by Tôwa
“Sometimes, it’s hard to just dive in and try it…,” said Elitia.
“Misaki and Suzuna might want to try it, too. We should ask them later. And Theresia looks like she wants to try…right?” asked Igarashi, but Theresia didn’t nod. I had no intention of forcing them to drink it if they didn’t want to. As it was, everyone was tense, and no one was making the first move.
Later, once everyone had left the living room, I used a Novice Appraisal Scroll just to see what it’d say:
♦Dirty Spirit♦
> Gives drinker a set period of increased endurance.
> Side effects may occur.
Good thing I didn’t drink it… Seems high-risk. What exactly are these “side effects”?
Since it came from a Dirty Mushroom, I understood why it would have dirty in the name, but the fact that it also had spirit made me think it was alcohol. If it was made by soaking the colored portion of the inside of the Dirty Mushroom in alcohol in order to draw out the effective components, then it wouldn’t be a good idea to let the underage party members try it. I hadn’t actually confirmed whether or not the Labyrinth Country had any laws regarding minors, though.
It said it improved endurance, which could mean something like stamina, but it would be foolish to try it, considering these unknown side effects. I placed the dirty spirit vial on the shelf in the living room and returned to my room.
“Oh… Arihito, what were the appraisal results?” asked Suzuna when I came in.
“The name makes it sound like it’s a type of alcohol. I think it’s better if the minors don’t drink it.”
“I see… So the Labyrinth Country uses alcohol in its medicines as well.”
She was sitting on her bed and appeared to have been thinking before I came in. We had decided it was too much hassle to choose rooms using a lottery and change rooms every night, so we were waiting until tomorrow to shuffle around.
“Suzuna, are you sure you’re comfortable staying in the same room as me?” I asked.
“Yes, I’ve been able to get plenty of rest as is. Actually… I was wondering if you were comfortable being in the same room as me… If you were with Misaki, for example, you’d probably have lots of exciting conversations.”
“It’s better to keep things calmer and more relaxed before you go to sleep. Besides, Misaki just makes fun of me most of the time anyway.”
“Ha-ha… She’s always like that with people she likes.”
You often hear about kids teasing people in order to get their attention, though I couldn’t decide if I should be happy or not that Misaki was targeting me.
“Do I make any noise when I’m sleeping? Or do you not know, since you’re probably sleeping, too?” I asked.
“You sleep very quietly. I was worried that I breathe loudly or something…”
“You’re fine; I didn’t hear a thing. Well, hearing a little bit of breathing is fine anyway; it’s when people start rolling around and kicking blankets off that it gets annoying.”
“Ha-ha… Misaki does that a lot. You should tell her not to sprawl out and stick her tummy out if you end up in the same room as her. She’ll listen if you’re the one to say it.”
What could I actually do if the person I shared a room with was sleeping like that…? Probably just cover them with a blanket. I wasn’t the kind to wake up once I’m asleep anyway, though, so I probably wouldn’t even notice.
“…Ah, sorry. I can’t believe I’d say those things about Misaki when she’s not even here… I shouldn’t be gossiping,” said Suzuna.
“You haven’t said anything bad, so it’s not a problem. Even if you did—she’s a mess when she sleeps—it’s not something I couldn’t have guessed just by knowing her.”
“I don’t think she wants you to see her in a poor light, though. She really does respect you…”
“R-really…? Misaki’s always so glib, though. I feel like I should take everything she says with a grain of salt.”
“Ha-ha… Well, I think she feels better that way, at least for the time being.”
Talking like this, I couldn’t help feeling amazed that Suzuna was the same age as Misaki. I wasn’t nearly as composed as Suzuna when I was her age.
“Arihito, you don’t barge into other people’s business without reason. I think that’s part of the reason everyone feels so comfortable with you.”
“I’m honestly just not quick-thinking enough to do that. It’s probably because I’m a bit slow.”
