I Think My Fiancé Has Regressed

Chapter 67: Her Summon (1)

The day after Ariana formally entered into a contract with the Witch of Walpurgis and gave her the name Purr, I canceled all remaining plans in the Eloreal Empire and cleared three days of time before leaving the Empire.

With the most troublesome task of slaying the Witch of Walpurgis completed, there was no longer any need to force the exchange of magical knowledge.

It was unlikely that I would gain any new knowledge from further studying the Holy Sword.

After all, there was still the most important work to be done in the Empire before I returned to Leavrov in three days.

To make up for my date with Arianna, which had been interrupted by an unexpected event, I’ve taken her to the courtesy shop this afternoon.

“I’ll have a sugar tart with moonshine whipped cream and an iced cinnamon cappuccino with mana spice, please.”

“An iced cinnamon cappuccino with mana spice, topped with moonshine whipped cream, with a sugar tart, correct?”

“Yep. Oh, and Alex, did you pick out your menu?”

“…I’ll just have a hot eloquentino.”

“Yes, sir.”

Watching Ariana rattle off the menu items on a menu she’s never seen before, I’m reminded of the disparity between her and my education.

“Even though we can both read and write Elorealian, I feel my head going blank just looking at the café menu in this area.”

I even admire Ariana a little bit for being able to blurt out an order without getting stuck.

After all, our last visit to this shop was thwarted by an unexpected event.

Now that there were no more distractions for me and Ariana, we were able to fit in a lazy afternoon visit.

This would probably be enough to make up for our last date…although I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t as intimate as last time.

“Coo, coo!”

“Yeah, yeah. I guess you liked the atmosphere of this cafe too, huh?”

“Kuuuu!”

As Ariana smiled sweetly and talked to her summon, I felt fortunate that she Purr.

At the same time, a small smile crossed my face as I remembered Ariana’s efforts in the past to somehow make a contract with a spirit.

I remembered being dragged around in the middle of the night at Ariana’s insistence, and it had been quite tiring.

As I watched Ariana chatting with Purr at the table, I silently recalled my past self for a moment.

* * *

The Kale Mountains, a huge mountain range that surrounds the Leavrov Royal Palace is commonly referred to as the Throne Mountains and this massive mountain range is one of the places that are off-limits to all but royalty.

This is because the presence of the Kale Mountains is one of the biggest factors in the defense of the Palace of Leavrov.

With the mountains surrounding the castle at the back and the canals flowing in front, Leavrov’s terrain is perfect for defense.

To prevent the royal family from being exposed to archers or wizards lurking in the mountains, it is strictly forbidden to enter these mountains unless you are a member of the royal family or one of their appointed officials.

Somehow, on this particular day, I found myself climbing the Kale Mountains with my fiancée along the trails behind the palace.

“Ariana, I think we should turn back,” I said, “if my mother finds out, she won’t go easy on us this time.”

“It’s impossible to go down now and not get caught anyway, so if I’m going to get yelled at, I might as well accomplish my goal and get yelled at less, right?”

“I think that’s the kind of thinking that’s underlying your behavior, and that’s what’s going to make Duchess Natasha so angry.”

Ariana doesn’t seem to have heard my advice, and she pushes forward with a brisk stride.

I’m not about to let my fiancée lead the way on these treacherous mountain passes, so I stay a little ahead of her to keep her safe.

“Sister, I think it’s reckless, too. Ho, ho, isn’t it possible that the palace guards might think we’re outsiders and attack us?

Also, it’s about time for sunset, and only after dark, there’s a possibility of wild animals appearing….”

“Kwaaah!”

“Kaaaak, uh, mom!”

Cowardly Kael jumped in surprise at the wild animal cries from inside the bush.

His gaze shifted from one elk to the next, each one suddenly emerging from the bush.

Finally, it made eye contact with Ariana and scurried off in the opposite direction.

“Don’t freak out all the time, Kael. You need to grow some balls.”

“You’re the one who’s too relaxed when you don’t know what might jump out of the bushes!

It was only an elk that just passed by, but what will you do if a beast of prey or wild beast jumps out!”

“I told you that this mountain range is under the control of the royal family, have you forgotten already?

