Chapter 62 Interlude Twenty – The Prison Of Hot Sand, Xii
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Ah!? Oh, the orb!!”
Valeria’s cry echoed through the hall.
The four orbs she took out of the leather bag were red, blue, yellow, and white. Among them, the blue orb had shattered beautifully. It was no wonder, as they had been swung around by people with Evold’s power.
”With my current abilities, I can’t repair this right away. Is it really okay with this?”
Valeria, in the form of a glass snake, anxiously moved her head back and forth, looking at the orb and Satou-san.
”What if we stick it together with rice grains?”
”No, that won’t work! Please don’t mix impurities!”
Rice orbs won’t do. Well, we’ll figure something out. Satou-san (the lockpicker) remained calm.
”It’s okay. I should be able to create it with my gift. I knew it the moment I saw it.”
So, when I first stood in front of this door, Satou-san declared that I could open it with My (Jibun no) Gift.
However, in the end, we decided to prepare to confront Sendou (the blue magician) and the others without verifying it, as it would be troublesome if they arrived while we were opening the door and unsealing the Spirit Sword. Satou-san must be very confident. As part of the plan, she even suggested destroying the orbs in front of them to make them give up.
”For now, please set the safe orbs.”
Following Satou-san’s instructions, I placed three orbs on the pedestals on either side of the door.
”Are you really sure about this? Besides my magic wave pattern, these orbs are also intricately encrypted with circuits linked to other orbs…”
Valeria still seemed worried, but Satou-san remained calm as she held her left hand over the door. Light gathered in Satou-san’s right hand, forming a round orb.
”Look, it’ll be fine with this.”
”T-This is definitely my magic… I can’t believe it, something like this…”
When Satou-san placed the orb on the remaining pedestal, the door began to open with a heavy sound.
Inside was a large square room with nothing in it, except for a single staircase leading upwards in the back.
”Is this the boss room?”
”Yes. I planned to make this building the last dungeon of the floor. The management area is above this.”
As collecting the orb, the door started closing again. We passed through the empty boss room towards the staircase.
’Master, the title ‘Warrior’ has ranked up to ‘Brave Warrior.’ With the modifier value increasing from +1 to +2, physical abilities have also improved.’
”Oh, it’s finally here! Come to think of it, I feel a bit light-headed. Have I caught up to Evold with this?”
’It’s not quite at the level of Evold yet, but it has definitely surpassed the boundaries of an ordinary person. It’s a Title with strict acquisition conditions, but breaking through expert levels at Level 1 was a big achievement.’
It’s a Title aimed at improving physical abilities. It’s not even at Level 2 yet, but I can feel the power surging through my body. I need to get used to it later.
Now, we climbed the stairs and came out into a short corridor. There are doors on the left and right sides and at the end of the corridor.
”The spirit sword is enshrined in the room on the right.”
Maekawa-san opened the door and went inside, with everyone following behind.
Inside was a large room made of white brick-like stone, with round stone pillars carved with ivy reliefs at the four corners of the square room.
In the center of the room was a square stone basin, and in the center of that pedestal stood a greatsword emitting a divine aura.
”That is the treasure of the spirit world, the spirit sword Varniora. Thanks to all of you, we have made it this far. Thank you very much.”
Valeria’s voice trembled as if she was deeply moved.
”We were also saved by Valeria-san, so it’s good to be able to repay even a little.”
”No, I can’t thank you enough. There’s no need for formality. Please, both Hiromi (Maekawa) and everyone, call me ‘Valeria’ with affection.”
”Haha, got it. Valeria.”
”That’s great, Valecchi!”
”…”
As Valeria moved away from Maekawa-san, the robe Maekawa-san was wearing also fell away, and the glass snake Valeria had turned into melted into the robe as if blending in. The robe then began to move, transforming back into the usual transparent figure of Valeria. Valeria then placed the orb on the pedestals at the corners of the spring. We watched from a distance.
”Now, I will unseal the Spirit Sword and send it back to the Spirit Realm. Please be careful not to enter the spring until the seal is broken. It’s very dangerous.”
In front of the spring, Valeria stood and turned around to warn everyone. It wasn’t a good idea to dive into the spring in this situation.
Valeria raised both hands, and the orbs shone. After a while, the water in the spring began to swirl slowly around the spirit sword, eventually turning into a violent rotation.
”Wow, it looks like a washing machine.”
Hano-san (the friendly) commented. Then the flow of water gradually calmed down.
