BSS 114

Chapter 114

“Yeah.”

“How does it sound? Can you hear it clearly? Or only bits and pieces?”

“I don’t really understand what it’s saying… but I can hear a very faint mumble. That’s the only thing I’m sure of. Sometimes, I hear it say ‘Master!’ the clearest.”

“Hmm.”

So she really could hear it.

Should I tell Anel that Aini has a talent for this?

But even if she knew, there’s probably nothing she could do, so would it even matter?

Being a Spirit Mage is a profession that, just like any mage, relies heavily on outside support.

“And Mom told me to bring you along!”

“That’s right. She said she wanted to show you something.”

“To the North Gate, right?”

As I took a step forward, Aini quickly darted one step away.

Does she maybe dislike me?

I hadn’t done anything except trap her in water.

“Aini, do you dislike me?”

Curiosity had to be satisfied.

“…Not really.”

“Then why are you like this?”

“I… I’m just… scared of strangers. But you… Mom talked about you sometimes… and also…”

“And also?”

“…You were amazing at the river.”

Aini muttered so quietly, staring at the ground, that I could barely hear her, then suddenly bounced away into the forest as if she couldn’t hold back anymore.

Like some kind of wild animal!

“Hey! You have to at least tell me where the North Gate is before running off!”

I assumed the North Gate would naturally be to the north and strolled casually, but it took me almost thirty minutes to find my sister.

That’s because the northern exit led to a large field with another tall fence, and the gate itself was split into two.

I had guessed the right direction at first, but it turned out I was wrong and had to backtrack to the other gate.

“Sis!”

I still hadn’t come to terms with the fact that I almost never guessed correctly.

My sister was standing in front of the stables.

“You’re here, Jinny.”

“Sorry I’m late. Aini was supposed to bring me, but she ran off.”

“Oh, did she? Sorry about that.”

“Isn’t she too timid? Now I understand why you worry about her so much.”

“She is a bit shy, yes. But she’s kinder than anyone else.”

Even as I grumbled, my sister just smiled and took a horse out of the stable for me.

The gray horse had a long white mane and strong ankles, the kind of sturdy workhorse often used for farm labor.

“Try riding. This horse is for you. She can be a bit stubborn, so it’s better to get familiar with her first.”

“Really? What’s her name?”

“Nora.”

I took the reins and met her gaze.

Looking into her round, black eyes reminded me of Blondie, the horse I had left at the academy.

I wonder if she’s doing well. Bright, as always, would be taking good care of her.

I cautiously reached for her neck.

Despite being described as stubborn, Nora willingly allowed my touch and even stepped closer to me.

She was a good girl. I felt relieved and stroked her forehead.

“Hello, Nora. I’m Jin.”

[This is Rai!]

“Please take care of me.”

[I’m the Master’s true companion! Master, stop flirting… Ack!]

I pushed Rai, who had started showing off, with my foot and looked back at my sister.

“Do you have a brush, by any chance?”

“Of course.”

To get closer to her, I fed Nora treats by hand, let her smell me thoroughly, and then carefully brushed her.

Soon, Nora allowed me to ride her.

Even as Rai growled jealously and prowled around, she didn’t care at all—she seemed to intuitively know that he wasn’t a real wolf.

“How’s it? Comfortable?”

“Yes, I can ride right away. She’s smart too and listens well.”

“That’s good. Looks like Nora likes you. You’ve always been popular with animals, Jinny.”

I wonder if that included dragons too.

“Hahaha.”

“Why are you laughing so awkwardly?”

“Nothing. Just reminded of something scary.”

We rode lightly around the village. Riding a horse was definitely the most convenient way to travel.

My sister followed behind on another horse, holding a lantern and pointing toward the mountains.

“Once you’re used to it, we’ll go a bit further. I want to show you something.”

“At this hour… to the mountains?”

“Yes.”

Darkness settled quickly over the mountains.

And at this time, the mountains were much more dangerous than the daytime. Monsters and wild beasts roamed freely.

“Isn’t it dangerous? It’s already so dark…”

“It’s fine. What’s the worst that could happen?”

My usually cautious sister seemed surprisingly relaxed, as if she didn’t mind.

“With you here, Jinny, what’s there to be afraid of?”

