Chapter 403
The weather today is clear.
And the smile on the man before me is also "clear."
"Now then, Lord Liberta! Let us meet again!""Yeah, do your best.""Yes, sir!"
While making a mental solo comedy retort—*Who is this person who seems possessed? Oh, it's Bermuda Ortus*—the series of events related to the formal letter has finally concluded, albeit barely.
We dealt with the army of the eastern Duke Marchias in a manner far from "safe," created an unbelievable turn of events, reached an outcome far from "uneventful," and saw off a beaming Bermuda departing with a bright expression and his bewildered subordinates wondering what to do, finally obtaining a moment of peace.
"He seems fully intent on coming back.""Yes, that appears to be the case."
When I murmur this impression after seeing them off and closing the gates, Esmeralda also nods, agreeing I'm not mistaken.
It would be better if this were just a temporary lapse of judgment or a full-blown act, but it doesn't feel that way, which makes it all the more problematic.
"In that case, we have no choice but to quickly investigate the cause.""Yes, I have asked Amina-san to be on standby and arranged for her to be ready to move to the Spirit World at any time.""I see. Well then, I'll be going for a bit. Please manage things here in the meantime.""Of course, leave it to me."
It wasn't an atmosphere of him continuing an act; Bermuda seriously declared he would return to this land. We must uncover the cause that generated such intensity.
It has become urgent.I doubt something like this will happen again anytime soon, but the possibility of similar occurrences is more than sufficient.
I'm wearing a different suit from yesterday's today, but we've confirmed it projects a similar aura.The effect is lower than yesterday's, but the fact remains: equipment imbued with effects that influence others in some way, unbeknownst to us, is being mass-produced.
This is the kind of thing that could, if mishandled, turn someone into the leader of a weird cult.
*We absolutely cannot let this get out!* Driven by urgency, I head from the gate toward the manor.
Running at full speed in a suit—my Class 8 stats are no joke.I reach the manor in a flash, and when I head to where Amina is...
"Ah, Liberta-kun! Over here!"
Amina was there, having already opened a Spirit Passage and waiting.
"Sorry. Did I keep you waiting?""Nope, it's fine! I was singing with everyone."
They seemed to have been singing and enjoying themselves in a circle with her contracted spirits, Pii-chan, Mii-chan, and Fuu-chan. Even though I was a bit late, she forgave me.
"Compared to right after the contract, they've grown quite a bit, haven't they?"
In this pioneer village where spirits don't normally reside, Amina's contracted spirits are our only means of reaching the Spirit World.Since she regularly goes to meet spirits like Dark-san, the dark spirit, or the Lightning Spirit sisters for live performances, she can take us if asked.
"Ehehe, right? Everyone's working hard."
These three spirits, who are opening the Spirit Passage for us, are trying to shed their initial childlike appearances.
"Yeah, they feel like they're about to join the ranks of mid-level spirits."
If they were elementary school lower graders before, now they feel like they're entering the middle to upper grades.
*Hmph!**We're trying hard~**Ehehm!*
Their cute, puffed-out-chest proud faces.Their once-awkward speech has become much more fluent.
That they are growing and accumulating power alongside Amina makes me very happy, but they still have their childish sides.As a thank-you for opening the Spirit Passage, I offer them cookies quietly made by Ingrid. Their eyes sparkle, and they stare intently at the cookies, unable to look away.
"Here you go."*"Yay!!"*
They wait properly until I say "You may eat," and once permission is given, they scramble to eat them first.Amina watches their growth gently, looking almost motherly.Perhaps because she took care of her younger brother, she sometimes exudes that kind of atmosphere.
She usually shows a lively, bright, youngest-child-like appearance, but at times like these, she shows her maternal side.
Is this what they call a 'gap'?
While patting the head of Fuu-chan, the wind spirit, I wait for them to finish eating.
*"Thank you for the meal!"*"Yeah! You're so good for saying thank you!"
Being thanked by the spirits, we are now ready to go to the Spirit World.When dealing with spirits, properly paying a reward is the iron rule. This time, the reward was just cookies, quite inexpensive, but doing this or not significantly changes their favorability.
*'Kay then~**Opening~**Heave!*
Whether they open it reluctantly or joyfully makes a big difference.
The opened Spirit Passage is large enough that even if Amina and I stood side by side, there would still be room.Without hesitation, we step inside, gazing at the glowing spirit stones as the three spirits lead us into the Spirit World.
"We're here.""First time since the last live show!"
We emerge into the garden of the house we stayed in during our time in the Spirit World, amidst a peaceful landscape. Greeting the spirits living nearby, we proceed toward our destination.Before, our presence always caused a commotion, but perhaps the spirits around here are used to it now. They don't make a fuss, instead asking things like "When's the next live show?" or giving us vegetables—responding with a certain degree of peace.
Well, if we stray a bit from this area, commotions still happen, so we can't let our guard down. But we can proceed without worry to our destination: the workshop run by the Lightning Triplets.
Because we've been providing various materials, every time new equipment arrives, the place gets updated, and the building itself has grown quite a bit with added warehouses.
