Chapter 120 - Chapter 21: Sylph
Wilson-san, who was being shouted at in his ear, frowned and lightly brushed her away with his hand, but she swiped away to the other ear and continued shouting.
"Even if you say that, it was the strongest among my companions, so how could I let it go so easily?"
He complained to her face as if he had lost his patience.
"Even if you say that, it ended up being defeated anyway."
"I heard from these people. Is it true you don't get along with Dragons?"
"Of course. Someone like that who only talks logic and doesn't understand the heart of a spirit. In the first place, Dragons have no such thing as delicacy."
"Do you call flying in suddenly and shouting in someone's ear having delicacy?"
"Oh, I was giving you a warning. You were the one who didn't listen. That's why I'm doing this!"
While everyone watched in amazement, they continued their bickering.
Is it just my imagination that they somehow seem to get along well?
"Wilson. Um, I'm sorry, but could you introduce me?"
Even though there should be an overwhelming difference in status, for some reason James-sama was being hesitant.
"See, look. Because you started making a fuss without introducing yourself, everyone is troubled. These people came to see you."
"Me?"
Only now did she look at us.
"They came to see me?"
James-sama nodded and took out the ring.
The ring's glow seemed stronger than before, shining in the dimness.
When I looked at the ring I got from Dune, it was shining in the same way.
Good. I'm not losing.
"Oh? That ring... Ahem. Welcome. What business do you have wanting to see me?"
She said it with a composed face, as if it were an afterthought.
"Too late!"
Wilson-san, and then Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, and even James-sama all chimed in at once.
"Oh, so you understand."
She smiled brightly.
She's quite lighthearted.
For some reason, the four who chimed in formed a circle and made small fist pumps.
"You can do it, you can do it. Good luck."
"I-is that so. I'll do my best."
Before I knew it, James-sama was being encouraged by Wilson-san.
"I am the descendant of the sixth generation of the owner of this ring. Since the person who received this ring passed away from a sudden illness, I have come to return it. I sincerely apologize for being so late. Please, accept it."
He knelt on one knee, offered the ring with both hands, and bowed his head.
As expected of a Crown Prince, a natural beauty was being exuded.
Beatrix and Mary were sighing. I thought Mary was going to faint, but since Lyudmila was supporting her, she seemed fine.
"It's a bit dim. Things like this should be in a brighter place."
The spirit was looking around. She seemed to be looking for a bright spot.
It can't be helped.
"[Light]!"
I had Paul-san send it out and illuminate James-sama from above and behind the spirit.
The spirit also seemed to like this production, floating airily above James-sama's head with the light in the background.
"James-sama. Please."
I immediately sent the signal.
"What a beautiful figure, it's as if a halo is shining..."
While narrowing his eyes slightly, he muttered with a beautiful smile and offered the ring once more.
Having been trained by Eleanor-sama, his reflexes in this area were outstanding.
Mary couldn't take it anymore and fainted, but since Lyudmila and Gladys-sama were looking after her, it should be fine.
"I like you people. You pass. Fine. I'll accept it."
"I-I am deeply honored."
When the spirit touched the ring, it shrank until it was almost invisible. Looking at her gestures, it seemed she had put it on her own finger.
We all reflexively broke into applause.
"To receive such mercy..."
James-sama was even performing the act of wiping his eyes and shedding tears like the protagonist of a play.
Various things got messy along the way, but we were able to reach a magnificent climax.
Director Paul was also nodding many times while applauding.
"Oh, I'm happy. If you like, shall I show you a bit more of the power of wind?"
"Yes, please!"
Since it was like this in here, it was decided to go outside.
There was a hole where the Dragon had come out, and once we passed through that film-like barrier, we were able to get outside easily.
It was located in the middle of a sheer rock face heading toward the summit, close to the top of the mountain.
"Now, now, everyone scatter appropriately."
We scattered as the spirit told us.
"Then, here I go!"
Just as I thought my body floated up, everyone was floating in the air. When I hurriedly looked around, my vision was slightly distorted. When I reached out my hand, there was something like a film with some elasticity. It seemed we were wrapped in something like a large bubble.
We flew off just like that.
"Amazing! Amazing!"
Lyudmila and Mary were overjoyed.
