Silvia's Legion
"What is my identity?"
The Great Spirit of Earth, ruler of the land. The guardian of the earth who had lived for a thousand years. Muddy asked itself the question. Who exactly am I?
It was not asking for titles or descriptors to adorn its existence. It was questioning the very core of its being. A question it had never once considered in all its long life. And the answer, at least for now...
"I wanna ride on Muddy! I'll be able to see super high up!"
"That sounds dangerous..."
"Mister, Mister! Can I play on Muddy?"
"It's dangerous. Stop it."
"Please! I'll play safely! Right? Right?"
"...Silvia. Make sure they don't fall."
"Yay!"
They were nothing more than children's playground equipment. Nothing above, nothing below.
[Muddy! Get even cuter!]
[Kyaak! What the hell is with that command— Uuurgh!]
I was never cute to begin with, so what nonsense was this about becoming cuter? Yet, as if to prove that only reasonable commands worked, Muddy's body suddenly swelled up until it stood as tall as the mansion itself.
"Hoo!"
Julia wiped the cold sweat from her brow with a satisfied smile. At first, she hadn't been able to gauge how much mana to use with her spirit commands. Now she had grown skilled enough to issue efficient commands without waste.
The technique she had honed, often called the flower of spirit arts! The task accomplished through spirit command was, of all things, making Muddy bigger!
'Huh? Wait, why am I even using spirit commands for something like this...?'
Something felt off. This was completely lame!
Julia faced reality, and as the illusion shattered, a wave of exhaustion washed over her. Was this really what being a spirit arts user was all about?
Meanwhile—
"Waaah...! It's high! So high! Super high!"
[Get down! You damn brat...!]
Charlotte had already scrambled all the way to the top of Muddy's head, shouting with delight. So this was how Muddy saw the world! Everything looked tiny! Miniscule! All the people of the world were beneath its feet!
Was this why Muddy acted so arrogant? Charlotte felt she finally understood the origin of its haughty tone.
"Julia, come up too! You can see all the way to the market from here!"
"How did you even get up there...?"
"Just step on it and climb! Muddy's all squishy, so you can use it like stairs!"
[Don't step on me! I warned you not to step on me!]
"Hup!"
[Kyaak! These brats don't even pretend to listen anymore!]
After a moment of hesitation, Julia stepped onto Muddy's body and began climbing. Her feet sank in with each step, allowing her to scale it like a ladder. At last she reached the summit, where Charlotte grabbed her hand and pulled her up. The two girls sat side by side atop Muddy's head, gazing out over the sprawling cityscape and letting out gasps of wonder.
"It's so pretty..."
"It's completely different from looking out a window!"
The sun peeked over the mountains. The view of sunrise from such a height was truly breathtaking. Muddy, who had seemed ready to stay angry, chose to stop grumbling rather than ruin the mood above its head.
"So this is how Muddy sees the world. It's kind of amazing."
[If you've seen enough, get down already! You're heavy!]
"But being alone this high up... it must feel lonely and scary sometimes."
[...]
Lonely and scary? What kind of ridiculous statement was that? Muddy found itself at a loss for words at Julia's absurd remark.
It had spent a thousand years absorbing spiritual energy without moving from the mountains, becoming the greatest and most powerful of all spirits—the Great Spirit. How could something like that ever feel lonely? These idiots.
"What do you want to do when you go back to the mountains, Muddy?"
[Why are you lot so desperate to leave this place?]
"There's a close friend we left behind. Did you leave any friends in the mountains too?"
[In the mountains... there was no one but me...]
What did it want to do upon returning to the mountains? Muddy pondered the question for a long while. It would return to the quiet place without these noisy brats, burrow into the earth, and resume absorbing spiritual energy. To grow stronger. To become greater. To become an existence that humans could no longer dismiss as merely cute.
[To grow into a being unbound by a spirit arts user's commands.]
"And then what?"
[And then what...?]
"There must be a reason you want to become that kind of existence. We're training to get stronger so we can make tons of money and go get our friend. What about you?"
[I...]
Once again, Muddy found itself speechless. Why did it want to grow stronger? Did such a reason even matter? Wasn't the desire to become stronger simply instinct for all living things? Faced with a profound question it had never once considered, Muddy felt its thoughts grow muddled.
[I don't know...]
"Then let's decide together! What you'll do once you're stronger!"
