◇

"Here I go, ■ Wind."

First, Aialize-san shows an example.

Since I've activated the spirit seer skill, I can clearly see what Aialize-san's done.

With just one word she had chanted the spell that made the colorless spirits gather around her, which then turned into the green colored wind elemental spirits without a pause, and invoked the magic to create the [Wind] phenomenon.

The strength is only around (Air Hammer), but the chant is terribly short.

"See? The manifested magic is no different than normal magic, but the chanting is short and the required mana is very much less as the advantages."

"On the other hand, it's powerless at places without spirits."

Lusan added the disadvantages that Aialize-san had forgotten to say.

It's unclear as to what she means by places without spirits, but it seems that there aren't many spirits in man-made places, and monsters' dwellings. I understand the latter. They probably become the fodders for monsters like the armor newts back then.

When I activated the spirit seer skill, I was treated to the view of precious metal colored light centered on gold color emitted from Aialize-san. Lusan has faint flickering light of cold color type. From what can I see on the two, spirit light doesn't seem to have fixed color, it can change to a degree. I can also see it on the flying birds above the waterfall, but the light is quite faint, it's hard to make it up.

The light that leaks out from my body is of pale white.

When I try to release the restrained spirit light, light so intense, it makes you think your eyes have stopped functioning, dye the surrounding. The spirits around the waterfall have gathered with terrible speed. I can't see quite well since the spirits are obstructing the view, but the light emitted by me is primarily of warm color, it's crude rich color.

Mia has commented that it's [Beautiful], but aesthetically speaking, I think the light emitted by Aialize-san is far more beautiful.

Oops, I can't see the surrounding like this.

I converge the spirit light in a hurry, and make it stop leaking outside. The spirits who have lost their goal scatter unsteadily. The only spirits remaining are mostly the ones who are attracted to the spirit light emitted from Lusan, and Aialize-san, the world is back to normal. They're slow compared to when they're gathering.

"You've already been able to control it at will haven't you. Your adaptability is amazing isn't it. Right, Aze-sama."

"Y, yeah."

Aialize-san seems to have been dazzled as she answers Lusan half-heartedly while blinking repeatedly.

"I'm sorry Aialize-sama. I relaxed the control since I wanted to confirm something for a bit."

"I, it's your first time, so it can't be helped."

Huh?　Aialize-san's shyness has been activated. Even though she was able to talk straight to me a while ago, she turned toward Lusan again when she talked to me. It might have been too dazzling.

"R, rather than that! Try it."

"Yes, ◆ Wind."

Oh? Slight breeze blows even though I've failed the chanting. I wonder if the spirits are being considerate?

"Ara? Are you not good with chanting?"

"Yes, I can't do it well no matter what I do."

"Yet, didn't the wind blow just now?"

"The spirits might be being considerate."

I reply Lusan with my hunch, but she denies it readily.

"That's not happening. With the exception of something like Dryad, spirits don't have ego, or rather, intelligence. Their only roles are to mechanically take mana from the earth veins, and deliver the mana to creatures that need it."

Hee.

Then, I won't get to meet something like a s.e.xy Undine onee-san huh. That's unfortunate.

"Is that really so? They're saying something when a lot of them gather sometimes you know."

Oh, Aialize-san presents a dissenting opinion.

"Aze-sama is the only one who says something like that. The other high elves aren't saying that right?"

"Uu, that's true but. I really feel that they're saying something."

Aialize-san who have been denied by Lusan puffs her cheeks and turn away. Her reaction is like Mia.

There's a high possibility that she's just imagining it, but it's not necessarily good to decide that it has to be a misunderstanding. Even during game development, when we deemed that it was, "Just your imagination," during the debugging process, most of it got found by the market instead.

"May I test it once?"

"Mou, even you Satou-san."

"Try it! You'll absolutely hear it!"

I test it after the two approve.

When the light dazzles, I endure the spirits' a.s.saults, and wait for the wild dance of the spirits to end. After about 10 minutes, the spirits has surrounded me like a coc.o.o.n. When I look closer, they don't seem to be still, but they're circling around from a distance relaxedly.

Fumu, I don't hear anything though.

I guess it's just Aialize-san's imagination?

Right then, I receive some microscopic amount of mana from the spirits.

I wonder if this is the signal of intent?　The moment I recognize it, I can hear little little commotion together with a sense as if something has clicked.

