Chapter 26: The Song of the Spirit

"At that moment, the forest fairy spoke to me, you see. She said, 'Come this way.' When I touched the stump, drawn in by her invitation, the world was suddenly wrapped in a swirl of colorful lights—"

"...Yeah, this is bad."

I’d come to see a doctor after experiencing sudden hallucinations, auditory delusions, and visual distortions. Dr. Sakura, the female physician, averted her gaze and shook her head.

Apparently, I was beyond help.

"Hey, what thes hell’s wrong with Irine?"

"Hmm. Maybe she had a migraine and started hallucinating, or maybe she ate some weird mushrooms. Either way, we need to head back to the city and get her checked properly."

"Can’t you treat her here?"

"I told you before, didn’t I? I specialize in trauma."

Seems like I’ve ended up looking like a total basket case. Can’t really blame them—I’d think the same thing too.

But the truth is...

Come this way...

Even now, that fairy is standing right in front of me, waving me over.

Huh. Maybe I’m just tired.

"Irine, can you tell me your name? Do you know where you are?"

"I'm fine on that front. ...Though I am a little concerned about how that fairy over there is still calling me over."

"Yeah, that doesn’t sound all that fine. You didn’t hit your head or anything, did you?"

I don’t think I did.

"...So, Dr. Sakura, you really don’t see anything over there?"

"I don’t. You’re pointing at a tree stump, Irine."

"She's standing on the stump. Hm..."

How do I make this fairy go away?

The forest glows like it’s wrapped in a veil of light, strange voices echo in the distance, and my head feels like it’s going to split. No—maybe it already has.

"..."

The fairy kept gesturing at me, and then pointed beyond the stump I was staring at.

Maybe she was trying to say something’s over there.

"...Alright. I think I’ll try following the fairy’s lead for a bit."

"What? Wait, what are you planning to do, Irine?"

"I’m going to go where she’s pointing. There might actually be something there."

It’s not good to immediately write it off as some delusion. I can at least investigate the place she’s indicating once.

Even if it is just my imagination, it’s not like it’ll cause any harm.

"The fairy’s guiding me this way."

"Wait—don’t move too much! You’re seriously not okay right now!"

"I’m fully aware of that. But still—"

Rationally, I can understand that this is all just some hallucination.

But when I can see her this clearly, it’s hard to believe the fairy isn’t trying to show me something important.

"This way, this way."

"There’s no path over there..."

"Even so, I must go this way."

As I began walking in the direction the fairy pointed, she started to sing in a voice full of delight.

The melody was familiar somehow, and with it, the fairy floated ahead, swaying as she led me onward.

"Irine! Hey—stop for a second! Where do you think you’re going?"

"I don’t know..."

"Is this safe? Karl, should we stop her? Even knock her out if we have to?"

"...Yeah. Irine’s totally lost it."

I followed the fairy, my steps unsteady and slow.

Seeing me like that, the others hurried after me with worry written all over their faces.

"...Sorry, Irine. Just calm down, alright?"

"I am calm. ...Oh, the fairy stopped."

"You don’t look calm at all. Sorry—I'll apologize later, but just take a nap for a bit—"

Karl, apparently trying to restrain me, reached out with a long arm.

Hey now, I’m fine.

"...Ah! There—there it is!"

"Huh?"

Just as Karl grabbed hold of me in concern, I finally reached the place the fairy had been pointing to—

"Ukyuu..."

"..."

There, lying unconscious, was a little girl with blue hair, completely passed out—face down on the ground.

"Hey—are you alright?"

"...Huh!?"

She was definitely the one we were looking for. As Sakura and I rushed over and called out to her, she stirred almost immediately—her sleep must’ve been light.

"Eh? Eh? Where...where am I?"

"It’s okay, don’t be scared. You’re safe now."

The girl sat up and blinked rapidly, her face a mixture of confusion and fear.

She looked to be about the same age as my little sister—Ilia. Wearing clothes styled like a noble’s, she glared at us warily once she realized we were there.

"There really was something where Irine said, huh."

"...Was it just coincidence?"

"That doesn’t matter right now."

I gently nudged a confused-looking Karl aside and crouched down to speak softly to the girl.

"Young lady. Please don’t worry—we’re adventurers gathering Yowin Oak."

"Adventurers..."

