Chapter 68

Sufan was a clean and vibrant town.

There were no defensive walls, and it was surrounded by vast orchards and farmlands. Although there were guard posts scattered around, they also guided lost tourists, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere.

On both sides of the white-tiled road stood sturdy wooden buildings. Under the brightly colored awnings that extended over the road, souvenir shops were calling out to customers.

In the square, which was said to have been designed by a famous architect, there was a fountain. The tiles on the ground were arranged in various colors in a regular pattern, and from the terraces of the shops and restaurants surrounding the square, one could see that they depicted the shape of Sufan.

At the entrance to such a square, Rio and Shiraha parted ways with Jaggi and the others who had accompanied them as guards.

"Thanks for coming this far. See you again."

"Yeah. 'When the heat dies down'—that might be a bit misleading."

Jaggi chuckled, unable to find the right words, and extended his hand, thinking it was more understandable than words.

Rio shook Jaggi's hand.

"I'll drop by when I visit Rihelan."

"Then let's have a practice match. We never got to spar directly, after all."

"That would be great."

They watched as Jaggi and the others disappeared into the crowd, and then Rio looked at Shiraha.

"They were good guys, huh?"

"Really?"

"You... You should read the atmosphere in situations like this."

While it was nothing new for him to show no interest in people, Rio was still worried.

"Try to greet people properly and talk to them."

"Why?"

"Well, you might make unexpected discoveries, and they might become friends who can help you when you're in trouble."

"Like Yudo?"

At the mention of the name of the village's notorious troublemaker, Rio groaned.

"Well, yeah, there are bullies like him, but you managed to become friends with Remini, right?"

"It's hard to judge."

"You have to interact to judge."

"For the sake of investigation?"

"Let's stop the lecture before the conversation collapses, okay?"

Seeing the unfavorable situation, Rio looked at the signboard in the square.

The roof colors in this square changed according to the cardinal directions, making it easy to orient oneself. With the signboard, he could immediately figure out which way to go.

To avoid being swept away by the flow of tourists, he took Shiraha's hand and started walking.

"The spirit Sufan seems to be this way."

The purpose of coming to this town was to shake off any pursuers, but if possible, he wanted to pay respects to the spirit.

Shiraha didn't seem very interested, but she followed along as Rio pulled her.

As they approached, the number of tourists increased.

Peeking over the heads of the people, they saw a giant fruit tree.

The trunk was so thick that it would take five or six adults holding hands to encircle it. The branches, left to grow freely, spread out gracefully. This tree, which bore the town's specialty, the Filz fruit, was relatively short for its thick trunk, about the height of a two-story house.

An iron fence surrounded the Filz tree to keep tourists from getting too close. The tourists were divided into groups by guides and led to the fence, where they would take turns staying for a set amount of time.

As they lined up with the other tourists, Rio gazed intently at the Filz tree.

It was a magnificent tree, but the spirit Sufan was said to be a bird that made its territory in this tree.

It seemed to be hiding deep within the dense foliage, and the tourists were leaving with disappointed looks.

Feeling somewhat discouraged, Rio and Shiraha approached the iron fence.

Suddenly, Shiraha, who had seemed uninterested, focused on a particular spot on the Filz tree.

"Something is coming..."

"Something...?"

Before he could finish, a nearby tourist let out a cheer that sounded almost like a scream.

Thinking it couldn't be, Rio followed Shiraha's gaze.

A large white bird appeared, walking skillfully along a thick branch of the Filz tree.

"That's Sufan..."

It was definitely a bird in shape. However, it had three legs, and its somewhat long neck was covered in white scales. Its wings were covered in feathers that gradually changed from white to blue from the base to the tips.

The long tail feathers, which were about the same length as its body, were interspersed with white scales that made a cool sound as they rubbed against each other when Sufan walked.

"It's surprisingly within the realm of living creatures."

He had imagined something completely different, something unimaginable, but the familiar shape was reassuring.

The tentacle creature, Brakul, which had attacked Rihelan, was far more bizarre.

However, as a spirit, it had an otherworldly aura. Not only the sound of the scales, but the cool atmosphere it exuded seemed to purify the surroundings.

Sufan walked along the branch, staring intently at them.

When it reached the end of the branch, it spread its wings.

Just as the tourists' attention was drawn to the fact that it was about to fly, Sufan took off and headed straight for Shiraha.

Its size, which had been indistinguishable from a distance, became apparent as it approached. It was one or two sizes larger than a pheasant.

With its long tail feathers and scales trailing behind, Sufan landed on the iron fence in front of Shiraha and peered into her face.

The tourists around Rio and Shiraha hurriedly backed away.

The guide, who had been watching with a stunned expression, muttered.

"Sufan left its territory..."

The shock was so great that the guide and the town's residents were more flustered than the tourists.

Shiraha met Sufan's gaze and tilted her head. Sufan, as if mimicking her, also tilted its head.

From the excitement of the surrounding tourists, Rio understood that this was an unusual situation, but Sufan didn't seem to have any hostility.

Sufan pecked at Shiraha's clothes and tried to pull her into its territory.

Shiraha took a step back, looking annoyed, but Sufan didn't give up and continued to try to pull her in.

The tourists watching the exchange between Shiraha and Sufan cheered.

"That kid has been recognized by Sufan!"

"Is this the first time such a thing has happened!?"

Applause began to ring out as if in celebration.

Rio, however, was now worried.

They had come to this town to shake off any pursuers. If they drew too much attention, it would be counterproductive.

"Shiraha, let's go. We're drawing too much attention—"

Just as he was about to pull Shiraha away from Sufan, a massive force, as if struck by a giant hand, hit Rio, lifting him off the ground.

"Rio!?"

Shiraha, with a surprised look, was moving away. No, Rio himself had been blown away.

Without any warning, he was blown away, but he managed to take a defensive stance and reached for the hilt of his sword, thinking it was an attack from the pursuers.

However, there was no follow-up attack.

The cheers from a moment ago were replaced by an eerie silence.

He met Sufan's gaze for a moment.

But just as his view was blocked by Shiraha, who had rushed over, Sufan took off again and returned to the large Filz tree.

"Was that Sufan's unique magic?"

A unique magic that repelled anyone who came too close. Indeed, if one was blown away by an invisible, instantaneous strike, it would be impossible to get close.

The iron fence surrounding Sufan's territory was not to protect Sufan but to prevent tourists from being blown away accidentally.

He stood up, brushing off the dust from his clothes.

It was rather unreasonable for a spirit to come out of its territory and then blow someone away.

The tourists, who had been stunned by Rio being suddenly blown away, began to whisper.

"Sufan is jealous..."

It seemed that attention was also being drawn to him, not just Shiraha.

Rio sighed, thinking, "Give me a break."