The Buried Spirit Stones
“Yeah.”
“How does it sound? Clear and distinct? Or just bits and pieces?”
“I can’t make out the words, but… I hear this faint murmuring. That much is certain. Sometimes I catch ‘Master!’ the clearest.”
“Hmm.”
So she really could hear them.
Should I tell Arnel that Einy has talent in this area?
Even if she knew, there wasn’t much she could do about it. Spirit Masters needed just as much outside support as mages did.
“And Mom said to bring you!”
“Right. She mentioned she had something to show me.”
“North gate, hurry.”
The moment I stood and took a step toward her, Einy darted back a step.
Did she dislike me or something?
I hadn’t done anything except trap her in water.
“Einy, do you hate me?”
When in doubt, just ask.
“……Not really.”
“Then why are you acting like that?”
“I just…… get scared of strangers. But Mom talks about you sometimes…… and also……”
“Also?”
“……You looked cool by the river.”
Einy mumbled the last part so quietly it was barely audible, staring at the ground. Then, as if she couldn’t stand it any longer, she bolted into the forest like a startled wild animal.
“Hey! At least tell me where the north gate is before you run off!”
***
I’d assumed the north gate would be, well, in the north, so I wandered around for nearly thirty minutes before finally finding Arnel.
Turns out the northern exit led to a large field enclosed by another tall fence, and the gate itself was split into two separate doors. I’d picked the wrong one and had to backtrack.
“Arnel!”
I still refused to admit that my guesses were almost never correct.
She was standing in front of the stables.
“You made it, Jeanie.”
“Sorry I’m late. Einy came to fetch me and then ran off.”
“Oh dear. I’m sorry about that.”
“She’s way too skittish, isn’t she? Now I see why you were so worried.”
“She’s a bit shy around strangers. But she’s the kindest child you’ll ever meet.”
Arnel only smiled at my grumbling and led a horse out of the stables.
It was a sturdy gray farm horse with a long white mane and thick ankles—the kind often used as a pack animal.
“Go ahead and ride her. She’s yours to borrow while you’re here. She can be a little stubborn, so it’s best to get acquainted first.”
“Really? What’s her name?”
“Nora.”
I took the reins and met the horse’s eyes.
Those round, jet-black eyes reminded me of Blondie, the horse I’d left at the academy.
I wondered how she was doing. Bright was probably taking good care of her, just like always.
I cautiously reached toward her neck.
Contrary to Arnel’s warning, Nora accepted my touch without fuss and even took a step closer.
She was a good girl. Relieved, I stroked her forehead.
“Hello, Nora. I’m Jeanie.”
[This body is Rai!]
“Nice to meet you.”
[I’m your first and only wife, you know! Stop flirting with every—ack!]
I kicked Rai away as he started acting up and turned back to Arnel.
“Do you have a brush?”
“Of course.”
To build rapport, I hand-fed her the treats Arnel gave me, let her get used to my scent, and brushed her thoroughly.
Before long, Nora was happy to let me onto her back.
Even with Rai growling and pacing around in jealousy, she didn’t seem bothered in the slightest—almost as if she instinctively knew he wasn’t a real wolf.
“How is she?”
“She’s great. I can ride her right away. She’s smart and listens well.”
“I’m glad. She must like you. Come to think of it, you’ve always been popular with animals.”
Dragons included, apparently.
“Hahaha.”
“Why are you laughing like that?”
“Nothing. Just remembered something scary.”
We rode around the village once. Traveling really was easier on horseback.
Arnel, riding behind me, raised her lantern and pointed toward the mountains.
“If you’re comfortable, let’s go a little farther. There’s something I want to show you.”
“At this hour? Into the mountains?”
“Yes.”
Darkness fell quickly in the mountains.
And at this time of night, they were far more dangerous than during the day—monsters and wild beasts roamed freely.
“Isn’t it dangerous? It’s gotten pretty dark……”
“It’s fine. What could possibly go wrong?”
The Arnel I knew was usually cautious, but right now she looked completely unconcerned.
“With you here, what is there to be afraid of?”
“……Oh, come on, Arnel.”
“I saw you during the day and finally understood why you travel alone. I’m so proud of you. It’s incredibly reassuring.”
“You’re right about that! Let’s go!”
Even ten ogres wouldn’t be a problem. I was someone who had walked out of a dragon’s lair alive!
