Chapter 51

"My, you certainly have some talented friends,"

I followed Mia's mother with Mia as she would teach the two of us 'Spirt Magic' on the outskirts of the tree-top village. On our way, we pass by the others training with the elves. Mia's mother isn't wrong because everyone is really talented.

"I'm not done yet!"

"Quite a skilled fighter, aren't you? You lack a bit of attack power, but you make up for it with tremendous spatial awareness,"

Shishitouya, the samurai elf also known as Shiya, effortlessly defended against Tama's sword and shield. Five days had passed since the incident at the public bathhouse, and the elves had been giving us guidance ever since.

Today everyone had one-on-one matches with their trainers, but we practised combat most days. Our opponents in those days were dummies, the elves magically constructed out of grass, mud, etc. On days when we practised against monsters, the hunting master Hishirotoya and I would go out into the monster territory outside the forest and bring back enemies.

"Take this, ma'am!"

"Good charge, but pay more attention to your surroundings. If there had been a trap in the grass between us, you'd already be caught,"

Using both of her tiny hands, Pochi brandished a one-handed sword whilst engaging in a duel with the curly-haired Portomea, otherwise known as Poa.

"I eat traps for breakfast, ma'am!"

"Don't be a fool! Minus one point,"

Poa punctuated her reprimand with a sharp wave of the paper fan she held in her hand, crafted by Arisa.

"Aren't you the real fool for calling me a fool, ma'am?"

"Oh, be quiet. You must mind your teacher's words. If I tell you to give me your hamburg steak, you have to do it, even if you're hungry!"

Upon hearing this sudden announcement, Pochi grew pale, and tears welled in her eyes. Upon witnessing this, Poa quickly backtracked. Hamburg steaks were extra-special to Pochi, after all.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that about the steak. If it was a rice ball, maybe,"

"All right, ma'am. A rice ball would be fine, ma'am,"

"She can use Spellblade at her level…?"

"Promising,"

Yusek, a short spear-wielding spriggan, and Gurgapoya or Guya for short, a short-spoken elf who used a helix spear, was impressed with Liza's moves. We were fortunate enough to meet Yusek today; he is renowned among the spriggans of the Bolenan Forest for his impressive spear skill, rivalling even that of Guya's. When we said hello, he demonstrated his astonishing ability to make Spellblade soar off the head of his short spear. It was pretty neat, so I'd like to learn how eventually.

"Combine with magic,"

"You can't stop a charging monster with a shield alone! You have to use your magic at the same time and not worry so much about preserving all of your magic power. Don't be stingy with the Body Strengthening!"

"Advice accepted,"

The other short-spoken elf of the party, magic swordsman Gimasarua or Gia, was teaching Nana and the shield-using dwarf Keriul. It was revealed that Keriul was the uncle of Zajuul, the smitten blacksmith I encountered in Bolehart, the dwarves' self-governing city. Hiya, who had several contacts, could not find any elves specialising in shields, so she brought over a dwarf from the leprechaun village where he was learning.

"Miss Lulu, be careful not to bend your knees,"

"Y-yes, Miss Nea,"

"Nnngh, I can't help it! They're gonna breeeak!"

"Arisa, one must be flexible if one wishes to excel at martial arts. Try to be more bendable,"

Despite their impressive proficiency in magic, very few of the elves could utilise Space Magic and all those that could were away with the high elf Aialize, so there was no one to instruct Arisa. Surprisingly, the cook, Nea, stepped up and offered to teach Arisa self-defence, dragging Lulu along. I already taught them the basics, but Arisa is still struggling.

"Now, Satou, shall we begin our training as well?"

"Yes, sir,"

Satou, meanwhile, was struggling to learn how to chant. Hishirotoya, the long-spoken elf, was his teacher. Out of everyone, Satou is the one struggling the most. At first, Sara struggled to chant the advanced spells she received from the Holy Women, but now she is starting to get the hang of them while Satou still struggles to chant.

Liza and Pearl, meanwhile, were receiving more advanced training to better control their spell blades. I was tempted to join them, but the ability to use 'Spirt Magic' can open up so many new strategies that I decided to study that instead.

Mia's mother leads Mia and me to a stone stage, where we have been practising over the last couple of days. It is an area generally used for musical performances, but the vast open space also suits the needs of our training. We were only doing basic stuff, but I learned how to use spirits to create fire, wind, water and earth so far and could also summon a small bird used for communication. I still struggle to create a summon for attacking targets, but I have made a good start.

"Don't worry, Mia, you'll get the hang of it soon. Now Kura, why don't you start by trying to summon a wolf,"

While Mia struggled to form the spirits into elemental forms, I struggled with a different problem. I have been able to summon a wolf with the help of the spirits but commanding it is a different matter entirely. For some reason, it stares at me and refuses to obey my commands. For example, this wolf just stares at me and licks my hand. It's adorable, but I would prefer the wolf does something I tell it to.

"How strange," Mia's mother tilts her head. "I have never seen such an intelligent spirit summon before, yet it does nothing."

"Mm, special,"

Mia and her mother pet and stroke the wolf I summoned, as Mia's mother explains further. According to her, summons made through 'Spirt Magic' aren't ordinarily intelligent and follow their summoners' commands without hesitation. But for some reason, the summons I conjure appear to be able to think for themselves. As impressive as that is, it still doesn't help me control my spirit summons.

"How about you treat it like a pet?" Mia's mother suggests. "Maybe then it will follow your commands."

"I'll give it a try,"

I bend down and pet my spirit wolf on the head. It doesn't feel like a normal wolf. If I had to describe it, I would say it feels like touching a marble statue. Only this one can move and isn't cold in the slightest. But my spirit wolf is acting like a real dog for reasons no one can explain. Even Mia's mother, who has been one of the most talkative elves I have met, had nothing to say when I asked her why that was.

"Okay, sit… paw… roll over…" It seems to understand me now.

"It really is strange…"

We can't explain it but commands like sit are obeyed without question, but when I try and get it to attack, the spirit wolf just stares at me. The only time it does attack is when Mia's mother uses her spirit summon to attack it first. My spirit wolf might make a useless attack dog, but I could always use it to keep me company when I am lonely. It feels strangely nice to stroke and pet.

