Blessing of the Spirits

by Yuri Kitayama

  “T-Thank you!”

  Once she’d received permission from Rio, Latifa smiled a carefree smile, eyes sparkling as she began to eat the pasta. Rio watched her in contemplation. The noodle-like food called ‘pasta’ had only appeared in this Strahl region recently. On top of that, it was only sold in a limited number of areas at the moment. Rio was sure he had never seen pasta in the kingdom of Beltrum, at least.

  Furthermore, Liselotte — the inventor of pasta — had never called it spaghetti. And yet, Latifa had taken one glance at the pasta and called it just that. She was even using the fork and spoon with skill, moving the pasta into her mouth with familiarity.

  What exactly could this mean? Rio’s thoughts came to a stop.

  “Omf, om nom nom.” Latifa was engrossed with gobbling down the steaming hot pasta.

  “...You’ll burn your tongue like that. Slow down a little,” Rio warned her gently, fearing she would hurt herself.

  “Om — hah, hot!” Sure enough, Latifa burned her tongue. Rio smiled bitterly.

  “Here, water.”

  “Ah, t-thank you.” Latifa accepted the flask from Rio and brought it to her mouth in a hurry.

  “Apparently, this food is called pasta. Have you had it before?” Rio inquired once Latifa drank the water and calmed down.

  “Fweh? Pasta? Ah... umm, yes. I used... to eat it.” Latifa’s expression suddenly stiffened, fearing she had done something bad. But after a moment, she fixed an uncomfortable smile on her face and nodded with feigned enthusiasm.

  “I see. No wonder you seem familiar with eating it. That’s great,” Rio said, as though he was impressed. But on the inside...

  She’s never received a proper education, yet she knows how to use cutlery and eat high-class food... there’s just too many factors that can’t be dismissed anymore. Pasta isn’t even in circulation in Beltrum’s markets yet...

  Rio calmly deduced that Latifa was either lying or hiding something from him. And he had one theory he was fairly certain was close to the truth — that Latifa also had memories of a previous life.

  However, Latifa’s language abilities seemed a little too underdeveloped for that to be the case, Rio thought. From his interactions with her up until this point, he could tell there wasn’t much of a difference between her mental age and her appearance. If anything, they matched up perfectly.

  Perhaps it was because of her slave upbringing, but her mental instability made her seem all the more child-like. At the very least, she didn’t appear to have any experience with society in her previous life. Of course, it was possible that it was all an act, but Rio couldn’t imagine a need for her to do that.

  Which meant that she wasn’t much different in age — an elementary school-aged child — in her previous life.

  However, if that was the case, then that would mean Latifa had suffered a much more tragic second life than Rio. A child living in the prosperous modern Japan had suddenly been stripped of her human rights and made into a pet slave, after all. If she had been born and raised as a slave, she would have never known any better, but that all changed once she regained her memories of her previous life. She would have lived her life yearning to be free from slavery, to return to her former world. Her pain and fear would have far surpassed anything Rio could imagine.

  Not being allowed the freedom to live.

  Not even being allowed the freedom to die.

  Just imagining the circumstances Latifa had been placed in made him feel sick.

  She should be less than ten years old at present; he didn’t know how old she had been when her memories returned, but if it was at the same age as Rio, then she would have been six. Even if Latifa was an elementary school student in her previous life, she wouldn’t have had more than ten years of life experience. Simply merging those two young lives together didn’t mean their life experience had advanced further. Rio had the feeling he knew why Latifa appeared and behaved as she did. And at the same time, he knew why she seemed a bit unstable, as well.

  “Fuu, fuu.”

  At the moment, Latifa was wholeheartedly eating Rio’s cooking. At some point, her eyes had even welled with tears, but her expression was one of happiness. Once she finished the last bite, she licked the empty bowl with regret.

  “There’s still some left for seconds. You can eat more... Here.” Rio took Latifa’s bowl and served her another helping.

  “T-Thank you!” Latifa smiled happily and bowed her head.

