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Chapter 5: Misunderstanding 

Sara and the other spirit folk brought the unconscious Rio and Latifa back to their village with them. Rio was restrained with a magic artifact and escorted to the rarely used jail cell in the village town hall, while Sara’s group carried Latifa to a guest room within the same building. 

A werefox elder waited for them in the room to receive their report of the incident. As the representative of their group, Sara explained the circumstances to the elder first. 

“...Hmm. Don’t you think you were a little too rough, dear Uzuma?” The elder looked at Uzuma coldly after hearing the report. 

“B-But it was an emergency situation...” 

“Well, that may be true... however, this child... I have never seen her around here before. And I’d definitely remember a child this cute.” 

“Yes. In regards to that, we discovered supplies in their camp that we believe to be travel equipment belonging to this girl. It’s possible that she isn’t one of the villagers...” Sara clarified from the side with a slightly pale face. 

“Orphia. Alma. Bring the captured boy here immediately.” The expression on the elder’s face changed instantly, and she gave her order in a somewhat cold tone. 

Orphia and Alma both stutteringly agreed to the elder and hurried out of the room. 

Latifa opened her eyes soon after. 

 ?? 

Latifa opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar room. She was on a soft and comfy bed, under a warm and snug blanket. Compared to camping outside, it was far, far more comfortable and pleasant to sleep on. And yet — 

“...Onii-chan?” Latifa murmured, glancing wildly around the room. 

Her precious person wasn’t here, where he should be. Instead, she was surrounded by strangers: the silver werewolf Sara, the winged werebeast Uzuma, and the werefox — like Latifa — elder. The three of them sat on chairs facing each other, conversing with conflicted expressions on their faces that immediately halted when they noticed that Latifa was awake. 

“Hmm, seems like you’re awake now. Good morning, brethren of mine. How do you feel?” The werefox elder smiled, speaking in the language of the spirit folk. However, Latifa couldn’t understand a single word. 

“...What are you saying? Onii-chan... Where’s Onii-chan?” She tilted her head and spoke in the common language of the Strahl region. A downcast look fell over Sara’s and the elder’s faces. 

“Human language. Elder Ursula, this girl really...” 

“So it seems. This child isn’t from the village,” Sara and the elder said to each other conclusively. 

Latifa, on the other hand, couldn’t understand what the two were saying, and warily looked around the room. She twitched her nose, secretly sniffing out Rio’s scent to locate him. 

Suddenly, Latifa’s nose caught onto his faint scent. 

There’s no mistaking it. It’s Onii-chan — unable to bear it any longer, Latifa jumped out of the bed and broke into a run. 

“Ah, hey! Stop right there!” The sudden turn of events delayed Sara’s reaction, allowing Latifa to give her the slip and dip into the hallway. 

“Augendae Corporis!” 

After successfully making it to the hallway, she chanted the only magic spell she could use. Her body instantly became lighter, strength flowing through her as she ran in the direction of Rio’s scent. Sara and Uzuma chased after her. 

“Humm. This seems to be taking a turn for the worse,” Ursula muttered to herself, her expression darkening. 

 ?? 

Several moments earlier, before Latifa opened her eyes... 

Rio regained consciousness on a shabby bed in an unfamiliar room. With a fuzzy head, he wondered where he was; his body felt sluggish, as if he had caught a cold. In an attempt to assess the situation, he moved to sit up in the bed, when a sharp pain suddenly stabbed through his stomach area. 

Accepting his defeat, he gave up and flopped back down. 

He moved his hand to his stomach in order to treat himself with magic, when he realized there were shackles restraining his hands. 

These are... Enchanted Sealing Cuffs, huh. They were even careful enough to bind my neck and feet, too. 

Rio ground his teeth. Enchanted Sealing Cuffs were an artifact that could contain the magic essence of the wearer. Normally, it was enough to attach just one, but they could be broken depending on the capability of the wearer. Because of this, high-class sorcerers would be made to wear multiple cuffs. 

Even managing my essence is too difficult, much less healing myself. Damn it... 

Rio frowned as he gazed up at the ceiling above him. Dim moonlight and a cold breeze entered from the iron barred window in the corner of the room. At some point, they had stripped him of his equipment and clothes; Rio was only clothed in a thin underlayer. The temperature of the room was less than ten degrees... He was almost guaranteed to catch a cold like this. 

He would have preferred to move around a bit and warm himself as much as possible, but now wasn’t the time for that. Rio endured the stabbing pains in his stomach and focused on recovering naturally. 

Then, a short while later... 

The chill against his skin had already passed his limits, making an unpleasant feeling shoot through him. Eventually, his mind started to nod off into the darkness. He knew it was bad to sleep, but he couldn’t find the strength to keep his eyes open. 

Then, several minutes after Rio completely lost consciousness, he found himself in a pure white space. He had no idea where he was, nor what was happening. 

“Haruto...” A clear, beautiful voice resounded. 

Rio looked around in surprise. Before he realized it, an unknown girl stood before him. 

Her long rose-gold hair fluttered behind her as she stared at Rio’s face with eyes like rubies. There was no emotion in her expression, but her features were unbelievably refined. 

“You’re...” Rio murmured. 

He felt like he had seen her face somewhere, but would he really forget the face of someone so overwhelmingly beautiful, a face that emitted such a divine aura? 

“Who are you?” 

“Me? Who am I... I wonder.” The girl tilted her head to the side. 

“You don’t know?” Rio asked. 

“Yeah...” the girl nodded sadly. 

“But you know who I am, right?” 

“Haruto? Haruto... Haruto is... just Haruto.” 

“That’s not much of an answer. Okay, then why do you know me?” 

Her somewhat philosophical yet redundant answer made Rio give a strained smile and change his line of questioning. She reached up to touch Rio’s cheek gently and, after a beat, squeezed his hand. It felt so natural for her to be doing so... Rio simply stood there and held his hand out as she wanted. Her hand felt so unreal, it was almost artificially drained of life — yet at the same time, it was strangely warm. 

“I am... connected to Haruto.” 

“Connected to me?” Rio didn’t really understand what she was saying. 

“Yup. But now is not the time... Haruto, I only belong to you, and I will always be by your side. Your weaknesses, your strengths, your everything — I accept them all. So don’t give up. Don’t be afraid. And believe in yourself a little.” 

“W... Why...?” 

A dumbfounded expression overcame Rio’s face; he was just barely able to find his voice. The girl smiled as though she had regained some of her lost emotion. 

“Because you’re the only one left for me... for... for what?” she said, blinking with a somewhat confused and mystified expression. Then, the girl widened her eyes with a gasp as her figure suddenly started to fade away. 

“...Sorry. It looks like... time’s up.” 

“Time?” Rio asked the girl, but she didn’t answer him. 

“Sorry. I can only... do this much... for you. Sweet... dreams...” 

She hugged Rio softly. Her eyes sluggishly struggled to stay open, as though her consciousness was fading away. Rio, too, followed her into that darkness soon after. 

Then, not long after, another voice — 

“Haru-kun.” 

He thought he heard a familiar voice. A girl. Rio knew this girl’s voice... No, Amakawa Haruto knew this girl’s voice. The memories he had desperately tried to seal so long ago came rushing back to him clearly, as though they had happened just yesterday. 

“Wake up, Haru-kun!” 

Haruto’s childhood friend — Ayase Miharu — was shaking his shoulder. 

“...I’m awake.” 

“Ah! Haru-kun’s up!” 

Haruto blinked his eyes open against the dazzling light to see Miharu beaming at him. Miharu’s smile... Just seeing it made Haruto happy, filling his heart with warmth. 

“What’s up...? I was sleeping so nicely too.” 

He glanced at the clock. It was still early in the morning. 

“Don’t give me that! Today’s the day of the excursion! You have to get up early!” 

