Chapter 377

For breakfast, we ate fish porridge.

It was food made by thoroughly boiling well-cleaned assorted fish with salt and spices, meticulously picking out all the bones, and then mixing the milky flesh with grains and a few types of vegetables and boiling it once more.

A few more pieces of well-grilled fish were placed on top of the fine, white-colored porridge, and all of it tasted good. Even Ruben, who is sensitive to fishy tastes, completely emptied one bowl.

During mealtime, the three children also sat around together.

The children carefully gauged our moods, then chattered saying it was truly nice that their mother made food that requires a lot of work every time guests came. It was truly nice to see them not stopping their chattering even after hearing shy scolding from their mother.

We paid the price of the breakfast plus the price for the story into Ivan’s pocket, promised to at least greet each other if we happened to meet on the street next time, and left that house.

In the yard we came out to like that, neither the carriage nor the coachman were anywhere to be found. As I was wondering what this was about, Ivan took the lead as if familiar with it and spoke.

“The distance from here to Sombre Port is one we can go without having to ride a carriage. If you ride a boat immediately after a meal you might feel nauseous, so let’s go while walking a bit.”

“Mm.”

“Are you okay with it too, Prince?”

“Ah… Of course. Yes, let’s do that.”

Planning and acting before seeking permission in advance was a natural thing to do as my close friend, but it didn’t fit as etiquette toward Ruben. I was bewildered, not knowing if Ivan was deliberately acting arrogantly toward Ruber, or if he was just acting familiarly.

However, Ivan didn’t give me any time to unravel my doubt. Let’s go, throwing out a single word, he just took the lead with his spouse and guided the way.

Sea birds were still crying in the sky above. Watching the seawater surging and sweeping away on the left side of the walking path somehow made my insides open up. The moment I was about to ask Ivan again because I didn’t know how much further it would take to the port, Ruben grasped my sleeve.

Does he want to walk holding my hand? Although the sight of Ivan walking tightly holding his spouse’s hand was bothersome right in front of my eyes, that side was married and we were not yet. While thinking about how to dissuade the child, my insides churned again.

“Mika, how about trying to call a Sylph?”

“…Yes?”

Looking at me with a serious face, Ruben once again quietly laid out what he had thought in his own way.

“Of course, it’s not that the Sylph you contracted is placed separately, but right now there are no security magic circles, and it’s a wide-open beach like this. Since it doesn’t seem to be anyone’s domain, wouldn’t we be able to call out the Sylphs of this land?”

“…Ah. A Sylph… a Sylph, you say.”

“Ung, I want to ask in advance stories like what happened in the sea, did the Sylphs also see the golden island? Because I think once we get on the boat, we won’t be able to call out the Sylphs for the reason that it’s someone’s domain again.”

Ivan, who had stopped along with us and was listening to that story, looked at me with a suspicious expression.

“When did you become a spirit summoner?”

“It’s not that I became a spirit summoner. Just that I had some luck, and ended up knowing a Sylph.”

“…”

“Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”

“No, because it suits you well. Then… It would be better to go to a place with fewer people.”

Ivan altered the path we were going well on.

A staircase was placed in a certain gap of the well-maintained path along the coast. The width of the stairs was narrow, but it was a sturdy staircase that wasn’t sparse, as if the neighborhood residents had stepped on it and passed by multiple times. As we deviated from the path, sand crunched at our feet.

Ivan was still holding his spouse’s hand, and Ruben was still holding onto my sleeve.

A feeling of embarrassment arose belatedly. This is not the time for me to be like this right now. I was ashamed of myself for not being able to properly control the vain thoughts constantly rising like a wildfire in my chest. How far and rough is the path to go ahead, yet what am I doing. I scolded myself hundreds of times more.

At a distance of eight paces, we faced waves surging with white foam.

“…Is this a place with few people? All directions are open, so it seems a person with bright eyes could see us even from the road above.”

“Instead, the sound of the waves is loud, isn’t it? Whatever you shout won’t be heard, so do as you please.”

I grumbled at Ivan out of pointless feelings, and only got scolded without gaining anything.

Was there any special method when calling a Sylph. I tried to think about it, but nothing came to mind. They said I just had to call its name. But, would that really work. I called out loud shout without confidence.

“Sylph.”

“…”

“Shouldn’t you call a bit louder?”

“…Sylph!”

Nothing happened. It was even awkward.

I briefly looked up at the sky once, and looked at that distant sea once. The sea breeze fluttered and scattered the group’s hair. Didn’t they say just calling the name would work. Somehow feeling embarrassed and bashful, I coughed dryly.

“Is anyone there?”

I shouted in a loud voice. Then whoosh, the grain of the wind split.

How can one say the wind is visible to the eye? But it is true. The wind that blew emitted a fluffy light in the air like moss blooming on a tree stump, then tangled together among themselves. It was exceedingly fascinating to see the wind that flew in carrying a salty scent being shaped into a form right before my eyes.

The Sylphs I had seen so far were spirits from the beginning, not abruptly poking their heads out from the gaps in the wind like this. While I was momentarily surprised, the fist-sized things that cut through the air one by one and poked their heads out like that opened their eyes wide and let out exclamations.

Soon, dense commotion filled the surroundings.

[It’s real! He really called us?]

[A friend? I don’t have a human friend!]

