Chapter 3

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Caution: Found object alert.

"Hey, Nera. I can grant any wish of yours, so will you listen to my wish?"

Such a beautiful resonance falls in the dark night forest.

Nera, whose real name, Nera Harley, is said to hold the soul and is currently sealed, is now cursing her fate in a corner of the forest, holding her head.

Moreover, the night forest of this world, which she visited after escaping from her room, was so beautiful with various colors and wonders that it made her want to sigh. Even at her feet, where she squatted carelessly, colorful flowers bloomed wildly, leaving her in awe.

(......No. If it's beautiful, it's this creature.)

When she slowly looked up, a tall, handsome man with long, pale pearl-colored hair and eyes as blue as water stood before her.

How beautiful he was. The colors that this man possessed were not uniform.

His long, gently wavy pearl-colored hair was mixed with light violet, blue, bluish gray, mint green, a faint light gold, and a faint cherry pink that appeared with the angle of light. These various hues blended so subtly that every time she looked at them, she felt as if she would be lost in the question of what color his hair really was.

His eyes were the same, with a clear blue that contained shades of violet and Paraiba green, like a kaleidoscope.

To put it simply, he was an incredibly well-proportioned and miraculous iridescent being, and all his colors possessed a transparency that was almost like a beautifully crafted glass doll.

(But, he is so sharp and dark that it feels like I'll be sucked in. This person is a very troublesome and bad thing,......right.)

The moment this man appeared and saw Nera, a definite pleasure was visible in his eyes.

There was indeed a moment of cunning, like that of an old and cunning beast, as he smiled gently.

"There is no such thing as granting any wish. What kind of monster are you?"

To capture a monster, one must perform a song-summoning ritual in front of a mirror.

That is, sing to the mirror, and the monster drawn by the song will appear and enter into negotiations.

Taking advantage of the fact that a book on song-summoning was left in her room, she might have made a mistake by secretly performing the summoning and contracting ritual, which should have been done in a temple, in the night forest.

Or perhaps, the biggest mistake was using a hand mirror she brought into this world instead of a water mirror imbued with magic, thinking it would be fine.

Or maybe it was because the first incantation of the ritual was read from the book, making it a strange half-utterance.

(Though he seems friendly, I knew from the first glance that it was no good. ......This monster is very beautiful and wonderful, but I can't handle it at all.)

In this world, the rank of monsters is determined by their beauty.

The more beautiful a non-human being is, the more power they have to capture humans and other lower beings.

If that's the case, what rank is this monster?

It's not just that she is overwhelmed by the beauty before her.

In fact, she has seen the monster contracted by the Eadaric knight, who is accompanied by a song-summoner, and that's why she was startled by the beauty of this monster.

It's even more beautiful than the monster said to be the highest rank in the Verclaire kingdom.

(Of course, the delicate and ephemeral monster might be a matter of personal preference, but still......)

If the knight's monster is a gem, this monster is a rainbow or an aurora.

It's something intangible, like a favor or a miracle, that cannot be contained in a form and is given to people.

And above all, the intuition that this monster is not just a kind and benevolent being, but rather a cruel one, is what makes it so.

"I wonder if you want to know what I am. Well... If I put it in a way that you can understand without burden, I am something that governs reason."

"......I'm in trouble."

"Oh, you don't seem happy?"

The beautiful hand of the man reached out and gently stroked Nera's head.

For some reason, this monster has been very overprotective since the moment Nera, who was almost petrified with caution, first appeared.

He looked at Nera with great joy, touched her gently, and deepened his smile even more.

(The textbook says that concept-type monsters are of high rank, and the payment for them is also large......)

However, Nera, who was preoccupied with her own affairs, was frantically trying to avoid the payment for an excessive purchase.

"Um, my meager abilities can't possibly sustain it, so I think I should decline this time......"

"Unfortunately, once summoned and spoken to, it is considered a contract."

"......Is that so? In that case, I have a feeling that even the first wish can't be granted, and it's a sure death. I'm sorry."

While still holding her head, she apologized, and a curious gaze looked down on her.

"Why don't you value your life?"

The creature before her, being a monster, apparently does not read the nuances of the human heart.

It comes straight to the point without any preamble.

"......I do. It's just that this situation has exceeded my mental processing capacity, and I'm just trying to find a kinder path in it all."

From the moment she was dropped into an unknown world and assigned the life-draining job of a song-summoner, the question of whether or not to value her life had long been surpassed.

What Nera can do is at most to secretly observe this beautiful unknown world and choose how to spend the remaining life peacefully and happily.