……Well, I’d been captured first, but still.
***
I summoned Adore to light the way and we began climbing the mountain. The path clearly wasn’t used often—grass grew thick, and the deeper we went, the darker and more secluded it became.
By the time I had to duck under hanging vines and tie up my hair, we’d already left the village far behind.
“Arnel, what exactly did you want to show me?”
How much farther were we going? We were already too far from the village.
If it hadn’t been Arnel who brought me here, I might have suspected a trap.
“It’s called Galata in our language…… Normally, we’re not supposed to show it to outsiders.”
“Galata?”
“That’s the rule, but it’s also something no one really cares about anymore. And it’s related to spirits.”
That was unexpected. A spirit-related artifact in a village of dual-sword warriors? That was odd even for this world.
“Something like that exists here?”
“Surprising, isn’t it? Our tribespeople think the same. It’s practically useless…… but I thought you might be interested, so I decided to show it to you.”
“Galata, Galata…… Never heard of it. I’ve studied spirits my whole life and never came across anything like that. Is it a tribal word? What’s it called in the common tongue?”
“I suspect it was originally someone’s name. Long ago, a Spirit Master who owed our ancestors a great debt left it behind as thanks, saying it would protect the village. That was thousands of years ago—back in what we now call ancient times.”
“Pfft. Protect the village? There’s no way any spirit-related item could do that. What kind of object is it?”
I couldn’t help but scoff.
Anything passed down through generations like that was probably just junk, even if I couldn’t say it outright.
Honestly, it sounded like someone had scammed the naive tribespeople.
At least, that’s what I thought—until Arnel spoke again while clearing the path with her sword.
“According to legend, that Spirit Master could control the forest and command animals as if they were his own limbs.”
“……”
“He said that with this gem, we could protect the forest the same way. But our ancestors prayed to it, offered sacrifices, tried everything—and still couldn’t use its power.”
Hmm. That scammer……
“We still guard it out of tradition, but it’s been meaningless for generations now.”
“Is it a gem about the size of a child’s palm, with a rich color and some kind of pattern inside?”
“Exactly! One is green, the other brown.”
There were even two of them.
As I repeated the words Arnel had used, a powerful sense of déjà vu washed over me.
An ancient Spirit Master.
Gems that could wield spirit power.
Two at once.
[Rai.]
[Yes, Master!]
[Do forest spirits and animal spirits exist too?]
[Of course. There are metal spirits as well.]
That explanation was far too convincing.
***
In the distance, I spotted a cave.
The entrance was small, but it looked deep and pitch-black inside. Animal bones and large, colorful feathers hung from the entrance, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Traces of tribal rituals and shamanic practices remained scattered around.
The closer I got to the cave, the stronger the familiar sensation became, and I tilted my head in disbelief.
This couldn’t be real.
[Master! It’s a spirit stone!]
Even with Rai’s excited outburst, I could only frown.
We’d searched everywhere and couldn’t even find a trace—yet here it was, buried in a place like this.
What had the ancients been thinking?
Did they really believe offering sacrifices to a spirit stone would make a spirit appear?
If they were going to leave it behind, they should have at least explained how to use it! Or given it to someone who actually knew how!
Because the previous generations had been so careless, all future Spirit Masters were stuck with nerfed abilities!
“The Galata is inside that cave.”
“Can I go in?”
“That’s why I brought you. Go ahead. I’ll watch the horses.”
I lowered Adore’s output to the minimum and sent it in first.
After brushing aside the strings of feathers and bones that partially blocked the entrance, I followed.
The ceiling was low, so I had to walk with my head ducked. The inside was cramped and damp.
The deeper we went, the stronger the scent of spirits—something only a Spirit Master could detect—prickled at my nose.
The life force writhing from every direction was enough to make my skin crawl.
For a moment, I even felt intoxicated by the overwhelming spirit energy filling the cave.
This was definitely not normal.
“This is insane. How long have they been keeping it here?”
[At least a few hundred years, I’d say.]
“Why does the scent feel so intense?”
[The spirits must have been struggling. They probably sensed the summoning but couldn’t emerge because the conditions weren’t met, so they kept releasing unstable power. All of it lingered here.]
Listening to Rai, I finally reached the end of the cave and came face-to-face with a small altar.
And at the sight of what I should never have seen, I clamped a hand over my mouth in horror.