Chapter 92

The next day after the waterway was opened, I managed to make contracts with Dine, Nomos, and Dolly. I need to go to the Labyrinth City soon and receive the reward.

The Adventurers' Guild probably has already figured out who I am, so they must be regretting it by now. Hehe, I'm really looking forward to seeing how they'll greet me.

"Yuta, you have a bad look on your face. What's wrong?"

"Was I making such a bad face? Well, I was just thinking about how to get back at those who called me a fraud when I go to the Labyrinth City."

Sylph let out a long sigh.

"I can understand how you feel, but try not to show a face that might negatively influence Sara, Bell, and the others. Try to keep it inside as much as possible."

Seriously? Did I have a face that could negatively influence the kids? I touched my face, but I couldn't really tell.

"Got it. I'll try not to show it on my face."

If my behavior causes Sara, Bell, and the others to become bad... Yeah, that would be bad.

"That's the right attitude. If Bell and the others start showing twisted smiles, you know what will happen, right?"

Sylph looked at me with a smile that made me feel like I was freezing. I didn't fully understand, but I knew it was dangerous. From now on, when there's a conflict, I'll have Bell and the others go play somewhere. I shouldn't show them anything ugly.

"I'll keep that in mind. After checking the pond, I'll ask Kika which elemental spirit she wants to contract with, wind or earth. Can you bring her?"

"Sure. Hehe, I wonder which one she'll choose."

It's not like I'll be angry if Kika doesn't choose the wind spirit, right? ...It's fine. She said she didn't really think about elemental spirits until she started taking care of Sara and the others, so she probably doesn't have a strong preference. But I'll mention it just in case.

"Maybe. Her brother Marco chose the earth spirit, so she might choose the same one."

"That's right. If she wants to be like her brother, maybe she'll be happy with a spirit similar to Uri?"

"I don't know, but if Uri and a Uri-like spirit are together, it seems like it would be a warm scene. Sara and the others can't see it, though."

Pgya pgya, the two Uri cubs playing together. It's a heartwarming scene for sure.

"Hehe, that's true."

While discussing which spirit would suit Kika, we arrived at the spring.

"Ah, Dine. How's the pond? Is there anything wrong?"

"Yuta-chan, it's fine. It's very nice."

Nice? I just dug a hole... Well, if she likes it, that's good. When I checked the pond, it was filled with clear water and had excellent transparency. The water was murky when it first filled yesterday, but it must have settled or Dine cleaned it.

Just as I was about to check, "Kya-ha-ha-ha. Rain more!" Bell and Rain splashed into the spring.

"Ah, Yuta!""Kyu!"

Bell and Rain, who noticed me, floated over and landed in my chest.

"You two were playing in the waterway. Was it fun?"

"It was super fun. It's bigger, so we can play a lot!""Kyu-kyu!"

Bell and Rain, who were playing in the waterway, explained how much fun it was with lots of enthusiasm. I couldn't understand the content, but from their excitement, I could tell it was very fun.

"That's great. By the way, where are Tulu and Tamamo?"

They usually play together, but it's rare to see them apart.

"Um, they're helping in the forest!""Kyu-kyu-kyu!"

Bell and Rain spread their hands and flippers wide to show the size. They must be helping with forest management. I'll check on them later.

"That's good. I understand. Thank you, Bell and Rain. I have some things to do, so you can keep playing."

"Okay, we'll go play!""Kyu!"

Saying that, Bell rode on Rain and sped off down the waterway. The waterway is quite long, so it must be fun to speed through it.

I felt like I had finished checking the pond, so I said goodbye to Dine and went to the forest. After playing with Tulu and Tamamo, who were working hard in the forest, I headed to where Sara and the others were training.

Now, Uri is making several earth targets, and Fuk is destroying them according to Sara's instructions. They've become better at fighting zombies, and once Kika makes a contract, they'll go to the nest, right?

But I also want to go to the Labyrinth City soon. I'll train Kika today and tomorrow, and then go to the Labyrinth City the day after tomorrow. I want to raise my adventurer rank and take on some quests.

"Ah, Master!""Master!""Master!"

Thanks to daily level-ups, Kika now calls me 'Master.' The first time she called me that, I was so excited.

"Good job. Is the training going well?"

"Yes. Fuk is friendly, so I can do more things."

