"Sorry about that, rookie. Think of it as your initiation." Piers said while extending his hand to help pull Nicholas up.
Nicholas let out a small sigh before grabbing that hand and pulling himself back on his feet.
"Let me introduce you. This little fellow is Yorn, my Bound Spirit."
The strange creature from earlier crawled onto Piers's body before coming to a rest on his shoulder. It was slightly larger than that of an infant. Its eyes stared at Nicholas warily while making high-pitched, child-like gurgles.
Through his Spirit Vision, Nicholas could see the aura surrounding the creature. It emitted a pale grey glow, indicating its spiritual energy was almost at the level of a Vengeful Spirit.
"May I ask... what exactly is a Bound Spirit?" Nicholas asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"The reason I called this little fellow here is because it's related to what we were just discussing,"
Piers replied, gently stroking Yorn's head as if the creature were nothing more than just a puppy.
"A Bound Spirit is a contracted spirit tied to a Spirit Medium. They possess a wide range of abilities and can also fight alongside Spirit Mediums. Furthermore, forming a contract with a Bond Spirit is also one of the requirements for advancing from Dío to the Tría level."
Having said that, he signaled something to Yorn before that small guy began to slowly fade away.
"Most importantly... Bound Spirits can travel through the Spirit World, which is like a parallel dimension to our own. Only spirits can traverse that realm, making them the excellent messengers. So, you don't need to worry about missing any news from the Order; I'll send this little fellow to deliver word to you personally."
As he finished speaking, Piers pointed toward Nicholas's left shoulder. There, the spectral form of Yorn had already reappeared, clinging to him.
To be honest, the thought of this infant-like creature visiting him on its own made his skin crawl slightly.
"So how do we form a contract with a spirit?" Nicholas turned to ask.
"When you advance to Dîo and become strong enough, you'll be able to perform a spirit-summoning ritual. It requires specific conditions and a few essential ritual components, which the Order will help provide when the time comes," Piers explained with a smile.
"Most Spirit Mediums choose to form contracts with the spirits they summon themselves, as their spiritual energies are usually most compatible. There are rare cases of people contracting with wandering spirits, but that's not something you need to worry about yet considering you've just reached Éna,"
"May I ask... what rank are the rest of you?"
"Sure. We're in the same division anyway, there's no need to hide it. Since I already possess a Bound Spirit, I am, naturally, at Trîa." He puffed out his chest proudly before speaking to tease the young woman on the other side.
"As for little Evelyn here... she's still at Dîo. You see."
"Not for long. I'm not like a certain someone who stays stuck at the same rank for over ten years."
That was the first time Nicholas had heard Evelyn speak. Her voice was deep and resonant, yet it possessed a lingering feminine softness.
"That's only because I choose not to advance myself," Piers shot back.
"For an Extraordinary, climbing the ranks too quickly isn't always a good thing. Haven't you ever heard? The closer you get to the sun, the more likely you'll get burned?"
Although Piers's tone remained playful, Nicholas sensed something deeper beneath the words. Perhaps ascending as an Extraordinary wasn't as safe as he had imagined. He would have to study more about this when he had the chance.
"And what about Captain Romero?"
"Our captain is at Trîa level like me; However, he's the elite of the elite within the organization. I heard he's almost able to advance to 'Téssera' rank."
Befitting of a Division captain. It seemed Nicholas had still underestimated the young prosecutor.
"I'm very interested in the history of past eras and the origins of Extraordinary. Is there anywhere I can study more about this matters, Vice Captain?"
"Most of that knowledge is either lost or classified information." Piers explained.
"I've heard there's a great library at the Order's headquarters that gathers information about Extraordinary sciences, but it's a restricted area, I doubt they'd let anyone in there."
Nicholas listened to Piers's explanation in silence, his mind drifting back to the library where he had first met Mr. Edwin. If his intuition was correct, that was likely the place. For now, however, he could do nothing but keep these details in his memory.
"Alright, that's about all you need to know for now. Any more questions?"
Nicholas paused for a moment, then shook his head. He learned a great deal today. For now, it seemed he needed some time to himself to process these newfound powers before getting into more trouble.
"In that case, I won't keep you any longer. I'll report to Captain Romero myself. You're welcome to hang around here if you want, but I should warn you, don't expect to be paid for today's shift."
Most staff here work at this place full-time. Therefore, the duty roster has already been completely scheduled for the entire year. Even if Nicholas never takes a shift at the station, it wouldn't be a problem.
Moreover, as stated in the contract, he is still free to pursue other professions as usual.
"I'll pass, thank you. I actually have quite a bit of work to catch up on," Nicholas said, cutting the conversation short.
He had plenty to deal with, from his ongoing legal cases to the preparations for his mission regarding Antonio. But actual reason he was rushing back was that right now he felt so exhausted he could collapse at any moment.
