It's Been a Long Time, but Child from My Sister?
It's been quite a long time, but being called child by my sister felt utterly foreign.
The Anelia in my memories had always been a fierce warrior. Not a mother. The two images refused to overlap at all.
“That child knows you too, Jeanie. I always told her stories about you.”
“Stories about me?”
“You were the bravest little girl I’ve ever known.”
“……Sister.”
The words landed like the highest praise, filling my chest with a warm, fuzzy glow.
The way she looked at me, the power of the compass that had guided me here—it all told me I was someone who was missed, someone who still meant something to another person.
“But at first I didn’t recognize you. It was only after I saw that sparkling spirit that I became certain.”
“You mean Adore?”
Back when I’d been indebted to the Shabel Mercenaries, Adore had frequently been forced to act as a streetlamp at night.
Everyone had simply called it the sparkling one.
“It seems much bigger than before.”
“Does it?”
“It used to be only as big as a fist, but now it’s the size of a human head.”
Was that true? I tilted my head back to stare at Adore floating slightly higher than usual. I genuinely hadn’t noticed. Maybe seeing it every day had blinded me to the change.
It was the first time I’d learned that. Was it like how better machine specs led to higher output?
Spirits were mysterious beings, both then and now. Though humans could command them, almost nothing was truly known about them. Far more remained hidden behind a veil, and research progressed slowly because the number of Spirit Masters was simply too small.
The lack of information also contributed heavily to the dwindling numbers of Spirit Masters, forming a vicious cycle. Truly, the future of a Spirit Master was not bright. There was no telling when we might all disappear.
“Now that I think about it, where did that snake you used to dote on go?”
She meant Rai. I reached out and gently stroked the head of the wolf sitting obediently beside me.
If I told her this was that same snake, she’d never believe me. I had no choice but to dodge the question again.
“Did I really dote on it that much?”
Come to think of it, I really do carry a lot of secrets. The main problem is that explaining any of them is a hassle.
“Of course I remember. You carried it everywhere, didn’t you? When you slept, when you ate—wherever you went, it was always with you. Anyone could see the two of you were friends.”
“Hmm, well, that much is…”
“That snake would coil itself on top of your head and hiss threateningly at anyone who tried to approach you. It was a very clever creature that knew how to protect its master.”
“Do you remember how you took revenge on the members who tried to catch and eat that snake?”
Sister asked with a smile, but the story was so old that it only made me embarrassed. Rai’s excited reaction made it even worse.
Damn it. Adults have a talent for casually digging up the most mortifying parts of your past.
“Later the members came to me and complained so bitterly… Everyone truly adored you. They said the little one was surprisingly ruthless. But now it’s all just fond memories.”
It didn’t exactly sound like a compliment.
Ruthless? That meant cold and heartless. When had I ever acted that way? I have plenty of affection to give, thank you very much!
“Are you still in touch with the Shabel Mercenaries?”
“No, I can’t be. This is such a deep, remote wilderness.”
“That’s true.”
I looked around at the densely packed trees once more. The endless forest sometimes felt as vast and empty as the open sea.
“There’s only our tribe in this area. Letters are out of the question—outsiders themselves are extremely rare. The only people who come this far are those who came here to die.”
“How long does it take to reach the nearest village?”
“Hmm… on foot, about four weeks?”
I felt like throwing up already.
I had already walked for ten days, and my patience had run out long ago. Even now I was borrowing endurance from my future self.
Why the hell do those dragon bastards have to live in such a remote place!
“On horseback it would take between ten days and two weeks.”
“Horseback, huh…”
“By the way, don’t you have any companions? Are you traveling alone?”
“I have this guy.”
Sister’s gaze shifted to Rai, and she quickly seemed to accept it.
At that moment, one of the tribespeople cautiously approached from behind Anelia.
Having realized that Anelia and I shared a close bond, the earlier hostility had vanished. They were still wary, but the murderous intent was gone.
“ak dmffheh fdk rkdigo. zkclrk ekcuTdj.”
They began speaking rapidly to sister in a language I couldn’t understand.
The tribal alliance of Moran was home to thousands of tribes and, accordingly, thousands of languages. This had to be one of them. I knew several languages, but tribal tongues were beyond me.
After a brief exchange, sister turned back to me. It was right after I had sent the waiting Adore back to the spirit realm.
“Jeanie?”
“Yes, sister.”
“For now, come with us to the village. I can’t let you stay long, but we can at least share food and let you rest from your journey. I’ll also lend you a horse.”
“Really? Is that all right?”
“Of course. Though… that wolf isn’t dangerous, is it? It’s truly safe?”
It seemed Rai looked quite threatening to her tribe. He was far larger than a normal wolf, and his golden color was unusual.
“Our tribe worships wolves, but we also fear them greatly.”
“Don’t worry! If he acts up, I’ll pull out every last one of his teeth.”
They aren’t my teeth.
“Then could you wait just a moment? Before we leave, I need to treat the injured first. It looks like a broken leg, so I’ll need to splint it.”
“You mean that person?”
It was the man who had taken a nasty fall from the tree earlier. The tribesman was shouting at Anelia, clearly complaining, and she looked troubled.
The odds were high that it was because of me. He probably didn’t like the idea of bringing the person who had injured him back to the village.
Even without sharing a language, people had a way of sensing these things.
“I don’t particularly like doing favors. It makes me look like a pushover.”
I slipped the cloak from my shoulders and slowly approached the injured man. I flashed a grin and looked around at everyone present.
“This time I’ll help. After all, I’m the one who hurt him. And it’s sister’s tribe.”
“You’ll help? You know how to treat injuries?”
“Sister, have you forgotten? I’m a water Spirit Master.”
Water symbolized healing and was the mother of all life. And an intermediate water spirit possessed the power to heal.
“Undain.”
Since we were in the jungle, moisture filled the air. Undain appeared almost instantly.
A small waterspout spun in the air before transforming into the shape of a dolphin. With sparkling blue, gem-like eyes, Undain swam lazily around me.
Even though she had seen spirits before, Anelia still looked impressed.
“That’s… different from what I saw last time. Much bigger, and the feeling it gives off is completely different.”
“Undine was a lower spirit. This one is an intermediate spirit.”
The tribespeople were seeing a spirit for the first time. Every one of them stared at Undain with wide eyes.
Considering they had tried to kill me earlier, their current expressions were almost adorably innocent. One of them reached out to touch Undain’s translucent tail, only to watch their hand pass straight through it. They jumped back with a startled yelp.
“But what are you planning to do with a water spirit?”
“People really don’t know anything about spirits. They have no idea how incredible these children are.”
I gave a confident nod and a relaxed smile that said just watch.
“Undain.”
“Show these people how kind and magnificent you are.”
“From the dawn of time, reveal the great power you possess.”
Undain floated over to the woman who couldn’t stand. A blue light began to flow from him like water, gathering around the injured leg. It flickered and wrapped around the limb before gently seeping inside, just like rainwater soaking into dry earth.
At the same time, the ugly bruises on the leg vanished cleanly.
It was a small but undeniable miracle.
The surroundings had fallen completely silent. The injured man, who had been frozen in shock, finally realized the pain was gone. He began rubbing his leg with exaggerated motions. Soon he sprang to his feet and shouted with joy.
“My leg is completely healed!”
That was the moment it changed.
The way the tribespeople looked at me was completely different now. The sharp wariness melted away like snow, replaced by respect and awe.
Or so I thought.