Shurein was staring at the table in the Lounge Space, with her arms crossed and her head tilted.
On the table was a single staff, and Shurein was pondering something while looking at it.
There was an unspoken understanding in the Lounge Space.
That is, when one wants to worry alone, they should do so in their private room.
Conversely, if one wants to consult someone or doesn’t mind being overheard, it’s fine to worry in the Lounge Space.
The reason Kousuke often worries in the Lounge Space is likely because he wants someone to listen to him.
Normally, Shurein, who resides in Vermilia Castle, rarely shows herself worrying in the Lounge Space.
Perhaps intrigued by this unusual sight, Silvia approached her.
“That’s unusual. Did something happen?”
“…Hm? Ah, Silvia. No, there’s no particular reason… I tried using it in the Training Room, but it just wasn’t going well.”
Looking in the direction of Shurein’s gaze, one could tell what wasn’t going well.
“Did the magic flow become weaker?”
Silvia had heard from Shurein before about the staff’s effects.
She knew that the amount of magic power used during rituals was disproportionately large, so she thought perhaps something had changed there.
However, Shurein shook her head from side to side in response to Silvia’s question.
“No, it’s not like that… I’m thinking this staff might have other uses, but I don’t know what they are.”
“Ah, I see. So that’s what it was.”
With Shurein’s answer, Silvia wore an understanding expression.
The staff Shurein possessed was made by Kousuke, but he didn’t fully grasp all of its possible uses.
While this might sound strange, this particular staff wasn’t built with specific mechanisms; it was made to change depending on the wielder.
Therefore, Shurein could use it in various ways, which, in turn, was causing her to worry.
While the staff could be called a divine tool, it wasn’t necessarily convenient for the user.
One could question its utility as a tool, but one could only accept that divine tools are simply that way.
Seeing Shurein’s troubled expression, Silvia became thoughtful and said, “This is based on my experience, is that alright?”
“Of course. Please tell me.”
Silvia was also struggling to master the Water Mirror’s divine tool. Seeing this, Shurein nodded deeply.
“Perhaps it’s best not to overthink it and try using it by returning to the basics.”
In Silvia’s case with the Water Mirror, Peach had initially produced an unconventional result, causing Silvia to overthink things. However, in the end, the Water Mirror functioned similarly to a normal tool.
At first, she had overanalyzed it, expecting more flashy (?) effects because it was a divine tool. But ultimately, it settled down to a more subtle outcome.
Considering that, Silvia’s thought was that divine tools might simply be an extension of pre-existing effects.
Hearing Silvia’s words, Shurein remembered the first time she used the staff. She nodded, resting her chin on her hand.
“I see. That might be true. …Returning to the beginner’s mindset, huh.”
As Shurein said this, she picked up the staff that was on the table.
As she moved, the staff made a rattling sound.
The rings on the head of the staff clinked against each other, producing the sound.
After closing her eyes upon hearing the metallic jingle, Shurein took a deep breath and then opened her eyes again, bowing her head to Silvia.
“It seems you might be right. Thank you for your help.”
“No, it’s fine. Please feel free to consult me anytime if it’s something like this.”
“Ah, I will.”
Silvia offered a faint smile to Shurein, who had so casually agreed.
And seeing that, Shurein also returned a small smile.
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“Returning to the beginner’s mindset… huh.”
After parting with Silvia, Shurein had moved to the foot of a mountain in a certain stratum.
Naturally, monsters appeared in the surrounding area, but Shurein seemed unconcerned.
This was understandable, as upon arriving at this location, she had used the staff to perform a ritual and erect a barrier on her own volition.
Erecting a barrier of this magnitude wasn’t something that required the staff.
The reason Shurein had gone to the trouble of moving to this location was to perform a particular ritual.
Vampires are fundamentally beings that make contracts and protect.
Of course, they have other characteristics that represent their species, but most vampires live with pride in their role as contract-making beings.
The blood contract is one such example, and it’s undeniable that it has become more famous, but the blood contract is merely one form of contract.
There are numerous ritual forms that vampires protect and have passed down through generations.
While some have been lost over their long history, currently, the companions of the North Tower are scattered throughout the world in search of scattered information.
The ritual Shurein was about to perform was one of those.
Shurein thrust the staff she held into the ground, and it made a rattling sound.
This sound was intentionally produced by Shurein, signifying the beginning of the ritual.
As if in response to the resounded sound, all other noises seemed to fall silent, and the surrounding sounds vanished.
Whether or not she was aware of it, Shurein proceeded to chant the norito for the ritual without paying particular attention to this phenomenon.
The ritual Shurein was about to perform was to make a contract with the land.
Although the term “contract” is used, the ritualistic contracts performed by vampires vary greatly, from grand and elaborate affairs to simple prayers.
The reason Shurein chose the contract with the land for this ritual was that it is a simple one, known to any vampire.
This was precisely what Shurein had gathered from Silvia’s hint of “returning to the basics.”
The ritual of contracting with the land is a simple one that any vampire can perform and is one of the oldest-revered rituals.
Her choice was based on the idea that rituals that have been passed down since ancient times and continue uninterrupted must hold some significance.
Shurein, who had been pouring a lot of power into the ritual from the beginning, felt a different kind of response than she did during casual occasions.
In particular, the “presence” she began to feel as the ritual progressed grew stronger, as if to support this.
While the same ritual normally takes only a few minutes, Shurein was performing it slowly and deliberately, and more than ten minutes had already passed.
After finishing the final norito and striking the staff against the ground one last time to make a sound, the presence that had been lingering in the surroundings rapidly gathered before Shurein.
And then, from the presence that had gathered in an instant, a voice was heard by Shurein.
“You’ve passed, Shurein.”
That voice and the gathered presence were unmistakably those of Clara, the mountain god.
Clara, the mountain god, appears!
Isn’t Clara appearing quite often? lol
Well, she’s an important goddess for vampires, so it can’t be helped. (Right?)