"That’s right. If you wouldn’t mind, could you tell us your name?"

From her perspective, this must be terrifying. Alone in the deep forest, surrounded by strangers.

If we panic, she’ll get even more anxious.

At times like this, the best thing to do is introduce yourself right away and put them at ease.

"...That’s a secret. I don’t have to tell my name to some commoners."

"Oh my. In that case, please rest assured—I’m a noble myself. Irine von Welmund, at your service."

"Liar. There’s no way someone from the prestigious Welmund family would be an adventurer."

Oof, she didn’t buy it.

Well, fair. Given my family status, being an adventurer does seem odd.

"There are circumstances, you see. I’ll explain on the way back to Yowin."

"...I don’t trust you."

"Hmm... If we return to the inn, I could show you an item bearing my family crest."

She stared at me, glaring.

That wariness of hers reminded me of Lev when we first met.

"...Let me handle this."

"You think you can get through to her, Lev?"

"...Yeah."

Maybe she felt some kind of connection.

With a confident look, Lev signaled for me to step back.

"Alone, deep in the forest... I understand exactly how she feels."

"Lev..."

Yeah. She must’ve gone through something similar when she first met Karl.

More than me, she might be able to truly relate to this girl.

Alright—I’ll leave it to you. I believe in you, Lev.

“……”

“……”

Lev-chan knelt down in front of the squatting little girl.

They sat face to face, directly across from one another.

“……?”

“…………”

Several seconds passed in silence.

Lev stared at the girl with a serious expression. The girl, in turn, looked back with a confused one.

A strange tension hung in the air.

“……!”

“……!?”

Suddenly, the little girl twitched. As if reacting to that, Lev-chan’s eyes widened and she flinched backward.

“……! ……!”

“……!?”

The blue-clad girl began to tremble slightly, letting out odd hiccuping sounds—“Hic… hic…”—in a strange voice.

The bizarre and inexplicable behavior ended up confusing Lev-chan more than anything else.

“Hic… hic…”

“Eh, eh…? What is this…?”

“Hic…”

In the middle of their stare-down, the girl’s hiccups continued at regular intervals.

Apparently, Lev-chan’s composure couldn’t withstand the mystery any longer.

“Eek… eeeek…”

She scrambled away from the girl and hid behind Karl’s back.

It seemed the plan had failed.

“Hic… hic…”

“W-What the heck…? What is that girl doing…?”

“No, Lev-chan…”

Even after Lev had left, the girl kept twitching every few seconds.

Watching from the sidelines, I could tell. It was unmistakable…

“She’s… just hiccuping. Hic…”

“Lev…”

Well, clearly, it was just a case of nerves bringing on a bout of hiccups.

“Guess we shouldn’t expect Lev to handle communication, huh…”

“…Auu.”

I thought maybe they’d get along, being small and animal-like in the same way, but it seems that was a mistake.

“…I appreciate you waking me up, but I can get back on my own. Just leave me alone.”

“Muu, how stubborn.”

After that, we tried everything we could to talk to her, but the girl remained completely on guard.

“There are scary monsters on the way back, you know?”

“I’m a mage. I’m not scared at all.”

“But hey, you were passed out earlier, weren’t you? If you’d been attacked like that, you’d be dead.”

“I told you already, I’m grateful you woke me up. But I don’t want anything more to do with you.”

No matter what we said, she absolutely refused to come with us. Clearly, something was going on in her mind.

“That said, the way back to town is the same for all of us, right? For safety’s sake, it’s better we go together.”

“I’ve still got something to do. If you’re going back, just go on ahead.”

“That’s not an option. What is it you have to do, anyway?”

“I’m not telling. It’s none of your business.”

This was going nowhere.

At this rate, we might have no choice but to knock her out with magic and carry her back to town. If we left her here, she could very well die. Her intentions mattered, but this was a situation where human life had to take priority.

“You need to stop this already. This isn’t a playground. Didn’t your parents teach you not to go wandering into places like this?”

“…They did. But I have something I need to do right now!”

“Whatever it is, come back with your parents. Letting you roam the forest alone is out of the question.”

“Shut up, shut up! This has nothing to do with you!”

Sakura’s tone began to harden as she kept trying to reason with her. This was a dangerous forest where lives could be lost. Even though Carl was protecting us, we were still taking risks by being here.