Excursion? Why are we going on excursions at this age? Wait, that’s right! Today was the first excursion of first grade — Haruto widened his eyes with a gasp as he remembered that. But after a few moments hesitation... 

“Hmm. Good night, Mii-chan,” Haruto said, burrowing back into his blankets, despite being more than awake now. 

He was really looking forward to the excursion — that was why he hadn’t been able to sleep the night before. But for some reason, he really wanted to spend the day with just Miharu. However, she had been really looking forward to the excursion, so she whined like a child whose precious item was being taken from her. 

“Y-You can’t do that! We agreed to sit next to each other on the bus and go together!” 

Oh, that kind of sounds tempting too, Haruto thought at Miharu’s words, but he made no move to leave the blankets. Wanting to see her reaction, he couldn’t help but tease her a little. 

“Come on, Haru-kun, get up. Pretty please?” Miharu shook Haruto gently. 

“Mmph...” Haruto grumbled in response. Then, somewhere next to the bed, Miharu began fidgeting with something. 

I guess I should get up now, Haruto thought, but just as he did — 

“Geez! I’ll definitely get you up!” Miharu said, jumping on top of his blankets. 

“Whoa, huh?! Wait! Hold it, Mii-chan! I surrender! I’ll get up!” 

Haruto resurfaced from his blankets in a hurry to find Miharu smiling smugly down at him. 

“Fufu! Good morning, Haru-kun.” 

Honestly, that cuteness was unfair... But Haruto wasn’t about to take it lying down, either. 

“There!” Haruto mischievously dragged Miharu into the blankets with him. 

“W-Wah! Haru-kun!” Miharu blushed furiously at being hugged so tightly by him under the blankets. 

“Do you want me to let go?” Haruto asked cheekily. Miharu was in front of him. That was enough to make him very happy. 

“Uugh... What’s wrong, Haru-kun? You’re awfully bold today.” 

“It’s because I love Mii-chan. Well? Do you want me to let go?” 

He really was being bold today, Haruto thought impassively as he spoke. 

“Y-You’re being mean, Haru-kun. There’s no way I want you to let go.” Miharu flushed an even deeper scarlet as she mumbled. 

“Really. ...Then is it okay if we stay like this a little longer?” 

Just for now, at least, Haruto thought as he hugged Miharu. 

For an instant, it felt as though Miharu would drift somewhere far away... Haruto continued to pester Miharu to distract himself from his worries. 

“Yeah,” Miharu nodded with a small smile. 

Haruto gently brushed away strands of Miharu’s hair, then gently stroked her cheek. 

...But his hands suddenly refused to move, as though they had been restrained by something. 

Before he knew it, Miharu’s warmth disappeared. 

“Please get up.” 

Haruto — no, Rio — returned to reality, summoned awake by someone’s voice. It was an unfamiliar voice; one of a young girl, but definitely not Miharu’s. 

Let me stay asleep, I want to see this dream a little longer... Rio deeply wished for that from the bottom of his heart. However, his consciousness wouldn’t allow that now that he was awake. 

“Um, please get up.” 

Rio was shaken awake with a blink. Then, his expression immediately changed into one of devastation. Of course, it wasn’t Miharu before him — it was the elf girl Orphia and the dwarf girl Alma. 

Was it... a dream? Rio thought hazily through his burning fever and fatigue. 

An indescribable feeling of loss overcame him, making tears fall suddenly from his eyes. 

Amakawa Haruto was dead, and he would never meet Miharu again. That was why he did his best to stop remembering Miharu. The thoughts and feelings he had sealed until now flowed out of him alongside his tears. 

Rio still had regretful feelings towards Miharu inside him; his dream just now had emphasized that keenly. However, even with that awareness, Miharu did not exist in this world. 

Reality was cruel. 

“Erm... Good morning.” Orphia said hesitantly as Rio sadly shed his tears. 

“Good... morning,” Rio responded on reflex, despite not seeing Orphia and Alma at all. He bit down on his lip in an attempt to stifle his emotions. 

Suddenly, he felt someone wrap a blanket over his body. They probably couldn’t bear seeing a similar-aged boy in his underwear, even one of a different race. Well, who cares about that, Rio thought offhandedly. 

An awkward silence fell over the room — over Orphia and Alma, to be precise. That was when the door flew open with a bang. 

“Onii-chan!” 

Latifa appeared in the doorway. A few moments later, Sara and Uzuma entered, too. As soon as Latifa entered the room, she burst into tears and clung onto Rio’s horizontal form in the bed. 

“...Why are you crying, Latifa?” 

“Because you were gone, Onii-chan. I don’t want that... Please don’t leave me. Stay by my side, please?” 

“I’m right here, aren’t I?” Rio said gently with a strained smile. Seeing Latifa cry had somehow made him calm down instantly; his emotional disposition had disappeared. 

“Then will you always be with me? You’ll never leave, right?” Latifa asked, squeezing Rio’s body even tighter. 

“Oh, dear. Could you hug me a little softer? It hurts,” Rio said with a troubled face, evading the question. 

He couldn’t answer yes. If he did, it would probably be a lie. It felt somewhat shameful to lie directly to the face of a young girl who admired him. 

“Huh, you’re hurt? Why — What’s this?!” Latifa finally noticed the cuffs around Rio’s hands and feet. She tried to pry them open by force, but it was futile. 

“Don’t worry about me. Did they do anything bad to you, Latifa?” 

“Yes. They hurt my Onii-chan,” Latifa answered immediately, making Rio blink with a blank expression. 

“Then everything’s okay.” He said, amused. 

“Nuh-uh! That’s not true. Who did this to you?” 

Latifa shook her head furiously with tears in her eyes. Then, she looked around the room and spotted Sara, Orphia, Alma, and Uzuma — the four who seemed to be in the know. She glared at them suspiciously, silently demanding them to explain what happened. 

“U-Umm...” 

Unsure of where to begin, Sara’s face paled as she opened her mouth. The other three wore similar expressions. Suddenly — 

“Good grief, why can’t you all walk a little slower? I’m here now.” 

Belatedly, Ursula arrived. Once she saw Latifa clinging to Rio, she bowed her head and sighed. “Figures. Human boy, please accept my apologies. I’d like to ask you some questions about that girl. Would you kindly cooperate with us? We’ll pick a better place to talk, of course.” 

“Who cares about that! Are you the ones who did this to Onii-chan? Answer me.” Before Rio could respond to Ursula’s question, Latifa cut in and made a blatantly hostile demand. 

“That’s right... hm?! This is... quite a fierce killing intent.” 

The moment Ursula confirmed Latifa’s accusation, Latifa took on a protective stance over Rio. Her eyes were as sharp as a guard dog’s, glaring at the occupants of the room. 

“You were mean to Onii-chan. I won’t forgive you.” 

Before they knew it, a thick intimidating air swept through the dim room. It was directed towards everyone in the room. Everyone except Rio, that is. Sara’s group all stiffened at once, sweating nervously. The winged werebeast, Uzuma, stepped forth and took on the full effect of Latifa’s skin-piercing gaze. 

“Stop it, Uzuma.” 

“You too, Latifa. I’m glad you feel that way, but stop. I’m fine, so let’s listen to what they have to say.” 

Ursula and Rio intervened, not wanting the situation to get out of hand. 

“If Onii-chan says so, then...” Latifa reluctantly backed down. 

“Thank you both. Before we relocate, allow me to undo those cuffs. Where is the key, Uzuma?” 

“...I gave it to Lady Sara,” Uzuma answered Ursula in a stilted voice. 

“Then, Sara. Undo those cuffs immediately.” 

“Y-Yes, ma’am! ...Excuse me.” Sara nodded, running towards Rio in a hurry. The cuffs around his neck, hands, and feet were unshackled one by one. 

“Thank you very much.” 

“N-No! We’re the ones that should be apologizing to you! Please accept our sincerest apologies!” Sara bowed her head in a fluster after Rio had thanked her. 

