**Chapter 4**
—
**On the Way Back to the Bayern Estate**
Arthur gently brushed aside Irene’s bangs as she lay asleep, using his lap as a pillow.
> “She’s such a pretty child, Arthur!”
Undine, perched on his shoulder, beamed with a bright smile.
Arthur smiled in return and murmured,
> “Yeah. She really is.”
With those words, Arthur extended his finger. With a flutter of her delicate wings, Undine perched on it, and they began a casual conversation.
She talked about how she thought he was rude for suddenly proposing a contract the first time they met, how she realized he wasn’t actually a bad person…
She was a far chattier water spirit than he had anticipated.
> *‘Hmm… well, since we’ve formed a contract, I guess I can put up with this level of chatter.’*
As expected, the earlier failure to form the contract had been due to the location.
Only after traveling all the way to Lake Heinen had they been able to form a bond.
And that bond revealed quite a bit.
> *‘With Undine’s powers, I should be able to heal this body poisoned by toxins.’*
If that were possible, he’d be curing his body several years earlier than he had in his previous life.
> *‘Even ten extra years of wielding a sword makes a huge difference—so healing my body more than a decade ahead of time? That’s monumental.’*
Just as Arthur smiled at today’s achievement, the limousine gradually began to slow.
At the same time, the majestic mansion of the House of Bayern came into view.
Arthur gently woke Irene and entered the mansion, where he shared a pleasant dinner with Yonel.
> “Next time, let’s all go together. We’ll take some delicious food and a picnic mat, yeah?”
With the day finally drawing to a close, Arthur stretched as he returned to his room.
It felt like the longest day he’d had since returning to the past.
Reflecting on that, he looked toward Undine, who was fluttering curiously around the room, and asked,
> “Undine. What do you think about my current condition?”
Undine turned her head and narrowed her eyes, examining Arthur for a moment before crying out in shock.
> “\[Arthur! What on earth did you do to yourself for your body to be like this?]”
> “Pretty bad, right?”
> “\[‘Bad’ isn’t even close… Your body is completely ruined!]”
> “That’s why I want to start healing. I heard with your power, you might be able to help.”
Undine hesitated for a moment, then replied,
> “\[Because the bond between us isn’t deep yet, I can’t perform a full restoration…]”
> “Then?”
> “\[But I *can* heal you gradually, over time!]”
Arthur nodded.
And in that moment, a refreshing sensation swept through his entire body—something beyond words.
> *‘Hmm… This feels different from the divine power of priests.’*
With a quiet murmur, Arthur smiled as he sensed his condition improving—slowly but surely.
And then, with a soft exclamation:
> *‘Bill Dormund… who would’ve thought he’d be this helpful? What a surprise.’*
Just then, Undine—having finished her healing—whispered softly,
> “\[Arthur, I think I see an earth spirit over there. A gnome!]”
> “Where?”
> “\[In that flower pot. Don’t you see him?]”
Arthur turned his head at her words.
Sure enough, peeking out from the flowerpot was the very same spirit he had spotted a few days ago after pummeling Bill.
Undine flitted over and gently took the earth spirit’s hand.
> “\[Gnome! Why are you hiding over there? Come on out!]”
> “\[….!]”
> “\[No? Why not? Is it because of Arthur?]”
> “\[….!]”
> “\[But Arthur’s a good person! Really, he is!]”
The gnome shook his head.
Undine tilted her head in confusion. Even for a shy earth spirit, the gnome’s resistance was unusually firm.
Watching quietly, Arthur finally understood and chuckled.
> *‘Now I get it. Why I couldn’t form a contract with that spirit.’*
Spirits, by nature, were peaceful and gentle.
Earth spirits, in particular, embodied those traits even more.
But the version of Arthur the gnome had seen—beating the life out of someone just days ago—was far from gentle or peaceful.
> *‘Well, this is awkward. If Undine finds out, she might say something unnecessary.’*
Not wanting to strain his bond with Undine
—at least not before he was fully healed
—Arthur thought for a moment, then gestured toward the gnome.
> “Mr. Gnome, would you come here?”
> “\[….!]”
> “If you don’t, I’ll just go to you.”
Startled, the gnome zipped over to Arthur’s side.
Undine tilted her head again, puzzled.
> “\[Why is Gnome so scared? That’s odd…]”
Meeting the gnome’s gaze, Arthur whispered quietly,
> “Let’s keep that day’s incident a secret between us. All right?”
> “\[….!]”
> “Undine mustn’t hate me, you see. You can do that for me, can’t you?”
As Arthur smiled gently, the gnome’s wings trembled.
That smile was eerily identical to the one Arthur had worn *while* beating someone bloody.
> *‘If I don’t nod, he might beat *me* too…’*
Trembling in fear, the gnome quickly nodded. Satisfied, Arthur snapped his fingers.