We try different commands, but in the end, the spirit wolf refuses to fight unless attacked first. It can use magic and is strong physically but still refuses to fight. On the other hand, my spirit dog seems to love locating items. He would come in handy when we need to locate something or someone and Satou isn't around to use his cheat map skill.

"It may be an unusual spirit, but it should still be useful,"

"Yeah,"

I nod my head and Mia's mother's comments. My spirit wolf will be very useful. But with that, our training for the day ended, and we headed back to the others. But the others are still training. It turns out 'Spirit Magic' takes much more MP than regular magic, so we couldn't train as long, or we will be at risk of running out of magic. I don't want to worry my friends like I did in Muno City when I collapsed and was knocked out for five days, so I don't protest when Mia's mother ended our training.

<0>

"Don't let it get you down, Satou,"

"I'm not particularly upset,"

Surprisingly out of everyone, Satou was the one to struggle the most. With how quickly he can pick up and master skills, I thought he would be a chanting champion by now, but instead, he returns while being comforted by his teacher.

Our training lessons weren't that long, only lasting for a few hours in the afternoon, but thanks to the elf's knowledge and experience, we learned a lot. After a lecture introducing the exercises' purpose, the elves began their training with practical instruction followed by a summation of how the day had gone. As was customary, the final discussion was held at the bathhouse.

"Why, it took Goya more than thirty years before he could chant properly,"

"Th… that's quite a long time,"

I honestly couldn't believe he had stuck with the same thing for thirty years.

"Phew, you finally smiled!" Arisa looked up at her master with a relieved expression. "The bath is one of the only times our master ever lets his feelings show on his face, you see."

Pochi and Tama nod their heads at Arisa's remark. The bathhouse has become lively in the evenings since we started training. Light snacks and drinks are served while we talk about the day. It's both fun and relaxing. Even the nudity of the elves has become unnoticeable at this point. Arisa and Mia are the only people from our group who don't wear a bathrobe. However, Arisa's attempts at seducing Satou are starting to get annoying.

"We elves are like one big family, and we don't lust after the opposite sex as intensely as most other races do,"

One of the elves explained. Elves likely had a slow reproduction rate, as is familiar with tales of elves. If they reproduced at the same rate as humans, the world would be full of elves. Arisa was the one who brought up the subject.

"I'm amazed you have children at all, then!"

"Well, elves do fall in love. If those feelings remain for a hundred years or so, marriage is usually the next step,"

"Marriage?"

"We saw a wedding parade in the old capital, sir!"

Tama and Pochi stopped their game after hearing the word marriage.

"What are elf weddings like?"

"Aaze,"

"Blessing,"

The two short-spoken elves answered Arisa's question. But it wasn't until one of the long-spoken elf's explained that we understood what they meant.

"The couple takes an oath of marriage in the World Tree, and Lady Aaze confers a blessing upon them. Then the pair pours their magic into the Holytree Stone they receive and nurtures it along with their love,"

The Holytree Stone, referred to as a Philosopher's Stone, is likely used as a wedding ring or for registration purposes. I recall that Aialize had me use the powder during our lesson on the stone stage.

"Once a couple has been married for between ten and fifty years, they will generally enter the mating season. It is easy to tell when a child has been conceived, as the bearer will experience a craving for the Holytree Stone. It's believed that if the mother consumes water containing the powder of the Holytree Stone while pregnant, the child will be happy and healthy,"

"What are you all talking about? I think Mia may be a bit young for this sort of education,"

A naked Aialize entered the bath catching Satou's eye, causing Arisa to punch him in the arm before covering his eyes.

"Aaze,"

"It's unusual to see you in the public bathhouse, Lady Aaze,"

"Whatever is the matter, Lady Aaze?"

Lua, the shrine maiden, appeared behind Aialize, looking at her in confusion. Aialize must have caught Satou staring before Arisa covered his eyes because she turned bright red.

"Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!"

"Guilty!"

"Guilty! Sir!"

Arisa repeatedly bumped Satou on the head as she repeated the word 'Guilty!' while Pochi and Tama joined in splashing Satou with water as they repeated the word. During this time, Aialize sank into the water using Lua as a shield.

"Thank you, girls,"

"Hmph! You never get like that when you see Lulu or me naked,"

"Arisa…"

Lulu blushed as red as Aialize, covering her face with her hands.

"Hero Kura. Should I show off my naked body for a response? I inquire,"

"No. You shouldn't do that,"

I quickly stopped Nana as she attempted to take off her robe. The last thing we need is her making things more complicated.

"I'm terribly sorry for staring so rudely, Lady Aialize,"

"U-uh-huh…"

Satou quickly apologises once Arisa has calmed down. Aialize barely responded as she kept her face half-submerged under the water. But she keeps glancing in Satou's direction.

"What has gotten into you, Lady Aaze? You're behaving like a young maiden who…"

"Lua?"

Lua trailed off mid-sentence, causing the short-spoken Gia to look at her in concern.

"N… no, it's nothing. It couldn't be,"

"Mrrr,"

It was definitely something, but no one dug deeper into the matter. Aialize is already embarrassed enough, after all. But she wasn't the only one looking distressed.

"Mia won't talk to me…"

"There, there, dear, it will be fine. Mia didn't mean it. You two will be talking before you know it,"

Mia fought with her father between the end of training and us entering the bath. I don't know what it was about, but Mia's father looks utterly defeated. I asked Mia what had happened, but all she did was proudly say.

"Kill shot,"

<0>

"Ahhh! Coffee milk after a bath is the best thing ever!"

Arisa put a hand on her hip and ecstatically chugged the bottled coffee milk. Nana, Pochi, Tama and Mia ended up copying her.

"Arisa, regular milk is superior, I report,"

"Mrrr. Fruit milk,"

They were all wrapped in towels, although Nana could do with a larger one as the towel she used barely covered her. But back to the milk. I don't think Nana likes regular milk just for the taste. If I had to guess, I would say it was the cute cow mascot Satou drawn on the carton that Nana likes.

"Carbonation rules?"

"The popping is so exciting, sir,"

Tama and Pochi, who were wearing pyjama pants with embroidered paw designs and short camisoles, as they drank their drinks of choice.