“Then let us relocate immediately. Follow me.” 

“Of course. ...But could you give me a moment first? I’d like to heal myself a little.” 

Just as Rio tried to stand up and follow Ursula, a sharp pain stabbed him in the stomach. His face twisted in agony as he sought permission to treat himself. 

“Hm? Did they injure you? That is inexcusable. Let me treat you immediately.” Ursula replied, shooting a cold glance towards Sara and the others. 

“No, I can do it. Please do not trouble yourself.” Rio rejected her offer and began to heal himself. 

“That’s... spirit art. I see, so you are a human of Yagumo. How unusual...” 

“So this is spirit art after all?” Ursula muttered to herself in understanding, prompting Rio to question her. 

He was more than well aware that he was using an unusual ability that was similar to, yet unlike magic. He had tried to research the identity of it in the Royal Academy’s library, and as a result, he had discovered a book that spoke of an imitative technique called “spirit art.” However, it held no details other than the name, and his research ended without him receiving any more clarity of his ability. 

“From the looks of it, you don’t seem to understand spirit arts very well. How did you come to learn it?” 

“I was suddenly able to use it one day.” 

“...What?” 

Rio’s frank truth made Ursula’s eyes widen. 

“Is that unusual?” 

“Hum. Humans have far less aptitude towards spirit arts than the spirit folk to begin with... To learn it in a single day should be impossible. Under normal circumstances, at least. Don’t tell me...” Ursula said, before giving Rio a meaningful look. 

“Is there a problem?” 

“No, it’s not a problem... it shouldn’t be, anyway. I’d like to hear more about that too, if possible. I promise to answer any questions you have about us as well.” 

“Please do. Also, I would appreciate it if you could lend me something to wear,” Rio said, flashing a glimpse of his underwear-clad figure under the blanket. Ursula sighed deeply. 

“...I apologize again. They shall be brought to you immediately. Along with some medicine, since you may already be sick. Orphia, Alma. Go prepare them, now.” 

“Y-Yes ma’am!” 

Orphia and Alma nodded in unison and hurried out of the room. 

 ?? 

After Rio changed, relocated rooms, and introduced himself, he explained the reason he had taken in Latifa. He explained that he had been moving from Strahl to Yagumo, that he was attacked on the way by Latifa, a slave being controlled by the Collar of Submission, and that Latifa decided to follow him after he released her, and so on. 

Latifa — the only one who could attest to the truth of his story — had perhaps grown tired or bored of the small talk, as she had fallen asleep on Rio’s lap as he talked. However, her attachment to Rio was the greatest proof they could have offered. 

As their discussion progressed, Rio explained the reason why he decided to step foot into the great forest that held the spirit folk’s village. Namely, the fact that he wanted the spirit folk to take the werebeast — Latifa — in, and protect her. 

“Uzuma. Because of your hasty actions, you have committed the greatest dishonor upon a benefactor seeking to protect one of our own. Do you have something to say for yourself?” 

After hearing the entire story, Ursula turned to Uzuma with a severe look. 

“Umm... When I heard that Miss Latifa was put to sleep by spirit arts, I thought that human... that he had surely kidnapped her, and flew into a rage.” 

Uzuma explained her side of the story with a flushed face, sweating profusely. 

“From what I have heard, you attacked him while in the middle of negotiations without even bothering to hear what Lord Rio had to say. Why did you not wait until he had finished speaking?” 

“I-I was simply too enraged... And as long as there was the possibility of a kidnapping, I had to prepare for the worst case scenario and secure the safe rescue of Miss Latifa...” Uzuma cowered as she spoke, shrinking back in fear. 

Considering how urgent the situation had been, Uzuma’s actions couldn’t be written off completely. Anyone would jump to the conclusion of kidnapping if they encountered an armed foreigner, trespassing in their territory, with a young girl of their own species put to sleep by spirit arts. 

On top of that, there was the danger of Latifa being used as a hostage if they moved too slowly... And if Rio had really been a kidnapper, that would have been more than possible. 

But just because Uzuma’s reaction wasn’t completely wrong didn’t mean that she had done the right thing. Reality didn’t have clear solutions like numerical formulas, after all. 

“P-Please forgive me, Head Elder! Y-You may punish me however you see fit, if need be!” Unable to withstand the mood in the room and her own sense of guilt, Uzuma finally cracked and turned to apologizing. 

“Hmph. Don’t you think you’ve mistaken who your apology should be directed to?” 

“L-Lord Rio! I’m truly very sorry...” 

Uzuma suddenly kneeled on the ground, throwing her forehead to the floor before her. 

In other words, a dogeza. 

So the spirit folk also had the culture of dogeza... Rio’s eyes widened slightly at that. 

While he wasn’t sure whether her action held the same weight as the dogeza did in Japan, her apologetic intentions were evident. 

“P-Please accept my apology too. My Lord Rio, I am very sorry for what happened!” Following Uzuma’s lead, Sara, Orphia, and Alma all kneeled down in succession. 

“...I would be lying if I said I wasn’t bothered, but I accept your apology. I may have lacked some consideration myself when I stepped into your territory so thoughtlessly.” Uncomfortable with having girls his age and older groveling at his feet, Rio decided to accept their apologies and be done with it. It wouldn’t be a good idea to ruin their relationship from now on, either. 

“Lord Rio, please accept an apology from me as well. I promise to have Uzuma take responsibility for her hastiness. The girls over there shall face a scolding from me, too,” Ursula said, making Sara and the others flinch. 

“Yes, I understand. So please, everyone, raise your heads. I will be distraught if you remain like this any longer,” Rio said with a forced smile at Sara and the others who were still bowing on the floor. 

“Lord Rio. The village elders will gather tomorrow morning and offer you a formal apology. You must be tired tonight. Please rest with Miss Latifa here in this room,” Ursula suggested with a sidelong glance at the girls slowly rising to their feet. 

“Then I shall do just that.” 

“Good. I shall prepare an attendant for you too. Don’t hesitate to inform us if you need anything.” 

“No, nothing. Thank you for your consideration.” 

“Of course. Now, I must make some various arrangements, so please excuse me. Come along, you lot.” The girls all followed Ursula out of the room. 

On their way out, Uzuma and the three girls bowed deeply, prompting Rio to lightly nod his head at them. Just before she left the room, Ursula sent Latifa a look overflowing with affection. Then, Rio shifted Latifa from his lap onto the bed, before laying down next to her. 

 ?? 

Shortly after Rio fell asleep... 

The village elders gathered in a council room on the top floor of their town hall. 

“...And that’s the general summary of this incident. I believe it would be proper to offer Lord Rio a formal apology and a reward to show our gratitude for saving Miss Latifa and protecting her. Are there any objections?” After Ursula explained the events that occurred, she looked around the room of elders from where she sat. There were two other elders in the room as well, seated to her left. The others all wore conflicted expressions. 

“I don’t believe anyone would object to the apology and reward. But, as we have no knowledge of how human culture works, our common practices may not be conveyed as intended. What we should apologize for and thank him with is another matter that needs considering,” the elf head elder — an elderly man seated at the center of the three seats with Ursula — said. 

As they were all different species from humans entirely, there was a significant difference in their fundamental sense of values. In reality, that difference in value was what caused them to separate themselves from humans over the course of history. That was why they wished to avoid expressing their gratitude in the wrong way and causing some kind of displeasure. 

“Then why don’t we just ask the kid himself? We can just give him whatever he wants, so long as it’s within our means,” the dwarf head elder suggested from where he sat just to the right. 

“Don’t you think that would be rather presumptuous, Dominic?” said the elf male. He looked at the dwarf — Dominic — beside him. 

What Dominic had meant was to issue a blank check for Rio to write his desired amount. But if it was an amount they couldn’t afford, they’d be in trouble by appearing even ruder and ungrateful towards him. 

The room buzzed. 