Since we ride in Paul-san's bowl, flying itself isn't a first, but looking down at the world from near the mountain summit is spectacular. Moreover, since it's transparent from our feet to above our heads, the rock face of the mountain towering toward the sky is right before our eyes.
"Just like that, try putting your hands on the air bubble. Try to visualize moving forward."
When I did as the spirit said... the bubble moved forward!
"Then, everyone follow me. It's okay. I'll fly slowly. You mustn't get away from me. Because the bubble will break."
She flew backward while looking at us.
It would be terrible if the bubble broke. Everyone followed the spirit while pushing and shoving. Even if we bumped into each other, we only felt a 'boing' sensation, and there was no falling, so it was safe.
We ended up descending slowly to the foot of the mountain just like that.
"It's moving to be able to move it myself."
"It's fluffy and fun!"
"This is interesting."
Mary, Lyudmila, and Henry-sama were innocently rejoicing.
"What kind of thing is this?"
"We humans could never possibly reproduce this."
"The Paul-style flight technique was also magnificent, but this seems to be in a different class from the application of magic."
Eleanor-sama, Paul-san, and James-sama were engaged in a magic discussion.
"Hey, isn't that cheating?"
When I looked in the direction Beatrix was pointing, Roberts-sama and Gladys-sama were riding in one bubble together. The two of them were holding hands and pointing at various things while sightseeing. It was just like an aerial date.
"It is a good thing that they get along well."
The attendants also seemed to be holding back here, staying a bit away from the two.
We descended fluffily just like that.
"Oh, that's amazing. Who made that pile of dirt?"
She was pointing at the dirt blocks Eleanor-sama had made.
"Yes, it was me. I am called Eleanor."
"Are you good at earth magic?"
She had a slightly suspicious expression.
"No, not limited to earth, I have learned a full range of attribute magic within the scope that humans can use."
"Hmm. Can you use wind magic too?"
"Yes. For wind magic, I can use up to [Tempest]."
It's an ultra-high-level wind magic. It's said that without magic defense, a mass of hundreds of heavy infantry would be blown away in one go.
"Well, fine. It seems you've worked hard."
"Thank you very much."
I wonder what would have happened if she had said she was good at earth but couldn't use wind. It's a bit scary to think about.
After the wind spirit carried the dirt blocks Eleanor-sama had made to the top of the landslide one by one on the wind, she began to break them up and scatter them.
"Shall we help?"
"Is it okay?"
"Of course."
When James-sama lifted a block and carried it to the middle, the spirit carried it to the top, broke it up, and scattered it, and then Eleanor-sama hardened it. Once all the blocks were gone, she started a giant tornado and began carrying the collapsed dirt upward. The dirt that spilled along the way was desperately hardened by Eleanor-sama and James-sama to make it float in the air, and then it was carried by the tornado again. After repeating that to some extent, they even started planting the trees Paul-san had dug up.
With the cooperation of the four, it was far from 'back to normal,' but it became a slightly better state.
"How is it?"
"Yes. It's good. Thank you."
They are amazing people to be able to help a spirit. I'm always just being helped by Dune.
When I looked at the ring shining on the middle finger of my left hand as always, I felt miserable about my own powerlessness.
"It might take us another ten years or so. Until we can do that much."
It's likely as Beatrix says.
Ten years. I can't even imagine it. I wonder if I'll really be able to use high-level magic in ten years.
Since it was a good opportunity, I proposed eating some snacks while resting, but...
"I'm sorry. Fresh flower nectar or clean water is enough for me."
I was flatly refused.
The Highway Cookies don't work...
This won't do.
"Then, let's go to a place with very beautiful water."
Mary followed up for me. Come to think of it, I had forgotten there was water that Dune had guaranteed.
"Is it near here?"
"It's just a short walk."
When I looked at Stephens-san, he was nodding.
The sky is beautifully clear. The sun is still high. The water will be a beautiful blue.
"I'll be able to see a beautiful spirit and Gladys-sama and the royalty talking in that place."
Mary was sighing. It seemed she had been aiming for this from the beginning.
With Stephens-san's guidance, we arrived at the blue pond. The wind spirit was riding on Wilson-san's head, talking with the people around her.
Along the way, James-sama was asking about the mountain cave.
"It was already there when I came. That place like an altar too."
"Was no one there?"
"Let's see. There was one Fire Dragon."
"That was supposed to have been subjugated, though."
