We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
A young girl and a kitten.
“Grandma, happy birthday.”
“Happy birthday, Great-grandmother!”
Priscilla-chan and I went to see Grandma and offer our congratulations.
“Oh my. Thank you for your kindness.”
Grandma then stood up and welcomed us.
At Grandma’s invitation, I sat down next to her.
The middle-aged Grandpa with the long beard, who had been sitting beside Grandma, offered me his seat.
After I thanked him and sat down, Priscilla-chan sat on my lap.
Why is she so attached to me?
Priscilla-chan hugged me even tighter.
“Oh my. You’re quite popular, aren’t you?”
Grandma smiled as she looked at Priscilla-chan.
“Wh-why do you think that is?”
I gave a bitter smile. Priscilla-chan looked comfortable hugging me. Grandma gently petted Priscilla-chan.
A very mysterious sight was unfolding in the center of the square.
Ah, the gazes of the Mimicho people were painful.
“This child is very special,” Grandma said softly to me.
“We Mimicho are a race that lives with spirits. We bless the spirits and, in return, they serve us,” she explained.
As she spoke, Grandma raised her right hand, and a small, sky-blue girl suddenly appeared in the air as if water had splashed.
The sky-blue girl floated in the air and smiled at me.
“Um, she’s Great-grandmother’s Great Spirit. She’s good with water,” Priscilla-chan told me.
“Huh? She’s in human form?” I was surprised.
I had never known spirits to take human form. In stories, I thought they were glowing particles matching their attributes, or in the form of reptiles, fish, or birds.
“Great Spirits take human form,” Grandma explained.
“Oh, really?” I had never heard that before.
“Well then, I’ll tell you a bit more about it,” Grandma said, and after I nodded, she began to speak.
It was very precious to hear about spirits directly from the Grand Elder of the Mimicho. In school, they only touched on the basics.
“There are several ranks of spirits. The lower ones are like particles of light, and some can only be sensed as a presence. Next are those in the form of insects. Those with more power take the form of beasts,” Grandma said slowly.
She seemed like a kind person with a generous personality. I felt her kindness in all her words and gestures.
“And the highest-ranking ones take human form,” Grandma said.
When Grandma beckoned, the sky-blue girl came to her.
“So, we can tell how powerful a spirit is by its appearance?” I asked.
Grandma chuckled at my response.
“Um, some are different,” she replied.
Priscilla-chan reached out to grab the sky-blue spirit. The sky-blue girl skillfully dodged her and played around in the air.
“This is just a basic guideline. It’s common for the spirit to change its form according to the preferences of the person who employs it.”
“The water spirit is actually an adult human,” Priscilla-chan added.
Priscilla-chan, you won’t catch her if you’re still on my lap.
“That’s right. This spirit is actually an adult, but she’s currently in a child’s form. However, lower-ranking spirits cannot take the form of higher-ranking spirits.”
Hmm, this is educational. So, higher-ranking spirits in human form can arbitrarily become lower-ranking beasts or particles of light, but lower-ranking spirits like beasts or light particles cannot take the form of higher-ranking spirits.
The sky-blue girl began to perform water tricks at Priscilla-chan’s request. Priscilla-chan clapped her hands with glee.
“Next is the type of attribute,” Grandma continued.
Speaking of spirit attributes, the sky-blue girl who just appeared was water attribute. Fire, wind, and earth were probably the most common. I remembered light and darkness appearing often in stories as rarer elements.
While Grandma and I were discussing attributes, Priscilla-chan poked the wooden sword I had tucked into my right hip.
“Older Brother is a Spirit Tree Spirit,” she declared.
Her words caused several Mimicho who were eavesdropping and drinking alcohol to look at us in surprise.
What? Am I a Spirit Tree Spirit? I tilted my head.
“Yes, he is a very rare spirit,” Grandma nodded at Priscilla-chan and looked at me.
“Wh-what do you mean?” asked a middle-aged man nearby, unable to contain his curiosity.
“First, I mentioned that Priscilla is a special child, didn’t I?”
I nodded at Grandma’s words.
“This child can see Spirit Tree Spirits, and you, my dear, have a Spirit Tree Spirit attached to you.”
Both I and the surrounding Mimicho were astonished. A Spirit Tree Spirit attached to me? Why? I didn’t recall anything like that. Then, I noticed Priscilla-chan fiddling with the wooden sword.
“M-might this wooden sword be related?” I asked.
“Um, there’s a spirit with this Spirit Tree,” Priscilla-chan said.
Her words caused a stir.
“W-what? Is that wooden sword made from a Spirit Tree?” the whiskered Grandpa asked in surprise, examining my wooden sword intently.
It’s not so much made from a Spirit Tree; it *is* a Spirit Tree.
“The spirit residing in that Spirit Tree seems to like you. And Priscilla is a special child who can command Spirit Tree Spirits,” Grandma explained.
Priscilla-chan smiled happily at being called a special child by Grandma.
“I have a Spirit Tree Spirit attached to me, Priscilla can command it, and she’s a special child? Is that related to why you want to entrust Priscilla to me?”
“Precisely. Even if she can command Spirit Tree Spirits, there are hardly any around. There might only be a few in this entire forest. It’s difficult to find them. Therefore, if you are near, she can definitely interact with Spirit Tree Spirits.”
