“No. I can imagine what kind of treatment she must have received, though. I never pried too deep because I didn’t want to trigger any bad memories.”
“...Is that so. Then, umm, if it’s all right with you, Master Rio... Could you tell what you know?”
“It won’t be a very fun story. You are aware of that, right?” It wasn’t something to ask out of curiosity, Rio’s words implied.
“...Yes, I know. But I want to hear it anyway.” Sara looked at Rio, her strong will burning deep within her eyes.
“All right.”
Rio began to tell Sara the details of his theory on how Latifa had been treated. How she was terrifyingly emotionless when he first met her, and how she carried a deep-seated trauma that occasionally manifested itself in the form of mood swings. That she was probably forced to undergo harsh combat training, and that she was an assassin who had tried to kill him. That she had never had a proper meal in her life...
The huge, shocking truth rendered Sara completely speechless. But after Rio finished speaking, her blood boiled with rage until she was trembling to hold it back.
“Latifa is... She’s more incredible than all of us! Enduring such things...”
“Yes, I agree completely. She really is.”
Rio sympathized with Sara’s pent up frustrations; as a member of a species that had a strong sense of kinship amongst themselves, she would naturally feel even more anger than him.
“...But I can’t say I condone eavesdropping as a hobby.” Rio directed to the other side of the door.
His words made Sara gasp and whirl around towards the doorway. There stood Ursula, Orphia, and Alma.
“Noticed us, did you? My apologies. I had a few things on my mind regarding that girl,” Ursula apologized, a mystified expression on her face.
“Is something the matter with Latifa?” Sara asked fearfully.
“This is just my own conjecture, but... Latifa is probably of my bloodline.”
Ursula’s words made everyone present jump. She gave a helpless, bitter smile, and carefully chose her words as she continued to speak.
“Over ten years ago, a blood relative of mine had their daughter run away from home. She was a free and uncontrolled girl. At first, I thought she had grown bored of the village and had taken to wandering around nearby, but she never came home again. She disappeared without a trace, so we believed that she had been attacked by a monster or beast, but...”
Ursula looked at Latifa’s sleeping figure as it clung to Rio.
“I-Is that true?! Elder Ursula?” Sara asked, flabbergasted.
“Hmm. It happened long before you were born, Sara. I am not certain, but looking at Latifa makes me feel strangely nostalgic. I wish to ask her for her mother’s name, but at the same time I fear doing so. Her mother is no longer alive, no?” Ursula said with a rather pained expression.
“Unfortunately, I have heard Latifa’s mother is no longer of this world...”
“Is that so...” A sorrowful look came over Ursula’s face.
“Mm... Onii-chan? Morning...” Latifa was woken up by the conversations occurring right beside her.
“Good morning. It seems as though breakfast is ready. Would you like some?”
“Yes, please!” Latifa nodded eagerly. Her peaceful smile showed no signs of the cruel past she had to bear. Right now, she was simply a happy girl befitting of her age.
“Lord Rio, I am truly grateful to you.” Ursula thanked Rio sincerely.
“No, I...” Rio’s expression clouded over as he shook his head guiltily.
I was only looking out for myself... he swallowed those words without voicing them.
“...Hm. Lord Rio has yet to have breakfast, right? I haven’t had any yet, either. If you don’t mind, may I eat with you?” Ursula suggested to change the solemn atmosphere of the room.
“Yes, of course. Right, Latifa?”
“Um... sure. If Onii-chan’s all right with it.” Latifa grabbed onto Rio’s clothes and nodded shyly.
“Great, that makes things much simpler. I will introduce Lord Rio to the council of elders this morning. You lot, prepare the food. Bring your own servings along while you’re at it.” Ursula smiled broadly with happiness.
“Yes, right away! We’ll bring it back here. Let’s go Sara, Alma.” Orphia took the initiative and moved first. She dashed towards the door.
“Indeed. Come on, or you’ll be left behind, Sara.” Alma went after her without missing a beat, calling out the slow Sara.
