CH 4

The royals of Priatra could not use elemental magic outside the kingdom.

This was common knowledge, which was why the royal family always strove to remain within Priatra.

Laniakea was well aware of this fact.

Even the Spirit Kings or high-ranking spirits summoned by her sisters would weaken near the border, and beyond it, they couldn’t be summoned at all.

Scholars explained that other lands lacked the vitality necessary for spirits to endure.

But this only applied to powerful spirits.

‘Low-ranking spirits could still be summoned.’

More precisely, only Laniakea, whose power was already inherently weak, could summon them.

Her older sisters summoned only high-ranking spirits or Spirit Kings.

Born with a strong fae lineage, her sisters were unconditionally adored by spirits, who fulfilled their every request.

Moreover, these spirits detested the summoning of other spirits, particularly low-ranking ones.

As a result, her sisters never had to summon low-ranking spirits.

Even if the high-ranking spirits didn’t object, they wouldn’t have done so, as summoning weak beings was considered shameful.

Thus, attempting to summon a low-ranking spirit beyond the border was something only Laniakea would dare to do.

Laniakea recalled the first time she summoned a spirit.

* * *

It was during a royal lesson when she and her sisters visited the borderlands.

Something about Laniakea that day seemed to irritate her sisters.

Deliberately, they galloped ahead with the knights, leaving young Laniakea unable to keep up.

It was unthinkable for knights to abandon a young princess.

But the knights of Priatra were loyal to the powerful princesses, and they didn’t consider the third princess, whom her sisters ignored, worthy of their service.

As a result, Laniakea was left alone in the forest.

If she had been a bit older, she might have calmly followed the tracks left by the others.

But as a frightened child, Laniakea ran blindly through the woods.

When she finally reached a dead end, she realized she had veered far off course.

At the end of the path, a sign bore the name of another kingdom in the continent’s common language.

Unbeknownst to her, she had crossed Priatra’s borders.

Realizing this, Laniakea’s eyes welled up with tears.

She had only recently begun sensing the presence of spirits, so within Priatra, she could have summoned one for help.

But beyond its borders, there was no way to seek aid.

Despite knowing this, Laniakea instinctively called out with desperation.

“Anyone… please, just show me the way…”

As she wiped her tears on her sleeve, she suddenly heard a voice.

[ Did you call for me? ]

The ground at her feet swelled, and a small mole emerged.

That day marked the first time Laniakea summoned a spirit—and the day Mole became her friend.

On that same day, Laniakea realized something.

Her power was so weak that she could summon spirits even in lands with low vitality.

“Why am I the only one who can summon spirits outside Priatra?”

[ It’s probably because your power is so faint that the amount of vitality you need is minimal. ]

Who knew that weak power could be so helpful?

With Mole’s assistance, Laniakea managed to find her way back.

After returning to the palace, she kept her ability to summon low-ranking spirits outside Priatra a secret.

She instinctively knew that if her sisters found out she could do something they couldn’t, it wouldn’t end well.

Thus, Mole became Laniakea’s secret companion.

Laniakea watched as Mole, using its tiny front paws, diligently brushed dirt off his face.

A lowest-rank earth spirit, without even a name.

That’s why he had simply told her to call it ‘Mole’.

Mole’s abilities were limited to slightly enriching the soil.

Even that wasn’t extraordinary—at best, he could help flowers bloom more vibrantly or make crops taste a smidge better.

His only other useful trait was the ability to sense what happened on the ground’s surface, being an earth spirit, even of the lowest rank.

However, this only applied in places with soil.

Mole couldn’t appear inside buildings where there was none.

For that reason, Laniakea had deliberately excused herself, claiming she felt stifled, to come out to the garden.

Laniakea whispered to Mole.

“How’s the soil here? Is it hard on you?”

Mole sniffed the air, nose twitching.

[ It’s better than most places nearby. Are you staying here now? ]

“…It seems so.”

[ Wherever you settle can become home. Cheer up! ]

She wasn’t sure if that was meant to be comforting coming from a spirit, but she appreciated the thought nonetheless.

[ Have you called the others yet? ]

By ‘the others’, Mole meant the other lowest-rank spirits of different elements.

After summoning the mole earth spirit as a child, Laniakea had also succeeded in summoning other lowest-rank spirits.

In the palace pond, she called forth ‘Minnow’, a water spirit.

On a stormy day, she summoned ‘Sparrow’, a wind spirit, through the window.

During a cold winter, she found ‘Firefly’ nestled in the fireplace.

They had all been her companions since childhood.

“No, I called you first.”

Mole puffed up, clearly pleased.

[ Ahem. Of course. I’m the one with the highest affinity for you. Anyway, with this level of vitality, you should be able to call the others without much trouble. It might just take a little time. ]

Seeing Mole’s confident attitude, Laniakea felt her tension ease slightly.

Leaving Priatra, her greatest fear hadn’t been the unfamiliar place or people.

It was the worry that she might never see her childhood friends again.

Now, knowing they could still appear here, her anxiety began to subside.

“Lady Laniakea? Are you alright?”

A maid called out from the terrace, raising her voice as she looked at Laniakea.

Perhaps she found it odd that Laniakea had been staring at the ground, mumbling to herself.

[ I’m off! See you later! ]

As the maid approached, Mole waved a tiny paw before vanishing into his little hole.

Laniakea quickly stepped on the spot where Mole had appeared, tamping down the soil.

Even so, she couldn’t suppress the smile on her face.

She wasn’t alone here.

And she no longer had to walk on eggshells, watching her family’s every move.

Though she’d have to tread carefully around the empress, for now, Laniakea felt at ease.

“I’m glad I came here.”

She murmured to herself, clutching the contract as she stood.

Then, sensing a gaze, she turned her head.

All she saw were the neatly manicured gardens and the distant forest.

Other than the maid, there was no one else in sight.

‘Was I imagining it?’

In hindsight, she wished she’d asked Mole if anyone had been nearby.

But now it was too late.

Laniakea turned back and followed the maid to the conference room.

A moment later, a distant patch of grass rustled briefly before growing still again.

No one noticed.

* * *

Back in the conference room, time passed.

Laniakea had spent the last several minutes meticulously reading through the contract.

She was nearly at the final page.

‘So, this is the section requiring personal agreements, as the official mentioned.’

It seemed like a kind of special provision.

She wondered what it could contain as she reached to turn the page.

Knock, knock.

The sound of someone knocking broke her concentration.

Without taking her eyes off the contract, Laniakea replied.

“Come in.”

She assumed it was an attendant here to report on the proceedings.

Continuing to focus on the contract, she barely registered the sound of the door opening, followed by measured footsteps.

The steady, deliberate rhythm of the steps carried a weight to them.

Surprised by the precision she sensed in the movement, Laniakea lifted her head.

And then—

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Royal Princess Laniakea.”

A low, gentle voice poured over her from above.

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