episode_0079

The Secret of Kroa Spring

“A priest came here? A human priest?”

“Yes. I remember him clearly because he was the first human I’d ever seen. Hmm… He was a yellow-haired priest wearing white clothes…”

“…No one said they saw a human while we were coming all the way to this last part of the Kriton region… When did you see him?”

“Hmm… It must have been about four days ago.”

Four days ago… That’s around the day we left Proserpina, isn’t it? But Chief Akada-nim of Karizan also told us it had been a long time since they’d seen a human… Did we just miss each other on the way? More importantly, why would he come to the Kriton region, where only frightening rumors circulate?

“Hmm… It’s a mystery. Outside, this place is etched in people’s minds as a region of terror… Why would someone risk their life to come to a place like this?”

“That’s a bit harsh. What’s so dangerous about a place like this, with spirits, fairies, and elves, that humans outside say such things?”

“Ah, when we came here, elves attacked us. There was some bad history between the elves of this region and humans.”

“Ha. They couldn’t even solve that one thing…”

“You idiot!! I told you to study history!!”

When Iruvan expressed displeasure at the story between humans and elves, Nerha suddenly slammed a book on his head, angered. A thick book, too… As Nerha suddenly lost her temper and slammed the book on Iruvan’s head, I started to feel a little afraid of Nerha… Or perhaps women are just scary after all…

“Aargh!! Why did you hit me all of a sudden?!”

“I’ll apologize on his behalf, Zeke-nim!! He’s uneducated because he doesn’t study… I’m truly sorry!!”

“Uneducated?! I know what I need to know!!”

“No, I’m fine, really…”

I straightened my face and slowly turned my head in a certain direction. Iruvan and Nerha also followed my gaze. Then, Aria was seen stirring the stew with a ladle, suppressing her anger. At that sight, Iruvan and Nerha’s expressions instantly hardened.

“Heheheh… To continue to be rude to Zeke-nim… I was just needing a target to confirm if I could really split a mountain… Wouldn’t you do, Iruvan…?”

“Aaaaaaaahhh!!”

“Aaaah!!”

I had already glanced at Aria when Nerha hit Iruvan’s head with the book, so I knew Aria was angry. But Iruvan and Nerha, who were too busy arguing to notice Aria’s mood, were so terrified by Aria’s chilling words that they almost fainted.

“…Aria, it’s alright… Uh… Can you give them some stew too?”

“…?! What?! Are you forgiving such a brute, Zeke-nim?!”

When I asked Aria to give stew to Iruvan as well, Aria was genuinely flustered, pointing a finger at Iruvan and asking if I had forgiven him. At her words, Iruvan flinched and shouted, clenching his fists.

“Wh-what are you talking about?! Wh-what do you mean, brute?!”

“Hmm… He certainly doesn’t grasp the atmosphere at all…”

“Ugh…”

“Moreover, he has a personality that even bothers me, can’t distinguish his own place, and lastly, it’s clear that one punch from you would send him to the afterlife, yet he’s all talk… But still, he’s in his adolescence, isn’t he? Besides, if he still tries to pick a fight after being beaten up like this, it means he wants to die. I’m giving it to him because he must have come to his senses… Huh?”

Waving my hand and telling Aria it was fine, I turned my head back and saw Iruvan collapsed in a daze. I then straightened my face, and Nerha, looking at the collapsed Iruvan, chuckled softly and asked me,

“Zeke-nim also has a scary side, don’t you? You’re quite the sharp-tongued one.”

“…Am I? No, but it’s all true, isn’t it?”

“It is. Anyway, since you’re treating us to a meal, we’ll gratefully accept it. Our race also gets hungry and eats… It’s about time we felt hungry, actually.”

“I see. Alright. Aria, prepare the food… Huh?”

“Yes~”

Turning my head to Aria to prepare the meal with her, I saw Aria, who had just been making an uncomfortable expression, suddenly looking delighted as she transferred the stew into bowls. What is it…? Is there something I don’t know? But Nerha seemed to understand why Aria was making that expression, and chuckled softly again.

*‘Saintess-nim must be feeling relieved that Zeke-nim spoke Iruvan’s flaws so bluntly. What a scary bunch, really. Hehe…’*

I scratched my head and looked back. At that moment, I saw Nerha chuckling softly, grabbing Iruvan’s leg with one hand, and dragging him away. Is it okay to treat a younger brother like that…? Since I’m an only child, I couldn’t understand Nerha’s actions. Somehow, I felt like I was the only fool… Anyway, receiving a plate of stew from Aria, I handed it to Nerha.

“Is he just going to keep lying there? Should I leave out Iruvan’s portion?”

“Don’t worry~ If I do this…!!”

