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“To the spirit, pure energy is like the warm sunlight that nourishes plants.”

“What about the opposite?”

“Hic… hic… hic…”

A whimper that seemed entirely out of place filled the foul-smelling underground sewer.

There, a spirit gazed at its transformed reflection in the mirror.

“Uweeeeeek-!”

I expected this.

When I resolved to let my existence be taken over by the black magicians, I knew all too well that it would lead to a horrifying experience.

Their energy was enough to make me feel nauseous just by brushing against it.

What would happen if I were to embrace that energy within my body?

It would undoubtedly be unbearably unpleasant.

“It hurts, it hurts!!!”

But I never anticipated it would be this excruciating.

I mean, to a spirit, the concept of physical pain didn’t exist.

So then, what is this pain?

What the hell is it? I—

I must certainly be a spirit, yet why can I feel this pain so distinctly?

-You are different from us.

I heard the voices of my kin.

Their words were true.

I was different from them.

This sharp discomfort and pain were evidence of that.

“That’s right…”

Tears flowed from one eye that had lost its brightness, once vibrant like a wind-blown meadow, now faded.

“Drip.”

From the physically damaged eye, blood and pus mixed and oozed out.

Despite keeping my mouth shut, my teeth were laid bare.

My skin flowed like mud after rain.

The reflection in the mirror was hideous beyond measure.

“I am different from you…”

She made a sound that resembled a sob while looking at that reflection.

She believed her feelings were lightened.

At least, there would be no more self-deception and anguish like before.

Everything had become clear.

“I am a mutant…”

──────────

“Lady Rapita, a message has come from Draphon.”

“What does it say?”

“We’ve searched everywhere spirits might be, but we’ve found nothing significant.”

“What about Gadena?”

“Similarly, they found no traces of Pamon.”

“…So what now?”

“For now, we should return to the Great Forest. It seems we have no choice but to seek help from the clan and conduct a thorough search.”

“…”

The wishes of the foolish lady could not be realized.

No matter how great the noble who ruled the Great Forest, upturning a distant human city at will was no easy feat.

Especially if the reason was ‘the lady lost a spirit she cherishes.’

Ultimately, the reunion of the foolish lady and the spirit would not occur until long after.

In the worst form, far exceeding the lady’s anxieties.

“…”

The solitary and noble blue wolf was no longer there.

What was left, replacing countless traces of loss with all sorts of foreign elements, resembled a grotesquery formed by melting various animals together.

–Uwaaaaakh!!!

A horrifying sound suitable for the stinking underground sewer filled the place.

From what had been eyes and mouth, blood and pus poured out like saliva.

“Ah… ah… ah…”

The foolish lady often threw tantrums whenever things didn’t go her way.

This time was no different.

She refused to accept that ‘that’ was the spirit she had loved.

She refused to acknowledge that she couldn’t protect her.

The moment before the storm is the quietest.

In the underground sewer, where all noise was swallowed by an emerald, the foolish lady’s voice emerged softly.

“Silph… my last request… get rid of that… along with the wretched humans of this city…”

The elf cut her wrist.

Gulp. Gulp. The dark red blood spilled over the emerald.

A whirlpool swept across the city.

──────────

“[South of Bondales is the land of the unending, wrathful whirlpool.]”

“[At its center stands a massive tower that soars beyond the sky.]”

“[The core is wind, made from the ruins of the destroyed city and the corpses of its citizens.]”

“[From the top of the tower, every so often, the ugly cries of the monstrosity can be heard.]”

“[From the top of the tower, the mad weeping of a woman can be heard now and then.]”

──────────

“Hiiung…”

When Rapita regained her senses, the scene before her unfolded.

The noble wolf spirit fully embraced human delight, regardless of whether it had collapsed in shock.

“Pamon.”

Rapita called her name in a sulky tone.

Pamon rubbed her face against Ricir’s chest instead of answering.

As if Rapita’s voice was a nuisance.

“…”

The foolish lady often threw tantrums when things didn’t go her way.

