Chapter 96

Sphaira and Sherry were supposed to meet, so I came up to the residential area on the second floor of the guild house, but I couldn't find them.

"Where could Dad and Rim Mom be?"

Master should be examining my body, but if she left her seat to bring Sherry, there must be a reason.

I have a bad feeling. Well, now that I'm a spirit, I don't have a heart to feel it with, but that's not the time to nitpick.

"I need to thank Sherry Mom for creating me."

(Sherry is very proper and serious, so I shouldn't surprise her too much.)

"Yeah, I understand. Are they with Dad's body?"

(I think so, but... Sphaira, let's try to approach as quietly as possible. Can you cast Stealth?)

"I think I can mimic Dad's magic if I imagine it. I'll try my best."

Teaching magic to my daughter isn't a bad feeling at all.

"Um... like this... it's difficult..."

(If you spread your magic throughout your body, it might be better to use the 'Words of Power.' In my case, I can do it without incantation.)

"Hmm, if Dad can do it without incantation, I can too... 'Stealth.'"

She ended up saying it out loud, but using just the name of the spell to achieve its effect is called 'Shortened Incantation.' After that comes 'Compressed Incantation,' and if you master it, you can do it silently.

What's scary about Miralca is that all her array magic can be cast silently, and it unfolds faster than 'High-Speed Compressed Incantation.' She's trying to write a book to pass on her theories, but it's so difficult that ordinary people can't understand it. I can grasp about 80% intuitively, but the remaining 20% can't be imitated just by theory.

"Why are you doing 'Stealth,' Dad?"

(Just a hunch... I don't think it's a good idea to go in normally.)

"Really? Hmm... I understand. I'll be as quiet as possible. Quietly, quietly..."

Sphaira, having cast Stealth, also tries to make her footsteps lighter. Her walking style is Aileen's—does that mean she can use her body techniques as naturally as breathing?

(...Dad's room door is slightly open. Did he forget to close it?)

(Sphaira, approach slowly. This isn't peeping, just checking.)

(Yes, I need to check what Mom and the others are doing with Dad's body.)

(...Do you think it's something like that?)

Sphaira's cheeks turn red, embarrassed. It feels strange, as if I'm blushing myself, but... well, that's fine. Even with all her knowledge, it must have been a strong stimulus for her, a newborn.

(Well, you know... Mom and the others care about Dad, so you don't have to worry.)

Sphaira says, approaching the door gap—then.

The scene inside the room comes into view. In the dimly lit room with the curtains drawn to block the sunlight, Sherry had just finished taking off her clothes.

(Wh-What... How did it come to this...?)

(Shh, Dad, Mom and the others are talking.)

Sherry, with her back to us, puts on the thin robe she received from Master. A mature negligee—so revealing that I can't even look directly. It's similar to what Beatrice and Verlene sometimes wear, but I never thought I'd see Sherry in it.

Her long, black, lustrous hair reaching her back and her snow-white skin. Sherry seems embarrassed, covering her chest with her hands.

"You don't have to be so embarrassed, Dee is resting."

"...I feel embarrassed even in front of you. I'm not the kind of body that should show skin to others..."

(Dad... the scars on Sherry Mom's back...)

(...She was a sword slave. These must be from that time.)

The burn marks on Sherry's back, now almost faded, were ironically shaped like wings.

Master is also wearing a similar nightgown. A seductive design for the bedroom—her clearly defined figure, which hasn't changed since I first met her, makes my heart race.

If Sphaira were to realize my thoughts—fortunately, she's focused on the conversation between Master and Sherry.

"You don't want to show... I see. Sherry, you've had a tough past, haven't you?"

Master walks over. Sphaira's 'Stealth' is perfect; even in a position where she could be seen, Master doesn't notice.

When she moves behind Sherry, Master reaches out to touch the burn marks on her back.

"Can I touch them?"

"...N-no... These scars have been there for a long time and won't easily..."

"I can remove them. I think Dee can do the same, but would you prefer he does it?"

"...Dee said I'm his companion and doesn't discriminate against me. He always helped me... I can't keep relying on such a kind person."

Sherry tries to refuse Master's offer. But for some reason, Master gently hugs her from behind.

"...W-What are you doing..."

