episode_0077

Croa Spring, Where Spirits Live

“Aah…”

“Hmm? Zeke-nim, why do you look so disappointed? Am I not enough…?”

It was morning, about four hours since we left Karizan. As I sighed deeply, as if disappointed, while heading towards Croa Spring, Aria spoke to me, tears truly welling up in her eyes. Honestly, how does she always conclude that it’s her fault whenever I sigh or express disappointment?

“No, it’s not like that. It’s just that lately, something big always happens wherever I go, but there was no major incident in Karizan. Sigh… I have a feeling something will happen at our next destination… and I’ll have to suffer a lot again…”

“Ah~ So you were worried about that~ But don’t worry, Zeke-nim! If there’s anything that might bother you, I, Aria, will take care of it all completely!”

“…You’re not going to smash everything with that staff, are you…?”

“Hehehe~ Don’t worry~ That will absolutely never happen~”

Aria clearly said it wouldn’t happen… but somehow, my mind understood that it absolutely would. Sigh… I hope nothing happens at Croa Spring… Huh?

“By the way, Aria. Were you trained to use that staff as a blunt weapon during your saintess education?”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s just… you always use that staff as a blunt weapon, so I suddenly got curious. You do sometimes shoot light beams or illuminate things with it, but it feels like you were trained to fight with it.”

“Ah~ No~ I just know it’s sturdy and swing it around~ But! I have absolutely no intention of harming Zeke-nim with this staff, so don’t worry!”

What I’m worried about right now is, well, partly that you might attack me… but mostly that you might not be able to restrain yourself and charge in, like Rubaea or Saphia, without thinking…? But Aria, oblivious to my concerns, wore a bright, innocent smile.

“Sigh… I really hope nothing happens… or rather, no bad things happen…”

“Hmm… By the way, Zeke-nim. I was curious when we left Karizan earlier… there weren’t any fairies on the street. Why was no one there?”

“That? Fairies usually wake up around 8 o’clock. We woke up at 6 and left Karizan right away, so there was no one on the streets. But you’re surprisingly observant about that.”

“Ah~ I was going to kill any fairy who dared to flirt with Zeke-nim with this staff~ Hehehe…”

“You say things like that to me without hesitation…?”

“Of course~ All of this is for Zeke-nim… Ah! But don’t worry… I’m trying to restrain myself.”

“Sigh… Right… Huh? What?!”

“Huh?”

I had never imagined that Aria would say she was trying to restrain herself, so upon hearing her words, my entire body stiffened in an instant. As I suddenly made a greatly shocked face, Aria tilted her head and asked.

“Why are you like that? Do you prefer me to be ruthless…”

“No. This is good. You’re doing well, Aria. Mm!”

As I held her right hand and praised her for doing well, Aria’s face turned… very red as if shy, and she suddenly swayed as if she was going to fall backward, so I quickly grabbed her. She almost fell over…

“He… heh… hehehe… Z-Zeke-nim praised me… Heehee… I’m so happy… Hehehehe…”

“Uh… right…?”

I had traveled with Aria for several months, but this thought never changed. Well, if you’re happy, then it’s fine… If I interfered more, Aria might go berserk, or she might get frustrated in a strange way, so I made sure to draw a line when praising her. This much was perfectly safe…

“Phew… Anyway, since you said you’re trying, I can really trust you this time, right?”

“Of course~ But I will deliver merciless judgment upon those who try to harm Zeke-nim!”

“…Still, shouldn’t you know the reason first…?”

“Hmm? Is that necessary? I believe that if an action is taken, there must be a consequence for it…”

“Don’t you remember you tried to kill Tess-ssi because of that?”

“Ugh…”

Aria fell into deep thought when I mentioned Tess, who had saved me. Indeed… Aria had a nature that at least showed favor to those who had saved me, so she must be worried about what she would do if such a situation happened again…

“Well… I’ll stop you again if I have to… but you shouldn’t get so angry that you don’t listen to me, okay? I’ll help you cool down that fiery temper of yours somehow.”

“Huh?”

“Otherwise, how would we travel together? Just as you take responsibility for me, I also take responsibility for you. So, I guess this means… we’re helping each other, aren’t we?”

“…Does that mean we could become lovers…? Hehehehehehe…”

Things were somehow going in a strange direction… but I decided not to worry about it anymore and continued walking towards Croa Spring. However, Aria’s creepy laughter kept coming from behind, making me a little scared… as if all the excitement about meeting a spirit would disappear… Sigh… But…

“Aria, there’s something I want to ask…”

“Yes~ Ask anything~”

“Do you know anything about spirits? You knew about Alraunes last time.”