  Rio had completely lost his appetite, so he forced down his own first serving and gave the rest to Latifa.

  Interlude: Latifa’s Memory

  After I — Endo Suzune — blacked out on the bus, I woke up to find myself in a dark room made of stone, lying across the floor.

  There was a chill in the air, making me shiver and rapidly arousing my senses; the room felt like a cool, air-conditioned room in the middle of summer. I was wearing a single, thin layer of clothing that felt stiff and coarse on my skin. On top of that, I only had a thin blanket on me. No wonder I was cold.

  My neck felt oddly heavy — there was a metal collar and chain around it.

  What... is this?

  An icy chill shot down my spine as I drew the blanket tighter around me. I curled up, trying to retain warmth. Then, as my small body shivered, I fearfully looked around the room.

  Where... am I?

  It was a dreary room with no furniture or windows. There was no room like this in my memories, yet for some reason, something didn’t feel right. It was almost as if I had seen it before, but not... Like an indescribable sense of deja-vu.

  At that moment, the door opened with a clack. My shivering body flinched. I hesitantly turned my gaze towards the sturdy door to see a small boy standing there. He seemed to be in a bad mood, as his face was marked by a combative expression.

  I unintentionally let out a shriek. “Eek!”

  Because I — no, the other me inside myself — knew the boy before me.

  His name was Stewart.

  We weren’t related by blood, but he made me call him ‘Brother’ and treated me like a pet, under the pretense of discipline.

  “Hm? What? What’s this?” Seeing my reaction, Stewart’s expression lit up happily. Then, like a child that had obtained a new toy, he came over to me at a half-run.

  “Eek! S-Stay... away!”

  On the spur of the moment, I spoke words that weren’t in Japanese; it wasn’t a language that I recognized as an elementary school student from Japan. However, my words came out with a lisp, faltering strangely in pronunciation.

  “Hey, what’s up with you today? Why are you acting so lively?” Stewart asked me with a radiant smile, making me curl my body up reflexively into a defensive position.

  “D-Don’t... hit me... please!”

  To not disobey this person was ingrained into me at an instinctive level.

  “Wow, you never talk this much. You should react like this all the time... Then I could treat you a little differently, at least.” Stewart laughed with a grin, then yanked harshly on the chain extended from my collar.

  “Kya!” I lost balance and tumbled to the floor.

  “Hey, Latifa. Show me your face properly.”

  Latifa. That was what Stewart called me as he pulled on the chain, and my face was brought before his eyes. He seemed to be excited, as his breath came out in rough pants that made my whole body break out in disgusted goosebumps.

  “Eek... N-No...” I cried tearfully and shook my head. Stewart’s face dropped with displeasure.

  “Why are you speaking so disrespectfully? What am I to you?”

  “M-My B-Brother.”

  “That’s right. So what was that just now?”

  “I-I’m... sorry! Forgive... me... please!”

  “You really are quite talkative today. I normally have to order you to do so before you open your mouth. What’s wrong with you?” Stewart asked me, but that was what I wanted to ask.

  “I-I don’t... know!”
<
br />   My name was definitely Latifa... But at the same time, I was also Endo Suzune.

  “...Hmm. Well, whatever.” Stewart examined my face for a reaction, but soon lost interest. Relief washed over me, but his next words pushed me to the bottom of the pit of despair once more.

  “I came because I was feeling irritated, but now I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to play with you today.”

  Understanding the ill intent behind his words, my face instinctively twisted in misery. Stewart carved a threatening smile onto his face with a grin. The more my reactions showed on the surface, the more happiness he would gain from tormenting me. The other me inside of myself — Latifa — was already aware of that. That was why Latifa had completely suppressed her own mind.

  But Endo Suzune was different.

  Yes... the Endo Suzune part of me strongly resisted and detested the fact I was a slave.

  From that day onward, my nightmare of a reality began.

  Chapter 3: Connection

  Two days after their departure from Amande, Rio and Latifa finally crossed the border to the eastern region of the Galarc Kingdom.

