44 - Forty-two contracts.

The target's magic power has been raised to B rank by defeating Rich. I'm going to make a contract with Sylphy here.　I'm Yuta Morizono and I'm a little bit scared.

"Is it okay to make a contract in a place like this?"

"Hmm?　No problem. As long as you have a contractor and the wind, you'll be up and running in no time."

It's like that ...... seems easy, and it's a waste of a man's time to be scared when you're at the stage where your goal is about to come true. I'm a little nervous about the fact that Sylphy once told me that I should look forward to the contract with the Great Spirit because it's going to be fancy, but I have no choice but to go.

"Okay. Then Sylphy. Then sign me up."

"Hmm. Okay. Let's go.

What?　Where to?　What?　In no time at all, I was off the ground, breaking through the clouds and into the blue sky around me. Below me was a carpet of clouds and the sea. The reddish brown earth of death is also visible.

I feel no fear at all, even though I am at a height where I would normally faint. I'm just mesmerized by the unbelievably beautiful scenery.

"Yuta. Yuta. Yuta. Are you listening to me?

Hmm?　Yeah, it's a beautiful view. I was too busy admiring it to listen. I'm sorry."

"Well, what can I do?　How about that, isn't this world pretty beautiful, too?"

Sylphy happily brags about this world. It sure is beautiful. The sky and the sea are so clear that I feel a little disappointed that there is no green in the land of the dead.

The scenery I saw on the plane when I was in Japan was also beautiful, but perhaps because there is nothing around me, I feel as if I am directly feeling all of nature. I guess it is more beautiful here because there are no exhaust gases.　

"Oh, it's beautiful. I can't think of any other words to describe it.

"Hmm. If Yuta were a poet, I wonder how he would have described this world.

The Poet ...... Let's see. The blue transparent sky. The sparkling blue transparent sea. The reddish brown earth. ...... I don't have the poet's gift.

"Well, no words could ever capture this scene."

I'm good.

"Yes, you did. It's best to see it with your own eyes. Okay, Yuta. I'm about to start the contract.

Yeah. Please."

The wind started to blow around me and Sylphy. The wind grew faster and faster, like a tornado. I wonder where the creatures in the tornado came from... ...... I wonder if they are spirits. Humanoid. Animal ...... spirits of various kinds are riding on the wind and looking at us. I think Belle and the others were there too, or am I looking in the wrong place?

"I am Sylphie. I am Sylphie, the Great Spirit of the Wind. If you want to make a contract with me, take this ball of wind.

Sylphy's mysterious atmosphere changes and she says in an awe-inspiring clear voice. Sylphy's hands, which had been scooped up as if scooping up water, are holding a ball that looks like a condensed wind. It looks like something amazing, but is it something I can touch?　No, I can't sign the contract unless I take it. We have to take it.

I wrap my hands around the ball carefully, trying not to shake it as much as possible, and pull it close to me. It's all right. What are you going to do now?

Yuta. It's okay, just calm down."

Sylphy, who has returned to his usual mood, calls out to me, perhaps sensing that I'm a little freaked out. I know I can trust Sylphy. Trust him and stay calm.

"Press the wind ball against the place where your heart is."

I follow her voice, which has shifted into a mystical mode again, and press the wind ball against my heart, which unravels and is sucked into me with a gentle breeze.

The deal is done.

With Sylphy's words, the tornado-like winds that had surrounded us burst, leaving only a silent world behind.

"It's over. What do you think?　It was pretty spectacular, as you hoped, wasn't it?"

"Oh, yeah. It was more spectacular than I expected. I just don't understand what's going on.

Yes, it is. First of all, I'm thinking of the wind ball.

Please.

"That one. It's a vessel to connect me and Yuta. The power of the Great Spirit is so great that he can't make a contract with me unless he accepts my wind. In other words, you are making a contract with me through the wind ball. It's only a magical power so it's not a burden to your body. Don't worry.

Hmm. I'm not sure, but I'm thinking that the wind ball makes it possible to connect with Sylphy, right?　Well, it's a good thing that the contract was made without any physical strain on the body.

"I understand somehow. There were a lot of spirits in the tornado.

I'm just an onlooker. The wind spirits are curious. They were doing something unusual in the sky, so they came to watch."

What's that ...... a little bit everyone came to congratulate me?　I was thinking something like that, but I guess not. I'm glad I didn't say thank you for coming. I'm so embarrassed.

"Oh, yeah. But is every contract with the Great Spirit like this?　It's inspiring, but it's a lot of work."

For some reason, Sylphy twitched and turned away. ...... this pattern is a pattern of something sinister.