“Oh… You are aware of that…”
“Hmm? Suzuna, what did you say?”
“Ah, n-nothing. I just always thought that men like you only existed in stories… It’s unbelievable…,” she said, her cheeks turning red. It’d be easy to misunderstand her right now, but it didn’t seem that she meant unbelievable in a good way.
“…Oh, s-sorry, I think I said something rude again,” she apologized.
“No, you didn’t bother me. Anyway, I’m just glad that we can chat like this with each other. I want you to be able to talk to me when… Hmm?” I started but noticed that the small box on Suzuna’s bedside table was glowing a dim neon blue. It was her license. It was steadily glowing stronger, then fading, as if trying to notify her of something.
“Arihito… Would you mind taking a look at this?” she asked.
“Yeah, sure…,” I said and got out of bed to scrutinize it.
♦Notification♦
> ARIADNE requested SUZUNA use MEDIUM
“Is this…a message from Ariadne? Is it saying I should use Medium now…?”
“…Licenses don’t show everything, but I don’t think this is a mistaken notification. It’s definitely a request from Ariadne.”
We couldn’t go so far as to say we could communicate with Ariadne, who was on the fourth floor of the Field of Dawn, using our licenses, but there must be a reason for her to request Suzuna use Medium. I had no reason to doubt what the license showed, and it wouldn’t be a good idea to ignore it if it was urgent.
“Suzuna, I’ll be right here with you. Would you mind trying Medium?”
“All right. I think Ariadne definitely has something she wants to tell us.” Suzuna nodded resolutely, then knelt on her bed and closed her eyes to concentrate. A mystical light that I could only describe as an aura surrounded her body.
“…Enter this vessel and let the world hear your voice…”
“Whoa…!”
Suzuna recited a short incantation, and her body was encased in a pillar of blue-white light like when she used Moon Reading. One significant difference between this and Moon Reading, though, was that I could sense some presence behind Suzuna for this.
“…Are you the rearguard? I am not yet used to borrowing this Shrine Maiden’s sight. My perception is flawed. Please respond if you are the rearguard.”
“Yes, it’s me, Arihito. Thank you for your help today; you saved us.”
Suzuna’s hair color and speech patterns had changed to those of Ariadne. I could assume that Ariadne’s spirit or something like it had come to reside in Suzuna’s body when she used Medium.
There hadn’t been any emotions in Ariadne’s eyes when we woke her from her sleep at the bottom of the labyrinth. A chill ran down my spine now as Suzuna’s eyes had turned lifeless in the same way.
“Just to check—are you truly Ariadne?”
“Such proof will appear somewhere on this Shrine Maiden’s body. My spirit is capable of intervening through a devotee by using their covenant talisman as my target. My crest will appear here when the Shrine Maiden uses Medium to contact me.”
“Whoa, wait! You don’t have to show me! It’s Suzuna’s body; respect that!”
Ariadne had started to unbutton Suzuna’s pajama top. She suddenly undid the buttons over Suzuna’s chest, and I could see the area between her breasts. And there really was some sort of glowing symbol there. Ariadne’s crest was a geometric design, symmetrical from left to right and about the size of an adult’s thumbprint.
“…Humans feel shame. This Shrine Maiden understands what is happening even while she is a medium. She is thinking, ‘Thank you for stopping her.’”
“All right… We’ll just keep this between us, then.”
“Understood. I will rectify my behavior going forward. I am equipped with a learning function, but it is not incredibly advanced. Repeated exposure will form a neural network, which functions similarly to a human’s collection of neurons.” What she said didn’t fit the medieval level of advancement I’d seen so far in the Labyrinth Country. I could only assume that she had been created from some advanced technology.
I felt quite strange speaking with her, since she was borrowing Suzuna’s body and speaking so dispassionately, but while I had felt no emotions from her in the beginning, I was starting to see a flicker of something in her. When I noticed it, I stared into her eyes, but Ariadne looked away.
