Chapter 347: Familiar Faces
“Don’t call out so carelessly if you’re going to bring it out, alright?”
“What… is it?”
I replied back to Retze.
“…”
“…”
Retze was silently staring at my face, while I was looking at him.
“Is it too late now?”
“In this case, which is safer, running away or sticking close to you?”
Retze pressed his forehead as he listened to the Butler’s words.
“Is something dangerous coming? Who is it— the Gods!?”
“What are you talking about? The Gods are just providing protection, right?”
Dinoss began to panic, and Haulon blew out smoke from his water pipe.
“Whoa!? The ground is shaking…”
Suddenly, Dinoss started to panic.
“This world shouldn’t shake so easily— wait, it is shaking!?”
Haulon, who had just stepped off the flying carpet, turned pale.
“No way…”
Retze pressed his hands against the ground.
“I definitely feel it shaking, right?”
I thought it was about a magnitude of two. It feels like it’s shaking just by standing still? Isn’t that a bit exaggerated? Ah, but there is a slight rumble?
“Jean, why are you so calm? The earth has betrayed us!?”
Chris was trembling slightly.
Now that I think about it, I haven’t experienced an earthquake since coming here. Especially around Kanum, there aren’t any volcanoes. But the mountain range that separates Nakahara and Talia from the Cavil Peninsula seems to have formed from uplift, and the salt mountain a bit north of the Fortress City should have originally been at the bottom of the sea. There must be earthquakes here.
“Sorry. I lived in a place where earthquakes like this happen often, so I don’t really understand the fear.”
If it were at least a magnitude three…
While receiving incredulous looks, I picked at some fried potatoes. What kind of reaction should I have? Is it possible that this earthquake is a sign of something sealed awakening?
Ignoring the pale faces around me, I sipped my tea. After a while, the shaking subsided.
“… Phew. It’s calmed down.”
Dinoss began to move his stiff body.
“Isn’t it going to shake again? It felt like being on a ship!”
Chris looked around nervously.
“Lord Jean is truly unfazed.”
“Rather than looking calm, it’s just normal. How can you drink tea at a time like this…”
Haulon sighed.
“I panicked.”
Retze clutched at his clothing and fanned himself.
I served lukewarm tea to everyone, and they either gulped it down or sighed while cradling their cups.
“Oh? — Rishu!”
Rishu appeared right in front of me, running a short distance to my feet.
“Cutest of all, Rishu!”
I ruffled his fur and kissed the top of his head. So adorable.
“Eh? Wait, is that… no way…”
“Stop, don’t realize it. That’s a puppy!”
“That can’t be true!? This presence! Why are you so calm!?”
“If I say it’s a puppy, then it’s a puppy!”
Dinoss and Haulon were arguing about something.
“—I apologize for the intrusion, Master.”
“Huh?”
The Butler was behind me!
“Why…?”
There was another Butler diagonally in front of me!
“What is it?”
Looking at the tie pin that stopped, I noticed the magic stone was black. This must be the Forest Note, and I’m in a pinch for copyright infringement.
“There has been a slight influence from the intimidation in the Spirit Realm on the House, and I would like to request permission to close the Note for repairs.”
“Wait, did something break? Will closing the Note fix it?”
This is a big deal! But it seems like it can be repaired. Since they mentioned closing it, they must be referring to the notebook I use for Spirit Naming.
When left open, the spirit resembling the Butler manages the signatures for the Spirits.
I no longer have to handle it alone, so I prepared multiple notebooks for each type of Spirit—fire, water, and so on. The color of the tie pin indicates the attribute they are responsible for.
If I don’t keep it in the correct book form, it might get garbled, so once the notebooks are somewhat organized, I rebind them into books. Initially, it was a miniature version of the Butler spirit, but as it took on more books, it grew larger and stopped at the same size as the Butler.
The Note in front of me is the one I had placed in the Forest Sanctuary, now compiled and bound into book form. Since I sometimes directly name ordinary spirits while cuddling the Black Spirit, it seems stronger and acts like a leader among the other notebooks.
Moreover, all attribute notebooks can communicate and merge, so the individual strengths don’t seem to matter much. It appears to be a type of spirit that grows and becomes stronger.
“Normally, there shouldn’t be any direct influence on the Material Realm, but since the House is special and it was the epicenter… I came to request permission for the use of your magic power for repairs and to return to Spirit Naming.”
The Forest Note bowed elegantly.
“If it can be fixed, then please do so. I’m counting on you.”
“Understood.”
With that, the Forest Note vanished.
“… Is it alright to interrupt now?”
Just as I resumed petting Rishu, I heard Retze’s voice, sounding exasperated.
He knows about Rishu, and it must be about the Forest Note! Can Retze see it too? It would be unsettling if I were creating spirits in the form of familiar faces… But please, let me explain!