Chapter 15

Emiri spent the entire day in a state of unease.

The first place she thought of for Nina's whereabouts was the Adventurer's Guild, followed by the Alchemist's Guild—since they had talked about the herbs that didn't sell yesterday.

However, both were dead ends.

Rather,

—It seems we had a miscommunication yesterday. If you're willing to sell, I can buy them at a reasonable price.

Or,

—Why don't you register with the Alchemist's Guild instead of the Adventurer's Guild and sell directly to us? We'll offer you twice what the Adventurer's Guild proposed... twice, you hear? Isn't that a good deal?

These interactions only increased her frustration.

When she replied that she had no intention of making a deal, they would become agitated, saying things like, "Do you really think you can survive in this capital with that attitude?" or "I can also reach out to other guilds."

Their responses were so identical that it felt like they had rehearsed them.

After wandering the city aimlessly in search of Nina, she realized that Nina might have gone to look for a maid job and headed to the employment agency around noon, only to find that Nina had indeed been there.

However, when she was told that the details of the job could not be disclosed to outsiders, she understood.

—Why don't you come back here in a while? She'll be back soon.

The receptionist said this with a distant look, which was quite puzzling.

It seemed that Nina had already caused some trouble.

Emiri waited near the agency until evening, but Nina never returned.

Thinking that she might have gone back to the inn, Emiri returned and was offered dinner by the innkeeper, which she ate.

Back in her room, she muttered, "Where did Nina go..." while pacing around the room.

"I'm back~"

The door opened, and a small maid appeared.

"Hey, Nina! Where were you today—"

"I'm staying here."

Behind Nina, a tall woman—her height even more pronounced next to Nina—appeared. It was Astrid.

As Emiri blinked in surprise at the unfamiliar woman,

"Ms. Emiri, this is the inventor, Lady Astrid. Lady Astrid, this is my traveling companion, Emiri."

Nina said, "I'll go put away my things," and went into the next room.

"...Are you Emiri? I'm sorry to intrude so late, but I need to talk to you."

Astrid spoke in a hushed tone.

"Let me be blunt. Who is that girl? She says 'it's natural for a maid,' but she does things that are clearly not natural, and she even revealed some extremely confidential information to me, a complete stranger, today. I find it very concerning."

"..."

Emiri covered her eyes with her hand, looking up to the sky.

It seemed she had made a huge mistake.

△

"Preparatory Research on the Execution of Magic through the Conversion of Spirit Power and Its Practical Methods"

After submitting this to the patent office of the Freya Kingdom, Astrid hurried home with a bright expression.

—Lady Astrid, did you know that spirits dislike humans?

Nina's words, which she had started with "I have an idea," came back to her word for word.

It was a content she couldn't forget even if she tried.

—Spirits love nature as it is. They dislike humans who destroy nature. Especially, the Freya Kingdom, with its neatly organized towns and managed green spaces, is even more so.

This was the first she had heard of it.

However, it did make sense.

Among the humans who claimed to see spirits, many had lived in nature or survived harsh conditions after being stranded.

Conversely, the other half might have been lying, deceiving people and taking their money.

—But this house is different. The property is separate from other buildings, and the garden, which Lady Astrid hasn't touched, shows signs of natural recovery.

Nina called it a "blessing in disguise."

—However, the 'artificial objects that could be discarded' inside the house were not good. This is why the spirits didn't come near the house.

It was odd to call them "artificial objects that could be discarded" instead of just "trash."

—But I removed them. The building and the workbenches are made of wood. Lady Astrid has used them with great care, and the fact that they haven't been tampered with is a good condition, I think.

Emiri was about to say that she just didn't have the means to replace them.

No, she loved the workbenches and magical tools that had been passed down from her grandparents.

—Try performing a magic spell using the power of the spirits now. Open the windows and let in the outside air... If it doesn't work, why don't you try it outside the capital, in the forest?

This was new knowledge.

The idea that changing the environment could determine the success or failure of a spell was something she had never seen or heard before.

If it were the usual calm Astrid, she wouldn't have accepted Nina's suggestion.

As an inventor, she wouldn't listen to the opinion of a layperson.