"If Muddy gets even bigger than this, it could do tunnel construction. Every time I see the Super Strong Sword carving up mountains, it looks so ugly. It'd be nice if we could just punch a clean hole through the middle."
"It's not ugly at all! It's super cool...!"
[...]
If it didn't know what to do with greater strength, then perhaps there was no need to become stronger at all. Yes. Spending time in leisure like this every now and then wasn't so bad. How many years could it possibly spend mingling with short-lived humans? It would rest for a while, using the time to search for a goal and an identity.
Thinking this, Muddy smiled at the sound of the children's endless chatter above its head. It no longer felt quite so noisy—
"Muddy! Let's go to the front yard now! Giddy up!"
[Don't treat me like a horse!!!]
This insolent little brat!!!
***
Belmont Security had been officially established. The manager, instructor, and overall person in charge was Silvia. In practice, it was a company run entirely by Silvia alone.
On the monumental opening day of Belmont Security, I felt my chest swell with excitement as I watched the employees line up in the training grounds.
"If even one of your employees causes trouble, Belmont's reputation will be damaged. Manage them well."
"...Yes. Understood."
It was yet another burden placed on Silvia, but it was fortunate she was showing enthusiasm. I had promised that if this venture succeeded, I would cancel all her pay cuts and raise her salary.
'This business also serves as publicity for Jacob.'
It wasn't just a simple security company. It was a security company that used weapons forged by Jacob. Every time the employees distinguished themselves, people would ask what weapons they were using. That would naturally spread the name of the blacksmith who wielded Mana Fire.
"Ahem, ahem."
Silvia soon stepped onto the platform before the employees, and all eyes instantly focused on her.
"Greetings. I am Silvia, the CEO of Belmont Security. From now on, all responses will be unified as 'Hah!' Understood?"
"...Hah?"
"Is that the best you can do? Again!"
"Hah!!!"
Huh. Something about this felt off.
"Looking at your faces, I can tell. You think you've secured a respectable position and plan to show up every morning, pretend to work, and leech off the company's money. Being hired doesn't mean it's over! There's still a process to determine whether you've all developed the strong bodies and minds worthy of Belmont Security, or if you're just flashy slugs!"
What was this? I hadn't heard anything about this.
"The training from here on will be harsher than any hardship or adversity you've ever faced. You might even beg to be killed. However, dropping out midway will not be permitted except in cases where you're carried out on a stretcher. If you want to give up, do it right here. If you think you can't handle it, you can leave through that door right now. Anyone who wants to quit, get out! Now!"
"..."
It was over. I smacked my forehead, sensing that Belmont Security was finished. I had indeed told Silvia she could train and educate the employees however she had learned in the military. But that judgment had failed to properly account for her background.
Silvia had once been a hero candidate. The unit she belonged to hadn't been an ordinary one—it had been a special forces unit. Applying special forces training to people who had been ordinary civilians until yesterday would naturally make them flee in terror.
Ah! I was going to have to hire all new employees!
"No one's leaving? This isn't a bluff. Everyone who stays will be considered to have volunteered for hell-week training. If you endure the training, you'll be the first to charge into danger and the last to retreat. You'll be remade into people who can throw away your lives without hesitation to protect clients and comrades. The only rewards for sacrifice and devotion are a bit of money, honor, and glory! Even so, no one's leaving?"
"Hah!!!"
"Good! Your response has spirit! Training will begin exactly ten minutes from now! Head to the dorms immediately, change into your uniforms, and return!"
"Hah!!!!!!"
Thud, thud, thud. Watching the employees rush noisily toward the dorms, I felt my mind go blank. No, really? No one was leaving? Even after I warned them so thoroughly that it would be grueling, exhausting, and dangerous?
'Did I only hire crazy people?'
Silvia turned to me and gave a thumbs-up. No matter how I looked at it, the company's state was abnormal. All the employees were starting to look like hundreds of Silvias. Hundreds of hot-blooded muscleheads. This was hell. A nightmare.
'Let's head back to the mansion.'
I quietly slipped out of the training grounds. I needed healing. I was suddenly missing the scent of Julia's hair.
"..."
"..."
The moment I left the training grounds, I came face to face with a familiar figure. Amidst everyone rushing toward the dorms, one employee stood still, glaring at me. It was Yuri.