Prologue

In a place some distance from the Nation of the Dragon King, Beryl, Ruri’s grandfather, was on a journey with the previous Beast King, Andal.

Near Andal’s feet, the supreme-level spirit of earth, Chi, was trotting along. Currently in the form of a shifty-eyed capybara, Chi had made a contract with and been given a name by the First Dragon King, Weidt, in the past, so he had deep ties with the Nation of the Dragon King. He had made a contract with Ruri not too long ago, but after taking a liking to Beryl’s unconventional personality, he had casually annulled his contract with Ruri and struck a new one with Beryl.

He was an eccentric spirit even among the supreme-level spirits, with the most contract-bearers in the past, forming new contracts with people on the sole basis of finding them interesting. However, it was easy to guess what kind of personality Chi had, seeing as he readily accepted the name that Weidt gave to him on the spur of the moment.

It was a quality that made even Lydia, the supreme-level spirit of time, exasperated. She had commented that although allowing someone to name a spirit meant that the spirit would serve that person, the way Chi handled it was far too casual.

After making the contract with Beryl, he had set off with Beryl and Andal on their journey. Being a Beloved himself, Beryl was welcomed everywhere he went with open arms. He had no monetary issues, since he’d received a sizable amount of money from the Dragon King, Jade, before leaving the Nation of the Dragon King, but since people welcoming him in would give him piles upon piles of gifts as tribute to the Beloved, he never really had a chance to use any of the money he had on hand.

Then again, the money given to Beryl was a portion of public funds that were set aside for the Beloveds of the Nation of the Dragon King. In other words, it was tax money. Therefore, it was best to be thrifty with it. Beloveds brought so many benefits to the country that no one would complain even if he did spend it, but unlike Ruri, who had lived in the Nation of the Dragon King for quite some time, Beryl had just arrived, so he felt a tad more hesitant. That was why he was so grateful for the items that the people willingly gifted him.

At the same time, Beryl was very surprised that the majority of people in this world accepted spirits as the norm, since he had never met a person who could see spirits in his own world. Th