However, this time, her whim wouldn’t be indulged.

The now dull emerald caught her eye.

“What is this…”

The foolish lady said, half-sobbing, with a sulky tone.

After a moment of being frustrated with her inability to throw a tantrum, she took in Pamon’s appearance once more.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

If that child had been with me all along, would she have ever shown me such a look of happiness?

No. That day would probably never come.

In the first place, she had never expected to see such a look from her.

She hadn’t realized.

That she was hiding such a spoiled side of herself.

The noble and solitary wolf she knew.

The spoiled lady standing before her now.

Which one is her true self?

“…”

Unrelentingly, the answer came immediately.

Unrelentingly, that answer carried another truth.

‘I… really did like Pamon, didn’t I…?’

I could absolutely assert that there was nothing false about that feeling.

But if I asked whether that way was right, I no longer had the confidence to assert it.

I didn’t know that Pamon was such a spoiled child.

-Fuck! What a relief! I’ve always wanted to say this to you guys. No matter how much you bark and bite, you just don’t get it! I think you elves are shit!

I completely failed to grasp Pamon’s feelings.

Had I not met this guy named Ricir, even if I learned this fact, I would have stubbornly denied it.

Why?

Because what I loved was ‘the noble and solitary Pamon.’

I loved her special energy.

I loved her beautiful appearance.

But I had never tried to understand her feelings.

I had never tried to understand her thoughts, nor listened to her voice.

‘…So that’s it.’

Rapita realized anew.

She had always cared only about her own thoughts and feelings.

She had never once considered the feelings and positions of others.

Pamon, who was happy.

The sight of her, which had always seemed odd, began to look different.

“Hey, human. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. But enough is enough. You should think about how the lady feels—”

“Gondola.”

“Yes, my lady! I was just—”

“It’s okay.”

“Huh?”

“I’m okay, so leave those two alone.”

“…My lady?”

The knight, who had always indulged the foolish lady’s whims, looked startled as he gazed at her.

She rose from her seat with Gondola’s support and spoke to Ricir.

“You. Have I ever told you this?”

Ricir braced himself.

What was this lady going to blabber about now?

“Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“You saved Pamon from those suspicious humans, right? If it wasn’t for you, Pamon might have gone wrong. I want to express my gratitude. And—”

Rapita glanced at Pamon.

Pamon was still snuggled up to Ricir, oblivious to Rapita’s presence.

A blend of satisfaction and bittersweetness formed on Rapita’s face.

“Thank you for listening to Pamon’s… voice. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have gone on tormenting Pamon.”

“…”

Pamon’s ears perked up towards Rapita, and then her head turned to face her.

Though still wrapped in suspicion, it was mixed with curiosity that hadn’t been there before.

Rapita smiled, filled with emotion.

So this is it. I should have done this much earlier.

“I’m sorry, Pamon. I’ve been sorry all this time. Truly.”

Sobbing. Sobbing.

The foolish lady finally broke down in tears.

The zealous knight watched silently, taking in the sight.

The foolish lady’s sobbing felt more dignified than ever before.

“I didn’t know how much you were suffering. No, I didn’t even try to know. All the while, I acted as if I knew everything about you. I made you suffer. So I’m sorry. Really sorry. Will you accept my apology…?”

“…”

Pamon turned her head away from Rapita.

Seeing her stirred memories of the elves who had made her, and those of her kind who had ostracized her.

Accepting her apology felt as if she had to forgive them all.

How could she do that?

“Ah…”

At that moment.

A pure happiness that even made her forget her resentment gently caressed Pamon.

Pamon looked up at the human she was held by.

Ricir was tenderly patting Pamon’s head and looking at her with kind eyes.

Pamon didn’t understand the meaning behind his actions.

She had no idea what thoughts motivated him to accept and embrace her.

Suddenly, she felt it didn’t matter.

The unknown acceptance and kindness stirred Pamon’s capriciousness.

Whatever.

Pamon muttered nonchalantly.

Rapita didn’t miss that remark.

“Thank you…”

A smile spread across her tear-streaked face.