  From this point on was the Wilderness, where their first challenge immediately awaited them. The Nephilim Mountains were a mountain range that divided the Wilderness from the region of Strahl in a single vertical line, with a height ranging from 2000 meters to 5000 meters. Furthermore, more mountains continued past the mountain range; a vast wasteland that was of no benefit for the humans of Strahl to venture into. Thus the name: the Wilderness.

  To cross over the gate to that isolated land, Rio was sprinting at full speed. Behind him was Latifa’s small figure.

  “How are you holding up?” Rio called out to Latifa, who was running behind him. He stopped along the mountainside.

  “I’m... all right,” Latifa answered with a nod, but her breath was coming out a bit roughly. Meanwhile, Rio’s expression was still calm and comfortably at ease.

  “It’s a little early, but let’s set up camp for today. I’ll get everything ready, so you can rest. Make sure you rehydrate yourself,” Rio said, marking the end of their travel for the day. At that, an expression of fear appeared across Latifa’s face. She hurriedly bowed her head.

  “I-I’m... sorry!”

  “...Why are you apologizing?” Rio asked calmly.

  “I’m... slowing you... down. Ah... W-Will you leave me... behind?” Latifa asked, hanging her head.

  The second half of her sentence was so quiet, it faded before it could reach Rio’s ears. But, he could pretty much guess what she had said from the mood in the air.

  “You’re not being a burden at all. We’re in the mountains right now — if we rushed forward too hastily, we’d end up with altitude sickness. That’s why we’re camping here now. It’s out of necessity.”

  Rio scratched his head as he tried to explain everything with as gentle of a tone as possible. Hearing that, Latifa sighed with relief. Since making his inference about Latifa’s circumstances, Rio was doing his best to treat her as kindly as possible, talking to her whenever he could. By doing that, he figured he could clear away some of her anxieties and prompt her to participate in more conversations, developing her language abilities.

  However, Rio wasn’t a psychologist, and he didn’t really have a social personality to begin with.

  If anything, he was quite awkward when it came to relationships. That was why he was mostly observing the situation for now, clumsy as he might be.

  I’ll do the best I can... Hopefully things will work out.

  He could only do his best with the situation, after all. With that thought, Rio went about setting up the camp.

  Later that night, their newest problem occurred shortly after the two of them had settled down to sleep.

  “Wah... wah... uwaaaah!”

  Inside the pitch black tent they were sleeping in — small and simply constructed to just cram the two of them in — Latifa suddenly burst into tears. Rio’s eyes shot open and he immediately looked towards Latifa, who was laying down next to him. She was crying with her eyes closed beside him. It was the night-time crying of an infant, so to speak. While it varied from person to person, children who cried at night at Latifa’s age were rare. However, Rio couldn’t figure out why she would be crying. She had been fine the day before, after all.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Rio asked her helplessly through her incessant tears.

  “Eek! No... Where am I?! Someone save me!” Latifa mumbled in her sleep as tears continued to stream down her face.

  “That’s... Japanese...” The words that came forth from Latifa were of a language extremely familiar to Rio — no, Amakawa Haruto. He was utterly dumbfounded. However, Latifa’s eyes remained shut.

  “Was that... sleeptalking?”

  Rio realized that the words had been involuntarily spoken. But for merely talking while she was asleep, her words were a shocking revelation.

  Latifa suddenly clutched the robe Rio was using as a blanket tightly, pulling it closer to cling to him. She had quieted to just sniffling, now, but still showed no sign of stopping her tears.

  “What should I do...” Should he wake her up, or should he let her sleep on like this? Not knowing what to do, Rio simply laid there, bewildered.

  “Are you awake?” Rio gently tried to shake her.

  “Mom... dad... brother,” she murmured timidly in Japanese.

  Rio furrowed his brow at the unbearable feeling within him. Was she experiencing some kind of dream? He couldn’t help but imagine what kind of dream it could be.

  Warm, gentle days. Living in happiness, every day. Maybe it was a dream like that...

