<<<HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT—!!!?>>>

The more Falweasel struggled to escape, the more the flaming net clung to him, inflicting scorching torment!

The flames of Luctoria’s magic used Falweasel’s magical power as fuel, continuing to burn violently.

Most likely, when these flames finally went out... it would be when his magical power had been completely consumed.

And that would be the moment the life-light of the spirit Falweasel—an arcane-constructed lifeform whose very body was composed of magical power—was extinguished.

<<<HELP... HELP, SOMEONE—!!!>>>

Falweasel desperately cried for help.

But his voice only echoed uselessly through the night forest.

The comrades who might have helped him—the ones who always sneered at his foolishness—were all... killed or eaten by that terrifying human!

<<<AH!! A-AH—!! USELESS!! TRASH!! IDIOT!! SCUM!! AAAAAAAH—!!!>>>

Realizing that, Falweasel bawled and screamed... and hurled curses at his comrades’ powerlessness.

And then—

<<<H-HEY... HEY! HELP ME! PLEASE! AAAAAAAH...>>>

He switched targets.

To the girl right in front of him, the Mad Dog Princess Luctoria, who was trying to burn him to nothing!

<<<HOT... IT HURTS, LUCTORIA... HELP ME, HELP ME...>>>

Even as the magic flames tortured him, Falweasel begged for his life, forcing the most adorable voice he could manage as he whined pitifully.

<<<AH—R-RIGHT... A CONTRACT, A CONTRACT! IF YOU HELP ME, I’LL BECOME YOUR CONTRACTED SPIRIT, LUCTORIA! I’M USEFUL, YOU KNOW!? MY WIND AND YOUR FAVORITE FIRE MAGIC! WE’RE A PERFECT MATCH, RIGHT!?>>>

No matter how many words he piled on, Luctoria’s gaze stayed cold...

But Falweasel didn’t give up!

<<<I’VE CONTRACTED WITH LOTS OF HUMANS BEFORE! IT’S TRUE! AND I’VE MADE SO MANY HUMANS HAPPY! YOU TOO, LUCTORIA—FOR SURE! I’LL MAKE YOU HAPPY, I SWEAR I WILL!>>> 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Falweasel believed in it.

His own intellect.

And the power of his words.

His own... worth.

<<<PLEASE, LUCTORIA! SAVE ME! IF THIS KEEPS UP I’LL DIE! THAT WOULD BE A LOSS FOR THE WORLD—!!!>>>

“............”

Had she taken pity on Falweasel, seeing him like this?

The flames tormenting him weakened slightly.

This was a chance!

Certain of it, Falweasel endured the heat and rushed straight into a rapid-fire plea!

<<<HEY, LUCTORIA, LET’S MAKE A CONTRACT! BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IS A CHANCE! RIGHT NOW, ALL THE SPIRITS IN THIS FOREST ARE GONE—UH, THERE’S A LITTLE SITUATION—AND IF THINGS KEEP GOING LIKE THIS, EVEN IF YOU DO NOTHING I’LL END UP A REALLY IMPORTANT SPIRIT! AMAZING, RIGHT!? AND IF YOU’RE THE CONTRACTOR OF A SPIRIT LIKE THAT... WITH ME BACKING YOU, YOU CAN RISE AGAIN IN THE HYUPUET SPIRIT KINGDOM! YOU LIKE POLITICS, RIGHT!? THIS TIME, NO ONE’S GOING TO GET IN YOUR WAY! YOU CAN REMAKE THE COUNTRY HOWEVER YOU WANT! I WON’T LET THE ROYAL FAMILY STICK THEIR NOSES IN, EITHER! SO WHAT DO YOU SAY, LUCTORIA—LET’S BUILD A WIN-WIN RELATIONSHIP—!!!>>>

...A long, long plea for his life.

Luctoria stared at it with eyes that gave nothing away.

Then—

“...A spirit contract, is it.”

At last, in a tone almost like she was talking to herself, she spoke.

<<<YES! YES, THAT’S RIGHT, A SPIRIT CONTRACT, LUCTORIA! A CONTRACT—MAKE A CONTRACT WITH ME! I’M ABOUT TO BURN UP, HURRY, HURRY, AAAAAH!>>>

Seeing it as an opening, Falweasel pressed without even taking a breath, demanding a contract.

His limit was close.

Almost all the magical power he possessed was being consumed by the flames, and it was about to run dry.

“...If you want to make a contract, mutual understanding is necessary, don’t you think? Do you know what I hate?”

Whether she noticed Falweasel reaching his limit or not, Luctoria—still in prisoner clothing—spoke with a deliberately ladylike elegance, slow and brimming with poise, wearing a smile whose emotion couldn’t be read as she asked him.

<<<I-I DON’T KNOW... AAAAAH, P-PLEASE TELL ME, I’M BEGGING YOU...>>>

Quit stalling and hurry up, you idiot—I’ll kill you!!

