We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The blessed land.
Even if the holy sword breaks, our resolve will never break.
Listea was her usual self and was doing well.
She’ll apparently be under house arrest for a while, but I’m sure he can restore his honor.
Yes, with the holy sword.
Alex, of the divine race, apparently visited a human kingdom for the first time and showed interest in various cultural differences.
I couldn’t meet him due to time constraints, but I heard about his recent activities from Louvent of the heavenly race.
Louvent, on the other hand, seemed quite dejected, being chased around by wyverns and Revalia.
Regardless of the historical events or accidents, people’s lives continue as usual, and the days pass by.
After enjoying a sweet life in the capital, Ruiseine and I returned to our mansion in the forbidden territory.
The next time we meet Listea and the others, it will finally be time for the journey to revive the holy sword.
I wonder what kind of adventure it will be.
But, that’s not all.
“Um, we’re going to go pick chestnuts now!”
“Alright, let’s go!”
We’ve just returned to the forbidden territory, but…
Our family, led by Priscilla-chan, headed to a nearby forest.
Apparently, there’s a chestnut grove near the mansion.
The long-eared people living with us in the mansion often go for walks in their free time.
Knowing the nature of the forbidden territory well is necessary to improve our lives.
And then, we found the chestnut grove.
“I can’t believe there’s a dense forest with chestnut trees in a place like this.”
“Perhaps it was planted by someone who lived here a long time ago?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Mistral doesn’t make any unnecessary comments about Ruiseine and my late return.
However, the Twin Princesses are different.
“Hey, Elnea-kun. Let’s go on a trip with me next time?”
“Hey, Ruiseine. It’s my turn next, you know?”
It’s my older sister, Yufilia, hugging my right arm, and my younger sister, Nina, hugging my left arm, pressing them against her chest.
Ugh, my arms are happy, but it’s hard to walk!
Since the chestnut grove is nearby, we walked there.
Priscilla-chan, who was boasting about finding the chestnut grove as if she had discovered it herself, was leading the way.
Mistral walked with Priscilla-chan’s small hand in his.
Of course, Nimia was relaxing in her usual spot. Seeing Nimia’s long tail swaying above Priscilla-chan’s head from behind made it look like Priscilla-chan’s hair had grown longer. Although the color is different.
“Meow.”
And then, we walked behind Priscilla-chan and the others, with Ruiseine and Laira following us.
It’s a narrow animal trail, so we can’t walk in a single line.
“Ruiseine-sama, you can rest for a bit.”
“Oh my, oh my, just for a bit is alright? Then, after Yufi-san and Nina-san, shall I go out again? Laira-san will be next then?”
“Hahahaha, I made a mistake!”
“You didn’t make a mistake, did you? After all, Laira-san, you had a pleasant correspondence with His Majesty the King of Yorttenitos, right?”
“That’s different from this.”
“Then, my outing with Elnea-kun is also different.”
“Ugh.”
As always, the hierarchy between these two is amusing.
Ruiseine isn’t genuinely tormenting Laira either.
Laira’s reaction is just too cute, so she can’t help but tease her.
Our family happily walked towards the chestnut picking. Far behind us were the long-eared people, the ones who discovered the chestnut grove.
Today, we’re all having a grand early autumn harvest festival.
However…
There was a reason for the gap between my family and the long-eared people.
“Tonight, we’re going to feast on chestnuts.”
“We could roast them as they are. Or mash them into sweets.”
“This is Nazaria’s specialty.”
“Alright! I’ll gather more chestnuts than anyone else!”
“Hahaha, I can’t lose to my son!”
“This is my first time picking chestnuts in a while. I’m looking forward to it.”
When Ruiseine and I returned to the forbidden territory, we had guests.
It was Micheila-chan, who has lovely pink hair, and the family of Nazaria, one of the Four Guardians.
I met Micheila-chan and her group when I came to the forbidden territory to hide temporarily during the Demon Lord Succession Battle.
