The Queen Bee Among the Kingless Swarm
Anders examined the young man standing before him.
Ulrich—that was his name—the young man who had arrived at the village five days ago as part of Priest Roberta's group.
Though it had only been five days, Anders barely remembered him. Their first meeting had been in a field near the village, where the man was clearing debris by handling spirits. His skill with spirits had been decent, but nothing particularly impressive.
No matter how well one handled spirits, it was ultimately just making use of their goodwill—wasn't that the mark of a false Spirit Contractor? To Anders, who prided himself on being the real thing, it had been nothing noteworthy.
But now it was different.
The same face now felt like that of a completely different person. The young man spoke naturally, as if addressing a subordinate, confidently asserting Anders' secret.
"I'm simply curious. I want to know the path you've walked—how you became a Spirit Contractor, how you failed in your duties, and why you returned to your hometown and hid yourself."
So many things he wants to know, Anders thought.
Wasn't that the same as asking him to lay bare his entire life? Yet perhaps because he had kept silent for so long, once someone appeared who knew his secret and asked about his past, his mouth opened more easily than expected.
"A Spirit Contractor… I became one at twenty-six."
Anders recalled those days.
"It was about eight years after I left this hometown."
Twenty-three years had passed since then. Back then, he had been eighteen when he left home and arrived at a certain village. No—he had sought that village out from the start. Wanting to become a Spirit Contractor, he had settled in a place where one already existed.
Having been born and raised in a village with spirits and a Spirit Contractor, Anders had admired them since childhood—but he had not been able to become one.
The Spirit Contractor of his hometown had already chosen a successor early on, and that person was Ella's father. Moreover, the Spirit Contractor of that generation had been Ella's grandfather.
Though the role did not necessarily pass through bloodlines, its influence was significant. There had been no place for Anders to step in.
So when he happened to hear about a Spirit Contractor in another region, he left his hometown. He was eighteen at the time, having just learned that the Spirit Contractor there had not yet chosen a successor.
"That place was a city larger than this hometown. It was a city used as a base by a certain lord, and by his side was a Spirit Contractor serving as an advisor. I entered that Spirit Contractor's service as a servant, and after years of attending to him, I was finally taught."
Even if memories of hardship become nostalgia over time, that period still felt grueling to him even now. He had left his hometown with nothing and settled in the city—possessing nothing but a young, healthy body.
But then, an opportunity came.
The Spirit Contractor, troubled by the lack of a suitable successor, took notice of Anders. Upon discovering a young man with determination, he gave him full support.
From that moment, Anders' life rose rapidly. A mere servant became a Spirit Contractor, and he even took a wife and built a family.
"But even with my efforts, there were limits. I believed I had blended in well, but to others, I must have remained nothing more than an outsider. When the elder passed away, all sorts of rumors erupted."
The root of the problem was jealousy.
A vagrant who had arrived in the city only a few years prior had taken the position of Spirit Contractor.
The old Spirit Contractor had many descendants, and even more people had wished to become his successor. They mobilized figures of power—including the lord and priests—to pressure Anders.
"They were all attempts to take my role. And the more I endured, the harsher those attempts became, until it became a matter of life and death. What would you have done? I simply fought to protect myself and my family."
After saying he had fought, Anders swallowed his words. He saw Ella's eyes widen. The girl knew that he had returned to his hometown alone.
What else could that imply?
"…In the end, I survived and remained a Spirit Contractor—but everything else was lost."
Anders recalled the ruined city.
The high walls and tightly packed buildings had collapsed, and countless lives within them had been lost.
Had it been a modest village like his hometown, the outcome might have been different. Even if there had been suspicion, no one would have had the means to threaten a Spirit Contractor.
But in that city, there had been many who were confident in their own abilities.
"So that's why you chose to return home."
"No one wanted me to stay. And even if I had, it would have been meaningless. The flow of mana had become so corrupted that spirits could no longer be born—what use is a Spirit Contractor in such a land?"
Whether he had been driven out or had fled, Anders left the city and returned to his hometown. A Spirit Contractor who had lost his domain had nowhere else to go.
"Did you have any issues with your predecessor?"
"None. To begin with, I never revealed what I was."
He only realized after returning home that he could still handle spirits even outside his own domain. But that was all. He had neither the will nor the need to do more.
"When I returned, that child—Ella's grandfather—had already passed, and her father had inherited the role. In that situation, what good would it have done to reveal that I was also a Spirit Contractor?"
When asked what he had been doing outside, he casually said he had simply gone on a journey out of curiosity. To keep his secret safe, he even avoided contact with the predecessor as much as possible.
"You began acting again because the predecessor died."
"Though I failed to fulfill my duties, I am still a Spirit Contractor. Since Ella's father died suddenly without leaving a successor, no one but me can take his place."
In Anders' eyes, no one in the village could fill the void left by the predecessor. The village's decline was an inevitable future, and the corruption of mana's flow was only a matter of time.
"That's why I stepped forward. But… if I reveal the truth I've hidden all this time, how do you think people will see me? Might they not suspect that I killed him?"
Even after the predecessor's death, Anders remained silent for a time. Then, as if naturally interacting with spirits, he gradually revealed himself. And now, as a result, the village regarded him as a Spirit Contractor.
"Was my father's death really an accident?"
"I swear upon my name to Kunkan."
