Ch. 107

Though a lot of time had passed, the thought of my sister having a child still didn’t feel real. In my mind, Anel was always a strong warrior, not the mother of a child.

They felt like two completely different people.

“She knows about you, too. I always told her stories about you.”

“About me?”

“You were the bravest girl I ever knew.”

“Sister…”

That felt like such a huge compliment that it made my heart warm and tender.

The way my ‘sister’ looked at me, or the power of the compass that brought me here, made me realize I was someone missed and meaningful to someone.

“But, at first, I didn’t recognize you. It was only after I saw that sparkling spirit that I was sure.”

“You mean Ador?”

Back when I owed the Shavel Mercenary Corps, Ador often had to play the role of a streetlamp at night.

Everyone used to call him ‘the sparkly one.’

“He looks even bigger than before.”

“Really?”

“He was about the size of a fist back then, but now he’s as big as a person’s head.”

Was he?

I glanced up at Ador floating a little higher up. I hadn’t noticed at all. Maybe seeing him every day kept me from noticing the change.

[You got bigger?]

[What a careless master! You just realized?]

[Why’d you get bigger?]

[Because your power has become more stable! It’s easier to manifest my strength!]

That was news to me.

Maybe it was like machines performing better as their specs improved?

Spirits, then and now, were still mysterious beings. Humans could command them, but so little was truly known.

There were more unknowns than knowns, and the lack of research was due to how few Spirit Mages there were.

That lack of information contributed to the decline in Spirit Mages, creating a vicious cycle.

Spirit Mages definitely didn’t have a bright future. Who knew when they’d all disappear…

“By the way, where’s that snake you used to love?”

She meant Rai.

I reached out and petted the wolf’s head sitting quietly beside me.

She wouldn’t believe me if I said this was the snake.

I had no choice but to change the subject again.

“Did I really love him that much?”

Now that I thought about it, I had plenty of secrets. The biggest reason was that explaining everything was such a hassle.

“Of course, I still remember. You always took him everywhere! Whether you were sleeping or eating, he was always with you. Anyone could see you two were friends.”

“Hmm, well, I guess…”

“That snake used to coil up on your head and threaten anyone who came near you, hissing. He was a really smart snake who knew how to protect his master.”

[Hehe! She knows a thing or two, Master!]

“Do you remember how you got revenge on the members who tried to eat your snake?”

She laughed as she asked, but I felt a bit embarrassed by such an old story.

And Rai’s excitement only made it worse.

[Gasp! Master! Was that for me? You did that for me?]

[…Not exactly for you.]

Damn it. Adults have a way of casually exposing your embarrassing moments.

“Later, when the members tattled on you to me, they were so upset… but everyone thought you were really cute. They said you were a little ruthless. Now it’s all just memories.”

It didn’t really sound like a compliment.

Ruthless? That means cold and sharp. When was I ever that cold? I have feelings, too!

“Are you still in contact with the Shavel Mercenary Corps?”

“No, I can’t. This is such a remote place.”

“I suppose so.”

I looked around at the dense trees. The endless forest sometimes felt like being lost at sea.

“Our tribe is the only one nearby. Not even letters can get through, and outsiders are rare. Only people with a death wish come this deep.”

“How far is the nearest village?”

“On foot, about four weeks?”

I feel sick already.

It’d already taken me ten days, and my patience had long since run out, so I was borrowing patience from the future just to keep going.

Why do dragons always live in such remote places?

“If you had a horse, maybe fifteen to ten days.”

“A horse…”

“So, are you traveling alone? No companions?”

“I’ve got this guy with me.”

Her eyes landed on Rai, and she seemed to accept it right away.

Then one of her tribeswomen approached her cautiously from behind.

Noticing that Anel and I were close, she wasn’t as hostile as before.

Still wary, though.

“ak dmffheh fdk rkdigo. zkclrk ekcuTdj.”

Then she began speaking quickly in a language I couldn’t understand.

[What’s she saying?]

[No idea.]

I’d heard that the tribal union nation of Koran had thousands of tribes and thousands of languages.

That was probably one of them, and even though I spoke many languages, tribal dialects were too much.

After a short conversation, Anel turned back to me.

I had just sent Ador back to the spirit realm.

“Geenie?”

“Yes, sister?”

“Let’s go to our village together. I can’t let you stay long, but I can share some food. You can rest up, and I’ll lend you my horse.”

“Really? Is that okay?”

“Of course. But that wolf isn’t dangerous, is he? He’ll be alright, right?”

Rai must have looked quite threatening to her tribe.

He was way bigger and a different color than a normal wolf.

“Our tribe worships wolves, but we’re also very afraid of them.”

“Don’t worry! If he gets wild, I’ll pull out all his teeth.”

[…Those are my teeth!]

They’re not mine.

“Then can you wait just a moment? I have to treat the wounded before we leave. Looks like her leg’s broken, so I’ll need to splint it.”

“Her, right?”

She was the one who’d fallen hard from the tree.

That tribeswoman was yelling at Anel, who looked troubled.

It was probably my fault. She was likely protesting bringing the person who’d hurt her back to the village.

Even if you can’t speak the language, you can read the room.

“Showing kindness might make me look like a pushover, but I’ll do it anyway.”

I took off my cloak and slowly approached the wounded woman.

I grinned and looked around at everyone.

“This time, I’ll help. I’m the one who hurt you. And you’re my sister’s tribe.”

“You’ll help? Can you heal?”

“Sister, did you forget? I’m a Spirit Mage of water.”

Water meant healing, and was also known as the mother of life. And a mid-level water spirit had the power to heal.

“Undaine.”

Because we were in a jungle, there was plenty of moisture, so Undaine appeared quickly.

[Did you call me?]

A small whirlpool spun in the air and then took the shape of a dolphin.

With blue, jewel-like eyes sparkling, Undaine swam leisurely at my side.

Even though Anel had seen spirits before, she looked pretty surprised.

“That’s… different from what I saw before. It’s much bigger, and feels different.”

“Undine was a low-level spirit, and this one is a mid-level spirit.”

The tribespeople, who were probably seeing a spirit for the first time, stared at Undaine with wide, astonished eyes.

Their faces, which had looked fierce before, now looked kind of cute.

One even reached for Undaine’s translucent tail and yelped when her hand passed right through.

“So what will you do with a water spirit?”

“People really don’t know much about spirits. They don’t know how amazing these guys are.”

With a proud look, I nodded and smiled.

“Undaine.”

[Yes, Master.]

“Show these people how kind and wonderful you are.”

[Healing.]

“From the beginning, show them the great power you possess.”

Undaine flew to the woman who couldn’t get up.

A blue glow poured from Undaine, flowing like water and gathering around the woman’s injured leg.

It seemed to swirl and wrap around, then seep gently inside.

Just like rain soaking into soil.

At the same time, the bruises on her leg disappeared without a trace.

It was a small but undeniable miracle.

Before long, the wounded woman realized her leg no longer hurt, and she started to squeeze and prod her leg in disbelief.

Soon, she jumped up and shouted for joy.

“dkvmwld ks gdk!”

That was when it started.

The way the tribe looked at me changed.

Their fierce wariness melted away like snow, replaced by respect and awe.

Or so I thought.