“Even so, we cannot simply express our gratitude with only words. We owe that much to Lord Rio for how we have slighted him. I believe there is some appeal to Dominic’s words, everyone,” Ursula said, looking at the other elders. 

The elf elder gave a stately nod. “Well... I suppose.” 

The other elders in the room reluctantly voiced their agreement too. Everyone present admittedly felt it was right to repay Rio in some form or another, but the reason why they were so wary of him was largely due to their preconceptions of humans. 

With problems between their species deep-rooted in their history, this was one thing that couldn’t be helped. 

“Yep... gotta avoid humans at all costs. I get why everyone feels wary and all, but this one was nice enough to save one of our brethren from slavery and guide her all the way to us from the Strahl region. From what I’ve heard, we returned his favor with bad blood. He certainly doesn’t seem like the type of brat to demand that we offer him a slave... Ain’t that right, Ursula?” 

“Indeed, I can guarantee that much. He was a compassionate and reasonable boy,” Ursula declared assertively at Dominic’s question. 

“So how about it, Syldora?” 

“...All right. Does anyone have any objections?” The elf elder Syldora nodded and looked over the other elders, but no one stepped forward, and the proposal was approved. 

“Then to show our gratitude, we shall go with the idea Dominic suggested. Does anyone else have any other points to raise?” 

“Hmm. Then may I?” Ursula raised a hand. 

“Of course. You were the one most involved with this incident out of the council of elders,” Syldora welcomed her with a nod. 

“I would like to address the topic of Miss Latifa. While I’m not entirely certain, I believe her upbringing as a slave has resulted in what I perceived as mental fragility. That fragility has manifested itself in the form of dependence towards Lord Rio. If we were to accept her within our community, we would require Lord Rio to stay in the village too — at least until she settles down, I am thinking.” 

“Ah... In that case, preparations need to be made for lodgings and a caretaker. We also gotta explain the situation to the villagers... and get the brat’s consent, too, of course.” 

Dominic scratched his head at Ursula’s words; Syldora and Ursula opened their mouths without missing a beat. 

“We can leave the caretaking to the apprentice shrine maidens. Fortunately, they’ve already met him. It can act as their repentance for troubling one such protector.” 

“Hm. In regards to lodging, there’s an empty house on my property. They can live there. I volunteer to take on the role of being their guardian in the meantime.” 

And so, the discussion proceeded smoothly, until... 

“Hey. Do you have a moment?” 

A beautiful voice echoed clearly throughout the council room. Suddenly, a woman materialized in a spot that had been vacant. She was a young beauty, and was wearing a dress decorated with delicate flowers. Her green hair was long enough to reach the floor, and her eyes were a sparkling emerald color. Her face was so exquisitely refined, it almost seemed devoid of life, yet she also emitted a warm aura about her. 

“Y-Your Greatness...” 

As soon as they caught sight of her, all the elders in the room immediately knelt all at once. 

“Great Dryas, the Grand Spirit Festival is still a ways in the future. What brings you here today?” Ursula asked reverently. 

“Yeah, I just had something on my mind. I came to ask you guys about it.” 

“I see. How may we help you?” 

“Just now, I felt the presence of an unfamiliar spirit around this area. Seemed like a pretty high class one, but it disappeared almost immediately. I’m almost certain it’s someone’s contract spirit, but I don’t know who. Any ideas?” 

Dryas asked, looking around the council room. 

“...Yes, actually,” Ursula answered. 

“Oh, really? Where is it?” 

“I believe it is resting with the boy it contracted to at the moment. We have plans to bring him to this room tomorrow morning. What would you like to do, Your Greatness?” 

Ursula’s answer made the other elders widen their eyes in shock. The only contracted boy she could be referring to was Rio. 

“Huh... So he’ll be in this room? Then is it okay for me to sit in attendance too?” 

“Of course, Your Greatness. However, the boy is actually a human child...” 

“Oh, my... How unusual. Humans are visiting this village?” Dryas widened her eyes in the slightest. 

“Yes, there were special circumstances involved...” Ursula hesitated with a troubled expression. 

“Hmm. Well, that’s of no concern to me. I’ll pop by again tomorrow morning. See you then.” 

“Yes, Your Greatness,” Ursula acknowledged respectfully. 

At the same time, Dryas’ figure disappeared into dust. She truly was a carefree soul, appearing and disappearing as she pleased. 

“...There she goes. I never imagined she would appear so suddenly like that. It’s bad for my heart...” Ursula sighed tiredly. The other elders showed similar reactions. 

“Gahaha! She’s a great high-rank spirit, after all. Of course she’s gonna be whimsical. We’re rarely granted her audience outside of the Grand Spirit Festival. Let’s just consider it good fortune this time,” Dominic said. 

“That may be true... But, Ursula, what was that you spoke of before? Is it true?” Syldora agreed with Dominic’s words before narrowing his eyes at Ursula. 

“Hm. Great Dryas’ words just now solidified my theory. Lord Rio has forged a contract with a spirit. Although it is a little worrying that he didn’t seem to be aware of it himself.” 

“I see... One thing after another... I never would have expected this after being rattled awake so late. This has been quite an eventful night indeed,” Syldora said, pasting a strained smile on his face. 

“Damn right. The most eventful of my life.” Dominic gave a great nod of agreement. 

 ?? 

The next morning, Rio woke to find Latifa sleeping in his arms. Yesterday he had felt the oncoming symptoms of a cold, but now he felt surprisingly healthy, and it was all thanks to the elf medicine Ursula gave him. As he was stroking Latifa’s hair through her sound sleep, a knock echoed from the door. 

“Yes? I’m awake.” Rio sat up and responded, then watched as the door slowly opened. There in the doorway stood three girls — the silver werewolf Sara, the elf girl Orphia, and the dwarf girl Alma. 

“Good morning, Master Rio,” The three all called out together before bowing in unison. 

“Good morning. Is something the matter?” Rio bowed his head to return their greeting before asking the three of them to enter the room. 

“Preparations for breakfast have been completed, so we came to call you. What would you like to do?” Sara answered on behalf of the three of them. She was the oldest of the group and often ended up acting as their leader. 

“It’s a very tempting offer, but I’d like to wait until Latifa wakes up. She’ll get mad at me if I eat first.” Rio smiled gently, shaking his head. 

The girls’ expressions clouded over slightly. Seeing how soundly Latifa was sleeping as she clung to Rio made them feel even more guilty about what they had done because of their misjudgment. 

“...Understood,” Sara said, bowing politely. 


“Oh! How about some tea first, Master Rio?” Orphia clapped her hands together as a the idea popped into her head. 

“If it’s not too much trouble, then please, Miss Orphia.” 

“I-It would be my pleasure! Please wait here for a moment.” Orphia beamed before turning on her heel. 

“Ah, I’ll help you, Orphia!” Without a moment’s delay, Alma eagerly followed Orphia out. It hadn’t been long until Rio and Sara were the only two left in the room. 

“A-Ah, umm...” 

Sara almost considered going to help them, too, but her rational mind realized that three people weren’t needed to prepare tea. She stopped in her tracks, feeling somewhat awkward at being left alone with a person of a different species that was also the same age. Their egotistical misunderstanding had one-handedly caused so much trouble for Rio, after all. 

“T-Thanks,” Sara said, bowing without thinking. Then, she realized how meaningless her action was, and flushed red. Sara ducked her head, her ears and tail twitching restlessly. Rio’s eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to their movements. 

Do they just move of their own accord? he wondered with a slight tilt of his head. 

“U-Umm, Master Rio?” Sara suddenly burst out nervously, making Rio stiffen up reflexively. 

“Yes, what is it?” 

“Umm. Did you know Latifa back when she was a slave, Master Rio?” Sara asked with a conflicted expression, unable to help asking a difficult question. 

“No. I can imagine what kind of treatment she must have received, though. I never pried too deep because I didn’t want to trigger any bad memories.” 