Come to think of it, Marcelo-san had said something like that. Sightseeing the decisive battle site should be popular too.
"It had been beaten and was weakened, but it was alive. It was suffering in the large cave it used as a dwelling, so I carried it in a bubble and kept it at the altar until it died. I had buried it outside after it died, but someone went and dug it up and turned it into a Revenant."
Wilson-san was feigning ignorance, but at any rate, she was riding on his head. He was being kicked in the forehead with her heel.
"What about that film-like barrier?"
"That was because it was annoying when the Dragon came outside, so I tried to scrape the mountain to bury it. That was exactly where the cave connected above the hollow. So, I blocked it just in case."
In short, the large cave was the former Dragon's dwelling, and the one who collapsed the mountain was the spirit herself?
She's quite a nuisance.
"Unless I give permission, ordinary humans shouldn't be able to break through, but you people did well to get in."
Henry-sama and the others looked at me. Seeing that, the spirit also looked at me.
Break through or not, I just slipped through easily...
She seemed to notice something and came to me.
"Oh, you have a water ring. That's why; anyone with the protection of a water spirit can enter easily."
So that's how it was. Come to think of it, I thrust my left hand with the ring in first. It was because I was illuminating the surroundings with my right hand and trying to illuminate the front with my left, but coincidence is a scary thing.
While talking like that for nearly an hour, we arrived at the pond with blue water.
"It's true. It's very beautiful water."
The spirit immediately flew to the water's surface, and after confirming it by scooping it with her hand, she drank it as she was satisfied.
"Yes. It's delicious. There are places where spring water gushes out all over the mountain, but this place is special. Can I come to drink occasionally?"
Since she looked at James-sama, he gestured for Stephens-san to come forward with his right hand.
"Of course, you are welcome to use it as you like. This is my territory that has been protected for generations. I intend to protect this pond with this beauty intact."
When he said that many flowers would be blooming soon, the spirit rode on Stephens-san's shoulder and smiled happily, saying, "Nice to meet you."
We faced the table in the log cabin and sat on chairs that were just logs cut up. We poured mead into bowls and all had Highway Cookies. The spirit, who was in a good mood from the beauty of the view and the deliciousness of the water, accepted our invitation, and we all decided to take a break.
When Paul-san made a small bowl with a knife for the spirit and gave it to her, she seemed to like it.
"The scent of beech is nice."
She likes flower nectar, but she also seems to like tree sap. Occasionally, she descends to the middle of the mountain and licks it while mixing with the stag beetles and such that are gathered. She seems to like sawtooth oak.
She sat on a chair Paul-san made—though it was just a square piece of wood—and drank water while holding the bowl with both hands.
When we introduced ourselves for a while, the topic became Wilson-san's background. According to James-sama, he has too much wisdom for a mere serf. Normally, they can't even read. Come to think of it, Robinson-san was like that.
"Well, yeah. Even if I say serf, it wasn't from birth. Originally, I was from a reasonably wealthy merchant family, and since my parents were enthusiastic about education, it was an environment where I could learn various things."
Why did he become a serf? As expected, it was war. That said, it wasn't because they lost. Apparently, it was triggered by an incident when he served in the army in response to the call of the noble who owned the land where Wilson-san lived after he took over.
"There was a man who became a lord by marrying in just because he was the second son of a great noble. That guy was a knightly idiot who was bad at war. He was a great fool who thought he just had to announce his family name and charge, and as expected, it was a losing battle."
Losing because of a foolish noble is a story often heard in other countries, but seeing as there are people like Stephens-san, it seems he was unlucky.
"I was at the main camp because I had a knightly title my father had bought with money. I offered suggestions like 'how about doing this,' but he changed my plan recklessly to his own liking, and when we lost, he blamed it on me."
Just like that, he was made the cause of the losing battle, detained, had his property confiscated, and was reduced to a serf. What a terrible story.
"That's quite extreme. Is Gram a country of that level?"
"I don't know about the King, but that guy was like that. Apparently, military strategies and tactics like trapping the enemy are cowardly acts that go against chivalry."
When James-sama asked, Wilson-san answered while shaking his head.
"Well, even if I had charged along with him obediently, it would have been a series of losing battles anyway. I would have died in battle somewhere. In that sense, being made a serf was better because I was doing manual labor in the rear, so I was able to avoid dying in a foolish battle."
