Chapter 62

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The spring water that gushes forth deep in the forest. The drinking water of the spirits.

A legendary "all-purpose recovery item" said to cure any illness.

Lukas walked towards the spring water with a slightly unsteady gait. Then, he cupped it in his palm and drank it without hesitation.

"Hey, wait, you shouldn't drink it right away...!"

"The pain is subsiding..."

Murmuring these words, Lukas pressed his hand against his rib area. He must have hit it hard when he fell from the cliff. The injuries that couldn't be fully healed by the recovery potions he had on hand seemed to be subsiding just from drinking the spring water, if his words were to be believed.

--- There's still no evidence. But perhaps, the drinking water of the spirits might even cure the self-destructive disease, making it a universal recovery potion.

A glimmer of hope suddenly shone through. I had to take this spring water back, so I rummaged through my bag.

(To carry it back, I need a container... but the one I have is broken... Ah, the water bottle!)

Based on Oliver's advice to always carry a water bottle to stay hydrated during exploration, I always brought one with me.

When I searched my bag again, the water bottle was slightly dented from the impact but showed no signs of leaking. I quickly emptied the water inside and filled it with the spring water.

As I did so, the back of my hand, which had a cut, touched the surface. For a moment, the wound felt hot, and then it healed quickly. It was the same sensation I felt when taking a recovery potion. My heart raced as I experienced this.

Still, I looked at the contents of the water bottle in my hand. I had managed to obtain the spirit spring water, but...

"The amount is far too little... What should I do? I might not be able to find this place again..."

This amount alone would not be enough to prescribe to Elvira or use in concoctions. If I could somehow reunite with Charles, he might be able to set a marker for me—

But as I pondered, Lukas announced in a bright voice.

"No, I think it's fine."

"Lukas?"

Turning to the voice of my childhood friend—tiny particles of light were playing around Lukas's hand. At first, I thought it was an optical illusion, but I could see many of these particles of light around. They had appeared out of nowhere and were now floating around my hand as well.

Not knowing what these particles of light were, I cautiously reached out to touch them. They seemed to have a will of their own, wrapping around my fingertips and then letting go. They then approached the surface of the spring water, flickering like breathing.

--- Could these particles of light be...

"...Spirits?"

Lukas nodded. I couldn't help but dig into my past memories and tilt my head.

In "Last Brave," there were entities known as spirits. They resided in the depths of forests, the farthest reaches of caves, or shrines built by the people of the towns. They had no uniform appearance; some were human-like, while others resembled cute mascots that didn't look like any known animal.

However, the floating particles of light I saw now were not referred to as spirits in "Last Brave." This was just my speculation, but perhaps there were different ranks or classes of spirits, with the ones in the game being higher-level spirits and these particles being lower-level spirits.

Incidentally, spirits were generally considered guardian deities of their respective areas, granting a portion of their power to heroes.

"It seems so. They're saying we can come back anytime. They'll even guide us if we call them."

I tilted my head in the opposite direction from before.

The spirits in "Last Brave" were skilled in language. Therefore, it wouldn't be surprising if the particles of light in front of me could speak. However...

"I can't hear anything..."

"Really? I can hear the spirits talking... They say Laura is cute."

"Thank you..."

It seemed that Lukas could hear the spirits' words. As he approached the spring water, the emblem on his left eye began to glow, which might be related to his ability to hear the spirits. Perhaps the emblem reacted to the spirits, not the spring water itself.

"Is this eye bothering you?"

The spirits seemed to be enjoying their conversation with Lukas.

In any case, the spirits seemed to have taken a liking to my childhood friend. They promised to guide us back if we called them, so we might be able to return to this place even after leaving.

Lukas, who had been playing with the particles of light and smiling, suddenly became serious.

"Laura, Oliver and the others are looking for us over there. Let's go."

At Lukas's words, I quickly stood up.

We must have caused Oliver and the others a great deal of worry. We needed to reunite with them and let them know we were safe.

Led by the countless particles of light that were guiding Lukas, we started walking back through the narrow path in the forest. As soon as we returned to the open area, we heard voices calling for us. Oliver, Chelsea, Lina, and Charles... They were probably taking turns calling our names. It was surprising that we hadn't noticed them before, given that we were only a few steps away. Perhaps the area near the spring water was shielded by some kind of barrier.