“Ah~ Well~ I knew about Alraunes through a book that came from outside. But as for spirits… hmm… I wonder. Seeing a spirit is such a rare occurrence that I’ve heard stories that if you see one, you’re lucky enough to have used up all your remaining luck.”

“Huh? But there was information spread by Alraunes that spirits live in Croa Spring. Could that be false?”

“I wonder. It seems the Alraunes spread information about the Kriton region without falsehoods to attract external life forms, so it’s possible. After all, both elves and fairies actually lived in the Kriton region. However, the reasons why spirits aren’t seen are mostly speculated… either spirits are very shy, or there’s a reason why they shouldn’t be noticed by other races.”

“Hmm… I see. So we might not find one. If that’s the case, we’ll just have to go to the next area.”

“Yes…”

“Alright. Thank you, and don’t get discouraged, saying you don’t know enough to help me. That much information is plenty.”

“…?! H-How did Zeke-nim know that…?! D-Don’t you think we’re connected by something special after all!? Uhuhuhu…”

…No, it’s just that you react like that every day, and you often do predictable things… Aria, completely unaware of herself, simply covered her reddened cheeks with her hands and looked shy… How can she react like that to every single word I say… without getting tired of it? Is it like how I don’t get tired of exploring? It’s kind of fascinating…

“Ah! Zeke-nim! I just remembered something else. The appearance of spirits is said to be completely different depending on the attribute each spirit possesses. For example, fire spirits have a red appearance, and wind spirits are said to have a green color.”

“Hmm? How do you know that?”

“Someone who claimed to have seen a spirit and boasted about it all over the place once came to Esrad. So my maid told me his story.”

“Oh, that’s good information too, isn’t it? That much information is plenty helpful, Aria. Thank you so much.”

“…Z-Zeke-nim… My head suddenly… Heehee…”

Perhaps because she heard so many compliments from me in a row, Aria began to sway as if she was going to collapse again. I supported her with my whole body, and when Aria realized I was holding her up, her face turned completely red, as if steam was coming from her head.

“Aaaah… I feel like I could die without regrets now, aaaah…”

“…If you die, you won’t be able to see me, though?”

“….!!! Aaaaargh!! Not that!!”

At the words that she wouldn’t be able to see me if she died, Aria snapped back to reality and sprang up from her spot. I chuckled at her reaction, and seeing me laugh, Aria tilted her head and asked me.

“Oh? Zeke-nim, why are you laughing?”

“Nothing~ Let’s go!”

“Eh? Eeeeeek?!”

As laughter escaped me unconsciously, my spirits somehow began to lift, and holding onto that feeling, I grabbed Aria’s hand and ran towards Croa Spring. Aria’s face flushed, and she couldn’t say a word.

“Ah, th-that… uh… m-my… my h-hand… he… hehehe…”

‘Still, with Aria… somehow, the journey feels more enjoyable… I probably wouldn’t have felt this way if I were alone. But because Aria has been with me for four months, I’ve been able to continue traveling with such an excited heart. The reason I haven’t given up on exploring mid-way is, after all… a bit burdensome, but perhaps it’s thanks to Aria, who’s traveling with me… Huh?’

Though a little tired, I felt grateful to Aria for bringing me joy during the journey. As I ran, holding her hand, I smelled water between the trees and stopped in my tracks.

“Oh?! I smell water! Aria! Smell… Huh?!”

“Hehehehehehe…”

Smelling the water, I was delighted that a spring was nearby and turned around to look at Aria. I was bewildered to see Aria being helplessly pulled along by my hand, her face flushed crimson.

“Uh… are you okay?”

“Ah… no… My… my heart won’t calm down… Uh-hehehehe… This is truly the best day… Uh-heeheeheeheeck…”

“Are you o… Huh?”

As Aria showed herself unable to control her joy, I reached out my hand to her. At that moment, I noticed a faint yellow light seeping from Aria’s black clothes and carefully observed it.

‘Huh? That light… Could it be… the radiance of a Saint Ring? Oh?’

“Haa… haa… N-Now my heart feels a little calmer… Y-Yes, in times like these, I just have to… t-toy with the brooch Zeke-nim gave me…”

As Aria fiddled with the brooch I had given her, pinned near her collarbone, the light seeping from her clothes began to fade. I decided not to worry about the light anymore and grabbed Aria’s arm to help her up.