“*”

“My lady. Are you really okay? Even if you don’t take Pamon with you—”

“Pamon isn’t something I own. Originally, I should have respected her life more quickly than this…”

“My lady…!”

If someone were to receive the biggest joy from this event, it would undoubtedly be the zealous knight.

His eyes held tears at the sight of the foolish lady’s growth.

“Draphon. Can you return the item I entrusted to you?”

As Rapita spoke, both she and Draphon couldn’t help but chuckle.

The ‘Blue Veil’, a treasure of the elves that purifies the wearer’s energy, had taken the form of a blue cloak.

It reminded them of the very moment they exchanged the item, solemnly recalling the seriousness of their mission.

Draphon promptly returned the Blue Veil to Rapita.

Rapita handed the Blue Veil to Ricir.

“Hmm?”

“This is one of our elven treasures, the Blue Veil. It possesses the amazing ability to purify the wearer’s energy.”

Ricir looked at the cloak with a peculiar expression before glancing down at himself.

Rapita, who understood what that implied all too well, sighed, “Hoo…”

“Yeah. It might mean nothing to you. But just take it.”

“Huh? You’re giving it to me? But didn’t you call it an elven treasure?”

“I’m free to do as I wish with my own things, right? Any problem with that?”

At that moment, Gondola whispered urgently in her ear.

“Ahem. I’ve changed my mind. Forget what I just said.”

Rapita awkwardly cleared her throat, putting away the Blue Veil.

Instead, she pulled out a pouch from her cloak and whispered to Gondola.

-Is it okay to give this one?

-We should talk to Draphon first, since the quest was entrusted to him.

-Why should I? Draphon hasn’t done anything in this mission.

-It’s part of the procedures according to the contract…

A moment later, Rapita looked at Draphon with discontent.

“Draphon. I’m trying to give Ricir a reward for this quest, but Gondola says I need your permission first.”

“Hah. There’s no need for that. I haven’t done anything in this mission. Let’s consider it as if the quest never happened.”

See? What did I tell you?

Rapita looked triumphantly at Gondola.

“…”

Gondola closed his eyes and nodded.

Yeah. That makes sense.

It was still a long way to go for the foolish lady.

“Now that’s settled, Ricir. Take this. I’m making it clear that this is not money for you but for Pamon.”

“Huh? Didn’t I receive this for saving Pamon?”

“That’s just how it sounds! I mean it for you to not only use it all for yourself but also for Pamon! Didn’t you understand that!?!”

“Ah. Should I?”

“What’s with the laughter!?!”

“My lady. Let’s get going.”

“No, why are you laughing! My, I’m going to give in, so is it funny!? You’ll see!!! This humiliation! I will absolutely not forget it!!!”

The foolish lady felt her face growing hot for some reason as she scurried away.

“…”

Soon after, the massive knight bowed deeply to Ricir before following the lady.

“Then, let’s move on—”

Just as the incident was about to settle down, Draphon opened his mouth as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Ricir. According to Kella, you’re interested in joining our guild?”

Even the top-notch adventurer, who had maintained his composure when dealing with the elven princess, showed some impatience for once.

*

The next morning.

Pamon and Rona, enjoying their weekend, had breakfast with Ricir for the first time in a while.

“Now then, let’s each take a moment to report on the progress we’ve made during this brief period.”

Pamon cheerfully began as soon as she took her seat.

And then, Ricir’s story began—

“Wait, wait a minute!”

Before long, the initial momentum vanished as Pamon urgently interrupted Ricir.

Countless questions flooded her mind from hearing his words.

“What did the Draphon Guild Master say to you—… No, that’s not it.”

But at that moment, this was the question that took precedence.

“You. Right now…”

Her expression looked as if she had seen a ghost.

Just days ago, Pamon looked down on Ricir from the fifth tier.

When she saw him, she could gauge his overwhelming magical power at a glance.

But now.

He simply felt vague.

Even focusing all her senses on Ricir, she couldn’t accurately measure his magical power.

 

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