Chapter 83

Finally, the fountain was completed. When I tried to store it in the magic bag and return to the house of the spring, a wonderfully clear sea caught my eye.

Maybe I should bring Sara and the others here for a swim. Oh, I need to buy swimsuits. But do we even have swimsuits? I should ask Marie when I go to the Labyrinth City. If I can make a contract with Dine, it should be safe to play in the sea.

She said she could launch a sea dragon to the sky, so she should be able to handle most monsters.

"Yuta, what's wrong?"

"Hmm? Ah, I thought that if I make a contract with Dine, I could bring Sara and the others here for a swim. Apparently, there are strong monsters in the sea, but with Dine, we should be able to play safely."

"Well, it should be safe with Dine, but are you going to use the power of a Great Spirit for play?"

"Eh? Is that not allowed?"

No, thinking about it, it probably isn't. Spirits don't care about status, but they are still just below the king. In the noble hierarchy, they would be dukes, right? Asking such a spirit to protect us while we play in the sea feels like I might get scolded. I should correct myself.

"It's not that it's not allowed. I was just surprised because it was unexpected. Dine will enjoy it too, so it should be fine."

I got permission before I could correct myself. If it's fine, that's good. Maybe she could even take us for a walk underwater. The possibilities are endless.

"Great. If there's a place to play in the Land of Death, it will be a good motivation for the kids to train. I should show the fountain to Dine and ask her to come. Sylph, please help me."

Sylph wrapped me in a cocoon of wind and flew to the house of the spring. The speed difference from walking was so great that it made me feel sad for the effort I had put in.

We arrived quickly and landed in front of the spring. Bell and the others immediately noticed and flew over. Sara and the others were also running over. They must have woken up too. If they had a good nap, they should be fine at night... right?

"Yuta, welcome back!" "Kyu" "Welcome back" "Kuuu"

Bell and the others attacked me with words and hugs. Even though we hadn't been apart for long, it felt great to be welcomed like this. As I was petting them, I heard Dine's voice from behind.

"Yuta-kun, did you make the fountain?"

I turned around to see Dine smiling with curiosity. I wanted to say, "When did you get here?" but she must have dissolved into the spring.

"Yeah, I'm not sure if Dine will like it, but I did my best."

"Hehe, Yuta-kun, you worked hard for big sister. You're such a good boy."

Huh? I feel a bit irritated. ...But it's fine. I need to calm down. Sara and the others are here, so I shouldn't raise my voice and scare them. And Dine, please don't wiggle like that.

"Master, welcome back." "Welcome back, Master." "......Welcome back."

Oh, Kikka took some time, but she said "welcome back" in a normal voice. She's making progress even though we've only been in the Land of Death for one day.

"Welcome back. Did everyone sleep well? We'll start training a bit at night from today, but do you think you can handle it?"

"Yes, I'll do my best." "I'll do my best too. Ury showed us a lot of magic."

Sara seems motivated, and Marco is also determined. Maybe the magic Ury used improved their impression of spirit mages.

...Dine, please don't pull on my sleeve while I'm talking to the kids. Are you that excited? It's a bit troublesome if you're that enthusiastic. I told the kids to stay back and turned to Dine.

"Dine, I'm going to install the fountain, so please do something about the spring water."

"Okay, just wait a moment."

She smiled and waved her hand, and the spring water split and moved to the well. It reminded me of a great prophet parting the sea. Well, a spring and the sea are quite different, but could Dine part the sea?

"Yuta-kun, I'll hold it back, so you can go in now."

"Okay."

I was a bit nervous, but the fantastic scene made me a bit excited. The water on both sides was fixed in place, sparkling in the sunlight. It looked like an aquarium. I wonder if a fountain is really necessary if she can do this. ...I don't understand Dine's thinking. My head hurts, so I'll stop thinking about it.

I touched the wall of water out of curiosity, and my hand slipped in smoothly. Ah, the water isn't solidified. It's still water. I can't explain the logic with magic, or my head will explode. I'll just enjoy this fantastical moment.

I hopped down to the well, which was a meter below. Looking up, the well was a cylindrical space where the water had been pushed aside, and the light was refracting and dazzling. I wonder if it's okay to use so much power before the contract. Maybe it's fine because it's like responding to Dine's request, like with Nomos.

