“Thank you very much.”
“N-No! We’re the ones that should be apologizing to you! Please accept our sincerest apologies!” Sara bowed her head in a fluster after Rio had thanked her.
“Then let us relocate immediately. Follow me.”
“Of course. ...But could you give me a moment first? I’d like to heal myself a little.”
Just as Rio tried to stand up and follow Ursula, a sharp pain stabbed him in the stomach. His face twisted in agony as he sought permission to treat himself.
“Hm? Did they injure you? That is inexcusable. Let me treat you immediately.” Ursula replied, shooting a cold glance towards Sara and the others.
“No, I can do it. Please do not trouble yourself.” Rio rejected her offer and began to heal himself.
“That’s... spirit art. I see, so you are a human of Yagumo. How unusual...”
“So this is spirit art after all?” Ursula muttered to herself in understanding, prompting Rio to question her.
He was more than well aware that he was using an unusual ability that was similar to, yet unlike magic. He had tried to research the identity of it in the Royal Academy’s library, and as a result, he had discovered a book that spoke of an imitative technique called “spirit art.” However, it held no details other than the name, and his research ended without him receiving any more clarity of his ability.
“From the looks of it, you don’t seem to understand spirit arts very well. How did you come to learn it?”
“I was suddenly able to use it one day.”
“...What?”
Rio’s frank truth made Ursula’s eyes widen.
“Is that unusual?”
“Hum. Humans have far less aptitude towards spirit arts than the spirit folk to begin with... To learn it in a single day should be impossible. Under normal circumstances, at least. Don’t tell me...” Ursula said, before giving Rio a meaningful look.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s not a problem... it shouldn’t be, anyway. I’d like to hear more about that too, if possible. I promise to answer any questions you have about us as well.”
“Please do. Also, I would appreciate it if you could lend me something to wear,” Rio said, flashing a glimpse of his underwear-clad figure under the blanket. Ursula sighed deeply.
“...I apologize again. They shall be brought to you immediately. Along with some medicine, since you may already be sick. Orphia, Alma. Go prepare them, now.”
“Y-Yes ma’am!”
Orphia and Alma nodded in unison and hurried out of the room.
◇◇◇
After Rio changed, relocated rooms, and introduced himself, he explained the reason he had taken in Latifa. He explained that he had been moving from Strahl to Yagumo, that he was attacked on the way by Latifa, a slave being controlled by the Collar of Submission, and that Latifa decided to follow him after he released her, and so on.
Latifa — the only one who could attest to the truth of his story — had perhaps grown tired or bored of the small talk, as she had fallen asleep on Rio’s lap as he talked. However, her attachment to Rio was the greatest proof they could have offered.
As their discussion progressed, Rio explained the reason why he decided to step foot into the great forest that held the spirit folk’s village. Namely, the fact that he wanted the spirit folk to take the werebeast — Latifa — in, and protect her.
“Uzuma. Because of your hasty actions, you have committed the greatest dishonor upon a benefactor seeking to protect one of our own. Do you have something to say for yourself?”
After hearing the entire story, Ursula turned to Uzuma with a severe look.
“Umm... When I heard that Miss Latifa was put to sleep by spirit arts, I thought that human... that he had surely kidnapped her, and flew into a rage.”
Uzuma explained her side of the story with a flushed face, sweating profusely.
“From what I have heard, you attacked him while in the middle of negotiations without even bothering to hear what Lord Rio had to say. Why did you not wait until he had finished speaking?”
“I-I was simply too enraged... And as long as there was the possibility of a kidnapping, I had to prepare for the worst case scenario and secure the safe rescue of Miss Latifa...” Uzuma cowered as she spoke, shrinking back in fear.
Considering how urgent the situation had been, Uzuma’s actions couldn’t be written off completely. Anyone would jump to the conclusion of kidnapping if they encountered an armed foreigner, trespassing in their territory, with a young girl of their own species put to sleep by spirit arts.