Of course, they are important acquaintances whom we invited to our wedding ceremony.
However, Micheila-chan’s true identity is no ordinary person.
She is a transcendent being on par with Kensei and the Dragon God. And Nazaria’s family escorts Micheila-chan.
The center of the family is the dependable Nazaria-san. Her husband is Seijim-san, and they have two children.
The older brother is Azeilan-san, and the younger sister is Ayura-san.
When they heard we were going chestnut picking, they eagerly joined us.
It seems that Micheila-chan and Mistral’s group have become quite close while I was away.
So, I’m happy that having them join us for chestnut picking will make it more lively…
“That family is showing enthusiasm. Could it be, a feast of poisonous chestnuts!?”
That’s right.
For some reason, the ingredients that family finds are always poisonous or extremely dangerous.
The only normal one is Nazaria-san, but her worries must be immense.
However, my worries turned out to be unfounded.
“Whoa. Chestnuts!”
Apparently, Priscilla-chan’s “full feast” attribute was stronger than Seijim-san’s poisonous attribute.
As we arrived at the chestnut grove, a spectacular sight unfolded before us.
In the clear sun of late summer, which could already be considered autumn in the forbidden territory, the fallen leaves gleamed golden.
And chestnuts were scattered everywhere.
“Be careful with the fallen chestnuts. They might be infested with bugs.”
“Huh? Aren’t you supposed to pick the ones that have fallen?”
Nazaria-san’s warning made me turn and question her.
I thought chestnut picking meant gathering fallen chestnuts.
“Hahaha. You’re such an amateur, Elnea-kun.”
Then, Seijim-san and Azeilan-san, who had apparently picked up long sticks at some point, laughed boastfully.
“You don’t pick the fallen chestnuts. You pick the ones that have fallen.”
And then, the two of them hit the branches of the chestnut trees with their long sticks.
“Kya!”
“Waaah!”
Spiky chestnuts fell from above.
We hurriedly fled.
Priscilla-chan and the manifested Ares-chan ran around happily.
“Priscilla, Ares, please help out, okay? Then you’ll be able to eat delicious chestnuts.”
“Um, I’ll do my best!”
“I’ll do my best, I’ll do my best!”
We received instructions from Nazaria-san and her group.
“See? With fallen chestnuts, you open the spiky shell with your foot to get the nut out.”
“Mmm, it’s difficult.”
It was surprisingly difficult to fix the spiky chestnut with one foot and then peel the shell off while stepping on it with the other.
The ground was soft fallen leaves, making it unstable, and it required practice to peel it off with the other foot.
“Muuu.”
As expected, Priscilla-chan kept stepping on the chestnuts and wasn’t succeeding.
“Fufufu, you guys can use these.”
Then, Nazaria-san handed thick leather gloves to Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan.
As expected of Nazaria-san. She seemed to have come well-prepared, knowing that small children would be accompanying them.
Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan immediately put on the gloves and started peeling chestnuts with their hands.
“It’s big.”
“It looks delicious.”
We brought back plenty of food and sweets as souvenirs, but food that we harvest and cook ourselves is still the most delicious, right?
“Alright, I’ll gather a lot!”
“Ooooooh!!”
At my command, the long-eared people responded enthusiastically.
The chestnut grove became lively.
Seijim-san and Azeilan-san shook the branches of the chestnut trees with their sticks to make the nuts fall.
The long-eared people also moved to the branches using spatial jumps to shake them and make many nuts fall.
And we, being careful of falling nuts from above, collected them.
“Hey, there are wild grapes growing over there.”
“Okay, let’s send some people over there.”
It seems that chestnuts are not the only autumn delicacies growing in this area.
The long-eared people headed for wild grape picking.
“Tonight, we’re having a feast.”
“You know, Priscilla is helping with the cooking?”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. Then, will you let me eat Priscilla’s cooking tonight as well?”
“Yes!”
