Chapter 61

The way home was simple enough.

After all, the reason I brought the Warp Device was for that exact purpose.

I stepped through space holding the squishy Spirit in my arms and Suri perched on my shoulder.

“See you next time!”

“Bye!”

“Thanks!”

As the Fairies shouted their noisy farewells, I activated the violet Gemstone.

Home.

Mine.

And the Fairies.

With three destinations set in the Warp Device, I headed toward home.

A wavering vision.

The background stretching into lines behind me.

A faint dizziness.

The strange sight of distant places rushing closer.

“Ugh.”

I winced with a furrowed brow. It was a little disorienting.

Looking at Suri, she seemed fine, standing steady in her spot. The Spirit also appeared unharmed. Lucky break.

Seeing my house made my fatigue melt away instantly.

It had been an intense schedule. Though I’d tried to keep things light, it wasn’t easy.

A journey where the gap between modern and medieval worlds felt so clear.

Not an everyday occurrence, but having something like that happen was quite shocking.

Piles of corpses and bloodstains.

Burnt forests and farmlands.

Even humans cut down by swords.

All heavy things for a world supposed to be about healing and positivity.

I chuckled bitterly as I arrived home.

Between morning and lunchtime,

when the sun was high and the ground was warming up.

The squishy Spirit wriggled free from my arms and bounced around energetically.

Each one sparkled with silvery glimmers as they darted about freely.

After letting them play to their heart’s content, I went inside.

“Welcome back!”

“Hello there.”

Evangelin and Anne greeted me together.

Jack gave a small wave too.

“I’m back.”

Though I wondered why Anne was here, seeing familiar faces waiting for me at home felt much better.

Anne, well, she always seemed to pop up wherever she pleased.

So it didn’t surprise me too much to find her anywhere.

“Did anything happen?”

“Hmm. There was a bit of an incident.”

“Awwwww!”

Jack brimmed with curiosity.

Ah, that’s right. I promised to tell him about the Fairies.

This put me in a bit of a bind.

I couldn’t exactly tell them about the Fairy getting captured.

Or the blood and steel flying everywhere.

Especially not about almost dying after meeting the Fairy King.

“Let me just…”

I chose the Spirits instead.

I gathered the ones playing outside into my hands and brought them inside.

To the one trying to escape, I offered a Shine Muscat grape, which quickly calmed it down as it munched happily.

“Wow!”

“Amazing!”

Two beautiful ladies’ exclamations.

Jack’s enthusiastic gestures.

Adorable Spirits.

Their hands inevitably reached out to pet the squishy Spirits, who quietly enjoyed the attention despite their wobbly nature.

I smiled at the scene.

Why not?

Isn’t there a saying – a picture is worth a thousand words?

Exactly.

Showing the Spirits was more effective than explaining the trip in detail.

Cute, pure,

kind and harmless little beings.

“These have to stay a secret, alright?”

I reminded Jack especially, though his reaction was similar to the two ladies’.

Not that I thought they’d go blabbing anyway.

“Aww…”

“Indeed.”

Anne already wore an enchanted expression, while Evangelin looked slightly mesmerized.

Same as how I felt when I first saw them.

Guess everyone reacts similarly to Spirits.

“Speaking of which, the fruit wine should be ready by now.”

“Huh?”

Anne’s eyes lit up brightly.

It was the 30th day of summer.

The melon and strawberry wines should be perfectly ripened by now.

“Shall we prepare some appetizers?”

Evangelin headed naturally toward the kitchen with a gentle smile.

“Please do. Let’s enjoy a casual drink?”

“I’m in!!”

Should I call her scatterbrained?

Or lively and cheerful?

She hovered precariously between those lines with a cheeky grin, making me smile back involuntarily.

Anne always brought such pleasant joy whenever I saw her.

Heading down to the basement,

I faced the musty smell and checked the contents of the barrels.

Clear green liquid and pink liquid.

Their meanings were obvious, so I transferred them to bottles and returned upstairs.

For now, I only poured out a small amount.

I decided to set aside time later to clean the barrels and add new fruits.

During the short time I was gone, Evangelin had prepared a Caprese salad.

Freshly sliced tomatoes and cheese, topped with basil leaves.

A perfect refreshing accompaniment to our drinks.

“Wow, the colors are so pretty.”

“The aroma is wonderful.”

I carefully poured the fruit wines into the waiting glasses.

One for Anne.

One for me.

“And one for you too.”

Thus, Evangelin received her glass as well.

First, we sampled the melon wine.

The sweet fragrance of melons.

A sophisticated spiciness and subtle vanilla notes danced on the tongue.

Soon, the fine alcohol sensation mingled with a woody aroma.

The sweet scent tickling the nose balanced perfectly with the slight bitterness for a great harmony.

“Ah.”

“Mmm.”

Both ladies savored the aftertaste of the melon wine.

“This is delicious!”

Anne confidently called for a second round, prompting me to pour the strawberry wine this time.

Pink liquid filled the transparent glasses.

We refreshed our palates with the Caprese salad and water.

Evangelin still had some melon wine left, so I poured the strawberry wine into my glass.

A fresh aroma rose.

The clean color looked lovely.

I swirled the glass absentmindedly to catch the scent.

The concentrated aroma of Kingsberry mixed with alcohol.

Sweetness combined with a tangy kick.

“Hyaa!”

Anne was already savoring the strawberry wine, smacking her lips.

She really loves her drinks.

Or perhaps these fruit wines are exceptionally tasty.

I took a sip of the strawberry wine.

Similar sweetness level to the melon wine.

Tanginess.

Fresh aroma with a distinctive wood-aged scent.

The sharp alcohol sensation rising and fading appropriately.

Excellent.

With limited quantity, selling would be difficult.

