Chapter 88. Almost Reflexive

Vulcanus, Naiyel and Kim Do-Joon had arrived at the fortress. After laying Naiyel down to the side, Vulcanus sat down across from Kim Do-Joon. Despite being a dragon, Vulcanus maintained a human form as they spoke.

"You’re making quite the racket on someone else’s turf," Vulcanus remarked with a gruff voice.

"She started it," Kim Do-Joon replied calmly, looking at Naiyel.

"

Hmph

," Vulcanus grunted.

Despite Vulcanus’ curt tone, it was clear he wasn’t blaming Kim Do-Joon. After all, like he said, Naiyel initiated the conflict, so he had no reason to feel guilty.

"You have quite the unusual ability," Vulcanus said, narrowing his eyes.

He was referring to the power to dampen affinity, which was a rare skill indeed. Just like Naiyel and Nereid, Vulcanus couldn’t help but find it intriguing. However, unlike Naiyel, who had immediately sought to recruit Kim Do-Joon, or Nereid, who had watched with fascinated interest, Vulcanus didn’t seem particularly drawn to the ability itself. Instead, he was more interested in the result.

"Is this your doing?" Vulcanus asked, pointing at Naiyel.

Kim Do-Joon nodded without hesitation. His expression was calm, as if he had nothing to hide. Then, Vulcanus let out a low groan at the response. Despite having lived for centuries, he’d seen one’s natural affinity getting so drastically reduced. Moreover, it wasn’t a minor decrease, Naiyel’s affinity had plummeted to a terrifying degree. To put it bluntly, Naiyel’s vessel was shattered beyond repair.

"What exactly happened?" Vulcanus asked, trying to make sense of it.

"It’s just as you see. I lowered her affinity, causing the Water Spirit King to break their contract. I assume the shock of that caused her to pass out," Kim Do-Joon explained only the facts.

Vulcanus had been trying to get to the root of Kim Do-Joon’s ability, not the causality. Of course, Kim Do-Joon wasn’t going to give that away easily.

"

Hmm...

" Vulcanus sighed, running a hand down his face with a conflicted expression.

It was as if he could not decide whether to be pleased or troubled by this outcome.

There’s definitely something going on here.

Kim Do-Joon thought to himself that Vulcanus’ expression was a dead giveaway. Otherwise, he wouldn’t look so conflicted over the Water Spirit King’s contract being severed.

Besides, given what Nereid had hinted at, that sounded impossible to believe. Kim Do-Joon pondered this briefly before deciding to ask directly.

"What’s the connection between the two of you?"

He wasn’t one to beat around the bush. In fact, guessing and speculating weren’t his style, and he knew he wouldn’t get any real answers that way. Whether or not Vulcanus would actually answer him was another matter entirely.

"In the past... Naiyel was close to becoming my contractor," Vulcanus finally admitted.

"Close to?" Kim Do-Joon echoed.

Fortunately, Vulcanus seemed willing to share, at least for now.

***

It was a story from at least several decades ago. Back then, Vulcanus lived alone in this ancient fortress, without the monster villages or even a single low-level spirit like Sallyon. Vulcanus had already removed and hidden his Heart of Flame, so he wasn’t particularly wary of anything, spending his days in leisurely solitude.

It was during this time that he stumbled upon a young elf, who had somehow become separated from their group. He didn’t know why the elf was alone. Perhaps, it was due to someone’s mistake, or maybe the child had been abandoned for some reason. It was even possible that the child’s ashen hair had been seen as an ill omen, leading to their abandonment.

Whatever the reason, Vulcanus didn’t care much. He was simply intrigued. In this desolate forest, where a child should have perished long ago, this little one was smiling and alive.

“Papa?”

It was immediately clear to Vulcanus how this was possible.

The child had an extraordinarily high affinity—so much so that it was among the highest he had ever seen in an elf. Thanks to this, the spirits of the forest cared for the child, bringing her sweet fruits, covering her with large leaves to keep her warm, and even making a cozy nest at the base of a tree. It’d been a long time since Vulcanus had seen the elusive forest spirits act so willingly.

“

Aah!

It’s the King! The King of Fire is here!”

“Did he come to burn down the forest? No, right? Please say no!”

“

Aaaaah!

”

As Vulcanus approached, the spirits in the forest shrieked in panic.

“I’m not here to burn anything. Now move aside,” Vulcanus grumbled.

They always made a fuss whenever Vulcanus entered the forest. It had been ages since he had settled in this land, yet they still acted like this. Annoyed, Vulcanus waved his hand as if shooing away flies, unaware that his own indifference contributed to the spirits’ fear of him.

