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When I first faced the highest-level spirits, I didn’t feel particularly overwhelmed. Certainly, if we looked at it objectively, their energy was strong enough to rival that of high-ranking demonic races, but I could handle that easily.

However, the energy emanating from the Spirit Kings was different. It was a power that, even I as a mere human, could never hope to challenge. They were nature itself, and nature was them.

“The young ones these days have no manners. Or has the etiquette of the continent changed while I wasn’t looking?”

The old man, sitting in a chair and leaning on his staff, spoke. Everything about him—his appearance, voice, and words—was that of an old man, yet I couldn’t bring myself to believe he was truly elderly. After all, it would be ridiculous to take the physical form of a spirit, which could easily be altered, at face value.

“As you already know, I am Lindy of the Elf Tribe.”

“And I am Elysia, working under the Goddess Serena with her sword.”

But what could we do? Here, they were the ones in power, and we were absolutely at their mercy. It wasn’t just a matter of strength; we needed to persuade them to lift Lindy’s restrictions, requiring us to keep them in good spirits.

“Ah, so you are this generation’s hero. You certainly look as impressive as I’ve heard.”

Instead of the old man who had spoken first, a woman sitting at a distance, swinging her legs from the railing, received our greetings. Since she was playing with a water droplet the size of a fist while speaking, she must be the Spirit Queen of Water.

At first glance, she didn’t seem much older than me, but like the previous old man, her true age was likely incalculable.

“Clarice, if you are also a Spirit Queen, then maintain your dignity.”

The man seated in the center pointed out solemnly at the playful woman. Still, Clarice, living up to her name, continued to play with the droplet, completely ignoring him.

Then she suddenly flicked the droplet towards me.

Surprised by this sudden pass, I reached out to catch it, but how could I possibly handle a droplet like a marble? The moment it touched my hand, unlike in Clarice’s hand, it instantly fell apart and slipped through my fingers.

“You all must find this place boring, right? But please understand, they are all such old fogies that they’re painfully conservative. Ah, if only Flora were here, things wouldn’t be so dull.”

Seeing my flustered state seemed to amuse Clarice, and soon she called out someone’s name with longing.

“Speaking of which, I don’t see Goddess Flora around.”

“Really? Didn’t you hear from Silphy on your way here?”

“No, nothing….”

From what I recalled studying at the Academy, Flora was definitely the name of the Spirit Queen of Wind. This meant that the old man and the man sitting in the center were respectively the Spirit Kings of Fire and Earth.

“Ah, right. It must be hard to talk casually about their king. He’s such a good boy, after all.”

Clarice hopped down from the railing, clicking her heels as she crossed over to pull out a chair from the table where the other two were seated.

“It’s nothing serious; it’s just that the wanderlust in him kicked in, and he’s off touring the Spirit Realm. So, this means I can cast two votes, one for Flora too.”

This meant that persuading Clarice alone would secure at least half of the votes. Furthermore, if I could persuade even one more Spirit King, I could easily lift Lindy’s restrictions. Fortunately, Clarice seemed to have a favorable disposition toward us.

“Clarice, if it’s alright, could you… lift Lindy’s restrictions?”

“Wait! I understand your desperation, but you must draw a line between public and private matters. For now, you should go back and rest. There are plenty of rooms, so feel free to use any you like.”

But perhaps I was too hasty. Although Clarice was still smiling at us, she was definitively setting boundaries. I felt a bit disappointed, but since she was right, I couldn’t be stubborn about it.

“Yes… I’m sorry for only talking about our situation.”

“No, no. There’s no need to apologize. Just take a good rest. We only just heard the story from Lunia, so we should talk among ourselves too.”

Lindy and I were gently shoved out the door by her. Well, what more could we do? Instead of doing something unnecessary, we took Clarice’s advice, claimed a suitable room from among the palace’s surplus, and laid down on the bed.

Laying on the bed, I started to doze off. It seemed I hadn’t properly rested last night in the cramped room, as drowsiness soon overcame me. With nothing else to do, I let my body succumb to sleep, hoping for the best with the situation.

*

Knock knock

“Elysia?”

“Uh…?”

Suddenly woken by a loud noise, I opened my eyes to find the sound of someone knocking on the door and Lindy calling me mixed together.

“Wait! Just a moment!”