“...Is that so. Then, umm, if it’s all right with you, Master Rio... Could you tell what you know?” 

“It won’t be a very fun story. You are aware of that, right?” It wasn’t something to ask out of curiosity, Rio’s words implied. 

“...Yes, I know. But I want to hear it anyway.” Sara looked at Rio, her strong will burning deep within her eyes. 

“All right.” 

Rio began to tell Sara the details of his theory on how Latifa had been treated. How she was terrifyingly emotionless when he first met her, and how she carried a deep-seated trauma that occasionally manifested itself in the form of mood swings. That she was probably forced to undergo harsh combat training, and that she was an assassin who had tried to kill him. That she had never had a proper meal in her life... 

The huge, shocking truth rendered Sara completely speechless. But after Rio finished speaking, her blood boiled with rage until she was trembling to hold it back. 

“Latifa is... She’s more incredible than all of us! Enduring such things...” 

“Yes, I agree completely. She really is.” 

Rio sympathized with Sara’s pent up frustrations; as a member of a species that had a strong sense of kinship amongst themselves, she would naturally feel even more anger than him. 

“...But I can’t say I condone eavesdropping as a hobby.” Rio directed to the other side of the door. 

His words made Sara gasp and whirl around towards the doorway. There stood Ursula, Orphia, and Alma. 

“Noticed us, did you? My apologies. I had a few things on my mind regarding that girl,” Ursula apologized, a mystified expression on her face. 

“Is something the matter with Latifa?” Sara asked fearfully. 

“This is just my own conjecture, but... Latifa is probably of my bloodline.” 

Ursula’s words made everyone present jump. She gave a helpless, bitter smile, and carefully chose her words as she continued to speak. 

“Over ten years ago, a blood relative of mine had their daughter run away from home. She was a free and uncontrolled girl. At first, I thought she had grown bored of the village and had taken to wandering around nearby, but she never came home again. She disappeared without a trace, so we believed that she had been attacked by a monster or beast, but...” 

Ursula looked at Latifa’s sleeping figure as it clung to Rio. 

“I-Is that true?! Elder Ursula?” Sara asked, flabbergasted. 

“Hmm. It happened long before you were born, Sara. I am not certain, but looking at Latifa makes me feel strangely nostalgic. I wish to ask her for her mother’s name, but at the same time I fear doing so. Her mother is no longer alive, no?” Ursula said with a rather pained expression. 

“Unfortunately, I have heard Latifa’s mother is no longer of this world...” 

“Is that so...” A sorrowful look came over Ursula’s face. 

“Mm... Onii-chan? Morning...” Latifa was woken up by the conversations occurring right beside her. 

“Good morning. It seems as though breakfast is ready. Would you like some?” 

“Yes, please!” Latifa nodded eagerly. Her peaceful smile showed no signs of the cruel past she had to bear. Right now, she was simply a happy girl befitting of her age. 

“Lord Rio, I am truly grateful to you.” Ursula thanked Rio sincerely. 

“No, I...” Rio’s expression clouded over as he shook his head guiltily. 

I was only looking out for myself... he swallowed those words without voicing them. 

“...Hm. Lord Rio has yet to have breakfast, right? I haven’t had any yet, either. If you don’t mind, may I eat with you?” Ursula suggested to change the solemn atmosphere of the room. 

“Yes, of course. Right, Latifa?” 

“Um... sure. If Onii-chan’s all right with it.” Latifa grabbed onto Rio’s clothes and nodded shyly. 

“Great, that makes things much simpler. I will introduce Lord Rio to the council of elders this morning. You lot, prepare the food. Bring your own servings along while you’re at it.” Ursula smiled broadly with happiness. 

“Yes, right away! We’ll bring it back here. Let’s go Sara, Alma.” Orphia took the initiative and moved first. She dashed towards the door. 

“Indeed. Come on, or you’ll be left behind, Sara.” Alma went after her without missing a beat, calling out the slow Sara. 

“I-I know.” Sara snapped out of her momentary daze and ran out of the room in a hurry. 

 ?? 

After leaving Latifa in Sara and Alma’s care, Rio was led by Ursula and Orphia to the highest floor of the town hall, where the village elders had gathered. 

The town hall was a treehouse built into a large tree located in the center of the village, the same building where Rio had stayed over last night. Rio climbed the spiral staircase that ran around the outside of the treehouse, overlooking the village buildings below. The spirit folk had completely integrated their lifestyle with nature, constructing houses of wood, stone, and clay in the forest. 

It was a magical scene to behold. 

Once they reached a point above the other trees of the village, they could see one particularly humongous tree that towered over everything. 

“That’s...” 

“Fufu. That’s the World Tree, where the Great Dryas — the spirit of giant trees — resides. It is said to have existed here long before we ever came to this land. It’s huge, isn’t it?” Orphelia explained proudly to a wide-eyed Rio. 

“Yes. I made it here by heading towards that tree.” 

“...Amazing. A barrier of advanced illusion sorcery stretches around the World Tree, so it cannot be seen without extensive training in spirit arts.” Rio’s casual comment made Orphia’s eyes grow rounder. 

“Is that... so?” 

Rio didn’t seem entirely convinced, and tilted his head. Since he had never met other users of spirit arts up until now, he had nothing to compare his own degree of spirit arts with. However, he did recognize that his ability to freely imitate most sorcery spells just by breaking down the flow of essence in the formula was unfairly advantageous, even to himself. 

“Hm. Lord Rio, you said you didn’t learn spirit arts from anyone. Is that right?” Ursula suddenly asked as they walked. 

“...Yes. I had a little push in the right direction... but I mostly studied it by myself.” Rio hesitated in answering at first, but eventually agreed. 

“I see. That’s some incredible talent you have there. Perhaps...” Ursula said with a pensive look on her face, trailing off before finishing her sentence. 

Before long, they arrived at the top floor. 

“Here we are, Lord Rio. You come in too, Orphia.” 

Ursula opened the door and gestured for them to go inside. Rio went in first, followed by Orphia behind him. Inside, various elderly figures sat on their chairs as they waited. 

“Lord Rio, please take a seat over here. Orphia, sit next to Her Greatness and attend to her needs.” 

Ursula directed Rio towards a chair near the doorway and Orphia to a corner of the room. There stood a young woman. 

“...Huh?” 

For a moment, Orphia doubted her own eyes. That young woman was an existence far superior even to her own as a blood relative of the council members in the village: the spirit of the giant tree, Dryas, who Orphia was just telling Rio about. Under normal circumstances, she would never be found in a place like this, but— 

“What’s wrong? Get moving already.” Ursula showed no sign of being fazed as she nonchalantly ordered Orphia along. 

“A-Ah, of course!” Orphia nodded awkwardly and headed towards Dryas. When Dryas caught sight of Orphia, she hugged her happily. But Orphia was nervous, making a single point of agitation in the peaceful room. The other elders in the council remained still and smiled contentedly at them. 

After taking his seat first, Rio was looking over at Dryas and Orphia curiously, but redirected his gaze to the front. Before him were three seats for the three head elders: the high elf Syldora, dwarf leader Dominic, and the werefox Ursula. 

“Now that all the preparations have been completed, I would like to start the elder council meeting. As we have invited a human boy as our guest on this occasion, we will progress in the language of humans,” Syldora said, declaring the start of the meeting. Just for this meeting, they would hold the proceedings in the common tongue of the Strahl region of humans out of consideration for Rio. 

“Now, human boy. I would like to extend my apologies for calling you out here today. And I thank you sincerely for attending.” 

“I should be the one saying that. It is an honor to be invited here.” Rio bowed lightly from where he sat. 

“I am Syldora, one of the head elders of this spirit folk village. Beside me are the other head elders. I am sure you are acquainted with Ursula already. This dwarf man here is—” Syldora stood and began to introduce Dominic. 

“It’s Dominic. Nice to meet you, human kid.” Dominic interrupted first, introducing himself. 

