Chapter 140 The Journey Begins
The next day, I visited Basilio-san and Iris's place to express my gratitude and bid them farewell for a while.
Fortunately, the toxins in the ground were neutralized, and the monster that was the main culprit was defeated, and――
"Are you going to accompany Hero-sama on their journey?"
"Yes, that's what we've decided..."
Since I'll be accompanying Hero on their journey, I'll have to leave the synthesis room empty for a while again.
I feel sorry for my 2 junior colleagues, who will be troubled by my absence. However, they're not bothered by it at all and are even worried about me, so I think I'm blessed with good juniors.
"Please be careful, okay? Don't worry about us."
"Thank you. I'm really sorry..."
I bowed my head. At that moment, a "puppy" peeked out from the large bag on my shoulder.
"Woof!"
"Whoa!"
I hurriedly supported the puppy, a water spirit, with both hands as it was about to fall out of the bag. As I did so, it rubbed its head against my hand, so I had no choice but to hug it to my chest.
I've been holding it for a while, so I'm getting tired. This bag was prepared by Diona, and it's a Rustu folk's item, with a red gemstone attached to the handle.
When I saw this gemstone, I remembered the cage that Diona and the others used to capture monsters. Maybe if I use the power of light, some kind of power will be activated in this bag too. ――But that's not something I can use, so it's irrelevant.
Basilio-san and Iris gazed at the water spirit I was holding with interest.
"Is that Spirit-sama?"
"Yes. But I don't understand what it's saying..."
"Haha, so cute!"
Iris innocently peeked at the water spirit's face. Maybe because of her pure smile or her Rustu folk heritage, the water spirit started making sounds like it was trying to talk to Iris.
"Iris, do you understand what it's saying?"
"No, I don't. But it seems to like Laura or something."
Iris held up her finger in front of the water spirit's eyes. As soon as she did, the puppy-like spirit started playing with her finger.
Smiling at the heartwarming scene, I couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"It's really attached to you, isn't it?"
"Yes..."
Basilio-san gave a wry smile, as if he could see my struggles and worries.
Iris asked in a bright voice, trying to dispel the gloomy atmosphere.
"Does this kid eat anything?"
"It seems to like nuts. And also breadcrumbs."
That's what I had learned from observing the water spirit over the past few days. According to Wentle-sama, spirits don't need to eat solid food, but since they absorb magic in the air as nutrition... or something like that... the water spirit, still a baby, hadn't developed that function yet, so it got hungry just like humans.
As I watched the puppy-like spirit sniffing and snuffling, I was worried about whether it was okay to feed it, but when I gave it nuts and breadcrumbs, it happily took them in its mouth.
When I asked other Spirit-sama if it was okay, they reassured me that "there's no way human food would affect the spirit," but I was still worried.
"It really is like a small animal, isn't it?"
"That's right. But I'm not sure if it's okay for the spirit to eat..."
"If it eats something, it'll be fine. It won't eat anything poisonous, after all."
I nodded at Basilio-san's words. If it ate something and didn't agree with it, it would just spit it out. So it would be okay.
After chatting for a bit, I quickly excused myself, not wanting to disturb their work. As I left, I bowed my head to the 2 reliable juniors again.
"Thank you so much this time. I was really helped by the 2 of you."
"I'm glad I could be of help. I gained confidence too."
"If anything happens again, don't hesitate to ask!"
Basilio-san smiled kindly, and Iris waved goodbye with a smile. I thought that when the hero's journey was over and peace was restored, I would have to thank them again properly.
After that, I finished my report to the branch head and thanked the branch's alchemist again, and left the Flaria branch. ――And then, I ran into a familiar girl in front of the entrance.
"Ah..."
"Laura!"
The black-haired girl, Elvira, rushed towards me and clung to me tightly. As I caught her, I looked up to see Marcedes-san and Olivelle-san, the twins, standing with smiles on their faces.
"Elvira-chan, Marcedes-san, and Olivelle-san too."
"Hello, Laura-chan."
Olivelle-san smiled gently. Marcedes-san didn't say a word, just nodding with a smile. I responded with a smile too, and Elvira held me tightly, looking up at me.
Our faces were surprisingly close, realizing that Elvira had grown taller.
"Be careful, Laura."
"Yeah, thanks."
Just as I thought Elvira had let go, she looked down, pouting her lips.
"I wanted to go too."
"Arnold-san was worried about Elvira-chan..."
"I know that! I know, okay...?"