I hurriedly got off the bed and opened the door.

“What’s up? I ain’t mad that you woke me, right?”

“No, not at all. Don’t worry about it. I didn’t really sleep well; I just dozed off for a bit. So, what’s going on?”

Although I had unknowingly fallen asleep, I didn’t feel particularly tired.

“Is it really necessary for something to happen between you and Elysia? Since you probably haven’t eaten yet, I thought I’d come by to share some food.”

Sure enough, Lindy had a few fruits in her hands. It seemed that since there were extra rooms in the palace, there wasn’t anyone like a chef available. It seemed that Lindy had likely gone out to procure those fruits herself.

“Now that I think about it, it feels like it’s been a while, but I’m not really hungry?”

But as much as I appreciated Lindy’s effort, I didn’t feel any hunger for some reason. Of course, I could eat if I wanted, but it felt unnecessary.

“It’s because we’re in the Spirit Realm. Unlike the Material Realm, this place is filled with energy, so simply breathing here is enough energy to substitute for meals. But since we’re not spirits, it wouldn’t be healthy to skip meals altogether.”

Lindy placed the fruits she held on the empty table. Meanwhile, I got out of bed, pulled out a chair for Lindy, and sat down across from her.

Considering that the fruits were obtained in the Spirit Realm, they were definitely unlike anything I had seen before.

“Don’t worry; there’s nothing toxic. Of course, I can’t guarantee the taste, though….”

As if to demonstrate, Lindy picked one of the fruits and chomped down on it. I followed suit, picking a fruit that seemed reasonably interesting in flavor and popped it into my mouth.

It felt a bit odd to substitute a meal with fruit, but I wasn’t actually hungry, so I thought of it as a snack.

“So… how do you think it will turn out?”

“Uh? What’s that about?”

“About your restrictions. Isn’t the whole point of coming here to lift your restrictions? You haven’t forgotten that, have you?”

“Of course not. It’s just that there’s nothing we can do… If I had to quantify it, I’d say the chances are about fifty-fifty?”

Fifty-fifty. Considering Lindy’s strength to lift the restrictions, a fifty-fifty chance seemed reasonable. And frankly speaking, it didn’t matter what the odds were; we were planning to persuade the Spirit Kings one way or another before the restrictions could be lifted.

“Luckily, it’s a good thing that Flora is absent. She’s far too free-spirited, so I wouldn’t know how she’d react. On the other hand, Clarice, as you saw earlier, is generally friendly to other races.”

“But earlier Clarice said to differentiate between public and private matters….”

“Ah, that? She probably just said it for formality. Clarice always talks that way, but she tends to take good care of those she likes.”

Knock knock

While eating half of the fruit, I heard someone knock on the door. Curiously wondering who our visitor was, I opened the door to find someone I hadn’t anticipated.

“Clarice?”

“I came to hang out. It’s been a while since guests came to the Spirit Realm, so I can’t just send you away.”

Clarice held a bottle in her hand. She promptly shook it to show us what it contained.

“I don’t have anything specific to offer, but one of my underlings who went to the human realm recently started brewing alcohol. I brought this back because it seemed decent.”

Alcohol from a spirit? I couldn’t quite wrap my head around that. However, I could definitely say one thing: that alcohol would not taste bad.

After all, the fruits Lindy brought were all far better than any fruit I had ever tasted before. Judging by the color of the liquid in the bottle, it seemed like fruit wine. There was no way a drink made from such delicious fruits could taste bad.

I always welcomed delicious things, but the fact that it was alcohol made me hesitate. My only experience with drinking had been back in the Academy, when I was tricked by Lindy into having some, and I had gotten so drunk that I couldn’t even remember what happened.

But would it be okay this time? Back then, I didn’t even know I was drinking; it was no wonder I lost control. However, now that I was aware, I could just stop before I got too tipsy. Plus, I was older and more physically developed now, so I wouldn’t get drunk as easily as back then.

That being said, I didn’t think I had a bad drinking habit, especially since my friends back then didn’t seem bothered by my behavior.

“Welcome, Clarice.”

I extended my hand toward Clarice as a welcome gesture.

Yes. This is actually a good opportunity. Lindy said Clarice would definitely support us, but it was still good to confirm. Who knows? She might even persuade the other two Spirit Kings on our behalf.