"Sylphy. I'm not sure if there's something I should be telling you.　They're going to find out when they sign up with Dine and the others anyway, right?"

"...... just added a bit of theatrics. I told Yuta that a contract with the Great Spirit would be flashy, and I thought a normal contract would be too weak."

The Great Spirit of the Wind turned out to be vain in a surprising way.

"Well. What did you add to the performance?"

"The flying part. I could have done it on the ground, surrounded by wind and passing windballs, but I thought it would be more flashy in the sky."

"Oh, yeah. Then there's no problem. It's beautiful in the sky. I'm just grateful to be here."

"Yes, of course. If we were on the ground, the wind would have blown the soil up. I think it would have been better this way."

A tornado with dirt. I'd feel better about a tornado with pretty winds.

"Yeah, I know. It's better to have a good show. Thanks for showing us the beautiful scenery."

"I'm glad you liked it."

"Oh, can I come back anytime to see this view?　And it's not cold at all, what's going on?"

Is it possible that in this world it is warm in the sky?　The horizon is rounded, so it looks like a round planet, not unlike Earth.

"You made a contract with me, you can come anytime you want if you ask me. But there are times when the Spirit King calls me or I'm not here, so I can't come then. And you don't feel the cold because you're surrounded by a warm wind, even though you can't see it.

The Genie King. ...... I guess there are times when the genie is not around. I think it could be dangerous, depending on the timing.

"Can't you summon them when they're not around and you're in danger?"

"You can't come when you're the King of Spirits. But he's only summoned once every few hundred years or so. Yuta. It's too unlucky.

It doesn't happen often. I think I'd be scared of a meteorite hitting me on the head. That's bad luck.　

"My luck is B, so I guess I'll be okay, that's a relief. I'm worried about Bell and the others.

"We could just fly straight to the base and summon Bell and the others, you know?"

It would certainly be more efficient that way, but it's kind of tasteless.

"Since we're here. I'll fly back to the base with Bell and the others. Speaking of which... how do we fly?

"Okay. I'll explain how to fly downstairs."

It descends like descending from an elevator. If the warm air is boxy, it's really an elevator.

As we descended, enjoying the view that changed with the altitude, we were jostled by the Belles. It seems that they are congratulating us on having made the contract.

"I saw Belle!"

"Cue."

"That was amazing."

"Thank you. I thought I saw Bell and the others in the tornado, but I guess they were here to watch."

"Yes. I also saw you connect with Shilfi.

"Cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu."

"The wind was blowing."

They excitedly talk about the contracting scene they were watching. We listen to them slowly, petting them and calming them down. It was quite a fantastic sight from the spirits' point of view. I should have recorded it with my phone even if it consumed battery power. I wonder if ...... can capture the spirits on a smartphone?　I'll check it out when I get a chance.

I feel a sense of accomplishment playing with the belles that are following me around. It was one of my goals to make a contract with Sylphy. I did it.

"Now that we've made a deal with Sylphy, we can all fly back to the Fountain House!

You're going to Yutamotobu?

"Oh, I'll fly. We're all going home together.

"Whoa. That's fun.

"Yuta. About that, if we fly slowly while practicing, I think it will be night before we get back. Shall we leave now?"

......We are so busy with our first flight, it would be a shame to fly in a time crunch or to go into a night flight. Night flight seems to be fun, but it is better to enjoy the bright world first.

"I think we should stay here for the night and leave first thing tomorrow morning.

I want to fly for fun. I want to travel in the sky at sunrise. In a way, it's like a human dream come true, and I'm excited.

"Okay. I'm tired after everything that's happened today, so let's have an early dinner and go to bed. Belle. Rain. Tulle. Thanks for your hard work today. And Sylphy, thank you for signing the contract.

I thank each of them well and prepare dinner. We just serve the seafood and eat it. While eating, I ask Sylphy how to fly.

The easiest way, he says, is to leave everything to Sylphy. She says she can get us to our destination as fast as possible. I guess I'll be asking Sylphy to do most of my daily transportation.

But I'd like to fly with some freedom. That may be a little difficult, but it's not impossible.

Sylphy will wrap me in a cocoon of wind and make me float. From there, they can control the direction and speed by working on the wind cocoon with their magic power.

It seems to be difficult for them to work with magic since they can only use life magic, but they can directly feel the movement of magic, so it is said to be good for training them in manipulating magic.

Sylphy smiles and tells me that she'll save me if I fall. Is it possible to fall down?　I asked him about it, and he told me that he would not fall down under normal circumstances, but there was a possibility that he might make a mistake and run into the ground. I was getting nervous.