Watching the little spirit swirl in indignation, Curiosity didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She was trying to reassure the little baby, so why did she get even more angry?

Moreover, at this point, she couldn’t just come out and confess that she was trying to mislead her. Not only would that make Chara even more angry, it would ruin her plan. But if the little spirit continued to be so uncooperative, then her plan would be ruined either way.

At a loss for what to do, Curiosity started chiding. “What are you doing? Don’t you know, that if your swirling is so uneducated, you will turn into a boorish fire spirit?”

“………”

The little spirit started trembling.

You!! Do you think I am a child? If I’m not going to be given even the most basic level of respect, then I’m not moving from this spot! Hmph! Chara had declared her ultimatum.

Alas, the target of her dissatisfaction was not a mind spirit, so none of her complaints would reach their intended recipient. At best, Curiosity can use her authority over wonder to discern what other beings are curious about. However, Chara was not curious.

Hah… No matter. This is nothing that can’t be solved with a little bit of coaxing. Let’s see… thought Curiosity.

After mulling over what to say, she floated over to the indignant spirit while swirling conspiratorially. “Little spirit. Where we are going next, there is something very interesting… If even the scenery on the way there can be this fascinating, then just imagine what could be at the center of it all… Aren’t you curious?”

All of a sudden, it was like all of Chara’s curiosity had started boiling at the same time, quickly becoming her most prominent emotion.

I… I really want to know! I want to know so badly! What is it!? Please, tell me now! The little spirit begged, her mana rippling full of thoughts and imagination.

The effects of [Curiosity Conferment] were really too effective!

Seeing Chara’s immediate reversal, the greater spirit giggled in delight. Ahahaha~! This little baby is too curious! I should have done this from the start…

Finding the situation ideal, she immediately piled on some positive reinforcement along with some additional advice. “Good spirit. Having curiosity is very good, especially if it’s about me. However, if you want me to show you the interesting place, then you have to be obedient and do as I say.”

No—! You have to tell me now! Now!! The little spirit swirled in rebellion. She was very curious, but in the end, Chara would not be Chara if she simply did as she was told.

Sensing her dissatisfaction, Curiosity reprimanded, “Don’t be impatient. As an unattuned spirit, it’s not good to be rebellious! What will you do if you turn into a naughty spirit?!”

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This made Chara feel extremely betrayed. You—! You were the one who offered to take me somewhere interesting. How dare you change your mind and add terms and conditions!

It was like she was being teased with the fragrance of her favorite food, having it taken away, and then promised it would be given back, but only if she promised to wash the dishes. It was clearly blackmail and a breach of contract.

This spirit is too unreasonable! She should just obediently take responsibility and take me to the interesting place without making such a big fuss…

Unfortunately, once she consciously remembered who it was that was doing the scolding, she unconsciously became a lot more curious and attentive. When she realized what had occurred, she wanted to cry foul, but she was quickly reminded of her helplessness when she couldn’t utter a single word in protest.

Disenfranchised, she wanted to start cursing out the shameless spirit inside her mind but was unable to do that either. After all, if she did that, then she would not be able to pay attention to Curiosity’s sermon.

As a final resort, she decided to run away. But before she could take any concrete action, she found that she had unknowingly come up with at least thirty different arguments, complete with citations, about why this was a bad idea, and she had already convinced herself to stay in place.

Having trapped herself in a loop where she is trying to think of ways to get away from Curiosity, but the moment she thinks about the other spirit, her mutinous thoughts are replaced with curiosity; the little baby wanted to start crying. However, she was able to be brave and hold it in in the end, because if she didn’t, then she might accidentally miss part of Curiosity’s lecture.

Chara was really pitiful…

Counterintuitively, ignoring Curiosity wasn’t something that could be accomplished by putting one’s mind to it. On the contrary, it usually had the opposite effect.

Well, if there was one thing that this terrifying experience had made extremely clear, it was that from the moment Curiosity decided to hold her ritual, she never had any intention of playing fair. She had learned from her numerous failures and perfected her technique. Now that she had caught Baby, she would never let her escape.

And like so, Chara was forced to attentively listen to the spirit’s childish preaching for the next hour.

***

“How about this… If you are good, then this spirit will teach you something interesting on the way there. But…! Only if you are on your best behavior! Okay?”

The curiosity spirit finally put an end to her lecture and made Chara her final offer.

Finally released from her torture, the little spirit reluctantly accepted the greater spirit’s offer. In all honesty, she didn’t want to comply. However, she didn’t want to suffer through another sermon either. Not only did being scolded make her feel very upset, but the way Curiosity did it in particular made her feel extremely humiliated.

Right now, if Chara was still a human, her cheeks and ears would be burning red. She had never felt so ashamed in her entire life.

Everything. From Curiosity’s cute childish voice, to the way she spoke down to Chara like she was speaking to a child, to the way she listed out and admonished her for each and every instance of her bad behavior all the while addressing her as “Little Spirit”. And worst of all, her complete and utter inability to look away. It was like everything had been meticulously designed to be as embarrassing as possible.

It was all too much… and Chara was completely mortified.

Although Curiosity had a relatively kind and patient temperament, if something got in the way of her curiosity, then she could be rather merciless. She had spared no effort in her plan to berate the little spirit into submission.

If you were going to feel ashamed of yourself, then you should have acted this way from the start. Hmph!

The little spirit’s rebellion had come to an end. It was an unconditional surrender.

Curiosity watched in satisfaction as the little spirit meekly lowered herself and followed after her along the cavern floor. Satisfied with her correction, she swished in delight.

“Follow me~!”

Not needing to be told twice, the little spirit timidly followed after her.