality is the daughter of a shrine priest.”
“A shrine, that’s like a temple in our world, right?”
“Exactly. According to my mother, it’s a shrine with a pretty significant history, rumor has it she’s even descended from a god.”
From a family like that, they’re also strict about manners and etiquette. My mother said she left because she hated that. Perhaps her intuition is a form of divine power.
“Suella, why are you nodding in understanding while looking at me?”
“Oh, I just thought that if you have divine blood, it makes sense that Jiro’s magic aptitude is so high.”
“Ah, that’s what you mean.” I thought she was just accepting that I was the son of my unconventional mother. Well, I admit I do outrageous things sometimes, but not *that* much. Or rather, I don’t. Remembering times I’ve gone to another world or picked fights with giant monsters made me a bit timid for a moment, but I tried not to dwell on it and continued preparing breakfast.
“Ah, thank you, Jiro. Wow, I drank too much yesterday.”
“It seems you were drinking quite a bit with Gray-san too.”
“I was that happy. I was worried if my daughter could marry a proper Dark Elf, but she went beyond marriage and even had a child. When she comes to our village, we’ll have a banquet with the whole clan!”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously!” Mait-san winked. I understood anew how important children are to Dark Elves.
“That’s right, father-in-law, I have something I’d like to discuss.”
“What is it? You’re my son-in-law, so you can ask me anything.”
“I want to make a contract with a spirit.”
Mait-san paused, with the miso soup, fried egg, and rice forming excellent fare for a man’s breakfast before him, and pondered.
“…Is this for Suella and Memoria?”
“Yes. I’m human, so eventually, I will leave them behind. If possible, I want to extend that time.”
Mait-san, who immediately understood my purpose, put down his chopsticks and looked at me directly. “Indeed. If it were for Jiro’s sake, I’d agree immediately, but for that reason, the spirit you desire wouldn’t be a low- or mid-ranking one, but a high-ranking spirit. If anything, you might even need to deal with a supreme-ranking spirit. In that case, it might be better to talk to my father than me.”
“Muil-san?”
“Yes, my father has influence with the Elder Council, you see. Father!”
“Hmm, my head hurts… Son-in-law? What is it?”
“Actually—” I explained the reason why I decided to resolve the limitations of being human when I got married. Muil-san was silent for a few seconds after listening, then said, “Understood. Then I can help you. I’ll make arrangements immediately.” He clapped his knee and made a decision instantly.
“Thank you.”
“It’s no trouble, son-in-law. If it’s for the sake of my granddaughter, I can’t help but lend a hand. Besides, it will be a ritual to contract with a supreme-ranking spirit for the first time in several hundred years. It’ll be a festival!”
When I thanked him sincerely, Muil-san waved it off, looking even more pleased as he began to make plans. “I can’t stay here. Mait, I’m going back for now. I need to choose a spirit befitting my son-in-law!”
“Oh my, Father, Jiro just made this for you. Please at least have some breakfast.”
“Oh, right, my apologies!”
“It’s alright.” Smilasta stopped Muil-san, who was about to run off, and breakfast continued. Muil-san ate heartily, while Mait and Smilasta ate slowly. Jiro and Suella ate side by side.
“This was a delicious meal. Well then, son-in-law, I’ll be back!” Muil-san, who finished eating first, left as he had declared.
“I apologize for my father’s haste, Jiro.”
“No, that’s fine, but…”
“Is it strange that he’s so excited?”
“Yes, well.” I was stunned by Muil-san’s aggressive actions, so different from his earlier groans of a hangover. Mait, understanding the situation, explained with a shrug, “It’s understandable if you don’t know.”
“The spirit ritual, it’s a significant ceremony where we Dark Elves forge bonds with spirits. While it’s common knowledge that this should never be taken lightly due to its sacredness, it has other meanings. As you know, we Dark Elves are a devoted race. Because of this, it’s not uncommon among us to fall in love with someone whose lifespan isn’t as long as ours. There’s also the idea of borrowing the power of spirits to remain bound to such a partner. It can be said to be an old tradition.”
If that’s the case, then there would be established procedures, albeit simplified. This is what leads to the word “festival” that Muil-san mentioned earlier.
“And the alien son-in-law or daughter-in-law who successfully completes the ritual officially becomes a member of the Dark Elf clan. To us, who are often starved for entertainment due to our long lives, it’s quite an enjoyable event.”
“To be called mere entertainment to pass the time, and you say that with a smile.” So, in essence, it’s a celebration wishing the challenger good luck. My father-in-law, saying that with a smile, has quite a good personality.
“Don’t make that face. You can just think of it as being teased by the relatives in the neighborhood.”
“Haa, speaking of which, can you fail the contract?”
“Yes, you can fail even with lower-ranking spirits. With supreme-ranking ones, success is even more difficult.”
“…I see.” Mait’s words made it sound as if contracting with spirits was easy, but realistically, such a favorable situation is unlikely. “I need to be more focused,” I thought, and a soft chuckle was heard.
“Not in one try.”
“One try?”
“Hahaha, don’t underestimate the devotion of us Dark Elves! Love and contracts are the same. We are not so easily discouraged by failing just once. You can challenge the ritual multiple times, and some spirits even get worn down by repeated challenges. Furthermore, for spirits living for an eternity, their contract with us Dark Elves is merely a fleeting moment. If you don’t give up, a way will open.”
With a wry smile at Mait’s words, assuring me that I didn’t need to be that worried, I sipped my now-cold coffee.
“But dear, what kind of spirit will Father prepare?”
“Hmm, it’s certain to be high-ranking or above to the extent of changing Jiro’s body, but among the currently uncontracted spirits, I can think of… ah.”
When Smilasta worriedly asked about the spirit Muil-san would prepare, Mait probably thought of a few candidates. As he pondered which one was the most likely, he suddenly let out a sound as if he noticed something problematic.
“Father? Didn’t you just say ‘ah’?”
“Suella, I did, but surely Father wouldn’t go that far…”
“I’m sorry, father-in-law. I can’t ignore something that might happen to me, so could you at least tell me about the possibilities?”
“Yes, you’re right.” Suella, sensing something amiss, immediately pressed Mait. However, he still seemed unsure. He kept shaking his head, saying it was unlikely, but by this point, even I was starting to feel uneasy and joined the conversation.
“Spirits also have personalities. There are spirits who are powerful but cannot be contracted with unless the compatibility is extremely good. Their abilities are likely fine, their abilities are. However, they have never been contracted before.” Mait spoke as if emphasizing the important points twice. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
“And this spirit is?”
“A supreme-ranking spirit of space-time, named Valse. It’s possible Father might propose a contract with this spirit.”
Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, married.
Wife: Suella Handelberg.
Memoria Tris.
Profession: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee).
Magic Aptitude: Nine (Quasi Demon Lord Class).
Position: Warrior.
A word for today:
They say it’s the strongest, but whether I can contract with it is another matter, isn’t it?
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