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Volume 6 Chapter 1

Volume 6 Chapter 1: A Conversation in the Spirit Realm

—Please, save the life of the princess, who is being consumed by illness.

In a guest room prepared for those staying in the Spirit Realm, I heard those words from Parum—the head of the Spirit Guild.

「What do you mean by that?」

That was the first thing I asked in return.

Parum, wearing a grave expression, nodded slightly before speaking.

「The princess is currently afflicted by a rare and serious illness. Normally, she would need treatment immediately.」

「I see… treatment, huh?」

As I nodded with a hand on my chin, a voice chimed in:

「If Parum is saying that, then it means there’s something we can do to help, right?」

That came from the Carbuncle sitting on my shoulder – Daisy, the Alchemy Hero.

「Yes, that’s exactly right.」

Listening to the exchange, I thought to myself.

…It’s hard to imagine how a carrier like me could be of use in treating an illness…

But since they called it a rare disease, perhaps it has unique characteristics. Which is why I asked:

「What exactly is this illness?」

「Well—」

Parum was just about to answer when—

「Hey, Parum. What are you doing getting ahead of yourself and talking like that?」

From the entrance to the room—still open since Parum came in—came a voice. Turning toward it, we saw a girl with a staff standing there.

「P-Princess…」

It was Lorie, the Spirit Princess.

「Really, I was coming here to update you on the repairs to the Spirit Path, and you go and drop something like that out of nowhere—you’ll just end up surprising them.」

Lorie let out a slightly exasperated sigh as she spoke to Parum.

「S-Sorry. I just thought that now, with Ouroboros defeated, was the perfect opportunity.」

「That may be true, but Axel and the others have their own circumstances too. The sealing of the Spirit Path is a big deal, you know.」

Indeed. Although we’d defeated Ouroboros, the Spirit Realm had suffered significant damage. The path to the Human Realm was no longer accessible as a result.

So, for now, the people of the Spirit Realm were working on repairs and recovery. Occasionally, Lorie would contact us with updates.

「The restoration is going well so far. Still, it’ll take some time.」

「Thanks for keeping us updated, Lorie. …But more importantly, I just heard something far more serious. Can you tell us about it—about your life being in danger?」

Repairs to the Spirit Path were important, but the other matter seemed far more pressing. When I asked Lorie directly, she let out a small sigh.

「Well, it’s not really something I’m trying to hide. I can tell you about it.」

But after saying that, she glanced around the room.

「Still, this isn’t the best place for it. There’s a soundproofing spell, but it’s not that strong. And even though it’s not exactly a secret, I don’t want the whole place listening on us for no reason.」

She had a point. This guest room faced a major corridor.

It wasn’t particularly crowded, but I could understand the concern.

「Then let’s change locations.」

「Yes. Let’s go to my room. It’s secure.」

「Got it. …Though, now that I think about it, where exactly is your room?」

Since arriving in the Spirit Realm, I hadn’t visited Lorie’s quarters. When I asked, she nodded.

「Right. I’ll lead the way—or rather, I’ll create the path.」

「The path?」

「Yes. —Parum, open that window over there, would you?」

「Y-Yes.」

At Lorie’s request, Parum opened the large window at the back of the guest room.

A breeze drifted in.

Staring out the open window, Lorie spoke:

「Construct: Autonomous Magical Pathway.」

At the same time, she tapped her staff lightly on the floor. In an instant—

*Shwin*

A line of light shot out from under Lorie’s feet.

The line extended outside the window, spiraling upward in a gentle curve.

Seeing that, Daisy spoke from my shoulder:

「This is made of magical energy. It’s a magical materialization spell, but different in principle from Alchemy.」

「Exactly. As Daisy said, it’s a path created from magic that automatically carries you to a set location within the city. Like this.」

Lorie tapped her staff again.

Her body began to move smoothly along the path of light—not walking, but rather being moved by the road itself.

She came to a stop near us.

「See?.」

「Ooh, that’s pretty interesting.」

It felt like a very different kind of spell compared to movement-type enchantments.

「Seems really practical.」

「Yes. It’s very convenient. There are some conditions to activate it, though. Anyway, hop on.」

「Alright. I’ll take you up on that.」

I stepped onto the glowing path.

There was a strange sense of floating at first, but it quickly provided resistance, stabilizing my balance.

Probably some kind of support to keep passengers from falling. Very practical.

「Alright, let’s go. To my room.」

Lorie tapped the path with her staff.

With that alone, our bodies began to move—carried along behind her small back.

And so, following the path of light we moved towards the upper floors of the palace.