“Ugh!!!”

Nerha said she had a way and suddenly lightly stepped on Iruvan’s stomach with her foot. Iruvan immediately came to his senses and shot up from the ground, and Nerha seated him on a log. No, isn’t he your younger brother…? Whoa… Is this how siblings usually act…? Filled with bewilderment, I, with a dazed expression, gave stew to Iruvan and Nerha. Aria and I also took our stew and sat on other logs.

“…Aria, do you have any other siblings?”

“Huh? I’m an only child. Do you have any, Zeke-nim?”

“No, I’m an only child too… Are siblings usually like that…?”

“…!! You’re an only child too, Zeke-nim?! Th-this is impossible…!! I-isn’t this fate, Zeke-nim?! We have something in common, after all!!”

“…Right, that’s what’s important to you.”

I had momentarily forgotten that Aria wasn’t interested in other things, and let out a wry laugh as Aria always reacted the same way. At that moment, Nerha put a spoonful of stew into her mouth, widened her eyes, and asked Aria,

“W-what’s the name of this dish, Saintess-nim?! Wh-what kind of taste is this?! M-my goodness!!”

“What’s wrong, Sis? You’re reacting so excessively, unlike yourself… Are you finally getting old, Sis?”

“Enough! You try a bite too, Iruvan!! It’s… It’s not ordinary!!”

“Haaah… I told you, you’re just being weird, Sis? What kind of taste is th—Ugh… N-no?!”

Iruvan, who had been sighing deeply at Nerha’s excessive reaction, put a spoonful of stew into his own mouth, and his eyes snapped open in admiration at the taste of the stew. Then, Nerha and Iruvan concentrated on eating the stew without saying a word. While Aria and I ate three spoonfuls, Iruvan and Nerha had already finished all their stew.

“…!! I ate it all without even realizing… Oh my… A taste that makes you lose your mind…?”

“There’s more, so eat more, Iruvan. Is that alright, Aria?”

“As Zeke-nim wishes~ You can do anything you want~ Everything I make is also Zeke-nim’s, after all~”

As Aria gave her permission, I immediately took Iruvan’s plate and poured more stew into it. When I handed the plate back to Iruvan, he took the bowl I gave him with a dazed expression and asked me,

“How did you know I wanted more…?”

“It’s all written on your face. It’s a strength that you’re honest, but being too honest can also be a weakness. Anyway, I knew because you’re honest in many ways.”

“Uh… Thanks.”

“?!”

Despite hearing his flaws from me, Iruvan accepted the stew without a word and began to eat it. Nerha watched Iruvan eating with a dazed expression, completely bewildered.

*‘I-Iruvan… he heard that and didn’t even resist…?!’*

“By the way, the stew is delicious today too, Aria. Thank you always.”

“Heheheh… Zeke-nim’s praise gives me the greatest strength~ It feels like I become even more sincere in everything I do, the more Zeke-nim praises me~”

“You sure know how to talk. But… it makes me happy that you’re happy.”

“Heheheh…”

*‘These people… they have a scary side, but… what should I say… the atmosphere is so warm that it makes me feel cozy too… I don’t dislike it.’*

Nerha smiled contentedly, looking at the harmonious atmosphere between Aria and me. After we all finished eating, I headed to Kroa Spring to wash the dishes, when Nerha urgently stopped me.

“Ah, Zeke-nim! You shouldn’t use the water from Kroa Spring!”

“Oh? Why? Is it a spring your race treasures?”

“That, but Kroa Spring water isn’t meant for drinking or use, either.”

“What? Come to think of it, there wasn’t a single fish living in this spring…”

“I’ll explain later, so for now, could you bring the dishes?”

“Huh? Uh, sure.”

I was bewildered, but I followed Nerha’s words and took the dishes with me. And at that moment, Nerha and I felt something intimidating emanating from behind us, and we hastily turned around. There was Aria, looking at us with a chilling smile. Seeing her face, Nerha was greatly startled and terrified, and I let out a wry laugh.

“Aaaah!!!”

*‘Ah… Oops.’*

“Heheheh… Going somewhere with another woman… The only woman who should be alone with Zeke-nim is me…!!”

“…Th-that’s right. Let’s all go together… Grab the dishes and follow, Aria.”

“Yes~ Understood~”

At my suggestion to go together, Aria hurried to gather the dishes. After Aria left, Nerha clutched her chest and gasped for breath. Right… Aria is quite scary…

“Gasp… gasp… I-I thought I was going to die.”

“…I felt a bit like that at first too. I’m used to it now, but… sometimes I get scared of myself for being used to it.”

“I-I see… Haah… haah…”

While Nerha was composing herself from the fear, Aria came running with the dishes to be washed. Nerha, whose fear hadn’t completely subsided, was terrified again at the sight.