“...As you can see, he is rather blunt. I apologize if he offends you in any way. I will introduce the other elders to you on another occasion.” Syldora let out a bitter smile with a small smile. 

“Thank you for your consideration. It’s nice to meet everyone — my name is Rio.” Rio stood up and bowed deeply with a simple self-introduction. 

“There is no need to humble yourself, Lord Rio. You are a guest and benefactor of ours. For the trouble my brethren have caused from their misunderstanding, as well as for releasing one of our kind from slavery, I offer you my deepest gratitude and apologies,” Syldora said, prompting all the elders of the room to stand up and bow their heads toward Rio. 

From their sincere postures, Rio judged that their words of gratitude and apology were genuine. However, having those with clearly more life experience than him all bowing to him at once made him uncomfortable, and he smiled bitterly. 

“I accept your words of apology and gratitude. In regards to the apology, I was also at fault for stepping foot into your territory unbidden. I did not receive any permanent or long-lasting damage, so as long as the misunderstanding has been cleared up, I do not believe it to be an issue. Let us forgive and forget it as an unfortunate mishap. Please, raise your heads,” Rio said with a calm and polite demeanor. 

The elders swallowed an awestruck breath at how mature Rio acted, contrary to his undoubtedly young and innocent appearance. 

“We are sincerely thankful for your selflessness,” Syldora began with a bow of his head, “but it is a fact that we returned the favor we received from you with ill-treatment. Thus, we would like to do something for you in return to express our remorse. Is there anything you desire, Lord Rio?” he continued, finding it somewhat difficult to voice his words. The gazes of the elders gathered on Rio. 

“A desire... you say?” A confused look came across Rio’s face at the sudden topic. 

Ursula added to the explanation with a sigh. 

“You can name anything. Because of our difference in species, we weren’t sure how to best express our gratitude to you. Though there were some who feared what you would ask for,” Ursula said with a strained smile. A slightly guilty expression appeared on the faces of the elders as Rio nodded in understanding. 

“I see... Then, could I request that you accept Latifa into your care? My original objective was to head towards the Yagumo region east of here.” 

A serious look came over Rio’s face as he bowed his head towards Syldora, who was seated before him. The elders seemed rather taken aback. 

“Hmm... But Lord Rio, that is one of our desires. If anything, it is something we should be requesting from you, not the other way around. You could ask for something more...” Ursula sighed, letting a wry chuckle escape. Rio shook his head slowly. 

“You may say that, but I was the irresponsible one when I tried to take another’s life into my care.” 

“Lord Rio...” 

“That is why, if it is possible... If it’s not just my own wishful thinking, but right now, Latifa is... She is attached to me, I believe. That is why—” 

“I beg you, Lord Rio. Say no more. At least let us be the one to make the request. How about it? Would you like to stay in this village alongside Latifa for a while?” Rio was struggling to find his words, so Ursula took over. 

“That is... truly generous of you. Is it really all right?” Rio said, implying at how his being human might cause an issue. 

“Worry not. We discussed everything yesterday, and all the elders here have already consented to it. We would love to have you here, for that child’s sake as well,” Ursula confirmed decisively. 

“That’s right! There’s no need to hold back. I like you, kid. Ursula told us about what kinda human you are, but there are some things you can’t tell without meeting someone face to face. And boy, do I agree! You’re an even bigger man than I was told about, kid.” Dominic laughed heartily, welcoming Rio. 

“Indeed, it is exactly as Ursula and Dominic say. We will exert the utmost effort to accommodate your stay in the village and make sure it is comfortable. If you find that you need something at any time, do not hesitate to inform us.” 

“That’s right. You could even ask for something other than material goods, like one of the village girl’s hand in marriage. Since you’re a good looking kid, too... if you’re so inclined, how about my Alma?” Dominic boasted, adding to Syldora’s words in good humor. 

“Dominic, don’t get too carried away. Are you drunk?” 

“Gahaha!” Dominic boomed with laughter after Ursula reprimanded him. Chuckles stirred among the other elders, instantly brightening the atmosphere of the room. 

“Good grief. But that’s how it is, Lord Rio. There’s no need to hold back. Try searching for something that you want while living in the village. My apologies, but I must insist on expressing my gratitude somehow.” 

“...I understand,” Rio chuckled, thinking for a moment before finally stating what he desired. “In that case, I would like to request your support in teaching me about spirit arts and your way of living during my stay in the village.” 

“I see... That should be no problem at all.” 

“Hm. We will prepare a gifted teacher for you.” Ursula and Syldora both nodded. 

“All right! Now that your talk has wrapped up, can I get on with my business?” Dryas’ bright voice echoed through the room. All eyes in the room shifted towards her. 

“Why, of course, Great Dryas. But, if I may, could I please introduce Your Greatness to Lord Rio first?” Ursula asked. 

“Sure, go ahead.” Dryas nodded easily in response. 

“Lord Rio, seated over there is the spirit of the giant tree, the Great Dryas. Orphia spoke of her just before, if you recall.” 

“Umm... A spirit?” Rio’s eyes widened in surprise. Dryas had been giving off an otherworldly aura, but her appearance was so humanoid... it was hard to believe she was a spirit. 

“I’m Dryas. Pleased to meet you, Rio. Let’s get along, shall we?” With an innocent smile, Dryas floated through the air towards Rio. 

“I’m very pleased to meet you too.” Rio returned the greeting with a confused face as Dryas abruptly shook his hand. 

“Hmm... I knew it. Though it’s really faint, I can feel the presence of a spirit within you. Perhaps it’s sleeping?” 

“...A spirit? Inside me?” Rio questioned in bewilderment. 

“Yup. Does anything come to mind? You should’ve formed a contract with it.” 

“Contract? No, I can’t say I recall anything...” Rio shook his head from left to right, puzzled. He had no memory of ever forming a contract with a spirit in his entire life. 

“Really? That’s strange... Ah, there’s no need to be worried. I say contract, but there aren’t any annoying obligations involved. If anything, it’s more beneficial to you.” 

Unable to keep up with her words, Rio let out an absentminded “Huh...” 

“Hey, do you mind if I take a look? It won’t do any damage to your body, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.” 

After a brief moment’s hesitation, Rio nodded once. “...Yes, please.” 

“Then, excuse me...” Dryas said, gently grabbing Rio’s face. Suddenly, Rio felt the strange sensation of something unfamiliar entering him, but he accepted it without resistance. 

 

“Wow... You have a tremendous amount of ode hidden within you. Looks delicious. Are you really human? Oh — it looks like a path’s formed after all. That means you’ve definitely made a contract, and—?!” 

In the middle of her examination of the spirit sleeping inside of Rio, Dryas suddenly flinched. Her eyes widened in shock. 

“Did something happen?” Rio asked, sensing something abnormal in Dryas’ state. “It sure is something... There’s a humanoid spirit sleeping within you,” Dryas replied with a confused expression. This caused the room to stir louder than ever before. 

Rio still didn’t really get it. 

“A humanoid spirit?” 

“Mm... Judging by that reaction, you don’t know how rare humanoid spirits are. Orphia, explain it to him.” Dryas passed on the job of explaining to Orphia. 

“Eh? Ah! Y-Yes, Your Greatness! So for spirits, only high class spirits and above are capable of taking on a humanoid form like the Great Dryas. It goes without saying, then, that such spirits are extremely rare. Some say you could count the numbers of them on one hand.” Despite her panic, Orphia provided a sufficient amount of information. 

“And that’s how it is. In short, a spirit that rare is sleeping within you. One with the same amount of power — perhaps even more — as myself.” 

“...Great Dryas, does that mean there is the possibility an upper high-class spirit is sleeping within Lord Rio?” 

