Ch. 182
These fools—how insolent!
“At what point in time do you expect to chop down trees, tie them together, and toss ropes to rebuild the bridge! That’s an insane amount of work! Taking the long way around would be a thousand times better! You’re only saying that because you won’t be the one doing it!”
“Tsk tsk, you people really don’t know what a Spirit Mage is, do you? I thought I’d shown you plenty.”
I could retrieve things from the bottom of the sea, make it rain, provide drinking water, wash dishes, do laundry, take showers… huh? That actually doesn’t sound all that impressive.
Guess it’s time I showed them something truly amazing.
“Rejoice, you foolish mortals! For I shall create a bridge!”
“Can you drop that weird tone?”
“Yeah, guess it doesn’t suit me.”
I admitted it quickly and dismounted, just as Lox stumbled toward me like a zombie, clutching my shoulders and shaking me.
“You can make a bridge? Really? You?!”
“I said I can.”
“I can’t believe it! You’re saying you’ll use your powers for something other than killing? And voluntarily, at that?”
“……That’s what you focused on?! I sometimes do things that don’t even benefit me, you know!”
“Sure you do.”
Only when it’s the ‘less’ annoying option!
Using my power was a hassle, but I’d calculated that taking a detour was even more of a hassle.
“Come on, I just made it rain over the farm earlier.”
“That was basically digging your own grave, though.”
“……I’m getting irritated. You think I’d use my noble power because of rude brats like you?”
“You literally take showers using spirit arts…….”
“What would you guys do without me, huh? Poor, pitiful souls.”
“At least we wouldn’t feel this disgusted.”
“What was that? You seriously have a death wish? You weakling, you’ve got quite a mouth on you.”
“And we wouldn’t constantly have our lives threatened by our own ally either. Mocking someone for being weak is bad manners, you know.”
Strange. I was clearly a great person worthy of respect, yet I was surrounded by these insolent idiots.
“You lot don’t even realize how lucky you are to travel with me. This should be the honor of your lifetime!”
“Then show us, why don’t you.”
“……You think I don’t see through that? You’re just trying to provoke me into making the bridge.”
“You already figured it out, huh. You’re going to make it anyway, right? You hate going back just as much, so for once you offered first, didn’t you?”
“Tch. You got me.”
Lox was smart and logical—exactly the kind of person I didn’t get along with.
He seemed to have recovered from the mental collapse caused by the broken bridge.
I’d meant to milk the moment a little more before helping, but then I realized I was part of this party too. Showing off didn’t get me anything extra.
I often forgot that parties were about helping each other.
Not that remembering it would change anything.
“Undine.”
Strictly speaking, the Metal Spirit Rai would’ve been more suited for bridge-making, but I had no intention of revealing all my capabilities.
This kind of simple task—Undine was more than enough.
[Should I connect the bridge?]
“All the way across. Make it sturdy—we’re walking on it.”
I’d never done this before, and there was no such spell as ‘bridge creation’ among water spirit arts, but that was the beauty of spirit magic—you weren’t bound by such limitations.
Undine began filling in the gaps along the remnants of the bridge.
Soon, a translucent bridge of water stretched to the opposite side, gradually turning a deep blue as it compressed and solidified.
It didn’t take long for the bridge to form.
Done. Just like that.
“See? Easy.”
“……”
“I built the bridge, so get moving. My mana’s draining by the second.”
There was another way to cross a canyon using a water spirit—by riding one, like I sometimes did with Undaine.
But flying wasn’t part of water’s nature, so the mana efficiency was terrible.
If it were just me, maybe. But moving this many people ‘and’ horses? Building a bridge was the easier choice.
“Uh…… that’s clearly made of water, though?”
“Of course it is. I’m a Water Spirit Mage. What’s your point? You got something against water?”
“I mean it’s ‘water’! We’ll just fall right through! You’re trying to kill us all, aren’t you?!”
“Hey! Don’t underestimate water!”
Chad protested fiercely, distrust all over his face. Swordsmen tended to be skeptical of magic, and spirit arts were even stranger to them, so their wariness was understandable.
“Do you even know how much we weigh? That thing—made of ‘water’! Can it really hold us?!”
“It’s fine. You don’t trust your big sis?”
“Who trusts you?!”
Each horse weighed around 500 kilos, and with five adult men, that was… yeah, if it were an elevator, it’d crash instantly.
“Ugh, you guys are hopeless. Of course it can hold us! It’s compressed water—hard as stone! How do you ‘not’ get that?”
“Water’s still water! Hey, you guys really buying this? She says water’s ‘solid’!”
It wasn’t just Chad. Most of the group looked uneasy.
Even Lox, who I thought was the sensible one, seemed doubtful. Clearly, a bridge made of water was too alien a concept for them.
