'Is this little guy really a spirit?'
'But it doesn't look like one.' Austin wondered to himself as he looked down at the little pumpkin in front of him.
The rumors he had heard about spirits were that most spirits in this world were dangerous creatures whose appearance could strike fear in the heart of anyone who saw them.
However, the reason Austin wasn't surprised was that in his previous life, he had watched a couple of movies relating to spirits, and most of them had been terrifying creatures, so he already expected the spirits in this world to be the same.
Even when he heard that fairies existed in the spirit realm, Austin hadn't been surprised by this because he had once watched a horror movie back on Earth.
The movie had the ugliest fairies he had ever seen, and he watched them chase after the teeth of both children and adults.
It was a movie he would never recommend that a child watch.
So, in a nutshell, Austin was already expecting to see an ugly, scary, and monstrous spirit beast in front of him after the summoning.
However, the little pumpkin in front of him was anything but scary.
In fact, it was the cutest little thing he had ever seen.
'So, does this mean not all spirits are dangerous?' He thought to himself, but just as he tried to understand what the truth was, Austin noticed the little pumpkin turning around to meet his gaze.
It slowly tilted its head to the side when it noticed Austin doing the same.
Seeing this, Austin scrunched his forehead, and the little guy did the same.
Austin found it endearing how the little pumpkin was copying everything he was doing, so he slowly raised one of his hands, and just as he had expected, the little pumpkin lifted one of its cute little, chubby hands with perfect timing.
Seeing the smile on Austin's face, the little pumpkin smiled as well.
Then it placed its tiny palm over its glowing face, copying Austin again, as it peeked at him between its fingers.
Its smile widened even more when it saw that Austin was becoming even more friendly and playful towards it.
But then, Austin pinched his nose, and the little guy tried to do the same, only to discover that he had no nose. Its fingers continued to wander and feel the area around its mouth before it turned back to Austin with an expression that said, 'Help! I don't have a nose!'
Of course, the little pumpkin didn't say that, but Austin could understand what it was trying to say, and he couldn't help but chuckle softly before asking the little guy.
"Can't you talk?"
It shook its head in response, but at that moment, the training room door slid open and Mira walked into the room.
"Who were you talking to?"
"This little guy over here." Austin pointed to the spot in front of him, and Mira furrowed her brows in confusion before a frown appeared on her face.
"There's no one there." She said, but Austin simply smiled and turned towards the little pumpkin.
The little pumpkin looked at him as well, and it instantly understood what Austin wanted it to do, so it became visible for Mira to see it.
Seeing the little pumpkin appear out of thin air, Mira instantly understood that the little guy was a spirit and her grip instinctively tightened on her wooden sword.
Of course, the little pumpkin noticed this and quickly hid behind Austin.
Austin couldn't help but chuckle, seeing how his wife had instinctively stepped closer to protect him.
"Relax, my lady."
"But that is a...."
"I know, but it doesn't look dangerous, or at least, I don't think it will be. Anyways, I believe it won't attack anyone unless I tell it to."
"And how can you be certain of that?"
"Because I summoned it."
"Huh? You… summoned it…?" Mira trailed off mid-sentence when she suddenly recalled which household Austin's mother had come from.
"But I thought your bloodline could only summon spirit artifacts?"
"I thought so as well, but it seems my blood is a little different." He replied, and Mira noticed the little pumpkin behind him slowly poking its head out from his back, before smiling the moment it realised that Austin's hand was gently petting its head.
"You see, it doesn't seem violent."
"I guess so," Mira murmured and lowered her hand, walking closer and sitting cross-legged in front of Austin.
He lifted his gaze and immediately noticed that Mira hadn't returned with the food.
Of course, Mira noticed his expression, and she couldn't help but giggle cutely, because she knew exactly what he was thinking about. "Someone looks hungry."
"You can tell?"
"Mmhmm. But don't worry, the maids will be here very soon."
Austin nodded in understanding, but then he noticed the little pumpkin looking at his lap before glancing up at him with the hope that Austin would give it the permission it was seeking.
"You can sit if you want to."
The little pumpkin's face lit up with joy, and it swiftly crawled into Austin's lap before settling in and raising both of its hands triumphantly like it had just conquered the world.
Seeing this, Austin and Mira couldn't help but burst into laughter at the same time, but the little pumpkin was still very proud of what it had achieved.
A cute yawn escaped its mouth as it suddenly became sleepy, then it curled up on Austin's lap and decided to take a nap.
Austin gently patted its head when he saw this, and the cute little pumpkin smiled contentedly as it slowly fell asleep.
Of course, Mira noticed this, and she couldn't help but smile at how affectionate he was with the little pumpkin.
"I think he sees you as his father."
"You really think so?" Austin asked.
"Yes, I do."
"Well then… if I'm his father, that would make you his mother, right?"
"What?!" Mira's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected him to call her that.
"What's wrong? You don't like our baby?"
"I didn't say that."
"Ohhh, so you agree that the little guy's our baby." Austin teased as he glanced sideways at his wife.
Mira instantly blushed, and she tried not to make eye contact with him. "W-well, if he is going to see you as his father, then I guess it's only expected of him to see me as his mother…."
Austin chuckled softly and looked down at the little guy curled up on his lap. "You hear that, little guy, your mama said she's madly in love with me."
Mira slowly rolled her eyes as a smile broke out on her face, and she couldn't help but wonder how her husband could always find a way to tease her.
Suddenly, a thought came to mind, and Mira turned to him again to ask, "So, do you know what type of spirit he is?"
Austin blinked twice because he wasn't sure, and he hadn't thought about it until now.
But now that Mira had asked, Austin became curious about it, and to his surprise, the system allowed him to view the little spirit's profile.
However, the moment he did…
Austin's eyes widened in shock.