“It seems Celia and I are a good match.”

Kana laughed shyly. Kiriel blinked in slight surprise.

“You’ve already given it a name?”

“Yes! It’s a spirit that will be with me from now on. Right, Celia?”

At her deliberately cheerful words, Celia, being a well-matched partner, immediately stirred a gentle breeze in agreement. Kiriel rested his chin on his hand, observing with interest.

“It really seems that spirit suits you well. Even highly compatible spirit summoners take a long time to become close and have their spirits obey them.”

“Oh my, really? I’m very lucky then. I received great help from the Master of the Magic Tower for the spirit contract, and the contracted spirit is also a gentle friend.”

Kana subtly mentioned his contribution while expressing her joy. Kiriel firmly shook his head.

“No, this is entirely your ability. I only provided the opportunity.”

“Even so, it would have been difficult if I had done it alone. Thank you very much.”

Kana’s eyes curved gently.

Even people who are tired of praise don’t dislike being subtly elevated by mentioning their small contributions in their field of interest. Kiriel Curtis was no exception.

He lightly waved his hand in response.

“No need for thanks. It’s fine.”

Although his tone remained stiff, it was noticeably better than when he first arrived at the Round estate. Kana decided not to flatter him any further at this point.

“Alright, I understand.”

“Don’t forget to study spirit magic.”

“Of course. I’m already excited.”

Kana clapped her hands with sparkling eyes. Kiriel, uncharacteristically, added some advice.

“If you’re going to train, do it in a place close to nature or where the spirit’s energy is abundant. Since it’s a wind spirit, it would be better if it’s a windy area.”

“Thank you for the advice. I’ll keep that in mind.”

She already knew this, but Kana accepted it with a soft smile.

‘What’s going on? Normally, he would ignore female supporting characters or sarcastically tell them not to pretend to be close.’

Maybe it was because they were talking about a topic he was interested in. The atmosphere had eased in a positive direction, and it was peaceful.

Before she knew it, his teacup was empty. After canceling the spirit summoning, Kana alternated between looking at the teacup and his face before speaking.

“Tower Master, isn’t it about time for you to leave?”

“Yes.”

Kiriel took out a golden pocket watch from his pocket and checked it before standing up. It had been quite an enjoyable time. His initially indifferent partner had shown keen interest in spirits.

She stood up and saw him off to the outside of the estate.

“Have a safe trip.”

“Sure. See you next time.”

“Yes.”

Kana smiled brightly. Although their paths might cross due to official duties, she didn’t want to meet him privately too often.

Those words were usually a ceremonial farewell unless a specific meeting was arranged, so they likely wouldn’t run into each other frequently.

The only person Kana needed to be cautious of in ‘Fake Saint’ was the female protagonist. Kana watched his figure disappear with teleportation magic and then entered the mansion.

The Viscount Round couple, who had been waiting while drinking tea, looked at her with sparkling eyes. Their gazes were full of anticipation.

“Kana, did you have a good time with the Master of the Magic Tower?”

“Yes. Although it was mostly silent, we did have some conversations about spirits in between.”

Kana didn’t mention that he had helped with the spirit contract to avoid unnecessary excitement from them.

Kiriel wasn’t the type to boast about helping someone, so there was no worry about word getting out.

‘Soon, my parents will get me a spirit stone, so I should go into my room alone and pretend to contract with a spirit.’

While Kana was thinking, the Viscount Round couple showed slightly ambiguous reactions with subtle expressions.

“…Hmm, silence.”

“Just a little conversation about spirits…”

“Don’t think too badly of it. Isn’t it a rather fruitful time spent?”

She added an explanation, looking at her parents who were giving her puzzled looks.

“Considering that he has a solid background and outstanding abilities, he must have encountered many people trying to form connections with him. If I had done the same, he would have been disgusted and despised me. It’s better to be polite but straightforward.”

Her parents’ expressions changed rapidly. They were surprised, then delighted, and finally slightly bitter. It was a truly rich emotional response. Kana tilted her head.

“Why are you like that?”

“Oh, actually, we were worried that you might be upset for not getting close to the Master of the Magic Tower. But it’s a relief that you’re okay.”

“Yes, your mother is right. It’s good that you even got some advice about spirits from him.”

“Of course.”

Kana nodded and reassured her parents.

‘So the reason my parents are like this is because Kana Round, even if she didn’t express it directly, had a subtle affection for the Master of the Magic Tower in the setting.’

In romance fantasy novels, it’s not uncommon for female supporting characters to harbor affection for the male protagonist or sub male protagonist. It wasn’t surprising at all.