“I guess so. The upper high-class spirits known as the ‘Six High Spirits’ all disappeared over one thousand years ago in the Divine War, but it’s not like I know every humanoid spirit out there, either. I wouldn’t completely write off the possibility that the spirit sleeping within Rio is an upper high-class one,” Dryas answered casually, causing a noise of surprise to sound throughout the room. 

“Erm, is there some problem with upper high-class spirits?” Rio asked Dryas, glancing sideways at the elders’ reactions. 

“Nothing in particular. Oh, but it might be a big deal to the villagers who worship spirits. I’m already treated as a deity for being a high-class spirit, so if an upper high-class spirit appeared it might cause an uproar.” 

“...Then why don’t you wake it up and ask if it’s an upper high-class spirit yourself?” 

“I wouldn’t recommend that. It must have depleted most of its energy, as it’s in a deep sleep. Waking it up carelessly might make it sleep even longer, but if you leave it alone it’ll wake up on its own eventually.” Dryas shook her head, putting the sleeping spirit within Rio first. 

“That makes sense... I understand.” 

There were several points he was still curious about, but Dryas was a being worshiped by the spirit folk, and it would seem rude if he kept hounding her with questions. He decided to save them for Ursula later, and refrained from asking any more questions at the moment. 

“Hmm. But if the spirit within Lord Rio is a high-class spirit at minimum, then we may need to reconsider our conduct toward Lord Rio himself,” Ursula said with a worried expression. 

“What... do you mean by that?” Rio asked inquisitively. 

“To put it broadly, it may be wiser to treat Lord Rio with reverence, like a holy man. We won’t ask you to take on any duties; we’ll simply adjust our perceptions for our own accord. You will not be burdened.” Syldora replied with a wry smile, sensing Rio’s doubtful wariness. 

“Reverence...? No, I don’t feel like I’ve done anything to deserve that. Suddenly treating me that way will only bother me.” Rio said awkwardly. 

“Gahaha! Well, don’t let it bug ya. Think of it as the village giving you an even warmer welcome!” Dominic said heartily, as always. 

“Haha... I guess I shall.” 

Rio could do nothing but nod with a strained smile. 

 ?? 

After meeting with the elders and Dryas at the town hall, Rio met up with Latifa and had lunch before Ursula led them to their new residence. 

It was a few minutes’ walk from the town hall, near the center of the village. Many of the council members in the village had their houses located here. 

They arrived at a treehouse that was supported by the trunks of numerous trees. 

“Wow! Look Onii-chan, there’s even a deck! It’s so wide! And with such a nice view!” Latifa ran around excitedly. One couldn’t blame her — it had the feeling of a secret base. A fully loaded treehouse certainly had a charm that could make a child’s heart dance. 

“Hoho, how energetic. My house is next door — Lord Rio, please feel free to drop by any time. The house is already furnished, and I shall have Sara and the girls bring you your food.” 

“Thank you very much. You’ve really prepared everything.” 

“Oh, no need for that. Let me show you around the house.” Ursula smiled happily and walked in. 

“Come on, Latifa... Let’s go. Ursula’s giving us a quick tour of the inside.” 

“Yay, okay!” 

Rio and Latifa followed her inside. The moment Latifa stepped into the entrance hall, she let out a loud cheer. 

“Whoa!” 

The first sight that greeted them was a wide and open living and dining room. Elegant furniture was placed about the room, and a sliding door connected to the deck outside. On top of that, there were several bedrooms along with a master bedroom, a kitchen, and a restroom, all fully stocked. 

Honestly, no matter how you looked at it, it was far too large for just the two of them to live in. 

For the most part, artifacts covered all of the utilities they required, allowing them to live a life nearly as comfortable as that of modern Japan. 

“If there are any artifacts you don’t know how to use, ask the girls later. Lastly, let me show you the bathtub.” 

“You even have a bathtub? I’d love that.” Rio’s expression brightened greatly at the mention of a bathtub. 

“Oh? That look on your face tells me you enjoy your baths, Lord Rio. In that case, you may look forward to this. The bathtub in this house is rather magnificent, if I do say so myself,” Ursula said proudly, a big smile etched onto her face. Her confidence did not betray Rio’s expectations, as he found himself being filled with a sense of elation at the sight. 

“Amazing. So this is a bathtub of the spirit folk.” 

“Right? It’s amazing, Onii-chan! I want to jump in right now...” 

Rio’s moods generally didn’t fluctuate up or down by very much, but that rule didn’t apply when it came to the bathtub of this house. Latifa’s eyes were sparkling, too. 

Firstly, there was a proper changing area for clothes. Secondly, opening the door to the bathroom revealed the area to be clearly separated into a bathing area and washing area, just like a Japanese-style bath. This made it possible to wash the body before submerging in the water. 

The floor, walls, and tub were all made of wood, a natural material that helped the space give off a wonderful, unusual quality suitable for refreshing oneself. Finally, the best part of all was the door that led to the outside deck, where another wooden tub was placed. In other words, an open-air bathtub — enclosed, of course, so that no one could peek. 

“Hoho, I’m glad you find it to your liking,” Ursula laughed merrily at Rio and Latifa’s happiness.

“Umm, excuse me?” 

Shortly before the sun was about to set, after Ursula had left already, Rio and Latifa were allocating rooms and organizing their belongings when they heard the sound of a girl’s voice from the entrance. 

It was probably Sara and the girls. Ursula had mentioned earlier that they would be bringing groceries over. 

Rio hurried to the entrance and opened the door, and sure enough, there stood Sara, Orphia, and Alma. 

“Good evening, everyone.” 

“G-Good evening!” Rio greeted them amiably, which the girls returned with extremely stiff nerves. 

Orphia was managing a smile, but it was rather strained. Alma had a cool and serious expression, nodding her head in greeting. 

“I’ve heard the details from Ursula already. Thank you for all that you’ve done. Please, come inside.” While he felt a little uncomfortable at their reaction, Rio invited them all inside anyway. The three girls thanked him and hesitantly made their way in. 

“Latifa, Sara and the others are here.” 

“Hello, Latifa.” After being introduced by Rio, the girls greeted Latifa sitting on a sofa in the living room. 

“Oh, hello again.” 

Latifa responded politely, watching them carefully to judge their moods. At some point, she had gotten rather close to them. She had probably opened up a little when Sara and Alma took her in while Rio was speaking with the elders. 

“Umm, Master Rio. I apologize for the interruption, but would it be all right if we brought the items in?” Sara asked, nervously jumping straight to business. 

“Of course. Please do,” Rio agreed pleasantly. 

“Thank you very much. Orphia, if you’d please.” 

“Okay. Let’s start with moving the foodstuffs to the pantry. Our own belongings can come afterwards.” Sara and Orphia exchanged words. 

Rio thought he heard something he should make a comment about in their conversation just now, but decided it must have been his imagination. The reason for that was the fact that the girls seemed far too empty-handed to be moving items. 

“Umm, you all seem to be empty-handed... Where might the items be? I can help carry them.” 

“Oh, don’t worry. We have them with us. Orphia, please.” 

Sara giggled at Rio’s question, then asked him for the pantry location and headed there. Rio tagged along with the girls, curious as to what they were going to store there. Latifa skipped along next to Rio. 

“Dissolvo.” Once they arrived at the storage room, which was kept at a low temperature with an artifact, Orphia held out a hand and chanted some kind of spell. The space before her hand started to warp, bending and twisting until various food items suddenly appeared out of nowhere. 

“Huh?!” Rio and Latifa’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“What Orphia used just now was a magic artifact... the Time-Space Cache. It uses the user’s essence to create an isolated dimension in time and space with the sorcery embedded in it, then withdraws items from the dimension when the user chants a certain spell,” Alma interjected with a rather proud explanation, having concluded the reason for their shock. 

“To think such artifacts existed... that’s amazing. Can spirit folk use time-space sorcery too?” 

“Yes. However, we’re limited by how much energy it consumes. The only ones who can use it are those with large amounts of ode... what humans would call essence. That is why high quality spirit stones are required to create artifacts with time-space sorcery embedded.” 