Even so, only the three sisters use this workshop.The other spirits build their own structures in their own way, enjoying the process.
"Liberta here! Is the second daughter around?"
Knocking on the workshop door, I hear a clatter inside, followed immediately by the sound of quick, light footsteps.
"Good of you to come. Welcome."
The second daughter, wearing work clothes that clearly indicate she was in the middle of a job, greets us.Behind her, the eldest and youngest daughters are grinning, but she pays them no mind.
"Sorry, were you busy?""Not really. Same as usual."
While undoing the string tying her hair, she invites us into the workshop. After preparing tea, she heads further inside.Workshops in the Spirit World are like personal ateliers.There's no reception room; the structure is designed solely for their own convenience.
Looms, dyeing areas, laundry areas, spinning machines—all are arranged for their ease of use.To some, it might look messy, but they've thoughtfully considered their workflow.
The eldest and youngest daughters wave at us once before returning to their respective tasks.Seems the second daughter will handle us.
"Sorry to keep you.""Thank you.""Mm-hmm. Dark came by the other day. Left some well-aged black tea.""Oh, smells good."
However, for the small spirits, moving machinery seems more interesting than sitting still and listening to conversations. They try to pull Amina toward the eldest and youngest daughters.When I nod silently, Amina leads the spirits over to where the others are working.
I take the teacup, as I have something to discuss, and take a sip. I'm surprised by the fragrant tea with a faint sweetness.I've eaten and drunk many things in this world, but this might be the highest quality I've encountered.
"I heard the method for making these tea leaves was also your idea, Liberta.""I only gave advice.""But that advice is a treasure to us spirits. Thanks to you, there are fewer spirits saying they're bored these days."
When I suggested to Dark-san whether we could use alchemy to create processed foods, especially those involving fermentation, he actually started doing it.I recall Dark-san's words during this conversation with the second daughter: once he started pursuing deliciousness with things like alcohol, miso, and dried foods, he couldn't stop.
"I see, that's good.""It is. —Wait, that's not what you came to talk about, is it? You seem busy lately. Is it okay for you to be slacking off here like this?""A place like this? This is a place free of the strange human interactions, a place where I can relax. I'd definitely like to take it easy here in my old age.""When that time comes, please do. We'll all welcome you."
While I've become quite comfortable in the pioneer village, external enemies haven't disappeared.A space with a relaxed atmosphere like the Spirit World still naturally allows one to unwind.
Though feeling healed, as the second daughter said, I don't have the luxury of spending time relaxing here.
With a half-wry smile, I place the teacup on the table and instead take out the suit I wore yesterday from my Magic Bag.
"Thanks. Well, the main topic is about this suit.""Did the size not fit?""It was a perfect fit. It felt so natural, I hardly felt like I was wearing clothes.""Didn't like the design?"
Her expression turns serious immediately when it's about clothing she made. I quickly shake my head to deny any dissatisfaction.
"That's not it either. The defensive performance and everything were perfect.""Then what's the problem?"
The only specification I gave the Lightning Sisters when requesting clothing was defensive performance for emergencies.I left design and other details entirely to them, giving them free rein.
I thought that would motivate them more.
"It's not a problem, more like confirmation? Actually..."
Not daring to criticize their creation—that would be outrageous—I honestly tell her what happened while wearing this suit.When I ask if she has any idea about the cause...
"Ah, *that*."
The second daughter nods as if she knows exactly what I'm talking about and takes a sip of her own tea.
"Somehow, people around me said I seemed to have gained an air of dignity or something...""It's not 'dignity.' I adjusted the skills to make you *seem* that way.""Adjusted skills?""Yes. You said it, didn't you? That you'd have to do various negotiations from now on, and it would be a pain. So, to make negotiations easier, I imbued it with four skills: 'Intimidation,' 'Inspiration,' 'Morale Boost,' and 'Charm Up.'""......Seriously?""Seriously."
And what she explains with her tea-moistened mouth is, unexpectedly, a skill composition.
Intimidation Skill: More effective the higher your level compared to the target, it puts pressure on and unnerves the opponent.Inspiration Skill: Encourages the target, raising favorability while slightly increasing stats.Morale Boost: Applies a state of high spirits, slightly increasing stats.Both stat increases are minimal, weak as buffs.And Charm Up Skill: In FBO, it was valued as a skill that made it easier to gain favorability. In combat, it was only useful for things like taming monsters.
But, thinking about it, isn't this a skill composition perfectly suited for negotiation?
Use Intimidation to seize the initiative in conversation, use Inspiration to create a trigger for favorability, use Morale Boost to elevate the mood, and use Charm Up to constantly gain favorability.
Isn't this a pseudo-Charisma Skill!?
"Second Daughter-san...""What?"
If these were mass-produced, wouldn't they be incredibly dangerous?
"Can these be mass-produced?""Of course not. Do you have any idea how much time and effort went into making this? You can't just make something by imbuing skills alone.""Hearing that is a relief."
Having my foremost concern immediately denied, I felt a profound sense of relief from the bottom of my heart.