Chapter 125 The Wind Spirit, Wentle
――It was a few days after Lukas and the others obtained the second fire spirit stone.
As usual, I listened to Diona's morning report, taught the village kids and Elvira about synthesis, had lunch, and was taking a short break under a tree. The wind felt great, and I was dozing off when a boy around Elvira's age suddenly appeared before me.
He had green hair and deep green eyes. He seemed like a lively boy with a bright smile, but his piercing gaze made me feel like there was something unknown about him.
――Was a kid like this living in this village?
"Hey, hey, are you Laura?"
"Ah, who are you?"
"I'm Wentle"
――Wentle. When I heard that name, my brain flashed back to the name of a place in this country. Wentle Cave. I remembered it as a dungeon that appeared in"Last Brave".
Wentle Cave was located to the east, a cave that few people dared to enter. It was said to be a dwelling place for spirits――in"Last Brave", it was a stronghold where spirits lent their power.
And just the other day, Lukas and the others rescued the first spirit in the cave and received a spirit stone.
Maybe this green-haired kid....
"Uh, um, c-come this way, please."
I thought it would be better to talk in a place where we wouldn't be seen, so I guided the boy to the shade of the tree. He followed my lead, hiding his small body in the shade and tilting his head.
"Do you know about me?"
"You're the spirit-sama living in Wentle Cave, right? I heard it from Lukas..."
As I stuttered out an answer, Spirit-sama――Wentle-sama nodded energetically, saying, "Yeah, that's right!"
I had a lot of questions. Why was he here? Why was he in that form? How did he get into this village with its barrier――
I wanted to ask him all at once, but I didn't want to be rude to the spirit, so I took a deep breath and decided to ask them one by one.
"How did you get here, Spirit-sama?"
"I've been searching for that bracelet! Lukas's power is really strong, so it was easy!"
The one Wentle-sama pointed to was the bracelet Lukas had bought for me during the Royal Alchemist trainee exam's observation trip to the royal capital a few years ago. Although it's already worn out and I wanted to keep it in a safe place, I've been wearing it daily, hoping for Lukas's safety since he left on his journey.
There's nothing special about it, it's just a normal, commercially available bracelet. But if Lukas bought it, then it becomes special just because of that.
"The barrier of this village is..."
"This family's power is similar to the spirits', so for us, there's no such thing as a barrier And this village has an 'entrance'!"
Wentle-sama puffed out his chest, looking like a young boy――or so I'd like to say. He looks somehow youthful, and I couldn't help but smile.
But I immediately erased the smile, thinking it wasn't the right time to be laughing. The Spirit-sama had come to see me, and it wasn't like they had nothing better to do, so maybe they had some bad news to share?
"So, um, why did you come here?"
"Ah, yes, I want to ask you about Fontapuune!"
Fontapuune. I tilted my head at the unfamiliar word. I'd never heard of it, not even in my past life or in this one. The more I thought about it, the more confused I became.
I tilted my head, and Wentle-sama crossed his arms, looking thoughtful.
"Well, I guess the name of that place isn't being passed down now... that city, what was it called again... La, no, Fu, Fu... Ah, yes, Flaria!"
The next place name that came out was one I was all too familiar with. It was the city I regularly visited to obtain the Drinking Water of the Spirits.
I nodded greatly. Then, Wentle-sama's face lit up with a bright smile.
"Fontapuune is a spirit that lived in a forest near the city of Flaria, and within that forest, there's a spring. That's where the spirit resided!"
I probably understood that he was talking about The Drinking Water of the Spirits. Honestly, the spring isn't that big of a water source, but it's the only place where the spirits of Flaria's nearby forest live.
And somehow, I thought that the "spirits" Wentle-sama was referring to weren't the fluffy, glowing orbs living in that place now, but the great spirits that had returned to the earth, becoming great trees.
"The great spirit that healed people in that place has already returned to the earth..."
