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Chapter 446: Dinosso

「Actually, a while ago… 」
「Wait a sec! 」
I was just about to start when Dinosso stopped me.

「Okay. 」
「… 」
With his right hand still raised in front of me, Dinosso turned his face sideways and squeezed his eyes shut.

「Alright, go. 」
Dinosso took deep breaths before folding his arms in front of his chest, seemingly ready to listen now.

Where should I start? I already told him about the rescue in the forest and how the others are currently hiding in the city with Hauron. Ahh, maybe I can simply start at the source, huh.

「When I went to the forest to help the everyone, I accidentally broke the fief lord’s daughter’s oath while getting rid of the guild’s contract too ー 」
「Hold up, hold up already, okay? 」
Dinosso quickly cut me off.

「… 」
I obediently shut my mouth.

「Yeah, the guild contract uses special paper, and it’s got spells from decent enough casters… yeah, ‘decent enough,’ that’s about right. Okay, go on. 」
Dinozzo nodded to himself and urged me to continue.

「Noth thought the guild contract just turned black, but apparently, that’s not the case with the lord’s daughter’s contract—it actually exploded. 」
“Well, yeah, if you cancel something one-sided like that. Especially if it’s the kind of contract that binds one party. 」
Yeah, the spirits did say something along those lines.

『If it’s a balanced contract where both sides agree or there’s an equal exchange, it won’t take too much power from us spirits. 』
Bayliss giggled.

「… 」
Khan glanced at Bayliss briefly, then back at me, staying silent all the while.
Khan was usually away, traveling around different countries starting from the Central Plains using Hauron’s 【Teleport】. He’s been learning about how the world has changed while he was confined in the temple for so long.

So far, he’s noticed that while food and clothing had somewhat improved, there were still some places, depending on the country, where the cultural level is lower than in his own.

Since I borrowed Hauron for a bit, Khan is also currently on break. I offered to take him traveling in Hauron’s stead, but he rejected me and told me to「Stay away from the wars. 」. He’s part spirit now and is deeply connected to me, so he’s probably aware how the spirits are influenced by my emotions.

Ack, it seems Khan himself must’ve been affected a bit too. I’m sorry!

「So, I was a bit angry ーno, I was really mad, so I went to the fortress city and asked the spirits to cause trouble there. 」
「Ou, don’t mind it. I’m more surprised that just causing trouble was enough to calm you down. 」
Dinosso said, sounding oddly relieved.

「In the end, the spirits totally didn’t help put out the fire when the contract exploded in the fief lord’s house, and the folks there had to be carried to the temple. 」
Seems like it was the entire household except the younger sister who was taken as hostage.

「Hmm. So they can block spirits with traces of mana or human influence,but they can’t stop the natural spirits, huh…」
Dinosso muttered.

Oh, I just realized that the fief lord’s mansion has anti-spirit measures installed in it.

「 Just a reminder, be more aware of your influence on the spirits, alright? ーSo? 」
「That is all. 」
There shouldn’t be any progress as of now.

I’m already okay with the result of the request, so I told the spirits in the fortress city to act freely as they normally did. It’s just that Zabuton isn’t there anymore, so it would take time and money to prepare for healing the people.

And then it hit me. Dinosso must be silently fuming about the situation everyone else was facing, huh? That’s why he went easy on me when I lost my temper and messed things up.

「Hah…If you’re gonna mess with someone’s contract or cancel it, at least do some background research first and be careful not to get caught, alright? Breaking it based on just one side of the story isn’t smart. If other folks find out what you can do, you’ll get tricked into helping commit crimes or you might even get dragged into breaking international contracts. Nothing good can come out of that, you know? 」
Dinosso heaved a sigh and picked up the wine glass that he set aside earlier.
Why did it feel like he was expecting something far more terrible!?

「You’re not scared that the spirits around me are influenced by my moods? 」
「Are you scared that I’m carrying a sword? 」
「No? 」
It’s the spirit sword that I made myself, after all, although I changed the scabbard into something plain since then.

「 What about a lunatic holding a knife? Oh, almost forgot that you’re pretty strong yourself. ー what if that happened while there are powerless kids around you?」
「That’s scary. 」
Having Dinosso around kids while he is carrying a sword won’t make me nervous, but I’ll be anxious if it’s a madman instead.

「 Me too, I’ll be scared if a lunatic has a goon of spirits under him. 」
Dinosso ruffled my hair.

「 I already knew that the spirits can guess what you’re thinking, based on that magic training that you did, and during that time we spent in the Labyrinth, and how you usually keep them away. By the way, I’d be sure to..\ freak out if those guys died and you didn’t blow your top. 」
He patted me more and that’s it.

「 The people around you sure are broadminded. Well, they can live with me like it’s nothing, after all.」
Khan.

「Yeah! — is what I wanted to say with pride, but you’re so bad for the heart that I can’t help but wanna cry or yell, there’s no helping that. Besides, it’s just a matter of preference. I’m quite fond of you and this fellow.」
Dinosso chuckled. He put an oyster on the baguette and chomped it.

「 Thanks. 」
I’m happy but feeling shy too.

Dinosso chortled, Khan grinned and Bayliss beamed.