Chapter 206

01 “After the spirit lake became a mere pool, the Fell Forest grew just a bit more unstable than it had been before, and sometimes monsters appeared en masse. However, every time this happened, the nearby humans, who’d grown quite strong in recent years, took this as a time for profit and rose up to drive away the rampaging creatures. In a way, both people and monsters were able to live happily. “How much time has passed since that last adventure? “A lone youth sped out of the Labyrinth City’s gate again today. “Bow in hand, this child, an alchemist with a Spirit Eye, worked hard to gather materials, as he did every day. “Thanks to his hunting skills—teachings that had been passed down for generations—and his knowledge of alchemy, he was able to travel deep into the Fell Forest to gather valuable components. His companions were a small salamander and a spirit who dwelled in the twig of a sacred tree. They were a bit mischievous, but the youth was sure to enjoy many adventures with his trustworthy companions in the days to come.” “Is…is that…the predetermined future written in the Akashic records?! That kid is mine and Mariela’s…?” “Sooo, how about it? If I have some booze, I might remember.” “Sieg, no daytime drinking! And…Master, why are you here in Sunlight’s Canopy? Oh, Lyro Paja, please make yourself at home.” Not much time had passed since the spirit lake incident, and Mariela, who had finished the preparations for lunch, looked back at the dining table where the two former spirits were nonchalantly mingling with Sieg, who was setting the table, and the guards. During lunchtime at Sunlight’s Canopy, regulars of the shop and soldiers who protected the city came to the kitchen in turns and enjoyed proper meals, so a little fluctuation in the number of people was nothing unusual. However, the pair of former spirits blended in so well that Mariela reflexively did a double take. Sieg didn’t know whether the story Freyja told him was a fib or not. She was scheming to get Sieg to bust out some booze during midday. Meanwhile, Lyro Paja looked around the inside of the shop with curiosity. Lyro Paja was now a being similar to a monster with a slime as their base, but that didn’t mean their skin was transparent. Other than the creature’s pale skin and their hair being too long, Lyro Paja’s outward appearance wasn’t terribly different from that of a human, and the spirit seemed like they could pass for an unusual demi-human. After returning from the spirit lake’s realm, Freyja and Lyro Paja didn’t go back to the Labyrinth City with Mariela and the others. “I do not plan to carry the burden alone, but I cannot bring myself to be the only one to escape the corruption. Moreover, this body was created from a slime. If I had to pick a side, I’d say I’m closer to a monster. Thanks to this core created from all of your memories, I was able to experience the feelings of madness and love behind your desires, as well as good intentions and gratitude. However, I believe if I remain in your company overlong, I’ll be engulfed in corruption. A human city is not appropriate for me. Frey’s pupil and comrades, I will be watching over you from the abyss in the Fell Forest. If fate wills it, we shall meet again.” “In other words, good job, Mariela. Come pay us a visit soon!” Monsters couldn’t coexist with humans. That was the way of things, and Mariela had expected the diligent Lyro Paja to go deep into the Fell Forest and her careless master to follow after them as she waved, but… “Master, this visit is way too soon… Is Lyro Paja okay in a place full of humans like this? Won’t they want to attack us?” What about the corruption? Would Lyro Paja turn into a monster and be unable to resist attacking Mariela and the others? Mariela was worried, and to her, Lyro Paja looked vaguely restless and fidgety. “The truth is, I’ve adapted very well to this body. Not only because of the memories and ley-line shard, but also because of the water-aligned physical object known as a mermaid’s tear that you added to the core.” “I’m…glad?” Although Mariela thought the appearance of Lyro Paja fidgeting and talking was strange, she made interjections to show she was paying attention. “And, you know, this body once belonged to your subservient monster called Slaken, yes? It has a habit from that time, or perhaps you could say a desire…” “Okay…” Fidget-fidget-fidget, fidget-fidget-fidget. “Could you give me water with magical power in it?!” After acting suspiciously for a while, Lyro Paja at last blurted out what they wanted from Mariela. “Sure?!” Had the mystical, magnificent lake spirit Lyro Paja always been like this? Or could they have inherited Mariela’s Gluttony memory and become a complete gourmand? Lyro Paja drained a full bucket of water that Mariela infused with plenty of magical power. Next to them, Freyja, who had successfully cajoled Sieg, was gulping down alcohol. “Ahhh! That’s the stuff.” “Ahhh! I feel rejuvenated.” The two former spirits’ shamefulness stuck out all the more due to how beautiful they were. Although fire and water were conflicting elements, the pair looked remarkably similar now. “Man, there’s no booze in the Fell Forest. And neither Lyro nor I can cook, so I don’t get to eat anything good. Lyro’s a slime and seems to be fine with anything, though.” “I am not ‘fine with anything.’ I’m picky about magical power.” The pair, who sucked down their respective drinks in similar poses, talked congenially with each other. According to the conversation they had while enjoying Mariela’s homemade lunch, Lyro Paja wouldn’t go hungry even without Mariela’s magical power, unlike Slaken. However, every once in a while, they seemed to crave it excessively. Apparently, it was like someone who ate only pasta developing a craving for bread. “I get it. I’ve got a desire for booze, too.” Mariela didn’t think her master should lump her own constant thirst for alcohol in with Lyro’s wants. Mariela had worried Lyro’s craving for human magical power meant they would eventually eat people for a snack, but apparently, the taste of magical power taken by force and of that given freely were somehow different. As far as Lyro Paja could tell from the magical power of animals and monsters they’d tried, the energy offered with calls of “Soup’s onnn!” was full of love and had a unique flavor. Lyro seemed to have inherited the desire for the taste of tenderness that Mariela showered on Slaken. “The presence of fire is too strong in my magical power, so Lyro won’t eat it even if I go ‘Say aaah.’” “You did that, Master…?” Freyja was shameful, but Mariela was the one who was embarrassed after hearing her master’s admission. Apart from their eating habits, life in the Fell Forest seemed to be very pleasant for the two former spirits. For their dwelling, Freyja had called for a Talk with a suitable sacred tree while flashing her fiery power, and it changed an old tree with a large hollow into a construct resembling a house. Lyro Paja slept in a swaying hammock they’d asked an orb-weaving spider to make for them. Their mushroom chairs were soft and comfortable to sit on, but the shrub they’d made into a table had grown four legs and sometimes wandered off, which was a pain. Freyja and Lyro said they had few objects in their place, and it was dreary, so they were gathering the light of the stars to decorate it with. What exactly did that look like, though? Mariela grew excited just from listening to them. She wanted to visit them once. As Lyro Paja was similar to a monster, there were times when corruption streamed into the former spirit. However, the quantity was minimal compared with the past, and, perhaps thanks to their core, Freyja, who was very human-like, didn’t seem to irritate them. “My master doesn’t annoy you? Are you some kind of saint?” Mariela was astonished. If someone was fine being with her troublesome master around the clock, didn’t that mean Mariela was far more corrupted than them? “Well, I’m the one who gets bothered, actually.” Lyro Paja had always been rather serious and straightforward. They weren’t picky about what they ate aside from Mariela’s magical power, and they seemed to be enjoying life in a physical body as they wandered through the Fell Forest all day long. At night, they listened to the murmuring of streams or gazed at the stars. For better or worse, Lyro’s spirit characteristics remained strong, and though the creature’s core had been created from human sin, they led a clean, former-spirit lifestyle. It was no wonder the pleasure-seeking Freyja found that dissatisfying. “I thought I’d teach Lyro about amusements, so that’s why we came here today!” Since when had Sunlight’s Canopy been a recreational facility? Even Illuminaria was looking pleased as she stealthily peeked in through the skylight. “So? Anything happen after that whole debacle?” Entertainment-starved Freyja made a beeline for the real question at hand. With her master listening intently, Mariela recounted what the Black Iron Freight Corps members had been up to since the journey to the lake world. Partway through, however, Mariela wondered if Freyja had been asking about her and Sieg. “It hasn’t been that long, but Yuric and Mr. Franz seem to want to go on a journey to search for the place Yuric was born. Not right away, though. They said they would leave after they gathered information and saved up enough for travel expenses. They’re getting along well together. Mr. Grandel said the next time he goes to the imperial capital, he would visit his parents for the first time in a long while. Mr. Donnino seems to be spending a lot of time in the dwarven city recently