Elvira puffed out her cheeks, and her childish expression was cute, but I couldn't laugh when I sensed her true feelings.
I slightly bent my knees and peeked at Elvira's face. Her black eyes shone strongly, sparkling with intensity.
"That's different, isn't it?"
Elvira nodded at my words.
This was just my intuition, but I felt that there would come a time when I would need to rely on Elvira's power. At that time, she would use her current frustration as fuel and make a remarkable comeback. I didn't want to put Elvira in danger, but the thought of seeing her bravely fight monsters made me excited as a "Last Brave" fan.
Suddenly, the large backpack on my shoulder moved slightly. Then, a water spirit poked its face out from inside.
"Woof!"
Elvira, who had been looking down, suddenly looked up at the water spirit. She stared at it with wide eyes for a while, then smiled gently and peeked at the water spirit's face.
"Mom... thanks to her, I was saved? Thank you. It has wanted to say thanks for a long time."
Elvira stroked the water spirit's head. The puppy-like creature wagged its tail and let out a happy cry.
Marcedes-san chuckled at the sight, saying,
"Hehe, looks like it's happy."
"Do you understand what this child is saying?"
I wondered if the elves, who could hear the spirits' words, might understand what it was saying, but Marcedes-san quietly shook her head.
"No, I think it's just a baby. Just like human babies, it can't talk yet. It's the same."
"Will it be able to talk when it grows up?"
"Maybe, but the lifespan of spirits and humans is vastly different. Even at 100 years old, a spirit might still be a baby."
Marcedes-san's words were convincing, and I slumped my shoulders. Indeed, for a spirit that lived for a long time, 100 years was a very short period.
When would I be able to understand this water spirit? It seemed unlikely to happen during my lifetime.
As I felt discouraged, Olivelle-san called out to me.
"Laura-chan, we're sharing this conversation with the garrisons in each region. If anything happens, don't hesitate to ask for help."
"Ah, thank you so much!"
Olivelle-san nodded, saying "It's only natural."
Indeed, it was only natural for the country to lend its power to the Hero who was working hard to save the world. Still, I couldn't help but feel grateful to Olivelle-san. I was truly blessed to have such wonderful people around me.
"Be careful."
"You too, everyone."
I exchanged a handshake with Olivelle-san and parted ways with the 3 of them.
――After that, I visited Emiliana-san's parents to bid farewell and told them I was heading to Platonovena. They said they would send a letter, so I gratefully accepted their offer. I was sure to cause them trouble.
After finishing my rounds of farewell visits, I returned to the inn and wrote letters to Kasper-san and my family. By the time I handed those letters to the royal capital-bound carriage, the sun had already begun to set.
As I walked back to the inn, I stuck my head out of my luggage and gazed at the evening sun, calling out to the water spirit.
"It's a beautiful evening, isn't it?"
This child, born just recently, will experience many "firsts" on this journey. I don't know how the spirit will grow, but for the sake of the Holy Sword and Fontapuune, who lent me so much power, I must protect this child.
That's what I think. What should I name this new water spirit, I wonder?
"What's your name, then? Fontapuune?"
When I asked, the water spirit closed its mouth and shook its head.
"Ah, that's a no. Do you understand some of our language?"
The ears that move with a "twitch, twitch" sound seem to understand my words.
As I look down at the water spirit, which is clinging to my right hand as if asking to be petted, I mutter to myself.
"I can't just give you a name... what should I call you?"
Of course, there was no answer.
＊＊＊
The next day, I woke up to the sound of birds chirping. When I opened the curtains, the lovely morning sun poured into the room.
A perfect day for traveling. I didn't feel any anxiety or tension.
Maybe it was because Marta and Diona, who were in the same room, were chatting casually as usual, or maybe it was because the reality of the situation still hadn't sunk in.
After finishing our morning preparations, we left the inn.
I put on the traveler's cloak that Vake had given me. It was heavier than I thought, and I stumbled a bit, causing Marta to laugh and Diona to look at me with concern.
Suddenly, Lukas, who was walking ahead, stopped at the entrance of Flaria. He turned around, looking at me.
"Laura, let's go."
My childhood friend, who was holding out his hand, had a kind smile on his face.
――I really am going on a journey with the Hero's party.
My fingers trembled a bit, but I'll be okay as long as I'm with my friends.
I slowly took the hand that was offered to me. And then,
"...Yeah!"
I nodded vigorously.
Our destination is Platonovena. The long and arduous journey is about to begin.
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