On top of that, there was the danger of Latifa being used as a hostage if they moved too slowly... And if Rio had really been a kidnapper, that would have been more than possible.
But just because Uzuma’s reaction wasn’t completely wrong didn’t mean that she had done the right thing. Reality didn’t have clear solutions like numerical formulas, after all.
“P-Please forgive me, Head Elder! Y-You may punish me however you see fit, if need be!” Unable to withstand the mood in the room and her own sense of guilt, Uzuma finally cracked and turned to apologizing.
“Hmph. Don’t you think you’ve mistaken who your apology should be directed to?”
“L-Lord Rio! I’m truly very sorry...”
Uzuma suddenly kneeled on the ground, throwing her forehead to the floor before her.
In other words, a dogeza.
So the spirit folk also had the culture of dogeza... Rio’s eyes widened slightly at that.
While he wasn’t sure whether her action held the same weight as the dogeza did in Japan, her apologetic intentions were evident.
“P-Please accept my apology too. My Lord Rio, I am very sorry for what happened!” Following Uzuma’s lead, Sara, Orphia, and Alma all kneeled down in succession.
“...I would be lying if I said I wasn’t bothered, but I accept your apology. I may have lacked some consideration myself when I stepped into your territory so thoughtlessly.” Uncomfortable with having girls his age and older groveling at his feet, Rio decided to accept their apologies and be done with it. It wouldn’t be a good idea to ruin their relationship from now on, either.
“Lord Rio, please accept an apology from me as well. I promise to have Uzuma take responsibility for her hastiness. The girls over there shall face a scolding from me, too,” Ursula said, making Sara and the others flinch.
“Yes, I understand. So please, everyone, raise your heads. I will be distraught if you remain like this any longer,” Rio said with a forced smile at Sara and the others who were still bowing on the floor.
“Lord Rio. The village elders will gather tomorrow morning and offer you a formal apology. You must be tired tonight. Please rest with Miss Latifa here in this room,” Ursula suggested with a sidelong glance at the girls slowly rising to their feet.
“Then I shall do just that.”
“Good. I shall prepare an attendant for you too. Don’t hesitate to inform us if you need anything.”
“No, nothing. Thank you for your consideration.”
“Of course. Now, I must make some various arrangements, so please excuse me. Come along, you lot.” The girls all followed Ursula out of the room.
On their way out, Uzuma and the three girls bowed deeply, prompting Rio to lightly nod his head at them. Just before she left the room, Ursula sent Latifa a look overflowing with affection. Then, Rio shifted Latifa from his lap onto the bed, before laying down next to her.
◇◇◇
Shortly after Rio fell asleep...
The village elders gathered in a council room on the top floor of their town hall.
“...And that’s the general summary of this incident. I believe it would be proper to offer Lord Rio a formal apology and a reward to show our gratitude for saving Miss Latifa and protecting her. Are there any objections?” After Ursula explained the events that occurred, she looked around the room of elders from where she sat. There were two ot
her elders in the room as well, seated to her left. The others all wore conflicted expressions.
“I don’t believe anyone would object to the apology and reward. But, as we have no knowledge of how human culture works, our common practices may not be conveyed as intended. What we should apologize for and thank him with is another matter that needs considering,” the elf head elder — an elderly man seated at the center of the three seats with Ursula — said.
As they were all different species from humans entirely, there was a significant difference in their fundamental sense of values. In reality, that difference in value was what caused them to separate themselves from humans over the course of history. That was why they wished to avoid expressing their gratitude in the wrong way and causing some kind of displeasure.
“Then why don’t we just ask the kid himself? We can just give him whatever he wants, so long as it’s within our means,” the dwarf head elder suggested from where he sat just to the right.
“Don’t you think that would be rather presumptuous, Dominic?” said the elf male. He looked at the dwarf — Dominic — beside him.
What Dominic had meant was to issue a blank check for Rio to write his desired amount. But if it was an amount they couldn’t afford, they’d be in trouble by appearing even ruder and ungrateful towards him.