"I think this one is my new favourite,"

"Oh, I tried that one yesterday,"

Lulu stretched in the corner of the room, her attire consisting of a T-shirt and shorts. Meanwhile, Sara sat nearby as the two of them discussed drinks. Those two have been getting along well recently as they tried different drinks every night and discussed their tastes. Liza and Pearl are the only ones not with us. Those two wanted to stay longer in the bath, so we left them to enjoy themselves.

"Mm, delicious!" Aialize looked delighted. Standing in front of the glass door of the refrigerator sipping fruit-flavoured milk. For some reason, her voice was always crystal clear, even in the noisiest places. "This yellorange fruit drink is wonderful. One of your new creations, Nea?"

"No, Lady Aaze. All these drinks were made by Mr Satou. He shared the recipes, too, so I can make it for you anytime,"

"Satou made this?" Aialize gasped.

"Come to think of it, has the public bathhouse always had this magic cold-storage device?"

"Satou,"

"Satou made that for us as well," The other elves answered Lua's question.

"You're so talented, Satou!"

"Not at all. I just happened to get a hold of a very large ice stone in the old capital, so…"

"Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!"

Satou looked like he was struggling to speak with Aialize, causing Arisa to kick him in the shin while repeatedly chanting 'Guilty!'.

<0>

"Hamburg,"

"Hooray, sir! Professor Hamburg is as wonderful as ever today, sir!"

When Tama and Pochi spotted what was for dinner, they let out a joyful dance in celebration. All the folks from the bathhouse had gathered in the treehouse, and Nea and the other cooking-crazed elf gals were there too. I was instructing Mia's mother and Nea how to make a tofu hamburger steak while Satou taught them how to make the regular version. Satou should have been teaching them both recipes, but Mia's mother insisted it be me.

"I love hamburg steak,"

"All of Mr Satou's cooking is delicious, really,"

Aialize and Lua were there, too happily enjoying their Hamburg steaks.

"If you've got this steak fried in soy sauce, why even bother with the vegetable salad?"

"Now, now. You've got to eat a balanced diet," Satou scolded Arisa, shaking my head.

We had been eating a lot of protein-heavy dishes to go along with our training, but there were other dishes other than meat on offer. We had a fried dish made with whale meat as the featured item today, but there was also a rocket wolf steak to enjoy. Though the buffalo meat was also delicious, we left it out of our meal. Satou was forced to make hamburger steak tonight after seeing Pochi and Tama's disappointment at the lack of buffalo meat.

"Monster meat,"

"Safe?"

"How unusual. But Lady Aaze is here, so we should be fine, no?"

"Mm. No miasma,"

Despite the festive atmosphere, the elves expressed dissatisfaction with the monster meat dishes laid out. Their expression seemed strange like they were initially scared of eating the meat. Even stranger was that they only started eating the monster meat when they spotted Aialize with us.

"Does monster flesh contain miasma?" Satou asks.

"That's right. But since miasma is weak to divinity and strong spirit light, it gets purified just by being near Lady Aaze, so there's no harm done," Hishirotoya responded. "The meat of weak monsters isn't a problem. Besides, your spirit light and the heroes are even stronger than Lady Aaze's, so if the meat was processed near you, the miasma would disperse to the point of harmlessness."

If Aialize weren't available, could it cause harm? Yet, many people in the Muno Barony, Puta and our group eat it regularly. I knew miasma was dangerous. It could be used to summon demon lords, after all. But I didn't realise that miasma could make people sick. Satou and I unknowingly were protecting our group from the harmful effects of the miasma. Still, we should be more careful the next time we hand out monster meat to the hungry.

Hishirotoya further explained that using something like the chaos jar or the malice urn utilised by the demon-worshipping cult Wings of Freedom could purify the meat from miasma even if Satou or I weren't present.

"Kura. Tastes weird,"

Mia frowned uncertainly as she ate her tofu hamburg steak.

"It's tasty,"

"Don't be rude to Professor Hamburg, sir!"

Tama and Pochi protected the hamburger; they even showed proof of their instruction from either Lulu or Liza by licking the sauce off their forks before brandishing them. Today, I served Mia a regular tofu hamburger without any modifications. I was eating the same dish, and it tasted perfectly agreeable to me.

"You don't like it? Try the tofu hamburg steak on this plate, then," I presented Mia with a spare from the heating device.

"Mm. Yum,"

Mia was delighted with her bite and began chowing down contentedly when Tama and Pochi shared the rest of the tofu she left behind, pushing the non-potato veggies onto her plate. I hope she won't be too mad at me, but I guess it is time I tell her what is happening.

"Mia, there's something I have to tell you,"

"Mm?"

I approached Mia calmly. However, she inexplicably closed her eyes and puckered her lips. I suspect Arisa's influence was to blame, but Mia is still too young for me to even consider kissing. Even if she is over a hundred years older than me.

"It's about the hamburg steaks," I continued, my point clear. This caused her face to immediately contort into a displeased expression. "The one you just ate had meat in it."

With assistance from Satou, I had been gradually increasing the amount of meat in Mia's tofu hamburgers since we first began living in the tree house. She was pretty pleased with the most recent one, composed of approximately seventy percent meat.

"Guilty," Mia sent me a glance of extreme betrayal.

"I know. I'm sorry. But the first hamburg steak I gave you earlier had no meat in it. It was a regular tofu hamburg steak,"

"Mrr," Mia appeared to be in a state of internal struggle, so I gave her one final push.

"Mia, which kind would you like more of?"

"Mrrr. This one," Mia gestured towards the hamburg steak with tofu and meat in it. "Mm. Yum."

Mia overcame her aversion and offered a small smile while she chewed the meat-and-tofu steak. Although she couldn't stomach a plain meat hamburg steak yet, I believe this signified her gradually accepting meat more.

"You can have a bite of this real hamburg steak, sir,"

"Mrrr. Uh-uh,"

Pochi presented Mia with a spoonful of gravy-covered food, yet Mia shook her head quickly and declined. We will just have to be patient and wait for Mia to start eating it by herself.

"Is it true?"

But someone else approached me as Mia brushed off Pochi and Tama as they tried to feed her. She should be fine even if Nana and her parents are also trying to feed her now. Facing me is a short elf wielding a large mithral sword. I had seen him before hanging around with Pearl as the two of them talked and drank, but this was the first time speaking with this elf myself.

"I'm sorry, but is what true?"

"Whale?"

Just when I thought I was getting used to speaking with short-spoken elves, I am left clueless as the elf points to a plate filled with whale meat.