That he had done nothing underhanded—Anders spoke firmly. Ella studied him closely but did not press further. The situation was suspiciously perfect, but there was no concrete proof.
"That's the end of my story."
By the time his story ended, the sun—already beginning to set when he started speaking—had completely disappeared beyond the mountains.
Yet the old shrine was not particularly dark.
A soft glow shone here and there. It was the light emitted by the spirits dwelling within the shrine, illuminating the surroundings like lanterns.
"What do you intend to do from here?"
"What do you mean? My secret—or as a Spirit Contractor?"
"Both," Ulrich replied.
"I would prefer to keep the secret hidden, but it will gradually come to light. Even if I say nothing, people will begin to realize as they compare me to the predecessor. And as a Spirit Contractor, I will do the same things he did."
"What else would there be?" Anders added in return.
"I see."
"However, I won't hesitate over choosing a successor the way he did."
"Do you already have someone in mind?"
Anders' gaze turned toward Ella.
"If I had to choose, I would take that child as my successor."
Ella's eyes widened in shock.
"Me…?"
Her voice dropped, as if she couldn't comprehend it. And understandably so—the relationship between Anders and the siblings had not been good. Upon hearing that he was a Spirit Contractor, she had even suspected that he might have killed her father.
And yet, as a successor?
If he had named Valdemar—her older brother—it would have at least made sense. He was second only to Anders in handling spirits, so it could have been seen as a choice based on ability.
"Your brother is the type who covets what a Spirit Contractor can enjoy, yet knows nothing of responsibility. On the other hand, you may be swayed by spirits, but you're not the type to harbor such greed."
"But I'm not as good at handling spirits as my brother…"
"That's not a problem at all. The moment you become a Spirit Contractor, all spirits will obey your words. You've seen how your father commanded spirits, haven't you? What matters for a Spirit Contractor lies elsewhere."
He tapped his temple with his index finger.
"I share that opinion as well—though there is a slight difference."
"A difference? May I ask what you mean?"
"It's simply a matter of whose succession one inherits."
Anders narrowed his eyes, not understanding.
"If it comes to succession, I believe it would be better for her to inherit her father's."
In contrast, Ella immediately understood, her eyes widening.
"Then what you're saying to me is…"
"Yes."
Ella hesitated before asking,
"What if I refuse?"
"There is no second option. That is the conclusion I have reached."
"My brother too?"
Instead of answering, Ulrich shook his head. Ella understood what he meant—if she refused, then no one else would be able to inherit her father's position.
The proposal was something she had never expected, and it left her deeply flustered. But after steadying her breath, Ella slowly nodded.
"Then… I'll do it. But will I really be able to?"
"There's no need to worry. I have something in mind."
Ulrich then took Ella's right hand. Startled, she tried to pull away, but he whispered for her not to be nervous and gently guided her hand forward.
A spirit floating in the air came to rest on her hand. It stopped its chatter and quietly looked up at her, and Ella blinked in surprise.
"Now, tell it what you wish," Ulrich said softly.
Ella hesitated for a moment, then quietly told it to fly high.
At once, the spirit nodded silently and soared upward. Its body emitted light, so in the darkness of night, it looked as though a streak of light was rising from the earth into the sky.
As she lifted her head to follow the distant glow, the light traced an arc before descending once more, settling back into Ella's hand.
"This is what it means to handle spirits."
As Ella stared at the light resting on her palm, her body trembled slightly. Ulrich released her hand and gently patted her head once, smiling.
"…."
Anders stood there, mouth slightly open as he watched the scene.
"…You've become a Spirit Contractor. Just like me."
"I've merely restored a broken succession."
Restored a succession… Anders repeated the words to himself.
"I've heard that there are those who judge whether we are suitable. That long ago—so long ago no one remembers—there was someone who was stripped of their position. I thought it was just a warning, an empty threat to keep us from stepping out of line…"
"It's only natural to think that way. Just as there are few of you left, there is now only one person left to watch over you. And among you, none have had what they inherited taken away."
Anders ran a trembling hand over his face.
"I understand now why you came here. Why you called for me, and why you questioned my past… I suppose I'm to be stripped of my position."
"Why do you think that?"
"Isn't it obvious? You've chosen Ella—the girl—as the master of this place. There can't be two queen bees in one hive."
"That's right—there can't be two in one place. But your assumption is mistaken. Anders, I will not take away your duty and authority. Not yet."
At those final words, Anders lifted his head.
"Your mistake is great, but it doesn't seem to be yours alone. So I would like to give you one more chance. Even if our world has become tainted, it does not always worsen. There are cases where spirits return to places they once left."
"Just as the flow in the Ice Peninsula is regaining its purity," Ulrich added.
"You're saying you'll entrust that place to me?"
"Not immediately."
Ulrich said that it was like a bear just emerging from a long hibernation—he had only just stepped out of his cave and had yet to fully grasp where the spirits had returned.
"For the time being, you will teach this child."
He placed a hand on Ella's shoulder.
"Pass on the experience and knowledge her father could not teach her, and make sure no one leads her astray. When the time comes, I will tell you where your domain lies."
Anders looked at Ulrich with a dazed expression, then shifted his gaze to Ella. After a moment, he slowly nodded.
And so, under the soft glow of the spirits that had gathered, they descended from the old shrine halfway up the mountain.
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