"And here I thought I'd take you to a great local restaurant to celebrate your first day as a true Extraordinary."
Haley chimed in, sounding disappointed as she saw him preparing to leave. "But you look exhausted. I suppose we'll have to make it some other time."
Nicholas gave her an affectionate pat on the head before saying.
"Another day, then,"
Just before Nicholas could leave, Piers called out as if he had suddenly remembered something.
"Hey, rookie! Almost forgot—take this with you. It might help you out, at least a little."
He handed a handbook to Nicholas. It was a basic manual for station employees and agents of the Order. Nicholas thanked him and tucked it into his inner coat pocket.
The young man bid everyone farewell before stepping out the door and hailing a carriage back to the 5th Street. Once home, he hung his suit on the rack and headed straight for the bedroom, falling into a dead sleep the moment he hit the mattress.
….
Parley Legal Attorney was located near the intersection of Fifth Street and Sixth Street. At the moment, Nicholas was helping Mrs. Porter down the stairs. Judging from the elderly woman's cheerful expression, she seemed to have taken quite a liking to him.
"You did an excellent job, Mr. Parley. I hope we will be able to work together for a long time to come."
"The honor is mine, Madam Porter."
They had just finished discussing the penalty regarding a delayed shipment—the matter for which Nicholas had sent a letter of demand the previous week. For some reason, the opposing party had readily agreed to negotiate and settle the penalty payment, which left Madam Porter extremely satisfied.
"At your age, you should be looking for a partner. How is it possible that a fine young man like you is still not married? I happen to have a granddaughter. I'll introduce the two of you sometime."
Mrs. Porter said this while holding Nicholas's hand, making him break out in a cold sweat, if he remembered correctly, the granddaughter she mentioned had only just turned twelve. Nicholas wasn't sure about this world's marriage laws, but the proposal sounded less like matchmaking and more like an invitation to prison.
After sending Madam Porter off in her carriage, Nicholas returned to his office. It had been almost two weeks since he became a Spirit Medium. He had gradually begun to adapt to life in this world, including his new identity as an Extraordinary.
When he returned to the reception desk, he found a woman sitting there preparing some documents. She was Mary, someone he had come to know better over the past week. During Nicholas's absences, Mary had managed the office efficiently without any mistakes, demonstrating her professionalism as a secretary.
Mary was slightly older than Nicholas. She had an attractive appearance with thick eyebrows, a prominent nose, freckles on her face and slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Her strawberry-blonde hair fell to her shoulders, and she wore spectacles paired with a modes formal attire.
"Do I have any other appointments today, Mary?"
Nicholas asked to confirm, and she replied,
" Nothing scheduled for this afternoon. Your next appointment is on the 7th with Mr. Hobbs regarding the Mikolash Enterprise shares."
Nicholas nodded before becoming absorbed in his own thoughts.
A week ago, he had come across an intriguing article in the newspaper: Mikolash Enterprise was announcing a public fundraising campaign, inviting public general to buy company shares to fund the research and development of steam carriages. Due to a series of high-profile technical failures, the venture had seen little success. However, Nicholas—hailing from an era with far more advanced technology—found the project particularly interesting.
He intended to speak with the company's representatives who had traveled to York in search of investors. If the invention was truly as he suspected, perhaps he could gain a lot of profit from this investment.
While he was pondering, Mary's voice snapped him back to the present.
"I think what Madam Porter said earlier makes sense."
"I'm sorry?"
"About marriage."
Mary replied, removing her glasses before turning to look at Nicholas.
"Your career is going well now. Perhaps it's time you looked for a life partner to build a stable life. I've heard that the Empire is currently encouraging its citizens to have children. Here in the city of York, there are also welfare benefits for families with children, as well as tax incentives."
There seemed to be a hint of expectation in Mary's eyes—something Nicholas could clearly perceive.
If he didn't know about this world's dangerous and mysterious background, perhaps he would have seriously considered the matter. Mary might not possess a high social status, but she was a capable woman with both talent and appearance. If he were in the previous Nicholas's position, perhaps Mary would have been an excellent choice.
However, Nicholas now had transcended humanity and become an Extraordinary. There were far too many matters to settle, and countless dangers he would have to face. He simply had no time for such distractions.
An awkward silence enveloped them both briefly before Mary let out a soft sigh, breaking the tension.
"While you were in your meeting with Madame Porter, a boy from the slums came by to deliver a letter addressed to you. Since you were occupied, I didn't want to interrupt."
Mary picked up a crudely addressed envelope and handed it to Nicholas. He took it and immediately tore it open.
Inside was a single sheet of paper with a brief message scrawled in ink:
"Tonight at the office. 8:00 PM - From Rickman."
Nicholas let out a long sigh as his gaze lingered on the message from the private investigator.
…It seemed the time to pass judgment on the sinners had finally arrived.
04.11.550
Nicholas Parlay
Spirit medium (Éna)