”With this, the seal has been broken. Now I just need to send the spirit sword to the spirit world.”
Suddenly, the shining four orbs melted and transformed into a large mass of water floating in the air.
”Oh no, this is bad.”
Valeria panicked for some reason. The situation seemed to be getting precarious.
Just as I thought that, a familiar man appeared suddenly above the spring.
”Sendou!?”
Sendou looked down at us from the air, his face contorted into a smirk.
”Idiot! By releasing this much magic power, if I’m nearby, I can pinpoint the location easily!”
”Oh no!”
I should have anticipated it the moment I noticed that person sensing magic power! The fact that he was able to pinpoint the location of the spirit sword and key items means that his skill’s detection range is quite wide. It seems that the power of the sealed spirit sword is overflowing due to the seal being broken.
As I tried to step forward, Valeria stopped me with her hand.
”The spirit sword is fine now.”
”Huh?”
Sendou lowered his altitude and approached the spirit sword.
”This… isn’t it a sacred artifact!? A great spirit vessel! Well, whatever… this one has power that rivals a sacred artifact. Before the sacred artifact, let’s take this one first!”
The moment Sendou reached out to the spirit sword, water floating at the four corners of the spring shot out and entwined around Sendou.
”What’s happening!? Gah… gulp! Gobbling…!”
Four streams of water covered Sendou’s face, wrapping around his neck, torso, and legs, lifting Sendou high in the air as he struggled, scratching at his neck in discomfort.
”Don’t touch the sacred sword.”
”You insolent fool.”
”This is our treasure.”
”Know your place.”
The cold voices of women echoed as the water masses transformed into female forms.
”What!?”
’Oh no, they’re all high-level spirits! They seem really angry! Master, please behave yourself! This is not a joke! Please don’t do or say anything unnecessary!’
”Those are the Spirit King’s elite guards!”
Just when I thought I could ignore them by just sending back the sacred sword, they came to pick it up themselves, giving off that kind of vibe.
In front of us, with the sacred sword between us, a particularly large mass of water appeared, swirling around and taking on a human form. Even I could tell this one was more dangerous compared to the other four.
The four bodyguards transformed into beautiful women with transparent bodies. Each extended an arm, turning the water halfway into Sendou into a solid grip in mid-air.
The water in front also transformed into a woman with long, transparent hair. But she was huge. She must be around 3m (9’8ft) tall.
’Oh no! That’s probably the Spirit King!’
”Isn’t it a queen?”
’Spirits tend to prefer female forms, but strictly speaking, they have no gender.’
Valeria slowly backed away towards us. It would be troublesome if she came over here.
”Oh? Are you humans over there? What are you doing in a place like this?”
A big woman who had not fully taken on human form spoke in a gentle voice. Her beautiful voice seemed to resonate throughout the entire space, even though she wasn’t speaking loudly. Though her voice was kind, we couldn’t respond properly.
”I’m Tsuchimiya Takeru. We are cooperating with Valeria’s request to return the Spirit Sword to the Spirit King.”
”Well! I apologize for that.”
The voice’s owner transformed into the figure of a beautiful woman, with a transparent body turning into a flesh-toned pure white skin, long hair reaching the floor with a bluish platinum blonde hue, and deep blue eyes. She gazed at me with a gentle, loving expression.
”I apologize for the delay. I’m Varniora, the Water Spirit King. I deeply thank you for this occasion.”
The Spirit King Varniora expressed words of gratitude to us with a captivating smile. Suddenly, with a deep, menacing voice and a twisted face, she glared at Valeria.
”Hey, Valeria. You sure have the nerve to show up in front of me like that. Where have you been after stealing the spirit sword from me? Huh? Depending on your answer, I might just shove my hand into your ear and rattle your spirit stones, you got it?”
With a threatening tone reminiscent of a gangster, the words echoed, making the air quiver. Nishina-san and Hano-san looked pale and clung to each other, but Maekawa-san and Satou-san seemed unfazed. Valeria quickly hid behind Maekawa-san and responded.
”Please lower your blood pressure, Varniora-sama. I only intended to borrow the spirit sword to protect the sapling of Nectar. However, while nurturing the Nectar at the recovery spring, the floor was abandoned and expanded, making it impossible to approach the spirit sword due to the vast desert blocking the way. Since then, I have been taking care of the Nectar here for 1300 years and have successfully raised it well. With the help of Hiromi (Maekawa), Akari (the lockpicker, Takeru, Chika (the friendly), and Tomoko (Nishina) who are here, I finally made it this far.”
