89 - Eighty-seven Protection

After a hearty meal of thick dragon steak, Sarah and the others, whose stomachs are about to burst, are finally recovering.

"Master. I'm sorry, Master. I'm sorry." "...... I'm sorry."

The apprentices bow their heads in unison. They are apologizing for being unable to move because they ate too much.

"I'm the one who told you to eat your fill, don't worry about it.

I served Sara and the others a very thick steak without even thinking about it. Kikka ate half of the thick steak, and Marco even finished the other half that Kikka left behind. No wonder they couldn't move.

Belle and the others ate up all of their food and played around normally, but I guess spirits are a different story. I was surprised when the little girl and little Fukuchan finished off the thick dragon steaks, even though I knew they were spirits. Fukuchan finished off a steak that was bigger than her. It was the height of fantasy.

"Well, I'd better get going, it's getting late for bed, so I'm going to go level up. Sylphy, can you take me to a place with lots of undead?"

It's not a nest, is it?

"Yeah. I'll wait for the nest until you're a little more advanced, but for now, go outside where the undead are hanging out."

It might be possible to throw them into the nest of the undead and give them a spartan education, but I don't want to do that because it might leave scars on their hearts.

"Okay. Shall we get going?

As soon as Sylphy replied, she wrapped us in a cocoon of wind and took off into the sky. But the presence of the spirit tree is quite impressive. Even though we are quite far from the fountain house, we can still clearly see the spirit tree. Even in the dark, its presence is so strong that if someone should happen to have a whim and come deep into the land of the dead, he/she would be spotted at once.

Well, it is said that only the most capricious would enter the land of the dead, so they will never be found.

"This is a good place to be. Yuta. I'm coming down.

Yes, sir. I'll take care of it.

When I landed on the ground, there were four zombies in front of me. Mr. Sylphy is a Spartan, isn't he?

"Sara. Marco. Are you ready?

""Yes.""

Sarah and Marco cheerfully reply and give instructions to Fukuchan and Uri. They have gotten used to it by now and easily defeat the zombies.

I feel like I don't even need to follow them anymore. It's sad that I won't be able to teach them anymore in a few days. I don't know what to do.

Yuta. What's wrong?

Sylphy sees that I'm worried and calls out to me.

"Sarah and Marco are fine now, aren't they? I was thinking of waiting until I'm more familiar with them, but now that I have some free time I think I should level up Kikka. What do you think Sylphy?"

Kikka, who was waiting for me hand in hand, freaked out. She means she didn't hear me. Because I just thought of something too.

"You're going to move up to a higher level eventually, so if Kikka is willing to do it, why don't you just try your best?"

Kikka's will is certainly important. Forcing her to raise her level would be different.

"Kikka. We'll protect you, so why don't you try to raise your level?"

When I asked, Kikka turned her head down. Is that too much to ask?

"Kikka, when you get leveled up, can you make a contract?"

Suddenly, Kikka looked up and asked with a serious face.

"Yes. Depending on how your magic power increases, I think you will be able to make a contract with a spirit.

"Well then, I'll level with Kikka. I'll be able to help you and save Oniichan and Oneechan.

I'm heartbroken. There's a good boy. There's a very good boy. And I want to be one of the ones to help.

"Okay. Okay. Good luck."

Was I this pure when I was a little girl?　Let's stop ...... and ...... reminiscing about the old days. Let's keep the memories beautiful, even if I don't remember, I used to be pure too.

"Okay. "Okay, I guess I'll let Kikka take down the skeleton when it's around."

It would be hard to let Kikka take down the zombies. We gather Sarah and Marco and discuss how to proceed. Sylphy will lead the way to the undead. Sarah and Marco will take out the zombies, and Kikka will take out the skeletons. Dolly has the skeletons completely contained, and Bell and the others take up a perimeter watch.

Dine, by the way, is staying at the Fountain House. To be honest, she is too overpowered to do anything for us. Dolly is a special participant since she signed on today.

After some discussion, it was decided that from now on Sylphy and Bell and the others will basically stay with us and summon Dine and the others when necessary. Deanne was a bit sulky about it, but the decision was made without any problems.

The reason for Deene's sulking was that she said that Sylfie would be able to handle most of the situations and that her sister would not have much of a role to play. I told her that was probably true, but she reluctantly agreed when I told her that she had no role to play since she was dealing with skeletons and zombies.

"Master. Kikka is going to fight?　Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

You sound insanely anxious. Of course she's worried about her sister fighting the undead.