“I-I know.” Sara snapped out of her momentary daze and ran out of the room in a hurry.
◇◇◇
After leaving Latifa in Sara and Alma’s care, Rio was led by Ursula and Orphia to the highest floor of the town hall, where the village elders had gathered.
The town hall was a treehouse built into a large tree located in the center of the village, the same building where Rio had stayed over last night. Rio climbed the spiral staircase that ran around the outside of the treehouse, overlooking the village buildings below. The spirit folk had completely integrated their lifestyle with nature, constructing houses of wood, stone, and clay in the forest.
It was a magical scene to behold.
Once they reached a point above the other trees of the village, they could see one particularly humongous tree that towered over everything.
“That’s...”
“Fufu. That’s the World Tree, where the Great Dryas — the spirit of giant trees — resides. It is said to have existed here long before we ever came to this land. It’s huge, isn’t it?” Orphelia explained proudly to a wide-eyed Rio.
“Yes. I made it here by heading towards that tree.”
“...Amazing. A barrier of advanced illusion sorcery stretches around the World Tree, so it cannot be seen without extensive training in spirit arts.” Rio’s casual comment made Orphia’s eyes grow rounder.
“Is that... so?”
Rio didn’t seem entirely convinced, and tilted his head. Since he had never met other users of spirit arts up until now, he had nothing to compare his own degree of spirit arts with. However, he did recognize that his ability to freely imitate most sorcery spells just by breaking down the flow of essence in the formula was unfairly advantageous, even to himself.
“Hm. Lord Rio, you said you didn’t learn spirit arts from anyone. Is that right?” Ursula suddenly asked as they walked.
“...Yes. I had a little push in the right direction... but I mostly studied it by myself.” Rio hesitated in answering at first, but eventually agreed.
“I see. That’s some incredible talent you have there. Perhaps...” Ursula said with a pensive look on her face, trailing off before finishing her sentence.
Before long, they arrived at the top floor.
“Here we are, Lord Rio. You come in too, Orphia.”
Ursula opened the door and gestured for them to go inside. Rio went in first, followed by Orphia behind him. Inside, various elderly figures sat on their chairs as they waited.
“Lord Rio, please take a seat over here. Orphia, sit next to Her Greatness and attend to her needs.”
Ursula directed Rio towards a chair near the doorway and Orphia to a corner of the room. There stood a young woman.
“...Huh?”
For a moment, Orphia doubted her own eyes. That young woman was an existence far superior even to her own as a blood relative of the council members in the village: the spirit of the giant tree, Dryas, who Orphia was just telling Rio about. Under normal circumstances, she would never be found in a place like this, but—
“What’s wrong? Get moving already.” Ursula showed no sign of being fazed as she nonchalantly ordered Orphia along.
“A-Ah, of course!” Orphia nodded awkwardly and headed towards Dryas. When Dryas caught sight of Orphia, she hugged her happily. But Orphia was nervous, making a single point of agitation in the peaceful room. The other elders in the council remained still and smiled contentedly at them.
After taking hi
s seat first, Rio was looking over at Dryas and Orphia curiously, but redirected his gaze to the front. Before him were three seats for the three head elders: the high elf Syldora, dwarf leader Dominic, and the werefox Ursula.
“Now that all the preparations have been completed, I would like to start the elder council meeting. As we have invited a human boy as our guest on this occasion, we will progress in the language of humans,” Syldora said, declaring the start of the meeting. Just for this meeting, they would hold the proceedings in the common tongue of the Strahl region of humans out of consideration for Rio.
“Now, human boy. I would like to extend my apologies for calling you out here today. And I thank you sincerely for attending.”
“I should be the one saying that. It is an honor to be invited here.” Rio bowed lightly from where he sat.
“I am Syldora, one of the head elders of this spirit folk village. Beside me are the other head elders. I am sure you are acquainted with Ursula already. This dwarf man here is—” Syldora stood and began to introduce Dominic.
“It’s Dominic. Nice to meet you, human kid.” Dominic interrupted first, introducing himself.
