Chapter 218 Mana Spring Spirit Part 2
{You don't know about the races?} The spirit paused and turned to Shiro in confusion and shock.
"I know about the races, just not the affairs between them." Shiro shook her head.
{How is that possible? Shouldn't you gain a general understanding once you upgrade to the class- Wait a minute. How did you get this class to begin with?} The spirit asked curiously.
"I completed a quest and got a few items. I fulfilled the requirements bud had somehow also filled the requirements for this triple S class. I couldn't reject it so here I am." Shiro shrugged.
{. . . Just a question but what was the class option you had before being forced to be the queen?}
"Corrupted Elemental Sylph."
{£&^%!!!! The hell!?!?!} The spirit cried out in shock.
"What's wrong?"
{What's wrong? A class that can be considered to be heresy to the spirit race was actually changed to be the queen of the race?! You know how ludicrous this sounds to a spirit?} She retorted.
"Kind of."
{Urg! Think of it this way. Imagine that you live in a village where you've been terrorised by the demon king for years. Suddenly, after one day, he becomes your leader and supposed saviour. That's the situation.}
"Ah that's bad isn't it."
{No sh*t.}
Sighing slightly, the spirit frowned before looking at her once more.
{However, we've been in need of a queen for a long time now so it doesn't matter. We can't change what has happened. I'll tell you a little about what I know so far but take it with a grain of salt. Lower spirits can only know so much after all.} She sighed.
"Don't worry about it. Any information right now is helpful. Ah, but don't forget to reinforce my links as much as you can. I only have 3 hours here after all."
{Alright. Let's see, let's start with the role of queen. The role of the queen is as it states, to be the ruler of the race. They're the heart of the race and is responsible for how prosperous the race can become. A weak queen will result in a weak race. You might know of the demon king.
{They are in essence, the same as the Sylph Queen. Since the demon king is a strong being, the demon race will naturally be empowered. Without the ruler, the race will weaken to their baseline and fall behind other races, turning them into prey. It's similar to having a bicycle that's powered by a motor. The stronger the ruler, the more powerful the motor. Likewise, if the race doesn't have a ruler, there will be no motor and it would need to be powered manually. A manual bike can never outrun a motorised bike.}
"So all these years, the elemental spirit race has been on the decline." Shiro frowned slightly.
{Indeed. From my inherited memories, we've been taken as batteries as we are efficient in gaining mana. We are no different fr- no. We're worse than slaves. We're not even seen as living beings anymore, just tools of convivence.} The spirit gritted her teeth.
Shiro stayed silent for a while since she felt pity for her. She didn't know how to respond.
Is it ok, I'm here? That would just be insensitive. Sure, she is now the supposed 'queen', but she didn't even know what she was meant to do.
{Sigh… At least things should be better the stronger you become. Since you've already emerged as the queen, despite not knowing anything, just your presence is enough for the overall race to get a small boost. The spirits should have already felt a small increase to their power.} She shook her head.
"That's good then." Shiro nodded.
{Indeed. As long as you grow stronger, the race will slowly recover as well. Hence why I want you to fix your links as soon as possible. The quicker they are fixed, the more powerful you become.}
"So you just want me to focus on getting stronger for now?"
{Yes.}
"Mn. Oh before I forget, I've had class options that include queen. Does that mean that other races are also lacking a 'queen'?"
{No. What you have received is probably just a title rather than the actual role of Queen. There can be several fire queens but only one Origin Fire Queen. Likewise, only one Mystic Sylph Queen. Anyways, just focus on absorbing as much mana as you can right now while I try to reinforce your links.} She shook her head.
"Ok." Nodding her head, Shiro closed her eyes and focused her mind.
Time flew by as Shiro's body was being reinforced little by little.
Near the end of the session, Shiro opened her eyes and saw the fatigued spirit.
"You alright?" She asked.
{I'm fine. Do you know how hard it was to make sure that your body is permanently reinforced rather than temporarily?} She asked as her smile twitched in annoyance.
"Sorry." Shiro rubbed the bridge of her nose in embarrassment.
{Forget it. But I have a request, can I relocate myself to your Mana Realm my queen?}
". . .the f*ck?" Shiro frowned in confusion.
{I'm sure you've noticed by now but I don't have a class. I am closer to what you would call an item spirit. I wish to relocate myself into your mana realm so that I can reinforce your body and give you my assistance so that I can ensure that the spirit race can prosper.}
"I refuse." Shiro rejected the proposal instantly.
{Why!?}
"Because by having you inside my mana realm, it means that you can destroy my links at any moment." Shiro narrowed her eyes dangerously.
{No, I solely wish for the race to prosper.} The spirit frowned.
"Sorry I don't trust you." Shiro shook her head and prepared to leave.
{Why?} The spirit asked as she blocked Shiro's way.
"Unless I can have a guarantee, I don't trust you inside of my mana realm. And since you're not as high ranked as either Yin or Lisandra, I doubt I can form a contract with you. Not to mention, for your race, you would most likely give up your life. Even if you sign a contract, I don't think you will care about your life when the moment comes." Shiro glared at her. While she was indeed grateful for her help, she wasn't going to expose herself to the chance of death if she could avoid it.
Gritting her teeth, the spirit took a deep breath before staring into Shiro's eyes.
{Then what about a Soul Vow.}
Narrowing her eyes, Shiro frowned at her suggestion. Unlike a contract, a soul vow would destroy/take away their soul once they violate the vow details. The process is instantaneous so even if she tried to destroy her links, she'll die before she could even do any major damage. Now only that, rumours state that the soul vow would trap them in eternal torment for having broken that vow. Hardly anyone wanted to take the vow since the result of breaking the vow was more severe than a contract.
"Why are you going so far? And don't give me crap about race. I doubt that you'll be so patriotic that you'll actually risk eternal torment. You probably wanted to accompany me so that you can get on my good side. And once that's achieved, you could probably ask for a favour and I most likely wouldn't reject. Am I right?"
She had seen this too many times now. Even if the said person was very loyal to their race, there was a limit to this loyalty. There was no way that they would risk eternal torment since people change. They don't know if the person that they have taken the vow with would go back on their word since they're not affected.
Biting her lips, the spirit sighed when she saw the seriousness in Shiro's eyes. The clear intent that showed her that she had no regard for the spirits if they stood in her way.
'No wonder she was offered the heretic class.' She thought to herself.
{What I want is revenge. Revenge against all those that have enslaved us and treated us like batteries. From all the knowledge I've gained, far too many of them were filled with misery. They were bootlickers when we still had our queen and yet the moment she disappears, they turned their backs on us. I want to offer my services to you to earn me the chance at witnessing their downfall.} The spirit replied as malevolent aura started to form around her.
"I don't mind killing people but I will not exterminate a whole race due to a few rotten ones."
{You don't have to. Queens live for an awfully long time, I just want you to kil- no tortures the queens that laid down the order of capturing and enslaving our race.} The spirit gritted her teeth.
"That's more like it." Shiro grinned since she knew that this was the spirit's true nature. A mournful soul that wanted nothing but to kill the ones that tortured her. A kindred spirit that was similar to herself.
A few queens that betray others? A fine target. After all, it can be a warm-up for when she kills a god.