They were certainly trying to communicate something, but unfortunately I couldn't understand more. It feels like trying to listen to hustle and bustle 100 meters ahead. I didn't get any skill too, so there might be some kind of condition to hear the spirits' voices.

"They seem to be trying to say something, but I can't understand what is it."

"That's right! I want to hear it at least once."

"Satou-san, you're not kidding aren't you?"

I told the perplexed Lusan that it was not a joke.

◇

Now then, unfortunately I couldn't employ the spirits at all.

I had expected it already, just like with magic, I couldn't chant the spirit employment well too.

Due to careless mistake of Aialize-san who tried to show an example, I had gotten soaked together with Lusan, but I didn't have any complaint since I obtained spirit magic skill at that time. Aialize-san who was disheartened from Lusan's scolding was adorable.

"That reminds me, how do the changing of spirit light strength work?"

"I wonder?"

"Wait, Aze-sama."

Lusan makes a retort to Aialize-san who tilts her head while putting her finger on her cheek. Lusan explained.

"In case with people, it's not because of the difference in mana pools, in truth, we don't know much about it. In case with the earth veins, the location with thick flow emits stronger light. The area around the source especially s.h.i.+nes intensely."

"That's right. If I'm not mistaken, yes, there's a source on the basin of the waterfall here."

Eh?!

I involuntarily drop my line of sight after hearing Aialize-san's words. When I activate spirit seer skill, there's really light leaking from the waterfall basin.

The light isn't that strong even though the water isn't muddy.

"There are all sort of sources after all."

Lusan came out with follow-up-like words as she seemingly saw my disappointed expression.

"Now that you mention it, what are sources?"

"I guess they're the holes where the earth veins gush out?"

"That's right, there are more than 100 of them on this continent, and among them, the scale of the one on the dragon valley is extraordinary. We don't quite know the total number of sources that are as small as this waterfall basin one."

The source of dragon valley huh, I'm positive that I've ruled over it. The cause of my spirit light might have been that unexpectedly. According to Lusan, there are many things that are built on top of sources, like cities or labyrinths. The small sources become the dwellings of monsters or mythical beasts, or get to have some magician build a tower on it.

Fumu, judging from this story, the maze of Trazayuya should have been built on top of a source, but I didn't get to rule it like with the dragon valley. I wonder if there's a limit of being only able to rule one source?

I watched the world tree behind me with spirit seer since It caught my attention.

The body of the tree is s.h.i.+ning dazzlingly. Moreover, when I strain my eyes, I can see concentric circles of light rings spreading like ripples around the tree branches.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes, very much so. Is that world tree a source too?"

"No, it's different--"

"Aze-sama."

"--, that's not from the earth veins, but from the void, err, I wasn't supposed to say it was I?"

"Well, I don't mind if it's Satou-san, but please don't spread it to the outside world okay."

I nod to Lusan. Aialize-san who has confirmed that continues speaking.

"Do you know that there are ether flowing in the void?"

"I'm sorry, I'm ignorant."

"Ara, you can just study if you don't know. Ether is--"

Aialize-san proudly explained about ether, but when she was explaining the fifth element after the four primary, earth, water, fire and wind elements, she cut the complicated talk in one stroke, and so, in short, the intermediary substances in the outer s.p.a.ce are ma.s.sive amount of mana that have been blown.

"--and then you see, the world tree use its foliages, or rather its root, or rather, terminals to suck mana from the flow of ether. And then, the released mana are sent deep into the ground which activate earth veins of the earth. The light of that spirit tree is the figures of the spirits who have gathered on the leak of the mana flow that's going from the sky to the earth."

I see~

It's a gigantic magic device I guess. However, Aialize-san. She's explaining very fluently, completely unlike before.

"If such thing was to be known to greedy people, there would be a lot of countries that would aim for the world tree starting from Boruenan, so please keep this a secret. "

It's the so-called solar power unit with large output after all. They can do something great if they can monopolize it. I promised the two that I would absolutely never reveal it. I said to them that I wouldn't mind to be binded with [Gea.s.s] or [Contract], but she smiled wryly while saying, "You don't have to go that far."

I was quite serious, but I wonder if the elves don't have much sense of crisis?

I confirm it to Lusan.

"If the world is going to be destroyed because of the mismanagement of the world tree, divine punishments will fall from the G.o.ds, so I think the worst won't happen."

That reminds me, this is a world where G.o.ds exist huh.

But, well, I will be careful as to not reveal it to anyone. I carved so in my heart.