Compensation θ ~ I might be late for reincarnation, but since I was born as the talented eldest son of a prestigious noble, I might be on the winning side.

“Hey there, Descendant-kun. Nice to meet you. Is my spirit still as beautiful as the real me?”

The voice spoke brightly, it belong to a presence whose form I still couldn’t see.

“Don’t be so alarmed. You’re the person I’ve been waiting for. Though, I got a bit anxious since you nearly died multiple times. But my beloved spirit seems to really like you. I’m almost jealous.”

The voice called me “descendant-kun” and was overly familiar, exuding an air of suspicion. But I had a reason not to ignore this voice.

“Um, were you the ones who saved me when I was about to die?”

I had heard this voice faintly ever since one of the Spider Shackles fell off. It had been trying to communicate with me, though I could only hear it faintly.

“Yeah, that’s right. You, man, were really pushing your body to the limit. You’re way too stoic. Without me keeping an eye on you, you’d be going into cardiac arrest all the time.”

“Thank you. Without your help, I think I would have died.”

I knew it, they were my saviors. Was it because I’m a descendant that they helped me? Or was there some other reason?

“Sure thing. To be honest, I wondered whether I should help, especially if it was part of your trial. But, you were born into our realm. I interpret that as an unspoken agreement.”

“What do you mean by part of the trial?”

I was curious about a lot of the words they used, but that one stood out the most.

“Didn’t you pass through a strange gate when you came to this world? The one when you reincarnated. There are various types of gates, and mine was called DeliquescenceType-γ. Yours was probably something similar, right?”

“Mine? Are you also a reincarnator?”

“Yeah. I was picked up by the same god as you. It was ages ago though.”

The same god? How long ago was “ages ago”? We didn’t seem that far apart in generations based on our conversation.

“My gate was described as [Compensation Type-θ]. The name is similar, but not quite the same.”

“Compensation? That sounds pretty heavy. Well, it’s likely just the whims of the god, so maybe there’s no such thing as the same thing. It’s probably one-of-a-kind.”

“Is this all because of the whims of the god?”

“Probably. This is just my subjective opinion, but that god is quite eccentric. I think they enjoy observing humans as a form of entertainment. Especially the ones who are incredibly honest, kind-hearted, and stubborn. They seem to enjoy watching that kind of human lifestyle.”

Observing humans as entertainment? Well, in Greek mythology, gods were often depicted as capricious and enjoying a lot of freedom, so it wouldn’t be surprising if such a god existed.

“Yeah, probably. But, even if it was just for fun, if it saved your life, then… even if you become something like a monster, would you mind being observed?”

“Yes. Even if I became something like a monster, I wouldn’t mind.”

This is something I can say with absolute certainty.

When I was left alone in that dark space, I felt despair, wondering if my life would end here. I desperately wished to somehow survive.

So, even if it was for a bit of entertainment, the god who granted my wish is undoubtedly my savior.

“I’m glad. It seems we get along quite well. I’m happy that my descendant is someone like you. So, there’s actually something I’d like to ask of you.”

“…That’s quite sudden. What is it? Is it something I can do?”

“One thing I can definitely ask of you. The others might come with some uncertainties. Which one would you like to hear first?”

There are more than two requests? If it’s a request from my lifesaver, I want to do my best to fulfill it. However, I’m still just a child, so I might find some of them difficult.

“I’d like to hear the one you can definitely ask of me first.”

“Understood. First, as a premise, spirits aren’t originally from this world. They were inhabitants of a different world.”

“Were… Does that mean they’re not anymore?”

“The line between that is subtle. You could say yes, and you could say no. For some reason, the boundaries between the two worlds have fused together. As a result, through the gaps in these fused boundaries, many small spirits flowed into this world. That’s how it all began.”

So, worlds have fused together. This is quite a large-scale revelation.

“In other words, originally, spirits were foreign beings to this world, alien entities that came from outside. But they were useful aliens, so coexistence became possible. To put it in perspective, it’s kind of like the relationship between gut bacteria and a host. You know how gut bacteria help with the host’s metabolism and immune defense, right?”

Gut bacteria. Like Bifidobacterium? The image of the beautiful and sacred spirits inside me is crumbling.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

“So, my spirits and I have been protecting this land for a long time. But we’ve reached our limit.”

“Limit in what sense?”

“Just as gut bacteria can sometimes become the cause of illness, spirits, originally foreign entities, can also disrupt the ‘balance’ of the world if they grow too much. When beings like us, whose ‘presence’ becomes substantial, linger for too long, we may eventually be removed. So, we’ve decided to leave before that happens.”

The size of a spirit’s ‘presence’? The ‘balance’ of the world? And the ‘favor of the world order’? It sounds complicated, but could it mean that this world has defensive rules, and exceeding them is the issue?

“Where do you plan to go?”

“We’re going to the Spirit Realm. It’s like moving to the place we originally belong.”

