The Reborn Witch had a nice 'Tea Time' with the Dragon Queen today-Chapter 14: Legacy (1)

Flashback....

"I ask you! Are you my summon?!"

An excited, youthful voice, fuelled by passion not for power but for wonders, curiosity and sense of adventure. That was the prideful wolf's first impression, upon witnessing her young master's form. The kid was small, fragile, his throat so thin it could be clamped with one bite.

The prideful wolf bowed. She did not know of this master, but her confidence of strength and agility guided her. She may not have had a mind of her own, her thoughts muddled and lost in favor of her master's contract, but she knew the basics of a summon, a summon who would be loyal to the end.

Her consciousness sinked and her body hollowed out of bloodlust that once defined her, as the young Demond frowned upon such a summon, as if sensing the unintended consequnce of her contract.

Over the few weeks, the wolf followed the child with a protective eye, watching him clumsily knock over a slime and fall from the height of a dragon's kneecap. A summon must not have a mind of her own, and yet, over the days, she felt as if the contract's pull was slipping from her grasp. It was a strange, daunting freedom, freedom that should not be enjoyed by a pet of a human.

The young wolf paid no mind, mistakening it as prove of her strength's growth and her ego's temptation of dominance, as she set aside her defining pride and followed the boy into the warm embrace of the forest.

Then, in that very same forest, the boy spoke to her, the moonlit night painting their shadows on the frosty ground.

"Hey, I don't really get it, but you seem to have been limited by some kind of contract, aren't you?"

Demond's voice was a firm yelp for her to come to reality, the eyes that once were stripped away freedom now lit up in a blazing curiosity. The wolf's ears twitched at the question, the first sign of acknowledgment she had felt with her master.

"Ah, I see. A binding to restrict a summon's thoughts and speech for obedience. Seems to be that Spirit King's trick or something. He-got-a-secret....hehehe."

Then, as if answering that silent call, a sparkly fingertip touched her nose, and the world around her changed. The wolf's eyes snapped open to see Demond standing before her, his hand still touching her frozen snout. The warmth that radiated from his touch was unlike any molotovs from the kobolds, or comforting campfires from their rests.

In an instant, her instinct flared up, the beastly instincts of a creature born of the coldest lands. Leona felt her fur stood up to the bloodlust long lost, the very essence of her being screamed for battle. But the touch of the boy's mere finger was a calm admist the storm, his smuggy expression a stark contrast to the fear that should have been in his eyes.

So, the first emotion she felt for the boy was not fear or loyalty, but irritation. The kind that came from being caught off-guard and poked in the nose by a creature that should have been prey. But as Demond's hand remained on her snout, the wolf felt a peculiar warmth seep through the layers of ice that had formed around her heart. Her eyes searched the kid's, looking for a hint of malice, but all she found was a spark of mischief, a glint of curiosity.

"It is a success. The contract is lifted a little, though you're still bound to me of course." Demond's smile grew wider as he stepped back, examining the wolf with a critical eye. "But now you can speak! Uh...at least I think you can, right? You're still essentially a spirit after all."

Leona felt a strange sensation, her thoughts no longer a mere echo of the contract. Words, once foreign, now danced on her tongue. She took a tentative step forward, her paws leaving imprints of frost in the grass, imprints her master will later learn of her first bare step.

"Tempering the contract of the Spirit King is forbidden for a mere mortal, my master," Leona's voice was a mix of astonishment and irritation. Her frosty breath danced in the moonlit air, the first words she spouted were only of annoyance.

"Oh spare me that it is forbidden or something, can't I be treated as a chosen someone for a moment?" Demond pouted, his eyes shimmering with excitement. "In anyhows, being able to properly think and speak makes you different. The book spoke of you as a proud wolf or something, so aren't you actually grateful for this change?"

"My loyalty is only limited to the Spirit King's contract you spoke of, Master." Leona's voice was cold, the words stinging like a blizzard's bite. "Your audacity to question me, a creature of pride and valor, is quite amusing, yet the Spirit King would not overlook this violation. Do you not afraid of his wrath?"

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

"Then," Demond began, his eyes glinting with sharpness, focus, and a naive determination. "I simply have to be strong enough to beat him up when he comes, am I right?"

Leona's icy gaze softened slightly, the corners of her mouth twitching in what might have been the beginnings of a smile. The absurdity of this human child's claim was something she hadn't anticipated, nor did the wolf understand. Yet the dream to defeat the Spirit King, a feat that seemed impossible even to the fiercest of spirits, stirred something within her.

"What makes you so sure your potential will reach such heights?" Leona's question was a challenge, but also one of curiosity. The child's spirit was untainted by the fear that typically accompanied such a declaration.

"I'm not, but I have to try." Demond's reply was earnest, his eyes never wavering from hers. "You see, I'm not just any mage. I'm a reincarnater who used to write essays while groaning, without a care for the bigger future when the university debts were slapping right at my face."

"Essays? Debts?"

"Ah, of course you don't get it...um, treat it as if I live a life so normal and repetitive that I forgot how amazing magic is, okay?" Demond chuckled nervously, scratching his head. A distant tone of melancholy lingered in his voice, hinting at a past life he didn't fully remember yet longed for. "But now I'm here, in this fantasy land. To be honest, I'm not sure how far I will get yet. I mean instead of some systems, cheats or overpowered skills, I got bricks and tiles for my first job and spell. But you know, I'm at least a quick learner for my... 'age', and I know I can take advantage of that."

"I'm afraid a mere quick learner might not be enough to face the trials of defeating a king, young master," Leona warned, her voice still carrying the chill of the Frozen Night she hailed from, yet with a hint of concern.

"Perhaps, not alone." Demond's voice grew firm as he stepped closer to the wolf, his hand reaching out to pat her frosty fur. "Listen, wolf. I know I am not special. There are others much younger yet accomplished much more than me. The Southern Babarian survived the Haunting Sea at the age of five, and the second prince deciphered ancient tomes at the age of three, yet here I stand, still not knowing how to cook without burning down the kitchen. But, I do have one thing they don't."

Demond smirked, as he leaned closer to Leona. "Arrogance, my wolf. I mean, I'm reincarnated, damn it! One of a kind in this world! If it is strength I lack, I can easily gather companions to fill the gap. If it is wisdom, I will steal books from the capital's library without returning. If it is experience, I will weave a hundred lives through my spells. And...if it is a spirit, well, I have you now, one as prideful as this stubborn me, don't you think?"

The wolf looked at the young human, his hand still patting her fur, and for the first time, she felt something other than anger or frustration towards his existence. It was a strange emotion, something not warm or comforting, but...enlightening. A child's dream not for greatness, but to pursue greatness for as far as he can, it was a way of life blinded to the wolf that only viewed strength as a means of pride, and pride as a means of ego.

"...what is your name, my master?" Leona's question was a surprise, her voice a gentle whisper amidst the frosty air.

"Demond. The one who would live the best way he can." The young mage's smile was infectious, and Leona couldn't help but feel a strange tinge of fire spread through her frozen core. His passion for satisfying his pride remains with a touch of innocence, a stark contrast to the lonely, hardened life she had known.

"Hear me, Demond, I am Leona, the Wolf of the Frozen Night." The words left her mouth with a regal air, a declaration of who she truly was, not just a summoned spirit, but a being of her own. "For as long as I live, I shall watch over your way of life, our prides bound by fate and your peculiar strengths. Let us journey together, not for contracts, not for fame, not for riches, but for the essence that burrowed into our beings, the egos we refuse to let die."

——————