But this makes for a perfect treat or gift.

“It’s good.”

Evangelin smiled with slightly flushed cheeks.

Her flowing red hair covered her face partially.

Was she sensitive to alcohol?

Her bashful expression showed a hint of intoxication.

“I’ll leave you to relax. I need to get to work. I’ll leave the fruit wine here.”

“Alright.”

“Me too! Can I have more drinks?”

“Sure. Have as much as you want, but don’t overdo it.”

“Okay! Don’t worry!”

Though it was a bit sad to leave right after arriving, I had work to do.

I carried the bouncing Spirits outside one by one.

Jack gave me puppy-dog eyes, so I left one Spirit with him.

It felt wrong to take away his fun of playing with the squishy creature.

Outside, the scorching heat was overwhelming.

The temperature felt desert-level hot.

“Suri, do you want to rest inside?”

“Pii.”

“Alright.”

Unmoving Suri seemed quite comfortable on my shoulder.

Before starting work, I gathered the Spirits together.

“Hey guys.”

Spirits can work.

They did in the game.

Though their appearance and acquisition method were different,

under the broad category of Spirits, wouldn’t the results be similar?

I hoped so.

Uncertain if they understood my words, I explained farming methods enthusiastically just in case.

I demonstrated planting seeds repeatedly.

“Ooh?”

Perhaps due to the effect of the Smart Spirit mod,

the Spirits started mimicking my actions.

Mouths full of seeds.

Diving into the ground with a wiggle to plant the seeds before surfacing.

The movements were slow, but they completed the task admirably.

Not just one, but four – five including the one inside – worked diligently.

The fact they could help reduced my workload significantly, making me smile involuntarily.

Even after checking their work several times, every spot had seeds planted perfectly.

Curious if they could harvest too, I showed them how.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t replicate that part.

Maybe because they were too small?

Still, being able to plant seeds was satisfying enough.

Leaving the Spirits to tend the fields, I moved to the greenhouse.

I planted and harvested melons and Kingsberries.

When I returned from the greenhouse, they had completed about 30-40% of the work.

Their wide eyes gleamed with excitement.

Their smiles never faded.

Thankfully, they didn’t seem to dislike the task.

I worried they might.

Covered in dirt, they rolled around in the earth.

Having these cute work companions was invigorating.

Just their presence was uplifting, but their practical help made it even better.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”

How much can they handle?

For how long?

To figure that out,

I observed them working patiently.

Slow but steady.

Thorough and reliable.

Watching them made me smile unconsciously.

Partly because they were adorable, partly because they were endearing.

So, sitting on the steps,

I watched them work for hours.

I worried they might tire and collapse,

but apparently Spirits lacked the concept of stamina.

They continued their repetitive tasks unwaveringly.

Only stopping momentarily when they ran out of seeds.

When I provided more seeds from my bag,

they happily hopped off to continue working.

In fact, without seeds to plant, they looked disappointed with drooping eyes.

Is working this enjoyable for them?

I stared thoughtfully at the seeds in my hand.

Regardless, I’m glad they’re having fun.

Sitting on the steps, leaning back slightly,

I watched the Spirits work.

The sun dipped toward the horizon.

Darkness began to spread slowly.

Finally, the Spirits stopped working and trotted cheerfully to my side.

Glittering silver trails marked their path as they clung to my legs.

“Good job today. You worked hard.”

Patting them gently, I picked them up.

Do they stop working when the sun sets?

I should check tomorrow.

Thanks to their help, today’s workload exceeded my usual capacity.

Seeing the usual amount naturally filled without my running around made me feel accomplished.

Automation.

Though not perfect, achieving something close brought me great satisfaction.

Carrying the Spirits back inside, the smell of alcohol hit my nose.

“Meelonoo!”

“Anne?”

“Hi? Heeeey… Heeeeey…”

Her vacant gaze turned to Evangelin questioningly.

The look clearly asking “Why is she like this?”

“She kept drinking because the wine tasted so good…”

“Oh.”

“She ended up completely drunk.”

“You should’ve tried to stop her.”

“Mr. Minho, she was drinking quietly until you came back.”

Looking at Anne now,

Her flushed cheeks.

Faster breathing.

Loose focus.

Clearly intoxicated.

“I’m not druunk!”

“Drunk people usually say that.”

“Nooo way!”

Her speech was slurred.

Anne’s alcohol-laden antics showed her tongue-tied state.

Evangelin only had slightly pink cheeks.

Thankfully.

If she were drunk too,

my headache would’ve been worse.

“Would you like dinner now?”

“We should deal with her first.”

Anne, who had been mumbling loudly, wobbled suddenly and face-planted onto the table, seemingly unconscious.

Better than causing trouble while drunk, but

now I had a problematic lump to deal with.

“I’ll carry her to bed then.”

“Yes. I’ll prepare dinner right away.”

Skipping lunch while watching the Spirits probably made me extra hungry.

After enjoying dinner prepared by Evangelin and seeing her off,

Jack left with a bright smile, promising to return tomorrow.

Now only the blonde troublemaker passed out cold remained in the house.

“Wake up. You need to go home.”

Whispering into Anne’s ear.

Not expecting her to wake up, but felt obligated to say it.

“Eh…? Am I dreaming…”

“Hmm?”

“Minho… Hi…”

Definitely drunk.

Seeing her beam happily at me in bed made my resolve weaken.

Guess looks do matter sometimes.

“Hug me please.”

“Hmm?”

With arms open and eyes closed,

Anne awaited my embrace like a child.

Giving in to her childish whining,

though pretending to resist.

“Am I dreaming…”

Her actual behavior was just as childlike.

“Sleep tight…”

Actually, everything she did resembled a child’s actions.

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