The Spirits' Embrace
"Daddy, big trouble, Pipi!"
After hours of pouring spirit rain, the power still surged through her veins.
It felt wonderful.
Marguerite flopped onto the ground, spreading her limbs wide. The moment she lay down, the spirits swarmed toward her like fireflies from her childhood. Occasionally one would drift close enough to press its face against her skin, as if sniffing her scent.
Suddenly, the image of spirits dancing around the Saintess flashed through her mind. Those spirits back then…
No, they can't be the same.
The spirits hovering near her now behaved differently. The ones around the Saintess had seemed restless and confused, but these spirits sniffed Marguerite, then danced through the air in evident satisfaction. Perhaps spirits had a habit of smelling humans after all.
"Ah!"
Marguerite shot upright, startled. She couldn't afford to lounge around. What was she going to do about the soldiers—the people?
"I need to tie them up before they wake, or… something."
The thought of running away crossed her mind for a fleeting second. She could escape right now. But if she fled, the consequences would fall squarely on her family. Remembering the king's serpentine gaze, Marguerite shivered.
If she disappeared, the soldiers would pin everything on her without admitting any fault of their own. The royal family might even invent dozens of additional crimes she never committed.
Whether she lived or died, she had no choice but to head for the pioneer village. Speaking of which, where was the coachman?
First, the ropes.
Marguerite ran toward the carriage and found the coachman kneeling on the ground with his eyes closed, muttering something under his breath—perhaps a prayer. At the sound of her footsteps, he opened his eyes and immediately prostrated himself.
"My lady, please spare me. I know it's right to let you go. How could I treat someone protected by the spirits as a criminal? But this is the king's order. If I don't bring back even a corpse, my children, my wife, and my parents will all be killed. Please, save me."
The coachman looked up at her fearfully before pressing his face to the dirt again. Unlike the soldiers, he seemed trustworthy.
"I'm not running away. I have family depending on me too."
"Thank you! Thank you, my lady. I'm so sorry."
He bowed repeatedly, apologizing for not being able to release her.
"And I'm no longer a noble, so there's no need for formal speech."
The coachman shook his head vigorously.
"You're under the spirits' protection. I could never speak so casually."
Just then, a faint groan escaped one of the fallen soldiers. Marguerite flinched and stepped closer to the coachman. Even with spirits nearby, the terror of being chased by men hadn't completely faded. The thought of the soldiers waking terrified her.
"D-do you have any rope?"
"Rope?"
"I'm sorry, but we need to tie up those soldiers."
"Ah! If that's all, don't worry."
The coachman sprang to his feet, but instead of fetching rope, he began gathering their belongings. He took the pot off the fire, collected the scattered dishes, and packed everything away while speaking.
"Even if we tie them up and take them, those men will cause trouble. They'll definitely shout about seeing spirits."
Once everything was packed, he doused the campfire.
"My orders are to report if any spirits appear. If they talk, my superiors will hear about it."
So the royal family had been hoping to use spirits after all. Perhaps they'd planned to capture her quietly once things settled.
"Of course, I'll keep my mouth shut. I'll never say a word. I'll take this secret to my grave."
As he spoke, the coachman glanced at the soldiers.
"If we leave them like this, they'll just die. They're bleeding, so beasts will come soon. We should leave before we get dragged into it."
Still… could she really do that? Leaving people to die?
Even though these men had caused her so much trouble, the idea of deciding someone's death felt wrong. While Marguerite hesitated, the coachman opened the carriage door.
"My lady, even if we take them, at least one will almost certainly die. His nose is completely torn open—there's no treating that here. Another man's arm broke when he hit the ground. His back might be shattered too. They're dead men either way."
Now that he mentioned it, the soldier who had been thrown against the barrier had an oddly twisted arm. It must have been broken.
Meanwhile, Marguerite's fluffy spirit flew over to the men and began kicking them—though its attacks no longer carried any real force. The little bird followed suit, pecking at the soldiers as it flew back and forth. The thought that such a tiny beak could tear through human flesh so quickly was slightly terrifying.
Marguerite wavered for a moment, then climbed into the carriage. The coachman spread out a blanket he hadn't offered before, then respectfully closed the door. Just before it shut, she heard his quiet mutter.
"Traveling with men who've angered the spirits… I couldn't do it out of fear."
…
Was that really how he felt?
The fluffy spirit and the little bird flew in through the window. The carriage lurched into motion. Saying goodbye to the other spirits left her feeling strangely wistful. When she leaned out for one last look, the spirits were following the carriage. It seemed they intended to come along.
She'd thought today would be the worst day of her life, but it had turned out surprisingly good. Thanking the mysterious water droplet, Marguerite laid her exhausted body against the seat. Despite the constant jolting, she fell asleep almost immediately. The events of today—and the days before—had worn her down more than she'd realized.
The next day, she woke much later than usual. Her eyes felt hot, and her body was heavy. When she tried to lift her arm, it wouldn't obey.
"Pipi…?"