"Master! That's right. We can do simultaneous attacks now. We tried different things and became friends with Uri."

"Wow, that's great. When you become friends with a spirit and understand each other, you can do more things, so keep it up."

"Okay!"

They're full of energy. Even though I can only give vague advice, they think about what they can do and train diligently, which is impressive.

It's been less than twenty days since we met, but they seem much brighter. Sara smiles more often, and I think Marco and Kika have lost much of their wariness.

Just being able to eat a full meal and sleep well makes a big difference. But sometimes they cry at night. When I asked if it was because of the battles or the life here, they said it was because they missed their parents.

When Sara smiled and said it was good that she didn't have time to think about her parents when she was in the slums, I didn't know what to say. I feel inadequate because of my lack of life experience.

"Master, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I just think you're doing a great job."

I absentmindedly patted Sara's head. I took them as disciples to improve the reputation of spirit mages and to overcome the negative image, but I can't be half-hearted. I need to take good care of them until they can stand on their own.

But they're all so capable that they might be able to stand on their own soon. They already have the skills to make a living as adventurers. I need to improve myself as a master.

"By the way, today I want to make a contract with a spirit for Kika. Kika, have you decided whether you want to contract with a wind spirit or an earth spirit?"

"Master, Kika wants to contract with a wind spirit."

Oh, that's a bit unexpected.

"Really? Can I ask why you chose the wind spirit?"

"Because my brother will protect me, and Kika wants to become stronger with the wind."

I see...? So, you're leaving the defense to Marco and working with Sara to increase the power of the wind?

"Hey, Sylph. If there are two wind spirits and they combine their magic, does the power increase?"

"Yes, depending on the type of magic, the power will definitely increase."

So, it's a combined magic... Even though I haven't seen any comics or anime, that's a pretty impressive idea. The idea of combined magic is quite appealing.

"That's a good idea. Sylph said the power will increase, so if you work hard, you'll become stronger."

"Kika thought about it a lot with Sara and Marco."

Kika puffed out her chest proudly. They must have thought about it a lot together. I feel a bit left out that I wasn't consulted, but they definitely worked hard, so I need to praise them. They're all hard workers, so I'll use positive reinforcement.

"Since that's the case, Sylph, can you bring a wind spirit?"

"Sure, I'll go find one."

"Thanks."

I watched Sylph fly away. I wonder what kind of spirit she'll bring. I'm looking forward to it. Kika seems restless too, probably because she's curious about the spirit she'll contract with.

* * *

"I'm back."

Sylph returned while we were having lunch. A bean owl was perched on her shoulder. It's not Fuk, right?

"Sylph, welcome back. Is this the floating wind spirit? It's not Fuk, right?"

"Yes, since you said you wanted to combine magic, I thought a similar spirit would be good. If it was an earth spirit, I would have found a spirit similar to Uri, but since it's a wind spirit, I brought one similar to Fuk."

Two bean owls combining magic... It's kind of cute. Fuk seems interested in the bean owl that looks like him and has moved closer to talk to it. Ah, and Bell and the others have joined in too. They seem to be having fun, so there shouldn't be any problems.

"Kika, Sylph brought a bean owl that looks like Fuk. Think of a name. After lunch, we'll make the contract when the name is decided."

Kika nodded and then ate her meal absentmindedly. She usually focuses on her meal, but she seems to be thinking about the name.

* * *

"Kika, have you decided on a name?"

"Bean or Owl."

...Since it's a bean owl and Sara is Fuk, it's either Bean or Owl... Uri is named after Uri cubs, so everyone seems to come up with simple names.

"Hmm, let's go with Bean."

Bean. It kind of sounds like a dog's name, but since it's a different world, it should be fine.

"Sylph, can you bring the spirit to Kika?"

Sylph brought the bean owl to Kika.

"Kika, give it a name."

"Okay. Bean, is Bean a good name?"

Bean nodded, flapping its wings. The contract is made.

"Kika, the contract is made. I think you understand from watching Sara and Marco, but talk a lot and become good friends."

"Kika will talk a lot with Bean and become good friends."

Kika responded seriously, and Bean nodded in agreement. It seems to be fine. Now, Sara, Marco, and Kika can work together to level up. I'm looking forward to the future.

Thank you for reading.