189 - - Episode 187 Spirits

Yesterday I was able to make tempura surprisingly well and was quite satisfied. If you can make tempura, you will want to eat udon. Udon noodles with shrimp tempura would be great.

We take a leisurely look around the base, remembering yesterday's dinner. Gina and her friends are out to destroy the nest of the undead with Sylphy as their escort, and Belle and her friends are playing with the spirit tree. Deanne and the others are probably at the distillery.

The guavard has gotten used to this place by now and is poking at the dirt and making guagua noises. After cleaning the water and adding food, I search carefully in the straw, but do not find any eggs.

Hmmm... I guess she hasn't laid yet. They seem to be taking it easy, but maybe they are stressed somewhere.

After checking on Guavard, we head for Mohammed Kingdom. I call it "Mohamofu Kingdom" only in my mind, but I'm feeling a bit empty since I haven't muffled any of the small animals I've brought here.

This time, too, as soon as we entered the forest, the small animals ran away like rabbits. I put fruits around them and wait for them to come out from hiding. I put fruits around them and wait for them to come out. ............ I wait for about 30 minutes, but they do not come out. It will take a long time for them to realize that they are harmless.

They seem to come out to eat the fruits when I'm gone, so I should be able to fluff them up eventually if I keep doing it over and over again. I'll persevere. I check the pond and leave Mohamofu Kingdom.

Now, what should I do next?　There are many things I want to do, but I worked hard yesterday, so I might as well take it easy today. I haven't used the swimsuit I bought, and it would be fun to just float around in the pool for the first time in a while. No, I'd rather hang out with Gina and the others. Maybe next time.

"Yuta, can I talk to you about something?

As I was shifting my plans to skip the day, Nomos spoke to me, which was a rare occurrence. That's really unusual.

"Huh?　Are you sure about the distillery?"

"Yes, Dineh, Dolly and If are watching them now. The addition of Iff has made the distillation process more efficient, and it's going well.

"Is everything going well, but as I said before, we're going to run out of ale. Shall we move on to wine?"

"Hmm, that's a good idea. Shall we get on with it?"

You said you had a consultation, but the wine distillation is blowing the consultation out of the water.

"Okay, but didn't you have something else you wanted to discuss?"

"Yes, that's right. Can I have a few bottles of the distilled liquor?"

"Hmm?　Well, that's fine, but if you drink too much, you won't have enough to put away. Besides, didn't Nomos not like freshly distilled liquor very much?"

"I don't drink. I thought I'd bring it to the Spirit King. If I show him an example of the new drink, it might hasten his designation as a sanctuary.

Are you trying to hook the king of spirits with alcohol?　I don't think that's a good idea.

"Hey, Nomos. Hey, Nomos. Do all the top spirits like to drink?

No, that's not true. Some like it, some don't like it, some like it and some don't like it. Well, they are no different from other people."

I see, so it's confirmed that Sylphy is bringing her drinking buddy with her. I'm not surprised since I was almost sure of it from the beginning.

"Do all the spirit kings like to drink?"

"Well, who doesn't like it? If you love it or like it, you drink it.

There is a possibility that they will like the freshly distilled liquor like Dine did, and reporting on its potential will be surprisingly effective. Is that what you want?　I can see how a place that has something you like could make a good impression on you.

"How does a spirit that likes to drink get alcohol in the first place?"

Since you like alcohol so much, there must be a way to get it.

"Liquor?　Sake is hard to come by. We can only drink what is offered to the temple or what is made in small quantities in a small part of the sanctuary. Therefore, I like my current environment where I can drink sake if I ask for it. Therefore, it is the hope of those of us who enjoy drinking that this place, where sake can be made freely, will become a sanctuary.

Nomos says with the eyes of a boy who is going straight toward hope. It doesn't suit me. But then again, what's the matter with you?　That's a new word for you. Dedication sounds like a temple. And before you know it, this place has become a place of hope for drinkers.

I suppose we could have a big brewery in the sanctuary, but you said it's too precious a place to let loose. That's why they want to make this place a sanctuary, a place that could be a chance for the land of the dead to come back to life, and still be free to do so to some extent.

"Hey, now that you mention it, why don't the spirits approach humans?　If we make various contacts from spirits, we can at least get alcohol freely, right?"

So far, even if a contract is made with a spirit, mankind only uses spells, and before that, it is almost always a floating spirit that makes a contract with mankind, which is quite rare even for a lower class spirit. There are some middle class spirits like Meral who are attached to their ancestry, but they are still children. They don't actively pursue contracts and try not to get involved.