Humans, though fragile, are very selfish in such matters.

"Then why are you apologizing to me?"

"You came here because I summoned you, didn't you? If I can't meet your expectations, I think it's only natural to feel sorry. I've heard that for mirror monsters, song-summoning is a favor that grants wishes......"

Of course, there are sufficient reasons for long-lived, high-ranking beings like monsters to serve humans.

First, they appear because they like the song of the song-summoner.

Then, they allow the song-summoner to contract with them, as if hugging a favorite phonograph.

(And here, a note is added that they treat them as possessions, ignoring their human rights and monopolizing them......)

Moreover, monsters are said to have a very strong sense of possession.

Nera, who had broken down the examples explained in Eadar, as a human not belonging to this world, believes that it is because monsters are not equal to humans from the beginning.

They do not allow their favorite song-summoners to have children or fall in love.

They do not even allow the intervention of the song-summoner's family, who were originally theirs.

Such self-righteous behavior clearly lacks the consideration to read the song-summoner's heart.

(In other words, monsters, when fed with their favorite music, are whimsical enough to enter into a contract with humans......)

What else can they be called if they serve with a level of dedication that cannot be called subordination.

(After all, song-summoners not only sing to the monsters but also have to grant their wishes......)

Perhaps, the value of keeping them around is what brings to the surroundings, and that is what monsters are.

The reason they stay is that they can have their whims fulfilled with little effort.

(And, monsters are said to always have a wish that only their song-summoner can grant.)

The form of such a being, which is not omnipotent, has a mysterious charm that is characteristic of another world, and Nera was a little surprised when she learned this fact.

They are not omnipotent just because they are strong and beautiful; there are rules and limits according to the principles of magic in this world, and no being can escape them.

(For example, the monster contracted by the knight is very fond of human-made food......)

The monster's wish, named gourmet, seemed like a very cheap reward, but there is a mysterious rule of magic at work.

Apparently, the song-summoner who provides the food has their life drained according to the content of the meal.

A week to two weeks for vegetables.

A month or so for meat, fish, and other rare ingredients.

Even if the food is made by a cook who has nothing to do with the contract, the song-summoner's life is drained, which is a terrifying aspect of the invisible principle of magic.

The monsters, on the other hand, feel that the food provided by the contract holder is incomparable to any human food they could obtain with their power.

(But, there is a reason why monsters call it a favor. This is a very convenient system for them.)

After all, what song-summoners give to monsters is nothing more than a luxury, and the power that monsters give as a service is a reasonable amount of labor that is commensurate with the quality of the monster.

It is different from humans, who sacrifice their lives to obtain the opportunity.

Monsters are in a very unfair contract where they can work moderately while fully satisfying their hobbies and desires.

"Indeed, song-summoners are a kind of favor to us......"

"......I'm sorry I can't be a favor."

She couldn't risk looking into the eyes of a high-ranking monster that she couldn't control, so Nera, who was dejected, apologized while crouching and felt a gaze that seemed to smile.

For some reason, it was not a sarcastic look at this fragile human, but a sign of the utmost good mood.

(......It's strange. Why is this monster so happy......)

And then, she suddenly noticed.

The colors of the forest, which shimmered faintly and luxuriantly, were shining and glowing with a richness that could not be compared to when Nera arrived.

It was as if reflecting the good mood of the monster before her, and she began to think, perhaps, this is an exceptionally special being.

The branches and leaves glowed a pale bluish-white, and the mineral flowers, which contained star-dust-like light, grew with a rustling sound.

Beautiful flowers bloomed in the forest, slowly withering and blooming again.

That's why she wondered.

(To begin with, how do you deal with a monster......?)

How can she live with such a beautiful and terrifying being?

She had completely forgotten to investigate such an important matter.

Moreover, the oracle priestess and the Eadar did not explain such aspects.

What do they eat, what do they like.

Or, they might have dislikes or allergies.

If she carelessly shows or gives something and this beautiful being dies, it would be a big problem.

"I'm sorry for such a basic question, but how should I interact with you? For example, are there things I can't eat or touch that might cause a reaction?"

"You can treat me......more casually......?"

"Summoning you and not giving you anything, and then treating you casually, would be the worst behavior, wouldn't it?"

"Then let's do this. This will be my first wish."

When she raised her gaze, the beautiful eyes of the man, with the complex colors of dawn, looked down at her.

"Y-Your wish,......is to be treated casually?"

"Yep."

How much of her lifespan would be shortened by treating him casually?

If this is actually a very unpleasant request and a plan to kill her by forcing her to grant the