"Master," Thankfully, Pearl quickly arrives to come to my aid. "He wants to know about you slaying the Tovkezeera."

"Thank you," I nod, understanding the question now. "I slew seven of them, a yellow-skinned demon summoned in the old capital of the Shiga Kingdom."

"How?"

"I cut them in half using the 'Laser Spell' combined with a skill I have that boosts the effects of magic,"

"Mrr, magic,"

The elf frowned upon hearing about my method for combating those giant flying fish. He should have known better if he wanted to hear about me slaying them with a sword. Without magic, I doubt I could have done it with my holy sword alone.

"Challenge,"

But just as one person leaves me, another elf approaches. This time it was Goya who walked up to me. He had a confident look as he set a shogi board on the table in front of me. While I can play at least one game with him. I should be able to clear up this misunderstanding between us as we play.

"Kura,"

"Mia… mrr,"

But Mia chooses that moment to appear, sitting down on my lap, causing Goya to glare at me.

"Mia, there's food on your face,"

"Clean,"

I sighed as I softly dabbed a handkerchief on Mia's face. I had done this many times before when dealing with young family members in Japan. For some reason, my actions look like they are about to bring Goya to tears.

"Won't loss next time!"

Goya ran out of the room before we could even finish setting up our game. I'm sure I will have other moments to clear things up with him.

"Pardon me, Lady Aialize,"

"Aaah!"

As soon as I caught sight of Statou in the room, I saw him stretch out his arm towards Aialize's face and take a single grain of rice into his mouth. Upon seeing this, Arisa and Lulu immediately voiced their emotions, their angry expressions clearly showing their feelings of betrayal.

"Lady Aaze?"

My attention was pulled back to Aialize by Nea's voice, and she had gone a deep shade of red, looking like she was about to faint. It reminded me of Karina, who was travelling to the kingdom's capital. Arisa and Lulu had evidently made Aialize their adversary now for reasons probably unknown only to Satou.

"Me too, master!"

"M… maste… me… too…"

"Here,"

Arisa and Lulu huddled close to Satou with chicken rice stuck to their faces in a mischievous attempt. Even Mia got in on the action, glancing up at me with a hopeful gaze, silently asking me to do the same to her.

"Don't play with your food, Mia,"

I moved to clean her face with a handkerchief, but Mia's eyes were so desperate that I gave in and took the rice off by hand instead. Tama and Pochi started to copy the girls, but Liza scolded them for us.

"My, how lovely,"

"Mrr,"

Mia's parents had different reactions to me cleaning up Mia's face. While her mother looks delighted, her father looks irritated. Our conversation somehow veered into the topic of interracial breeding, prompting us to lament the lack of mythical creature hybrids like half-elves and dark elves.

"By the way, the World Tree actually governs darkness, and all elves get dark skin if they're in the sun long enough. Incidentally, it's impossible for even fellow fairy races to interbreed. Aside from specific exceptions like humans and beastfolk, only certain similar species of beastfolk, like catfolk and tigerfolk or dogfolk and wolffolk, can reproduce with one another,"

"Not even elves and high elves?"

"Of course not. Our roots are fundamentally different,"

Roots? I was curious about what she meant by that.

"High elves are demi-gods. They come from the divine realm, like the World Tree or the gods themselves,"

It was difficult to envision her as a divine being while she was munching on hamburg steak and chicken-stuffed omelet rice; if anything, her bumbling manner resembled a klutzy older sister's.

"Is the divine realm where gods and goddesses like Lady Parion live?"

"No, it's…"

"Lady Aaze, please don't speak while you're eating,"

"Mph!"

"L… Lady Aaze?"

Aialize attempted to gulp down her food rapidly because of Lua's reprimand and ended up choking instead. Satou instantly came to her aid, using his 'Warp' skill to quickly traverse the room and pass her a cup of water.

"Here, drink some water. Slowly, now,"

"Th… thank you, Satou,"

"Don't mention it. So what sort of place is the divine realm exactly?"

"It's the world of the god of creation who made us high elves and the World Trees. But we were sent out along with the World Trees when we were young, so most of us have little to no memories of the place,"

The eight deities travelled to this world aboard the World Trees. Even though the gods had created the World Trees, the world itself existed independently of their creator. Instead of being assigned there, the deities had come to explore. All living things in the world originated from the seeds pooled in the World Trees, except dragons, which were the original inhabitants.

The meal seemed to have died down, so Satou decided to bring out dessert. Satou looked disappointed when he noticed Aialize was gone. I was the one that broke the news to him that Aialize and Lua were called back to the World Tree on urgent business. It's a shame they had to go because the puddy Satou made was delicious.

<0>

"Hmm… I have never seen a sword like this. It is made from the same metal as our lightships and conducts magic better than any sword I have ever held,"

Three days had passed since that meal, and we were taking a break from training and doing our own things. Mia, Pochi, Tama, Liza and Nana were picking flowers in the forest while Lulu and Sara were practising cooking. Satou and Arisa, meanwhile, were visiting a sewing workshop in the underground city.

As for Pearl and me, we were in the World Tree. A Spriggan blacksmith wanted to see Pearl's sword after he saw her training with it. It is a powerful weapon and one that I was curious to know more about, so I accompanied Pearl to the smithy.

"Yes, I see… it uses both runes and magic circuits, but I have never seen a pattern like this before…"

The blacksmith's place is surprisingly large. Not as big as the ones I saw back in Bolehart City, but still far larger than the workshops we passed by on our way here. The Spriggan who ran the place is a short, dark-skinned man who looks just as strong, if not stronger than the warrior Spriggan's I have met.

"You said you found this sword, yes? Whereabouts?"

"There were some ruins in a cave near Seiryuu City. I found the sword in a treasure chest that was guarded by a giant skeleton,"

It feels like a lifetime ago. I was so weak when I woke up in that cave that goblins killed me countless times. Thank god I have a powerful, Unique Skill that kept bringing me back to life. I still have nightmares every now and then of the time that massive snake ate me in that cave.

"Was there anything else there?"

"There was a few bags of money, a robe that helped with MP recovery, but that was unfortunately destroyed when I fought the demon lord and a bag of gems,"

"Were you able to learn anything from those ruins about who could have made this sword?"

