Chapter 65

"…Are you going to eat this again?"

That night, the bird came to me again, bringing the same fruit. I wish it would stop soon.

"…You know, when I eat this, it makes me really itchy."

I tried to explain my discomfort to the bird, but it didn’t seem to care and kept pushing the fruit towards me. Hmm… I guess resistance is futile.

That day, I decided to go to sleep early. I start feeling itchy after eating the fruit, so it’s better to fall asleep before that happens.

I tried not to pay too much attention to my body, which was starting to feel strange, and quickly fell asleep. Of course, I made sure to set the eggs in a good position to keep them warm while I slept.

…Yeah. Good night.

The next day, I was forced to eat the strange fruit again.

…It seems to be happening more frequently now. Last time, it felt like the bird was a bit more considerate. I wonder if it’s because it’s the second time, so the bird doesn’t care as much.

Then, in the morning, Laocles and Celia came to check on me. It was nice to see them since there’s been no change while I’m incubating the eggs in the bird’s nest.

"I checked the encyclopedia, but I couldn’t find any creature that lays eggs like these."

"Really?"

"I wonder what kind of eggs these are."

…And there were no clues about these eggs. Yeah, I kind of expected that.

"Then, are they just eggs with a different shell color?"

"Maybe. Hehe, it would be fun if a different colored chick hatched."

Celia poked the egg next to me and giggled.

"…This egg, it’s kind of soothing to touch."

Yeah. It is. For some reason, I feel calmer and the itchiness seems to lessen when I hold this egg. …If this is some kind of maternal instinct, I don’t know what to do. I really don’t want to develop a maternal instinct.

"By the way, Faye said she’s coming over this afternoon. What do you think? Is it okay to tell her about you?"

"Yeah, it’s fine. She’ll worry if I’m not around, and I don’t think I can hide it."

It seems Faye is coming to the forest today. …I’ve been getting a lot of help lately, so I hope she can relax a bit. Yeah, I hope she can have a good laugh at the news that I was kidnapped by a bird. If she laughs, it will have been worth being kidnapped.

"By the way, Togo, are you hungry?"

"Huh?"

"I brought some sandwiches. Do you want to eat?"

…Celia opened the basket and showed me the sandwiches inside.

Looking at them, I realized that I hadn’t eaten anything other than the fruit since I was kidnapped.

"Um, I’ll eat."

"Sure. …I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner."

"No, it’s okay. I’ve been getting food from the bird, so I’m fine."

The sandwiches had ham, cheese, and lettuce. Yeah, they’re delicious. But, after eating, I realized I wasn’t really hungry.

Thinking about it, I felt the same way last time. I didn’t eat anything other than the fruit, but I still felt fine. So… maybe the fruit the bird gives me is really high in nutrients?

The sandwiches Celia brought were cut into small pieces, but I could only eat about two. I felt full.

Celia didn’t expect me to eat all of them, so she started picking at the sandwiches. Eventually, Laocles joined in, and we had a meal together in the bird’s nest.

Yeah, eating in a place like this isn’t so bad.

After Laocles and Celia left, I was forced to eat the strange fruit again, and I started to feel itchy and feverish.

But, while this was happening, another egg hatched. It was a normal robin’s egg blue one.

I welcomed the chick with the bird, and then I was given a normal, delicious fruit. Yeah, it’s delicious.

The bird left the nest to find food for the chick. Being a parent is tough.

"…I wonder what will hatch from this egg."

Now, the only egg left is the mysterious pearl-colored one. What kind of egg is this?

I excitedly stroked the pearl-colored egg, wondering what would come out when it hatched.

…That’s when it happened.

"Togo! Don’t hatch it, don’t hatch it, don’t hatch it!"

I heard Faye’s voice, and then a red dragon appeared from above.

"Huh?"

I looked at Faye, wondering what she meant… and she said with a serious expression:

"That’s a spirit egg!"

…What?

For now, the so-called spirit egg was wrapped in a blanket and taken away from me. I thought the bird would be angry if it saw, but Faye’s urgency made me think it was best to stop incubating it for a moment.

"Um, Togo. The thing you’ve been incubating is probably a spirit egg."

Yeah, I heard that. But I don’t understand what a spirit egg is. Does this egg contain a spirit?

"A spirit egg, in simple terms, is an egg from which a new spirit is born."

"Okay. So, there’s a spirit… inside this?"

…Is it a spirit chick? Are spirits birds? No, that can’t be. But if there’s an egg, spirits must lay eggs…?

"…No, that’s not the worst part. It’s not good, but… listen, Togo. This egg is for a new spirit to be born. When it hatches, a spirit doesn’t necessarily come out."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Confused, I watched as Faye brought a book in front of me, looking tense.

The book had illustrations of pearl-colored eggs. They were shaped like bird eggs, plant seeds, or gems, among other things. Spirits seem to come in various forms.

…But that’s not the issue.

Under the illustration of the spirit egg, it said:

'Spirit eggs require a large amount of magic power other than a spirit to hatch, so they often take a long time to incubate. However, in environments rich in magic stones or magic grass, or where there are creatures with high magic power other than spirits, they can hatch in about a week.'

'If a spirit likes something nearby, it may increase its magic power and then hatch the egg.'

'When a spirit egg hatches, it becomes a new spirit. Sometimes, the one who hatched the egg is infused with the power of a spirit and becomes a spirit as well.'

…Wow.

"That’s scary…"

"Yeah, it is…"

It seems I might be turning into a spirit. That’s scary.