Her pride wouldn't allow it.

But perhaps because she was drunk, or because she felt a push from behind, she took out the magical formula and began the experiment—

"I'll never forget the scene from that moment."

When the wind blew in through the open window, Astrid felt something was different.

A warm, almost human-like sensation.

Then, the magical formula, which had never responded before, suddenly glowed with a rainbow light, and the room was filled with a bright, warm light.

—What is this? It's strange!

She heard a whisper—afterward, she tried the formula a few more times, but the whisper never came again, so it might have been an auditory hallucination.

But Astrid believed it was the voice of the spirits.

—Congratulations! Lady Astrid, this... is it a success?

Nina, who didn't understand the significance of her suggestion, asked with a puzzled look.

Astrid, who was so overwhelmed that she had collapsed on the floor, said before she could celebrate,

—Where did you hear about the spirits?

Nina, looking confused,

—Well, there was a guest who occasionally visited the house where I used to work, and it was that person.

When Astrid heard a detailed description of the person, a name came to mind.

"...Probably, or rather, almost certainly, it was that person..."

The person was an elf.

But what made this person special was that, despite being from the secretive elf forest, they were open-minded and called a "bridge between elves and humans."

"Twylleth Fal Wilhelmus..."

One of the "Five Sages," the pinnacle of mages.

A person of higher status globally than the king of the Freya Kingdom.

When this realization hit her, Astrid realized that "Nina was in trouble."

The way she tilted her head in confusion was a sign of trouble.

Hearing that Nina had a traveling companion, Astrid thought the person might be using Nina and decided to meet them immediately.

She didn't want to miss them if they left.

But on the way to the inn, when she heard about the companion "Emiri," she understood.

And when she saw Emiri's face, she knew her understanding was correct.

She, too, was the same.

Like herself, she had been saved by Nina.

"I've packed my things... Okay, I'm ready."

Astrid, upon returning home, picked up the travel bag she had packed the previous day.

She used the remaining money to ask the employment agency to maintain her house for two years.

What would she do during those two years—

"Hey, Nina, Emiri."

Astrid headed to the inn where Emiri and Nina were staying.

She had heard they were leaving the capital today, so she hurried to file the patent and prepare for the journey.

"...Are you serious? You're coming with us?"

"Well, um, is that okay? Lady Astrid... You have a home here."

They reacted the same way when she said she would join their journey.

"Yes, my home is still here, and I can do my research anywhere. I want to go with you."

Astrid had decided to follow Nina.

If she tried to repay Nina for helping with her research by giving her money, Nina would likely refuse.

So she thought it would be better to join their journey and repay her along the way.

She couldn't leave this small maid behind.

Besides, she had no friends among the inventors in the capital, and she had a feeling that traveling with Nina would lead to new inventions.

(Though "feeling" is a non-scientific term, she thought with a wry smile.)

Nina tilted her head in confusion at Astrid's wry smile.

"...If Nina says it's okay, I'm okay too. She doesn't seem like a bad person."

"Thank you. And nice to meet you, Emiri."

"Okay."

Emiri shook Astrid's outstretched hand.

Their eyes met.

—If Nina causes trouble, stop her.

—I understand. That's part of the reason I'm joining.

They communicated their intentions in that instant.

"? Ms. Emiri and Lady Astrid seem to have become good friends. When did this happen...!"

"Ah, right, Nina. Since I'm joining your journey, can you stop calling me 'Lady'? You can call me Astrid, like Emiri, or just by my name."

"A, ah, yes... Astrid..."

"Sure. Nice to meet you."

"Yes!"

Astrid then shook hands with Nina.

She thought about the small hand.

This small hand had performed a miracle—cleaning the entire house and the garden in half a day was nothing short of a miracle to Astrid.

"Come on, let's go. The carriage will be here soon. —Nina, you said you had something to do, but is it okay now?"

"Ah, I'm done, so it's fine!"

"Okay."

Following Emiri's suggestion, Astrid and Nina started walking.

The capital of the Freya Kingdom was vast and grand.

But for Astrid, who had lived there for a long time, it felt suffocating.

"It's a journey."

As she murmured these words, Astrid felt her heart lift.