* * *
The physician who examined Juliet’s ankle said it was a simple sprain and that rest would heal it.
But for some reason, Juliet’s fever didn’t subside the next day. This made Isaac and Helen’s expressions serious.
“For now, it would be best to monitor her for another day.”
The flustered doctor suggested.
Juliet tried to reassure Helen.
“Don’t worry, Auntie. This happens to me once or twice. I’ll be better by tomorrow.”
Juliet knew her body well. She often suffered from high fever without a clear reason.
Even though her words were not meant to comfort those around her, the gazes of those looking at Juliet were unusual.
Everyone took turns visiting Juliet in her carriage. The last visitor of the day was Eshelrid.
Eshel, who had been silently observing Juliet, lowered his voice and asked:
“Could it be because of that butterfly?”
“No.”
Juliet smiled weakly.
Since the incident where she subdued the snake monster in the dungeon, this was the first time Eshel mentioned her ability.
“I’ve been like this long before anything to do with the butterfly.”
“It’s almost like a divine fever.”
Eshel quietly stated, narrowing his eyes.
“Divine fever?”
“Have you never heard of it?”
Eshel laughed, teasingly.
“Hmm, that’s strange. Considering you can handle unheard and unfamiliar spirits and even have a rapport with werewolves, I thought Juliet would know everything.”
“Do you find it fun to tease a sick person?”
As Juliet grumbled, Eshel shrugged his shoulders.
“There’s a symptom that causes a fuss in the temples. You know that the priests in the temples have divine power, right? Well, some priests also refer to it as the power of prophecy,” Eshel explained briefly.
He said it was evidence of divine power.
‘So it’s like a divine disease that priests suffer from?’
Juliet silently closed her mouth.
Divine power and magic power. The two forces are of opposing attributes and clashed.
That’s why priests and magicians, temples and mage towers, have always been mutually repulsive.
“But Juliet isn’t a priest. The power a spirit summoner uses to summon spirits, or monsters, is definitely magic. So your disease isn’t a divine fever… what could it be?”
“…Indeed, what could it be?”
Juliet responded apprehensively, reminding herself that he was a magician from the Mage Tower.
If he discovered her identity, he might get extremely interested, take her away unknowingly, and dissect her.
“Are you sure it’s not because of that being?”
Eshel asked again with a concerned expression, as if confirming. It seemed to be weighing heavily on his mind.
“Yes, it’s not. I can guarantee that.”
Juliet yawned lightly and pulled another pillow from the side. She was sensitive to her sleeping environment.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because…”
After adjusting the height by hitting the pillow a couple of times, Juliet replied:
“I’ve been like this since I was very little. So, long before I could summon those butterflies.”
Juliet murmured with a yawn.
“This is like measles or chickenpox. Something kids get.”
“But those are contagious, aren’t they?”
“Anyway.”
Whether it was a side effect of the fever reducer she took earlier, Juliet was overcome with sleepiness, and Eshel started to annoy her.
Juliet waved her hand as if to shoo him away, but just before he left his seat and exited, Eshel called out to her again.
“Juliet.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way. I’m just worried.”
Then don’t say it.
Juliet grumbled half-asleep.
“Among those who control monsters, very few use illusion magic, you know.”
“Yes, I know….”
Juliet responded in a murmuring voice, but her eyes were already closed.
“Juliet?”
There was no response.
Eshelrid quietly closed the door and left.
‘Spirit summoner?’
The smile completely disappeared from his face.
In fact, Eshelrid had suspected Juliet’s identity from the moment he first met her.
A chill ran down Eshel’s spine.
Sweat naturally formed on the palm of his hand.
‘Damn. I’ve never heard of such a thing…’
Juliet Monad.
This woman had definitely never seen another spirit summoner before.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so calm.
‘A welcome butterfly?’
That’s absurd.
Spirit users who can use illusionary abilities are extremely rare, and Juliet even increased the number of her summons at will.
When Eshel saw the butterfly summoned for the umpteenth time from her fingertips, he had to bite her tongue to hide his expression.
‘That’s a scam!’
He barely refrained from shouting.
Eshelid himself wouldn’t have believed it unless he had seen it with his own eyes.
Spirit magic fundamentally involves making a contract with an entity from another dimension and borrowing its power.
Unlike a magician who has to use only their own magic power, a spirit user only needs to consume as much power as necessary to summon their contracted partner.
Because they borrow the power of the summoned spirit entity, they consume less magic power.
It sounds plausible at a glance, but it’s not that simple.
Only a few with unique magic frequencies can open the ‘doors’ to other dimensions.
That’s why most of the frauds who claim to be spirit summoners these days use shortcuts.
They insert things like fragments of holy relics containing divine power into their bodies to artificially distort the frequency of their magic power.
‘Most of them die in the process, but…’
Even if you are lucky enough to adjust the frequency and successfully open the door, it’s not the end.
The identity of the contracted entity from the other dimension that is summoned is unknown.
While it is conveniently called a spirit, it is basically a demon summoned from another dimension.
They range from relatively ordinary small, cute lizards that spit fire to sea monsters that can sink a ship in a short time. They come in various types and uses.
But a spirit entity that infiltrates the human mind and shows illusions, eating away at fear? He had never heard of such a thing.
There are various fields of magic, but mind manipulation is a spell even high-ranking magicians avoid.
It’s because all of them go mad and die.
But a girl in her early twenties can summon entities from another dimension at will, and even converse with them?
He got chills.
That’s not so much a spirit…
Isn’t it more appropriate to call it a demon, as the temples suggest?
* * *
Was it a dream, or was she just groping for a memory?
The noise of people faded away, and Juliet was fully immersed in her past memories.
It was a memory from last summer.
As Juliet told Eshelrid, she had an old habit. Even though she wasn’t frail, she strangely fell ill once a year without fail. It usually ended with a mild cold and she was able to shake it off and get up after a day or two.
But last summer wasn’t like that.
“I’m going back.”
That summer vacation ended before it even began. An unexpected visitor had upset his mood, so Lennox, who had returned to the Duchy, left her behind and went to the hunting grounds.
As the servants were busy packing, Juliet sat alone in the reception room of the mansion. Like an unacknowledged pile of luggage.
Left alone in the mansion, Juliet did nothing and sat quietly.
“Is that my child?”
She hadn’t done anything wrong, but for some reason, Juliet felt like she was being punished.
‘Why does it have to be like this?’
Watching the tea slowly cool, Juliet zoned out in thought.
‘I knew from the start.’
She had known long before she started this relationship. The cruel truth that the ending of this story wouldn’t change.
What did you expect?
Someone seemed to be mocking her. Juliet impulsively clenched the hem of her dress.
It’s better this way.
‘You did enough.’
Let’s leave as it is.
Juliet impulsively stood up from her seat.
She rushed straight to her room, pulled out a small travel bag from under the bed. It was a bag she always had prepared in that place.
Then she opened her drawer to gather the few belongings she had, closed the bag, changed clothes, and ran down the stairs of the mansion.
Tens, hundreds of times. It was exactly as she had imagined for years.
“Miss!”
If only she hadn’t suddenly gotten a fever.
That was all Juliet remembered. After that, it was blackout.
The next moment she thought her vision was dark, she was lying in a luxurious bedroom.
The familiar vine patterns on the ceiling, the dimmed lighting welcomed her.
“Are you awake?”
And a familiar voice.
Juliet turned her head and looked to her side.
A man in simple attire was casually sitting on the bedroom floor.