[Pretty friend! The Sylph’s friend!]

[He didn’t come by the sea route?]

[He didn’t come from the fields either!]

Among them, a few tangled onto the back of my right hand and rubbed their cheeks. The words that some trace remains here seem to be true words. Raising my right hand so the Sylphs could confirm more easily, I looked around the surroundings.

Ruben was examining the appearing Sylphs with a serious face. I was curious again about what the child’s gaze was reading. The Baroness with a bewildered face, and the calm face of Ivan patting his back were also conspicuous. Even I am this flustered, but how is that guy not even surprised.

Anyway, I said the words I had to say. So that all my group members could hear, I spoke with my vocal voice.

“I called you because I have something I’m curious about.”

[Curious thing? What curious thing?]

[The wind knows everything! I am the wind!]

[Me too! I know everything too!]

It seemed it would be exceedingly easy to get answers from the guys squabbling saying they would answer. Because I know nothing, my question is vague. Pushing with my index finger the forehead of a certain Sylph trying to ride up from the back of my hand to my wrist and elbow, seating it back on my palm, I asked.

“Because I’m wondering if something happened in the sea lately.”

[…]

[…]

Why are these things suddenly shutting their mouths tight.

They definitely have a guess. However, the guys suddenly did somersaults, or plopped down on the white sand losing their energy like fluttering falling leaves, only gauging each other’s moods.

When I nudged with my index finger the small cheek of the guy sitting on my palm, the guy let out a groaning sound and barely replied.

[It’s a secret.]

As if waiting for the sluice gate to open, several laughs burst out concurrently.

[Right! It’s a secret.]

[You can’t say it! Because a secret is a secret.]

[Ung! They decided to have a secret wedding! They hid it tightly.]

[If you hide it tightly, Sylphs don’t know anything.]

[Right! I am a good wind.]

In the midst of the tumbling laughter and noisy chattering, I picked up one puzzling word. Ruber did not hesitate and pointed that out. So as not to startle the Sylphs, with a calm and affectionate voice.

“They decided to have a secret wedding?”

[Ah.]

[How do you know? It’s a secret!]

Ruben smiled slyly and shamelessly voiced a lie.

“I heard it too.”

[How? How did you hear a secret?]

“From the blue turtle’s friend.”

[Hiyaaa! Really? Really?]

[Amazing! The bride said no!]

[Right! She said it was a total, total secret!]

[But if it’s the blue turtle’s friend?]

[Right! If it’s the blue turtle’s friend, we can tell!]

…Are they saying that blue turtle, the turtle in the legend, really exists?

That makes no sense. The Makrir that easily exceeded a hundred meters felt much more realistic.

…As I thought that, something suddenly came to mind. If the stone statue of the first goddess’s head had a body with proportions similar to a human from head to toe, it would have been roughly 150m. They said the blue turtle was the size of two ships stacked together. If so, by any chance.

Could the blue turtle… have been another form of a god?

The first goddess completely remained and crossed over to the Demonic Realm even after abandoning the stone statue she used as her body. They said she was engrossed in rummaging through that garbage dump to find a method to soothe the ninth god.

Then isn’t the blue turtle also slipping right out after abandoning its body and doing other things.

While I was having such thoughts, Ruben had gently lured the Sylphs and was conversing about a suspicious story before I knew it.

“Did you guys really not see the wedding?”

[Ung! I really, really wanted to see it!]

[Me too! I wanted to see it too!]

“That’s a shame, I really wanted to congratulate them. Is it because they had the wedding in the sea?”

[Ung, it was a place the wind couldn’t reach.]

[Even when we pulled the waves up this much, it didn’t reach!]

“Even though you knocked on the sea five times?”

[Ung! Five times! Even though we did five times five times!]

The groups of Sylphs pounded the ground saying they were vexed. Every time they did that, a grain of sand the size of a pinky fingernail was gouged out. I wondered if waves would even rise with such fists, forget five times, even if they pounded five hundred times.

However, Ruben, with a serious face, even let out a sigh once saying, and asked the rest.

“Then, did the Undines see it?”

[No! They said they couldn’t see it either!]

“What about the Nereids?”

[Nereids!]

[The Nereids saw it! So they cried.]

What kind of suspicious words are these again? [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Unable to hold back, I intervened in the conversation. Because the Sylph guys to answer were not just one or two, I thought it would be fine to ask something like this, so I did that.

“…Cried? Who… is a Nereid.”

[A very big Undine. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] If there are five Undines, they become a Nereid!]

[Not five! A bigger Undine.]

[Right, a big adult.]

The answer to that was provided by Ruben.

“Intermediate spirits of water are called Nereids. It seems the deep sea is the domain of intermediate spirits…”

The child’s voice sank as Ruben coaxed the Sylphs once more.

“You don’t know why they cried?”

[Ung! That’s a secret too!]

[They cried very loudly, waah. But they say it’s a secret.]

[If you’re next to them, tears come out together.]

[So we don’t go near the crying Nereids.]

“Why?”

[I hate crying!]

[Right, I don’t want to cry.]

I asked a few more things, but the Sylphs only repeated the same words. There was a secret wedding, the Nereids were sad, they had a wedding deep in the sea…

Ivan, who was quietly listening to that story, suddenly added one word.

“Where is the blue turtle right now?”

The expressions of all the spirits stiffened at once.