No one wanted to waste time just because of a stubborn little girl.

“Well, maybe we’re out of options. Should we knock her out and carry her, Karl?”

“…You’re really gonna hit a kid that small?”

Maika brought up the last resort I’d also been considering.

It was rough, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Don’t either of you know a spell that can knock someone out? Irine, Sakura?”

“I’m afraid I don’t.”

“…I do know one that can make someone a little drowsy, but with how worked up she is, I doubt it would work.”

“Hmmm…”

Now the question was—how exactly do we knock her out────

“Shut up! You think I’ll let you do that!?”

“Gwah!!”

A scream rang out through the forest. When we turned to look, Sakura was lying flat on her back.

Apparently, the girl sensed our threatening mood and launched Sakura, who had been standing right in front of her.

…What the hell did that kid just do?

“Uugh… my stomach, my stomach…”

“Sakura-san, are you alright!?”

“Don’t come near me!!”

As Irine rushed toward the crouching Sakura, the girl fired a glowing orb at me without hesitation.

An unchanted offensive spell? Just as I widened my eyes at the unexpected move, the fist-sized magic projectile flew straight for my face.

“Ow…! What do you think you’re doing!?”

“You, you, you!!”

I didn’t have time to block with my arms, so I took the hit on my forehead and neutralized it. Yep. That hurt.

But it wasn’t anything unbearable. At worst, it was like getting punched by a thug. I could handle this level of damage.

“Irine!”

“I’m fine!”

Even after hitting me directly, the girl kept firing spells one after another. Sure, they only hit like punches, but if one struck a vital spot, it could definitely knock someone out.

I deflected the ball of light with my fist and barely managed to hold out.

After all, Sakura had already taken a hit to the solar plexus and been knocked out. If I didn’t guard properly, I’d be next.

“Magical tool—?”

But something didn’t add up. A girl that young, firing off offensive spells one after another without chanting? That’s not normal. I focused on how she was casting, and sure enough, it looked like the magic was being fired from the sphere in her hand.

Probably a high-grade magical device from Youin.

“Restrain the girl!”

“On it!”

There was no way I had the luxury to chant right now. I was doing everything I could just to stay alive.

While I bought us time, I’d leave it to Karl to take her down.

She’s gone a little too far. We’ll have to make her reflect on that.

“...You shouldn’t underestimate the power of this security device, nano.”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the barrage of magic stopped.

When I looked up, the girl—who Karl had been rushing toward—threw the magical tool at him. The moment it left her hand, she turned her back to it, covered her ears, and crouched down.

“Flash Burst!!”

“Gyaaa!!?”

Her bizarre behavior sent a chill down my spine. Acting on instinct, I shut my eyes and covered my ears.

I knew exactly the kind of modern weapon used that way.

—Light flooded the forest.

At the same time, a piercing keeeeeeeennn rang through the trees.

Birds that had been perched on the branches flopped limply to the ground.

“...Ugh. So that really was…”

A stun grenade… So they have those in this world too. Though unlike in my world, sound-based attacks seem to be actually harmful here.

Even with my ears covered, I was left dizzy. My eardrums might be shot. Everyone else is probably worse.

“...Ah.”

Naturally, Karl, who’d taken the blast point-blank, looked completely out of commission.

Once my vision cleared and I scanned the area, I saw Karl collapsed right where he’d been lunging at the girl, unconscious in mid-pounce.

And the girl herself was nowhere to be seen. She must’ve used the moment of blindness to slip away.

“What the hell was that kid carrying...? Ugh, my head’s spinning.”

“Maika-san! You’re alright!?”

“Eh, sorry, I can’t hear you too well. My ears are still ringing.”

I turned toward the voice and, to my surprise, Maika was still standing, totally unfazed.

She was scratching her ear, so she probably wasn’t unscathed, but at least she hadn’t passed out. On the other hand, the others—Sakura and Lev-chan—had both collapsed like Karl.

...Takes out three people instantly, huh? That thing’s way stronger than any stun grenade I’ve ever seen. Probably not just sound waves—some kind of magic was likely mixed in.

Also, I think I finally understand why that blue-haired girl was unconscious earlier. She definitely blew herself up with it.

“Maika-san, are you hurt? It’s a miracle you’re still standing.”

