Chapter 16: The Spirit Out of Sight
“Amir is doing her best, and she means no harm. The inn is the real problem here.”
Dean’s misguided defense of Pink Head is quite painful to listen to.
“Why is it that everything else makes sense, but when it comes to your sister, it all falls apart?” Even if he dotes on her and tries to help, he should at least apologize and scold her a bit.
“Is that so?”
“There’s something unsettling about how you treat your sister.”
What he’s saying is that because his sister is cute, she should be forgiven, and since she means no harm, her inconveniences should be accepted. And because she’s trying hard, everyone else should help her.
“Ugh.”
Dean groaned, and I turned to see Leo—Ash, with his hand on his mouth, deep in thought. Yeah, he looks about thirty percent scarier now.
“You might not believe it, but there’s a spirit near Amir.”
“Huh?”
“And there’s a mark floating next to Dean that shows he’s affected by that spirit.”
Ash spoke in a troubled tone.
“I can’t see anything! It’s strange to think that a strong spirit would be visible.”
Dean had a cheap-looking pink flower, just starting to bloom, stuck in his hair.
No, wait, upon closer inspection, it’s not stuck; it’s floating. Who benefits from a big guy having a pink artificial flower on his head? Fresh flowers would be a problem too.
The material and texture look like the fake autumn leaves or cherry blossoms you see decorating street lamps in shopping districts.
Stop saying something serious with that flower on your head; it’s too funny. I reached out and yanked the flower off Dean’s head, crushing it in my hand.
“?!”
“Oh, sorry.”
I looked down at Dean, who had collapsed to his knees, and apologized. He didn’t seem to hear me.
“From what I gather, it’s a form of mental control. He just suddenly lost consciousness when the influence cut off. —By the way, can you see it and touch it?”
“Yeah, if I want to.”
If I can’t see the spirit, I can’t see Rishu either. But if I see too many spirits, it’ll affect my daily life. I should adjust how many spirits I can see, but that sounds like a hassle, so I usually only look for Rishu.
By the way, if it’s a strong spirit, one that’s called a God, it will show itself to you even if you have no ability to see it.
“This is the first time I’ve met someone other than my father.”
“Are you from a lineage that can see spirits?”
For now, Ash and I helped Dean stretch out his limbs on the ground to make him more comfortable.
I pinched his nose to check his breathing, and he let out a little gasp, so he should be fine.
“Yeah. But right now, only my father and I can see them in our family. And I can’t touch them. Be careful; that ability is highly sought after…”
“I’ll be careful. For now, let’s keep him quiet?”
If I leave him like this, the Bear might do something useful, but I can’t just let that happen. Well, I haven’t opened my mouth, so maybe I won’t get caught for that action—huh?
“Is it good that Ash’s ability to see spirits got revealed?”
“You saved me; this man is your friend, right?”
“No, this is only the second time we’ve met properly.”
Ash froze!
“If we leave him like this, the Bear will…”
An ominous mutter slipped out! His thinking face is scary! And his thought process is just like mine!
“It’s my misjudgment. I’ll have to accept the situation as it unfolds.”
He quickly changed his mind, just like me. I feel like he’s really going to draw the short straw, but I shouldn’t be the one saying that.
“By the way, can you see the spirit that’s with me, Lord Jean?”
“Which one? Whoa.”
A blue little bird was pecking at Ash’s head like a woodpecker.
“Doesn’t that hurt?”
“I feel a constant dull ache.”
So it’s a sharp pecking, but it results in a dull pain?
“When did it start following you?”
“It’s been with me since I was seven. My father had it attached to me.”
Has it been so long that it’s turned into a dull ache?
“Why again?”
The blue little bird had a band of light around its neck like a collar.
The appraisal result was ridiculous: “A spirit captured to make Adelheid Le Ratanthin more manly.”
“To make me a proper heir.”
“Didn’t you have a younger brother?”
“Yeah, my father woke up next to a woman after a night of drinking, and I was delivered later.”
A delivery service, huh!
“Fortunately, in my country, the firstborn inherits regardless of gender. But our family has served in the military for generations, so my father had it attached to me to ensure there’s no difference in strength when training.”
“Well, you know? If it’s about building strength or stamina, that’s one thing, but saying ‘to make you manly’ is just weird, right?”
He’s telling a story that sounds good, but it’s strange, especially since he’s getting pecked like that!
“Manly?”
Does this guy not know the specifics?
“…I don’t mean to meddle in family matters, but you should really consider releasing that spirit.”
The little bird looks like it’s at its wit’s end.
“Yeah. I was supposed to release it two years ago, but my father, the caster, fell ill. —So, Lord Jean, do you think you can release this spirit?”
“Maybe? Should we give it a try?”
If I can figure out how to deal with that collar, I think we can manage.
“Please do.”
“Let’s do it after we return to the town.”
I shifted my gaze to the still-rolling Dean.
“Ah…”
Following my gaze, Ash let out a sound of understanding.
“I want to thank you whether the release goes well or not.”
“No, you’ve been overcharged for your stay, right? How are you going to move to a different inn?”
Inns that cater to adventurers usually require payment upfront since you never know when someone might drop dead.
Even if I file a complaint about the overcharging with the inn and the Guild, I don’t know if I’ll get a refund. Even if I do, it might take time. Do I even have any kin left?
“I’ll hunt a bear.”
“Right, that’s why we came here.”
I had completely forgotten.