"Dolly says she'll keep the skeletons at bay completely, so it's not a problem. Besides, if we raise the level and Kikka makes a contract with the spirit, we'll be much safer, so we should do it."

"...... got it."

I know this in my head, but you have a look of anxiety on your face. Nothing I can say will dispel their anxiety, so I have to show them that I'm okay.

"Sylphy. Take us to the skeleton.

Okay. This way."

Sylphy led the way and after a short walk, we soon found five skeletons.

"Dory! Keep them from moving."

"Yes."

Dory points her hand at the skeletons, and plants that should not grow in the land of the dead sprout up, enveloping the skeletons in a flash. The skeleton was enveloped in a flash. He can grow plants at will even in a place like this. It is said that the efficiency is not so good if the soil is bad, but still, this much is not a problem.

Dory is too good. The plants are completely covered except for the part where the magic stone is visible, probably to scare Kikka. This is a perfectly arranged level-up. It's probably better to keep the children safe when they are leveling up. Some might say I'm being overprotective.

"Kicka. Come here."

Kikka comes up to me and I tell her I'll carry her in my arms. She's so light. I have to feed her more.

"Okay, I'll give you this knife, so be careful not to hurt yourself, and break that magic stone. Can you do that?

Fearfully grasping the knife, Kikka nodded her head determinedly. She seemed scared, but she knew what she had to do, and she was staring at the magic stone.

I stood in front of the magic stone with Kikka in my arms, and I positioned myself so that Kikka could easily insert the knife into the stone, and I urged her to attack.

"Hey!"

Kikka, shouting, inserts her knife into the magic stone. The knife did not penetrate the magic stone with a single blow, so she attacked again, and the stone shattered.

At the same time as the magic stone shattered, there was a rattling sound of crumbling from inside the plant. The skeleton must have broken apart.

"Kikka, are you okay?　Can I go next?"

"I'm fine."

Kikka nodded vigorously and we headed for the next skeleton plant package. We break the magic stone quickly and easily without any problems.

Both Marco and Sara seem relieved that the method was almost risk-free. From there, Sara and Marco took down the zombies as planned, and Kikka took down the skeleton. Kikka will be able to make a contract with the spirit soon.

Once Kikka is able to contract with a spirit, we can let her practice it a few times and then go to the small nest. If there are three floating spirits and she uses magic, she should have no problem defeating them. We walk around the land of the dead for about two hours, guided by Sylphy, and return to the house of the fountain.

"Sara. Marco. Kikka. Kikka. You worked hard today. I'm sure you're tired, so after you've cleaned yourself up, get some rest.

He stroked their heads and praised them. The paws are a nice touch. I watch Sarah and the others as they go back to their bedrooms to say good night. It's only been a few days, but I feel like we're getting to know each other better.

Marco has become much more aggressive since he found out that he can be stronger in the field, and I think it's safe to say that things are going well.

"Yuta. It's a banquet!

Nomos appeared out of nowhere. I thought it might be a good time to ask him what I thought he might have said.

"...... Nomos. I'll serve you alcohol as promised, but you don't like children?　You don't come near me when Sarah and her friends are around."

"Mm. I'm not good at it."

You said it out loud and clear. There wasn't even the slightest hesitation. You really don't like it. I guess you've been avoiding the children because you haven't seen many nomos up close lately.

"The kids can only detect the presence of nomos. I don't think you need to worry too much. And Belle and Tulu don't mind, do they?"

"Mm. Belle and Tulle are fine. They're spirits. But human children are not my favorite. I don't know why. We'd better drink it now."

It's not logical. Then we'll just have to wait and see.

"All right. I'll be ready soon. You guys are free to go. Thanks for coming.

"Yuta. Belmonomoo."

"You want a drink?"

"Yeah. Shirufu, Deine, Nomosu, and Dori all said it was delicious.

Behind the bell, Rain. Tulu. Tumamo is also appealing for a drink. What about this case?　She looks like a little girl, but she's older than me, right?　It's too hard to judge.

"Nomos. Are Belle and the others okay with drinking alcohol?"

"Hmm. A spirit. They're not harmful to the body, but they can cause ...... power to go out of control. It's best to avoid it.

He said he was a first-rate magician, and it would be unfortunate if Belle and the others went out of control.

"Guys. You'll have to wait until you're a little older to drink.

He managed to calm them down and sent them on their way. Belle. Rain. Tulu. Tamamo's begging was too cute.

If I didn't have an image of Belle chugging ale and saying "Puh-uh" in my head, it would have been a little dangerous. Now it's time for grown-up time. I'll join you, and for the first time in a long time, I'm going to have a good drink.