Chapter 85

"I was surprised, I never thought I would meet Lady Ribray."

Caro stood up and stared at the empty space where Lady Ribray had disappeared.

There was nothing, nothing at all.

That was what terrified me the most.

To disappear into nothingness means one can also appear from nothingness.

And the fact that she could perform such a feat so casually was terrifying.

What would happen if she became our enemy?

She might suddenly appear behind us and stab us. No, being stabbed would be a relief; we might be killed.

That's what I thought.

It was a kind of fear, similar to the fear of being stabbed from behind by a passerby on the street, which was nothing more than an unnecessary worry. Still, I found it terrifying.

"Master, what should we do now?"

"Ah, right."

Despite the unexpected rare guest, I decided to flip through the Book of Creation that Lady Ribray had tampered with.

Various explanatory texts had been added.

"Hmm, I only have about 300 MP left. The only thing I can create now is a spring. Let me try it out."

I have no intention of creating a trash can.

I traced the spring with my finger.

The text glowed gold, but no spring appeared.

According to the explanatory text, the next page would display a map-like interface, allowing me to specify where to create the spring.

The next page, which was completely blank, must be the map.

It was so simple, so utterly blank, that it was almost as if the word "nothing" was a shorthand for "completely blank."

I randomly tapped a point on the map—there were no reference points, so I had to choose a spot at random.

Suddenly, I felt my MP being drained.

It was as if my MP was being sucked away all at once and continued to be drained.

When I lifted my finger, the MP consumption stopped.

And then—

A rumbling sound echoed.

We could tell it was coming from a direction we couldn't identify, and we struggled to maintain our balance. Marina, who was still in a prostrate position—more like frozen in place—was the exception.

And then—

"It's gushing out!"

The sight was like a geyser.

Without a reference point, it was hard to measure the exact distance, but it was clearly visible from here, even though it was several kilometers away.

The water gushed out, gradually losing its momentum, but it didn't stop.

It would likely continue for a while.

"This will form a pond... No, the ground is so dry, it might just be absorbed into the earth."

Without any terrain features, it's hard for water to accumulate in one place.

It might be better to create mountains first.

"This is the power of the Master..."

"No, according to Lady Ribray, it's not my power but someone else's. Right now, I'm just borrowing Lady Ribray's power... Consuming MP is just part of the deal. Next time, I'll buy some plant seeds and try to grow them. Caro, can you prepare some seeds that might sell well?"

"Understood."

"Marina, pull yourself together!"

"Yes!"

Marina, who had been patted on the back, stood up straight and then froze.

How tense is she... Given this state, when she met Lady Trailleur, she might have been in a similar condition, leading to her being completely at Lady Trailleur's mercy.

If that's the case, while I've been sympathizing with Marina, I now feel sympathy for Lady Trailleur, who had to deal with Marina, who couldn't speak properly due to her tension. It would be pointless to do anything with her unconscious, and even wearing a mask would be useless.

I placed the book at my feet, picked up Marina, and passed through the tear in space.

We returned to the original inn.

Caro and Haru also returned.

I placed Marina at the edge of the double bed and decided to let her sleep here.

"Then, I'll go to sleep... Purification!"

Using the purification spell, I cleansed Marina's body, Haru's body, Caro's body, and my own.

Then, I went to the next room with Haru.

My MP is almost depleted, so I thought I might just sleep now.

But—

"Um... Master..."

She called me, hesitating as if trying to say something.

"Um, about the bet we had earlier..."

"Huh? Oh, right, we had that bet. You said you'd do anything. What do you want me to do?"

"...Um... My..."

"Haru's?"

"Please rub my stomach."

Haru, wagging her tail, said this, and I responded,

"Silent Room!"

I didn't care about the remaining MP.

Despite the town being in a state of emergency, I still seem to be as foolish as ever.

The next chapter will be a break from the main story, featuring only side stories.