The room buzzed.
“Even so, we cannot simply express our gratitude with only words. We owe that much to Lord Rio for how we have slighted him. I believe there is some appeal to Dominic’s words, everyone,” Ursula said, looking at the other elders.
The elf elder gave a stately nod. “Well... I suppose.”
The other elders in the room reluctantly voiced their agreement too. Everyone present admittedly felt it was right to repay Rio in some form or another, but the reason why they were so wary of him was largely due to their preconceptions of humans.
With problems between their species deep-rooted in their history, this was one thing that couldn’t be helped.
“Yep... gotta avoid humans at all costs. I get why everyone feels wary and all, but this one was nice enough to save one of our brethren from slavery and guide her all the way to us from the Strahl region. From what I’ve heard, we returned his favor with bad blood. He certainly doesn’t seem like the type of brat to demand that we offer him a slave... Ain’t that right, Ursula?”
“Indeed, I can guarantee that much. He was a compassionate and reasonable boy,” Ursula declared assertively at Dominic’s question.
“So how about it, Syldora?”
“...All right. Does anyone have any objections?” The elf elder Syldora nodded and looked over the other elders, but no one stepped forward, and the proposal was approved.
“Then to show our gratitude, we shall go with the idea Dominic suggested. Does anyone else have any other points to raise?”
“Hmm. Then may I?” Ursula raised a hand.
“Of course. You were the one most involved with this incident out of the council of elders,” Syldora welcomed her with a nod.
“I would like to address the topic of Miss Latifa. While I’m not entirely certain, I believe her upbringing as a slave has resulted in what I perceived as mental fragility. That fragility has manifested itself in the form of dependence towards Lord Rio. If we were to accept her within our community, we would require Lord Rio to stay in the village too — at least until she settles down, I am thinking.”
“Ah... In that case, preparations need to be made for lodgings and a caretaker. We also gotta explain the situation to the villagers... and get the brat’s consent, too, of course.”
Dominic scratched his head at Ursula’s words; Syldora and Ursula opened their mouths without missing a beat.
“We can leave the caretaking to the apprentice shrine maidens. Fortunately, they’ve already met him. It can act as their repentance for troubling one such protector.”
“Hm. In regards to lodging, there’s an empty house on my property. They can live there. I volunteer to take on the role of being their guardian in the meantime.”
And so, the discussion proceeded smoothly, until...
“Hey. Do you have a moment?”
A beautiful voice echoed clearly throughout the council room. Suddenly, a woman materialized in a spot that had been vacant. She was a young beauty, and was wearing a dress decorated with delicate flowers. Her green hair was long enough to reach the floor, and her eyes were a sparkling emerald color. Her face was so exquisitely refined, it almost seemed devoid of life, yet she also emitted a warm aura about her.
“Y-Your Greatness...”
As soon as they caught sight of her, all the elders in the room immediately knelt all at once.
“Great Dryas, the Grand Spirit Festival is still a ways in the future. What brings you here today?” Ursula asked reverently.
“Yeah, I just had something on my mind. I came to ask you guys about it.”
“I see. How may we help you?”
“Just now, I felt the presence of an unfamiliar spirit around this area. Seemed like a pretty high class one, but it disappeared almost immediately. I’m almost certain it’s someone’s contract spirit, but I don’t know who. Any ideas?”
Dryas asked, looking around the council room.
“...Yes, actually,” Ursula answered.
“Oh, really? Where is it?”
“I believe it is resting with the boy it contracted to at the moment. We have plans to bring him to this room tomorrow morning. What would you like to do, Your Greatness?”
Ursula’s answer made the other elders widen their eyes in shock. The only contracted boy she could be referring to was Rio.
“Huh... So he’ll be in this room? Then is it okay for me to sit in attendance too?”
“Of course, Your Greatness. However, the boy is actually a human child...”