“Spirit stones? Not enchanted gems, or essence crystals?” While Sara and Orphia started arranging the items to the side, Rio was unable to hold back his curiosity as he questioned Alma. 

“Yes. It is an object that differs from the enchanted gems and the essence crystals crafted from them. You may think of them as a superior version, to put it broadly.” 

“I see.” 

With a nod, Rio finally joined the others in organizing the food. Alma did too, and for a while they harmoniously went about working out where to place what. 

Occasionally, Rio would come across a food item or ingredient that didn’t exist in the Strahl region, but did exist on Earth, making him secretly react in astonishment. 

“What’s this...?” After spotting an item he simply couldn’t let go of, he turned to ask Alma to identify it. 

“Those are the grains from threshing rice husks. It’s one of the products from threshing, and we eat it by boiling it or frying it.” 

The word she had used wasn’t the exact same pronunciation as the Japanese word for rice, but from the description of how it was prepared, there was no mistaking it. 

“While we have ingredients that are prepared in a similar way, this exact thing isn’t available in Strahl.” 

“It was originally grown in the Yagumo region, after all. If I recall correctly, it was brought into the village over the long course of history and we started cultivating it.” 

“I look forward to both cooking it and eating it.” 

Thus, they chatted as they worked until they had put most of the food away in the pantry and returned to the living room. Latifa had been talking with Sara and Orphia while they cleaned up, allowing her to open up and feel a bit more relaxed compared to when they first arrived. 

“So, umm... Master Rio. Which rooms shall we sleep in?” 

After tea had been prepared and everyone was sitting on the sofas for a breather, Sara brought up the topic rather timidly. 

“...Huh?” Rio gawked at Sara’s words. 

“Eh? Umm, the head elder... Elder Ursula didn’t tell you anything?” 

“Uh, tell me what?” He had an inkling of what was going on, but asked anyway to settle his heart. 

“We were told to live with Master Rio in this house and attend to you two...” 

Sure enough, Sara’s words were exactly as Rio expected. 

“......Whaaat?! You’re all going to live with us here?” Latifa responded with amazement after a few seconds to think. 

“Yes. Will that be a problem?” 

“W-Will it?” Orphia asked, prompting Latifa to look up at Rio sitting next to her. 

“No, that’s...” 

Rio’s expression conveyed a sense of disapproval. Though they were all young boys and girls, it was one boy to four girls — just imagining it made him feel weary. 

“Erm, is it too much to ask after all?” Sara asked Rio with an anxious face. 

“...Umm, is everyone here okay with that?” Rio asked. “I’m a man — and a human one at that, you know? If you came here on an order, then please don’t force yourselves to do this.” 

His thinking was that Sara and the others might not want to live together with a stranger like him. 

“We’re completely fine with it! Master Rio is a savior. And we can’t apologize enough for how terribly we treated you. So we’d like to repent for our actions through this!” Sara insisted heatedly, with Orphia and Alma nodding at her side. 

“Ah, no, but... I don’t need repentance or anything.” Rio said, shrinking back. 

“I-I understand that we may be a nuisance to you! We were actually worried that Master Rio would be the one to oppose this... It’s true that we were told to do this, but we’re happy to follow through with it! We want to get along more with Latifa, too!” Sara expressed wholeheartedly to the best of her ability. Rio could sense the determination within her; she wouldn’t back down easily. 

The silence in the room continued for a moment, until.... 

“Lord Rio, I’m coming in.” Ursula appeared in the doorway. 

“Ursula...” Rio shot her a questioning glare, wondering if all of this had been her doing. 

“I overheard part of your conversation. Regarding the topic of living together with the girls, Lord Rio, I would like to humbly request this of you.” 

“Even if you say that... isn’t it undesirable for them? Sara and the others are of the same bloodline as the council members of the village, right? There’ll be bad rumors if they live with a human like me.” Rio whispered in Ursula’s ear, having briskly stood and approached her. 

“All the more reason, then. Rumors about Lord Rio and Latifa are already spreading through the village. If the village council were to treat you like the plague, those negative rumors would be even worse.” Ursula shook her head dismissively. 

“Will it really be all right?” 

“It shall be. As a head elder, I guarantee this. This is an action we’ve taken for Latifa’s well-being. Lord Rio, you intend on leaving the village one day, no? Then it would be undesirable to continue this dependency she has developed towards you. You need individuals beside her who can be her guardian, her friend. While those girls still have a long ways to go, they’re all good girls.” 

It was exactly as Ursula said. If he were to consider Latifa’s future, Rio had to be less protective of her. 

“...You’re right. Both Latifa and I would greatly benefit from this.” 

“Oho! Then may I take that as a word of acceptance?” 

“Yes. If it’s not too much trouble for Sara and the others...” 

Thus, it was decided that Rio and Latifa would live together with the spirit folk girls.

That night, to celebrate their new life together, they decided to hold a modest feast. The attendants were the new residents of the house — Rio, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, and Alma — and the three head elders, Ursula, Syldora, and Dominic, for a total of eight people. As the evening approached, they went about preparing the feast in the kitchen. Sara, Orphia, and Alma took charge of the cooking, while Rio asked to help out. 

However, sure enough... 

“Master Rio, please take a breather,” they all told him. 

“We’re going to be living together from now on, so there’s no need to accomodate me so much. We’ll all just get tired that way, don’t you think? And I’d prefer it if you stopped calling me ‘Master’ too,” Rio told them with a forced smile. The three girls looked at each other. 

“Then, umm... Would it be okay to just call you Rio?” Sara asked on behalf of the group. 

“Yes, that would be fine. Then let us do the housework in a similar fashion. We can decide the specifics another day, so let’s just cook together for today. This way we can check each of our skill levels at cooking too.” 

“I want to eat Onii-chan’s cooking!” 

Rio’s suggestion made Latifa excitedly jump into the conversation. The three girls — especially Sara — seemed concerned about assigning chores to Rio, but Latifa’s final word made them cave to his wishes. Then, after discussing who would be making what, they finally began preparing the food. 

As a matter of fact, Rio was desperate to cook. 

There were so many ingredients in the pantry that weren’t available in Strahl, so he wanted to try to remake as many of Earth’s foods as he could. Latifa would surely be ecstatic too. He would only make western foods that children liked — pasta, omelettes, and meat patties. 

With skillful hands, he completed the cooking all the while avoiding getting in the way of the others, making Sara and Alma widen their eyes with awe. 

“Fufu, this is fun... Cooking with everyone,” Orphia said, preparing food and grinning happily. 

“Rio... is as good at cooking as Orphia.” Alma said. She was still a little reluctant to call Rio without a title. 

“I-I won’t lose either!” Sara said enthusiastically, tackling the ingredients even more seriously. 

In no time at all, a feast was upon them. The living room of their new house was soon buzzing with life. 

“Gahaha! Your food’s great, kid!” Dominic laughed heartily, gulping down the alcohol in his metal cup. 

“The ingredients are all items I’m very familiar with, yet the dishes are all new and innovative. I’m surprised to experience something this good at my old age.” 

“Yes, what wonderful skill. My favorite is this egg dish with tomato.” 

Syldora and Ursula smacked their lips at Rio’s cooking. 

“I prefer this one here with potato and cheese. Its perfect with alcohol. Alma, what about you?” 

“I like the meat dish best. It looked very difficult to make, but the taste is definitely worth it,” Alma replied as she munched on a patty. 

“Ehehe, all of Onii-chan’s cooking is delicious!” Latifa beamed proudly as she ate the pasta. 

“Rio, teach me how to make it next time,” Orphia requested pleasantly. 

“O-Orphia, isn’t that rude?!” Sara warned her in a panic. 

“Sure, I don’t mind. In exchange, teach me how to make some of your village’s dishes too.” 

And so, one way or another, their life in the village had a fairly good start. 



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