Chapter 515: Achievement
Well, since this is a series about interspecies romance, we have the Snow Woman and the Celestial Maiden. The impression of the Snow Woman is stronger with Michiyo Tatsuji’s “Snow,” though.
“What a disloyalty from a human man towards a pure Spirit…”
Chris hangs his head in disappointment.
Unexpectedly, a splash lands nearby!
“Ufu!”
“Even so, when the conditions align, I just can’t help but fall in love~,” sighs Karianto Manju.
A large bubble bursts—this time, it’s the Spirit of Heat—and the main body sinks deeper. For now, I asked the Spirit of Ocean Currents to carry the bubble to the originally dry area on Es’s side. It’s a brute-force method, but it works, so that’s one less worry.
“Ahahaha! Once the conditions for love are broken, Spirits have no attachments or lingering feelings!”
Ex-Staff chimes in.
“Ahh… It’s scary to be caught by a human,”
the Turtle remarks, seemingly at risk of being caught by the brats on the beach for a different reason.
Both the Snow Woman and the Celestial Maiden are completely in Spirit mode, huh? I heard that the quickest way to bind a powerful Spirit for a long time is to utilize their attachment. It might not feel out of place to reinterpret “love” as “contract with a Spirit.”
Now, it’s time to switch with Chris.
I thought I’d switch to Haulon when the conversation ran dry, but Chris has plenty of stories. His gestures and expressions add so much life to his tales that listening is enjoyable and emotionally stirring.
Haulon probably knows a lot of stories like a Great Sage, but they might turn into lectures, so Chris is definitely the best choice.
While listening to Chris’s story, I reach for my bento. Inside are mentaiko and scallop rice, salt-wrapped rice balls, inarizushi, and a section of rice with shredded burdock and eel, all neatly divided into four quadrants.
The small two-tiered box holds the side dishes.
Salt-grilled chicken, meatballs, asparagus with sesame dressing, and shin-da-maki with root vegetables and green beans, along with yuzu hollowed out and filled with red and white pickled vegetables.
The eel rice is delicious, enhanced with sesame, seaweed, and shiso. I munch away while sipping tea. Chris seemed to enjoy it, but I feel like I could have used a bit more fried food.
Karianto Manju sinks deeper into Chris’s story. Hmm, it really is delicious.
“Switching! Now, let’s talk about the cat that lived a million times.”
Even though my story also draws them in, it’s not improvised like the others.
“Uuuh… To depart knowing love…!”
Chris is easily moved.
“Master, there’s something stuck to the shell. That aside, seconds on the popcorn!”
Ex-Staff is quite dry.
The trials of the Concon Stick can be pretty harsh depending on who takes them, and you have to be dry to handle it. If I kept helping, it wouldn’t be a trial of the King’s Branch.
I serve Ex-Staff some more, along with popcorn and beer for Chris. For the Spirits, I offer fresh water and flowers. The small flower I provided is played with by the Spirits, swirling around as it slowly rises above the sea.
Now, the poor elephant is something I’ll pass on since it also affects me. The story shifts to Suho’s White Horse and Gon the Fox—Gon’s tale feels very much like a Spirit’s assistance. They help with good intentions, but it results in a huge nuisance for the hunter…
We continue to take turns telling stories for a while.
“Ahhh, thank you! Now I can go to the land of comfort~. I’ll drift in the hot magma and become one with it. Since you’ve taken care of me, if you call for me, I’ll stretch out! Here, I’ll give you this as a marker~.”
When I squint, it seems like the ground is wriggling… or is that just Karianto Manju coming to greet me?
“Thank you.”
What flows into my hand is a Spirit’s Droplet. It’s a beautifully rich reddish-brown stone, transparent like a jewel.
“Can I let Ex-Staff eat it?”
“Sure~. Even if it goes into Ex-Staff’s belly, it can still trace its own presence. Thank you for all the stories about the Jawed One, Van! This is a little treasure for you~.”
The Jawed One.
Yeah, the Spirit is probably there to serve as a marker. That’s pretty terrible!
“I’m honored to be of service!”
What floats over to Chris is Spirit Gold.
I think I heard a story about armor made of Spirit Gold sinking somewhere… Could it be that it was melted down…?
Well, whatever. Let’s not dwell on it!
“I’ll see you again somewhere~. If you talk to me at the crater, I’ll tell my retainers to give you something nice, so please take care when you visit the crater~.”
“Ah, got it. I’ll prepare an extraordinary story for when I visit the crater!”
Chris responds with enthusiasm.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
As we speak, Karianto Manju is slowly being drawn into the gap between the ground and the walls of the hole, wriggling away.
“Ahh… It seems like everything has been resolved. I’ll report to Seikai-sama once we’re back up,”
the Turtle says.
Still, I wonder what kind of situation it would be to visit the crater.