After seeing Anima off, I returned to the inn and found Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san in the room we were in earlier.
The two of them were looking around, but their faces brightened when they noticed me.
[Miyama-san!]
[Miyama-senpai!]
They ran over to me and asked a few questions to make sure I was okay.
When I told them, with concern in their eyes, that there was nothing wrong with my body, they both looked relieved.
I thought we’d start chatting with Lilia-san and the others, but instead, Yuzuki-san stood in front of me with her face down.
[Ummm… Senpai… I, err…]
[Yuzuki-san?]
[I’m sorry… I was so scared… that I couldn’t move…]
I immediately understood what Yuzuki-san was trying to say.
She seemed to feel guilty about causing my injury because she couldn’t escape in time. She bowed her head, her shoulders shaking as she apologized.
Seeing Yuzuki-san like that, I smiled as gently as I could and responded with words to reassure her.
[I’m just glad you’re not hurt.]
[…Sen…pai…!? Senpai!!!]
[Whoaa!?]
Upon hearing my words, Yuzuki-san’s body trembled for a moment before tears welled up in her eyes, and then, she jumped toward me.
Due to the height difference, it seemed like she buried her face in my chest, continuing to cry.
[I… uwaahh… Senpai…]
[It’s alright. See, I’m as safe as I can be…]
[Yes… Senpai… Thank you… for saving me…]
[Unnn… although, I was also saved by Lilia-san and the others, so I can’t exactly say I saved you with pride.]
In the end, I didn’t defeat the Black Bear, and I probably would’ve died if it weren’t for Sieg-san. So, as I tell her this with a wry smile, not feeling like I can proudly say I saved her, Yuzuki-san’s arms, which were wrapped around my back, tighten around me.
[That’s not true… Senpai looked really cool. You looked really, really cool.]
[I see… Thanks.]
I placed my hand on Yuzuki-san’s head and gently petted her.
No further words were needed, as Yuzuki-san buried her face in my chest for a while.
I continued to stroke her head until she calmed down. After a bit, Yuzuki-san pulled back and moved away from me.
[…Ummm, errr.]
[Unnn.]
[Once again, thank you so much! “Kaito-senpai!”]
With that, she smiled brightly, like a flower blooming.
Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san were back to their usual selves, and as I explained about Anima and other things to them with Lilia-san and the others, Rei-san returned with a very tired look on his face.
[Rei-san, welcome back. What happened with Anima?]
[Ah, yeah. She’s now guarding the area where the wall was broken.]
[You look pretty exhausted though?]
[…Well, that girl really has a strong personality, huh. She tried to strike the security captain when he tried to give her instructions… Unnn. Fortunately, thanks to Miyama-kun’s order, she followed my lead. Because of that, I ended up having to join the Security Force for a while too.]
It seems Anima was still acting like herself, even when they got to the Security Force’s barracks. She refused to take orders from anyone but me and even tried to bite the guard captain. Rei-san ended up stepping in, choosing to join the Security Force himself.
[That is, ummm… somehow, I’m sorry.]
[No, she certainly has a strong personality, but she’s definitely got the ability to back it up. She even managed to carry a large amount of materials for wall repairs with just one hand.]
Though her personality can be a bit difficult, it seems that Anima, whose power rivals that of a high-ranking peerage-holder demon, is incredibly valuable to the Security Force.
Even considering her personality, her strength is enough to make up for it, tilting things in a positive direction… Unn. I suppose the next time I see Anima, I’ll have to tell her to follow the Security Force’s instructions.
After that, Rei-san joined our conversation, and the topic shifted to tomorrow’s event—the Sacred Tree Festival’s harvest competition.
[So, the harvest festival will go ahead tomorrow as planned?]
[Yeah, we’ve taken all necessary precautions to make sure the harvest festival, which was originally designed to be child-friendly, will be safe. And ironically, since Death King-sama uprooted the Black Bears, we can actually say it’s safer now compared to previous harvest festivals.]
[I see.]
It seems that with the extinction of the Black Bears, the most dangerous creatures in the Elven Forest, the harvest festival is now much safer.
[By the way, where is the harvest festival going to be held?]
[It’ll be held in the “Spirits’ Forest,” east of Rigforeshia.]
[Spirits’ Forest?]
[Yeah, the symbol of the festival, the Sacred Tree, is the “Spirit Tree,” where spirits live. The Spirit Trees only bear fruit at this time of year, and that fruit is a local specialty of Rigforeshia.]
Yuzuki-san’s question is answered by Rei-san.
It seems that the Spirits’ Forest is exactly what its name suggests—a forest where spirits live. The Spirit Trees that grow there are apparently the Sacred Trees.
[Does that mean the participants will be harvesting the fruits?]
[That’s right~~ And for the elves, it’s also a great chance to bond with the spirits.]
[The Fruit of the Spirit Tree is a strange one—it tastes worse if it’s not harvested together with the spirits… but the spirits are very shy. The trick to harvesting more fruit is to be friendly with them.]