“…Oh, sister, really.”

“Seeing you today, I understand why you travel alone. I’m so proud. You’re such a reassuring presence.”

“That’s true! Let’s go right away!”

Even if ten ogres appeared, it wouldn’t be a problem. I had survived the Dragon Rare!

Although I did get caught before that.

We called Ador to light the path and climbed the mountain. The path wasn’t well-traveled; weeds grew thickly, and the deeper we went, the eerier it became.

I didn’t tie my hair up until a while after leaving the village, ducking under annoying vines.

“Sis, what is it you want to show me?”

How much further did we have to go? We were already quite far from the village.

If it hadn’t been my sister who led me here, I would have suspected a trap.

“It’s an item we call a ‘Galata’… Normally, outsiders aren’t allowed to see it.”

“Galata?”

“The rules say that, but no one really cares about it. It’s related to spirits.”

I was surprised. A Galata related to spirits in a village of dual-blade clans? That was unexpected.

“Does this village really have something like that?”

“Surprised, aren’t you? Our villagers are too. It’s a practically useless item… but I thought you, Jinny, might be interested, so I wanted to show you.”

“Galata… Galata… I’ve never heard of it. I’ve studied spirits my whole life, but I’ve never heard of this. Is it in the tribe’s language? What’s it called in the common tongue?”

“I think it was originally a person’s name. A long time ago, a spirit mage who owed a debt to our ancestors gave this to the villagers, saying it would protect them. That was thousands of years ago, in what we now call ancient times.”

“Pfft, it protects the village? There’s no way a spirit-related item would do that. What kind of object is it?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. From what I’d heard, it sounded more like a useless trinket.

Honestly, it seemed like some scam. Someone had probably swindled the naive villagers.

Until my sister started speaking again, clearing the way with her sword.

“According to legend, that spirit mage could control the forest and manipulate animals as if they were extensions of his own body.”

“…”

“And it’s said that with just that jewel, we could protect the forest too. But generations of ancestors prayed to it, held rituals, tried everything, yet we couldn’t use its power.”

Hmm. So it might have been a scam…

“We’ve maintained it through generations, but now it’s essentially useless.”

“Could it be… a palm-sized gem with strong color and patterns inside?”

“That’s right! One green, one brown.”

Two of them?

I felt a strong sense of déjà vu, recalling some words my sister had said: ancient spirit mage… jewel with spirit power… two at once.

[Rai.]

[Yes, Master!]

[Are there spirits of the forest and animals too?]

[Yes. There’s also a metal spirit.]

That explanation made sense.

Far ahead, I could see a cave.

The entrance was small, but it seemed deep and dark. Bones of animals and large, colorful bird feathers hung all around, giving it a mysterious atmosphere.

Signs of tribal rituals and magic were evident everywhere.

The closer I got to the cave, the stronger the familiar sensation became.

This couldn’t be real.

[Master! That’s right! It’s the Spirit Stone!]

Rai was overexcited, but I only frowned.

After searching everywhere and not even being able to trace its whereabouts, it turned out it was tucked away here.

What were the people of old thinking?

Did they really expect a spirit to appear just by performing a ritual with the stone?

If they were going to give it, they should’ve taught how to use it—or given it to someone who knew!

Because the ancestors were so reckless, the next generations of spirit mages ended up weakened!

“The Galata is inside that cave.”

“Can I go in?”

“That’s why I brought you. Go ahead. I’ll watch the horse.”

I had Ador lower his output and sent him in first.

I carefully moved aside the feathers and bones dangling over the entrance and followed behind.

The ceiling was low, so we had to bend down. The inside was narrow and damp.

The deeper we went, the more the smell of spirits—undetectable to ordinary people—pricked my nose.

The life force wriggling all around made my skin crawl.

The cave was filled with so much spirit energy it almost made me dizzy.

This was far from normal.

“This is insane. How long have they left this hidden here?”

[Probably a few hundred years, at least.]

“Why does it smell so strong?”

[The spirits must have struggled. They tried to emerge when called but couldn’t because the conditions weren’t met, so they expressed unstable power each time. That energy has accumulated.]

Listening to Rai, I finally reached the end of the cave and faced a small altar.

And what I saw there was so shocking I had to cover my mouth in disbelief.