By Zephyria 
The path, walking through the distant dawn under the guidance of the siblings, was more leisurely than the journey to retrieve the Divine object.
We hadn’t set a destination. Instead, we had set a time. We decided to play the flute at the furthest possible location reachable by three in the morning.
Ruben and I could ride horses for hours, but those two children hadn’t undergone separate training and lacked stamina. It was obvious that if we rode too fast and fell on the dark road, it would be a considerable headache. Once decided, the mood became as tranquil as a leisurely stroll.
As we walked at their pace, we asked various questions and chatted. What I was most curious about was, of course, predetermined. I asked about the Divine object and legends passed down among the Yulan Royalty.
“…Are ancient spirits different from current spirits?”
“Hmm? I don’t think so? I’ve never seen an ancient spirit myself.”
“Perhaps they’re just spirits born the same way but lived longer, so they’re called ancient? When we say ancient, it usually refers to myths… stories from a thousand years ago.”
“I think ancient spirits are mermaids.”
“Mermaids?”
“Yes. Yulan has an unusually large number of mermaid legends compared to other kingdoms.”
Mermaids who sank passing sailing ships for the Blue Turtle, mermaids who carried a lost child home on waves from the seashore, mermaids who brought a fisherman a boat full of fish…
Indeed, the actions of the mermaids in the stories bore many resemblances to spirits. They were capricious, kind to humans, and especially so in that communication was impossible between them and humans. I listened for a long time to the praise of these mysterious beings who communicated through gestures, movements, and gentle breaths.
The unpaved road was rough. The path, not laid with flagstones or gravel, occasionally had uneven stones jutting out. As the horses and people began to yawn one by one, Ruben suddenly asked.
“By any chance, are there any mermaid legends about the first human?”
“Uh… is there? Hmm… The founder of the Yulan royal family was the fifth human, wasn’t he? Perhaps that’s why there are many stories about him. He was a beautiful blonde with a kind disposition, and he was friendly with all spirits.”
“Hmm.”
“…The fifth?”
Ruben suddenly turned his head sharply.
I, riding on the same horse as Ruben, was startled, nearly touching his cheek with my lips. Without knowing what foolish thoughts I was having, the child’s gaze was fixed solely on the prince who had just spoken.
A sharp question formed on his firm lips. As I am now, I couldn’t fathom what Ruben was thinking. I merely made a sound, clearing my throat unnecessarily to hide my awkwardness.
Ruben, unconcerned with my behavior, asked several times in a cold voice.
“…You mentioned that Prince Elijah is now five years old.”
“Yes? Yes.”
“Spirits… count five as the largest number. And the people of Yulan believe in spirits more than Magic, don’t they?”
“…Yes? Well… that’s true…?”
“In the Sierran Empire… they say the founder of the Yulan dynasty was the seventh human. After the first human died, six humans were reborn… and thus the second human became the founder of Sierran, and the rest, in order, were assigned to rule Owen, Floyd, Felix, Biban, and Yulan…”
“…Uh… why is that? I heard that the order of humans chosen as founders could be changed, just like the order of gods.”
“We believe Yulan is the fifth kingdom.”
“Why?”
The prince and princess looked at each other.
“…Simply because, from a very long time ago. We were told we were born with the greatest blessing. Like the spirits born to love all humans…”
“Is that a story passed down only in the Yulan royal family?”
“Uh… is it? Honestly, since folktales are passed down by word of mouth, it’s hard to say what the original source is.”
The three horses stopped in place. A slow fear crept into the siblings’ bewildered faces.
The princess asked in a very cautious voice,
“Is… something strange?”
However, Ruben shook his head dismissively.
“…No. It’s nothing like that… it’s nothing important. We must have come quite far by now, so it would be best to hurry and finish our task before returning.”
“Ah. …Yes, we will.”
“…Elijah… will be alright, won’t he?”
The prince asked me. I nodded without thinking for long.
“I can’t guarantee it, but probably. Didn’t you say he was fine until he was two years old? Half of the Contaminated Mana has been removed, so there should be that much leeway.”
The amount of Divine Power felt from this Divine object now was very faint compared to the Oasis, the Statue of the Goddess’s Head, the Sanctuary of the Sun, and the back of the golden turtle that I had experienced before. Because of this, I gave a somewhat complacent answer.
I wanted to finish the task quickly and take Ruben back. It seemed Ruben couldn’t say what he wanted to say properly because he was conscious of them. My mind was filled only with the thought that I had to ask what that number five meant.
The princess took a deep breath and brought the end of the flute to her lips.