“Is it important to interact with Spirit Tree Spirits?” I wondered. Is it so important that you would easily entrust a precious child to a human man you just met?
“Fufufu. It’s very important. After all, it’s a required ability for those who will lead the Mimicho of this forest in the future,” Grandma said, patting Priscilla-chan on the head. Priscilla-chan closed her eyes contentedly.
“Whaaat? Does that mean Priscilla is going to be the future chief of this village!?”
“That’s right. Currently, only I and this child can command Spirit Tree Spirits.”
Oh no. Entrusting the future chief of the Mimicho to me is too much. I’m already overwhelmed by this sudden turn of events, and this is an unbearable burden.
As I panicked, Priscilla-chan suddenly looked in a random direction. Her long, drooping ears twitched. Then, Grandma followed Priscilla-chan’s gaze.
“What could it be? Even beasts rarely enter this village.”
“Um, a nyan-ko?” Priscilla-chan stood up, separating from me. She took my hand and tried to lead me in the direction she was looking.
I looked at Grandma, bewildered.
“It would be helpful if you could go and see what it is. Priscilla has spirits, so there’s no danger,” Grandma encouraged.
With Grandma’s assurance, Priscilla-chan and I left the square. I wondered if anyone else would follow, but the other Mimicho had gathered around Grandma and started talking.
“This way, this way!” Guided by Priscilla-chan, I headed outside the village towards a flower garden. She said “nyan-ko,” so I thought a cat might have wandered in.
We arrived at the flower garden, and as we listened closely, we could indeed hear a kitten’s meow.
“Um, ah, there it is,” Priscilla-chan pointed. There, amidst a sea of flowers, was a single kitten.
“Nyan-ko,” Priscilla-chan said, picking up the kitten.
A kitten… is it? Is it my imagination? It looks a little different from the cats I know…
It had white, fluffy fur. The tips of its fur were tinged with pink, and from a distance, it might appear to have light pink fur. It also had a long tail that seemed to be twice its body length. Yes, it had unusual colors and a long tail, but perhaps such cats exist. But… it had long, drooping ears, and beside them, cute, rounded horns like a sheep’s. And on its back… I’m sure it’s my imagination, but there were small, folded wings.
“Cute nyan-ko,” Priscilla-chan cooed.
“Meow,” the kitten responded, its eyes narrowed with pleasure as Priscilla-chan held it.
No, no, no! This is not a nyan-ko!
“L-let’s just go back to Grandma for now,” I said, unable to hide my shock. Priscilla-chan looked at me strangely, but she obediently headed back to the village square. Still holding the fake nyan-ko.
When we returned to the square, it was as lively as ever. However, a crowd had gathered around Grandma, and Mistral was chatting happily with several women.
“Great-grandmother. Nyan-ko,” Priscilla-chan announced loudly in the middle of the square, holding the fake nyan-ko above her head. “Meow.”
Everyone’s attention was drawn to us. Then, silence. Following that, chaos ensued.
“No, no, that’s not a cat!”
“W-what is that?”
You all noticed. Yes, it’s not a nyan-ko. This is a big problem. The entire square erupted in a commotion. The adults’ faces contorted, the youths approached with curiosity only to flee. The elders milled about in confusion. In the midst of this, Grandma approached, leaning on her staff.
“It’s a nyan-ko,” Priscilla-chan declared. “Meow.”
“Oh my,” Grandma said. Only Grandma seemed unfazed. She gently petted the fake nyan-ko perched on Priscilla-chan’s head.
“Elnea, what on earth is this?” Mistral found me, the center of the village’s uproar, and came to my side. However, Mistral’s face also contorted upon seeing the fake nyan-ko.
“This is troublesome,” Grandma said. You don’t seem troubled at all, Grandma. The fake nyan-ko seemed happy to be petted by Grandma. And Priscilla-chan, the source of the commotion, seemed to misunderstand the situation and was joyfully amused, watching everyone panic.
“I would like to talk with you all more, but perhaps it would be best for you to return to Sleigsta’s side in haste,” Grandma suggested after petting the fake nyan-ko for a while, urging me and Mistral.
Right. This might be something we need to consult Sleigsta (Old Man) about. Mistral and I nodded at each other.
“Priscilla and Nyan-ko are going too,” Priscilla-chan said, grabbing the hem of my clothes.
“Then, you two go on ahead. I’ll let your mother know,” Grandma said.
Um, can they really entrust such a precious child to us so easily? But the fake nyan-ko wouldn’t leave Priscilla-chan’s side, so perhaps it’s best to take it with us. I checked with Mistral; she looked troubled but seemed to accept the situation.
“S-so, we’ll be taking Priscilla-chan with us. I’m sorry we couldn’t properly celebrate your birthday.”
“Grand Elder, please entrust Priscilla to me, Mistral. I will visit again.”
“Great-grandmother, we’re going!”
“Meow.”
“Yes, have a safe journey. May the spirits bless you both.”
We left the Mimicho village in a hurry, seen off by Grandma. I really wanted to enjoy myself more, but this is an emergency, so it can’t be helped. When I return Priscilla-chan, I’ll ask them to show me around the village properly.
With a slight pang of regret, I held Priscilla-chan’s hand and walked into the forest alongside Mistral.
