The young prince was flustered when his disciple suddenly showed such burning passion.

Just moments ago, he had been grumbling as though he did not want to do it.

So why now?

Though it isn’t surprising.

The prince quickly accepted it.

Come to think of it, his disciple originally loved magic, and especially loved difficult magic.

It would not be strange at all if the explanation of such high difficulty had stimulated his challenger’s spirit.

“I see. Disciple. Did this high-difficulty magic awaken the pride of a mage within you?”

“Huh? No... I just want to use Professor Verdus as a mount...”

“...?”

Yukbeltire stared intently at her junior.

She was sure he had said “crawl around on all fours,” but she had not heard anything about being able to ride on his back.

“I understand. Since it has come to this, I will help you with all my power! Disciple. Bring out your spirit.”

The prince spoke while clenching his fists.

Lee Han nodded and summoned a low-rank fire spirit.

Among the numerous spirits, a sparrow-shaped spirit that was relatively friendly with Lee Han appeared and chirped above his head.

“...Not that spirit, Disciple.”

“I don’t think that spirit is the right one either.”

When even Yukbeltire, who had recovered her energy, added that, Lee Han nodded in understanding, waved his hand, and summoned a squirrel-shaped low-rank ice spirit.

“Disciple. Bringing out such cute spirits twice in a situation like this is strange no matter how one looks at it. Did you perhaps want to show them off?”

“...Actually, I did feel that way a little.”

The first time had been a mistake, but the second had been closer to showing off.

Yukbeltire opened her mouth as though she could not understand.

“Why would you show off such spir—”

“If you insult my spirits, I’ll challenge you to a duel, senior.”

“...”

Yukbeltire stepped back two paces.

The sight of her junior now reminded her of the time she had angered Diret in the past.

“This golem seems terrible. It would be better to break the contract and find a new one.”

“Hey. Get out.”

“I gave you accurate advice for your sake, and yet this treatment is...”

“Screw off. Just screw off forever.”

After that, Diret had refused to accept her greetings for about a week.

Yukbeltire thought it was probably because of dark magic. The dark magic school made people irrational.

The junior in front of her was also from the dark magic school, so it was fairly plausible logic.

“The spirit Master mentioned is probably the Thunder King. But I summoned him recently, so I think I’ll have to wait a while until the crest’s power recovers.”

“That isn’t it.”

Lee Han was puzzled by the prince’s words.

Huh?

“Then is it the Storm Protector?”

Upinum was also a powerful great spirit, but unlike Perkuntra, it was not a contract crest that allowed direct summoning.

“Did you also make a contract with such a spirit? Disciple, you truly are loved by spirits.”

The young prince was amazed.

A spirit’s title or rank was a simple measure of that spirit’s strength.

A spirit that could call itself a protector certainly would not be weak.

“??”

Of course, Lee Han’s confusion remained unresolved.

If it isn’t Perkuntra or Upinum, then what is he talking about?

Arna is a star, not a spirit, right?

“Disciple. You did not forget about the spirit in your staff, did you?”

“...How could I?”

Only then did Lee Han recall the existence of the spirit dwelling in his staff.

Sarataan, the alder-tree spirit who held the self-proclaimed title of Battle-Victory Wood King, was imprisoned in the staff.

This spirit, who had barely recovered power when the staff’s frame changed to the Spirit King’s sacred tree, had been vicious enough to immediately attack Lee Han.

If the black book had not helped in the mental world, Lee Han might truly have lost.

“You told me to bring out a spirit, so I only thought of spirits I could summon immediately. And this spirit is very wicked and vicious.”

Lee Han immediately began tattling.

“Wh-what... what did I do?!”

Sarataan screamed.

Since it seemed the mage had forgotten about him for a while, he had quietly remained inside the staff, holding his breath.

“Look at this. He could answer right away, but he’s been pretending not to exist and deceiving me all this time.”

“You didn’t call me! ...Aghghghghghgh!”

Lee Han mercilessly poured out mana, just as he had when subduing Sarataan before.

Caught in his scheme, Sarataan quickly declared surrender.

“I was wrong! From now on, I’ll definitely come out first and help you!”

“Didn’t you say that last time too, then stay quiet?”

“...But there wasn’t really anything to help with... Gaghghghghgh!”

Sarataan was not exactly wrong.

The enemies Lee Han had faced afterward were so powerful that even if Sarataan had awakened, there was not much he could do with only limited authority from inside the staff.

At most, he had the authority to restore mana, make plants grow, or make the staff sturdier. Those were difficult to use when facing powerful enemies.

Of course, just because he was right did not necessarily make it the correct answer. Lee Han remembered the strong enemies he had recently met and vented his anger on the spirit who had not helped.

This guy is worse than Perkuntra!

Originally, it would have been a scream only the staff’s owner could hear, but the young prince read the soul’s wavelength resonating between master and slave.

“Calm down, Disciple.”

“But Master. Do you know how much I suffered because of this spirit? I had to fight for my life in the mental world, and the mandragon almost failed because of this bastard.”

“...?”

Sarataan hesitated.

He understood the former, but he had no memory of the latter.

“W-wait. The mandragon wasn’t my fault in the end. That dragon was the one who...”

Surely the dragon had intruded on its own and raised the mandragon, so it was not his fault.