No. Priscilla-chan will probably fall asleep from exhaustion after playing and won’t wake up for dinner. I’ll hold back on that comment. Micheila-chan, picking chestnuts alongside Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan. Micheila-chan also looks like a young girl, so it looks like a heartwarming scene.
However, that peace was shattered by a disturbance.
“What the heck is this!?”
“Be careful!”
From the direction where the long-eared people went for wild grapes, we heard a desperate atmosphere and shouts.
“Elnea?”
“Yes!”
“Micheila-sama!”
“I understand.”
And for some reason, Nazaria-san’s family and Micheila-chan reacted sharply.
We all rushed to the scene together.
“A rat monster?”
“No, it’s different. That is…?”
In front of our eyes, where we rushed to, a giant rat was attacking the long-eared people. However, its aura and appearance were unusual. The rat was as giant as an Earth Dragon. Its entire body, including its fur, eyes, fangs, and claws, was jet black. Its form, which did not reflect light, was beyond strange, and it gave us only an eerie impression. Furthermore, just by looking at the jet-black rat, I felt a chill run down my spine for some reason. It was as if my soul was instinctively cowering, regardless of the rat’s appearance or strength.
“You all, step back. That’s not an opponent you can handle!”
Nazaria-san’s sharp warning flew out.
It seems to be a dangerous situation. I drew the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword from my right hip. However, then an even more unexpected event occurred.
“It’s scary. It’s dangerous.”
“Huh!?”
The Spirit Tree Wooden Sword I drew was trembling with fear. The Spirit Tree, which had fought alongside me without wavering against any powerful magic swords or terrifying opponents, was afraid and trembling!?
“Elnea, don’t hit it with the Spirit Tree.”
“Micheila-chan, what do you mean?”
The anxiety and fear transmitted by the Spirit Tree made my heart race. Micheila-chan took my free right hand. On Micheila-chan’s back, I saw four semi-transparent wings, which were not usually visible.
“That’s an evil spirit. It’s an enemy of the world.”
“An enemy of the… world?”
I believe beings like Micheila-chan, who are transcendent, observe the world equally. Regardless of good or evil, they submit to the flow of the world, sometimes granting special souls to people like us, and sometimes granting power to beings like Baltnowar. I thought such beings like Micheila-chan were neither enemies nor allies to anyone in the world. That was my impression of transcendent beings. However, Micheila-chan explicitly called it “an enemy of the world.” What exactly is an evil spirit?
“Ha!”
While I and the Spirit Tree were unable to move, Mistral, the Dragon Princess, bravely attacked. Although not in her Dragon-Human form, Mistral, who possessed the ability of a representative of the Dragon Race, landed a full-powered blow on the jet-black rat’s forehead. With a dull thud and shockwave, it passed through the forest. Bluish-red blood splattered, unlike its jet-black exterior. The jet-black one-handed club shattered bone and embedded itself in its forehead. However, even Mistral’s blow couldn’t shatter the jet-black rat’s skull.
“Kts!”
Worse, the jet-black rat bared its terrifying fangs at Mistral, who had attacked it. Mistral leaped backward without hesitation to evade. At that moment, the sky tore open.
“It’s a very, very bad soul—”
A powerful presence appeared from the rift in the sky. It was Teruru-chan, the Thousand-Handed Spider, protector of the forbidden territory! Teruru-chan swung down a giant claw from above. With a force several times greater than Mistral’s blow, Teruru-chan’s claw pierced the jet-black monster.
“What the—!”
However, it did not penetrate. Teruru-chan’s claw, which could instantly kill high-ranking demons and gouge deeply into the ground with its momentum, did not penetrate!? The jet-black rat let out a grating shriek. It seemed not to have sustained a fatal wound, as it thrashed around with Teruru-chan’s claw still embedded in it. Then, Teruru-chan attempted to bring down several more claws.
“Teruru-chan, you can retreat. I’ll handle this.”
A gentle sound, like the ringing of a bell, drowned out the grating shriek of the jet-black rat. Micheila-chan floated in the air, her wings trembling.