While I was staring up, Fukuchan and Ury joined Bell and the others, swimming in the spring. They seemed to enjoy moving through the part where the water was pushed aside, going back and forth and having a great time. I felt a bit envious.

No, no, I need to install the fountain quickly. I had Sylph lift me up while I installed the stone pipes. I connected the pipes to the water surface and carefully placed the fountain. I could hear Dine's voice from a distance, but I ignored it because it was an important part.

"It's complete... I think."

"You don't sound very confident."

"I've never built anything before, and this is my first time making a fountain. It would be strange to be confident."

Sylph nodded in agreement. Yeah, I'm being asked to do something pretty unreasonable. I flew over to Dine's side.

"Dine, please slowly return the water to its original state."

"Hehe, okay."

Dine waved her hand, and the water slowly returned to its original state. When it was completely back, she flew off, saying, "I'll take a good look."

I was curious about her evaluation.

"Master, what's happening?"

Sara asked with a question mark over her head. It would be natural to be curious if the spring suddenly split and a fountain was installed. If they didn't recognize it as a fountain, they would be even more curious.

"Hmm? Ah, well, the condition for making a contract with Dine... the Great Spirit of Water, Dine, was to build a fountain. So, I built and installed it."

"Is that so? You need to meet conditions to make a contract with a spirit?"

"No, usually there are no conditions, so you don't need to worry. In my case, since we can communicate, it felt like conditions were added. I don't think you'll be given any conditions even if a spirit tried to give you one, because you can't communicate with them."

There's a possibility I might be used as an interpreter, but we'll deal with that when it happens. Oh, Dine is back.

"Thank you, Yuta-kun. I really like it. It's simple, but I can feel your effort and love. It's wonderful."

Dine spread her arms and spun around. I wanted to point out that she looks like a heroine. However... my feelings? It's troublesome. I was full of dissatisfaction, but... did I put some love into it somewhere? Hmm, Dine has helped me a lot, so I must have some gratitude... Well, if she's happy, that's good.

"I'm glad you like it. Is this enough to pass?"

"Hmm, the central hole is fine, but I want the other holes to be about twice as wide. Then it will pass."

That shouldn't be too difficult. I had Sylph take me back to the fountain and widened the holes with a Hand Oger while listening to Dine's suggestions. It took less than ten minutes to finish.

"Okay, this is enough. Come on, Yuta-kun, let's make the contract."

That's sudden. I wish she would consider the atmosphere a bit more. But saying it would probably be useless.

"Okay, I'll do it."

"Hehe, leave it to me. Sylph, please lower Yuta-kun to the surface of the water in front of the fountain."

Eh? Lower me to the surface of the water? Ah, Sylph, don't lower the height.

"Wait a moment. If I'm going to get wet, I want to take off my clothes."

"It's fine."

What's fine? I arrived at the surface of the water before I could understand. ...Ah? Oh, it feels a bit squishy, but the surface of the water is holding my feet and not letting me sink. Haha, I'm standing on the water. It's a different kind of excitement from flying. I feel like a ninja.

I wonder if Rain could do it if I asked. There seem to be many things I can do that I haven't realized yet. I should think about and ask about them.

"Okay, Yuta-kun, let's start. It won't be much different from when Sylph made the contract, so stay calm."

"Got it. Start."

Dine smiled at my words and extended her hands. At the same time, water spouted from the fountain, and the spring water danced like waves. The water from the fountain and the spring glowed with magic and flew around me like a dragon with a will of its own.

The water from the fountain didn't fall but formed a large sphere in the air, which compressed and shrank, becoming more luminous before descending into Dine's hands.

"I am the Great Spirit of Water, Dine. If you wish to make a contract, take this water sphere and place it on your heart."

Dine spoke with a serious expression. She looks stunning. It feels like a waste.

I couldn't tell with Sylph because it was wind, but seeing the water condensed like this is impressive. Can water be made that small? It's an impossible phenomenon scientifically... but this is a fantasy world. It's magic.

I took the water sphere from Dine's hands and pressed it against my heart. Like the wind sphere, the water sphere dissolved and was absorbed into my body.

"The contract is made."

With Dine's solemn declaration, the water that had been flying around burst and rained down like rain.

"Hehe, the contract is complete. Now, Yuta-kun and I are partners. Take good care of me."

Dine said with a gentle smile. ...Do I feel like something is off? Thank you for reading.