Chapter 4

Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

The spirit that emerged from the clump of magic had tattered clothes. It looked anxious, on the verge of tears. Scrul-sama stroked the head of the cat spirit and bowed to me.

"These are the spirits I have protected. It is rare for someone to be able to see the spirits, but there are a few, like me and you, members of the royal family, some nobles, and magicians. Occasionally, I see spirits with silver stitching; I assume you have healed them? Please, could you heal these as well?"

"Heal?"

"Yes... I didn't mean to heal, but for these spirits, it will be healing."

I solidified my magic into a needle-like shape and threaded it through the green clump of magic, which I had unraveled and stretched into a thread. I couldn't freely move someone else's magic, so I asked for permission to use Scrul-sama's magic. While mending the tattered hem of the spirit's clothes, I listened to the story.

"The clothes we see on the spirits are not exactly clothes but a part of their bodies, a manifestation of their power. They are very thin and easily damaged."

I wasn't quite sure what he meant by "manifestation of power," but from the way small spirits appeared naked and larger ones wore mini dresses, I assumed that stronger spirits became more glamorous.

"When a spirit's power is forcibly taken by a curse mage, their 'clothes' are torn and stolen, and they slowly lose their power from the damaged part."

"What if they lose all their power?"

"Of course, they will disappear."

Wow... That's why I see spirits lamenting over their damaged clothes.

I see, my mending must be healing for them.

As the clothes were mended, the spirit that had wanted to return to its marimo form began to sparkle. The other spirits also became excited, fidgeting and forming magic threads.

With their help, I could sew as fast as a sewing machine. The marimo cat spirits quickly became ordinary, free-floating spirits. Their hems were all green.

Since I was at it, I added a design with ivy creeping along the hem and some embroidery.

"Ah... Even when my magic leaves, it remains and doesn't disappear..."

"Nyu?"

Scrul-sama chuckled at my tilted head.

"Watch this."

Scrul-sama removed the marimo remnants from his shoulder and placed them on the table. They began to shrink and eventually disappeared.

"Wow..."

So, magic usually disappears when it leaves... but it's different when sewn into a spirit?

I hadn't tried sewing magic into ordinary fabric before...

I tried sewing a thread of magic into the hem of my own clothes and cut it. It dissolved and disappeared.

The spider on my shoulder hopped onto my knee and tilted its head, saying "shu?" and spitting out a thread.

Ah... Could it be that the spider's thread has the power to maintain and imbue magic?

Is that why the Nuier people act so special?

The spider seems pretty amazing.

I stroked the spider's fuzzy belly, and before I knew it, it had grown from half the size of my palm to the size of my palm.

"Yui-dono, if I bring more spirits to protect, could you heal them?"

Despite being fifteen, I still look like a child. Scrul-sama knelt on one knee, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed deeply.

Whoa...

What's with the butler doing something like a vassal's salute?

I'm just a lowly seamstress, right?

"Hey, Yui is troubled. You have the magic eye... This is a bit, well, dangerous, isn't it?"

I was startled by Reis-obasama's troubled words.

Dangerous? What's dangerous?

"A, a, a, sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. A girl with the magic eye can become a candidate for the king's concubine, regardless of her status. And if you can heal spirits in the Nuier family, your birth family might try to reclaim you... Of course, you don't want to go back, right?"

I nodded vigorously.

I was scared by the ominous words like "king's concubine."

I don't want to go back to that house or be used by them.

"It's fine. If you leave it to Lord Rodan, Yui-dono's will won't be violated. I swear on the spirits."

With a strange intensity, Scrul-sama asked, "Will you leave it to me?" I could only nod.