When I woke up, it was real.
　My head was still blurry, but maybe it was because it was the second time, but it felt better than the first time.

'!　Leme--

Ex...........

　Mila-san opened her arms to hug me as I slowly raised myself up, but she was spooked by someone who moved more quickly than her and froze.

''Hmm ... ah, ah, Arthur ...?''

Thank God.　But you, no, not now!　Anyway, good for you!

　With tears in the corners of his eyes, Arthur-san tapped his best friend on the shoulder as he returned to reality.

''Huh ... totally. You're an utterly unreliable leader, you're utterly troubling.''

　
　She was her, and she must have been very worried.

　Mira-san loosely lowered her arms, which had lost their momentum.
　I smile and look into her eyes.

'I'm home.'

　Then she, too, turned her slightly dissatisfied face into a flowery smile.

'Yes, welcome back.

　We stare at each other for a while.

'Yes...!　Leme!

　Arthur's voice.

'Thank you, Leme. Thank you from the bottom of my heart...!　I will never forget this favor.

'Allow me to send my enormous thanks for your best choice. What would you like to thank me for?　I'll get you anything I can get you. Anything, hmmm........

　Arthur said with tears in his eyes, while Merlin crossed his arms as he pushed himself up to his chest.
　I felt a chill emanate from Mila next to me.

'Never mind. If you want to thank me, I already got it.''

　I look at Mr. Xu and our eyes meet just in time. We both smile with satisfaction.


''Yeah, it's a good story! It was fun too~. So, let's get back to the reward story, shall we?


　A voice is heard from a mass of light that reappears out of nowhere. It's a spirit.

'Let's go to the clearing order~!　First of all, the hungry brown tits.

　Mr. Fulkus looked at me with his usual blank expression and pointed to the ball of light.

'Permission to destroy it, please.'

'Ha-ha, I can't. Don't make me keep repeating it. Well, you're that thing, aren't you? You've successfully defied the heights of military prowess and inexhaustible appetite!　You can just remind me of the reward, or you can say it.'

　Ms. Fulkas almost held her spear up, but looked at me again at the spirit's words.
　When I nodded, she also pulled her chin in a crook.

''........Hohoho. No matter how much of a genie you are, that's impossible, but I'll give you one item that's as close to the ideal as possible. As long as you have this, you'll be able to display even more power.................and that's good!''

　As soon as you think a wisp of white smoke has risen, it clears up.
　At Fulkus-san's feet a large silver lid - the kind that covers the food in restaurants and so on - appeared.

　Mr. Fulkas-san sits on the floor, touches the lid and stops for a few seconds.
　And when he opened the lid, there was a hamburger - a hamburger that raised steam.
　Not only that, there was also bread and soup, and as an added bonus, dishes.

''Oh, I don't care if they see me. Then I'll tell you, it's called the "Anything Dome Cover", and if you take the lid down and remind yourself what you want to eat, you can recreate it as long as it fits under the lid!　-- but it's made by gathering magic power from the air, so the time it takes to make it varies, and I'm recreating the taste and texture, but it's magic power, so there's no nutrition or anything. Isn't that interesting!''

　Mr. Fulkas isn't listening to me. He's obsessed with his hamburger.

''The taste depends on your memory, so you can eat as much of your favorite rice as you want. If possible, use it in a place where the magic power is strong........Hey, I haven't had another ten times while we're talking about this.......?'

　In an instant, the food is flattened, and Mr. Fulkus takes a moment to lower the lid and raise it. This repetition.
　As far as the story goes, it seems that you can only get a feeling of fullness, but.......that's the case with humans (normal).

　Fulkus-san's race is a demon. It's thought that he converts what he eats into physical power and regenerative abilities.
　If you put a lump of magic power in your stomach, if you can convert that too.......?
　No, it can be done.

　The originally extremely useless step of kneading magic power into the form of food is also useful to the race of demons.
　........But this is obviously a magic tool, is it a spirit's possession or did you just make it?

　If it's the latter.......then the common sense of humanity is retracted.
　Because the race that can create magic tools has been destroyed, so new magic tools are not supposed to be created anymore.

　Then the spirit laughs at you, ''Don't worry about that.
　

''Next up is the second place by a narrow margin, Sparkling [Holy Knight]!　I was surprised when he said with a crisp look on his face, "Dreams come true, they're not something that can be shown to the spirits. And it's from the heart. So, what do you want?'