> “By the way, Mr. Gnome, what kind of abilities do you have?”
> “\[….]”
> “I haven’t seen many people contract with earth spirits—they’re so shy. Would you mind telling me?”
Undine, who had floated closer, answered on his behalf.
> “\[Gnome can distinguish things! He can tell what’s safe to eat and what’s not! And he has a great sense of smell!]”
Arthur tilted his head.
> “That doesn’t sound very useful.”
> “\[….]”
> “Is that all? No other abilities?”
Flustered, Undine stammered,
> “\[Uh… I’m not sure? Gnome, do you have any other talents?]”
As Gnome hesitated, fluttering his wings in silence, a voice came from outside the door.
> “Young Master, it’s time for your medicine.”
Sebastian.
Arthur smiled and responded,
> “Come in!”
As usual, Sebastian entered with the medicine—disguised poison.
> “Did you enjoy your outing today?”
> “I did!”
Sebastian turned to leave but paused.
> “Young Master, please don’t forget to take your medicine.”
Arthur nodded,
> “Of course!”
As Sebastian left, Arthur clicked his tongue.
> *‘Persistent, that one. Brings poison like clockwork every day.’*
Just as Arthur reached for the medicine to destroy it—
The previously silent Gnome suddenly let out a sharp cry.
> “\[….!]”
Undine also cried out in shock.
> “Arthur! Don’t drink that!”
> “Why?”
> “\[Gnome says no human should consume that!]”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
> “So you can detect poison?”
> “\[Told you! Gnome can sniff out anything!]”
Arthur turned toward Gnome, whose body trembled under his gaze.
With a slight smile, Arthur offered,
> “Hey, Mr. Gnome. Would you like to form a contract with me?”
—
—
**The powers of spirits were extraordinary.**
Far beyond what Arthur had expected.
> *‘They’re useful in so many ways.’*
Undine could not only heal but also wield simple water-based magic—not on the level of a professional mage, but still immensely useful to Arthur in his current state.
And Gnome, whom he contracted with last night, had his own valuable abilities.
> *‘The ability to detect poison… that’s exceptional. Especially right now.’*
Arthur’s condition remained unstable.
Though he had contracts with spirits, his frail body hadn’t magically improved.
If Count Dormund were to act in earnest, Arthur could still be eliminated with ease.
> *‘Knowing the Count, he’s not the type to rush, but… still, you never know.’*
Cain Dormund, the Count, valued his public image above all.
Possibly due to the insecurity he harbored after abandoning his original family to join the Dormunds.
For that reason, he’d never act in a way that drew obvious attention—but covert tricks? Those were certainly on the table.
And the most likely method? Poison.
He was already lacing Arthur’s food daily, and now… who knew when the dosage would increase?
> *‘To gain Gnome’s poison-detecting powers now… feels like incredible luck.’*
Arthur turned and praised the earth spirit.
> “Thank you for making the contract, Mr. Gnome.”
> “\[….]”
> “And thank you for keeping our little secret, too.”
Gnome’s small eyes trembled constantly.
Undine looked on in confusion when—
> *Knock knock.*
> “Young Master, it’s time for your medicine.”
It was Sebastian—the butler, and the traitor.
> “Come in!”
Sebastian entered, placed the usual medicine on the table, and straightened up.
> “How are you feeling today?”
> “Great!”
> “I’m glad. Now, shall we take our medicine?”
But he didn’t leave.
Arthur frowned slightly.
> *‘He usually sets it down and leaves. Why stay today?’*
The reason soon revealed itself.
> “Today’s medicine is special, Young Master.”
> “…?”
> “So please don’t spill it. Or leave any behind.”
Arthur stared at him.
Then, subtly, he called Gnome over.
> *‘Would you take a look at the medicine for me?’*
Perched on Arthur’s shoulder, Gnome’s gaze darted toward the vial.
Then he flapped his wings in alarm.
> “\[….!]”
Undine relayed the message, aghast.
> “Arthur! Absolutely do *not* drink that! It’s a dangerously strong poison!”
Arthur smiled.
And in that moment, he understood.
Cain Dormund had finally made his move.
> *‘I knew he’d act eventually… but this is sooner than I thought. Which is actually better.’*
Having reached his conclusion, Arthur raised his head and spoke to Sebastian.
> “Strange to see you still here. Usually, you leave without even checking.”
> “Well, I trusted you, Young Master… Wait, Young Master?”
Sebastian’s eyes widened.
Arthur stood up, then said to Gnome,
> “Could you close the door for us, Mr. Gnome?”
With a flutter, Gnome shut the door.
Arthur turned around slowly.
Sebastian stood frozen, mouth agape in shock.
Arthur smiled warmly.
> “Why the face, Sebastian? Surprised to hear this fool speak properly?”
—
