45 - Forty-three episodes of air and air.

"Ah-sa-da!"

"Ah-sa-da!"

"Cue cue cue!"

"Oh, it's morning!"

I went to bed too early last night and woke up in the dark. I was mentally and physically exhausted from the many events, such as the battle with Rich and the contract with Sylphy, but the time until the sun rose was very long.

I was planning to fly at sunrise, but time moved so slowly that it was still dark even after I had prepared myself and finished my breakfast. Shilfi told me to calm down a little, but I couldn't help my excitement.

Before I went to bed last night, Sylphy told me that I could fall down during the flight, which freaked me out, but I was determined that Sylphy said she would help me, so there was nothing to worry about. All I have to do now is to fly when the sun rises.

I spent a restless time wishing for the sunrise, and I could not help but feel excited when the sunrise came.

"Well, are we going to leave now?"

"Yes. Sylphie. Nice to meet you."

I can't control my tension. I feel like a kid on the day before a field trip.

"It's going to be okay, you just need to stay calm and control your magic.

He rebuked me as if he were looking at a disappointed child. Well, I can understand why a grown man would want to look at me like that when I'm in high spirits, but please be kind to me.

I understand.

I replied as calmly as I could, and Sylphy turned her hand to me and released her magic. It's unchanted, isn't it? The wind wrapped around me and lifted me up softly.

"You can already fly with the magic, try it slowly. Don't put too much magic into it.

Just as I was taught yesterday, I imagine that the wind is blowing out behind me by crawling into a cocoon of wind.

"Fuggahhhhhhh!"

My vision is streaming at a great speed, and I don't know what's going on. My mouth is screaming on its own. What am I supposed to do?　Confused, a gust of wind blew and I was held in Sylphy's arms.

"Well... Uh... What happened?"

"Yuta suddenly flew away at high speed. I told you not to put too much magic into it."

"I know that, but I don't use magic for anything other than life magic, so I don't really know what magic feels like."

I had a certain amount of confidence that I could handle it, but it snapped in an instant. I'm really scared.

"...... I'll just have to practice. Leave the flying to me, and start practicing with the magic control."

I was scared. I was scared. My heart is racing. But I don't have a choice but to give up now when I know I can get help.

"Sylphie. I'd like to practice flying if possible, is there any way?"

"Hmm. You'll have less freedom, but you can hold hands while you fly?　Then we can interfere if things get out of control."

Like having your back propped up while you practice riding a bike?　But it's not going to run out of control, and it's good practice.

Please do that.

"Okay. Well, I guess we'd better get going.

Sylphy holds my hand and we set out carefully this time. ...... Sylphy pulls me by the hand. She had a lot of magic power. After that, she pulled my hand several times to stop me, and by the time I managed to leave, about an hour had passed.

****

"Yeah. That's it. Lean your body in the direction you want to turn and at the same time reduce the magic in the direction you want to turn. That's it. You're getting the hang of it. Once you get used to it, you can make the turn without losing speed by increasing the opposite direction instead of decreasing it.

"Whew. Thank you. I think I'm getting the hang of it."

I found that once I started flying, I could usually get up to speed with a minimum of magic. It consumes far less magic than washing. I only need to give the wind cocoon that Sylphy gave me a chance, and that's all I need, apparently.

But at first I put more magic into it than in the cleaning process, and that's why I got into such a mess. But no one would think that the magic used for flying is that little. Sylphy's wind cocoon is too powerful.

It's just... There seems to be a difference between the speed of a rabbit and a tortoise between this wind cocoon and the one Sylphy flies me to. I guess we will experience it when we go to the town.

"Kyahaha. Yuta. This time it's this way!"

"Oh. I'm on my way, just wait for me!"

Lean to the left and reduce your magic power. Then the distance and speed of the turn will be reduced, and you will be behind Bell, and you will catch up with him who is flying in front of you with magic power.

"Yuta. Here it comes. Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

The belles are helping me practice because I can't fly well. It's a little embarrassing because it's like calling a child who has finally started to walk.

Next, Rain calls me over there and pats me on the head with his fin, and Tulu calls me over there and praises me for being so good. I was planning to fly back to the Fountain House with Belle and the kids, but that's not quite what I had in mind.

"Oh, by the way, Sylphie. How come you can talk normally?"

I was so occupied with flying that I didn't feel any sense of discomfort until now, but when I think about it calmly, it's strange that I can have a conversation while flying, even though I'm not making any vocal effort.

"We have a contract. We can communicate with each other if we want to. That's why Yuta's voice won't reach Dine if she's here. Well, Dine will use her magic to listen to him, so there will be no problem in that case either.

It's a lot more convenient when you have a contract. I'd love to know what else is useful, but for now, let's just enjoy the sky. Practice flying while you fly.

I can't do it by myself yet, but Sylphy pulls me along and makes me enjoy various kinds of flying, such as kirimomi and somersaults. There is no wind pressure and the wind does not blow against you, so if you stay calm, it is less scary than a roller coaster ride.