The Spirit Realm. Is that another world? It has a very fantastical ring to it. I wonder what kind of place it is.

“Does this mean you won’t be able to come back once you’ve gone?”

“No. You can come and go if you want. Within the limits of the world order’s tolerance, of course. Occasionally visiting will be allowed. So, the issue is about passing on.”

“What do you mean by ‘passing on’?”

I have a feeling this will be a troublesome request. I’m starting to feel like they’re going to ask for something outrageous.

“As I mentioned earlier, it’s about how spirits can be of help to this world. This world is still young, and the Prime Matter layer is constantly expanding. On the other hand, the ability to transmute Prime Matter into magical essence is low. So, spirits like us take on excess Prime Matter and act as substitutes for the insufficient transmutation.”

“So, it’s a symbiotic relationship?”

Magical essence (also known as magical elements) is the source of magic. Prime Matter, which fills the upper layers of the world, is transformed into magical essence, which is then supplied to the surface where people live. At least, that’s how I’ve been explained in Ai’s teachings.

I didn’t know that the spirits were involved in the process, despite them being an alien to this world.

“Yeah. The spirits of this land actually undertake a significant amount of responsibility for the transmutation. So, if we, the highest-ranking spirits, the rulers, suddenly disappear, things would get pretty chaotic.”

“Chaotic in what way?”

“Put simply, the whims of the spirits can lead to natural disasters. If left unchecked, this land will eventually wither away. It will revert to the barren wilderness it once was. If that happens, we will undoubtedly incur the wrath of the world order.”

It’s not just ‘chaotic’; it sounds like a major catastrophe for the people.

“Does it have that much of an impact?”

“It does. Here, the belief in spirits is strong, which has led to our ‘existence’ becoming substantial enough for us to reach the realm of gods. We actually wanted to leave much earlier, but we didn’t have a successor.”

I’m starting to see where this is going. I want to hear more, but I also want to run away.

“Are you suggesting that I become this successor?”

“Yes. You catch on quickly; that’s helpful. It’s not complicated at all. You’ll just receive a part of our power.”

“This is asking too much. Controlling that many spirits? I can’t do that.”

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll engrave our spirit marks on you, so you can leave the control to us.”

“So, it’s like wearing a two-spirit suit?”

“Well, something like that. You could call it an anchor or a relay station for us to connect to this world. At least, that’s how it starts. But you have a disposition to be loved by the spirits. Eventually, the spirits will gladly listen to you.”

Loved by the spirits? What does that mean? I’m really curious. But before I ask that question, there’s something I need to clarify.

“Uh, you may already know this, but I’ve been heavily magically modified. Will it cause any issues when I receive your power?”

“Don’t worry, descendant of mine. In fact, it has to be you. The Child must have the qualities to accept us, which means having a disposition to be unconditionally loved by spirits. But such children have become quite rare lately. I think the last one with that kind of disposition was maybe up to the fifth generation.”

I wonder which generation I am. The way they’re talking, it sounds like it’s been going on for a very long time.

“If I have the qualities to accept you, does that mean I can develop a closer relationship with the spirits if I wish?”

“Of course. If it’s just a matter of getting along, even people with trait [Blessing of Spirit’s] will do the trick. Your father couldn’t even master that. His disposition isn’t enough for more than that. It’s a burden he can’t bear.”

Despite not knowing how my father looks like, there was a lot of bad judgment. And what exactly am I going to be burdened with?

“What’s different if I have this ‘loveable personality’?”

“You’ll be adored by spirits. They’ll desire companionship with you in various forms, like friendship, parental love, protection, and romantic love. You can think of it that way.”

I see, it’s like seeking companionship with spirits that’s close to courtship. It does sound like having a disposition to be loved.

“But I’ve never seen any spirits before.”

“That’s because you were obstructed. I tried my best, you know. Those restraints on you were pretty strong. Without you coming to this place, I wouldn’t have been able to intervene.”

“That makes sense.”

Yes, it does. It was the fault of the Spider Shackles. They suppressed not only my abilities but my disposition as well.

“I recommend getting the spirit mark. It gives you resistance against spirits, and it also serves as a marker when we manifest. That way, you can call for help when you’re in trouble.”

So, it means I’ll be able to summon spirits? That sounds quite appealing.

“Can I call on you?”

“Of course, but not until we stabilize things in the spirit realm. We need some time for that. So, we’ll keep a safety mechanism in place for the time being.”

“How long will that take?”

“Probably a few years? I guess that’s about how long it would be here?”

That works out perfectly for me. Well, considering they saved my life, I had no intention of refusing unless they made an extremely unreasonable request.

“Understood. I’ll look forward to that day.”

“Oh, you’re accepting it? You’re the best, Descendant-kun! Just as I expected. With this, a burden has been lifted off my shoulders.”

“It’s a bit early to say that. There’s still another request right?”

“Good memory. But we don’t need to address that right away. It’s not urgent, so you can do it whenever you’re ready.”

“What is it, though?”