Putting aside the possibility that came to mind, Laura and Lukas ran in the direction of the voices. We met up with them immediately.

Oliver and the others, who had been searching for us, were momentarily taken aback when they saw us suddenly appear from behind the trees.

"Laura, Lukas! It's really you...!"

"Laura!"

They all rushed over, their faces relaxed with relief—Chelsea and Lina even had tears in their eyes. Their cheeks were covered in mud and sweat, and it was clear they had been searching for us desperately.

After holding Chelsea, who had hugged me with considerable force, I spoke.

"I'm really sorry for causing you so much worry. Well, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining..."

I turned and continued.

"A little ways down this path, I found what seems to be a spring."

At my words, Oliver and the others exchanged glances, looking confused.

Lina was the first to run over. Chelsea and Charles followed, heading in the direction I indicated. We returned to the spring water location.

"Wow...!"

Chelsea exclaimed in amazement. Lina immediately squatted down and cupped the spring water in her hands, drinking it. Behind her, Charles tentatively touched the surface of the water.

Oliver joined me, standing a little away from the others. When I looked at him, he chuckled.

"It shouldn't have been found. This place is usually hidden by the spirits' power. A strong barrier is in place. It seems the spirits opened the door for a lost and injured person on a whim. You wouldn't have found it just by walking around. It really is a silver lining."

I nodded in agreement with Oliver's words.

While I had no talent for magic and was weak against barriers, if Oliver said so, it must be true. I didn't know the criteria for inviting people into the barrier, but Tobias must have been invited by the spirits. The glowing thread he mentioned, which led him from the spring water to the exit, might have been a line of these particles of light.

Seeing Lukas playing with multiple particles of light, Oliver narrowed his eyes slightly. I tilted my head, not understanding his expression.

"It seems the spirits have taken a liking to Lukas. Perhaps it's because of the emblem on his left eye."

"You know about that emblem?"

"I've seen a similar emblem in old documents. It was the emblem of a clan that served the gods. The information was uncertain, and I'm not sure if they actually existed."

--- A clan that served the gods.

The moment I heard those words, the image of a silver-haired girl came to mind. The heroine of "Last Brave" was from such a clan.

Oliver looked at me, his red eyes scrutinizing me as if reading my thoughts.

"Laura, do you know about that emblem?"

"I don't know anything. But Lukas... has the power to protect people. The emblem appeared when he gained that power."

Oliver's knowledge was probably correct. The emblem of the hero in the game was barely mentioned, and it was more of a symbol to identify the chosen hero. Without further research, I couldn't be sure, but the emblem seemed to connect Lukas and the heroine.

However, from his expression, it seemed Oliver didn't have positive feelings about Lukas's emblem. It wasn't a negative feeling, but rather a sense of unease or a question.

I understood why Oliver, in his position, would be wary of something unusual. But I wanted to convey that this caution was unnecessary, in a natural way. After a moment of hesitation, I couldn't think of a good way to express it, but as Lukas's childhood friend, I spoke up.

"But, no matter what that emblem is, Lukas is still Lukas, and he's my dear childhood friend. Nothing has changed."

This was the truth. Even if my memories hadn't returned and I had similar doubts, Laura Ampeur would have answered this way.

To Laura Ampeur, Lukas Camille was a dear childhood friend. A relationship that could be shaken by an unknown emblem didn't exist.

Oliver's eyes widened for a moment.

"Yes... You're right. It's probably the manifestation of Lukas's kindness."

He smiled.

The manifestation of Lukas's kindness. The expression was gentle and made me happy. I nodded vigorously.

"Laura! Come here!"

Suddenly, Lina called me over with a serious expression. She had one hand in the spring water.

It was probably, or rather, 100% about the spirit's drinking water. I had many things I wanted to confirm and test.

As I started walking towards Lina, two faces came to mind. One was Elvira, who had the self-destructive disease. The other was her brother, Arnold.

--- I might be able to bring good news back.

I whispered this softly to them in my heart.