to improve his armored carriage skills.” The Black Iron Freight Corps members who had each offered a little of their memories were confronting their problems head-on and taking new steps forward. Edgan, the simple, carefree man who would make love with anyone, anytime, anywhere, was no exception. He seemed to be in the middle of negotiating in turn with each of the women who had come to extort him by using the blood relation potions he’d received as compensation for escorting Mariela. “I don’t think they’d try to trick me if they were already well-off,” Edgan had said. In the end, he wound up giving a bit of money to the women who’d duped him. It was very like Edgan. “Come to think of it, Edgan mentioned something odd recently,” Sieg recalled in a mutter. “Ohhh, is that right?” Freyja pressed. “He said that the screams he’d always heard before while he was alone had stopped. Maybe because of that, he’s become better-behaved with women.” “So what he got paid off,” Freyja stated while licking the corners of her mouth. The act somehow reminded Mariela of the salamander licking Edgan’s cheek. Maybe Freyja had done something to soften Edgan’s painful memories back then. “So? What about you guys?” “…My punishment of going without dinner just ended, finally.” Freyja roared with laughter at Sieg’s miserable reply. The guards who had been eating with them left in a hurry, giving some excuse that their training later would be relentless if they participated in the conversation. This gesture helped preserve Sieg’s honor. Yet he still looked depressed that his relationship with the most important person to him, Mariela, wasn’t progressing at all. Mariela always wore the ring she got from Sieg on the fourth finger of her left hand, but only Sieg seemed not to have realized what that meant. “Because… Well…what could I have said with all those people around? It was too much pressure.” This was the explanation Mariela had given Amber and Merle after their sharp eyes had spotted the ring. Unfortunately, Sieg remained unaware. Even if it was a custom that didn’t exist two hundred years ago, Mariela had spent plenty of time in this era and had modern female friends. She’d played dumb in the heat of the moment, but Mariela was still a young woman. It seemed ridiculous to assume she didn’t know the meaning of Sieg’s gift. “Well, keep at it! We’ll visit again, and I’ll be expecting some fun stories when we do!” After saying this, Freyja and Lyro traded rare materials that could only be found in the deep parts of the Fell Forest for a large quantity of food, alcohol, and magical power-infused water from Mariela, then returned to the woods. “It’s hardly a trip at all if we go this way. With Lyro, it’s over in the blink of an eye.” Freyja and Lyro Paja’s road home was the cellar of Sunlight’s Canopy, which connected to the underground Aqueduct. Undoubtedly, the two former spirits would enliven Sunlight’s Canopy as regular customers through this private passage from here on out. 02 That night… “Mariela, I have something important I want to talk with you about. Would you come to the roof with me?” Sieg’s mind was made up. The idea of the roof as a place with a decent atmosphere and neither customers nor guards had a bit of a no-effort feel to it, but since the two had spent the night Lynx died sitting here together, it probably wasn’t a poor choice of locale for a heavy conversation. “Sieg? Wow, it’s so pretty!” Mariela exclaimed in admiration. She’d come up to find that the rooftop, usually brimming with a lived-in feel due to the sheets and Mariela’s and Sieg’s underwear hanging up to dry, had been thoroughly cleaned up and was now covered in lit candles. The tapers weren’t the monster-warding ones sold at Sunlight’s Canopy. Rather, Sieg had gone and bought them from another shop, and they had a fashionable feeling to them. The roof was spacious, and the sight of the many lit candles filling its entirety resembled both a sky full of stars and the depths of the ley line. It was utterly magical. In the center of the swaying lights, Siegmund held out his hand to Mariela. Mariela stepped up to Sieg as she was beckoned, and she softly placed her left hand on the one Sieg offered to her. “Mariela… I…” Sieg got down on one knee and attempted to speak the words he’d surely practiced many times over. However, much to a certain hunter’s chagrin, fire spirits, having been enlivened by Freyja’s visit, took lodging in the lights on the roof to watch the pair. Similarly, Illuminaria once again peeked with an excited expression from a sacred tree branch that came up to the roof. This made it difficult to say if Sieg’s proposal went entirely as planned. The ring on Mariela’s left hand with the jewel the color of Sieg’s eye shimmered as it reflected the infinite light of the night sky and the candles.