"Thank you for liking Dee. Every time I see someone who admires Dee, I feel like this. I feel like an older sister... though he might find it annoying."

"...That's not true. I thought Miralca or Aileen was the closest to Dee... Verlene was next. But no one is closer than you. No matter how far apart, our hearts are always together."

"Is that so... I've been a burden to Dee, so I think I shouldn't keep relying on him. I want to do something that will make him smile, to make up for all the trouble I've caused."

I didn't expect them to have such a conversation—and even if I thought it was necessary, it feels wrong to listen in.

Sphaira, as if to calm me down, places her hand on her chest. Even though she's an artificial spirit, her chest has a warm heartbeat, and feeling it, my heart calms down as if by magic.

"I called Sherry because we need the power of everyone who helped Dee back then. I want her to stay by his side until the magic power inside him stabilizes. After using the Legion Dragon's core to gather everyone's power, Dee absorbed the strong magic power of several people, making his internal magic power unstable."

"...Will Dee get better if we're close to him?"

"That's right, but we need to take turns. We need to circulate the magic power inside Dee through your body and return the controllable amount to him. We need to adjust it to match his increased magic capacity, one person at a time..."

In other words, my body has changed its magic capacity due to absorbing excessive magic power.

By using 'Small Soul' to create Sphaira, I released a large amount of magic power, which pulled my spirit into her. This is because Sphaira was more stable than my body, which had drastically reduced and become unstable.

I once shared magic power with Beatrice, but this time it's the opposite. I need the party members to pour their magic power into my main body, and Master will adjust the balance to stabilize it. That way, my spirit can return to my body—reinforcing the close relationship between magic and spirit.

"...I'll do anything I can."

"Me too... I'll do my best to help Dee. And there's one more thing I need to tell you..."

Master explains how Sphaira was born—how she is also Sherry's daughter.

Sherry, more embarrassed than when she showed her skin, blushes to her ears and crouches down.

"Me and Dee... a, a child...?"

"Yes, our mixed magic power created her through a certain spell."

"...If that's the case... can I treat her as my daughter...?"

"Yes, of course. When Sphaira comes home, I think she'll be called Mom. She can recognize her mother."

(Sherry Mom looks so embarrassed... Is she embarrassed to be my mom...?)

(No, it's not that kind of embarrassment, so you can relax.)

(Really? Then can I be close to Sherry Mom too?)

(Well... I think she'll be kind to you.)

While I'm inside, what does it mean to be close to a mother—Sphaira is likely to jump into Sherry's arms. If she does that with all the mothers, I'll feel so guilty that I won't be able to face them.

But something is about to happen that will blow away all my reservations. Master approaches my unconscious body on the bed and pulls back the blanket.

(Oh...!)

My body is completely naked, except for underwear, with some patterns drawn on it.

Those patterns are—magic runes Master taught me. Reading their meaning, I realize a complex medical spell is being cast to maintain my body using Master's magic power, even though my spirit is separated from it.

It seems I'm in a more serious condition than I thought. The sight sends a chill down my spine, even in my spirit form.

(...I really cause Master a lot of trouble... to use such advanced magic constantly...)

(Rim Mom will do anything for Dad. I can feel that... Dad will definitely return to his original body.)

Sherry, seeing my state, seems to have made up her mind. She places her hand on her chest and approaches the bed. Following Master's instructions, instead of lying next to me, she lies on top of me, intertwining her hand with my motionless one.

"...Will this put a strain on Dee's body...?"

"There are several points in the body where magic power concentrates. If we don't touch all of them, the magic power won't circulate efficiently between our bodies. We need to keep this up for about an hour, so let me know if you need a break."

"...I understand. If Dee wakes up, I... will do anything..."

"Yes... please. If we circulate the magic power one by one, I'll take care of the rest and definitely wake Dee up."

Even though my spirit is separated from my body, I feel warm—Sherry is lying next to me, warming my cold body and praying for my safety. Master, who is also beside me, continues to consume magic power to maintain my body without losing focus.

(...Sphaira's moms are strong women. I always feel inferior to them.)

(The moms also think the same about Dad.)

(That's right... I don't want to keep watching, so let's go back to the living room. When it's over, Sherry will come out, so be a good girl and wait.)