“...As you can see, he is rather blunt. I apologize if he offends you in any way. I will introduce the other elders to you on another occasion.” Syldora let out a bitter smile with a small smile.
“Thank you for your consideration. It’s nice to meet everyone — my name is Rio.” Rio stood up and bowed deeply with a simple self-introduction.
“There is no need to humble yourself, Lord Rio. You are a guest and benefactor of ours. For the trouble my brethren have caused from their misunderstanding, as well as for releasing one of our kind from slavery, I offer you my deepest gratitude and apologies,” Syldora said, prompting all the elders of the room to stand up and bow their heads toward Rio.
From their sincere postures, Rio judged that their words of gratitude and apology were genuine. However, having those with clearly more life experience than him all bowing to him at once made him uncomfortable, and he smiled bitterly.
“I accept your words of apology and gratitude. In regards to the apology, I was also at fault for stepping foot into your territory unbidden. I did not receive any permanent or long-lasting damage, so as long as the misunderstanding has been cleared up, I do not believe it to be an issue. Let us forgive and forget it as an unfortunate mishap. Please, raise your heads,” Rio said with a calm and polite demeanor.
The elders swallowed an awestruck breath at how mature Rio acted, contrary to his undoubtedly young and innocent appearance.
“We are sincerely thankful for your selflessness,” Syldora began with a bow of his head, “but it is a fact that we returned the favor we received from you with ill-treatment. Thus, we would like to do something for you in return to express our remorse. Is there anything you desire, Lord Rio?” he continued, finding it somewhat difficult to voice his words. The gazes of the elders gathered on Rio.
“A desire... you say?” A confused look came across Rio’s face at the sudden topic.
Ursula added to the explanation with a sigh.
“You can name anything. Because of our difference in species, we weren’t sure how to best express our gratitude to you. Though there were some who feared what you would ask for,” Ursula said with a strained smile. A slightly guilty expression appeared on the faces of the elders as Rio nodded in understanding.
“I see... Then, could I request that you accept Latifa into your care? My original objective was to head towards the Yagumo region east of here.”
A serious look came over Rio’s face as he bowed his head towards Syldora, who was seated before him. The elders seemed rather taken aback.
“Hmm... But Lord Rio, that is one of our desires. If anything, it is something we should be requesting from you, not the other way around. You could ask for something more...” Ursula sighed, letting a wry chuckle escape. Rio shook his head slowly.
“You may say that, but I was the irresponsible one when I tried to take another’s life into my care.”
“Lord Rio...”
“That is why, if it is possible... If it’s not just my own wishful thinking, but right now, Latifa is... She is attached to me, I believe. That is why—”
“I beg you, Lord Rio. Say no more. At least let us be the one to make the request. How about it? Would you like to stay in this village alongside Latifa for a while?” Rio was struggling to find his words, so Ursula took over.
“That is... truly generous of you. Is it really all right?” Rio said, implying at how his being human might cause an issue.
“Worry not. We discussed everything yesterday, and all the elders here have already consented to it. We would love to have you here, for that child’s sake as well,” Ursula confirmed decisively.
“That’s right! There’s no need to hold back. I like you, kid. Ursula told us about what kinda human you are, but there are some things you can’t tell without meeting someone face to face. And boy, do I agree! You’re an even bigger man than I was told about, kid.” Dominic laughed heartily, welcoming Rio.
“Indeed, it is exactly as Ursula and Dominic say. We will exert the utmost effort to accommodate your stay in the village and make sure it is comfortable. If you find that you need something at any time, do not hesitate to inform us.”
“That’s right. You could even ask for something other than material goods, like one of the village girl’s hand in marriage. Since you’re a good looking kid, too... if you’re so inclined, how about my Alma?” Dominic boasted, adding to Syldora’s words in good humor.
“Dominic, don’t get too carried away. Are you drunk?”
“Gahaha!” Dominic boomed with laughter after Ursula reprimanded him. Chuckles stirred among the other elders, instantly brightening the atmosphere of the room.
