Chapter 172 Strategy Meeting
I gazed around at the gathered Spirit-sama, who were currently in their orb forms.
The power of the demon king was trying to break Arnold's seal magic. We had to think of a strategy to suppress that power until the day Lukas and the others defeated the demon king.
I explained the current situation briefly, then cut in.
"I want to create an environment where the demon king's power, which is trying to break the seal magic, doesn't want to come out."
It was easy to say, but creating that environment would be the biggest challenge.
The Spirit-sama all fell silent. ――I was troubled, wondering if I should share my "idea" with them, which couldn't even be called a plan.
I did have an idea, but it would put too much burden on the Spirit-sama, and I didn't have the courage to ask them honestly.
As I was troubled, Wentle-sama's voice, mixed with laughter, shook my eardrums, which had naturally drooped.
'...How about sinking Arnold in the Drinking Water of the Spirits?'
――The phrase "crossing the river by feeling the stones" came to mind. My idea and Wentle-sama's words were almost identical.
It was proven that the demon king hated the prototype and the Drinking Water of the Spirits. And we knew it could deal damage. So, I thought, why not wrap Arnold in the prototype or the Drinking Water of the Spirits?
If we filled the space with the power the demon king hated, would its power try to come out? Even if it did, it wouldn't be able to escape unscathed if it was surrounded by holy power on all sides.
"If we could do something like that... I'd like to borrow everyone's wisdom and power..."
But, unfortunately, it's impossible to drown Arnold's body in water. So, what should we do... I thought, and I remembered the barrier of antidote that protected Lukas and the others from the poisonous mist.
If we do the same thing with The Drinking Water of the Spirits, it might work.
'Water barrier, huh... Well, I'll leave the water to Akari, and I can help with the setup, I think. We did something similar before.'
Wentle-sama said exactly what I expected. However, what's different from last time is that we need to maintain the barrier for a whole day, and possibly even longer. It's going to be a huge burden, I thought, but Wentle-sama didn't say anything like "I'm tired" or show any signs of weakness. No, I think he definitely wouldn't say that.
I faced the blue light. That light belongs to Akari.
"I think we're putting a huge burden on Akari, though..."
I couldn't ask something as irresponsible as "Is it okay?" and I trailed off.
I'm relying on her too much. But I can't think of any other way.
I couldn't bear to look at the blue light due to my guilt, so I cast my gaze down at the floor. The wooden floor spread out before my eyes. It creaked, and I thought I heard a small sound, and then Akari's fluffy front paws appeared at the edge of my vision.
Ah, I thought, and Akari was in its puppy form, rubbing its head against my feet. Is it trying to comfort me? I stretched out my hand to its head without thinking.
"Spirits are born for times like these."
Akari looked straight up at me and said it clearly.
Spirits are born for times like these.
It was a proud declaration from Spirit-sama, who was well aware of her mission, despite being born just recently.
'Yeah! We're born to counter evil powers, like the conscience of this world!'
Wentle-sama happily circled around me, its eyes shining.
Spirits are the conscience of this world. It was a unique way of putting it, but it's probably true, I thought, and I was convinced.
Suddenly, I remembered the story of the creator god of this world. The first Hero who saved this land from the great darkness and brought life to it. If that legend is true, then the spirits were also created by that Hero. In the distant future, the Hero created this world's conscience to counter the evil power that was born.
'Destroy the evil power. That's our top priority as spirits.'
Avour-sama said in a strong, unwavering voice. Likerland-sama inherited that determination.
'People are kind, so we can rely on them.'
He's saying don't worry, don't get sick, and that kindness is seeping into my heart.
As the spirits born as the world's conscience, they're kind to humans like this. Even if humans forget their names, and the names on the map disappear, they'll heal the wounded people with unconditional love.
"Thank you."
I stood up from my chair and bowed deeply. Then Wentle-sama burst out laughing.
'It's not just Laura who should be grateful, we're doing this to defeat the demon king, after all.'
That might be true. It's not for my sake, but for the world's. But even so, I wanted to express my gratitude.
In the peaceful atmosphere that followed, Ciello-sama, who had been quietly observing the situation, made a proposal.
'How about we create a foothold in the air? That way, we can surround the demon king completely...'
That was an unexpected suggestion. If we could lift Arnold's body off the ground, we could surround him with The Drinking Water of the Spirits from all sides.
I bowed my head and said, "Please, I beg of you."
"Huh? What about Avour and Likerland?"
Wentle-sama started circling around Avour-sama and Likerland-sama, who were in their orb forms, with a sly grin on his face ―― or rather, his voice sounded sly. He seemed to be saying that the 2 of them couldn't do anything.
Avour-sama is a fire spirit, and Likerland-sama is an earth spirit. In this operation, their powers would be hard to utilize.
I didn't think much about it, but――it's all about being in the right place at the right time, I suppose――the people involved didn't seem to think so.
'...Can I make a cave or something? Having more barriers is better, right?'
Likerland-sama said something like that.
Having more barriers is better. That means, if we surround Arnold, who's been protected by The Drinking Water of the Spirits, with a cave made using Likerland-sama's power, it'll be even better.
'Then I'll light the monster-repelling fire,'
Avour-sama quickly followed up.
With the water barrier, the cave, and the monster-repelling fire, it's more than enough.
(But, it's better to do everything we can...)
This isn't the time to hold back. We should challenge it with all our might.
I nodded strongly and asked,
"If we're going to make a cave, where would be the best place to do it? Would it make a difference no matter where we do it?"
There was a brief moment where the Spirit-sama group exchanged glances. They must have had several candidates in mind.
Without saying a word, they just waited, and Avour-sama eventually answered on their behalf.
'If we want to expect even a little boost to our powers, it should be in a holy land.'
'It's been desecrated, though...'
Wentle-sama's voice was tinged with a bitter smile.
――The place where we faced Arnold, who was possessed by the demon king. The holy land, which we couldn't enter without permission from Spirit-sama, was indeed a place filled with sacred power.
Even the explosion caused by the demon king that day couldn't take Lukas's life. Although they were injured, Lukas and Vake quickly got back up and fought against the demon king. And despite being so close to the explosion, Arnold's resistance was also a significant factor――it's possible that the demon king was weakened within that holy land.
'Since that day, I've been slowly restoring the desecrated land. Let's hurry up.'
Ciello-sama left behind those words and vanished into thin air. It seems there are other spirits besides us who are working on the sacred land's repairs.
Everything is still a mystery. We might just be doing something ridiculous with a straight face. However, we can't afford to stop moving forward.
We won't let the demon king have his way. We want to alleviate the anxiety of our loved ones, who are being targeted, even if only a little. That's our genuine desire from the bottom of our hearts. However, I'm aware that the emotion driving me forward right now is a much simpler one.
'Ampère'
The low voice echoes in my eardrums.
I want to hear that voice again. That's all.
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