“…This must be…embarrassment. Suzuna’s emotions run deep, and she has a strong sense of right and wrong. However, when it comes to you…,” started Ariadne, but she stopped partway through. It looked like Suzuna was strongly resisting. For good reason, too. Nobody wanted to say everything they ever thought.
“…I have decided that instead of requesting Suzuna to use Medium whenever I please, I will only speak through her when she wishes.”
“Oh, that’s good… And speaking of, what is it you wish to tell us?”
“Yes. I have come to warn you of the Black Box you recently acquired.”
Apparently, anything that was displayed on our licenses was conveyed to Ariadne as well. She was referring to the Black Box we found when we defeated the Vine Puppeteer. I had been carrying it around in my leather bag. I took it out and showed it to Ariadne, who nodded in confirmation.
“Are you saying this is dangerous somehow? There’s probably a lot of money and equipment in here, but…”
Ariadne shook her head and pointed at the box in my hand. “Some Black Boxes contain armaments.”
“Armaments…?”
“Yes. The proper name is armored attachment. I told you about parts for us Hidden Gods. Originally, those parts were held in Black Boxes. However, the Black Box you received from Juggernaut did not contain any parts for me to use. Instead, it should have contained something in place of a part of my body: a small crystal.”
I realized exactly what she was talking about. I had asked Madoka to investigate it, but we still didn’t know much about it. It was the alkaid crystal.
“Do you mean this? We don’t really know what it’s used for…,” I said, showing her the crystal.
“That is a sacred operation crystal for a sword. It will become functional when you equip an armament,” explained Ariadne.
“Sacred…operation crystal?”
“You may think of it as an armament controller. Armaments are parts that Hidden Gods equip… They are sacred artifacts. These sacred artifacts have their own wills; they act of their own volition. In general, they will defend themselves so that they are not obtained by others.”
It was hard to keep up with her explanation because I had to deal with all these new words I’d never heard before… But I’d actually bought a small notebook, which could be used for things like this, so I pulled it out from my bag and wrote down the information that Ariadne gave me.
“So what you’re saying is that when we open the Black Box, one of these sentient sacred armaments might come out… And it will attack anybody who’s trying to take it. Is that right?” I asked.
“Correct. There is danger that all who are in the vicinity will become involved in the ensuing battle.” That meant we’d have to ask Falma to get out as soon as she opened the box. It might also be best not to take along Misaki and Suzuna.
“Steadfast rearguard,” she continued. “You who has bound yourself to me. As a person who is under my protection, I wish to propose one way that may help protect you against the attack of the sacred artifact.”
“Do you mean with that mechanical arm…your Guard Arm? Do you believe you can defend against it?” I asked. Ariadne hadn’t spoken highly of herself, telling us she had been disposed of. I wanted to believe she could defend against an attack from a sacred artifact that a Hidden God would equip, but I didn’t want to ask her to protect us when it would be impossible.
“If my devotion level is high enough, I should be able to nullify more of the attack’s damage using my Guard Arm. I ask for your cooperation to that end.”
“Devotion level… Is that us showing our devotion to you, the Hidden God whose protection we’re under?”
“Indeed. I naturally receive devotion whenever I protect you, but I can also receive it when I improve Trust Levels with you. Devotion levels do not decrease over time, so the protection I can provide becomes stronger the more devotion I receive.”
Ariadne was magnificent when she protected Ribault from Death from Above’s attack using her Guard Arm. I was certain my Defense Support couldn’t have protected him then, so I knew her Guard Arm was a fairly strong defense as it was. If we could improve that even more, we could prevent even greater amounts of damage. But how could I improve Trust Levels with her? I didn’t think my conversational skills were good enough to increase it just by chatting.
“So I can assume that we should be able to defend against the sacred artifact’s attack if we increase our Trust Levels.”