No need. Evil spirits.

There is no good or evil in spirits, and the contract is binding. It's okay, I'll just read your mind. ...Geez, you're so selfless! How old are you...?　Because you're such a shiny-hearted good girl, you can't see the shadows in your friends' eyes...?

　Arthur-san put his hand on the hilt of the holy sword.

'Hey, you guys all have a temper. .........Oh, the sword. Good, then your reward is - this!　It's called a magic scabbard! A super convenient ability to keep the holy sword uninjured while it's in this scabbard!　Wow, that was a hell of a ride.

...will fight in battle with their swords drawn.

"Uh-huh.

　There was smoke again, and when it cleared, a sheath appeared in front of Arthur-san. In the case of magic tools like this, the size is often adjusted automatically. I'm sure this scabbard is the same.
　The ability is amazing, but it seems difficult to use it due to the conditions.

'Let's go to the next one!　Err...uh...it's you. The 'tight-eyed nerd'

　The genie says, sounding a bit disgusted.

'I'll chop it up, okay?'

''Oh scary. The scariest thing I did was to tell the 【Black Mage】-kun in my dream that he was a real charmer and started to ruin it.''

Hey you...　Please respect my privacy...!

　Mila's face is a little red.



Would you please shut up?　There's a difference, Leme, I don't have any evil thoughts about wanting Leme's used or anything like that.......

　After glaring at the genie with a snap, Mira-san excuses herself with a bright red face.

''U, um........''

　Used...?　Let's not ask for details.

''Hmmm. I don't think he wants what I have to give him. ........Oh, there was one thing. Hmmm........you really do care about 【Black Mage】-kun....

Are you going to be mad at me?

''Yes, yes, yes. Well, then.

　Then my body was engulfed in light.
　It soon subsided, but there was nothing unusual about it.

'I made it happen.'

"..........you're in for a surprise, this is as if you have nothing to hide.......!

'Well, but people like to make things glow and wriggle and stuff, don't they?　You'd think it's tasteless if it wasn't.

''.................... What an unpleasant spirit........!

　Mila said it was obvious, but I couldn't figure it out for a second.
　She looks at me and I manage to smile, but she looks like shame has won out.

　--oh.

　I notice her wish there.
　My chest heats up, and my face naturally breaks into a smile as I look at her.

''Well, next~. Oh, you're a dreamy, whip-smart [wizard] girl?

If you offer me a reward, I'll take it.

"Nice!　That's the kind of reaction I wanted!　In your case - well, yeah, I'll take that.'

　For a moment, Merlin-san's wand glowed.

''I gave you a blessing. As long as you use it, that wand will instantly compress and conduct magic power. It's like you've eliminated the disadvantages of using the wand and enhanced the benefits!　You must be happy~

What about my primary objective?

　Mr. Merlin wants to be reunited with the spirit he saw as a child.

'Impossible. I looked into your memories and I don't know who that was.'

I see.

That's why I enhanced your wand for you.

It's a fair price, right?

Yeah, but... Oh well. I'm getting bored. You are...

You can just picture in your mind what you want from Citry, right?

　Citry-san said, interrupting the spirit's voice.
　She's smiling as usual, but I felt her smile was somewhat hard.

''Well......... I wish for it. Hmmm... Good. I'll make it come true!

　The smoke came out and quickly disappeared.

　What appeared was a picture book. There was no cover.
　Mr. Sitry rolled it up, but the inside seemed to be blank.

It's a picture book where the dwarfs live. When you wish for something, the page is filled with materials. You turn the last page, and only the last page is black.　I'll put the ingredients in there and they'll swallow it, so I'll just wait the rest of the night and the next morning I'll have what I wanted on the book!'

Yeah.

'Embody all the 'cute' in your head!　It's a great way to pinpoint the image of "this is what I want!　By the way, if you don't sincerely want it, the material won't emerge and you won't swallow anything, so be careful.'

　The materials would need to be left behind for later.
　It's possible to create things with magic, like Fulkas-san's dome cover, but that would disappear and fizzle out in a short time.

'I see.'

　Citry-san is a lover of pretty things.
　Considering her ability to transform, she could prepare her own abilities for battle each time she needed them.
　It was no wonder that she wanted magic tools that she could use in everyday life.