“……You know compression, right? When something’s compressed, it gets harder? High-pressure water can pierce your thick skull, for your information.”
“How are we supposed to believe that?!”
“Want me to ‘show’ you?”
“No, thanks!”
Seriously, they’re like children. Scared of crossing one little bridge.
Unbelievable.
“Ash? Let’s go. Once we cross, they’ll follow.”
The best way to prove it was safe was to walk across ourselves.
As I mounted my horse, Ash didn’t answer—just gazed at the water bridge. I placed my hand on his shoulder and leaned close against his back.
Then I whispered by his ear.
“You trust me, don’t you?”
I’d be a little hurt if even he doubted me.
To commoners, magic was rare—something both awe-inspiring and frightening.
Among us, Ash, being of royal blood, was probably the most familiar with it.
Slowly, he guided the horse toward the bridge.
At the boundary where land met the watery surface, the horse balked, stamping nervously. Ash calmed it patiently and urged it forward.
The brown horse carrying us finally stepped onto the bridge as everyone watched.
For a while, it kept only its front hooves on, unmoving.
I pulled Ash’s waist closer, and he pressed forward.
Each step the horse took made a soft splashing sound, like walking on shallow water.
Amid the strange silence and tension, we crossed the water bridge—and at last reached the other side of the canyon. Naturally, completely unharmed.
When we set foot on solid ground again, I could feel Ash’s quiet sigh of relief through the contact of our bodies.
That was what it meant to hold someone—you could feel everything. His tension, his excitement, his surprise.
“Good job.”
“Th-thank you……”
As I gently patted the horse’s neck, Ash seemed to think I was talking to him. He stopped mid-sentence, embarrassed, avoiding my gaze.
“Hehe, cute.”
“……Was that a compliment?”
“It was. I like doting on cute things.”
“On the…… giving end, I suppose.”
“Exactly. That’s why Undine’s my favorite.”
I ruffled Ash’s hair.
Unlike mine, his was smooth and straight—it felt nice to touch.
The strands slipped softly between my fingers, different from Rai’s, different from mine.
That made me want to keep touching it.
Unaccustomed to affection, his ears turned bright red.
I was picky with what I found cute—and rarely ever thought ‘humans’ were cute—but Ash was one of the few exceptions.
Yes, Ash was cute.
That was definitely one reason behind this ticklish sense of possessiveness.
After teasing him for a bit, I looked back at the others still hesitating on the opposite side.
“You cowards!”
Come to think of it, we weren’t alone. No wonder I felt so good—it was because it’d just been the two of us for a while.
“W-wait for us!”
“We’re coming now!”
“Why are you holding your swords?! You’ll all die if you swing those around!”
“Damn it! Fine! Let’s go!”
I shouted irritably, and only then did they start crossing one by one. For such big guys, they sure were scared easily.
Well, falling meant instant death, and the transparent bridge showed the canyon below clear as day—even without acrophobia, it’d make anyone’s legs shake.
They were so terrified that they crossed one at a time, dragging things out.
What a bunch of high-maintenance idiots.
Finally, once everyone made it across, I boasted shamelessly.
“Go on, admit it. What would you have done without me? Hmm? What ‘would’ve happened’?”
“You’re insufferable……”
“Oh-ho, such manners toward your savior!”
“Hah? How does that make you our savior?”
Right then, the water bridge crumbled like a wave.
“If I’d dispelled it while you were still crossing, you’d all be dead. But I didn’t, right?”
Kekeke!
Therefore, I was their savior!
It was a joke, but judging by their grim expressions, they didn’t find it funny. What, did they think I’d actually do it? Well… maybe I ‘would’ have, if not for Ash.
“Things were going too well—turns out ‘she’s’ the trial itself, huh?”
“……Makes sense.”
“Ha! That’s exactly it!”
“You little—”
Now that I thought about it, maybe they weren’t afraid of the water bridge. Maybe they were afraid of entrusting their lives to ‘me’.
What keen instincts—like herbivores sensing a predator! I almost admired it.
[Master…….]
“Hm? What is it, Rai?”
[Where are you……?]
Hearing his weak, resigned voice, I glanced around for him. Where’d he go? I didn’t see him.
[Where are ‘you’, anyway?]
[……I haven’t crossed yet…….]
“Ah!”
I realized—too late—that I’d left the smelly Rai on the other side.
The bridge had already been completely dispelled.
Far across the canyon, Rai stood against the wind like a tragic hero.
He didn’t whine like usual but just stared at me with mournful eyes, silently sulking.
[Master, don’t you have something to say to me?]
“Hmm…… live well over there, Rai. I’ll be going.”
[You’re so cruel, Master!]
I do not apologize to spirits!