---

Leaving the Spirit Realm and returning to the Elf’s Forest was quite the opposite of how it happened the first time. As I slowly dipped my feet into the lake in the Spirit Realm and walked, I found myself standing right in the heart of the Elf’s Forest. Though it was my second experience, I still looked around, feeling unfamiliar with the surroundings, yet Lindy simply stood there, nonchalant as if she had done this a million times.

“We’re not too far from the Village. It should only take about five minutes to walk.”

It seemed that there was only an entrance but no exit, and you simply dropped into any part of the Elf’s Forest at random.

“No matter how much I look around, I can’t tell where this is, and everything just looks like the same trees. Is this what it means to be an elf? Lindy, you really are different.”

“It’s basically because I’m an elf, but it’s my hometown after all. If I couldn’t tell after living here for so long, that would be strange.”

Following Lindy, who began to walk ahead slowly, I decided to confirm my lingering doubts right away.

The power newly residing within me. I could feel it quite clearly, but even though I made a contract with Clarice, I had obviously never summoned her before. As I began to slowly circulate the power like Lindy had taught me, the rest happened naturally.

A pathway was created that connected my body to the Spirit Realm, using that power as a medium. It wasn’t a pathway that just anyone could freely use, but it was a passage through which the spirit I had contracted with could come and go as they pleased.

Beyond that passage, I called forth Clarice, my sole contracted spirit, or more accurately, the Spirit King. Summoning spirits is always an act based on the agreement between the contractor and the spirit, so I couldn’t just summon her unilaterally because I wanted to.

Anticipating both excitement and worry about whether I could really summon a spirit, I waited. Drops of water began to coalesce in mid-air, and a human figure appeared.

“Did you forget something?”

And there she was, truly summoned into the material realm, Clarice. However, the Clarice who appeared, asking what was going on, was quite different from the one I had seen just a few minutes ago.

The beautiful woman was gone, and instead, I saw a girl who looked barely ten years old. She was undeniably cute, but far too young to be called beautiful.

I could easily guess why she looked this way. My spirit sensitivity was only at an intermediate level. Clarice had no choice but to embody this younger form because she had to limit her power to be summoned.

Nonetheless, her hair and eyes remained the same stunning blue, reminiscent of a clear lake. She looked at me with a fatigued expression, as if she still had a hangover, and I felt a twinge of guilt at having summoned her just to satisfy my curiosity.

“No, it’s not that. I just wanted to see you, so I called you. I’m sorry for summoning you all of a sudden.”

“No, no! It’s fine! Feel free to call me anytime!”

Thankfully, Clarice didn’t seem angry or uncomfortable at all.

“Still, I do feel sorry about it. You must be tired too, so please go back and rest for now.”

“Uh, okay…”

Clarice was soon sent back to the Spirit Realm. Just like how I summoned and sent back Clarice, Lindy also summoned Silphy to verify whether the ban had actually been lifted, and then sent her back. Apparently due to the new ban on female entities, the summoned Silphy looked like a small eagle, quite reminiscent of Flora, being the wind spirit.

“Welcome back, El!”

“Senpai!”

As soon as we entered the village, my friends were already out to meet me. Luna ran straight to me as soon as we stepped inside, throwing her arms around me. Thank goodness it was me; if it had been a stranger, she would have immediately complained of pain from such a perfect tackle.

“I’d like to discuss what lies ahead, if that’s okay? If you’re tired from your trip to the Spirit Realm, we can rest today and talk tomorrow.”

Not just my friends, but also Lunia, the elder of the elves, came out to greet us, saying that she had something to discuss as well.

“No, I’m not really tired, so it’s fine. Besides, I want to get things done quickly first and then rest comfortably. You’re okay with that, right, Lindy?”

“Yeah. It’s just talking anyway, so whatever Elisia wants to do is fine.”

“That’s right.”

I shrugged my shoulders, and Lunia smiled while leading us to the building located in the center of the village. It was not a far distance, and surrounded by my friends whom I met after a week, I followed Lunia with a light heart.

As we entered, I gently patted Luna’s head hanging at my waist. Lunia began adding flower petals to a teapot to brew tea. Seeing this, Lindy stood to help her, but Lunia politely told her that there was no need and had her sit back down as she elegantly filled the cups with tea.

Clink

A cup of flower tea was set before me.

As I lifted it and took a sip, a different fragrance filled my senses compared to the last flower tea I had. Not just the aroma, but the warm water brewed tea helped relieve the slight tension I had felt in front of Lunia.

“Did everything go well while you were gone?”

“Yes, Lunia. Thanks to Elisia’s active help, the Spirit Kings granted permission quickly.”

“Considering the temperament of the Spirit Kings, that must have been difficult, so I appreciate that.”

“Oh, it was nothing. It wasn’t that hard, really.”

This was not a humble statement. Of course, if my capacity for alcohol had been terrible, persuading Clarice would have been challenging. Then Clarice would have stopped defending Lindy against the strong claims of Truewell and Ignis, and amidst such a stagnant situation, Flora would not have returned even after Silphy’s request.

However, my capacity was more than enough to satisfy Clarice, which made turning her into a perfect ally quite simple. Even though Clarice now acted as a watch on Lindy, it felt more like having another companion than merely a guardian.

“Hehe. It seems like Elisia received a good gift from the Spirit Realm. You smell strongly of spirits.”

In response to Lunia’s comment, I raised my arm slightly and pretended to sniff. I was curious, but as expected, there was no special smell at all. Though I might not have noticed even if there had been a scent, I merely jested.

“Aha… Do I really smell that much? Actually, I received a gift from the Spirit King. Thanks to that, I was able to form a contract with a spirit.”

I was curious about what expression Lunia might show if she found out that the spirit I contracted was Clarice. But since I had hastily summoned Clarice for no reason before entering the village, I felt guilty to summon her again without purpose.

“That’s indeed a joyful story. Congratulations, Elisia. The spirits you contract with must be very happy as well.”

Of course, it was expected. Clarice had already become my drinking buddy for life.

Unfortunately, it seemed I would have to delay the next opportunity to share drinks with Clarice for quite a while. When Clarice manifested into the material realm, it was due to my insufficient abilities that she had to take on the form of a young girl. It would feel quite wrong to drink with her in a childish form, no matter how much she was a Spirit King and even older in true age.

Perhaps when my spirit sensitivity increases to the point that she can take on her adult form, or I visit the Spirit Realm again, would be the right time to celebrate with drinks.

“Actually, the reason I gathered everyone here right after returning is that there’s something I need to discuss.”

After taking a sip of tea, Lunia spoke with a slightly serious tone. With this more serious tone, I focused my attention on her words, tightening the tension I had relaxed.

“During the week Elisia and Lindy visited the Spirit Realm, an envoy from the Emperor visited the forest.”

As far as I knew, it was extremely rare for an envoy from the Emperor to visit the Elf’s Forest. Typically, the Elf side would only send a delegation when communicating with other nations.

“The Demonic Race has begun a full-scale war. The situation has changed significantly from before.”

“Isn’t that… it’s been a war all along, hasn’t it?”

Lunia brought up a seemingly sudden topic. And rightly so, the war with the Demonic Race had continued steadily since the Griffin Academy terror incident three years ago. This isn’t something that just happened yesterday or today.

“Yes, that’s right. But what I’m trying to say is that the Demonic Race has begun to form an actual army.”

 

---