It's not very responsive. So, next, the wish of the strange and interesting "Black Mage-kun" has been fulfilled, so next is the brave man who is dyed black in appearance, magic and heart.

That's a lot to say...

'Even though I was eliminated once, I've managed to pick up the pieces. I'll give you a reward. What would you like?'

'Then I hope you will grant Leme's wish by the right of my wish.

　'Eh,' he said, but their conversation went on.

'What?　Are you sure?　Maybe you need some useful items to make your dreams come true?

I've already got everything I need. All you need is a friend and a holy sword.

　Xu-san says with a refreshing smile to the spirit.

''........Oh my god, I'm purified. It sounds like you mean it, and yes, it's fine. But, hey, Omoshiro-kun hates me~''

　The spirit floats around me and says sulkily, floating around me.

''If you'd let me, I'd give you a blessing or something~''

It's not up to me to forgive you, it's up to the people in the village to decide if they'll forgive you. I just don't like you, that's all. But you still want to make a wish?

　Since Mr. Xu had transferred the rights to me, it would be rude of him not to use them.
　........There was a part of me that begged for his full strength in the dream world because I thought he would do this, but he seemed to have seen through it.
　On top of that, if he's going to give me the right to wish as well in lieu of a thank you, I'll accept it gratefully.

　But that doesn't mean I'm going to ask this spirit to help me on my way to becoming a hero.

''If you say...?''

　I looked at Mila for a moment.
　She shook her head with a shake of her head. She knew what I was going to say.

　I'm sure she says the same thing she wishes for.

"May the people I care about live well.

''~~~~. Hahaha. Hahaha. You're a really funny girl.

"Is that more than the spirits can handle?

"No way...!　But I think it needs to be adjusted. I'll give the target a weaker blessing. I'm not sure I'll be able to tell you what to do, but I'm sure you'll be able to tell. Since the genie knows everything there is to know about it yes, this number of people will be fine.

　The genie chuckled and continued.

'Your loved ones will be less likely to get sick, less likely to suffer bad luck, less likely to be attacked by despair. But this is a blessing to resist irrationality, not a promise of happiness. For example, you will be less likely to catch a cold from others, but you may catch a cold from weakness as a result of overworking your body.

　There are many different types of blessings.
　In modern times, it mainly refers to the holy swords and spirit arts that the spirits give to the [Brave], but originally it meant the various powers given to them by the heavenly beings.

　That's why it's not a contradiction for a being like Arthur-san to obtain blessings while uncontracted.
　The so-called lucky people may also get blessings from some beings.

That's not a problem.

'It sounds like you're serious. I got it. Oh, we've received a complaint, so there's no more glowing direction. Oh, that's a shame.''

　While flying around Mira-san, who was fidgeting, the spirit said that while flying around her.

''Kutu........''

''Haha. If I hadn't complained, I might have been able to make myself shine.

Ggghhhhh...

　Mila stared at the spirit with a frustrated face.

''Then it's over........!　By the way, I'll still accept other participants, but I can't do two tries or anything like that.'

　With that, the mass of light disappeared.

'You didn't show us your true form until the end........ Oh well, let's go home.

　Mr. Merlin says boringly.
　I look around at everyone, but they were ready to leave, holding what the spirits had given them.

'Yeah, I don't see anyone but you,'

　........I knew it.
　The mass of light disappeared, but at the same time a black.......chick appeared.
　The way it flapped its little wings and jumped is adorable, but it's complicated to think that the inside is that spirit.

'You like it, don't you, chick? I heard that you and I had a good first impression ... or maybe a good one before the ordeal, so ... I guess it's a second impression. It seems that I didn't make a good second impression, so I thought I'd start with the appearance to your liking.''

　I don't know why this spirit cares about impressions from me.
　Also, why do you think he liked the chick........

''I really don't know the reason...?''

　..........
　As I said before, I--.

"Can a spirit who causes trouble for others be a hero?　Ah yes. But hey, it's silly. Even the four great spirits weren't on people's side in the beginning. Even your best friend's spirits have been in trouble with people before.　You didn't know, so that makes it safe?　Or did your best friend fail to be a hero the moment you found out?''

　--but the fire spirits have proven themselves to be on the side of humanity over a long period of time. And you?

"I'll bet you at least your life on it. It's up to you whether you want to end up with a genie who annoyed people or a genie who sided with a [Black Mage] hero.

