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Starting with the small bird that first approached, spirits that noticed my and Lindy’s presence began to gather one by one.

“Elf! Elf! Our friend!”

“Is that an elf too?”

“Fool, their ears aren’t pointy. Not all pretty things are elves! That one is a human!”

“Human?”

Well… It’s been several years since I became a woman, and I’m now used to receiving compliments about being pretty.

A spirit resembling a puppy came close, sniffing around, and jumped back in surprise when it touched my outstretched hand, while a spirit resembling a small hamster scampered up my leg and perched itself on my shoulder.

“Be careful. Spirits are basically mischievous. If you annoy them, it can get troublesome, but you don’t have to just stand by. You can swat them away if they bother you.”

Indeed, Lindy said that and lightly kicked the bottom of a spirit that had come too close, sending it aside. I looked on, worried that the spirit might get offended, but instead, it seemed to find Lindy’s actions fun and burst into laughter. Truly innocent little kids.

“What about those over there?”

I pointed at the small spirit clinging to my back while sitting a little further away, watching us. Unlike most of the spirits gathered around, they were just observing.

“Oh, those are high-level spirits. As their rank increases, they tend to be a bit heavier, but still, they’re spirits at heart, so you need to be cautious. It’s often more troublesome when stronger ones get into mischief.”

Are they really high-level spirits? There was an overwhelming aura emanating from the high-level spirits that didn’t need guessing.

“By the way, where do we go now? There are not just one, but several Spirit Kings.”

“Hmm… Well, it’s not just one; it’s a decision made by all the Spirit Kings, so you probably need the permission of a majority of them. But I think since the Elder conveyed the message, we might have to head to the central palace… The issue is, I don’t actually know the way.”

The only thing I know is that there is one Spirit King for each basic element: fire, water, wind, and earth. Naturally, I had no idea where this central palace Lindy mentioned was.

“Palace?”

“Yes, palace. Do you know where it is?”

In the meantime, the small child on my back reacted to the word ‘palace,’ so I asked curiously if it might know.

“I do! Just go straight that way!”

The little one stretched out its hand over my shoulder and pointed far into the distance. However, even if I wanted to follow that direction, I couldn’t, as a large lake obstructed the path. Spirits can take any form they want, so it didn’t hinder them at all, but for me and Lindy, we had no means to cross the lake.

“Is there another way?”

“Another way? Just go straight!”

I asked once more, hoping for a different answer, but only received the same response. The little one tilted its head as if wondering what the problem was and bumped its head against mine, then erupted into giggles. Finding it quite amusing, I chuckled and gently bumped my head against the girl’s, which made her roll down in delight.

In the end, relying on the girl on my back wasn’t going to help, so I was pondering who to ask when someone spoke up.

“Lindy.”

“Ah… It’s been a while, Silphy.”

A beautiful woman with long hair approached, familiar with Lindy, as she greeted her warmly. Seeing Lindy call out her name, they seemed to have quite a close relationship.

“I came to get you when I heard you were in the Spirit Realm. We have history, and even though the King has forbidden summons, you’re still my contractor.”

“…Thank you for saying that.”

“Who’s this?”

Silphy turned her head towards me, who was standing beside Lindy. But before either Lindy or I could introduce ourselves, a voice interjected.

“What did you hear when the King spoke? Honestly, you’re as frivolous as you look.”

Unlike Silphy, who had a beautiful appearance, a ruggedly built man with a strong smell of sweat reprimanded her. His voice was as deep and sweaty as his looks.

“Hero. Welcome. The King is waiting, so let’s go.”

“Ah, yes…”

As soon as the man moved, I followed his lead, and soon spirits surrounding us began to follow along one by one. Some kept their distance, while others, like the small child clinging to my back, transformed into a smaller form and climbed onto me.

“Ah! So you’re the hero of this generation! Is your name… El… El… Elise, right?”

In the middle of it all, Silphy spoke to me.

“Ahaha, it’s Elysia. Nice to meet you, Silphy.”

“Unlike Lindy, you’re a friend who knows manners. Nice to meet you too.”

As I extended my hand to greet her, she seemed familiar with human etiquette, clasping my hand and shaking it lightly.

“Humans seem to like that appearance better!”

“Conversely, it seems like they dislike that appearance!”

Meanwhile, the spirits trailing behind us started gossiping loudly, pointing at me and Silphy, as if they could hear everything.

…Honestly, I admit that my attitude did differ when facing the two. Well, I mean, even though I look like a woman now, I’m still a man at heart. Naturally, a man would be kinder to a beautiful lady than a sweaty old man, wouldn’t he?

And since that man approached with a gruff greeting, I merely responded curtly, while Silphy approached in a friendly manner, so I answered back with a smile. I can’t say my intentions were completely pure, but I would argue that it was an entirely natural response.

With no one to vent my grievances to, I was just defending myself when one by one, the spirits trailing us began to transform, making popping sounds.

Some transformed into child-like forms and struggled to match the change, while others became beautiful adult female forms like Silphy. Even the tiny one that had been riding on my back had transformed into an adult woman. The sensation on my back grew softer.

“Looks like the kids are really following Elysia. They’re probably fascinated since it’s a human they haven’t seen in a long time, especially in the Spirit Realm.”

“It’s chaotic! Since the King has invited guests, you should get away from here!”

At that scene, the attitude of the man and Silphy toward the spirits following us was as different as their appearances.

Startled by the man’s shout, the spirits in the forms of little girls and women squealed and scattered, but after a little while, they began to creep back in.

I ended up surrounded by beauties. It felt like I was being displayed, but even though they were spirits, they were beautiful, so I didn’t feel bad at all. On the contrary, I wondered when I might ever have such an experience.

As I moved toward the palace, the number of spirits following us only increased, eventually forming a long line behind us. Honestly, at this point, even if it was a parade of beauties, it was a bit intimidating. Of course, the spirits were coming of their own accord, but I couldn’t help but remember what Lindy’s mother advised her.

“…I didn’t really think it would turn out this way. Perhaps the innocence of the spirits played a negative role?”

Lindy seemed just as bewildered by the sudden parade, turning back to speak.

“I hope we don’t get misunderstood by the Spirit King and cause more trouble.”

“Hey, don’t worry too much. No matter what, with me, the hero, making the request, it should work out somehow, right?”

“Still, the concern about misunderstandings comes from Elysia… No, if it’s Elysia, maybe even the Spirit King… Ah, but it can’t be….”

Lindy looked at me and inhaled sharply. I couldn’t quite understand what she was saying, but it seemed like I could do something.

*

“Here we are. The King should be waiting inside.”

“Hmm? Silphy, you’re not going in?”

“My guidance ends here. I hope for a good outcome. I’ll see you later! Now, you all! Don’t follow us to where the Kings are, come this way!”

With that, Silphy led the spirits trailing behind and left. Left standing with Lindy behind Silphy, we then followed the man into the palace.

Soon, we arrived at the grand entrance appropriate for a palace, and the man knocked on the door, calling out.

“I’ve brought the guest you mentioned.”

Instead of a reply, the tightly shut door creaked open. Even standing outside, a tremendous presence was felt beyond it. Surely that must be the aura of the Spirit Kings.

Entering with a bit of tension, I felt the gaze of several figures seated in chairs looking at us. Their appearances varied, just like the spirits I encountered before, but the overwhelming aura they radiated was far beyond that of ordinary spirits.

There were four of them. The number of Spirit Kings I knew matched perfectly.

And these were the beings that I and Lindy had to persuade.