Chapter 263: Friendly Records – Spirit Queen Ariadne
Chapter 263: Friendly Records – Spirit Queen Ariadne
Just as I had feared, she and her kin betrayed our expectations.
…In a good way.
Actually, I believe Macbeth mentioned back then that it was a bit ambiguous whether it would be a good thing. This current incident fits that sentiment perfectly.
“Greetings. I am Ariadne, leader of the spirits. I look forward to working with you.”
To summarize: the Spirit Queen, who had appeared on television, showed up at the Siberian Front lines leading a handful of her subordinates.
…What are they even doing here?
Fine, let’s give the subordinates a pass.
We could just say they were dispatched to the front lines to earn our trust.
But did The Queen herself really need to come?
The other Awakened around me seemed to share my thoughts, as they watched the group with complicated expressions.
Only two people in this place remained calm or indifferent.
“I trust you all already know who they are. These individuals have been dispatched at their own earnest request. Officially, they are to be treated the same as any other Awakened stationed here, so keep that in mind.”
Macbeth, calmly explaining the reason for their arrival, and Misha, who was silently observing the spirits as usual.
Well, since the Lord of Infinite Castles and the Heavenly Demon Sword God aren't here, I’ll let that slide.
Though that explanation is buried under several ominous implications….
If they’re treated the same as regular Awakened, isn't that just a synonym for being soldiers with a cushy post?
No matter how much the higher-ups might be sitting in warm rooms scratching their bellies while stuffing their faces, there’s no way they don’t know that.
I mean, let’s be real. Even if we give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they really did come here to be friendly.
If their leader ends up dying while fighting on the front lines, what happens to our diplomatic relations?
Even I can tell that wouldn't end well.
No matter how much they insisted, shouldn't someone have stopped them?
Or at least sent them to a base further back—a "front line" for show—instead of the actual front line here. Anywhere but here.
And that was likely what everyone, including myself, was thinking.
As if she knew this, she spoke.
“Hello. As I was just introduced, I am Ariadne. To avoid any misunderstanding, I should clarify that our race does not possess mind-reading or similar abilities. It is simply that, just as water reacts and changes according to its environment, we can sense the general emotions someone is immersed in.”
She spoke in a lithe, gentle voice, like a sage who had lived through countless ages.
“These emotions…. Death. Or perhaps betrayal. You need not worry about my death. I am likely stronger than almost any being currently existing on this Earth, including those present here. And… regarding betrayal, there is nothing we can do but ask for your trust.”
As she spoke.
She opened her hand and then clenched the air.
Nothing happened.
The auditorium where the Awakened were gathered began to buzz with noise.
“Would you mind looking outside?”
At her words, someone rushed out.
Soon.
“…Hurrah!”
A cry of joy could be heard.
What the hell is going on out there?
Driven by curiosity, we all crowded out in a disorganized mass to look.
And we saw a sight we never could have imagined.
A base landscape without a speck of snow.
A few patches of moss that had survived the bitter winter.
And the yellowish earth, a rare sight in these parts.
“…Huh?”
Surprised voices overlapped.
Soon, everyone began to chime in with their thoughts on the situation.
“…So, you’re saying we don’t have to do snow removal anymore?”
“…No more frostbite from snow getting in our boots?”
“…Does this mean the drainage pipes won't freeze either?”
…I take back what I said about "thoughts." They were just blathering nonsense.
The points were valid, but not exactly things you'd say out loud in this situation….
Regardless, after witnessing the scene, the Awakened of all stripes rushed back into the auditorium.
“Welcome, Comrade Ariadne!”
They shouted more stupid things.
Of course, a few people, myself included, could only manage bitter smiles and sighs.
* * *
Time passed.
Not a long time, but not a short one either.
I don’t know who said it, but they say humans are creatures of habit.
Even though Sentient Beings who were clearly different from us in every way had entered our lives, everyone began to get used to them.
“So, how do you eat?”
“Ah, liquids are fine. Even something thin like soup can be absorbed sufficiently, as long as it’s not too thick.”