"No… but it was strange. The magical lighten worked as if it was brand new, and there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere in that room I found the treasure chest in,"

"Fixify. It's a spell that preserves items over long periods. I'm guessing that is what kept that place in such good condition,"

We talked a bit more about the sword and the ruins, but there wasn't much to say about those ruins. It was only a single room I found, after all, and there was very little inside. The sword, however, was more interesting than I thought, and the Spriggan happily told us all he learned. Even if he spoke too quickly at times, or I didn't fully understand some of the things he told me, I still enjoyed our talk.

Apparently, that magic sword I found and gifted Pearl was at least a few thousand years old and was forged using a long-lost technique. The magic circuits in the blade channelled magical energy into runes that amplify its power. According to the Spriggan blacksmith, Pearl's sword could be one of the most powerful weapons in the world in the right hands. I would have liked to have known more, but I had to cut our conversation short since Pearl looked like she was about to fall asleep.

"Master…" Pearl turns to me as we walk back to the tree house. "Are you okay with a slave like me having such a powerful weapon? Surely it would be better in your hands."

"Pearl, you are a great swordsman," I tell her. "And I am sure that one day you can bring out the full potential in that sword."

"I'll do my best,"

We return to the treehouse and meet up with the others for lunch. Satou and Arisa are out somewhere and miss out on a small feast. The cooking elves, along with a few that were passing by, joined us for lunch. Lulu, Sara, and the elves that helped them must have been cooking none stop to make so much food. Salads, baked treats, roasted meat and plenty of other dishes filled the large table in the treehouse, and I had no idea where to start.

The duck and chicken dishes were great by themselves, but the sauces that came with them took the taste to the next level. Pochi and Tama looked like they were in heaven with all the meat on offer. Meanwhile, Liza was enjoying steak after steak of some chewy monster meat that was a bit too tough for most of us to eat, but the meat had a pleasant sweet taste.

"Nana, your food will get cold if you keep staring at it,"

"But it is too cute to eat, I report,"

Despite Lulu's prompting, Nana doesn't look like she will be eating any time soon. Someone must have had fun cutting the pieces of food on Nana's plate into cute little shapes. Stars, rabbits, cats, dogs and even little people. Whoever cut the food used every shape imaginable.

"Here. Try this,"

"Mrr,"

"Eat,"

"Mrr,"

Mia looks like she is in trouble. Her parents turned up and sat on either side of her trying to feed her meat. She looks to me for help, but there isn't anything I can do. They are persistent. No matter how much Mia shakes her head and refuses to eat, her parents keep trying to get her to sample the meat dishes.

"Kura, here, try this one,"

Meanwhile, Sara showed me all the dishes she made with the help of Lulu and the elves. They are tasty and well made, but Sara still has a way to go until she reaches Lulu's level. Still, Sara is a talented cook, and I enjoyed every dish she showed off.

Eventually, Satou showed up carrying an exhausted-looking Arisa on his back. I thought they were only touring sewing workshops today, but it looks like Arisa worked herself to death. But she quickly recovered when Lulu offered her something to eat.

"Ah! I feel alive again!"

Arisa cheers as she digs into her meal, and Lulu shyly starts showing off her dishes to Satou, asking for his feedback. I don't know why Lulu looks so worried. Everything she makes is delicious.

<0>

I wake up the next day as sunbeams seep into my room in the treehouse and birds sing on my windowsill. I can already smell breakfast being cooked, and thanks to my 'Keen Hearing' skill, I can hear Lulu and Liza happily talking as they prepare the meal. It's been a while since I last slept in this late. All that training with the elves must have taken more out of me than I realised. My body was feeling heavy, too, but I quickly learned that it had nothing to do with my training.

Mia was sleeping on top of me while Sara was to my left, Nana was to my right, both girls were using my arm as pillows and Pearl was sleeping nearby too. Everyone, me included, was wearing new sleepwear designed by Arisa and made by Satou. Kigurumi pyjamas. Mia and Pearl were wearing rabbit designs, Nana was dressed as a chick, and Sara was wearing a cat one. As for me, Arisa designed mine in the style of a dog, claiming it would help me bond with my so far semi complaint spirit dog. So far, it hasn't made a difference.

"Good morniiing, all and one!"

Arisa's cry was loud enough that I doubted anyone in the treehouse didn't hear her. I could hear Satou's door slam into the wall as she burst into his room. She'd been waking up early since we arrived in the Bolenan Forest and making sure the rest of us were up just as early as she was. It won't be long until she bursts into this room. Usually, she offers to help Satou change, only to be kicked out of his room. After a bit of begging her master to reconsider, it doesn't take her long to enter this room.

Somedays, it can be bothersome being woken up so early, but this day isn't one of those. We planned mountain-stream fishing with our elf teachers today, so we had to be up early anyway. I'm looking forward to today. Some of my most cherished memories of growing up in Japan involve fishing with my grandfather.

"Kura,"

Mia's sleepy smile accompanied her cat-like purring and rubbing her face against me, despite her rabbit pyjamas.

"Hero Kura,"

"Kura,"

Nana and Sara appeared to be jealous of Mia's actions, so they began copying her. Pearl is no help as she starts to change clothes leaving me to my fate. But I guess peaceful moments like these aren't that bad. Following a light breakfast, we headed to the Bolenan Forest with our elven educators to visit the mountain stream. There would be no training on the agenda for the day until the afternoon.

"Big catch?"

"Tama's amazing, sir! I won't lose, either, sir!"

The sound of Tama and Pochi's joyful laughs echoed through the air, louder than the gentle trickling of the nearby stream.

"Mm. Big one,"

Upon reeling in a Bolenan Large Trout, a type of rainbow trout, Mia was met with enthusiasm from Arisa, who became frenzied with excitement.

"Oh dear, even Mia's gone and gotten ahead of little old me! Man, now Master and I are the only losers left!"

Arisa wore a large straw hat, a long-sleeved red shirt underneath a white T-shirt, and some jeans-style pants in some kind of cosplay, but I didn't know who she was supposed to be. The likely cause of her peculiar wording could have been due to her cosplay.

I haven't caught anything either, but Arisa probably didn't count on me since I was busy teaching Sara and Nana how to fight. Apart from that, one time, Nana got the two of us tangled up in the fishing line. I'll say are lesson has been going smoothly. Nana had caught one fish while Sara had just caught her second right before Mia. I was just about to start fishing myself.

