Chapter 510: Ufu
“Are you coming with me?”
“Stop inviting me like it’s a picnic. I’ll die.”
When I looked at Retze, he had already declined.
“Uuuugh…”
“If you’re confident you won’t die, I won’t stop you,” Retze said, glancing sideways at Haulon, who was groaning.
“I don’t want to carry Haulon if he gets too excited and collapses.”
I wanted to avoid the hassle of having to carry him back if that happened.
“…”
Haulon fell silent.
Unlike Soleil, I didn’t think I’d have trouble finding a place to grab onto if it came to that, so I could carry him if necessary.
“For now, hurry up and make a bento to cure Seikai’s stomachache.”
“Okay!”
With Retze sending me off, I moved back to the House.
Rishu came running up, stopping right in front of me and starting to sniff the air. I let him sniff to his heart’s content and then ruffled his fur. My little one is so cute.
What should I do about the bento? Should I use a layered box?
I prepared the bento and drinks. I wonder if it’ll be cold underwater? No, with the Fire Spirit around, it might be hot. I plan to create an air layer to shield us from the surrounding temperature, so I guess my usual outfit will be fine.
Do I need anything to tie things up in case of emergencies? When I stuffed Asas into a bag last time, everyone disapproved, so this time I’ll go with tying him up.
I have a replica of the rope I gave Rishu, which I got from the Earth Folk, so I’ll take that. It’s not just a replica; it’s a sturdy rope made by the Earth Folk, and it’s quite resistant to heat.
After that, I’ll just go with the flow and escape using [Teleportation] if things get dicey.
“Rishu, I’m off.”
Just to be safe, I changed Rishu’s water, and everything’s ready!
I patted Rishu and used [Teleportation].
The destination was the tip of Marina. I chose it based on my guess that it was close to an area severely affected by the drought.
“Looking for spirits of wind and atmosphere to help out!”
As I called out, I was grateful to see spirits gathering one after another.
“…Ufu.”
“Uh, having a big one show up would be a bit of a problem, though.”
A spirit appeared, taking on a feminine form—about two sizes smaller than an adult woman? But she was wearing flowing, thin garments that billowed around her. The sleeves, hem, and sash seemed to dissolve into the atmosphere. I almost tried to judge her size based on human standards, but those flowing garments are part of the spirit, making her seem quite powerful.
The surrounding spirits looked confused, some were bowing, while others seemed nervous, creating quite a chaotic scene.
I don’t know who she is, but she definitely has a name, right? Something commonly recognized like Seikai’s.
“Ufu.”
The spirit smiled brightly.
“This is troublesome.”
If I were to form a contract with a spirit this size, my magic power would drop significantly.
Going to the unknown depths of the ocean with depleted magic power is not something I want to do.
“Ufu.”
“Even if you say ‘ufu’…”
As soon as I replied, I felt my magic power being drained. Wait, wait, is this spirit’s name really ‘Ufu’? Is it ‘Ufu’?
Even if it’s commonly known in this world, it’s a trap I’m unaware of! Should I ask Retze about famous spirits to keep in mind? If I ask Haulon, he might tell me about some really obscure ones.
But if I accidentally repeat the name, I can only foresee a future where I end up with a cheek-pinching incident!
“Ufu?”
Ufu peered at me with a worried expression.
“Well, it’s fine. After all, I called you here, so thank you.”
Next time, I’ll be more cautious when calling out.
Lately, it feels like either my magic power has increased or I’ve contracted more spirits, as more powerful ones have been showing up.
“Ufu.”
Ufu smiled happily.
It felt like Ufu’s retainers had also become my spirits, as most of the surrounding spirits were staring at me or flying around excitedly. Well, they were doing that when I called out too.
For now, I don’t want to change my plans, so following Haulon’s example, I crushed a magic stone and absorbed the flowing magic power to recover. It seems that as long as I can sense the flow of magic, recovering this way isn’t too difficult. I just need the grip strength to crush the magic stone.
The Great Sage has incredible grip strength, huh? I think the one I handed over was a large jade stone, right? I thought he must have enhanced it with a spirit, but it seems he was close to magic depletion… so it’s probably his natural grip strength… Why is he competing in knowledge battles as the Great Sage?
What about methods other than crushing? I guess if I don’t cover it with my hands, it’ll disperse too quickly to gather? I’ll have to try that later. The surrounding spirits would probably be delighted.
Alright.
“Ex-Staff, can you help me out a bit?”
“Sure thing, Master!”
I pulled the Ex-Staff from my waist holder, and it popped into existence.
“We’re heading to the bottom of the sea to ask the Fire Spirit to leave, then we’ll eat our bento and come back, so let’s do this!”
“Adventure in the ocean, here we go!”
The Ex-Staff was all fired up.
“Ufu, could you create an air layer around me right away? Yeah, just like that. Thanks!”
I didn’t say that just because it’s a layer, okay?
It seemed Ufu understood my image, as the air was already being replaced without needing specific instructions, and it felt just right.
“Depending on the depth, it might shrink, so keep adding air as needed.”
“Ufu.”
Ufu nodded.
Now, I wonder what the ocean floor is like? There are demon beasts in the sea, right? I hope there’s a place where I can eat my bento in peace.