Chapter 2

Today is the release date for the book version.

Thank you very much for your support!

"Fey, right...? What happened that was so urgent?"

At this moment, I put aside the issue of illegal entry into the spirit realm. I gently slipped out of Rais's arms and squatted in front of Fey.

Perhaps he found out where I was through our connection with Wol. For him to come all the way from the church branch to see me, something must be seriously wrong.

And where is my partner, who was supposed to be with him? Wol is nowhere to be found.

...I have a bad feeling about this.

"Ugh! I don't know where to start...! Wol has disappeared! While I was taking a nap! He went to fetch a stone! Alone, into the Cave of Nightmares!"

"Wait, wait, Wol disappeared...!?"

"If I hadn't told him that story... Ugh, it's all my fault!"

Fey himself seems to be in a state of confusion, rubbing his forehead against the floor and lamenting. Despite the situation, his wiggling tail is rather cute.

"I'm sorry, Wol!"

Fey barks, "Woof woof." The noise makes Rais visibly frown.

Rais has been given a substantial amount of my spiritual power to prepare for the party with Wol, so he can clearly sense Fey's presence. To prevent Rais's veins from bursting, I try to calm Fey down.

"Listen, let's start by calming down and talking..."

"But Wol! Wol!"

"So, what happened to Wol?"

"If anything happens, I'll risk my life to apologize!"

It's no use; I'm at a loss. Just as I was wondering what to do, a sharp voice rang out from nowhere, "Hey!"

"Pull yourself together, Fey! We're going to save Wol, right!? First, explain the situation to the Spirit Maiden from the beginning!"

The brisk voice seemed to come from nowhere. I looked around, and Rais, standing behind me, pointed to Fey's fluffy back, saying, "It's over there."

Upon closer inspection, a small snail was buried in the gray fur.

The spiral shell glowed aqua blue, and its body was entirely liquid, wobbling. It was a water spirit, small in size but clearly very powerful. The eyes on the extended feelers were round, and when they met mine, the snail-like spirit floated up to my face.

Instinctively, I spread my hands, and it landed on them.

"Nice to meet you, Spirit Maiden. And the former knight. I'm Maro, a water spirit from the Bell Forest. Just call me Maro."

"Maro... san"

"I came at Fey's request to help. Nice to meet you."

The reliable, probably much older high-level spirit Maro explained what had happened from the beginning, in place of Fey.

After being treated to some snacks by the apostles, which satisfied their small appetites, Wol and Fey were napping together in the church branch's break room. Fey had heard that Wol was planning to return to me, so he intended to wake up after a short nap to see him off.

However, he overslept, and when he woke up, Wol was gone.

At first, Fey thought Wol had already returned to my house. But there was a note attached to his fluffy back.

"That's it!"

Fey skillfully turned his head and picked up a crumpled piece of paper from his back with his mouth. When I took it and unfolded it, it read in messy handwriting, as if written by a child:

'Going to the Cave of Nightmares to fetch the Shining Stone'

"This is Wol's handwriting! No doubt about it!"

"The 'Shining Stone' and 'Cave of Nightmares' are mentioned in this book."

Maro's shell faintly glowed, and a large water bubble appeared in the air, containing a thin book. Is this Maro's ability?

The water bubble popped, and the book fell. The splashes on my cheeks weren't cold, as it wasn't real water.

Since my hands were occupied, Rais caught the book skillfully.

"It's an old children's picture book."

"A story about siblings going on an adventure... something like that."

Peering over Rais's shoulder, I saw the book, which had warm, illustrated scenes. Indeed, the words 'Shining Stone' and 'Cave of Nightmares' appeared, just as Wol had written.

Maro also informed us that the cave really exists and is a dangerous place filled with demonic residue. Hearing the word 'demon,' Rais reacted.

"If Wol went there, we must act quickly. The cave is filled with demonic energy. Once inside, a weak spirit will lose its power and be unable to move. Wol is a strong water spirit with purifying powers, like me, but compared to me, he's still just a baby. If he lingers in the cave, he could disappear."

Disappear...!?

Just like a human facing death, a spirit can also come to the end of its life. Imagining Wol fading away like a soap bubble, I shuddered.

"No, Wol...!"

"Stay calm, Su. It hasn't been that long since the fox disappeared. If we go now, we can still save him."

Rais placed a hand on my shoulder, concerned. His large, supportive hand brought me back from the worst-case scenario.

That's right, I can't just sit here.

"We need to go save Wol...!"

Encouraged, Fey shouted, "That's why I called Maro!"

"Maro has strong resistance to demons and can also use 'teleportation'! He's a great ally!"

"Teleportation, like the 'teleportation spell' the apostles use? It can instantly move people to distant places, like when Rais and I were teleported from the main church to the Bell Forest..."

"Exactly! Maro can teleport people and objects over great distances! He just wraps them in a water bubble. It's amazing!"

Earlier, when Maro retrieved the book from the water bubble, it was indeed his ability. Praise from Fey made Maro wriggle, saying, "Enough, I'm blushing."

With the power of teleportation, we can easily reach the Cave of Nightmares. I decided to get ready to leave as soon as possible.

But then— "Wait," a strong hand grabbed my arm, holding me back.