"A bite!" Arisa cried out as soon as I cast my line. "Whoo-hoooo!"

Arisa caught a Leprechaun River Cod. It looked like some kind of red haddock approximately one foot long. The elves informed us that this fish was omnivorous, so it was unsuitable to eat raw. However, they told us that the cod would be delicious if it were pickled or dried.

But as Arisa was celebrating, I got a bite of my own. Satou shot me an envious look as he has had no luck catching anything as. I pulled the rod up with a light snap and landed… my spirit dog. I had him out to try and get him to listen to me, but all he has done is run around and play fish. But at least I still managed to gain the 'Fishing' skill by catching him.

Satou wasn't fairing much better as he managed to catch a tiny, tiny loach. The two of us don't have much luck when it comes to fishing, it seems. Hopefully, things will get better now we both have the 'Fishing' skill. Fortunately, it did since I managed to catch a Bolenan Large Trout within the next ten minutes. And it didn't take long for my spirit dog to eat the entire thing before anyone had the chance to stop him.

"Won't lose next time!"

While the rest of my group gave me words of admiration, Goya reacted differently; he scowled and hurried away without me knowing we were in competition. Honestly, I didn't even realise he was he to begin with. The samurai elf appeared to be doing something new at the place upstream from where Goya had gone.

"Pretty?"

"It's a bug made of feathers and string, sir,"

"Watch and learn, you lot,"

Tama and Pochi were amazed by the elves' skill as they crafted bait and expertly manipulated their rods to lure out the fish, prompting them to break into a celebratory dance.

"Looks real?"

"The fish fell for it, sir!"

"Fake bait? How very wicked,"

Poa looked troubled. She was likely displeased that Pochi seemed more intrigued by the samurai elf's style than her own.

"I believe using a lance is still faster than fishing,"

Lulu received a considerable amount of river fish from Liza, who had been putting spear skills into practice with her teacher, the spear master Gurgapoya, downriver. Magic would probably be the most effective way of catching fish, but that would take the fun out of a relaxing day fishing. Despite not using any magic, we still had caught a good number of fish, and Satou divided them among us, salting each fish and then roasting them over a fire on skewers.

Satou cooked up a delicious hot pot for the main course, featuring miso, fish balls, and wild vegetables gathered from the area. Pochi and Tama had caught some river crabs, which Satou chopped up and added to the pot; the end result was a beautifully rustic meal. The kind of meal I would eat every once in a while whenever I visited my grandparents.

"Mm! It's a little salty, but that's exactly how grilled fish skewers ought to be!" Arisa grinned as she devoured her skewer.

"Arisa, you've left the head and the guts. They're perfectly tasty. If you leave them, a waste ghost will come and haunt you," Liza scolded.

"Awww, what? But the worms we used for bait are in there…"

"What about it?"

Arisa got lucky. If Nana and Tama hadn't come to her rescue, Lize might have forced-fed her the head and guts.

"Hero Kura, the watermelon has reached the perfect temperature for eating, I report,"

Nana was carrying two watermelons that had been chilling in the river. Tama ate the remains of Arisa's fish in two quick bites while Liza was distracted. Arisa gave a quiet thanks before Liza turned back to her.

"Don't worry, be happy?" Tama cheerfully and dashed off to get some watermelon.

"Hero Kura, the watermelon is delicious, I confirm,"

"Thank you, Nana,"

I took a handkerchief and gently wiped the juice off of Nana's face before indulging in the watermelon slice she had provided me.

"Ah, there they are!"

Aialize and Lua suddenly arrived, stepping out of a fairy ring as flower petals swirled in the breeze around them. Combine the flower petals with the light from the fairy ring, and it creates a beautiful sight. They'd been so busy recently that it had been five days since any of our group had last seen them.

"Thank you, Satou!" Aialize rushed up to Satou and grabbed his hands in both of hers, shaking them up and down enthusiastically. "Kea and Kiya told me everything! They said it was all thanks to you that the void suits were ready earlier than expected!"

"Oh, don't mention it,"

"Mr Satou, about the potions you gave Jia…" Lua stated that the energy drink–style nutritional supplement potions became very popular. "If possible, we would love it if you could mass-produce them at our alchemy workshop…"

"Please, Satou?"

"Of course. It would be my pleasure,"

Satou is a sucker for a pretty face. All it took was for Aialize to smile and ask him, and Satou agreed in a heartbeat. The effects of love are terrifying to have enslaved someone as powerful as Satou. The effects of jealousy are even more so. I held Arisa back and covered her mouth before she could say or do anything.

"Why, you! Take this! Sunshine of Judgment!"

Unfortunately, Arisa still had a hand free. With no other options, she took out a mirror to blind Satou as she redirected the sunlight into his eyes. But the attack barely affected Satou, thanks to his skills and resistance. He moved into the shade, where their reflected-light attack couldn't reach him.

"Are you all right, Satou?"

"Yes, of course,"

"It's no use hiding in the shade! Light can reach even the dark side of the moon!"

Arisa managed to redirect the light back into Satou's eyes, but all that got her was to be blinded in return when Satou bounced the light right back at her. I released Arisa, confident she wouldn't try anything else now.

"My eyes! My eyes!"

I ignore Arisa and go back to fishing. It looks like I picked a good time to as Sara got a bite that was too big for her to reel in. Even when Nana and Pearl started helping her, they couldn't pull the fish in. It must be a real monster. As I helped, I prepared several spells in case this catch proved dangerous. But it was disappointing, to say the least.

"Sorry,"

"How many times have I told you to be more careful where you dump your failures!"

It turned out we caught a discarded magic tool that was utterly useless. The elf who made it threw the thing into the river when he realised it didn't work. According to the other elves, there was a dumping ground nearby for broken magical tools, but the elf that dumped this one was too lazy to make the trip.

<0>

"Got you!"

Goya, for some reason, showed up to our training session today. It has been nearly a month since he last challenged me to any sort of contest. For some reason, today, he challenged me to a sparing match with wooden training swords, and no magic allowed. Needless to say, it was a pretty one-sided fight. Goya may have a lot of spirit, but he is not very good with a sword, and even without any magic enhancing my strength, I effortlessly swat him away.

