Chapter 54

On June 9, 2023, it was pointed out that the name "Levi" appears twice in the assistant and the guild. This is my mistake. I will change the assistant's name from Levi to Malachi. I apologize for the confusion.

---

"Alright. However, there is no landmark in the sky, and even if I tell you the coordinates, you wouldn't understand them. It seems your assistant is now ready to communicate. I will inform her of the location, so it's best to listen while flying."

"Okay, I'll ask her."

After a moment, a young girl's hesitant voice echoed in his ears.

"Alu...?"

This lisping voice... this way of calling?

"Hey, Alu...?"

A young girl's figure appeared in Al's mind. A blonde little girl... holding hands... the forest they visited during a break in the rain, her gentle smile... Wait a minute, could it be? Al's eyes widened.

"Gry?"

The assistant's voice was exactly the same as his twin sister Ingrid's, whom he had lost as a child. Al was confused. Why does it sound like my sister's voice...?

"That assistant device you've been holding tightly and pouring your thoughts into. The assistant said she has always been enveloped in those warm thoughts. I've never heard of such a case, but it seems that after a long period of such behavior, a new assistant was born in that device. Normally, they are born with a complete personality like me. It might be that the assistant's functions were limited due to a prolonged state of extremely low magic power..."

Malachi, who usually explains things in detail, gave a rare and hesitant explanation.

"Could Ingrid's soul be here?"

Al had heard that when a person dies with strong resentment, their soul can reside in a place or object. If it causes harm to others, it becomes an undead that must be destroyed, but occasionally it can protect a home.

"That device seems to have been created in a later era, so there are many unknown aspects. However, it can also receive knowledge from me, meaning it should be an assistant."

"Gry? Isn't it Gry?"

Al took out the pendant from his chest, held it with both hands, and stared at it as if in prayer.

"I... don't know. I clearly remember 13 days ago, when you held me tightly and used some magic... That's when I was reborn, and it felt like the fog in the world had cleared. My memories before that are vague. Dark times, bright times, various times, all fragmented. The one constant was that Alu always held me tightly. It was always a warm feeling."

The voice was exactly the same as the one in his memory, but the way of speaking didn't seem like a three-year-old. However, Al couldn't clearly remember how Ingrid used to speak, so he couldn't pinpoint the differences.

Al pressed his lips together and thought deeply. He closed his eyes and looked up slightly. After a while, he spoke.

"...I'm really confused. I have suspicions that I might be being deceived, a faint, no, a foolish hope that Gry might not have died, but more than anything, I'm happy to hear Gry's voice."

Al paused and took a deep breath. The light in the crystal of the pendant flickered.

"I value this pendant a lot. I've carried it with me ever since I received it from my grandfather. When I was feeling down, I would hold this pendant tightly. So, it's because of that, Gry is talking to me like this. Whether you're an assistant or the soul of the person, I want to accept you as you are. Thank you, and please take care of me, Gry."

The light in the crystal of the pendant grew stronger.

"Thank you, Alu."

After hearing the location of the research tower of Tempest from Malachi, Al learned that it was about a two-day flight away and floated high in the sky. He was a bit anxious about whether he could reach it with just the flight spell, but he was told that there was definitely an ancient ruin there.

"Then, Malachi, I'll take the princess, who claims to be a descendant of Tempest, to her aunt's place. I'll do my best to ensure her survival."

After saying that, Al remembered that he needed to convince Orson. Given his nature, he would probably say to do as he pleased, but...

"Indeed, I leave it to you. I hope Ingrid finds happiness."

Al placed Malachi back into Tempest's coffin.

---

The next day, Al and the others had breakfast early with the remaining deer meat, wild herbs, and the last of the beans, then moved to the village of Clarence at the foot of the mountain. Orson had lost a lot of weight over the past month, and without his armor, he could sit on the transportation spell disc alongside Patricia, which greatly sped up their journey. They were also able to gather food for the immediate future and some used clothes and blankets for Patricia and Joanna from the villagers.

Patricia's face, which had been dark, was now refreshed after using the hot springs the previous night. Her dull golden hair had turned into a beautiful platinum blonde. With her well-defined features, she was quite eye-catching, so she decided to cover her face with a scarf. Joanna, being a female knight, was also quite noticeable, so she put her heavily damaged armor in a wicker basket with the clothes and wore a farmer's outfit with a ragged cloth wrapped around her sword. Her newly cut hair added to a strangely alluring appearance, and she would likely be quite popular with women as she walked through the town.

"It's still early afternoon... Should we reach Ortes by nightfall?"

Orson, looking at the sky, muttered. Initially, he was surprised by the two's true identities and reluctant to accompany them, saying it was too much and he didn't know how to talk to them. However, he reluctantly agreed after being persuaded that he might receive a reward from Viscount Lester. His feet were still unsteady, but he was gradually recovering and his consciousness was clear.

"Yeah. Joanna's pace is fast, so we can reach the town of Ortes, where there are inns. If we get there, we can reach the city of Milton by tomorrow night and the border city of Lester the day after."

The journey to Clarence Village from the town of Ortes took a week, but that was because they had to ask around for the village's name. The distance wasn't that great if they followed the road directly. During the move from the hot springs to Clarence Village, they learned that Joanna was a knight who could use the physical enhancement spell. As a knight chosen to guard the king's niece, she was indeed capable. Therefore, she could move faster than Al, who used the physical enhancement spell. They would avoid drawing attention by using the relatively rare transportation spell, but they could still expect a significant increase in speed.

"Yeah, it would take me about a week with my bad leg. The transportation spell and the physical enhancement spell... Mages aren't just show-offs. No, maybe it's just that Al is amazing."

"Yeah. Even in the difficult mountainous terrain, since I learned to use the physical enhancement spell, Al is the first person I felt I might not be able to catch up to. I think it's something to be proud of."

Al thought it was a bit odd to be praised for his running speed, but he decided to accept it as an honest compliment.

"Right. Master Al..."

Patricia looked at Al with her deep, clear green eyes. Her expression was serious, and Al didn't know how to react.

"So, what will we do when we reach Lester? From what I've heard, it's best to keep Patricia's identity hidden. But we can't contact Lady Tara directly."

Tara, Patricia's aunt and the legitimate wife of Viscount Lester, couldn't be contacted directly by ordinary people. However, revealing Patricia's identity in the neighboring country of Tempest, where a political change had occurred, could put her at risk.

"Yeah, I think Narish, who is in the upper school, will be back from the first semester soon. So, I plan to contact Narish through Kain. If that doesn't work, we can ask Lady Tara directly through Lord Levi."

Narish, who was in the same class as Al in the intermediate school, was now in the upper school. The upper school, like the intermediate school, had a semester system with long breaks in spring and autumn to allow students who lived far away and usually stayed in dormitories to return home. In the intermediate school, the break started after the exams in late August. Al thought Narish might be back by now.

"I see. Then, I'll leave it to you. I'll enjoy the scenery from the transportation chair for a while."

At Orson's words, Patricia smiled.

"I'll enjoy it too."

The pendant hanging from Al's chest, his assistant Gry, also whispered in a voice only he could hear.

---

Here, I will conclude Chapter 5.

In one hour, I will post an introduction to the characters. This is for my own organization, so feel free to skip it if you wish.

---

Thank you for reading this far.

I plan to post twice a week on Mondays and Fridays at 10 AM. I hope you will continue to follow the story.

Thank you for the corrections. I always appreciate your help.

I would be grateful for likes, ratings, and comments. Thank you very much.