The young elf, oblivious to all this, simply smiled brightly at him.

“

Ppappoo!

”

And with that innocent smile, something stirred within Vulcanus. On a whim, he decided to bring her back with him to his fortress, where he had lived in solitude for so long.

Vulcanus later wondered why he had done such a thing. After giving it some thought, he arrived at a simple conclusion.

Perhaps, I could make her my contractor when she grows up.

The child’s affinity was so high that even he, a Spirit King, was drawn to it. There could be no other reason for his decision.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a contractor.

Vulcanus mused with a bitter smile. For centuries, the spirits of fire had avoided making contracts with elves. The elves, after all, had been the ones to reject them first.

The situation had not changed. The spirits weren’t foolish enough to lend their power to those who despised and shunned them. However, Vulcanus thought that maybe, it’d be different if he raised the child himself.

Wasn’t it said that early education was crucial? At the very least, the child wouldn’t grow up falsely believing that Fire Spirits were crazed arsonists, or become obsessed with the World Tree, clinging to its dying roots.

This is my first time raising a child, but how hard could it be?

Vulcanus thought that if he fed and sheltered her, she’d surely grow up just fine. However, his thought turned out to be a colossal mistake.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

From that moment on, Vulcanus found himself spending nearly all his time watching over the child, almost against his will. He couldn’t take his eyes off her for even a moment, as she had a habit of crawling into dangerous places whenever he looked away.

He had to extinguish most of the fires he kept burning around the fortress and even sealed off the lava flows from the underground.

Sometimes, Vulcanus would soak in the molten lava beneath his fortress to relieve his fatigue—his only real hobby—but he had to give it up as well. It was too dangerous now. He even sealed off the windows to prevent the child from falling out and placed any utensils he used in his human form far out of her reach.

However, that wasn’t all. The constant crying of the child was enough to send Vulcanus’ stress levels through the roof. He had always lived alone because he hated noise. Hence, the cries of this child was a constant source of irritation.

Ha... I just have to endure it.

What else could he do? He couldn’t just abandon her. Therefore, he had no choice but to endure.

This is all for the sake of the contract. It’s been so long since I’ve had a contractor, I can tolerate this much.

Vulcanus convinced himself, using the prospect of the contract to push through the frustrations of raising the child. In truth, there was no real reason for him to go to such lengths to find a contractor, but Vulcanus didn’t realize that.

Time passed, and as it did, the child, Naiyel, grew quickly. Elves lived longer, yet matured much slower compared to humans. But even they had short lives compared to a spirit. From Vulcanus’ perspective, it felt like she grew up in the blink of an eye.

“Naiyel, stay still for a moment,” Vulcanus would say.

“Okay!” she’d reply, only to start exploring the fortress again moments later, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Vulcanus would chuckle softly, closing his eyes as he rested in his usual dragon form. Naiyel would eventually crawl into his massive hand, her now favorite spot, and snuggle in.

She’s all grown up now.

Vulcanus thought, watching her.

Now, Naiyel could walk on her own, had learned to read, and often wandered outside the fortress with the spirits of the forest. By now, she was old enough to take care of herself, right? The forest spirits were always around, and children were supposed to grow up on their own anyway.

Vulcanus didn’t even think about the trouble he had encountered before, when he’d tried to leave her to her own devices. But then, something far worse occurred.

One night, Naiyel didn’t return to the fortress.

What’s going on?

Naiyel, who went to play in the mountains, hadn’t returned by sunset. It had never happened before. She always came back to the fortress before dark.

Feeling uneasy, Vulcanus left the fortress. Flying over the mountains, he searched for her and quickly found where she was. The spirits were in an uproar, making it easy to locate her.

And there she was.

“Naiyel!” Vulcanus shouted.

She had fallen from a cliff, and a large tree branch had pierced her chest. What happened next was a blur, even to Vulcanus.

He remembered trying to pull out the branch, only to stop when he saw the blood gushing out. He tried to apply herbs he knew from old remedies, hoping they’d help. However, nothing worked.

Desperate, he sought out the best Healer he knew. Back then, they weren’t mortal enemies like they were now. Annoying, yes, and they fought viciously every time they met, but they were still connected as fellow Spirit Kings.

Thus, he went to Nereid.

***

"That was my mistake. I should’ve gone to a nearby village and looked for an elf who had made a contract with a higher-level spirit,” Vulcanus admitted, his voice heavy with regret.

Kim Do-Joon didn’t fail to notice how his eyes reflected a deep sorrow. He couldn’t help but frown slightly before asking, "What happened next?"