"Tenth time,"

Mia commented as Goya picked himself up. He must really want to win since this is the tenth time I knocked him down, only to get right back up. I don't know whether to be impressed or worried that he might end up injuring himself. Even the protection magic we are using for our duel has its limits. Not to mention the elves casting the spell are starting to grow tired of his constant demand for a rematch.

"Won't lose this time!"

And so round elven began. Goya charged at me with great speed, but he was still slow compared to Pearl and Liza. He leaps into the air with a mighty overhead swing that would be dangerous to be hit by, even with the magical protection. Still, it was easy to doge with a simple sidestep. Goya must have put everything he had into that attack as his sword shattered on contact with the ground, but that wasn't the end of the round.

"Not yet!"

Throwing sand from the sparing area's ground at my face and withing what was left at his sword, Goya had a triumphant look in his eyes. But it wasn't enough for him to win. I dodged the sand by tilting my head to the side, and with a swing of my own sword, I knocked the remnants of Goya's from his hand.

"Eleventh time,"

Hearing Mia and his sword hitting the ground almost brought Goya to tears, but he refused to cry again and pointed towards me.

"Rematch!"

"Enough!"

"Won't lose this time!"

"No,"

"Beat her,"

"Holding back,"

The elf in charge of overseeing our sparing match only spoke with one or two words at a time, so it was challenging following the conversation he had with Goya. But I understood he was telling Goya I was beating him despite holding back. That was the final blow, and Goya ran off with tears in the corner of his eyes.

"Won't lose next time!"

I watched Goya run away before the elf in charge approached me with a wooden sword in his hand.

"My turn,"

"Sure,"

I nod my head and agree to the duel, but it turns out I wouldn't be fighting him by himself. The samurai elf Shiya, the curly-haired elf Poa. Yusek, a short spear-wielding spriggan, and Guya, who used a helix spear. Gia, the elf who is teaching Nana, the shield-using dwarf Keriul and surprisingly, the cook, Nea. They all stepped forward to challenge me at once.

"Fair fight,"

"Mm,"

"Limited magic allowed,"

Allowing limited magic meant that a certain number of spells were now allowed. Nothing that could injure or kill someone but enough to make the fights more interesting. But even with some spells open to me, I still feel like the odds are stacked against me. Outnumbered and against skilled opponents. It should be an interesting fight.

"Begin,"

As soon as we are protected by magic, the match begins, and Yusek uses the 'Blink' skill to lunch a sudden attack with a wooden spear. Using 'Blink' myself, I dodged the spear thrust only to find Shiya waiting for me. I deflected her attack and tried to counterattack, only for Keriul to block it with a large wooden shield. Guya and Gia attempted to attack me next, but I used 'Warp' to create some distance.

"You survived,"

"Impressive,"

I could hardly feel good about the teacher's compliments as they began another assault on me. Individually I could beat them in one-on-one fights, but their teamwork is incredible. They keep backing me into corners, and when I do manage to attack, they cover each other flawlessly. But despite the tough spot I am in, I can't help but enjoy it.

"Good reflexes,"

"Mm. Good,"

Several minutes passed, and so far, I have been able to dodge or block every attack they have launched at me. But so far, I have been forced to stay on the defensive, only launching the occasional counterattack every once in a while. But it looks like my luck is about to change. Shiya is wide open, and if I am quick, I could…

"Mrr. Missed,"

I was lucky my 'Danager Sense' skill tipped me off to the trap at the last minute. Gia was hidden behind Shiya, waiting to strike, and I was lucky to have blocked her sneak attack. I even managed to take Gia out of the match as she was too slow to get over her shock.

"We'll win,"

"Mm. Counting on you,"

As Gia left the sparing area, the others regrouped, allowing me to catch my breath as they quietly discussed a plan. I could eavesdrop on them, but that wouldn't be fair in a friendly-sparing match. After a few seconds, they are ready to continue.

"You won't defeat us,"

"You won't dodge this!"

Yusek attacked from my front while Shiya charged in from my right, and Guya assaulted me from the left. They are fast, but thanks to my 'Light Speed Attack' skill, I managed to block all three of them. Nea almost got me, but my 'Danger Sense' skill warned me of her sneak attack from behind, and I eliminated her with a surprise counterattack.

"Strong,"

"Big guns?"

"It appears we have no choice,"

"Lia,"

"Understood. I will summon one right away,"

Mia's mother might not be fighting, but it looks like she will get involved anyway. Using 'Spirit Magic', she summons a giant boar-like monster protected by the shell of a tortus. It lets out a mighty roar that causes spectators to cover their ears.

"Tranfering control to Guya,"

"Got it,"

With the summoned monster under their control, it turns to me, ready to fight.

"It won't kill you, miss hero. I made sure of it, but it will still be painful to be hit by it. Try not to get hurt too badly, or Mia will be upset,"

As soon as Mia's mother warned me, the boar turtle monster thing started breathing green fire at me. If I jumped, I would be attacked by Shiya, dodge to the left, Poa would attack, and Keriul was covering the left. No matter where I went, someone was there. So why dodge it? I use the 'Défense Shell' and 'Magic Power Armour' skills with the 'Flexible Shield' spell and let the fire hit me.

It was rough, and I was nearly pushed back by the force of the fire, but apart from cracking my 'Flexible Shield', I was otherwise unaffected by the attack. But my opponents didn't think so and let their guard down. Big mistake. Using the 'Wrap' and 'Light Speed Attack' skills to take everyone out, winning the match. Or so I thought, but this boar turtle-summoned monster is still in the fight.

But it was weaker than I thought it was. After confirming that I could use more magic spells on this summoned monster than I was allowed before, I took it down quickly. All it took was for me to use the 'Ice Storm' spell to defeat. I did put plenty of holes in its head, but I thought that being a spirit that it wouldn't have been enough to defeat it.

"Reckless,"

But instead of congratulations, our teachers scolded me. As it turns out, hiding in a fire breath attack to lunch a sneak attack was reckless. They lectured me for the next hour about how dangerous it was and made me promise to never try anything like that again. Even everyone from our group joined in on the lecture apart from Arisa, Pochi and Tama, who thought it was pretty cool. I got another lecture afterwards about teaching people bad habits.