“Oh, so that’s why you only drink Coke.”
“Oh, how did you know? I didn't think much of it at first, but it’s surprisingly addictive….”
Watching a female spirit and a male Awakened have such a conversation in the Dining Hall stirred an indescribable feeling in me.
What on earth is this?
Are they filming an interspecies rom-com?
Hey, those guys are an Otherworld race.
Just because they gave humanity the basic techniques for handling Otherworldly Power.
And gave us strategies for the races they know.
And taught us how to suppress the growth of the Holes.
And advanced fluid dynamics by an incredible margin.
And saved cities in danger.
And taught mages new magic modules.
And purified The Sea that was supposedly doomed by contamination….
Hmm.
Listing out the things that race has accomplished, I guess it makes sense to let our guard down.
Somehow, I’ve become part of the minority.
I didn't have many close friends to begin with, so I usually ate alone.
But since they arrived, I’ve been searching for spots where they aren't, and my designated seat has ended up being somewhere in a far corner.
It’s not like they’re ostracizing me or playing dirty politics.
It’s just that I’m avoiding them.
Even knowing the benefits they’ve brought to humanity, I still can’t let down my guard against the Otherworld.
So, I act accordingly.
“…I’m the one avoiding them, yeah….”
Thinking that, I was about to sip the borscht on my tray—the quality of which had improved significantly lately.
“May I join you for a moment?”
A voice that had become familiar reached my ears.
I put down my spoon and looked up. The being I expected was looking down at me, holding a large glass filled with coffee.
“…Suit yourself.”
I replied curtly to The Queen of the race that had newly joined Earth.
To be honest, I didn't want to sit with her, but refusing would be rude.
No matter how much I distrusted them.
It’s not like we’re mortal enemies who can’t stand each other during an operation or a single meal.
So, I waited for her to sit.
Once I saw her take a sip of her coffee, I spoke.
“What do you want?”
I kept it blunt, hoping to end the conversation as quickly as possible.
“Hmm, do comrades need a reason to eat together these days?”
She smiled and replied with a smile as clear as water.
But seeing that only made my mood darken further.
“There are plenty of empty seats in the Dining Hall. If you came all the way to this corner, I can’t think of any reason other than you having business with me.”
Exactly as I said.
Mealtime had already passed, so the Dining Hall had been empty for a while.
The reason I was in the corner was that it had become my designated seat lately, as I’d thought earlier.
The only people in the Dining Hall were those like me, grabbing a late meal.
Or the two idiots filming a rom-com over a Coke.
Even if she just came to eat, there was no reason for her to specifically come to me in the corner.
“You’re quite direct, aren't you?”
“I hear that often.”
Sarcasm and the like don't suit my temperament. Come to think of it, I do say things like that quite often, but generally, I just say what’s on my mind.
“Well then, I shall be direct as well. Water tends to assimilate with its surroundings, after all.”
Was that a racial trait, or just an excuse to say what she wanted?
Regardless, as long as the conversation proceeded without unnecessary back-and-forth, it didn't matter.
So, I waited for her direct words.
“I was curious as to why you harbor such wariness toward us.”
A question that wasn't particularly difficult to answer flowed from her lips.
Is that all?
“No special reason. I just have a deep loathing for those from the Otherworld.”
I answered without hiding anything.
I couldn't think of a reason to lie.
But how would someone react to being hated simply for coming from the Otherworld?
I looked up at her with that thought.
But she only looked back at me with a bittersweet expression.
“Loathing for the Otherworld. I see. Currently, we are the ones who have crossed over into another world. Just as our world loathed them, it is only natural for you, a resident of this world, to feel the same toward us.”
She said that and then fell silent for a moment.
As if she were contemplating something.
The atmosphere was so different from the other spirits I knew.
“Ah, well…. I mean, I’m still grateful for what you’ve done….”
Just as I spoke up to try and comfort her.
“You don’t need to force yourself.”
She cut me off and took a large gulp of her coffee.
Then, with lips slightly stained brown, she spoke again.