(Okay, I understand!)

Sphaira quietly leaves the front of my bedroom. When she reaches the living room, she asks me in a low voice, so Master and the others won't hear.

"Dad, do you want to eat something? I can eat and drink for you."

(That's a good idea... let's make a meal for everyone helping at the shop. Hare will be happy if Sphaira cooks.)

Miralca, Manalina, and everyone who works there will appreciate the meal I teach Sphaira to make for the end of the morning shift.

As expected, Hare was delighted—Miralca and Manalina, who can't work all day, decided to leave after the morning shift, but they were also moved by the homemade meal Sphaira and I made.

The limited lunch menu we serve to the few regular customers in the morning, using the leftover ingredients. The Silver Water Jug Inn's special 'Talacina Fish Stew' with freshly baked bread, stir-fried rice with spices, and a high-quality salad made from vegetables that are only cheap because of their shape.

None of the dishes are difficult, but if you don't know how to make them, you can't create a delicious meal with the available ingredients. Sphaira seemed to enjoy it as much as I do.

Miralca and Verlene were pleased with their daughter's cooking, and Sphaira even fed the stew to each mother by hand—the stew, made with fish bones but refined with proper preparation, was praised by both. Even Manalina, accustomed to the royal chef's cooking, gave it a thumbs up, so I think my shop's meal isn't bad at all.

But the cost of such a pleasant time was significant. Even Miralca, who usually hides her feelings, showed a sad expression when parting with Sphaira.

"Miralca Mom, come and see me again. I'll definitely show you when I ride a dragon."

"Yes. If you learned from Dee, the dragon will listen to you... and if he's with you, there's nothing to worry about. He not only tries to avoid standing out but also puts his full effort into not putting others in danger."

"Timis also owes a lot to you. She came out of the dragon hunt unscathed, and I attribute that to you, Sir Dee."

"Ah, Dad said to keep that a secret."

"Hehe... Duke visits our university, you know."

Thinking about it, that's true—Duke is the pseudonym he uses when visiting the university, so if Manalina heard from Timis that 'Duke helped her,' it would connect to him.

"Sometimes Dad can be a bit careless, so if you notice anything, please be strict with him."

"M-Miralca... to be strict with Sir Dee... that's..."

"I love Dad, so I want to gently remind him."

"...I don't have that quality. Maybe I'm more like Yuma... Cody is also kind to Dee, despite his complaints..."

Miralca glances at Sphaira—me inside her.

"Dad says you're gentle when you're not angry, Miralca Mom."

"...S-Such thoughts... why doesn't he say them normally?"

When Yuma learned I was the 'Masked Rescuer,' he said I was caring and such, but with Miralca, I need to say it multiple times for it to sink in. I'll try to do that as much as possible, though it's hard for me to be straightforward.

◆◇◆

Sphaira, under my guidance, mastered dragon riding techniques as if a plant were absorbing water.

While practicing, I continued to communicate with the intelligence department, trying to gather information on the black dragon that might have come from the Latcris Demon Kingdom to Elsain.

I didn't think this would happen from the beginning, but it was insurance—there is a branch of my guild in a village near the border with Elsain in the northern valley. It's not a large base, just a few adventurers, but it exists.

Although Alvein and Elsain don't trade, after our victory over Verlene, Elsain was required to report the domestic situation to a certain extent. The Alvein army's fortress served as the receiving point for this information, but the soldiers, still wary of the demon kingdom, often dismissed the reports from Elsain and turned away their messengers.

We, who are not afraid of demons and monsters, realized that the military still sees them as a threat. I dispatched a few S-rank and A-rank adventurers to escort the transfer of information from Elsain.

At such times, Cody's position is incredibly powerful—though I avoid the spotlight and stay away from the public eye, I can borrow the authority of my hardworking comrade. Cody told me not to hesitate, and I've taken advantage of his words many times.

Thanks to Cody's order, the transfer of information from Elsain's soldiers is now guarded by the nearby adventurer guild—my guild. The Alvein soldiers, when told this, readily comply, and the information from Elsain is now reliably collected through Cody's subordinates and my intelligence network.

So, if I had been more careful, I might have noticed the addition of a new member to the direct guard of the Demon