His skin was so pale as to be translucent, and his eyes were like little icy-blue balls of glass. His white robe fluttered gently as he floated above the lake. He looked positively divine, the way his whole body emitted a faint light.
And here we have yet another beautiful man. And one that looked to be about the age I’d been when I’d died. He was so otherworldly it was hard to feel nervous, though.
(Is that child your master?) the new hottie asked.
(Yes, Your Sacred Majesty,) said my fenrir.
(She possesses a strange soul. What is your name?)
“My name is Deirdre,” I answered promptly.
(Deirdre? Thanks to you, we have gained new friends, and it appears we will only make more in the times to come.)
With the arrival of the Spirit King, everyone behind us had gone silent. It was no wonder. They were probably wondering what the hell was going on. I imagined they hadn’t even known someone like this existed.
Now that he was the center of attention, the king’s eyes narrowed warmly as he glimpsed all the little balls of light dancing around everyone gathered in the meadow.
(I thought this land had long been forgotten. I am pleased to see this has once more become a place for humans and spirits to interact.)
Seeing him so pleased when we’d just sort of been making things up as we went along, I started to feel a little guilty. It felt like a waste to not encourage human-spirit interaction in a world like this, though, right? Of course he would want everyone to get along.
“May I ask a few questions? I am Margrave Belisario, the lord in charge of this march. I am also the father of Deirdre.”
(Belisario... How many generations ago was it now that I met the last Belisario? What a nostalgic name. Allow me to welcome your family. Please, this way.)
Three beautiful women appeared around the Spirit King, and when he waved his light-filled hands, tables, chairs, and a white folding screen appeared upon the surface of the water.
“Rex, go bring some cakes.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Rex piled some cakes and sandwiches into a basket and handed them to me, and I then stepped out onto the lake. The color of the lake had changed between where we stood upon the shore and where the table had been set, so I imagined it was walkable.
“Deir, wait. I’ll carry the basket,” Chris said at once.
“Let’s go together, then,” Alan added.
So overprotective—I’ll be totally fine. But Chris was just hopeless, so I gave him the basket, and my two brothers held my hands as we walked.
Honestly, I felt like a ninja using some sort of forbidden technique. The surface we walked on felt like a marble floor.
The water turned back to normal after we’d walked over it so no one else could follow. Naturally, my spirit beasts had accompanied me. Actually, they’d already dashed to the king’s side while I was waiting for Rex to hand me the basket. I was their master, but even I couldn’t beat their ruler when it came to their loyalty.
(Make yourself comfortable.)
A comfy-looking beige sofa and a table set with tea and fruit had been prepared in the middle of the lake.
“Are you able to eat human food?” Chris asked as he took the food from the basket. The Spirit King curiously took one of the cakes and gave it a try.
(This is rather delicious.)
“I’m glad to hear that.”
(Now what do you wish to ask?)
“Would large groups of people coming here to look for spirits like today cause trouble for you in any way?” father asked. “I would like to give the knights and the castle staff the chance to come here as well.”
Hopefully, Rex and Brad would get that chance too. Rex already had a wind spirit, but Brad had none. He’d said that since he’d previously worked as an assassin, he hadn’t been training his mana, but he should be able to handle at least one. He could just take his time and feed it gradually.
(If you were to come every day, I would naturally start to find that a bother, but if the visits are intermittent, then I encourage them, in fact. Spirits evolve through consuming the mana of humans. If more spirit beasts are born in this land, the mana in the area will increase, and crop yields will improve.)
“We would very much appreciate that as well. In that case, we’ll make sure to organize which days to visit.”
(Please do. That said, there is no need to think you must come here all the time—there will always be spirits where nature is abundant. So long as you aren’t trying to destroy their habitats, the spirits will always listen to your call.)
“I see. So are there spirits near the imperial palace?”
(That is not my territory. In this world, there is a Royal Spirit of each element within each country. On the island to the south, humans and spirits live together in harmony, whereas in the west, humans destroyed the natural habitats in which the Spirit Royalty lived, leading to the desertification of the land and its ultimate unsuitability for human life. In other words, there are three Royal Spirits other than myself in this country. The Earth Royal used to live near the imperial palace, but then the empress had the forest destroyed. Nowadays, she has cut her ties with all humans and moved to a different dimension.)
“Does that mean there are no spirits living in the forest near the academy?”
(Some certainly exist. But out of respect for their queen, they do not approach humans.)
And that explained why the princes couldn’t find a spirit. Deforestation in this world was super scary—to think that alone was enough to make the spirits angry and cause everything to dry up. Wait, does that mean the capital is at risk of turning into a desert too? If at the same time provincial areas became friendly with their spirits and began flourishing, it was obvious the situation could turn nasty.
“But people need to build places to live as well. I highly doubt Her Imperial Majesty thought the forest was home to a Royal Spirit.”
(Then she should have consulted with us before she destroyed it. It is unthinkable that she is unaware of our existence. It was not all that long ago that humans lived alongside us. Why do you all forget so quickly? Your lives are so short that you should ensure you are passing on everything you must to the next generation.)
It was the painful truth; that had always been difficult for us humans to do.
“How can we lessen the Earth Royal’s anger?”
(I couldn’t tell you. How would you forgive someone who ran you and your family out of your home?)
“I...might never forgive them.”
“Father,” Chris spoke up. “I believe we have little other option than to simply deliver this information and allow Her Majesty and the Earth Royal to negotiate between themselves. We still do not even know how much the empress will prioritize the spirits.”
“You have a point. But at least we should learn to live in harmony with them. We’re counting on your generation to maintain our ties too.”
“Of course.”
Apparently, the Wind Royal lived in the highlands to the north, while the Fire Royal lived in the great plains to the east. Once we’d made our report to the empress, we would provide the same information to the nobles in the regions where the other Royal Spirits lived.
“If the empress were to visit this land, would you meet with her?”
(I refuse. The class system of you humans is meaningless to us. I will only meet with your family, as the rulers of this area. If there are meetings in the future pertaining to the coexistence of spirits and humans, however, I will attend as many as I must.)
“We’d really like to serve as a bridge between the other Royal Spirits and the humans who rule their lands...”
(Hmm... Allow me to contact the other Royals, then. You contact the humans.)
“Um...” I interjected.
(Your name is Deirdre, correct? The humans remembered how to connect with us because of you, yes? Allow me to grant you my blessing as thanks.)
What? Won’t that make me stick out even more? Was this okay? No, no, beyond that, it seemed like the Spirit King had taken a liking to me. Both his tone and expression when he spoke to me were entirely different from when he was talking to my father. So even you treat little girls differently, spirit ruler man!
“I’d rather you met with the imperial family just once instead of giving me a blessing. Everyone in the empire will change their mindset immediately if the imperial family are the ones who give the explanation about the spirits. All the spirits of this country may gain the ability to get along with humans as a result.”
I’d had no idea how to say any of that like a kid, so I hadn’t bothered. I’m so sick of it. Just think of me as some crazy smart kid, okay?
(You do not require my blessing?)
“I do not.”
(But it is a status resistance blessing. Poison and disease will lose nearly all effectiveness against you.)
“Mmmngh... But I want to live in a world where there’s tons of spirit beasts!”
(I like you. In that case, I’ll meet them just once. I’ll grant you my blessing as well.)
Yaaaay, blessing from the Spirit King acquired.
But why did I get the feeling I was going to draw even more attention now?!