“Aaaah!!”

“Calm down, Nerha…”

We waited until Nerha, who had screamed until Aria arrived, calmed down. Finally, as Nerha let out a deep breath and stabilized, I asked her,

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes… I’m calm now… Is there anything we can use to hold water?”

“We have a bucket. But what are you planning to use it for?”

“Hoooh… Alright… Here we go?”

Nerha let out a big breath, then spread her hands over the bucket Aria had placed on the ground. Water droplets shot out from Nerha’s palms, and the droplets combined to form a large water sphere, floating above the bucket.

“Is that…?”

“I’m a water spirit, so I know how to conjure water. You can use this water for drinking or for cleaning. Once you’re done tidying up, I’ll tell you why you shouldn’t use the water from Kroa Spring.”

“Hmm… Alright. Thanks for now.”

I felt a little uncertain, but for now, I trusted Nerha’s words and used the water she conjured to wash the dishes. After we finished cleaning all the dishes until the water in the bucket ran out, we followed Iruvan and Nerha and stood before Kroa Spring.

“Are you all done cleaning?”

“Yes. So, what’s the reason?”

“Hmm… Originally, I shouldn’t tell you, but… Zeke-nim and Saintess-nim, who even treated us to a meal, are good people, so they will surely acknowledge you.”

“They?”

“Aren’t you curious where we came from, Zeke-nim?”

At Nerha’s question about where they came from, I pondered. Then, remembering Nerha’s warning not to use Kroa Spring water, I guessed the reason.

“No way… Is that why you told us not to use it? To prevent it from being contaminated by other impurities?”

“Th-that one question made you guess the reason?! That’s amazing…”

“No, then the answer’s obvious. That must be why there were no fish in this spring either…”

“Yes. In fact, we came from deep within Kroa Spring. Other spirits also live inside this spring. Come on, follow us. This is the secret of Kroa Spring, only revealed to Zeke-nim!”

Nerha told us to follow, then suddenly threw herself into the spring. Iruvan also followed Nerha into the spring. I hurriedly put my face into the spring to check inside, but Nerha and Iruvan were nowhere to be seen.

“Huh…? Really? So…”

“What’s wrong, Zeke-nim?”

“A deep breath… Do they really live inside the spring? Let’s go in too.”

“Just a moment, Zeke-nim. Look at me?”

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Aria grabbed my arm and told me to look at her. I turned my head to Aria. Then Aria began to mumble something, and hearing it, I realized she was reciting a prayer.

“Oh, Dweller in the Heavens. By Your power, help all things on Earth to allow us to pass…”

“…? What kind of prayer is that?”

“It’s done. I recited a prayer so we can breathe underwater for a while. It’s best to be prepared, just in case they try to trick us.”

“…They don’t seem like the type to be untrustworthy.”

“Zeke-nim’s life is most precious to me. Isn’t it better to be prepared than not?”

“…That’s true, so I can’t really argue. Alright. Shall we hold hands and go?”

“…!! Yes!”

I took Aria’s hand, and together we plunged into the water. Once in the water, we began to sink deeper and deeper. As we sank for a long time in the lightless water, Aria asked me,

“Perhaps they were tricking us after all?”

“That might not be it. Let’s just keep trusting th—Huh?”

At the moment Aria doubted Iruvan and Nerha, light burst forth from beneath us, and Aria and I were perplexed. And at that moment, I felt something strange and flailed my arms.

“Wh-what? This… this isn’t underwater?!”

“What? Oh my… It’s true! Just a moment ago, when we spoke, air bubbles appeared… Huh? Zeke-nim! Look up!”

Aria, startled, pointed upwards with her finger, and I looked up. Then, the water appeared like a flat ceiling above us, and seeing it, I was greatly astonished.

“What is that?! Was the water already over?! But why are we still sinking slowly as if we’re underwater…?”

“Huh? Zeke-nim! Below…!!”

“Now what… Huh?!”

Aria pointed downwards, and I followed her finger, looking down. Then, a glowing village with stone buildings appeared before my eyes, and I was greatly flustered by the sight.

“Wh-what kind of place is this?! Above is water… and below is a village inside a cave… Ah, it’s blinding… Ugh… Huh?!”

I was greatly astonished by the village beneath my feet. Then, the sunlight streaming in from above blinded my eyes, astonishing me even more. The water had been dark, so how could it be so bright as if the sunlight was coming from outside?! Amidst my confusion, Aria and I continued to sink until we reached the village, where Nerha welcomed us.

“Welcome~ This is Kroa Spring, the spring where spirits live!”

“…Wh-what kind of spring is this with such an innovative structure…?”