The fluffy spirit tilted its head right in front of her face. Unlike usual, it hadn't left her side this time.
"You're… worried about me…"
Speaking exhausted her. Hot breath escaped her lips. With the tension finally released, perhaps she'd caught a cold. She remembered the villager who'd died of one—healthy one day, coughing the next, then gone.
Maybe I'll die too.
There was no medicine, no proper food. The chances of death seemed higher than survival. Her brother's face, pleading with her to endure, surfaced in her mind.
I'm sorry, brother. I might die after all.
He would be devastated. At the very least, she'd wanted to see her parents' faces one more time.
As she thought this, the spirit's face suddenly filled her vision.
"Pi?"
It tilted its head. Marguerite smiled as brightly as she could.
"…Thank you… for everything… You were like a hero to me… Thank you…"
With those words, she closed her eyes. She was so tired. She'd been exhausted for days. Now she just wanted to rest.
After the village hall was completed, houses began to spring up one by one. The villagers said the chief's house should come first, but I disagreed. Families with children should take priority. Though the village meeting had decided on the chief's house, I pushed my idea through. There weren't many family units anyway, so building theirs first wouldn't delay the rest much.
Honestly, I was tired of accidentally witnessing couples sneaking off into the shade or woods. A bachelor's heart is delicate and easily wounded. When I hinted at this, everyone laughed and agreed.
Haah, I really want to get married soon.
Building the village hall had taken time, but once we got the hang of it, things moved quickly. Since ordinary houses were smaller, several went up in no time. And now, finally, it was time for my own house.
"We've kept you waiting long enough."
"Let's build you a fine one."
"Just you wait."
Everyone chimed in, but I told them ordinary was fine—just ordinary. A bigger house would only make heating harder in winter. Thanks to my repeated insistence, the size was reduced, though it looked like they'd add a separate shed as well. Other people's sheds would come later. First, finish all the houses, then build the sheds roughly.
Since the foundation was already prepared, today we raised the frame. There were no walls or roof yet, but the bare skeleton somehow looked impressive.
This is going to be my house.
After coming to this world, I was finally getting a real home of my own. Now all I needed was a pretty bride and a cute child.
"Kkur… kkur…"
While I was lost in daydreams, Pudding crawled up my leg.
…
Where did the bride and baby go? Why a slime instead?
A sigh escaped me. This creature was helpful, occasionally cute, and overall good to have around—but having my imaginary smiling bride and baby suddenly replaced by Pudding made me sigh anyway.
Now that I had a house, I really wanted to get married. How many more brides would have to arrive before it was my turn?
While I sighed repeatedly, Pudding climbed up and trembled against me, then leaned in slightly. It was acting cute.
"You worked hard fertilizing the fields today too."
This little one really was a big help. Popcorn too. They were both so reliable.
"…Kkur… kkur…"
After nuzzling against me for a while, Pudding produced a handful of glowing powder and offered it up, head bowed. It wanted praise.
At times like this, it was strangely human-like despite being a slime.
"Yeah, I'm really glad you're here. Thank you. You did great."
When I patted it, the bouncy jelly body shook with joy. Honestly, it was incredibly helpful. Thanks to its medicine, someone suffering from acid reflux had completely recovered. People who struggled daily with constipation or got indigestion after every meal were fine now. It truly made a difference.
After praising Pudding for a bit, I called out to the others that we were done for the day.
"We could still do a little more, Chief."
"Let's just finish this part."
The men refused to stop working.
"We'll finish tomorrow. Let's call it a day."
I was grateful for their enthusiasm, but we had plenty of other work besides house-building. When I repeated myself, they reluctantly put down their tools. One man wiped sweat from his brow and gazed toward the fields.
"Honestly, Chief, I'd stay up all night to build your house if I could. Thanks to you, our crops are growing more than twice as fast as usual."
The others nodded in agreement.
"The harvest should be much bigger too."
"At this rate, we might even get two plantings in."
"I've never seen or heard of anything like this in my life."
"Having a mage in the village is truly a blessing."
"Now I understand why nobles fight so hard to keep mages around."
Everyone had something to say.
"It's not thanks to me. Like I said before, there are many other spirits near this forest. They're probably the real reason."
Spirits that once only gathered in my field now flew throughout the entire village. Though invisible to others, I'd seen them rolling in the fields or perching on grass and scattering light. Pudding and Popcorn had worked hard, but the other spirits deserved at least half the credit.
"Still, those spirits are here because of you, Chief."
"That's right."
"We're lucky to have you as our chief."
When people said things like that, I couldn't help feeling embarrassed.
"Well then, let's get back to work."
I handed Pudding to a passing child and hurried away. Laughter erupted behind me. For some reason, my embarrassment seemed to delight everyone even more.
Popcorn hadn't returned last night.
I wonder if it found Orange.
I hoped it wasn't still searching. Feeling slightly worried, I headed toward the fields when an odd sensation washed over me. An immense pressure was approaching.
I jerked my head up and saw Popcorn hurtling toward me at incredible speed.