“I guess I can’t hold your hand often, huh? You just… crumple like this.”

“B-But… my joy is several… dozens of times greater than ever before… There will be no happier thing for me than for you to h-hold my hand, Zeke-nim…”

“…Alright, if you’re happy with it, then it’s fine… Anyway, it seems there’s a spring nearby. Let’s follow this scent of water.”

“Yes.”

Having helped Aria up, I began to follow the scent of water wafting from somewhere. Aria followed behind me, and after walking for two minutes, we finally arrived at a spring with an enormous amount of water.

“Th-This… is a spring made entirely of underground water…? It’s not just a s-spring level…!!”

“Right? At this point, you could even call it a river.”

The Croa Spring we finally encountered was… no, it was so massive that it raised the question of whether it should be called a spring or a mere well. Just as Aria said, Croa, with a width similar to a river, was composed of clear and pristine water.

“Wow… the water is so clean… It’s so clear that we can see ourselves reflected in it…”

“Hmm… but there aren’t any spirits around.”

“Well… it’s a shame, but let’s just think we’re out of luck. It looks like we’ll have to spend the night here today… Uh-oh.”

Looking around, I decided that we should spend the night here. And at that moment, my stomach let out a rumbling growl. Hearing the sound, I scratched my head in embarrassment, and Aria covered her mouth with her hand, chuckling softly.

“Hehehe~ It’s been a while since Zeke-nim’s stomach made a sound~”

“Well… you always prepared meals beforehand. Let’s see… are there any fish in this spring… Huh?”

Letting out a wry laugh, I peered into the spring, sensed something strange, took a deep breath, and submerged my face into the water. After looking underwater, I immediately pulled my face out of the water, shook the water out of my ears, and spoke to Aria.

“Phew… Something’s strange?”

“What is?”

“There isn’t a single fish in the water. Is it because this part is too shallow?”

“Hmm… Then I’ll dive in, go to the deeper part, and catch some fish.”

“No. We just arrived and are tired, so diving now wouldn’t be ideal. We also have ingredients from Karizan, so let’s just eat what we have today.”

“Yes~ Then I will cook for Zeke-nim~”

“Then I’ll check for any useful berries or mushrooms nearby.”

When I said I would walk around in the forest for a bit, Aria, who was preparing to cook, suddenly grabbed my arm. I turned my head to her, and Aria said to me.

“No, you can’t.”

“Huh?”

“What if there are fierce beasts or monsters nearby?! Absolutely not!!”

“No, Trahan is here, so it’s fine. And we’ve heard in many places that there are no dangerous creatures in the Kriton region. So…”

“Absolutely not!!! What if a ferocious dragon appears?!”

“Dragons are ferocious…?”

I was bewildered by Aria’s words that dragons were ferocious. This was because dragons were generally known as a wise and intelligent race. In other words… she just didn’t want me to go alone…

“It’s fine. You can tell if something happens to me now, right? So I’ll trust you and explore the surroundings.”

“…!! O-Okay… Since Zeke-nim relies on me… I will protect Zeke-nim even if I have to burn this life away.”

“It’d be scary if you actually burned, so please don’t do that… Alright, I’m going.”

“Yes~ Have a good trip~”

After calming Aria, I entered the forest and began exploring what was around Croa Spring. Then, seeing berries and mushrooms hanging on trees, I picked them and examined them carefully.

“Oh. If you boil these berries for a long time, they make a good drink for the throat… And this mushroom is supposed to have an amazing texture, right? Bebura berries and Ithon mushrooms… There might be more around, so I should look for more~”

Having found something useful in my exploration, I hummed a tune and began searching for more berries and mushrooms that could be helpful or used as food. Meanwhile, Aria was waiting for me, making a delicious stew.

“Hmm hmm hmm~ Delicious food for Zeke-nim~ With mushrooms gathered from around Karizan~ and a little dried meat~ a healthy stew for Zeke-nim will be complete~ Hehehe… Zeke-nim will be so happy…”

Aria imagined me eating the stew she made and exclaiming how delicious it was. Her face turned red, and she hummed a tune, diligently stirring the stew with a ladle. At that moment, footsteps began to approach, and Aria, realizing they weren’t mine, immediately looked behind her. A boy with orange hair and red clothes walked up to Aria and spoke.

“Hey~ Smells delicious, doesn’t it? Oh? A pretty human, aren’t you? What’s your name?”

“…”