That was Falweasel’s true feelings.

But he couldn’t refuse to play along with this conversation.

Because worming his way into Luctoria’s good graces was now the only path left for survival.

“My first most hated thing... is harmful trash that’s only good at degrading people.”

<<<RIGHT, YOU’VE BEEN MADE TO SUFFER BY USELESS NOBLES IN THE COUNTRY, HAVEN’T YOU—OF COURSE! AAH, HOT...>>>

“Second is obnoxious scum overflowing with baseless confidence.”

<<<Y-YEAH, ANYONE WOULD HATE THAT! I HATE THAT TOO! HEY, LUCTORIA, THAT’S ENOUGH, RIGHT—HURRY AND MAKE THE CONTRACT...>>>

“Third is... a garbage race that puts on airs as ‘spirits,’ acting like they’re above humans.”

<<<RIGHT, YEAH, SPIRITS ARE... HUH!?>>>

“In other words, it’s all you! Get the hint already, you braindead piece of shit—!!!”

<<<GRAAAAAAHHH—!?>>>

The next instant!

The flames that had been wrapping Falweasel’s entire body flared up with even greater force!

From the sheer heat, and the exhaustion brought on by his magical power being consumed, Falweasel could no longer even squirm properly!

All he could do was cling to the ground and scream miserably!

<<<HOT, HOT, HOT! WHY, HOW, AAAAAH, WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS—!? I GET IT, I GET IT, MAD DOG PRINCESS—YOU’RE JUST INCREDIBLY STUPID, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) AREN’T YOU!? TRYING TO DESTROY SOMEONE AS CAPABLE AND SMART AS ME—SO YOU’RE AN EVIL DEMON! AAH, WHAT DO I DO, AT THIS RATE—RIGHT, IT’S A CRISIS, A WORLD CRISIS! YOU’RE A DEMON, SO BY DESTROYING ME, WHO HAS THE QUALITIES OF A FUTURE SPIRIT KING, YOU’RE TRYING TO INFLICT A LOSS ON THE WORLD—!!!>>>

“SHUT UP WITH YOUR NONSTOP BULLSHIT—!!!”

With a voice even louder than his screaming, Luctoria roared back over him, cutting in.

“If you’re really such a grand, important existence, then try praying to the god you worship! If it won’t abandon such a capable you, it’ll definitely save you, right!? HUH? GO ON—DO IT ALREADY, YOU IDIOT—!!!”

Hearing that, Falweasel jolted.

Right. She was right.

In this world, cases where a god favored a being it liked and granted it protection were too many to count.

It was common.

Meaning... a being like him would absolutely be saved by a god!

How had he not noticed that possibility!?

And the Luctoria in front of him was, as expected, a foolish lowly lifeform!

She’d just handed Falweasel the key to a reversal with her own mouth!

Even as he burned in scorching flames, Falweasel grinned, and shouted toward the god he worshiped!

<<<SPIRIT GOD PEEREESYU! YOUR CAPABLE, SMART, DEVOUT BELIEVER IS ABOUT TO DIE THANKS TO THE FILTHY, VILE, COWARDLY TRAP OF A FOOLISH LOWLY LIFE-FORM! THAT’S A HUGE LOSS FOR YOU TOO, RIGHT!? PLEASE SAVE MEEEE—!!!>>>

And then—what a surprise!

The instant Falweasel finished his precious, sincere prayer—

...Nothing in particular happened!!

The flames tormenting Falweasel didn’t go out, and divine punishment didn’t strike Luctoria!

Nothing happened at all!

<<<W-WHY...?>>>

“Because you’re not all that. You’re not as smart as you say. And you’re a nobody. Duh.”

Only when he was utterly cornered—when death was just seconds away—did Luctoria’s words finally pierce Falweasel’s heart.

Words that always denied his specialness—words he would normally ignore and brush off.

But now, he had no choice but to accept them.

Falweasel wasn’t special.

Just like Luctoria said, he probably wasn’t that smart.

Even the gods didn’t love him.

He was nothing more than a Weasel Medium Spirit.

<<<I... I...>>>

Falweasel was frustrated.

Deeply, bitterly frustrated that he was such a trivial existence.

Frustrated, frustrated—he spilled large tears in big drops.

They were instantly evaporated by the flames burning him, vanishing as if they’d never existed.

<<<THE ONE WHO SAYS “IDIOT”... IS THE IDIOT...>>>

So Falweasel clung to the power of words.

Keeping his hazy consciousness together by force, desperate to throw even one petty jab at Luctoria—

And what came out was no more than a child’s insult.

Hearing it, Luctoria snorted.

“...Yeah. I know, idiot.”

She answered simply, with a sardonic smile.

Falweasel was no longer in a state where he could think coherently, so he didn’t understand why.

But regardless, clutching an overwhelming sense of hopeless defeat in his chest—

He burned out,

and died.