When reading novels, female supporting characters often have lines praising the appearance of the male protagonist or sub male protagonist. It’s a bit embarrassing, but she had also done it occasionally while playing the role of a supporting character.

Kana finished her conversation with her parents and returned to her room.

‘Since supporting characters always enter at the beginning of the novel, the female protagonist must be assessing the situation after her regression by now.’

The female protagonist of ‘Fake Saint,’ Letie Serade, was the second daughter of the Eastern Serade family, one of the four great families of the Arsen Empire.

Before her regression, she was ridiculed as a dullard who couldn’t fully bloom her family’s specialized healing ability. She was cast as a villain who envied and tormented her talented and lovely half-sister, Cordelia Serade.

Eventually, she was abandoned by her family, the First Prince who became the Crown Prince, and the sub male protagonists, and died in a narrow, shabby mansion.

After her regression, she reversed the situation, got rid of her half-sister, and received the changed attitudes of her family and the sub male protagonists.

After her regression, she chose the Second Prince, Richard Irgis, who respected her before her regression, instead of the First Prince, who ended up with Cordelia.

Kana organized information about Letie in her mind and then took out a pen and letter paper. She planned to invite her to a small tea party to build a friendly relationship before the imperial banquet.

Since her healing ability hadn’t been revealed publicly, she would be treated poorly in the Serade family. People tend to remember those who extend a helping hand in difficult times positively.

‘Especially Letie, who, due to her experiences before regression, remembers and reciprocates even small kindnesses.’

Kana chose the protagonist’s camp. Her role was to support the female protagonist. Moreover, Letie was a healer. There was no reason not to make a good impression and build a friendship in advance.

She carefully wrote an invitation to Letie. She also wrote invitations to two young ladies she was acquainted with.

They were characters who, along with Kana, supported the female protagonist in the story and were gentle and amiable young ladies. After writing all the invitations, she pulled the bell cord.

Lena, who responded quickly to the call, clapped her hands upon seeing the letters on the desk.

“Oh, my lady! Have you finally decided on the guests for the tea party?”

“Yes. It took a while, but I think this is the right choice. They’ll all attend and brighten the event, right?”

“Of course! Please give me the invitations. I’ll send them right away.”

“Alright.”

Kana handed the invitations to the maid. Lena, with a determined look, bowed and quickly left the room.

‘Letie would… probably attend, especially if she’s curious to see it for herself.’

In the meantime, she just needed to wait while going about her usual routine.

* * *

Kiriel, who had left the Round mansion, instantly teleported to the office of the Master of the Magic Tower. The office was neatly organized to suit his preferences.

Kiriel sat on the plush sofa and recalled the events with Kana Round in the garden pavilion. The scene of her contracting with the wind spirit, which gave him an inexplicable sense of incongruity, subtly bothered him.

‘I’m not a spirit summoner, so I can’t be certain, but the energy felt like a low-level spirit, yet it didn’t.’

The spirit had a clear form and a definite will. While its energy was that of a low-level spirit, unlike the typically rough and raw feel of low-level spirits, the spirit Kana contracted with felt smooth and refined.

Moreover, it was peculiar that she seemed overly familiar with the spirit despite not having a high spirit affinity. It didn’t seem like a spirit she had just contracted, but rather one she had summoned herself.

‘There’s definitely something there. I’ll have to keep an eye on how things unfold.’

He had a keen sense. After pondering for a moment, Kiriel grabbed the communication sphere and contacted the young marquis of the Hail family.

— Huh? Who is this? Oh, it’s the Master of the Magic Tower?

A husky female voice emanated from the communication sphere. She was Seria Hail, the young head of the Hail family and a genius spirit summoner of the Arsen Empire. Kiriel responded nonchalantly.

“Young Duke Hail, I have a sudden question I’d like to ask.”

— You? To me?

“Yes.”

— Is it about spirits?

“Yes, it is.”

— Hmm, alright. I’m busy, so make it quick.

Kiriel began, recalling Kana’s relaxed face as she played with the cloud-shaped wind spirit on her shoulder.

“Is it possible for a newly contracted spirit to act very familiarly?”

— As you know, if the spirit affinity is high, it’s possible. If it’s low, it’s difficult.

This aligned with what he already knew.

‘It’s unlikely, but…’

Kiriel voiced a hypothesis that suddenly crossed his mind.

“Then, is it possible for a high-level spirit to intentionally lower its level to contract with a spirit summoner?”