  But that dream wouldn’t last long. As though proving his theory, Latifa teared up more and buried her face into Rio’s chest.

  Her small frame fit snugly against Rio’s chest, and her white, porcelain-like skin seemed so delicate; fragile enough to break with a single touch...

  Rio wrapped an arm around Latifa’s back and patted her gently, as though handling a glass doll. At the same time, he carefully stroked her beautiful, pale orange hair, untangling the knots. Her cute fox ears moved, twitching happily as he did. For a while, Rio continued to soothe Latifa like an older brother calming his crying sister.

  “Nngh...”

  Eventually, Latifa’s breathing evened out in her sleep. Rio let out a sigh of relief. She was still clinging to his robe, but he didn’t see a need to forcefully pull away from her, so he let it be.

  Suddenly, Rio was overwhelmed by a surge of mental fatigue. They had been running every single day, accumulating exhaustion until it manifested as a sleepiness that gnawed away at his consciousness.

  Rio slowly blinked his heavy eyelids shut and let the darkness of sleep take his mind far away.

  The next morning, when Latifa woke up, she found herself clinging onto something warm and comforting.

  She rubbed her cheek against it in her half-conscious daze, only coming to her senses once she reluctantly drew her cheek away from it. After several blinks, she realized what she had been clinging to, and froze in shock.

  There before her was a boy with well-defined features — Rio. He was breathing peacefully as he slept.

  How, when, why had she been clinging to him? Incoherent questions passed through her head one after another, causing Latifa to fall into a panic.

  C-Come to think of it... I... was crying... That wasn’t... a dream, was it...?

  She took a deep breath in order to try to calm herself as she recalled the events of last night, but she couldn’t determine what had been a dream and what had been reality.

  However, she was certain that someone had held her and comforted her with their warmth. Considering her situation right now, those events had probably been reality.

  Once Latifa had settled on that conclusion, an embarrassment hard to express in words surged forward. Her heart thumped madly. She clutched Rio’s robe with both her hands and hesitantly fixed
her gaze on Rio once more.

  “Fwah...”

  Latifa’s pale cheeks flushed red in an instant, and she accidentally let out a befuddled sound.

  “His hair... so black... He looks... like him? Like that older brother... like an onii-chan...”

  She tilted her head as she looked at him curiously.

  “Ehehe. Onii-chan.”

  Latifa buried her face against Rio’s chest once more, happily letting a smile appear on her face. Her actions were like that of a small puppy furiously seeking affection.

  After taking in Rio’s scent and feel for a while, Latifa slowly raised her head to look up at him.

  “Good morning. Sleep well?” Rio greeted her softly, looking back at her with a somewhat troubled face.

  “Fweh?! Ah, I... I’m sorry! Wah!” Latifa stuttered her apology, jumping back in a panic and bumping her head against the low roof. Rio rubbed Latifa’s head gently.

  “It’s all right, I’m not mad. This place is cramped, so you need to be careful. Are you hurt?”

  “I-I’m... fine. Ehe. Eheheh.” Latifa grinned in delight.

  ◇◇◇

  Over two months passed since the night Latifa cried in her sleep.

  Presently, Rio and Latifa had crossed the Nephilim Mountains and passed through the huge wasteland beyond it, continuously making their way east. With no map, they had to fumble their way through, sometimes taking detours and sometimes retreating backwards. But they were definitely moving forward, little by little.

  “Rio! Excuse me, but I can smell something strange! It smells like a beast’s blood!” As the two of them were running across a plateau, Latifa called out. She had lost a lot of her stuttering speech by conversing with Rio in the last two months.

  Rio, who was running in front, threw up a hand sign and stopped.

  As a werefox, Latifa’s sense of smell was leagues above Rio’s, even when he enhanced his senses through his physical body enchantment. Her nose was able to identify any scent and process the information accurately. That was why Rio placed his trust in Latifa’s sense of smell, requesting that she let him know whenever she smelled something suspicious.