"How is flying?"

"It feels great. But in the land of the dead, the scenery is a bit monotonous, which is a bit disappointing."

Since we are flying over the land of the dead, there is almost no change in color. It really is a barren land.

"I'm glad you liked it. The monotonous scenery will be a treat when we get to the town.

"Is the view of the living earth of this world beautiful?"

"Yes. I can say with confidence that it's beautiful. Where there is no war."

Genie is kind of hard on people who are at war with each other. Well, if you look at the land of the dead, the reason is obvious. But the abundance of nature... When I am in the land of the dead, I find myself starving for greenery. When I was in Japan, I never cared about nature, but now I realize how important it is.

"I don't want to get involved in the war, but are there any towns that are safe?

Frankly, I don't care if there is a war going on or not, as long as I don't get involved. But I'd like to see more of the world anyway, and that's a depressing thought.

"There are wars going on all over the place, but there are plenty of countries and places that are in a position where they can't be attacked, so it's okay."

"Then you're in good hands. I'm looking forward to going into town even more."

Hmm. I'm glad you're enjoying this world.

"It's a different world after all, and I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can."

Ah, but I guess this world is not so safe. What if we are attacked? After fighting against the undead so much, I think I could fight back if someone attacked me, but I wouldn't feel good about it.

"What's wrong?"

Sylphy asked me worriedly, as if she had been thinking about something bad and it had shown on her face.

"I was imagining going to the town, and I thought of the possibility of being attacked by people. I knew there would be bandits and bad people.

"Yes. Yes, there are. But in Yuta's case, he'll be fine as long as he's careful around town. You don't see bandits flying around in the sky. Well, if you become an adventurer and start asking for escorts or going into the forest, you may encounter them, but if I'm on the lookout, you can avoid them before they find you.

"Then I feel safe. Sylphie. I'm counting on you.

"We've just signed a contract. I'll do what I can, you can rest assured.

Sylphy. You can count on me. Maybe the place we moved to was the worst, but the people we met were the best.

"We're almost there."

I'm thinking about it, and it seems we're already there. It takes me three days to get there on foot, but if I fly, I can be there in a few hours even if I'm slow. It's too convenient.

"Oh, really. The rock wall stands out, but even a little bit of water and greenery makes a big difference.

From above, the spring reflected the sparkling water, and the fields beside it were so green that it was hard to believe that this was the land of death.

"Yuta's hard work has paid off. You can see your efforts clearly from the sky, can't you?"

"Yeah. When you look at the whole thing, I think we did a pretty good job."

I did what I could in front of me, relying on cheat tools and spirits, and it turned out surprisingly great!

"Hmm. You should be proud."

"YUTA. Good for you."

Sylphy and Belle, who was flying nearby, give me compliments. I was touched.

"I'm home!"

I landed quickly and coolly in front of the fountain, and something stuck to my face.

"d*mn, that's tight."

"Look. Tamamo. Yuta is in pain."

This fluffy thing is a tamamo. Well, I knew it.

"Tamamo. I'm home. You missed me. Sorry I'm late."

He cooed and purred, and absentmindedly perched on my face. He's so cute, but I'm sorry.

"Tamamo. Thanks for staying at home. How's the garden growing?"

"Coo-coo-coo."

He nodded his head while wagging his fluffy tail. So confident. But I don't think foxes wag their tails. ...... There's a little girl and a dolphin flying in front of me. It's a little late for that. Why should I be surprised that a fox wags its tail when there's a little girl and a dolphin flying in the sky?

I see you've been working hard, so I'm going to reward you by giving you a good smooch. It's my reward too, so it's a nice win-win.

Yuta! Don't just focus on Tamamo-chan, let's talk with your sisters too!

I turned my head toward Dine and saw Nomos and Dolly looking at me. We should say goodbye to them. I handed Tamamo to Tulu, who was secretly itching to hold her in his arms, and went to greet her.

"I'm home, everyone! I beat Rich and made a deal with Sylphy.

"Welcome back, Yuta. Next time, you'll sign a contract with your sister.

"No, I think Dine will be the last one to sign the contract.

"What?　Why is that?"

No, because we can't build the canal until we finish Nomos' terms, and I'm going to the city first, so I'll bring back some soil to mix. Nomos and Dolly first, then Dine.

"Gahn."

I said "Gern" myself. That's usually the order of pioneering. Anyway, he just collapsed, and you were supposed to be the second one to sign the contract!　Let's leave Deanne alone and talk to Nomos and Dolly.

"Hmm. "Well, if you're on your way to fulfilling the conditions, I have nothing to say. Good luck with that.

"I'm looking forward to signing the contract too. Also, Tamamo was lonely, so please give her some attention.

Ha ha. I'll do my best. I'll do my best. I'll stay with Tamamo as long as I can.

It's still a tough environment, but it's pretty calming to come back here.