“Now, everyone, retreat.”
Under Nazaria-san’s command, we retreated a considerable distance. Teruru-chan also withdrew her claws and returned to the rift in the sky. As the claw that had restrained it was removed, the jet-black rat charged towards Micheila-chan, spewing blue blood.
“How dare you!”
“Did you think you could touch *our* Micheila-sama!”
“Don’t get cocky, you beast-type evil spirit!”
Nazaria-san’s family intervened between Micheila-chan and the jet-black rat. It seemed a powerful spirit arts had been activated, as the surrounding spirits became active. A semi-transparent wall of seven colors stood in their path, stopping the jet-black rat’s charge with all the forces of nature. The long-eared people were shocked, their legs giving out.
“Now, return to the void.”
While the Four Guardians bought time, Micheila-chan’s magic was activated. As her wings trembled, a pleasant sound filled the air. Simultaneously, the scenery transformed. As if enveloping a cloudless blue sky, multiple rainbows appeared from various angles, and the sky surrounded by rainbows turned pink. The strange phenomenon didn’t end there. The nature of the forbidden territory, such as chestnut trees, forests, and mountains, disappeared, and flowers bloomed at our feet. In this flowery paradise, Micheila-chan hummed a song-like melody. Her back wings turned the same pink as her hair and trembled with a gentle melody. As her wings trembled, pink, scale-like light particles danced. Micheila-chan raised her hand forward. Then, the pink scale-like particles converged on her palm. Micheila-chan released the converged pink light towards the jet-black rat while humming a song-like melody.
“Giiiiiiiii—!”
The pink light hit the jet-black rat. The rat screamed. The pink light enveloped the jet-black rat. A pillar of pink light shot up towards the sky. Inside the pillar of light, the jet-black rat writhed and writhed, letting out bizarre screams. Finally, with a thud, the giant body of the jet-black rat lay sprawled on the carpet of flowers. Despite the mystical and beautiful scenery and gentle melody, Micheila-chan’s magic seemed to possess an overwhelming power. To defeat the jet-black rat, which Mistral and Teruru-chan couldn’t even fatally wound, in one blow. The jet-black rat had completely stopped breathing. As proof, its entire body gradually began to disintegrate. However, it wasn’t decaying flesh. Black smoke rose from its extremities, and it disappeared. In the scenery of blooming flowers, only the disappearing jet-black rat looked eerie.
“Oh, how unusual. An memento from an evil spirit.”
As we watched. The jet-black rat disappeared as black smoke. However, there was one thing left behind. A perfectly black jewel rolled onto the flowers.
“Is this the soul of an evil spirit? It looks like a monster.”
Micheila-chan said as she picked up the remaining jewel in response to my comment.
“No. Evil spirits sometimes appear using old jewels as a medium.”
“So, there are cases where they don’t?”
“Yes. Normally, they are born from the distortions and chaos of the world. That’s what an evil spirit is.”
Now that I think about it, I remembered what the Giant Demon Lord had said. Powerful jewels are very convenient when used, but if they become too old, they can invite disaster. Could it be that in some cases, they can even create evil spirits?
“This time, the evil spirit was in the form of a rat, so it was fortunate. But be careful. If you see an evil spirit in the form of a human or a dragon, run away immediately. And then, ask for help from me or someone else.”
It seems that evil spirits, like spirits, can change their form as they gain more power. Considering that Mistral’s attacks weren’t very effective even against the rat-shaped evil spirit, we wouldn’t be able to stand against one in the form of a human or something more. Micheila-chan handed the jewel she picked up to me.
“It’s a jewel that can no longer be used, but keep it. It’s a souvenir.”
“No, no, I don’t need a souvenir from an evil spirit.”
Even so, I’ll keep it. As a lesson for the future.
When I realized it, the sky had returned to normal, and our surroundings had returned to the nature of the forbidden territory. We finally noticed that the fear that had arisen from the depths of our souls had disappeared, and we all let out sighs of relief.
