Chapter 512: The Cause of the Lament
“Ha~. I feel like I’m going to end up as a turtle stew, huh?”
“Turtle stew…”
On this tropical island, a large turtle is placed on its back in a hole dug into the ground. Then, a fire is lit on its white belly. It’s more like roasting in its shell than cooking in a pot. Are Spirits going to be simmered in there too?
No, this isn’t the time to be reminiscing about that.
Above the turtle’s shell, there’s a dome-shaped space. This is formed by bubbles leaking from the turtle’s nose, which swap places with something that looks like a cloak sprouting from its rear. I guess this dome protects us, allowing us to breathe as if we were on land.
Why “I guess”? Because I’m inside a membrane created by Ufu and her kin. I made it a bit smaller to ride the turtle, but it blocks the coldness of the deep sea water and the heat generated by the Fire Spirit. Of course, it also shields us from water pressure!
Ufu, being the creator and a Spirit of the Atmosphere, can penetrate that air membrane, though.
I was worried about whether it was safe to be underwater, but it turns out I’m completely fine. Maybe it’s because the atmosphere dissolves even in seawater. …Ufu might actually be a more powerful Spirit than I thought?
But that’s beside the point.
I asked Ufu to wrap the turtle as well.
“Ha~. This feels much better. Truly, the Spirit of the Atmosphere ruling over the southern skies is impressive.”
“The southern skies…?”
“Ufu.”
“Ha~. If we had continued like that, I would have turned into something else due to the influence of the Fire Spirit. I’m a Spirit of the sand grains that get drawn into the sea around here, but I could have ended up as a Spirit of the rocks on the ocean floor.”
“Sand grains!?”
I thought it was some kind of amphibious Spirit, but what’s with the sand?
Is Ufu also from the southern skies? Just where does that extend to? This is too much information to process.
“As a thank you, I can gather sand grains Spirits wherever you wish, young master. Though I can’t stray far from the sea. Red, white, black—I’ll deliver your desired beach right at your feet.”
Red? Is there really such a thing? Well, minerals come in various colors, so if the Spirit says so, it must exist.
“When that time comes, please make sure there are shells and crabs and plenty of things to inhabit.”
Thanks to the brackish waters where freshwater and seawater mix, there are more varieties of seafood here compared to other islands, but the quantity is limited due to the small area. It would be nice if the beach were a bit wider—or if it extended further out to sea during low tide.
“Shells hiding in the sand, huh?”
The Ex-Staff seemed really excited.
It doesn’t just poke around; it gets really happy when it finds something inside. I find that more enjoyable too.
While we were talking, it kept diving deeper into the hole.
“…You idiot—!!”
With that shout, bubbles began to rise. The seawater shimmered, and it was probably quite hot. The bubbles brushed past the turtle and disappeared from sight, sliding smoothly along the air membrane surrounding us.
“Training is absolutely a lie—!! You promised to melt me beautifully!!”
At the bottom of the hole, something round and dark brown glowed orange every time it shouted. The part I could see above looked cracked like a long-lived steamed bun, and it was quite large.
In terms of color and shape, it resembled either a brown sugar bun or a karinto bun… Maybe a cracked karinto bun?
“Is that the cause?”
“Ha~. That’s right. That thing has been digging and getting buried while shouting all this time.”
It wasn’t just digging; every time it shouted and turned orange, it would slide deeper. Is the bottom melting away?
“For now, should I try talking to it? Um, hey, round person over there, can we have a word…?”
“Right now, I’m probably flirting with a super meltable volcano—!!”
Flirting with a volcano… This is bad. The scale is different, the customs are different, the senses are different—how am I supposed to interpret this? What should I do? Plus, it’s shouting and hasn’t noticed us!
“Should we poke it?”
“Yeah, let’s poke it.”
The King’s Branch is part of the lineage of Wood Spirits. Normally, it’s weak to fire, but if you have Fire Spirits (like Karn) under your command, it seems to hold up pretty well. Back in the age of the Fire Spirits, there was a nation that possessed branches that burned like torches.
I’ve been indiscriminately naming things, so I have plenty of Fire Spirits too. The Ex-Staff should be quite strengthened by now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even think to poke it.
“Excuse me.”
So, I called out while channeling magic power through the Ex-Staff to gently poke the round object.
However, there was no response. Well, it’s pretty massive, so maybe it wouldn’t notice a light touch.
“Van, you idiot—!!”
“Van!?”
A name I recognized popped up!
“Uh?”
The karinto bun trembled at my voice.
“If it’s the Van I know, he really believes this is training, you know?”
It seems that when Rishu won in terms of cuteness, someone lost.
“You know Van?”
“Strength and fire attributes, destruction and rebirth. He has black hair and is a robust figure, known as a god among humans.”
The term “god” is what humans call him. The Spirit, having been called that, might have taken on that title, but what position does that hold among Spirits?
For now, the way of addressing him doesn’t matter, but polishing cuteness isn’t the kind of training he would be doing. Besides, I don’t think he’s flirting with a volcano either.