“Oh, my... How unusual. Humans are visiting this village?” Dryas widened her eyes in the slightest.
“Yes, there were special circumstances involved...” Ursula hesitated with a troubled expression.
“Hmm. Well, that’s of no concern to me. I’ll pop by again tomorrow morning. See you then.”
“Yes, Your Greatness,” Ursula acknowledged respectfully.
At the same time, Dryas’ figure disappeared into dust. She truly was a carefree soul, appearing and disappearing as she pleased.
“...There she goes. I never imagined she would appear so suddenly like that. It’s bad for my heart...” Ursula sighed tiredly. The other elders showed similar reactions.
“Gahaha! She’s a great high-rank spirit, after all. Of course she’s gonna be whimsical. We’re rarely granted her audience outside of the Grand Spirit Festival. Let’s just consider it good fortune this time,” Dominic said.
“That may be true... But, Ursula, what was that you spoke of before? Is it true?” Syldora agreed with Dominic’s words before narrowing his eyes at Ursula.
“Hm. Great Dryas’ words just now solidified my theory. Lord Rio has forged a contract with a spirit. Although it is a little worrying that he didn’t seem to be aware of it himself.”
“I see... One thing after another... I never would have expected this after being rattled awake so late. This has been quite an eventful night indeed,” Syldora said, pasting a strained smile on his face.
“Damn right. The most eventful of my life.” Dominic gave a great nod of agreement.
◇◇◇
The next morning, Rio woke to find Latifa sleeping in his arms. Yesterday he had felt the oncoming symptoms of a cold, but now he felt surprisingly healthy, and it was all thanks to the elf medicine Ursula gave him. As he was stroking Latifa’s hair through her sound sleep, a knock echoed from the door.
“Yes? I’m awake.” Rio sat up and responded, then watched as the door slowly opened. There in the doorway stood three girls — the silver werewolf Sara, the elf girl Orphia, and the dwarf girl Alma.
“Good morning, Master Rio,” The three all called out together before bowing in u
nison.
“Good morning. Is something the matter?” Rio bowed his head to return their greeting before asking the three of them to enter the room.
“Preparations for breakfast have been completed, so we came to call you. What would you like to do?” Sara answered on behalf of the three of them. She was the oldest of the group and often ended up acting as their leader.
“It’s a very tempting offer, but I’d like to wait until Latifa wakes up. She’ll get mad at me if I eat first.” Rio smiled gently, shaking his head.
The girls’ expressions clouded over slightly. Seeing how soundly Latifa was sleeping as she clung to Rio made them feel even more guilty about what they had done because of their misjudgment.
“...Understood,” Sara said, bowing politely.
“Oh! How about some tea first, Master Rio?” Orphia clapped her hands together as a the idea popped into her head.
“If it’s not too much trouble, then please, Miss Orphia.”
“I-It would be my pleasure! Please wait here for a moment.” Orphia beamed before turning on her heel.
“Ah, I’ll help you, Orphia!” Without a moment’s delay, Alma eagerly followed Orphia out. It hadn’t been long until Rio and Sara were the only two left in the room.
“A-Ah, umm...”
Sara almost considered going to help them, too, but her rational mind realized that three people weren’t needed to prepare tea. She stopped in her tracks, feeling somewhat awkward at being left alone with a person of a different species that was also the same age. Their egotistical misunderstanding had one-handedly caused so much trouble for Rio, after all.
“T-Thanks,” Sara said, bowing without thinking. Then, she realized how meaningless her action was, and flushed red. Sara ducked her head, her ears and tail twitching restlessly. Rio’s eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to their movements.
Do they just move of their own accord? he wondered with a slight tilt of his head.
“U-Umm, Master Rio?” Sara suddenly burst out nervously, making Rio stiffen up reflexively.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Umm. Did you know Latifa back when she was a slave, Master Rio?” Sara asked with a conflicted expression, unable to help asking a difficult question.
Blessing of the Spirits Page 12
