CHAPTER 168: CONTRACT WITH THE FAIRY QUEEN

[Three days later.]

[Near Old Court, Spirit World.]

Akamir stood in his spirit garden as he looked around at the spirit that had already been matured.

Most of them were glowing and floated in the air as their fragrance filled the place.

The garden had already been expanded further in size as it was now almost the size of half a stadium.

The dome covered the place completely, making it stand out in the dead outer world.

"What do you think?" Akamir asked, glancing at Nayomi. "Is the plan going to work?"

Nayomi, who was engrossed with the fairies, glanced back at him.

"Which plan?" she asked, her voice flat.

"The one about infiltrating the royal palace of elves," Akamir replied, folding his arms. "To meet with the empress."

Nayomi didn’t reply for a while as she kept on staring at the fairies around her.

"Honestly, it is foolish," she replied. "But I can see why you want to do it."

"We got no other choice," Akamir mumbled, rubbing his temples. "Lewin doesn’t allow anyone to meet her."

"He’s protecting others from her," Nayomi said. "Or should I say isolating her from everyone."

"Why do you think he even does that?" Akamir asked, curiously. "All this to control the kingdom?"

"I don’t know," Nayomi replied softly. "If I was him, I would kill her and take complete control over the kingdom."

"Yet, he isn’t doing that," Akamir said, grabbing one of the floating herbs. "Why that might be?"

Nayomi watched the small fairy on her fingertip flutter its wings and vanish in a blink of light.

She didn’t answer right away.

"Maybe he can’t," she finally said.

Akamir looked at her. "Can’t?"

"Lewin’s strong, but the Empress... she’s not someone you can just kill." Nayomi lowered her hand and walked past the spiraling herbs. "Or maybe he just loves her."

Akamir thought for a moment and gave a soft nod. "Perhaps... love always makes men do stupid things."

Nayomi let out a chuckle but she didn’t refute his words.

Instead, she looked around the place until her gaze landed on the shy fairy queen hiding away from Akamir.

"Her curse is really hard to deal with," Nayomi said, floating towards the queen. "It won’t be wise for you to look at her."

Akamir blinked in confusion. "Didn’t you say I can withstand her curse?"

"I said, you might," she replied. "Doesn’t mean you most definitely can."

Akamir scratched his head, then sighed. "Urgh, I want to use Imoyan company as a way to force her to meet me but..."

Akamir wasn’t sure if that was a good idea.

If things went south, he would lose the trade he had made with the elves.

It would be a considerable loss for him and he didn’t want to take it.

The trade for actual spirit herbs had yet to be started.

He didn’t want to sabotage it.

Akamir rubbed his temples as he looked at Nayomi. "Let’s do what we came here for."

Nayomi nodded her head as she moved to meet the spirit queen’s eyes.

"Hey," she said, smiling.

Saia smiled back at her. "Hello, miss~."

Akamir moved closer as he waved at the spirit queen as well.

The fairy queen blushed a little but still replied to him. "Hello~."

"Okay, I will get straight to the point," Nayomi said, pulling Akamir closer. "He wants to form a contract with you."

Even though Akamir could force her to form a contract, he didn’t want to.

’It’s better if she willingly signs a contract with me.’

Saia blinked, her wings twitching as she looked between the two. "A contract... with me?"

Akamir gave her a polite nod. "Yes. I know it’s a bit sudden, but I think you already know why."

The fairy queen tilted her head slightly, curls of light trailing from her silver hair. "Um... I don’t know how to."

"Don’t worry about it," Nayomi said, floating beside her. "I will help you with it."

Akamir smiled as he asked once again. "Would you like to?" He quickly added, "I will also take you out into my world."

The fairy gave him a small shy nod. "Yes."

Nayomi clapped her hands lightly. "Good. That makes things easier."

Saia looked down at her hands, a soft glow already forming around her fingertips. "Will it hurt?" she asked quietly.

"Not really," Nayomi said, waving her hand casually. "It just feels... strange the first time."

Akamir took a step closer and gently extended his hand. "We’ll go slowly, alright?"

The fairy queen hesitated, then reached out. Her small palm trembled as it met his.