"After that, did you desert and go to the Ruined Town?"
"That's right. I knew the geography. When we were finally retreating from the territory after continuous losses, I slipped away. I just entered the mountains and ran."
He was laughing pleasantly. 'Serves you right,' he might be saying.
"The Ruined Town accepted you well."
"That place is a gathering of people like that. If you become a Revenant, you can become a companion without any problem. Fortunately, I could use magic, so I was treated well. It was also because I was there that I could learn military strategy seriously."
Unexpected things were discovered. Apparently, the Ruined Town is a collection of multinational Revenants. By the way, the Ruined Town is also called the Lost Capital. To be precise, the land where the former capital was located is called the Lost Capital, and the temple and catacombs there are apparently called the Ruined Town.
Wilson-san, who had an aptitude for magic, learned higher-level magic there and also learned the technique to control Revenants. Though, I felt he wasn't very good at that part...
"You're a pretty strong mage, right? Why didn't you target us?"
"The Demon Lord wouldn't be happy if I defeated a mage and a priest who can only use basic magic."
Well, that's true. Thanks to that, our lives were saved.
"Then, why didn't you fight yourself instead of using the Dragon? I hate to say it, but that part was, you know?"
As usual, Beatrix is relentless. However, Wilson-san didn't seem to mind.
"There's a Dragon I can control. Even if I'm bad at it, how could I not use it?"
When he looked at Henry-sama as if to say "Right?", he was nodding.
"A Dragon is better."
James-sama and Roberts-sama, and even the attendants, were all for the Dragon. I don't really understand. Eleanor-sama was also sighing.
"Could it be, the reason you didn't lay a hand on this person was because you wanted to defeat the Dragon?"
When I asked Paul-san, he was grinning.
"A Dragon is strong. And it's been turned into a Revenant. Its defense against magic and weapons is far stronger than an ordinary Dragon. How could we not fight it?"
Roberts-sama and the others were also grinning. Gladys-sama was poking Roberts-sama in the back. She might have been dragged into it.
"Umu. A Dragon is a man's 'maron' after all."
"Henry! If you're going to say that, it's 'roman'!" (T/N: Henry mispronounces 'roman' (romance/dream) as 'maron' (chestnut).)
While everyone looked away from the two, for some reason James-sama was laughing loudly. I inadvertently got caught up in it, and we all laughed together. The delinquent old man also made a fist pump. Medioland's diplomacy is likely producing results this way.
"What did you do after that?"
James-sama, who had finally finished laughing and returned to being the calm, handsome man, proceeded with the talk.
"The Ruined Town was entirely religious. I wanted to test my military strategy. However, for humans, bloodline is everything. I didn't know a country like Sertoria existed. So, I thought I might as well join the Demon Lord's army."
After deserting the Ruined Town, he had apparently been steadily preparing to join the Demon Lord's army at the foot of the mountain. He said the concept of time gets distorted when one becomes a Revenant, and before he knew it, nearly a hundred years had passed.
"And the one I met was that spirit there."
"That's right. It was terrible back then. You were spending your time in pitch darkness after snuck into the shrine."
"For me, bright places and darkness are the same."
Apparently, they are bickering companions. They've been together for a hundred years. They would naturally become close.
"Are you going away?"
"Yeah. It's not like I was caught. I finally found the job I wanted. They recognized my military strategy."
Henry-sama was smiling.
"I'll have him come as my guest. As soon as the current generation's permission is granted, I'll have him research our country's strategy. Since it's a small country, achieving the goal will be difficult, but it will be worth doing for that reason."
"What a large country needs is whether to make a decision. Petty tricks are unnecessary. In other words, I'm not needed either."
Beatrix, who had been drawing pictures with Mary for a while, puffed out her chest just a little. She was grinning somehow, likely because she was happy.
"I see. It'll be lonely."
"What are you talking about? Now you've made so many acquaintances."
"That's right. Since we've gone to the trouble of becoming acquaintances, let's become friends."
"Th-that's right. Just like my ancestor five generations ago, I also want to establish a friendship. I want you to teach me what kind of exchanges you had too."
This is the critical moment. James-sama's purpose isn't just to return the ring. I don't know what kind of merit it has for the country of Medioland, but it must be an important thing for the creatures living on the island for someone in James-sama's position to interact with a spirit. I definitely want him to do his best.