"By the way, what does it mean to become a spirit…?"

"I don’t know… I’ve never seen a spirit, so I have no idea what it means."

Yeah, that makes sense. Faye mentioned before that he had never seen a spirit. And there was no information about spirits in the encyclopedia. This is really rare information…

"Well, it’s not clear if you’re going to become a spirit, right? I mean, even if you don’t become a spirit, it would be fine if a spirit chick is inside the egg…"

"…But when the egg hatches, won’t it imprint on me as its parent?"

I don’t want to become a spirit, but I also don’t want to be a spirit’s parent.

"Yeah, that’s the problem… Hmm, but the bird chose you specifically to incubate the egg, right? So, it probably wanted something from you…"

"Well, it did try to make me incubate the egg."

"Yeah… But maybe it was reacting to the magic stones you have? Maybe it just brought something with a lot of magic power back to the nest to hatch the egg!"

That makes sense. Since it’s a bird, it might like shiny things. I have two crystal spikes in my bag. Maybe that’s it.

"Besides, there’s no guarantee that the bird is a spirit. Maybe a spirit laid the egg in the bird’s nest."

If that’s the case, I’m like a subcontractor of a subcontractor.

Thinking about it that way, I feel a bit better. Yeah, it’s better to think that a spirit laid the egg in the bird’s nest rather than the bird being a spirit.

"Did the bird do anything else strange?"

Asked by Faye, I answered with a slightly lighter heart.

"Yeah, I was made to incubate the egg and… I was given strange fruit to eat to help incubate it."

But… Faye made a strange face.

"…What? You were given strange things to eat?"

"Yeah. It was like a spicy persimmon… When I ate it, I felt hot and lazy, and this time, my magic power swirled inside me, making me itchy."

"Th-that’s…"

Faye looked completely troubled.

"…Do you think that’s the spirit’s favor?"

…Huh?

"Remember, the doctor said that one of the reasons for a sudden increase in magic power is receiving the spirit’s favor. …He betrayed us, but he was a good doctor, so I think his words are credible."

Ah, that doctor. Yeah, I remember him saying that. I dismissed it as a possibility, thinking it couldn’t be… but what if it is?

"The bird… is a spirit!?"

"No, that can’t be!"

"I know, I don’t want to believe it either, but… probably, that’s what it is. I mean, there aren’t usually birds that big."

Well, there are flying horses and unicorns, so a big bird isn’t impossible…

…No, yeah.

Thinking back, the bird brought a document to punish the poachers. Maybe it was to protect the forest.

That means… the bird might be the spirit of this forest?

…Yeah, the bird did seem to have a grand and dignified attitude.

"Well, if the bird made you eat the strange fruit, it probably increased your magic power. So, the bird is probably a spirit. No one else could do that."

"‘Spirit’s favor’? …Is it love?"

"Feeding is a way to show affection, right?"

Maybe he’s talking about courtship feeding? …If the bird is feeding me with that intention, it’s really troublesome.

"No, the fruit was terrible, even if it was meant to be affection…"

Was it like a love whip? If so… hmm, I’d rather not have it next time.

"No, I don’t think the taste is the scary part. First, it’s proof that you’ve been favored by a spirit."

Yeah, that’s why I’m really troubled.

"Also, from what you’ve described about the fruit, it seems to be increasing your magic power."

Probably. So, the bird wanted to increase my magic power? The reason for that is…

"Increasing magic power… Well, it makes you closer to a spirit…"

Aaaaaah! Scary! No! Stop! I don’t want to hear any more scary stories!

What should I do? It seems I might become a spirit or a spirit’s parent.

Either way, it’s not something I want.

…My teacher once said that in Japanese culture, ‘being favored by a god’ is actually quite scary because gods are not absolute or necessarily benevolent.

In foreign novels, phrases like ‘May the god’s favor be upon you’ or ‘May the goddess of victory smile upon you’ might sound nice, but for a Japanese person, it’s a bit scary to think about.

Yeah, the favor of a Japanese god might come with drawbacks like ‘losing your humanity’ or ‘being cursed if you offend the god.’ And someone ‘smiled upon by the goddess of victory’ might be taken away by the goddess. Yeah.

In other words, becoming a ‘spirit’ or a ‘spirit’s parent’ probably means leaving humanity behind. Not graduating, but dropping out. I don’t want to drop out of being human.

…To me, the ‘spirits’ in this world have that kind of image. And it seems Faye and the others feel the same way.

Thinking about it, I don’t know much about the religion in this world, or even if there is one… but whether it’s monotheistic or polytheistic, ‘spirits’ are definitely part of it. From what I’ve read in the encyclopedia, ‘spirits’ in this world seem to be similar to ‘Japanese gods.’

‘Spirits’ in this world come in various forms and can be self-centered. They can be loving or jealous, kind or mean, broad-minded or neurotic. They’re a bit like humans, probably.

"When I first saw you, I thought you were a spirit… I didn’t think you’d actually become one."

"I don’t want to. It’s scary."

I don’t even understand what a spirit is, so being turned into one without my consent is troubling. Being transformed into something I don’t understand is scary.

"Well, there’s nothing we can do for now, so let’s talk to the bird directly!"

"…The bird, though."

"That’s where your mysterious power comes in."

No, that’s not going to work. What’s this ‘mysterious power’?

…But I need to resolve this.

To avoid dropping out of being human. To avoid being transformed into something mysterious.

Yeah. The bird is back…