Even then, Sarataan had been falsely accused and barely cleared his name.

“Was that so? Well, then I’ll exclude that.”

“...”

“Anyway, it’s true that you attacked me.”

“Th-that is true, but...”

The young prince waved his hand, cutting off their argument.

“Stop. Both of you, stop. I did not call you here to have this kind of conversation. Now. Spirit.”

At his words, a strong spirit energy flowed out from the wooden part of the staff Lee Han was holding.

Amazingly, Sarataan, who had been completely sealed inside the wood, was being released outside.

Sarataan looked in surprise at his own bumpy body made of wood. It was a true spirit body, one that could only move in the mental world.

This... this body’s power! This body’s power!

“Now then, let us talk...”

I’ll kill you, you brat!

As soon as his power returned, Sarataan roared.

A massive hammer made of intertwined ebony and walnut wood appeared in place of his fist. This hammer, mixed with mana and spirit power, was a weapon of retribution meant to give that annoying mage a proper beating.

“Please listen...”

Shut up! I don’t know what you’re doing, but thanks for releasing me. There won’t be a second time! If you don’t want to get torn apart, shut your mouth and stay still!

Sarataan shouted and glared at Lee Han. However, Lee Han simply looked back at the spirit without the slightest tension.

That composure itself made Sarataan flinch.

What?

“Your arm flew off.”

What?

“I said your arm flew off.”

What the hell... Huh?!

Only then did Sarataan realize that the giant hammer he had formed on his arm had disappeared.

That was not the end of it. Next, his legs disappeared, and his body suddenly crashed to the floor.

Thud!

Then he could not move at all.

This was on a completely different level from being defeated because he had been fighting at a disadvantage while confined.

Even after being released, he could not do anything?

Sarataan was more shocked than he had been when he was sealed by the spirits in the distant past.

Th... that... how... did...

“Spirit. Can we talk now?”

The young prince in the painting spoke kindly, his expression not changing at all.

That attitude made Sarataan even more afraid.

Sh... ut...

“I suppose there is no choice. I did not want to use this method, but...”

The young prince gestured once more.

Lee Han could feel it.

The soul was being extracted from Sarataan’s spirit body, which had been fixed to the basement floor.

And that soul was absorbed into the painting.

The prince, having trapped the spirit’s soul in his grasp, cupped both hands together and closed his eyes as if praying.

“!!!!”

Lee Han was horrified.

He had seen that spirit become emotionally agitated several times before, but this was the first time he had seen Sarataan tremble so violently with fear.

What on earth was he doing?

While Lee Han stood there horrified, the soul returned to its original place. Sarataan, having regained his senses, opened his mouth.

I... I think I was out of my mind. Please allow me to become the mage’s doormat! I think the doormat was out of its mind. Please allow me to become the mind’s mage!

“That is fine. Thank you for understanding. But it seems your tongue is twisted, so please rest for a moment.”

“What exactly did you do?”

Lee Han asked in a small, startled voice.

Perhaps with that method, he could persuade the spirits that avoided him in the future.

“It is a simple method, Disciple. I showed him directly into the depths of my soul and persuaded him.”

“...”

What kind of soul could it be to terrify that spirit so much?

Lee Han wondered in amazement.

Hmm. That wouldn’t work for me.

If a spirit saw deep into Lee Han’s soul, it would probably look down on him and say, What kind of materialist is this?

“Spirit. Currently, your essential core is trapped inside that staff by a powerful seal.”

Please allow me to become a doormat! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“?”

Sarataan had tried to say “I know that,” but due to the aftereffects, different words came out of his mouth on their own.

The young prince did not seem surprised and encouraged him step by step.

“Now. Pull yourself together.”

Yes, yes...

“Do you know how to break that seal?”

This mage bastard... no, sir... I understand that the seal melts away when he uses the staff’s power and resonates with it.

“That is right. But you cannot rely entirely on my disciple alone. You must also cultivate yourself, spirit.”

If it means helping the mage, I am already doing that...

“When did you ever?”

At Lee Han’s words, Sarataan pretended not to hear.

Honestly, it was not Sarataan’s fault that there had been no opportunities to help.

The prince shook his head.

“I am not talking about helping my disciple. The cultivation I mentioned means polishing your own good heart. If you do not polish and refine yourself, you will never be able to escape that staff, no matter how much your power recovers.”

!!!!

Sarataan felt a shock as though he had been struck in the back of the head with a blunt weapon.

Th-those spirit bastards. They pulled that kind of nonsense on me?!

Moved by the prince’s soul-filled persuasion just now, Sarataan asked frantically.

Th-then what should I do? I have no confidence in polishing and refining my good heart.

“What kind of guy says that?”

Lee Han spoke as if he were dumbfounded.

Even though working hard would barely be enough, Sarataan was already saying he had no confidence from the start.

Yukbeltire shook her head pityingly from the side. Unlike herself, who was already virtuous, that spirit was beyond salvation.

“Do not worry. There is a guide with a good heart who will lead you, spirit. If you follow that guide, you will be able to polish and refine your good heart as well.”

Wh-who is that? Is it a spirit I know?

“No. It is my disciple here. Watch my disciple’s actions, follow them, and learn.”

...

For a moment, Sarataan almost broke free from his brainwashed state.