"As soon as that wretch laid eyes on Naiyel, he said that the wound was too severe to heal on the spot. But, according to him, if I let him take her to his sanctuary, he could save her..." Vulcanus' voice trailed off and his frustration was evident.

Vulcanus had been left with no choice. At that time, he almost lost his mind trying to save her.

Still, with what little rationality he had left, he insisted to Nereid, "Fine, but I'm coming with you. I need to see the healing process myself."

— What? That’s absurd! I would never allow you to set foot on my land!

Kim Do-Joon couldn’t help but interject.

"Didn’t we just see Nereid trespassing on this land not too long ago?"

"Exactly," Vulcanus replied, his voice tinged with bitterness. "That’s the kind of person he is, always seeing things from his own perspective."

In the end, Nereid refused to budge, and Vulcanus had no choice but to entrust Naiyel to him.

"I was short-sighted," Vulcanus continued, his voice thick with self-reproach. "But... as much as it may sound like an excuse, I could not think of anything else at the time."

"I understand," Kim Do-Joon said quietly.

"What?" Vulcanus looked at him, somewhat surprised by the response.

Kim Do-Joon simply nodded, looking at him. The situation was something he could fully empathize with. Even if others might ridicule Vulcanus for his actions, calling them foolish, Kim Do-Joon couldn’t bring himself to do the same.

Seeing Kim Do-Joon’s understanding, Vulcanus hesitated before continuing. There was not much left to tell, after all.

"For the next thirty years, Naiyel didn’t return. And Nereid? He never responded to any of my attempts to contact him," Vulcanus said, his voice hollow. "For those thirty years, I stayed locked away in this fortress, alone."

His voice dropped lower, almost as if he was speaking to himself. "Then, after all that time..."

Vulcanus paused, as if the memory was too painful to relive.

"After thirty long years, Naiyel returned to my fortress."

However, she wasn’t the same. The Naiyel he had known, with her ash-gray hair, was gone. In her place was a grown woman with hair the color of water.

***

Crack!

The table shattered under Vulcanus' grip. The memory alone was enough to send him into a rage, and he crushed the table without a second thought.

"By the time I realized it, that bastard’s contract seal was already on her," Vulcanus spat, his voice dripping with anger. "Taking her to his sanctuary was all part of his plan. He wanted to steal my contractee!"

Naiyel had come back to him only to say her final goodbyes. She told him she had set up a new home near Lake Brianna, and that she wouldn’t be returning to the fortress. Her words were cold, and her eyes—those eyes that had once looked at him with warmth—now only held disdain, undoubtedly poisoned by Nereid’s influence.

Even after seeing her a few more times, Vulcanus had to accept the truth that Naiyel had become just like every other elf. She worshiped the World Tree, treated Fire Spirits like arsonists, and tried desperately to forget that she had been raised by the Fire Spirit King.

When that realization struck, Vulcanus didn’t feel the familiar flames of anger or frustration. Instead, a deep, suffocating silence settled over him. He couldn’t even muster the strength to be angry, except for one thing.

"Nereid, that bastard!" Vulcanus roared, his fury rekindling at the thought of the Water Spirit King.

Kim Do-Joon nodded slowly, finally understanding why Vulcanus was so enraged when he first encountered the boy earlier.

"So that’s why you were so angry when you saw that little boy," Kim Do-Joon said, piecing it all together.

"Exactly! That scum stole my contractee from me! He’s humiliated me in countless ways over the years, but this... this was crossing the line!" Vulcanus' voice trembled with rage.

A contractee...

The thought lingered in Kim Do-Joon’s mind, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"What’s so funny?" Vulcanus snapped, noticing the smile.

"Nothing," Kim Do-Joon replied, shaking his head.

He understood Vulcanus’ anger, but he also sensed there was more to it. If Vulcanus was only angry about losing a potential contractee, he wouldn’t have taken Naiyel back in after she was abandoned by Nereid, especially with her negative affinity.

Vulcanus noticed the shift in Kim Do-Joon’s demeanor, yet chose not to ask. Something told him that prying further wouldn’t be wise. After a moment, Vulcanus regained his composure and, with a steadier voice, made a request.

"I have one favor to ask."

"Go ahead," Kim Do-Joon said, curious.

It was strange. When he first arrived, Kim Do-Joon had intended to be the one asking for a favor. Yet, here he was, about to be on the receiving end of one. However, he didn’t mind because it meant he held a stronger position in their negotiations.

Vulcanus’ request, however, took him by surprise.

"Restore Naiyel’s affinity to what it was before."

"No."

Kim Do-Joon’s reaction was immediate, almost reflexive.