Though she called it a house, if I really stepped inside, it'd probably collapse under me.
"Oh, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."
Meradis' face showed clear guilt, which in turn made me feel guilty too—even though I was the one who ought to be making amends.
"It's fine… we can just talk right here," I replied.
"As you can see, all of us are suffering from injuries that have weakened our power. The wounds aren't physical, but exist within our souls. The fruit you ate earlier helps heal such injuries. However, cultivating those fruits is incredibly difficult, as they require soul energy to grow."
"Some of our people, upon arriving here, couldn't endure the severity of their wounds. They chose to pour all of their remaining soul energy into planting the seeds, giving rise to those fruits. Afterwards, each of us continued supplying energy day by day until they matured."
Oh… I didn't expect such a deep and touching story.
But if the issue lies in the soul, then that's exactly my specialty.
"I understand now… I can heal it." I said firmly.
"Isn't that a little too quick of a response?" Someone behind her spoke up with a doubtful tone.
"Bet, stop."
"Yes, Princess."
I had to admit, every time Meradis spoke, these people immediately followed her word.
"She's right though—if we can get her on our side, we could make use of those corporeal spirits for free."
Seina suddenly chimed in.
Not a bad idea at all—but let's not rush. I still have a promise to fulfill first.
"So, you do know how to keep your word?"
Have I ever broken a promise to you?
"Well… no."
See? I'm very trustworthy, okay? So let me focus on my job for now.
"Got it."
Even though Seina clearly wanted to get started on her wicked plans, I needed to make up for the damage I caused first.
"I'm truly glad to hear that you can help. When shall we begin? Is there anything we need to prepare?"
Meradis really seemed to be looking forward to this. Guess I'll heal one of them first to earn their trust, and we'll go from there.
"Hmm… no need to prepare much. Just touch me."
I clearly saw the surprise on Meradis' face, and the others looked like they were about to protest, but she silenced them all. I extended one of my legs, signaling her to come closer and make contact. She stepped forward without hesitation and gently placed her hand on it.
Right then, I used [Soul Link] to connect our souls.
Meradis stood stunned as she felt my soul—since mine has always been overwhelmingly strong. In contrast, I sensed the frailty of her soul, and something else… a dark presence that was continuously gnawing at and corroding it.
Hmm… if I want to heal her soul, I have to eliminate that thing first. Otherwise, no matter how much energy I give her, it'll just get devoured.
"I've got this," Suzu suddenly said.
Oh? You have a way?
"Don't we have a skill called [Holy Magic]? From what I've researched, at level 2 it unlocks an ability called <
That's amazing! But how did you know that spell had such a function?
"While entering a state of 'inner enlightenment,' I happened to discover some hidden uses of several types of magic. [Holy Magic] was one of them, and I've practiced it a little while we were here."
Oh wow… you can exploit the system like that?
I wish I could reach that enlightenment state too.
Wait, didn't you say your first time using magic would have some kind of special meaning? If you use it now, doesn't that count?
"It's fine for me. I've already reached the peak of all the basic magics, and besides, this time it doesn't count for you, so no worries."
Oh Suzu, my beloved.
I love you so much right now.
"W-What… did you just say???"
Huh?
Suzu started acting strange again.
Did I say something weird? I was just expressing my gratitude, wasn't I?
Anyway, there's no time to waste. I transferred the [Soul Link] to Suzu, and she began casting magic on Meradis.
Immediately, a glowing magic circle surrounded Meradis, and some sort of dark, smoky substance slowly drifted out from her body.
Looks like it worked?
Now that the hard part's over, I used [Soul Repair] to restore Meradis' soul back to its original state—maybe even a little stronger than before.
"I can sense the Princess's soul has recovered!"
One of the corporeal spirits exclaimed in astonishment.
Of course.
If I'm the one doing it, you can count on the results.
The [Soul Repair] finished, and now Meradis was completely healed—no, even stronger than she had been before.