There’s no way they’d allow any dangerous beasts or wild animals to inhabit these mountains surrounding the palace.”

“Is that so, Brother Alexandros?”

“…Ariana is right, I suppose.”

How on earth Ariana knows that is beyond me, but she’s right, these mountains are closely guarded by the royal family.

Otherwise, you never know when a wild animal from the mountains will come knocking on the palace’s door.

And if the canals were captured and an enemy army came to the palace, it was part of the royal family’s protocol to take shelter in the mountains to ensure their safety.

So all wildlife above a certain level, as well as dangerous types of magical beasts, are either removed or their populations are controlled.

“And I brought Alex here in case the palace guards got the wrong idea, because it’s impossible for anyone who works for the royal family not to recognize the First Prince’s face.”

“…Is that what you really meant when you said you needed me?”

“Well, what else could it be?”

“…….”

For once, I thought she might be paying attention to me, but her answer still thoroughly betrayed my expectations.

I remember my great-grandfather telling me that love is won by the one who likes less.

So, if possible, don’t get hurt by liking someone first, and if you do, don’t let them know it.

It was advice that came from the experience of losing great-grandmother Christina to the tower, and it was advice that even I, as a child, could have taken to heart.

Of course, knowing that doesn’t mean a child of barely ten can control his emotions at will.

Still, it was enough to drive home the point that the more you like, the more you lose, as I found myself forced to go along with her unruly behavior.

I wondered if there would come a time when Ariana would like me more than I like her.

I remember most of my eleven-year-old life wondering this, observing Ariana from the sidelines, and eventually swaying to her opinion.

“Nu, sister…. It’s already getting dark, isn’t it? Let’s go back quickly. Mother and Father will be worried!”

“I thought Kael would be helpful, but a kid is still a kid.”

Kael almost choked on his words, as if she wasn’t a child herself.

It had been less than a year since Kael had been adopted by the Duke Anastasia’s family, but I’d always thought of him as more of a prude.

To be honest, Ariana tended to be a bit of a wild child, to the point where I often wondered if she was a girl inside.

If only she could take on her brother’s personality and be just a little bit more subdued.

“If you’re so anxious, why don’t you go back first, it’s just me and Alex doing the elemental search!”

“I’m in, of course I’m in.”

“You don’t like ……?”

“Oh, no, I’m just a little happy that you need me.”

As long as I was making eye contact with Ariana, it was hard to say anything that she wouldn’t like.

If I did, I’d lose whatever little interest she had in me.

I wondered how I had come to have such affection for her.

Of course, it’s all the more fascinating because she’s so unexpected and spontaneous.

“You expect me to navigate down this dark mountain path by myself?”

“I’ve brought my lantern magic tools, Kael, and you know how to use fire magic, so what’s the big deal if you just watch your step?”

“Ho, I’m not bluffing, I think it’s normal to be scared….”

“Gah, gah, gah!”

“Ew, ew!”

This time the cowardly Kael took a quick step backwards, startled by a pair of crows flying out of the trees.

He’s having a hard time having Ariana as his sister, too.

“Ah, I see, I won’t complain now, so please don’t go first without me….”

With Kael following behind me and Ariana with a sorrowful expression on his face, the three of us continued on our unexpected journey.

It was only when we reached the Wind Peak, the highest of the five peaks surrounding the palace, that Ariana stopped her frenetic pace.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“No. This is just the beginning.”

With that, Ariana pulled a thick spellbook from her backpack and began to recite the spell as if she already had it memorized.

-Whirling.

Not long after Ariana began chanting the spells in the grimoire, a small vortex of wind began to swirl around the spellbook she was reading.

The wind paths, flowing in one direction as if created by someone else, converged on the peak of the wind where Ariana was chanting, forming a small tornado.

It wasn’t until her slightly longer incantation was finished that the identity of what had been hidden in the wind was revealed.

It was a woman with light blue swirling hair floating through the air.

Her translucent body and unfocused eyes were enough to make it clear that she was a spirit, not a human.

At first, I thought Ariana had summoned a mid-level wind elemental from this wind-powered peak.

“Sylph, I would like to make a spirit contract with you.”

Until the name of the highest-ranking wind spirit came out of her mouth.