Chapter 63

No matter what time I went to bed, morning always arrived right on cue.  

As the soft dawn light seeped in, I opened my eyes to see Ramande lying on the other side.

“Mya.”

While I was still dazed and blinking blearily at his gently shut indigo lashes, El greeted me with a little kiss.

‘Even after I scolded him yesterday, he’s not sulking?’ 

That was oddly endearing. I smiled faintly, and it almost felt like El smiled back, his mouth twitching ever so slightly.

I stroked his soft fur and was nearly lulled back to sleep, but I fought the temptation and sat up.  

Ramande had never once slept in, yet even after I’d woken, he was still out cold—it worried me.

“No fever.”

His forehead felt no warmer than mine. Still, to be safe, I gave him a bit more warmth, then gently picked up El and slipped outside without waking him.

The knights seemed to be stirring as well.

“Good morning, everyone.”

“Good morning, my lady.”

The bitter cold wind that could freeze everything to the bone only felt refreshing to me now.

Just as I stretched, enjoying the crisp morning air, my pocket suddenly grew warm—and something red zipped out, leaping right into the campfire where someone had just begun coaxing the embers for breakfast.

“Wha—?!”

Before I could stop it, the spirit popped out.

The knight tending the fire yelped and fell on his backside. I buried my face in my hand in embarrassment.

Completely unbothered, the spirit sprawled out in the fire like it was a spa and hummed contentedly.

— Ahhh, this is the good stuff.

“Hey…”

‘Is the campfire your personal sauna or something?’

— Gotta roast your back just right for maximum comfort.

‘You don’t even have a body. What are you roasting?’

“Lady, is that, um… that person perhaps…”

The noise had drawn the other knights nearby. Unable to resist their wide-eyed, gleaming stares, I gave a reluctant nod.

“Yes. That’s the spirit.”

“Ooh…”

“I assume some of you already suspected, but I plan to keep the spirit’s existence a secret for now.”

I swallowed a sigh and continued, “I revealed it because I trust everyone who came this far with me. So I hope you’ll keep this just between us.”

I tilted my head and offered a bright smile.

The knights of House Karnian weren’t just loyal—they revered my mother and sister. Still, you could never be too careful. Best to say it clearly.

“Of course, my Lady!”

“We’ll guard the secret with our honor!”

Just as expected, they vowed solemnly.

Meanwhile, the spirit continued to gleefully roll around in the fire as if the camp wasn’t buzzing with knights in shock.

‘Is that thing really a spirit… or just a fool?’

The fire, which should’ve burned higher by now, had barely grown. Maybe the spirit was eating the flames?

“Spirit, that’s enough. Get out of the fire, please?”

— No.

I had tried to sound gentle for the crowd’s sake, but the spirit didn’t even look at me, just snorted.

“You’re holding things up. We need to eat and get moving.”

The knight who had fallen earlier looked up at me with pleading eyes—he seemed to be in charge of breakfast.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get him out soon.”

I made a bold promise, but the spirit had now begun flailing its limbs dramatically like a child.

— I like it in the fire!

‘Then why don’t you live there. I, your mom—no, your contractor—will be heading home now.’

I swallowed that sarcastic thought and tried again to reason with it.

“You said your home is the spirit stone, right? Go rest in there. Don’t waste the kindling.”

— Home is home! But I was trapped in ice for ten years! You heartless human!

Okay, no doubt about it—he meant “human” as an insult.

I’d had enough. Dropping the friendly tone, I raised my voice.

“When we get to the castle, I’ll shove you straight into the fireplace. Now get out of that fire, now!”

The knight next to me gasped, but the spirit’s eyes lit up instead.  

It sat up excitedly.

— Really?

“Really.”

The moment I answered, I felt my strength drain from my body. And then—

KWOOM!!!

A pillar of flame shot up from the fire pit.

“……”

Just like that, I got a tiny glimpse of why the spirit hadn’t been able to fully regain its powers yet.

* * *

Even as the spirit caused all that ruckus, Sister Elga had merely observed in silence—until the moment the carriage began moving. Then she stepped inside.

“Come on in, sister.”

Before she could even sit down, I was already reaching for her face to check her temperature. Seeing this, she curved her lips slightly into a smile.

“Thanks to you, everyone’s riding warm, Minuelle.”

“Looks like it. I’m just glad it worked like I imagined.”

Only then did I relax and adjust my posture.  

Most of our group were northerners, but even for them, being in such cold for so long would naturally slow them down. We had camped in a place so freezing it was uninhabitable—for two whole nights.

Besides, I hadn’t wanted to strain Ramande further.  

As I racked my brain for a solution, I remembered something: a heater.  

Yesterday confirmed that the spirit could not only produce fire but also control temperature.

‘Then what if I tried applying it over a wider area?’

Concept, test, success.

Just like a real heater or stove, I was able to emit warmth within a certain radius centered around the carriage. Thanks to that, the weariness on everyone’s faces had visibly lessened.

“I came in because I have something to ask.”