"It's not a good idea for spirits to actively help mankind. I like to drink, but I don't actively help mankind. Well, when I was just going along like that, the reputation of the genie surgeon became terrible. It was a mistake because it was a valuable opportunity for the floating spirits to grow.

Are you so untrustworthy of mankind?"　

"Yes, we choose our contractors, but when they are powerful they grow. Even if they do not grow, it is common in the past for them to be used for wars and evil because of their ties to the people around them. That is why they do not use their real names and can terminate the contract at any time.

This is a sobering story. In the old days, ...... nomos and others are talking about, it seems quite a long time ago, the contracting method itself was different. So when they met for the first time, Bell told them not to tell him their names. It seems that the spirit hates you because you have to help him do things he doesn't want to do after making a deep contract with him.　

Humanity must have done something terrible to be hated so much by curious and kind spirits. I don't want to hear about it because it might make me sick.

What's more problematic than the old misdeeds of mankind is what the spirits think of my past actions. I made a big deal with the Adventurers' Guild.　But Sylphy got into the groove too, didn't she?

"Nomos, I've been threatening the Adventurers' Guild with the help of the Great Spirit, but isn't that a preliminary step to being abandoned?"

If so, we should get down on our knees for now and pledge to change our minds and live honestly. ...... Should we get down on our knees now?

"Don't worry. It's not like the genie is on the side of justice. They don't like to do evil by nature, but if they like someone who's cornered, they'll help him do it. Yuta didn't commit genocide, I wouldn't abandon him for that.

Nomos follows up with me, perhaps with anxiety showing on his face. Under the current circumstances, I can at least escape from the land of the dead by myself. But if Sylphy and the others abandon me, I feel like my heart will die of sadness.

"Thank you. Thank you, Nomos."

When I thanked him for his relief, Nomos looked at me with a disappointed expression. Why?

"What's wrong?"

"No, I just thought you were a strange contractor. Well, it's unusual for us to be able to see, talk, and touch them, but Yuta is the first person I've ever met who's this deeply involved with spirits. I can see why Sylphy and the others are as excited as little children.

...... I think I just heard something I shouldn't have. Are Sylphy and his friends floating around like little children?

"What?　Are Shilfi and her friends floating?"

Deanne makes a little more sense, but Sylphy and Dolly are more mature. They may be extreme in some ways, but they are very caring and kind and don't look like they're having a good time.

"I'm a big spirit and so are they. They are more powerful than Yuta can imagine and have lived a long time. Such great spirits beg for wine, make a fuss when the Adventurer's Guild is annoyed, and are pushed around by the lower spirits and the floating spirits. Isn't he floating enough?"

Well, there seems to be quite a difference between the Sylphy's I usually see and the real Sylphy's.

"Then, is Nomos floating too?"

"Yes, I am floating. I'm trying to build a sanctuary in the land of the dead.

He admitted to being normally buoyant. Apparently, in Nomos' opinion, the current situation is festive. I'm glad you're having fun.

Now I can ask him why he doesn't like children, but I think he's had a lot of trauma, not being good with nomos who have lived for a long time. I don't expect anything more than a funny story, so I'm not going to touch it.

"What if it's a festival or a sanctuary?"

There are plenty of spirits who are not busy. They will gather and make a big festival of it. Well, that depends on Yuta.

......This story is definitely beyond my capacity. What happens when I say you're free to do what you want ......?　It's pretty hard to say it's up to me.

"Ah, Nomos, if we decide to designate the area as a sanctuary, should we go ahead and develop it a bit more and make a space for the spirits?　We don't want it to be too fancy, but we'd be happy to allow some freedom of movement, wouldn't we?"

"Hm...... would be helpful to us, but there may be a discrepancy between our style and Yuta's style, and we will need to work out the details. I want to plant barley and grapes.

Barley and grape fields, surely the raw materials for alcohol. However, considering the difference in the perception of fancy or the fact that ...... gentle Dolly easily grew spirit trees, it is necessary to make a detailed agreement, even if it is troublesome. If spirit trees grow in a big clump, it would be heartbreaking even if there is no problem in the environment.

"Wouldn't there be a problem in a barley or grape field?　Depends on the size. Well, if it is about to be designated as a sanctuary, we will discuss it again. If it's not designated as a sanctuary, it's meaningless.

"Yes, but I'm fired up. I'll bring the Spirit Kings some wine and have a good talk with them. I'll take the wine. I'll distill the wine later.

"Oh, don't be too hard on yourself."

You didn't forget to mention distilling wine. Nomos waved his hand and took off, as if to say, "I got it. Now, just when I was thinking of taking it easy, I hear about the spirits in an unexpected way. The relationship between mankind and spirits...maybe I should think a little deeper.