Volume 16 Chapter 8 Crossing The River Of Death Part Ii
'Ally, move about 3 meters (10ft) to the right...'
Glee sent detailed instructions to Al. It seemed she was calculating the angle of a hole that could potentially spout boiling water.
Following her advice, Al gradually lowered his altitude while being cautious of the presence detected by the 'Detect Magic' spell, moving closer to the cracks and buildings.
Even after moving that far, the creature that reacted to the 'Detect Magic' spell had not changed its position. However, thick white smoke was rising from the crack, obscuring its form.
"If you understand my words, please come out slowly..."
While saying this, he prepared the 'Spasm' spell. It would be fine if it was a human, but if it was a clever barbarian or a magic beast, they might suddenly appear and attack.
He had also cast the 'Shield' spell in advance, so he shouldn't be taken down in one hit... hopefully. If he had learned and used the 'Magic Resist' spell on himself, he would have felt even safer...
As he watched carefully, something faintly glowing blue-white appeared from the crack, detected by the 'Magic Sense' spell.
However, it seemed to be transparent, and he could only see its form through the spell's reaction. It was a creature crawling on the ground. Was it a magic beast? It didn't seem to show any hostility in its movements.
The fact that it reacted to Al's words suggested it had quite a high level of intelligence.
"I can see you... show yourself."
The creature, resembling a magic beast, gradually revealed itself. Including its tail, it was about one meter (3.3ft) long. It had a slimy red body, black eyes, and looked like a giant lizard.
Flames burned at the tips of the dorsal fins stretching from its head to its tail. A red lizard wrapped in fire...
"Could it be... a Salamander?"
Al had heard of the fire spirit, Salamander, in the stories of bards.
Unlike magic beasts, spirits were manifestations of natural forces, embodying nature itself. They were neutral, meaning they were neither enemies nor allies unless someone tried to destroy nature.
Among spirits, the most famous were the 4 great spirits of earth, water, fire, and wind, and this Salamander was one of them.
The large red lizard-like creature seemed to twist its mouth into a slight smile. For some reason, it felt endearing. Even though it had intelligence, it might not be able to speak.
Could it communicate through 'Telepathy'?
"Is it okay if I send 'Telepathy'?"
The creature seemed to nod lightly.
'Telepathy.'
To avoid raising any doubts, Al spoke the spell loudly.
If this lizard-like creature was indeed the legendary spirit, Salamander, and if it suspected Al was a hostile presence, he had no confidence in winning a direct fight.
Of course, he had learned various attack spells, but this spirit could survive in flames. He had no idea how effective his spells would be against it.
Furthermore, at this distance, Al thought he would be jumped at any moment. He decided it was best to approach with a friendly attitude.
'Hello. Salamander?'
'Hello, human. Wow, it's been a while since I talked to a human.'
The voice of the salamander through 'Telepathy' sounded just like a child. Was this individual like that? Or did spirit salamanders have this kind of vibe?
'Um, I'm Al, an adventurer. What are you doing here?'
When Al asked, the creature that seemed to be a salamander turned its eyes, which had been looking around, toward him.
'I'm Saari, the salamander. I'm waiting for my papa. My papa is a human magician named Aines.'
Calling a human magician 'papa'? Al wasn't sure what to think, but it seemed better to go along with the conversation. At least this individual seemed friendly toward humans.
'I see. Aines the magician, huh? I haven't met him. When did he leave?'
Saari tilted her head slightly.
'Um, about 30 years ago?'
Thirty years ago was quite a long time. It was likely that at that time, the Sylvester Kingdom and the Tempest Kingdom were still at war, and Margrave Rain's capital had just been established.
Back then, Al's grandfather must have been serving as a magician to the Margrave.
The fact that he left so long ago and hasn't returned... it felt like the chances of him coming back were pretty low... Of course, Al couldn't say it was 0...
'Papa isn't coming back?'
Seeing Al's expression, Saari seemed to sense something and scrunched up its face.
'About 5 years after he left, the contract mark with papa disappeared... The contract mark goes away if the person you have a contract with dies. So, I thought he might not come back...'
A contract mark? Al had heard of Spirit Magic. Unlike the spells he usually used, it was a type of magic that gained effects by utilizing the power of spirits in some way.
Spirits, spirits, asking for their power, just like in the stories. Did they really exist?
'So you had a contract with Aines. Did he say where he was going or when he would come back?'
Saari weakly shook her head. It seemed like she had been waiting for her contract partner's return all this time. Al felt a bit sorry for Saari's apparent loneliness.
'Okay. It might take a while, but I'll ask someone I know next time I see them.'
If Aines was a powerful magician, Eric might know something.
'Really? Thank you so much!'
Saari bowed her head repeatedly, grateful for Al's offer to help.
'Hey, Saari. What kind of place is this? How did Aines live here?'
'This place is right above the spirit of the mountain. Below, that crack connects to the spirit of the mountain. Papa liked the water and air that overflowed from it... It was peaceful and soothing.'
'?'
Al, with a puzzled expression, watched as Saari said, "Come over here," and entered a building made of rocks that she had arranged next to the crack she had come out of.
There seemed to be some kind of fabric hanging at the entrance, but it had rotted away over the long years.
'Papa often complained that the water overflowing from the mountain's spirit ruins metal and fabric quickly. But because of that, soaking in this water is good for the skin, and it cures all diseases...'
Inside the building, there was something that looked like a bed, but it was mostly collapsed and barely held its shape. It seemed to be true that fabric deteriorated quickly.
But could it really cure all diseases?
'If you press that round thing, warm water will shoot out from the mouth of the little dragon-headed stone sculpture over there. Each time you press it, more water comes out.'
She paused, then continued, 'The water collects next to this building, so Papa always soaked in it. When his stomach hurt, he would fill a cup with that water, cool it down, and drink it.'
When Al touched it, hot water spurted out from the mouth of the dragon-like sculpture nearby. The temperature seemed quite hot. Saari called it water, but for a salamander, hot water and regular water probably didn't make much difference.
It was hard to tell without checking, but it might be something similar to a magic tool that produces water.
'Also, this is a basket that makes meat and vegetables taste better.'
The basket placed on the table was about 30 centimeters (12in) in diameter, round, and had a lid. A long string-like thing hung down from the lid.
According to Saari's explanation, if you put ingredients in that basket and toss it into the hole where hot water shoots out, it would make the food delicious.
The time it took varied depending on the ingredients, but once it was done, you just had to pull the long string to bring the basket back to you. It seemed to be a simple cooking tool.
The basket itself was protected by magic so it wouldn't deteriorate in the hot water.
Saari didn't have to eat anything, but it seemed that what Aines had fed her was delicious.
Listening to Saari, it felt like Aines, the magician, enjoyed cooking delicious meals and relaxing here.
Soaking in the hot springs and eating tasty food didn't sound bad at all. It had already been confirmed that there were plenty of hunting prey like deer nearby.
'Wow, I see. Well, it seems safe here since no one would come, so why not? Why don't you ask if you can live here together, Ally?'
When I told Glee what Saari had said, she responded that living here might be a good idea.
The ground was muddy, and without a movement spell like 'Fly,' it would be tough to get in.
'Hey, Saari, can I cook here like Aines? I also want to invite my friends.'
'Yeah, I'd prefer if you left this building as it is when Aines comes back, but as long as you keep that promise, it's fine for you and your friends to come. You can use the magic tool as long as you just use it.'
Saari's mouth seemed to lift slightly at the corners in response. Al thought she looked happy. And there was one more thing that Al was curious about.
'Hey, Saari, I have another question... Can I use Spirit Magic too?'
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