Sister had insisted on staying outside, saying she needed to stay vigilant on horseback, so I was surprised she came in at all.

I nodded easily, still concentrating a portion of my focus on maintaining the outside temperature.

“If it’s you, sister, ask me anything.”

“How strong is that spirit’s power?”

That question threw me off.

Not what happened in the cave, or why the spirit is now casually swinging its legs at your side, but straight to the spirit’s combat potential.

But I quickly understood why.

“When that pillar of flame erupted… your cheeks went a bit pale, Minuelle.”

“They did…?”

‘How did she even notice that?’

I rubbed El’s front paw awkwardly, embarrassed.

‘There wasn’t even a scent of blood. I thought I’d be fine…’

Apparently not to her eyes.

“Exactly. That’s why I asked—wondering if you’re still overexerting yourself.”

“No, no.”

Of course, using it still drained me a little, but the great thing about the spirit’s power was that it was rooted in nature—it gradually recovered on its own over time.

“My current strength is, let’s see… I could probably create five or six pillars of fire like that one earlier. After that, I’d be tapped out.”

“That’s… less than I thought…”

Ramande opened his mouth with a hint of disappointment—but swallowed the rest of the sentence.

Didn’t matter. His eyes were already glaring at the spirit like they wanted to stomp it into cinders.

“Look on the bright side, Priest Ramande. Maybe Minuelle’s safety is only thanks to that limit.”

Sister had joined in too.

She had a point. But the flip side was chilling—just thinking how much power the Cult of Fire had managed to strip away from the spirit.

Ten years ago, it was strong enough to kill a child the moment they touched it. Now? Its limit was five or six decent-sized fire pillars.

— Are these humans mocking me right now, human?!

Despite swinging its legs lazily while staring out the window, the spirit had clearly heard everything.

“That’s not mockery. We’re just making an accurate assessment of your current state.”

I denied it right away—but with all its years of experience, the spirit wasn’t fooled.  

With a hmph, it snorted, then muttered ominously.

— Mock me again, and I’ll burn you so thoroughly there won’t even be bones left.

But I wasn’t about to shrink back at that.

“If you so much as touch my family, I’ll hand you over to the Cult of Fire. You, me, all of us—we’ll go down together. Got it?”

— You damn human!

“You little flame punk!”

Grrrr, hissss!

Just when it looked like the two of us might grab each other by the collar, it was Ramande and Sister Elga who calmed us down.

“Both of you, cool it. Do you want to set this place on fire?”

“Getting too worked up doesn’t help anyone.”

“Mya, mya!”

Even El joined in, rubbing its face against my cheek.  

Only then did I realize the inside of the carriage had gotten way too hot.

“Ahem. Sorry.”

— I accept your apology, you insolent human.

“That wasn’t for you!”

Ugh, my blood pressure…

As I clutched the back of my neck, Sister Elga calmly stepped in.

“By the way, Spirit, is it alright if we just call you ‘Spirit’?”

— Do as you wish.

The spirit crossed its arms and turned its body away.  

Then, muttering over its tiny shoulder, it grumbled: 

— Normally the contractor gives a name that’s easy to call. A contract is a mutual exchange of names, you know. But this human doesn’t even know that…

Sister, Ramande, even El—all turned to stare at me with that face.

“…Wait, are you saying this is my fault now? That wasn’t in the contract!”

— Do I need to spell out every little thing in writing?!

“Oh, come on. You knew my name and still call me ‘human’!”

Sister clucked her tongue.

“There they go again.”

“N-No, it’s not like that…”

— I wasn’t doing anything. That human started it…

The spirit and I glared at each other again, practically on cue. El, unable to watch any longer, reached out and plopped a paw right over my eyes.

“Wha—?!”

“Well done, El. Minuelle, go ahead and give the spirit a name.”

For a second, names like Ranchafiamme or Flammenwerfer—old flame-thrower names—flashed through my mind. But I stopped myself.

‘No need to name it after a weapon.’

It felt too much like declaring, “You’re just here for me to use.”

Even if no one here would understand the reference, it felt wrong.

Hey, people say names shape fate. That made me even more hesitant.

After a brief moment of thought, I made my decision.

“How about ‘Gabbie’?”

— Gabbie? What does that mean?

It came from “matchstick” in my language.*

[*T/N: The Korean word for matchstick is 성냥개비/Seong-nyang-gae-bi] 

A little thing with a big head like a child—cute, small, but holding the potential for great fire.

Of course, I didn’t say that out loud. If I did, I was sure it would throw a fit, calling it petty or insulting.

“I just wanted to give you a friendly name.”

— How dare you speak of me with such… friendliness!

Coming from a child-shaped body, the complaint had zero intimidation factor.

“Well, nice to officially meet you. I’m Minuelle. Let’s get along, Gabbie.”

— ……

Gabbie stared at my outstretched hand for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, it took it and shook.

The tiny hand gripped mine firmly—and in that moment, a thrill different from the one I felt when the contract was first sealed wrapped around us, binding us together.  

Then, it quietly faded away.