<0>

"Space is much freer than you youngsters think,"

The day after the sparing matches, we heard an elder elf lecture on Space Magic. It's still surprising to hear the elves age. Despite the elf giving the lecture looking like a young boy, he is actually several hundred years older than Mia. His white-robed elf assistants and apprentices stood behind him as silently as statues, giving off a somewhat intimidating atmosphere.

"Y'see the holes in that there box? Put your face close and have a peek inside,"

Taking turns, we peered through the sizable openings in the box. Externally, the box was roughly three feet cubed, yet to our surprise, the interior was a vast one hundred square feet.

"Ah! Master's face is so far away!"

Pochi looked through one end of the box as Liza held her up while Satou peaked through the other. They waved at each other with Pochi's tail excitedly wagging.

"Is this Space Expansion?"

"That's right, lad," The elder elf nodded. "Magic Bags and the like are made with a subversion of the Space Expansion spell called Garage."

The Garage spell created a subspace proportionate in size to the amount of magic initially used to invoke it; this magic then circulated internally through the subspace it created, meaning that it required only a minimal amount of magic to maintain. Opening and shutting the gate required magic, which was used to restore any magic consumed in the subspace.

"Now we will use a Holytree Stone to fix the Garage spell to a bag,"

The elder elf delved his hand into the sack bound around his waist and extracted a precious stone glimmering like a sapphire.

"Pretty?"

"So sparkly, sir,"

Tama and Pochi gaped.

"Lady Aaze has given me permission to use a Holytree Stone for thee, Satou, but as they are quite valuable, we shall only use one," Holytree Stones were pretty. Still, when Satou suggested we use something else, the elder told him. "I have heard tell that humans use high-grade monster cores as a substitute for Holytree Stone, but not only will this reduce the amount of space it creates, the tool can break in less than a thousand years if left unmaintained. Thus, I cannot recommend such an inferior product."

But Satou continued to insist, reminding him that one thousand years was more than enough for a human. Besides, Satou and I have unlimited storage spaces and keep most of our items there, so losing some storage space isn't a big deal for us.

"Well, if you insist, I shall not argue, lad. We shall have Hiya prepare the necessary cores,"

"What grade of cores might be required? We've gathered plenty on our travels, so I'd be happy to provide them if they're usable,"

We had hundreds of cores, but the ones we harvested from level-thirty-and-up hydras, wyverns, and so on, were a perfect fit. It was more than enough for each of us to get our own bags.

"Now, then… Aside from the parts that require Space Magic, my apprentices can take care of the rest of the work. I must go and help Lady Aaze, so once I have explained a certain amount of the procedure, I should like to leave it to my helpers and come back only for the finishing touches. Is that all right?"

The elder showed remorse, yet we were inconveniencing him at this busy time, thus making me remorseful in return.

"That's more than enough, thank you. Is it all right if I watch your apprentice's work so that I can learn?"

"Indeed, that was my intent from the start. Please feel free,"

Five days have passed since then, and Satou has been taking more and more time off of his training to visit the workshop making our magic bags. While interested in that, I stayed to work on my spirit magic, seeing the options it would open up for me. Now I just need to get my spirit dog to listen to me.

"Sit… lay down… rollover…"

So far, my spirit dog only obeys simple commands like those. The rest of the time, he does nothing I tell him to unless it involves locating items or people. I'm starting to think he will never fully listen to my orders. The worst thing is that no one has had this problem before, so I can't ask anyone I can ask about fixing this situation. Even when Aialize came over to help me, she had no advice. If anything, she spent more time playing with the dog than helping me.

"Attack the target…"

"I'm surprised it is still choosing what orders to follow," Mia's mother comments as my command goes unanswered. "You truly have summoned a strange array of spirits, miss hero."

I really must be unlucky when it comes to 'Spirit Magic'. I have summoned a bird that does nothing but send messages, a dog that only likes to locate people and items, and just this morning, I summoned a bear that loves fighting but follows no orders that don't involve battling. Maybe one day, I will summon a spirit that behaves like everyone else's.

"Excellent, Mia,"

On the other hand, Mia is a natural when it comes to 'Spirit Magic'. She can summon obedient spirits that do multiple tasks instead of picking and choosing what they like to do. Why can't my spirit summons be more like hers? At least the afternoon was better when we returned to the magic bag workshop to pick up our finished bags.

"A pink flower!"

"Mine has a yellow paw mark, sir,"

"Mm. Rabbit,"

"The chick design on mine is the winner, I insist,"

At the sewing workshop, Satou had embroidered designs onto each of the Magic Bags belonging to the girls, who were then excitedly displaying them to each other. At the sewing workshop, there were many dyes, prompting Nana and the younger girls to select vivid colours.

Arisa went for a dramatic black base with a red line, while mine, Pearl's, Lulu's and Liza's bags were a sophisticated brown. Sara, meanwhile, went with a pure white colour with the symbol of the Tenion Temple's symbol embroidered onto the side with golden thread.

"User registration now,"

"User registration?" Satou repeated.

"Required,"

As the phrase suggested, this feature limited access to the Magic Bag to the person officially recognised as its owner, making it impossible for anyone else to open and close. Besides the type that connected a magic tool to its registered user, another one used a magic tool as a key. We used that method on bags used for carrying game on foreign goods.

"Now our Fairy Packs are finally finished!"

Arisa struck a triumphant pose with her completed bag, but it wasn't very ladylike, leading to Lulu scolding her.

"Fairy Pack?" The assistant elf blinked.

"Well, yeah," Arisa smiled confidently. "'Magic Bag' sounds kind of dull, since the elves made them for us and all. 'Fairy Pack' has a much nicer ring to it, don't you think?"

"Understood,"

The assistant elf was the sole responder, but the other apprentices were still grinning, so I presume they had no opposition. Consequently, our party's Magic Bags were renamed to Fairy Packs.

"Is Satou and Kura here?!"

The tranquil atmosphere in the Magic Bag studio was broken when someone came barreling through the entrance. It was an engineer-looking elf.

"Yes, right here,"

When Satou raised a hand and walked over to the entrance, something seemed to be the matter, so I didn't hesitate to follow him.

"Sorry, but can you come with me, please? Lady Aaze is…"

"Yes, of course! Where do I need to go?!"

I didn't get a say in the matter as Satou dragged me along with him as soon as he heard his beloved Aialize was calling for him.