“Ah—yeah, I can hear better now. I saw that kid and Irine both cover their ears, so I just copied them. Figured it had to mean something.”

“That was a brilliant decision. I copied her too, when I saw her cover her ears.”

“Hmm, I see.”

So the rumors about her having good situational awareness were true. Thanks to her, we avoided a total party wipe.

Seriously, I don’t want to be the only one left standing in this mess.

“...Anyway. Irine, you don’t know any magic to wake the others up, do you?”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s nothing to apologize for.”

Now then, we’ve got to treat the ones who got knocked out... but honestly, I’ve got no idea how.

The only magic I’ve learned is the flashy boom-and-bang type. Sorry about that.

“More importantly, if we don’t act, we’ll lose track of that girl again. Maika-san, I’ll keep watch over the others—can I leave the pursuit to you?”

“...Hmm. Let me think.”

For now, I’ll gather our unconscious teammates and stand guard over them.

Maika needs to go after that kid as soon as possible.

“No, maybe this is a good place to call it. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things.”

“Huh?”

But instead of chasing after the girl, Maika let out a sigh and walked over to the fallen Karl.

...Wait, what?

“Let’s just give up on that girl. If she’s carrying that kind of dangerous equipment, who knows what she’ll pull out next.”

“Maika...san?”

“If we get tangled up in this and end up dead, it’s all over. Even if the prophecy says that girl’s going to die... then maybe that’s just fate.”

Maika rested Karl’s head on her lap and spoke as if she’d already decided to abandon the girl.

“N-No way! We finally found her while she’s still alive—!”

“And you’d risk everyone here just to chase after her? Do you even realize we’re screwed if monsters attack us now?”

“I-I’ll fight them off!”

“You’re in the rear guard. You really think you can defend everyone and fight at the same time? And even if I did catch her, there’s no guarantee I’d stay conscious after her next surprise move.”

"...But if we do that, then she—"

"We did everything we could. But any more than this, and we'd be putting the rest of the team in danger... No, it's already happened. I can't support getting involved with that girl any further."

Maika wasn't wrong.

That girl had a hidden weapon we hadn’t accounted for. That much was true.

"......"

Yeah, but still—

"So we’re just going to abandon her?"

"Irine, the world you lived in and this one aren’t the same. That naive, noble-born ideal of ‘save whoever you can’ doesn’t cut it out here. Not if you want to survive as an adventurer."

Then what about that girl—who looked to be around the same age as my little sister?

"You put yourself and your companions first. Everything else comes after. You understand that, don’t you, Irine?"

"......"

"And we did reach out to her. She’s the one who slapped our hand away."

Just like in Yuri’s prophecy... is she really going to die?

"......"

"I'm sorry. I get why you’re angry. I know it makes me sound heartless."

"...That’s not what I—"

I couldn’t stand it.

I couldn’t stand seeing a life I could save right in front of me... and doing nothing.

But—

"To me, Karl is more important than that girl."

Maika’s words were right. And I understood them. I did.

———

...This way, this way.

A voice echoed in my head.

At the end of a rushing stream of light, a small humanoid being beckoned me forward.

"The fairy... she's waving to us over there."

"Huh? You can still see it?"

"Yes."

It danced as if carried by the wind, swaying gently from side to side, but its eyes stayed locked on me.

As if to chastise me for even considering leaving that girl behind, the fairy began to sing.

———

...The dusk gown already stripped away.

...The little lamb, summoned to the heavens.

...Poor thing, poor thing, come this way quickly.

———

It was a strange song—faintly nostalgic, reverent, and terribly sad.

"Yes... the fairy is speaking to me. She’s telling me to go after that girl."

"H-Hey?! Don’t just wander off again! I can’t handle these monsters by myself, you know?!"

"I know. I do know."

What could be so sad? What was calling so desperately?

I couldn’t afford to leave this place. Maika was right. I was the only one still conscious and able to fight. If I left, Karl and the others would be monster food.

———

...This way, this way.

———

But ever since I heard that strange song, I couldn't take my eyes off the fairy.

"Irine?"

"......"

I had to go. If I didn’t follow her, I knew I’d regret it.

That thought clung to me like a curse, and before I knew it, I was already taking a step toward the fairy, drawn in without realizing.