Chapter 196

Chapter 196

Starting with the small bird that first approached, the spirits, sensing the presence of Lindy and me, began to gather one by one.

“Elf! Elf! Our friend!”

“Is the one next to you an elf too?”

“Silly, not everyone with pointy ears is an elf! That one is human!”

“Human?”

Well… it’s been several years since I became a woman, and I’ve become accustomed to accepting compliments about my beauty.

A spirit in the form of a puppy approached me, sniffed around, and then, startled by my outstretched hand to pet it, ran away. A spirit in the form of a small hamster scurried up my leg and perched on my shoulder.

“Be careful. Spirits are generally very playful. It can be troublesome if you annoy them and make them sulk, but there’s no reason to just stand there, so if they bother you, feel free to push them away.”

As Lindy said this, she lightly kicked the hindquarters of a spirit that approached her and pushed it aside. I wondered if the spirit would be offended, but it seemed to take Lindy’s actions as play, laughing merrily. They are truly pure children.

“What about those ones?”

With a child-like spirit clinging to my back, I asked, pointing to the spirits sitting a little further away, just watching us.

“Ah, those are the highest-grade spirits. As their rank increases, they tend to become a bit more serious, but they are still spirits, so they are mischievous, and you have to be careful. It’s often more troublesome when the stronger ones cause trouble.”

Indeed, they must be the highest-grade spirits. I could feel a powerful aura emanating from them, so strong that there was no need to gauge it.

“By the way, where do we need to go now? There isn’t just one Spirit King, there are several, right?”

“Hmm… Actually, it’s a decision made by all the Spirit Kings together, so we’ll probably need permission from the majority of them. But the elder mentioned she already relayed the message, so maybe we just need to go to the central palace… The problem is, I don’t know the way either.”

All I know is that there is one Spirit King for each of the basic elements: fire, water, wind, and earth. I don’t know anything else. Naturally, I had no idea where this central palace Lindy was talking about was.

“Palace?”

“Yes. Palace. Do you happen to know where it is?”

Meanwhile, the child clinging to my back reacted to the word “palace,” so I asked, wondering if they might know.

“I know! Just go straight that way!”

Then, the child stretched their hand out over my shoulder and pointed far away. However, even if I wanted to follow that direction, I couldn’t because the vast lake blocked the path. Spirits, who can take on any form, would have no trouble crossing, but Lindy and I had no means to cross the lake.

“Are there any other ways?”

“Other ways? Just go straight!”

I asked again, just in case, but only received the same answer. The child tilted their head as if asking what the problem was and bumped their head against mine. Then, as if delighted, they burst into laughter. Seeing that, I also chuckled and lightly bumped my head against the girl’s head. The child then stomped their feet in delight.

Ultimately, it was useless to rely on the girl on my back, and just as I was wondering who else I should ask, someone spoke to me.

“Lindy.”

“Ah… it’s been a while, Sylphy.”

The beautiful woman with long, straight hair seemed to know Lindy and spoke to her familiarly. Lindy also called her by name, indicating they were quite close.

“I came to pick you up when I heard Lindy had come to the spirit realm. We have a past, and even though the King prohibited summoning, you are still my contractor.”

“…Thank you for saying that.”

“And who is this?”

Sylphy turned her head towards me, standing next to Lindy, and asked. However, before Lindy or I could introduce ourselves, a voice interjected.

“Did you hear what the King said? Anyway, you’re as frivolous as you look.”

Unlike Sylphy, who wore a beautiful facade, a burly middle-aged man, reeking of sweat, reprimanded Sylphy. His voice was also a deep, sweaty bass, matching his appearance.

“Hero. Welcome. The King is waiting, so let’s go.”

“Ah, yes…”

As I followed the man who immediately got to the point and started walking, the spirits surrounding us also began to follow one by one. Some kept their distance, while others, like the child on my back, transformed into small forms and climbed onto me.

“Ah! You’re the Hero of this generation! Your name is… El… El… Elice, wasn’t it?”