The moment they touched, a quiet hum rippled through the garden.

The floating herbs glowed brighter. The fairies paused mid-flight, watching in silence.

A thin, spiraling pattern of gold light began forming between their hands, wrapping around Akamir’s wrist and climbing up his arm.

Saia’s wings fluttered fast, scattering shimmering dust around them.

Her eyes widened slightly. "It’s... warm."

"That means it’s working," Nayomi said, circling them slowly.

Then, with a soft breath, Saia closed her eyes. "I accept," she whispered.

The golden light flashed, then vanished into both of them, leaving behind a faint mark on Akamir’s hand—like a small, glowing leaf etched into his skin.

Akamir pulled his hand back and looked at the mark. "Huh. Not bad."

Saia beamed, a little out of breath. "Did it work?"

"Yes. You did great," he said gently. "Thank you."

Akamir moved away a little as he looked at the status screen.

====

Contract:-

Saia, The Queen of Fairies.

Abilities:-

• Spirit Energy.

• Love of Fairies.

• Immune to Curses

• Spirit Body.

• Spirit Eyes.

====

"Hmm?" Akamir rubbed his chin in confusion. "What does spirit eyes do?"

He touched on it, making it bigger.

====

Spirit Eyes:

An ability that allows the user to see through spirit flow, detect hidden curses, and perceive emotional bonds between living beings.

Warning: Prolonged use may cause dizziness or temporary spirit dislocation.

=====

Akamir raised a brow. "See emotional bonds...?" he muttered. "That sounds a little nosy."

"It’s not," Nayomi said as she floated beside him. "It’s extremely useful. You can tell if someone is lying, hiding intent, or even cursed. That kind of insight is rare."

Saia tilted her head shyly. "It can also be used with your eyes closed."

"Yeah, it can make an outline of everything around you," Nayomi added. "It’s pretty good."

Akamir gave her a nod as he looked at the status screen again.

"What’s a spirit body?"

He clicked on it.

====

Spirit Body:

The user’s physical form becomes partially spiritual, allowing resistance to physical damage.

Immunity to most poisons and diseases, and movement through certain spiritual barriers.

Warning: While in partial spirit form, the body becomes more sensitive to spiritual attacks.

Extended use can weaken physical strength.

====

Akamir squinted at the glowing panel. "So I become... ghost-like?"

"Not exactly," Nayomi replied.

"You still exist physically—just enhanced. Think of it like wearing an invisible cloak that dulls harm from one world but makes you more vulnerable in another."

Akamir nodded his head as he rubbed the back of his neck.

The rest of them were pretty straightforward, so he didn’t have to understand them.

"Spirit energy," Akamir mumbled, glancing at Nayomi. "What does this do?"

Nayomi floated down beside him, crossing her arms.

"Spirit Energy is pretty much the base power of all spirit-type beings," she said.

"It boosts your overall connection to the spirit world—your spells, your bond with Saia, and your control over spiritual herbs."

"So it makes me stronger... but in a more indirect way," Akamir said, thinking aloud.

"Exactly," Nayomi nodded. "Think of it like fuel. The more Spirit Energy you have, the more efficiently you can use spirit-related abilities. It also helps Saia recover faster and lets you borrow her strength."

Saia perked up. "I can lend you my energy when you’re tired... or hurt."

Akamir looked at her, surprised. "You can?"

She gave a shy smile. "Just a little. Not too much. But it should help."

Akamir felt a warm pulse on his wrist where the contract mark still glowed faintly.

He didn’t say anything, but something about her words eased his thoughts.

’Is this some kind of lie detector?’

He wondered to himself as he could tell if she was lying or not.

’Would have been pretty cool if I had this ability with Nayomi.’

Akamir was quite interested in spirit energy and the spirit eyes.

’They might be helpful when I meet with the elven empress.’

"I’m not going to test it on her," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Nayomi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Akamir quickly turned away. "Just talking to myself."

Nayomi stared at him for a moment, clearly suspicious, but didn’t press further.

Akamir rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at Saia.

"Shall we go back now?" he asked, smiling.

The fairy nodded, eager to see the new world with her own eyes.

Akamir let out a sigh as he made a portal.