Initially, Charlie's intention was only to tame Est to replace the broken Sword of Damocles. However, he changed his mind upon realizing the limited time he had left in this world.
The power of the Abyssal Devourer had left a deep impression on him. He was worried he wouldn't survive the next Quest.
Still wanting to enjoy life in his second chance, Charlie harbored the ambition to contract another spirit as a combat force to support him in the next Quest. After all, he knew how difficult it was to undertake Quests alone.
However, he encountered a problem: the powerful spirits he knew through the plot had already contracted with other Elementalists.
After pondering for a long time, Charlie made a firm decision. He would simply take the spirits contracted by others!
Even if an Elementalist lost their contracted spirit, they could always contract another one.
With that thought, Charlie began his hunt.
Not wanting to provoke Greyworth Ciel Mais, known as the Dusk Witch, and waste his precious time on unnecessary battles, Charlie did not target the heroines at the Areishia Spirit Academy. Instead, he aimed for the spirits of the Four Gods Team in the Quina Empire.
Although the team was called the Four Gods, it actually consisted of five members: Linfa Sin Quina, Rao Rin, Hakua, Shao Fu, and Rion Sharma.
After Charlie defeated Shao Fu and subdued the White Tiger, he continued his hunt.
Of course, not all Divine Beasts were willing to surrender just because their Elementalists were defeated by Charlie. The Vermillion Bird and the Azure Dragon refused to submit. It was only after Charlie used Aithra Athanatos, making the two arrogant Divine Beasts feel the threat of death, that they reluctantly agreed to contract with him.
Thus, Charlie successfully contracted the Four Divine Beasts!
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The Quina Empire was an empire in the eastern region of the continent. Its language, culture, and the relationship between humans and spirits were vastly different from those of the Ordesia Empire.
If the architecture and culture of the Ordesia Empire resembled medieval Europe, the Quina Empire leaned more toward East Asian civilization.
The capital of the Quina Empire...
Charlie and Aishia walked hand in hand through the bustling streets like an ordinary couple.
Among the pedestrians, there were no Elementalists, so no one realized that Aishia was a spirit.
"Is it delicious, Aishia?"
Wiping the sauce from Aishia's lips, Charlie felt more like he was taking care of a daughter than a girlfriend.
"Um, Charlie should try it too."
Not embarrassed by the intimate gesture, Aishia offered the skewered meat to Charlie's mouth.
"With pleasure."
Opening his mouth, Charlie took a bite of the meat from the skewer and chewed it.
"Not bad."
For a modern person like him, accustomed to food with a variety of seasonings, medieval cuisine was just ordinary to his palate.
*CRITICAL-HIT!*
Several single men around them felt an invisible damage as they witnessed the affectionate scene before them. Many of them looked at Charlie with envy and jealousy for being able to date a girl as beautiful as Aishia.
"There's still 30 minutes left. The last target is a bit troublesome, but I feel it would be a waste to miss it."
While muttering words that others couldn't understand, Charlie's gaze fell upon the majestic imperial palace standing in the center of the capital.
"Do you hate Claire Rouge, Charlie?"
"Hm? Why are you suddenly asking this?"
Hearing the unexpected question, Charlie turned to Aishia.
"I'm connected to you, Charlie. When you look at Claire Rouge, I can sense your dislike for her compared to the other girls you've attacked before."
This bothered Aishia. However, she held back her doubts because Charlie was very busy. Only now, after the Four Divine Beasts were gathered, could she ask without worrying about disturbing him.
"Well, I just don't like tsundere women. Especially those who resort to physical violence against men. Without a doubt, Claire Rouge fits all those conditions. She often lashes out at Kamito out of jealousy when she sees him with other girls."
"While tsundere characters might be entertaining to watch in anime, dealing with them in real life can be exhausting. No one in the real world would tolerate a tsundere. So, Aishia, never become a tsundere, okay?"
"I see. I understand."
Although Aishia didn't fully grasp the concept, she understood that Charlie disliked women with tsundere personalities.
"Aishia, isn't what I'm doing now too arrogant? I'm forcibly taking spirits from Elementalists. The problem is, I don't feel guilty at all. They say that as a person's power increases, so does their ego. Maybe that's what's happening to me."
Since his conversation partner was Aishia, Charlie could freely express the thoughts that had been troubling him.
If it were his idealistic self, he wouldn't have committed such despicable acts as injuring girls to force their spirits to surrender to him.
"Is there anything wrong with that? You've reincarnated, gained mysterious powers, and have a template that can be used as a cheat. If you're still shy and overly cautious, then what's the point of all that? Why travel across worlds only to continue living like an ordinary person?"
Stopping in her tracks, the usually quiet Aishia now advised Charlie, who was in a dilemma.
"Doing whatever you want is the initial mindset of a criminal... They hold a gun and feel its power, deciding they can do whatever they want... You start with small things like hitting people, then think it's okay because they're bad..."
"Then you start hitting people weaker than you because they're useless... Then you start killing people because no one can stop you... You don't have to go down this path, but it's possible, right?"
"In many cases, that's exactly what happens. Charlie needs to remember that freedom is hard—you're free to be good, and you're free to be worse! Young minds tend to lean toward the worse because they lack responsibility and self-control."
"But you're different! You haven't shown a lack of self-control. If it weren't for necessity, you wouldn't do these things. Anyway, whatever you do, whether good or bad, I'll always be by your side and never leave you."
"..."
Pausing for a moment, Charlie seemed to see the shadow of his wife in Aishia, who always supported his decisions. Instantly, all the doubts in his heart vanished.
"I'm the luckiest man in the world to have you, Aishia."
"I'm glad Charlie thinks so."
Their fingers intertwined even tighter, solidifying the deepening bond between them.
Enlightened by Aishia, Charlie boldly stormed the imperial palace.
His final target was Linfa Sin Quina, the princess of the Quina Empire, leader of the Four Gods Team, and the contractor of the Divine Beast Kirin.
The combination of Charlie and Aishia defeated anyone who tried to stop them. Finally, they found their target.
Linfa Sin Quina put up her best fight, but it proved futile. She was utterly defeated by Charlie.
Seeing Linfa Sin Quina severely injured, Kirin, unwilling to let the girl die, agreed to become Charlie's spirit.
Once the time was up, Charlie and Aishia vanished from this world, and their figures were never seen again.
Even after the Quina Empire mobilized all its resources, there was not a single clue about the whereabouts of the male Elementalist who had openly robbed the spirits of the Four Gods Team and caused chaos in the Imperial Palace.