　--Why me?

'I've always liked peeking into dungeon exploits, and I'm curious to see what happens to people like you. I'm curious to see what happens to you. They're beings that live by curiosity. Even the contract with [the brave] is based on whether or not you want to see how that person lives.

　The genie seems to know more about the criteria for a genie's contract than I do. If you say so, then maybe that's true.

　--It's common knowledge in humanity that if you're not a [brave], you can't withstand a contract with a spirit....

''That's pretty much correct. Even if I wanted to make a contract with you, I can't. It's a problem that can't be solved by effort.''

　【Brave man】 is non-standard.
　If you don't have a 【Demon King】, it's an opponent that is impossible to win alone unless you have a very good reason to do so.

　Normally, a human body cannot endure the use of spirit magic.
　The special human beings who can endure it are the 【Brave Men】.

''Their physical strength is below average, and multiple techniques are used to fix the horns, and if you force them to sign a contract, not only will their bodies not be able to endure, but they will interfere with the techniques and..............Ugh, my body goes boom.

　Why does that sound a little fun?
　Anyway, I can't make a contract with a spirit.
　I can't sign a contract with a genie, so why does it seem like I'm signing a contract with one?

　--I don't know.

''Eh~?　That sword your father gave you is of a certain quality, right?　When the spirit blesses you, you'll be a holy sword in no time at all.

　The holy sword is a weapon that bears the blessing of a spirit. It doesn't matter if the original was rusty. The blessing will transform it into a weapon worthy of the holy sword.

　--I don't care about the quality. I'm all about this sword.

"Doesn't performance matter?　Even if you're trying to be brave, you can't say that it doesn't matter how good or bad the weapon is, right?''

　.........
　This time, I didn't have a chance to use this sword. I'm the rear guard and my companions are excellent, so it's not strange, but even if I had used it, it wouldn't have worked against the monsters in this dungeon.

　If I were to slay a giant, no matter what kind of swordsman used it, it would have been broken in one go.
　Even if it was very important and symbolic to me, I couldn't argue with its value as a weapon.

''Human-kun who inherited the horns of the [Demon King] and mastered black magic. You've worked hard to this point with that lack of talent. Even though you worked so hard, it's all hard for you. Your party has been kicked out, and now you're being suspected of being dangerous. Disgusting, isn't it?　But you didn't ask for that resolution.

　 I don't know.
　But from the way he said it, it could.

　Maybe the spirit can clear my suspicions about me and set me on a path to a future where I can work as a Remegaton without worrying about what anyone else thinks of me.
　I hadn't thought of that.

''I like that part too. But most of all--your strategy and defense is interesting.''

I'm not sure...

　To my chagrin, it was nice to be told that even if the other party was this spirit - I was happy to hear that.

''I mean, blessings can be given on their own, and since I can't sign a contract with them, you can't bind us, right?　I'll hang around until I get bored........

　--eventually you will.........

　Spirits are free beings. In the end, they do what they want to do.
　I let out a sigh as I headed to the recording stone for transference with the others.

　-- so as not to bother people.

''As long as you keep me entertained, I guess I will.''

　With a pop, I feel something in the sword.

　Perhaps because of my feelings, it retains the shape of the sword my father gave me. The holy sword often changes its shape to something like that.
　But I like it.

You can use it when you feel like it. By the way, this dungeon will probably disappear in a few days, and there are no additional monsters. There will be no additional monsters.

　Does that mean they'll stop using magic to maintain the dungeon?
　They also said they would accept participation in the trials, but I guess it's only for a few days until the dungeon disappears.

''Huh... hmmm.

Leme, what's going on?

　Mila, walking next to me, looks at me with a strange look on her face.

'Oh, yeah, I'll tell you later.'

Oh, really? I see. You'll tell me later, won't you?　--who are you talking to from earlier?

What?

'I don't see you. I'm just getting a good look at you.

"Hmm.

　I managed to smile back at Mira's smile.

　The black chick was on top of my head.
　Even though I hear that even spirit contractors have a hard time relating to spirits.......in my case, there's no bondage or anything.

　Thus, I was a [Black Mage], inherited one corner of the [Demon King], was taught black magic, worked as a Demon King's Army Counselor, and obtained the Holy Sword - I became a spirit possession.......