Fia-saan and Rei-san explained my question in turn. Apparently, the spirits are very shy, which is why each participant goes into the forest alone to interact with them and gather the fruits.
[In case you’re wondering, the competition is ranked based on who collects the most fruits, but that’s really just an added bonus.]
[Yes, after all, this event heavily favors “Spirit Mages.”]
[ [ [ Spirit Mages? ] ] ]
I’d heard that the harvest festival, like the hunting tournament, would have rankings, but apparently, that’s just a bonus. The actual prize for the harvest festival is a selection of fruits harvested from the Elves’ Forest, which is pretty modest compared to the hunting tournament’s prize.
When Fia-san mentioned the unfamiliar term “Spirit Mage,” Kusunoki-san, Yuzuki-san, and I all tilted our heads.
[A Spirit Mage is a mage who is favored by the spirits and can borrow their power. For elves, being a Spirit Mage is a highly honored position. By the way, Fia here is a Spirit Mage.]
[Ah, so Fia-san can call spirits?]
[Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve done it, but let’s try summoning one now…]
I’m not sure if it’s just a girl thing, but Yuzuki-san seemed really interested in seeing spirits, so when Rei-san explained, Fia-san smiled gently and conjured a small magic circle above her hand.
The emerald green magic circle flickered several times, before a tiny, translucent fairy appeared—no taller than thirty centimeters.
The spirit, a translucent girl clad in green from head to toe, looked exactly as I imagined. Seeing her made Yuzuki-san even more excited.
[Uwaaahhh, she’s really cute… Just a little touch—Ahh!?]
[Fufufu, I told you, right? Spirits are very shy… and only Spirit Mages can touch their bodies.]
Yuzuki-san reached out her hand, but the spirit quickly darted behind Fia-san.
[How about you try, Kaito-senpai?]
[Eh? Me?]
I glanced at the spirit again, who had come back in front of Fia-san after Yuzuki-san spoke. The moment our eyes met, she looked at me… and after a brief moment, she started fidgeting.
Noticing her strange reaction, I slowly reached out my hand, trying not to startle her… but as soon as the spirit saw my hand, she looked surprised and disappeared.
[I guess that’s impossible even for Miyama-sama, huh?]
[No, first of all, I think you’re misunderstanding something… Fia-san?]
[She disappeared? I didn’t unsummon her, though. She just vanished instead of running away?]
I replied to Lunamaria-san with a wry smile and a tsukkomi. As I turned to look at Fia-san, I saw her making a strange face while muttering something quietly to herself.
Tilting her head at the situation, the magic circle in Fia-san’s hand glowed again, and the spirit returned.
The spirit slowly approached me, fidgeted for a moment, and then handed me something… a small fruit.
[ [ [ ! ? ] ] ]
[Errr… Are you giving this to me?]
Seeing this, the three elves—Rei-san, Fia-san, and Sieg-san—looked surprised.
I was curious why they all reacted that way, but when I addressed the spirit in front of me, it gave a small nod.
[Thank you.]
As I thanked her and took the fruit, the spirit spun around me, looking pleased, and then began patting my body.
Huh? I thought only a Spirit Mage was supposed to be able to touch a spirit?
[Ummm… What’s going on?]
[…Mi-Miyama-san!? H-How in the world did you do that!?]
[Eh? No, I didn’t really do anything…]
[Unlike when you’re harvesting together at the harvest festival, giving you what they’ve gathered is a “gesture of affection” for them. In other words, it’s like the spirit is saying she wants to be friends with you.]
[I-I see…]
I have no idea why, but it seems this spirit likes me.
As proof, when I reached out to the spirit as she came near, she didn’t run away, and I was able to touch her.
Meanwhile, Fia-san, who had been watching this all with her mouth wide open and her shoulders slightly slumped, looked completely dumbfounded.
[……A-Are you alright? Fia?]
[……Rei…… I… I spent twenty years… twenty years becoming a spirit mage… but in an instant? In an instant, he was already able to…]
[Fia-sama, I’m sure you realize by now… this person is just abnormal.]
[That’s right, Fia-san! Kaito-san is just… unusual! He’s a monster in many ways…]
The burning reproach by Lunamaria-san, along with Lilia-san’s follow up, directly struck me.
As for Lilia-san, she’s clearly treating me like some kind of monster… but it’s not like I used my Sympathy Magic this time, like I did with the baby dragon… so why in the world did this happen?
Dear Mom, Dad—I heard about the harvest festival and about the spirits. And for some reason—I received the affection of a spirit.
<Author’s Notes>
Kaito has the Blessing of the God of Creation, and because of this, he’s loved by the world.
Therefore, for the fairies and spirits that were born from nature, the magic power emitted by Kaito is very Kaito, making Kaito look attractive in their eyes.
That is to say, from the spirits’ point of view, Kaito looks like a superior ikemen.
T/N: 5/10