Leca had turned eighteen.
The time had come for his coming-of-age ceremony.
For spirits, adulthood was marked by the Oath of Bonding—a formal pledge to their first master.
King Minophon placed the royal ceremonial sword upon Leca's shoulder as he knelt before the throne.
"You, Leca Parvati—son of Behemoth Parvati, court mage of Naizman and spirit of fire."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Do you hereby accept Me—Minophon, the 245th King of Sibareth—as your first master, and swear to serve Me with unwavering loyalty?"
"I swear it."
Leca felt the weight of the sword pressing down on his shoulder.
"In joy or sorrow, at all times—will you place your master's life and orders above your own?"
"…Yes."
"Then the bond is sealed."
Leca rose and summoned the highest-ranking fire spirit—the phoenix.
A blazing inferno took form, wings spread wide as the majestic firebird descended between them.
When a fire spirit receives their first master, the phoenix presides over the bonding.
Second and third bonds are overseen by the spirit and a salamander alone.
The phoenix circled them and conjured a great ring of fire.
The fiery loop surrounded both Leca and the king. Then, the phoenix gripped it in its beak. The flames slowly shifted to a soft crimson… then vanished.
As they disappeared, a rune blazed onto Leca's chest—
Kenaz.
"The light and power of knowledge shall bring forth creation. For flame is both destruction… and birth."
A brand upon his skin.
A mark of eternal servitude.
For the first time, Leca truly felt the weight of a spirit's destiny.
2 years later, Leca was twenty.
Late one night, when the palace was fast asleep, Shamanaz came quietly to his chambers.
He was just about to drift off when he saw her—and nearly jumped.
"What are you doing here? At this hour? If someone sees you…"
"I wouldn't have come unless it was urgent."
"Urgent?"
"You're the only one who can help me. You will help, won't you?"
"If it's something I can do… What is it?"
"I heard about something amazing. A love potion."
The amethyst on Shamanaz's forehead flared with a bright violet glow.
Leca chuckled.
"You just now heard about that? Those shady old witches at the street market have been selling those forever—"
"Leca! No, not that junk! I'm talking about a real one—made by a grand mage of the Topaz bloodline!"
Leca swept back his red hair, clearly skeptical.
"Who told you that?"
"It's been super popular among the noble girls lately. There are tons of girls who say they've tried it and it actually worked!"
"Isn't it just another one of those charm spells from the Peridot bloodline?"
"Would I seriously come all the way here at this hour for that? charm spells are just hypnosis! I'm telling you, this is different—this potion makes the other person love you and only you, until death!"
Leca let out a laugh.
"They say the first batch came out three years ago, and those guys are still in love. Three years is plenty, isn't it?"
Leca sighed.
"So what do you want from me, Shaminy?"
"There's just one ingredient I couldn't get. I managed to find all the rest. But there's one… that only you might be able to obtain."
"…What is it?"
"Sphinx blood. A lot of it."
Leca froze.
The sphinx was a divine beast—with the body of a lion, the head of a human, wings of an eagle, and the tail of a serpent. They reproduced only once every thirty years.
Fragile and long-lived, they were considered critically endangered. In Sibareth, only the palace was permitted to keep them.
And there were only two. One male, one female—both cherished by King Minophon. The king had entrusted their care to Leca himself.
Shamanaz knew that. And that's why she had come.
"That mage—the one who made the original potion—his secret sphinx died.
So they can't produce any more. That's why I'm asking you."
"There are only two sphinxes left,"
Leca said, stunned.
"And they're not well. If we take too much blood, they'll die."
"I'm not asking you to kill it! If it's already sick, won't it be less noticeable?"
Leca turned his head, incredulous.
"You're not making any sense. I said no. That's final."
"You're so rigid, Leca. Obviously I wouldn't take enough to kill it. Don't you trust me?"
Shaminaz scowled and stormed out.
A week later, on a quiet morning—
When Leca woke, a faint vision flashed before his eyes.
He saw Shamanaz and a man, their hands pressed against the body of a sphinx as they recited a spell.