“Good grief. But that’s how it is, Lord Rio. There’s no need to hold back. Try searching for something that you want while living in the village. My apologies, but I must insist on expressing my gratitude somehow.”
“...I understand,” Rio chuckled, thinking for a moment before finally stating what he desired. “In that case, I would like to request your support in teaching me about spirit arts and your way of living during my stay in the village.”
“I see... That should be no problem at all.”
“Hm. We will prepare a gifted teacher for you.” Ursula and Syldora both nodded.
“All right! Now that your talk has wrapped up, can I get on with my business?” Dryas’ bright voice echoed through the room. All eyes in the room shifted towards her.
“Why, of course, Great Dryas. But, if I may, could I please introduce Your Greatness to Lord Rio first?” Ursula asked.
“Sure, go ahead.” Dryas nodded easily in response.
“Lord Rio, seated over there is the spirit of the giant tree, the Great Dryas. Orphia spoke of her just before, if you recall.”
“Umm... A spirit?” Rio’s eyes widened in surprise. Dryas had been giving off an otherworldly aura, but her appearance was so humanoid... it was hard to believe she was a spirit.
“I’m Dryas. Pleased to meet you, Rio. Let’s get along, shall we?” With an innocent smile, Dryas floated through the air towards Rio.
“I’m very pleased to meet you too.” Rio returned the greeting with a confused face as Dryas abruptly shook his hand.
“Hmm... I knew it. Though it’s really faint, I can feel the presence of a spirit within you. Perhaps it’s sleeping?”
“...A spirit? Inside me?” Rio questioned in bewilderment.
“Yup. Does anything come to mind? You should’ve formed a contract with it.”
“Contract? No, I can’t say I recall anything...” Rio shook his head from left to right, puzzled. He had no memory of ever forming a contract with a spirit in his entire life.
“Really? That’s strange... Ah, there’s no need to be worried. I say contract, but there aren’t any annoying obligations involved. If anything, it’s more beneficial
to you.”
Unable to keep up with her words, Rio let out an absentminded “Huh...”
“Hey, do you mind if I take a look? It won’t do any damage to your body, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
After a brief moment’s hesitation, Rio nodded once. “...Yes, please.”
“Then, excuse me...” Dryas said, gently grabbing Rio’s face. Suddenly, Rio felt the strange sensation of something unfamiliar entering him, but he accepted it without resistance.
“Wow... You have a tremendous amount of ode hidden within you. Looks delicious. Are you really human? Oh — it looks like a path’s formed after all. That means you’ve definitely made a contract, and—?!”
In the middle of her examination of the spirit sleeping inside of Rio, Dryas suddenly flinched. Her eyes widened in shock.
“Did something happen?” Rio asked, sensing something abnormal in Dryas’ state. “It sure is something... There’s a humanoid spirit sleeping within you,” Dryas replied with a confused expression. This caused the room to stir louder than ever before.
Rio still didn’t really get it.
“A humanoid spirit?”
“Mm... Judging by that reaction, you don’t know how rare humanoid spirits are. Orphia, explain it to him.” Dryas passed on the job of explaining to Orphia.
“Eh? Ah! Y-Yes, Your Greatness! So for spirits, only high class spirits and above are capable of taking on a humanoid form like the Great Dryas. It goes without saying, then, that such spirits are extremely rare. Some say you could count the numbers of them on one hand.” Despite her panic, Orphia provided a sufficient amount of information.
“And that’s how it is. In short, a spirit that rare is sleeping within you. One with the same amount of power — perhaps even more — as myself.”
“...Great Dryas, does that mean there is the possibility an upper high-class spirit is sleeping within Lord Rio?”
“I guess so. The upper high-class spirits known as the ‘Six High Spirits’ all disappeared over one thousand years ago in the Divine War, but it’s not like I know every humanoid spirit out there, either. I wouldn’t completely write off the possibility that the spirit sleeping within Rio is an upper high-class one,” Dryas answered casually, causing a noise of surprise to sound throughout the room.
Blessing of the Spirits Page 13