“…Hence, why I asked this Shrine Maiden to use Medium. Your devotion levels toward me will naturally increase if I do something that you are grateful for. One part of that can be if I have relations with you while in this Shrine Maiden’s body…”
“Uh… N-no. There’s got to be another way. Suzuna didn’t use Medium for you to do that.”
“That is the method that requires the least amount of time. It will deepen Trust Levels with you and the Shrine Maiden, and you can marry if a child is born.”
“Uh, uhhh…”
I bet Suzuna was resisting as much as she could… She’d probably be disgusted with me forever if I agreed to what Ariadne was suggesting or even hate me. Though, it did make me think of the period in history far removed from our own in which shrine maidens would sleep with men in order to spread the religion. Not that all traveling shrine maidens did that, nor did Suzuna become a Shrine Maiden with that in mind.
“A-anyway… While it might strengthen the party that I am the leader of, that is one thing I can’t do.”
“…If you agree… No. I will say no more or Medium will be canceled. We shall build mutual trust in a way that the Shrine Maiden approves of.”
…Wait. By mutual trust, does she mean I need to increase her Trust Level? In which case…
“Ariadne, how about we try something? Sit with your back facing me.”
“Understood… Though, I question the logic in such a request.”
“Just wait a minute; it activates every once in a while.”
♦Current Status♦
> ARIHITO’s RECOVERY SUPPORT 1 activated SUZUNA’s vitality was recovered
“…? This body feels warm, and its healing processes have quickened. What is the purpose of this healing activity?” asked Ariadne. Based on the display, I knew that I activated Recovery Support on Suzuna, but apparently, that didn’t mean Ariadne’s Trust Levels would increase.
“I used one of my skills to heal Suzuna because healing builds trust. Though, I assume your spirit presence here is more similar to magic?”
“Yes. The Hidden Gods’ spirits are made from magic.”
“If that’s the case…it might take some time, but how about this?” I held my hand up toward Ariadne’s back and hoped I was right… Hoped that if I recovered her magic instead, that Ariadne’s trust in me would go up.
I’ll give Ariadne a portion of my magic… Charge Assist.
♦Current Status♦
> ARIHITO activated CHARGE ASSIST SUZUNA recovered magic
> ARIADNE who is possessing SUZUNA recovered magic
> ARIAD
NE’s Trust Level increased
“Ah…”
This time was different; I could see a change in Ariadne. She was looking back at me, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“…A skill that provides magic. I had not thought of such a direct way of building mutual trust. A portion of my spirit is now formed from your magic,” said Ariadne.
“All right, well, if we set aside some time and continue this… It even says on the license that your Trust Levels increased. How much was it?” I asked.
“…As far as I can sense, it was not a large amount, but it did increase. I recommend you repeat that a number of times in order to improve the defense of my Guard Arm.” Ariadne looked again over her shoulder at me. She pulled her hair forward, exposing the pale white nape of her neck, which really unsettled me.
What the hell kind of adult am I for having thoughts like this about a high schooler…? I mean, we’re not actually doing anything indecent, though. I just need to get rid of the inappropriate thoughts and focus.
“I have a skill that gives magic. If I use that to recover your magic, then the amount I will recover when you use Charge Assist will be increased. You and I can create a perpetual loop using only recovery skills.”
“That’s incredible… If you can give the magic you recover to the whole party, then we’ll be able to fight at full charge forever.”
“Unfortunately, I can only provide magic to the person who has entered into a contract with me, which would be y…you…”
“Oh… Sorry, maybe it’s best if you don’t talk right when I’m about to use Charge Assist.”
“…That is not necessary. The Shrine Maiden feels things very strongly. I will reduce sensitivity.”
Ariadne had originally asked Suzuna to use Medium so she could warn us… She was a being that protected us, so it didn’t seem out of the ordinary, but I was grateful. However, I hadn’t yet realized that night what using Suzuna’s body to increase Trust Levels with Ariadne would do.