Startled, he jumped up and rushed to the sphinx enclosure. Sure enough—both beasts were lying down, groaning in pain.
They had been fine just the day before.
What happened?
Could it really be… just like in that vision?
He immediately summoned the palace's divine beast healers and court physicians.
The mage shook his head solemnly.
"It's no use. Their bodies were already weak, and now they've had all their mana and life force drained."
The physician asked cautiously,
"Where exactly is a sphinx's essence located? It varies by species…"
"It's in the blood. Someone drained them—by magic. A lot of it."
"Who in the world would do something like that?"
"Hard to say. Sphinx blood is highly valuable for alchemy and advanced magic.
Plenty of people would want it."
As he spoke, the mage gave Leca a brief glance. Both sphinxes died.
King Minophon gave Leca two options.
"You will choose. Either tell me who did this…Or bring them to me yourself."
Anyone who harms or kills a divine beast owned by the crown receives the death penalty if they are a commoner.
Even high nobles face months of solitary confinement.
That sentence meant confinement at the top of a windowless tower, with food passed through a hole in the wall.
Leca had heard of such nobles returning from that punishment broken—ill, or mad.
He bit his lip.
He didn't particularly like Shamanaz, but thirteen years of shared history flashed through his mind.
In the end, Leca shook his head bitterly.
Even if he reported what she'd done, the sphinxes wouldn't come back.
The king's expression hardened.
"What is the meaning of that?"
"…Forgive me, Your Majesty. I…"
But before he could finish, flames burst across Leca's body.
"Now then, human girl. Answer me."
The king's voice rang out.
Mia's voice trembled.
"…What is it you wish to ask, Your Majesty?"
The king tilted his head toward one of the elders.
A slow-moving old man with a pearl in his forehead turned to Mia and spoke in a sharp voice.
"Typically, queen candidates undergo a virginity inspection. However, as you are not yet a formal candidate—"
A virginity inspection?
Mia clenched her fists.
"Considering you're from another world, we decided to forgo that. However…"
The elder paused dramatically.
The king gave him a small nod, signaling him to continue. The old man cleared his throat.
"Even if we skip the virginity inspection, a physical examination is still possible.
To determine whether or not you… lay with the King of Muria."
Mia flared with anger. Embarrassment gave way to fury.
"Nothing like that ever happened! And honestly, I find this entire line of questioning extremely inappropriate. There's no reason for me to be treated like this!"
As she bristled with indignation, the king responded.
"Our worlds are different. What counts as proper in yours may not be the same here. Do you understand that?"
"Yes, but—"
"It may have been unpleasant for you.But we have our own concerns, and based on the circumstances, we have reason to question you.Whether or not you understand it, this is a serious matter here."
The king paused. The chamber fell silent.
After a few seconds, one of the elders added carefully.
"In case you're misunderstanding—we wouldn't conduct the physical exam ourselves. A female mage would perform it, in private, with magic.You won't be exposed or humiliated in any way."
Mia nearly said Why don't you just ask the Fairy King yourself?
But she stopped herself.
That slippery king was probably still sulking over her escape.
Even if nothing had happened between them, he could twist the truth—and it might spark a diplomatic incident.
"So according to your claim," the king said,
"those wings are simply the result of a human who bathed in the water where a fairy underwent molting."
Mia nodded stiffly.
"Yes."
The king looked to Roland.The mage studied Mia's wings carefully, then spoke in measured tones.
"As it stands, we cannot be sure either way.If what she says is true, we have no knowledge of what such a human might gain.Muria may not know either.So, as she mentioned earlier…"
He paused, eyes narrowing at Mia.
"The Fairy King likely wanted to investigate her further.But it is also true that those wings have historically been gifted—to women who shared his bed.To keep things simple…"
Roland stopped again.
Mia's heart pounded.
What is he going to say next?
"If she refuses the physical exam, there is another method—We can read her memory."
His voice was like an icicle stabbed into her chest.
"So.Which would you prefer?A physical examination…Or a mental one?"
Mia's heart dropped.
A mind reading…?
They'd see everything?