The next day was also sunny, the dry sea breeze blowing briskly through. We didn’t have much trouble getting to Kupuka because we came using the magic transfer circle, but if you normally come from the royal capital, it’s a very remote place. That’s why, the sea is so beautiful, and there’s also a wide beach in the shape of a beautiful crescent moon. The seawater is very clear and lovely.
Today, I’m going to work with Captain Nikhil, Vice Captain Berkin, and Johansson, my senior purifier. Ten of the dozens of soldiers from Elementia arrived to guard the cave entrance. Two separate people from the magic division are with them, and the rest of us have to patrol the territory, inspect it, along with many other things that must be done. The division commander of the 3rd division came to support the expedition, and the Earl’s house side has been left to him.
I was given a light stone instead of a torch (if you pass your magic power through it, it can be used as a lamp). But the inside of the cave is covered with glowing moss, so there seems to be no need for light.
The first floor was full of various medicinal plants and herbs, just as the people had said. At first glance, it didn’t look like anything horrible had been left behind.
“Johansson, Fiaragent, I need a purification.”
We both nodded at the captain’s words.
The smelled a very pleasant herbal scent and felt and a breeze flowing from somewhere.
Oh, but there is a faint smell of blood seeping in here too.
It was painful.
It was scary.
It hurt.
I didn’t want to die…
The blackness of agony
—The pain, the sorrow, the heartache, everything.
And it dissolved into the earth and became the atmosphere that protects our loved ones—
I didn’t notice it, but it seems there were glittering lights dancing around me, like the gold ripples in my eyes.
The next floor had fruit trees growing on it, then a cave of beautiful crystals and minerals, then a water source. Strangely enough, a waterfall cascaded down and a stream flowed through it. The last 5th basement floor had an altar.
It is said that the guardian god of Elementia is Noyer, the older brother of the twin brother and sister gods who created this world.
Noyer challenged his sister Zecheyer to a battle, and after winning the battle, he created a man with flesh and blood from his right arm and laid him to rest on this earth. It is said that his descendants are the royalty we know today.
There is nothing on the altar, in Elementia, we don’t worship idols. They give thanks to the earth for their daily bread. He says it is because Lord Noyer refused to worship himself and told everyone to give thanks to the earth.
At the altar, the four of us said a prayer of thanksgiving to the earth.
“Alright, now we’ve done what we have to do. Let’s go home.”
The captain calls out to the second-in-command.
“Yes, I’m glad it’s all over, we were able to move as instructed by the general division commander.”
The second-in-command breathed a sigh of relief as well, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Johansson and I looked at each other and laughed, happy to be going home.
We followed the same path back to the cave and made it out of there without incident.
I don’t know what it is, but it took less than an hour to get out of the cave, and when we did, it was the evening of the third day. The people who were waiting for us were happy to see us, and everyone was happy to see that we were safe.
So it made sense that I was very hungry on the way out. For some reason, I was troubled on the way home, my stomach was growling, and the captains were laughing hysterically. On the way, to the orchard floor, the four of us munched on a piece of fruit as it rolled to our feet as if to tell us to eat it. The fruit, which resembled a peach, was meltingly sweet and smelled so good that it filled my whole body with energy. I would have brought one home to Zak if I could have…
“We’ll leave some officials and soldiers in Kupuka to rebuild and prepare to retreat.”
“Hmm?”
Speaking of which, I had put my hand in my pocket to return the halo stone, when something other than the stone struck my hand, which made me confused. I probed with my fingers.
When I took it out, I found a key.
It was a small, small gold key.
When I looked closely at it, I could see that it was inscribed with an ancient language that looked like a fine pattern.
“Wow! That’s what this is, isn’t it!? Something ancient!”
I felt sick, it was unknowingly blinding my eyes alone.
Then I quietly put it back in my pocket and pretended it hadn’t happened.
Because wouldn’t it be bad if people thought I’d taken it without permission?
Let’s give it to Zak when we get home. Yeah, that’s a good idea.
***
On the way back, the Dairoku set up a temporary Grand Transition Gate at Earl Eznoa’s estate and connected it to the Grand Transition Gate of the royal castle, so a large number of people could quickly move at once. It was connected to the Grand Transition Gate, which was fixedly built in the lower courtyard where the castle’s knight’s pavilion was located.
With the voice of the first expeditionary unit commander saying “dismissal”, everyone was going to go back to their respective homeward destinations while chatting excitedly. Some were returning to the Magic Division’s dormitory, others were returning to their mansions and townhouses in the royal capital.
Those who wait for the carriage of the pick-up house leave the vanguard building and walk to the carriage stop built beyond it.
Those who commute on their own horses go to the stables.
As the carriages with family crests lined up at the carriage stop, I found a certain family carriage and ran to it. It was Filgred.
“Thank you for your hard work, Miss.”
“Thank you for welcoming me. I can’t wait to get home.”
“Yes, please get on. Everyone has been waiting for the young lady’s return.”
He opened the carriage door and urged me to go inside with his hand.
I saw the look on Filgred’s face, and I could sense the tension in my own mind melting away.
Returning to the mansion, I called out here and there, “I’m back!” and then told Silk that I would be eating dinner away today, and then I took a bath and went to the dining room, where a hot, steamy meal was prepared for me.
“Oh, that’s a hamburger steak. The chef is amazing. I can’t believe you made it just from me describing it…”
Minced meat is made by finely chopping with a knife, chopped onion and starch from potatoes, seasoning made from herbs, and an egg to hold it together. When I told him verbally that I wanted something like this, he made it for me.
“Mmmm, they put a fried egg on it. Yum!”
This is what I call a hamburger without breadcrumbs. I wanted to eat it because it was the strongest remaining memory from my previous life. We didn’t have hamburger steaks in Elementia, so I told the head chef that I wanted to eat it. When I cut it into pieces with my fork, fat and juices poured out of the inside, and when I put it in my mouth, the taste of meat hit me, but the meat was tender and tasty.
I ate it while talking to myself.
As for my work, I got five days off for this job, so I can relax.
Frosty had told me that Zak would be late today, so I was waiting for him to come home.
The gold key that was in my pocket was unfortunately still in there when I got home, so I left it on the table.
Hmmm, hurry up and let me get my refill of Zak—
I was just about to close my eyes, when I felt the sign of Zak’s presence.
“…Fii, I’m here!”
Zak is kneeling beside the couch, looking at me.
“Welcome home, I’ve been waiting for you. Hmm?”
I pull Zak’s hand and sit on the couch with him.
“Zak, are you tired? Let me see.”
It looked like he wasn’t feeling well, so I entwined Zak’s hands in mine, squeezed them, and gently sent him my magical power. Zak who received it, sent his own magical power to me this time. The two of us circulated the magical power.
Perhaps he overworked his magical power. I can feel a slight mixture of stagnation, which was almost nonexistent, mixed in.
Oh, perhaps he had been surrounding me with his magic power all along, protecting me. From such a distance…
It felt like it. Then, to my relief, I leaned back against Zak’s chest, and seemed to have fallen asleep, drooling a little.
The next day, I woke up in my bed.
Then, Zak later hit me with with a certain sentence.
“Fii is going to have to learn to sleep with her mouth closed.”
“…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
T/N: Lmao, I guess Fii is a drooler
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