”1300 years? …Tch!”
Varniora clicked her tongue in annoyance, then quickly softened her expression and gave me a kind look.
”I see, that’s how it is. Takeru, I really want to thank you, would you accept an invitation to my palace? We will do our best to entertain you.”
Huh? Did she call me? But that was quite a sudden change. Is there a reason for switching characters right in front of me? It’s actually kind of scary.
’No way! Spirits really love having s*x with human men. They might not mean any harm, but if you accept an invitation and get taken to the spirit world, you won’t be able to come back alive.’
Before I knew it, the female members of the guard were also materializing, giving me troubled looks with smiles. This is not good.
”I’m honored by the offer, but there are still many things I have to do. I’m sorry, but I have to decline.”
”I see… That’s really unfortunate. By the way, Valeria… Who is that guy?”
Varniora, who had a lonely expression like a maiden while looking at me, suddenly turned to Sendou with a menacing look as if he was a thug.
”Ah! Th-that man is a criminal who harmed our benefactor and tried to steal the spirit sword… It’s an offering to Varniora-sama!”
”An offering?”
”G-gulp!? G-gulp!”
Varniora’s eyebrows twitched as she looked up at Sendou. The guards also suddenly turned their gaze towards Sendou. Sendou, with his face covered in water, seemed to be having trouble breathing, but he couldn’t make a sound.
”I’d be happy to take this offering if it’s something we can bring back… But who will decide his punishment in the human realm? As the Spirit King, I can’t break the covenant.”
Varniora frowned in thought, and her guards seemed restless, showing a strong interest. That Valeria, she seemed to have gone to please them on the spur of the moment, and it seemed to have some effect.
’In the agreement between high-ranking spirits and humans, it’s not allowed to take humans to the spirit world without their consent. However, there’s a loophole where in the past, in certain regions, there was a custom of offering serious criminals as sacrifices to the Spirit King under the guise of designating the spirit world as a place of exile and appointing a guardian.’
So, if they’re going to kill criminals anyway, might as well offer them to the Spirit King to appease them. In this case, even if the criminal sentenced to death doesn’t consent, they may be considered to have no rights, or the decision may be left to the leader of that region.
”That person was an enemy who tried to kill us. If he is to be released, I’ll kill him right now. However, if Varniora monitors him in the spirit world to ensure he doesn’t return here, then I’m fine with that.”
This is the truth. If Sendou never appears before us again, whether it’s a death sentence or exile to the spirit world, it doesn’t matter. It would be best if Valeria’s theft charge could be reduced even slightly by pleasing the Spirit King.
Varniora is deep in thought, resting her chin on her hand.
”Oh… This guy who tried to steal my spirit sword and break the covenant with the spirit world is definitely a serious criminal. Takeru, who tried to stop him, is in the right. And, even if we let this guy go, Takeru, the executor of justice, has agreed to exile him to the spirit world right here… Valrene, how do you judge this?”
Varniora turned to one of her guards. The woman named Valrene nodded solemnly and spoke up.
”This is… safe!”
”All right!”
Varniora expressed her joy with a victory pose, and the female guards were also excited.
What’s this? A free meal cafe?
”That guy is an Evold and uses teleportation Magic, so please seal his Magic.”
”Evold! I remember they have ridiculously high stamina!”
”Yes. He’s not a guest but a criminal offering himself, right!? Unlimited fun, right?”
”An ordinary person wouldn’t last a week, but I wonder if he can last a month?”
”Wait, everyone! It’s been a hundred years since we’ve had an offering like this! Let’s use it carefully and make it last for a year!”
The members of the guard were also happily frolicking around.
”Well done, Valeria! I’ll let you off the hook for taking the spirit sword without permission!”
Is it really okay to do that? She seems really happy about it.
”I’ve also brought the Nectar Tree, which is 1,300 years old, into a different dimension. Please take it back with you, Valeria-sama.”
”Oh… I’d love to, but if I bring back something so magnificent, people will start complaining, saying ‘It’s always the capital!’ You should plant it in some remote place and take care of it. Send a sapling over here later. That way, it will count as one of your achievements.”
”Achievements? You’re not just trying to push work onto me because you want to play with this criminal, right?”