Soon, a very clear and pure sound spread in all directions. The sound shimmered with gold. It was as if stars from the sky were plucked, finely shattered, and thrown onto the ground with a bang. The sound, spreading in a circle around the princess, created a strange ripple.
Even though the five holes were not covered, the pitch of the sound varied. The Divine Power, spreading gradually like a hum, was so grand and heavy that it was hard to believe it originated from such a small flute.
The horses we were riding began to kneel and sit down one by one. They acted as if they wanted to lie down, but behaved carelessly as if unable to fulfill their desire because we were still on their backs. Fearing that a horse might lie down and injure Ruben’s leg, I hugged him and helped him dismount.
Seeing this, the prince also dismounted. Now, only the princess remained on horseback. As if to spread the flute’s sound further, the horse the princess was riding stood tall, its head held high. My stomach churned.
Pong.
Pong, pong.
Unfamiliar Sylphs darted through the air, approaching. Neither the princess nor the prince showed fear. Trusting the gentle smiles on their lips, I also remained still. Ruben pulled my right arm and wrapped it around his waist. My fingertips felt a strange tickle.
It was the moment I lowered my gaze, curious about Ruben’s expression.
[…!]
Peep! An immense ringing echoed through my entire body. The wide hill rose like a wave. As soon as I sensed something was wrong, I pulled Ruben and buried his face in my chest. With my other hand, I covered my nose and mouth simultaneously. I did this to prevent any vomit from entering my mouth and causing me to be buried alive.
In an instant, it was pitch black. My vision turned completely dark.
❖ ❖ ❖
The hastily erected Aura Barrier formed a circle around Ruben and me.
I blinked a few times. It was completely dark, but there was no lack of breath. It was difficult to tell if it was a dream or reality. I thought I was accustomed to all sorts of Magic, but unlike Magic, which makes the flow of Mana easy to sense beforehand, I newly learned that Spirit Arts could summon great power in an instant.
Where was the princess, and where was the prince?
…And where had the Divine object in their hands fallen?
First, I opened my arms to check on the child. Even in the darkness, I shouldn’t fail to recognize a child at this distance, but it seemed to be a space where not even a sliver of light entered. I could feel Ruben’s warm breath falling on my chest in puffs, but I was anxious because I couldn’t see his complexion.
“…Ruben. Are you alright?”
“Uh. …I’m fine. Mika?”
“Me too.”
Where is this place?
Ruben raised his hand as if to check on me. He cupped my cheek, his fingers tracing from my hair to my earlobe, cheek, nose, and lips. I remained still, passively entrusting my face to the child’s hands. He was also scared, I suppose. His hands trembled, just like when we fell off a cliff together before.
“…I’m really fine. I didn’t hit anything… I was just a little surprised.”
“…Mm.”
As I looked around, I felt several faint presences outside my Aura Barrier.
The wriggling and rubbing sensations were definitely not from living beings. Since it was spirits that had suddenly pulled us into this earth, I couldn’t feel at ease. When I persisted without lowering the barrier, strange lumps of Mana bounced and rolled, making their presence known.
After pondering for a moment, I drew my sword and infused it with energy. A soft, blue light illuminated the surroundings.
“Hk.”
“…Mm.”
Ruben gasped and clung to me. It was understandable. Hundreds of spirits were stuck to the outside of the barrier, peering inside. Their buzzing sounds, like a swarm of bees, were unintelligible. Their sheer numbers were repulsive.
“…They’re gnomes.”
“Earth spirits?”
“Yes.”
Ruben whispered in my ear. I frowned and looked at them. The gaps between them slowly widened and opened. In a state of great panic, the trembling Yulan royal siblings were sitting about ten paces ahead. Several gnomes were milling around them.
The spirits, with their gentle eyes, showed no malice. Not knowing what to do, I looked at Ruben. The child, holding my hand tightly, whispered cautiously.
“They seem fine. At least… they haven’t lost the Divine object.”
“…Mm.”
Did he check that first? Indeed, the princess was sitting with the Divine object clutched tightly in both hands. The gnomes glanced at the Divine object and hovered nearby, but they did not try to snatch it from her hands.
“Let’s find out why they brought us here first, Mika.”
I obediently lowered the sword barrier.
The spirits gnawing at the barrier fell to the ground with a tuduk and tuk, like insects. They chattered in unintelligible sounds without complaint or reproach. It sounded like humming, or perhaps a whine.
At another moment, it made a sound like wet mud colliding with mud.
…The sound of wet mud?