“And please, do not lose that feeling. Yes, we are certainly friendly toward humanity. However, there is no guarantee that others will be like us. So, continuing to be wary is not a bad thing.”
She spoke with eyes as transparent and clear as if they were reflecting someone other than me.
Those words, as her eyes showed, were directed at someone else, but I listened in silence.
For the first time, I felt that she was a Sentient Being standing on the same level as me.
About a minute passed like that.
“…Ah, my apologies. My words were a mess.”
“No, I understood what you were trying to say.”
“I see. Thank you for your consideration.”
As if she understood my intent, she didn't say anything more and bowed her head.
Now, can I finally eat?
With that thought, I tried to pick up my spoon.
“Now then, regarding the next topic.”
Dammit.
I put the spoon back down.
“What now?”
Please, just let me eat.
“I was wondering if you use your power with the perception of making it flow like water…. Is my guess correct?”
Power flowing like water….
I guess so?
I use it with the concept of circulating power, thinking there are pathways for it to flow inside my body.
Whether that’s actually how it works is unknown, though.
“For now, yes. Whether it actually flows is a mystery, but that’s how I use it.”
“Hmm. I see. The martial artists who carry swords use that kind of operation, and what I feel from you is similar.”
Wow, she’s spot on.
“Yeah, I have a bit of a problem, so I use my power like a Martial Artist….”
A Magical Girl who can’t use magic. It’s absurd.
Still, thanks to learning the ways of a Martial Artist, I was able to become strong….
As I was consoling myself with those thoughts.
“….”
For the first time, she seemed to be deep in thought, narrowing her eyes and tilting her head slightly as she looked at me.
In that strange atmosphere, before I could say anything.
“…I am well aware that it is rude to comment on how another person trains themselves, but….”
In a low voice.
Before saying anything, she declared that she was about to say something rude.
“Your power is not something that should be made to flow. That is a method used by those whose bodies and power are separate. For someone like you, where the two are one and the same, there is no need to do that.”
And that touched a nerve.
“I’ve become strong doing it this way. What’s the problem with that method?”
Even though I’d been warned.
I couldn't help it.
“I am a Water Spirit. Therefore, I know more about flow than anyone else.”
But she continued with conviction, as if she were certain she was right.
“You are currently adopting a method that does not suit your body. Think. Instead of having power surge through your body as if it were flowing. Every single component of your body. Let it stay equally beside your body as power itself, spread uniformly throughout your entire consciousness.”
…What is she talking about?
“Even if you’re right, with that method, it becomes impossible to push power into one spot, which is how I use it.”
She’s telling me to find an entirely new way to use my power from scratch?
“That is simply a matter of adjusting the density of the power. Just as water naturally flows from a high place to a low place. It will move naturally.”
“Then do you use your power that way?”
“No, my body itself is far from such a structure. We are simply living water that expresses its will through the water existing in this world.”
Ha, and you’re giving me advice like that?
On a power you’ve never even handled yourself?
I appreciate the sentiment, but I have no intention of following an unverified theory.
I’m growing fast enough with my current method.
But, well.
“Thanks for the advice. Now, can I finally eat?”
Like a functioning member of society, I hid those thoughts deep inside and gave a parting greeting to end the encounter.
Of course, I had no intention of trying it out yet.
“Ah, of course. My apologies for keeping you for so long.”
Accepting my farewell, she gallantly lifted her glass, drained the remaining coffee, and stood up.
“Well then, have a pleasant meal.”
A polite farewell that was the polar opposite of the gallant gulp she’d just taken. Having finished her business, Ariadne began to slowly sway her way out of the Dining Hall.
My gaze followed her blankly as I chewed over her words, and I witnessed a rather rare sight.
…Is that Misha?
Waiting for Ariadne as she left the Dining Hall was Misha, his hair trimmed, his patchy beard neatly shaved, and dressed in clean casual clothes.
He looked blunt as ever, but his face seemed strangely happy as he greeted Ariadne.
He spoke to her with an uncharacteristic fluster.
She, too, smiled and accepted Misha’s awkward words.
I watched them, blankly sipping my cold borscht.