Her face, which was already beautiful, now looked even more radiant and full of vitality.
"I've fully recovered. Thank you so much." Meradis smiled and bowed gracefully in a noble style I'd seen before, expressing her heartfelt gratitude.
"Um… it's nothing, really."
After that, Suzu and I worked together to heal the rest of the corporeal spirits. This time, I only restored them to their original state—no bonus buffs.
"Are we really… healed?"
Someone still sounded in disbelief, unable to accept what they were seeing. But yes, they truly had recovered.
<
Oh, I even leveled up.
After that, I left to "take care of" their second request—but in reality, I just wandered around outside for a few days before returning.
"As promised, the hostility between us is now resolved. From today forward, you are an honored friend of our tribe." Meradis made this announcement in front of all her people, and not a single one opposed it.
"Um… Princess, could we speak in private for a moment?"
I had a strange feeling about the way Meradis was looking at me. Like she already knew what I was going to say. But still, she smiled and agreed, telling everyone else to clear the area.
"Shiraori, I think you have something you'd like us to help with, right? And as it happens, we need help too. So there's no need to beat around the bush."
As expected… she already knew!
I suddenly felt super embarrassed.
"Be careful—she's a formidable opponent."
Even Seina spoke up with a warning.
If Seina's saying that, then Meradis really must be impressive… She gives off the same kind of presence I felt when talking to the Spirit Queen.
"Don't be nervous. If there's anything you need, just tell me. Truly, what you did for us was far greater than the worth of a few Chorus fruits you ate earlier."
Then I suppose I shouldn't hold back.
"First of all… could you come inside me?"
…Wait.
That sounds way too misleading.
"Alright."
She actually understood!?
Without hesitation, Meradis entered my Virtual World. Perhaps due to her spirit bloodline, it seemed like second nature to her. The first thing she did was look around in awe. Then she turned her gaze to me—now in human form—with wide eyes.
"So this is your true form?"
"Um… I guess you could say that." I replied shyly.
For some reason, I couldn't meet her eyes directly… Probably because I was facing her in this human form… And weirdly enough, even though I usually suck at social interaction, everything with her had gone surprisingly well so far.
"Those two… are they your friends as well?"
By now, Seina and Suzu had come to stand beside me.
"They're fragments of my consciousness, so you could say they're also me. This is Suzu, who handles magic, and this is Seina, who manages the system construction of this world."
"So… you're the one who lifted the curse from me?"
Meradis stepped closer, facing Suzu. But Suzu didn't respond—instead, she immediately hid behind me.
Come on…
I'm already shy enough, and she's even worse. But someone has to talk.
"Um… she's a bit timid. I hope you understand."
Meradis nodded.
"I understand. So, what is it you need my help with?" She still spoke gently, never once showing distance or coldness.
"This matter… you can discuss it directly with her." I said, pointing to Seina, intending to excuse myself so they could handle it.
But the moment I turned to leave, Seina grabbed me and pulled me back to sit down beside her.
Hey—don't drag me into this. I really have nothing to do with it.
"What do you mean you have nothing to do with it? In the end, you're the one who benefits. What, you don't even want to put in a little effort?"
Alright, alright… I'll stay and listen.
You talk too much, seriously.
"Hmph. I'm just looking out for you, okay…"
Oops, I accidentally upset her again.
I reached out and patted Seina on the head.
I know, I know—Seina's always been my best friend.
"You're so smooth with your words…"
Hehe.
Then I looked over and saw Meradis watching us with a strange look. There was a small smile on her lips.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, not at all. Let's get to the main topic," Meradis said with a soft smile, then turned serious.
We had no reason to refuse, so the three of us quickly sat down at the table to begin the discussion.
By the way, I just created that table a moment ago—for atmosphere's sake. But since Meradis was so small compared to us, I had to shrink the table down too.
I wonder what's going to happen next…