”No way, you scoundrel! You’ve lived for 1,300 years, so you’re already a member of the ‘Elder’ group! If you come back with the appropriate power and achievements, I’ll use you as my aide. Work hard and strive for improvement.”
”Oh, Elder… now that you mention it, that’s true…”
”Alright, I’ll leave the Nectar tree to you! As a token of gratitude, I’ll grant my protection to Takeru and the others! Everyone, when you return, we’ll have a feast! Remember, the first pour is on me!”
”Yes!”
”Yay! It’s feast time!”
”A man after a hundred years!”
”Exciting~♪”
It feels like a festive celebration already. Sendou is grumbling but he doesn’t look like he’s having fun. Everyone is in high spirits.
The space behind Varniora emits light and twists, revealing a pure white mouth. It feels more like forcefully prying open space than magic.
”Well, I’m heading back!”
””””Yes!””””
Varniora turns around and gives a thumbs up to Valeria as she watches over Maekawa-san’s shoulder.
”Oh! Varniora-sama! You forgot the spirit sword! Please remember to take it back with you!”
”Oops, that was close!”
Valeria panicked and shouted, and Varniora reached out her hand as the spirit sword flew from its pedestal into Varniora’s hand.
”Starting now, I have to cancel my official duties for ten days!”
”But what about the Fire Spirit King…”
”Put that on hold! This is more important, right?”
”Yeah, you’re right.”
The Water Spirit King and his entourage happily left with Sendou, leaving us behind to gaze at the disappearing space where the spirit kings had been, standing still for a moment.
”…Well, shall we head back too?”
”Y-yeah, that’s right. It’s all over now, isn’t it?”
Breaking the silence that followed the storm, Maekawa-san spoke up in response.
”The teleportation Magic Circle is in the room across the hall.”
Led by Valeria, we opened the door across the corridor, revealing a large room with a glowing blue-white teleportation Magic Circle in the center, just like before.
”Yay! We can go back with this!”
Hano-san (the friendly) is jumping with joy.
”Does this lead to the school?”
’If you use the Magic Circle you’ve used before, you can teleport to wherever you like, so it doesn’t matter where it leads.’
Come to think of it, I expanded its function. It feels like it was a long time ago.
”That was a long dive.”
Nishina-san relaxed her expression as if relieved.
”The dive continues until we return to the school. Don’t let your guard down yet.”
”Okay.”
Satou-san’s expression urging caution is also gentle.
We all moved to the Teleportation Magic Circle together. It’s finally time to return.
”Thank you, Valeria. I’m glad I met you.”
Maekawa-san reached out her hand to Valeria, who stood alone, and Valeria grasped her hand back with an invisible hand.
”I also had fun meeting you all. You are the first friends I made in this world since I was born.”
”I really appreciate it. Thank you, Valeria.”
”Thank you, Valeria. Let’s meet again.”
”Take care, Valeria!”
”Oh, thank you, Valeria.”
After shaking hands with everyone, Valeria tightly held Maekawa-san’s hand with both of hers.
”……”
”Um, Valeria, what are you going to do now?”
Maekawa-san asked Valeria, who fell silent and stopped moving.
”Well… since I’ve already been stripped of my Floor Master authority, I’ll wait for some of my strength to return and then plant the Nectar Tree in the Spirit World.”
”I see…”
”……”
”Valeria?”
”I… I want a base somewhere, but I’ve never been outside the world. I don’t know my way around at all.”
”Um…”
Could it be… that?
Valeria seems to be looking at us as if she wants to join us.
”What should I do?”
”Oh, yeah. Will Valeria come with us? I’m okay with it…”
”Is it okay!? Thank you! Friends are truly valuable!”
Valeria shook Maekawa-san’s hand, quickly shrank, and coiled around Maekawa-san’s wrist.
”I feel calm here after all.”
Valeria, now a glass snake, happily rubbed her head against Maekawa-san.
”Well then, please take care of me, Valeria.”
”Yes! Hiromi (Maekawa), everyone! I wish you all the best!”
”Seriously!? Having Valeria with us makes us feel stronger! Seriously!”
”Um, can we learn some Magic too?”
”My, my, it seems like getting the special room as soon as we return would be a good idea.”
I see, so this is how it turns out. If Valeria is with Maekawa-san and the others, I can relax too.
I took out my smartphone to check the time, and it was 4:05 PM. It was an adventure that lasted less than 20 minutes on their side.
After that, we firmly held hands, got on the Magic Circle, and successfully returned to the school.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.