Meanwhile, Sylphy spoke to me.

“Ahaha, it’s Elysia. Nice to meet you, Sylphy.”

“Unlike Lindy, you’re a polite friend. Nice to meet you too.”

As I extended my hand to greet her, she seemed familiar with human etiquette and replied by shaking my hand.

“Humans seem to like that appearance more!”

“Conversely, they seem to dislike that appearance!”

Meanwhile, the spirits following us saw me talking with Sylphy and began to whisper loudly, pointing at the man guiding us and Sylphy.

…Honestly, I admit that my attitude towards the two was different. No, that’s because, in the first place, even though I look like a woman now, I’m a full-fledged man inside. If I’m a man, isn’t it natural to be gentler towards a beautiful lady than a sweaty old man?

And besides, the man spoke to me gruffly first, so I replied gruffly. Conversely, Sylphy approached me kindly, so I responded with a smile. I can’t say there was absolutely no ulterior motive, but I will insist that it was a natural response.

While I was making excuses alone because I had no one to express my grievances to, the spirits following us began to change their forms one by one with a “pop, pop” sound.

Some couldn’t properly mimic the form and turned into children, but the rest transformed into beautiful adult women like Sylphy. Even the spirit that had been clinging to my back in the form of a child had now transformed into an adult woman. The pressure on my back felt softer.

“The children seem to like Elysia a lot. Perhaps they’re curious about seeing a human after a long time, especially in the spirit realm.”

“This is too much! They are guests invited by the King, so step aside!”

At that sight, Sylphy and the nameless man, whose attitude towards the following spirits differed from their appearance.

Startled by the man’s roar, the spirits in the forms of little girls and women scattered with cries of “Kya, kya,” but after a while, they slowly began to follow again.

Somehow, I found myself surrounded by beauties. I felt like I was becoming a spectacle, but even though they were spirits, their outward appearance was that of beauties, so I didn’t feel bad. Rather, I wondered when I would ever have such an experience.

Moreover, the further we advanced towards the palace, the more spirits followed, creating a long procession behind us. Honestly, at this point, even if it were a procession of beauties, it felt a little frightening. Of course, the spirits were following of their own accord, but I couldn’t help but recall the words Lindy’s mother had advised Lindy.

“…I couldn’t believe it, but it’s really like this. Or perhaps, the spirits’ purity has had a negative effect?”

Lindy also seemed bewildered by the sudden procession and spoke, looking back.

“I wonder if this will cause more trouble by being misunderstood by the Spirit Kings.”

“Hey, don’t worry too much. Even so, if the Hero asks, won’t it somehow work out?”

“The reason I’m worried in the first place is because of Elysia… No, maybe even the Spirit Kings with Elysia… Ah, no matter what, surely…”

Lindy looked at me and took a sharp breath. I don’t know exactly what she was talking about, but it seemed there was something I could do.

***

“Here we are. The King is probably waiting inside.”

“Hmm? Aren’t you coming in, Sylphy?”

“My guidance ends here. I hope you have a good outcome. See you later. Now, now! You too, don’t follow them to where the Kings are, come over here!”

With those words, Sylphy led the spirits that had been following and left. With Sylphy disappearing, still carrying the spirit on my back who refused to fall off, Lindy and I followed the man into the palace.

Soon, we reached a large door befitting a palace, and the man knocked loudly on the door and shouted.

“I have brought the guests you mentioned.”

Instead of a reply, the tightly shut door creaked open. Even from outside the door, I could feel an immense presence. It was surely the aura of a Spirit King.

As I entered with a bit of nervousness, I saw gazes looking at us from their respective chairs. Like the spirits I had encountered before, they all had different appearances, but the powerful aura they exuded was overwhelmingly overwhelming, making it disrespectful to compare them to mere spirits.

There were four of them in total. This matched the number of Spirit Kings I knew.

And these were the beings that Lindy and I had to persuade.