“Asha responded calmly.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Perplexed, Neck hastily explained,

“I thought he was my master, and I wanted to test if he qualified to become my master…!”

“Shut up.”

“It seems like everyone here hates me…”

As Neck muttered sadly, Duran, from behind, once again struck his head.

While Karaf suppressed his anger with deep breaths, Asha asked,

“But why did you suddenly appear in front of me? You’ve never appeared before.”

“Well, recently, my master woke me up while he was sleeping.”

“Master?”

Asha’s eyes widened. Neck whimpered.

“I’ve been sleeping in that dagger until the next contractor awakens. I got punished by the god when I fought the spirit of the flower last time…”

Karaf’s face twisted again at the mention of the god.

Neck whimpered.

“But someone definitely woke me up… I can’t hear that voice now.”

Asha asked cautiously,

“Could it be that the owner of that voice is Mr. Jackal?”

“Jackal? The person from the Kelpie tribe?”

“Yeah.”

“Speaking in a low voice like weighing something?”

Asha raised her eyes for a moment, recalling Jackal’s voice, and answered,

“Yeah.”

“My owner is Jackal!”

Neck’s face brightened as if he had finally found something.

It seemed somewhat lacking to call it a spirit.

However, Karaf’s face changed ghostly, and his red eyes flashed.

“The next contractor after Silen… is that the one you’re talking about?”

Asha looked at him in surprise, and Karaf mumbled with eyes that seemed already satisfied,

“I should kill you right here.”

“Wait…! Flowers should use gentle words!”

“…Let me show you what the power of the flower is like this time.”

Karaf stood up from his chair, drew his sword again.

The flashing red eyes revealed a strong determination to cut him with the sword.

Asha quickly stepped forward to stop him.

“Your Majesty, if you kill the water spirit now, the opportunity to get information will disappear!”

At that moment, Neck intervened.

“Sorry for butting in, but you can’t kill me. Because the flower spirit in your chest is not in normal condition right now.”

Karaf, in anger, walked towards him, grabbed his collar, and shouted,

“Of course! You cursed my chest…!”

Shaking his collar violently, he yelled in frustration.
“If you don’t lift this damn curse right now, I’ll tie you under the scorching sun, let you wither, and twist you to death!”

While Karaf sharpened his sword, Neck raised an eyebrow and said,

“I can’t undo your curse.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t you see earlier? As soon as I touched my chest, it bounced off.”

Karaf frowned.

Curious, Neck, with a glint in his eyes, asked,

“Should we try again? Can you open your chest a bit so it’s more visible?”

Trembling, Karaf reluctantly removed his outerwear at Neck’s suggestion.

Asha felt a bit embarrassed and turned her head, but Neck clapped his hands again like a child, expressing his approval.

Although she couldn’t understand why he liked it, Asha decided not to dwell on it…

Suddenly, Neck reached out and touched Karaf’s chest.

But as soon as he removed his hand, he grabbed it, hopping in place while exclaiming,

“Oops, it’s hot!”

Asha and Karaf watched him somewhat dumbfounded.

Neck’s hand turned red as if he had touched lava and melted downward.

Horrified by the grotesque sight, Asha covered her mouth.

After trembling for a moment, Neck created a hand again.

Transparent water flowed from his wrist, transforming into the shape of a hand.

“…It seems impossible after all.”

“Why can’t you undo the curse you put on me?”

After a moment of contemplation, Neck replied,

“Strictly speaking, I didn’t cast that curse. Our spirits only lend our power to the contractors. It’s like nature lending power to humans. There may be other conditions for lifting the curse. For example, it might require the contractor who made the pact with me to use their power to undo it.”

Asha thought of Jackal when he mentioned it.

With a complex expression, Karaf asked,

“Then let me ask you something else. Silen said he was your former owner.”

When Neck looked at him, Karaf, with slightly bloodshot eyes, asked,

“Why did that guy betray me… do you know?”

For the first time, Neck smiled a little bitterly.

“My former owner was a good guy, but he lacked the qualities to be a contractor.”

“Qualities?”

“He didn’t have a firm goal or determination to make a pact with a spirit.”

“What does that mean?”

“Originally, there aren’t many humans who can make a pact with spirits. The gods don’t just give their powers or abilities to anyone.”

Asha nodded.

“But there are those who desperately need the power of the spirit. Usually, they have intense motivations and goals, and they can only achieve those goals by possessing a power that surpasses human capabilities.”

Asha was somewhat surprised by his words.

Perhaps being chosen as a butterfly was the result of her intense desire.

On the day the minority village burned, she collided with overwhelming despair and wished to stop or overcome it with her own power.