"That's right! They were just taking a little nap in their dwelling, and they went back! But to enter the holy land, one needs their permission."
The "nap" the spirits took was probably a very long time for us. During that time, the great spirit Fontapuune, who lived near Flaria, returned to the earth, and its name was lost from the map.
However, to enter the holy land and obtain the holy sword that can defeat the demon king, one needs the permission of the deceased spirit ―― in other words, the spirit stone held by Fontapuune-sama. That's a pretty troublesome situation. I wonder if it's hidden somewhere in that place.
"So, where is the spirit stone?"
"That's what I came to ask! The hero said you're the one who knows that place the most, so..."
Here, I finally understood why Wentle-sama had come to visit me. At the same time, a puzzled voice slipped out of my mouth, "Eh..."
Certainly, I might know more about that place than Lukas and the others, but it's obvious that the other spirits know more than a small girl like me. From Wentle-sama's tone, I could tell that he hadn't had much interaction with humans, and the difference in our social status was too great.
"That might be so, but I only received the water from the great spirit's spring, and I couldn't hear the voices of the spirits..."
"But aren't you invited to the spring's location? If so, you must be liked! Didn't you feel any discomfort or weirdness?"
Still, I had to think about it since I was asked.
I recalled the many times I visited this place, trying to remember if there was anything strange or uncomfortable, but honestly, nothing came to mind. When I received The Drinking Water of the Spirits, I was too busy thinking about Elvira, and I didn't have the leisure to enjoy the scenery around me.
"Umm... nothing in particular..."
"Then come with me! If you come, Fontapuune might also respond!"
――I blinked repeatedly, taken aback by the unexpected words. The boy-like Wentle-sama in front of me was smiling brightly, looking up at me.
"Uh..."
"The Heroes have already reached Flaria, and with my power, we can get there in an instant! We can even defeat the monsters that attack us"
Wentle-sama let out a proud snort, puffing out his chest. His attitude was cute, but it wasn't a proposal I could easily agree to.
The Heroes are always being attacked by monsters, so it's unlikely that my joining them would make a big difference――it might even put Lukas and the others in danger by attracting monster attacks. The Heroes' journey is always fraught with danger.
If I can use the spirit's power to go directly from this village to Flaria, the risk of this place being discovered by monsters would be lower――maybe. This is something I need to confirm thoroughly. The most important thing is to avoid letting monsters discover this village's location.
(If I can be of help, I want to help...)
It's nice that he's relying on me. If I can be of help, I want to help. That's my genuine feeling. If I weren't being targeted by monsters, and if I weren't being protected by the villagers of Rustu, I would have gone to Flaria already.
――Anyway, I'll discuss it with Gina-san and Marcedes-san.
I came to that conclusion and opened my mouth.
"I do have the feeling of wanting to help, but I'd like to discuss it a bit..."
"You're going to cooperate with me?! Alright, let's do this!"
Before I could even finish speaking, Wentle-sama grasped my hand tightly. In an instant, my vision blurred and I felt a strange floating sensation. I couldn't help but close my eyes. I had no idea what was happening to my body.
Eventually, the floating sensation disappeared, and I slowly opened my eyes. There, I saw an incredible, mysterious space unfolding before me.
I was standing on a circular platform floating in mid-air, holding hands with Wentle-sama. It was probably located at the center of this space, with long, narrow paths connecting to it in every direction.
Above us, a peaceful sky stretched out, but there was no wind. When I looked far ahead, I could see the horizon.
I felt a shiver run down my spine as I looked down, wondering if I had been brought to a city in the sky. ——Below the platform, I saw cities from all around the world spread out. It wasn't like looking down at cities from above, making them seem small. The scenery of the cities was being projected directly beneath the platform. It was like having hidden cameras all over the world, with the images changing periodically, or something. I felt like a god, watching over the lives of people.
(Where... where are we?)
I didn't understand anything, but at least I knew this wasn't a place for humans.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)