"...Mother?"
"Hm?"
Aiz, who had come in while I was in the middle of making a magic sword, suddenly looked at me and blurted out something strange.
[Oh? That girl is a half-blood between a spirit and a human? If that's the feeling... is it Aria?]
"What?"
Hmm... I had thought Aiz was in a situation similar to mine, but she was a half-blood?
[If you think about it, you're in a state similar to a half-blood too, since you're using my power.]
...If I draw out more power here, I won't turn into a spirit or anything, right?
[...I don't know.]
You little—
[No, you're the first person to make a contract with me! And in your previous life, you barely even used my power!]
Haa... Well, as long as I use it in moderation, I should be fine...
By the way,
"Close the door and come in."
"...Ah, okay."
I'd better explain the situation first.
"Oh, I see..."
As I explained, Aiz's shoulders drooped at once.
[Is Aria doing well?]
"...No... A few years ago, the Black Dragon..."
Come to think of it, when we first met...
[...Sorry, but spirits don't die.]
"...What?"
Huh?
[If we suffer severe injuries, we either return to the spirit world or fall into a temporary dormant state. We don't die.]
"Th-that's... really true?"
[Why would I lie?]
"Then Mother..."
[She's probably resting in the spirit world, or asleep somewhere in the Lower World. If my guess is right, she's in the spirit world. Spirits who take heavy damage instinctively return there.]
"I see... That's a relief..."
[Should I bring her here? By now, she should have recovered from her injuries.]
"...Yes. I want to see Mother again."
[Then...]
Urrs drew a circle on the floor and let flame spill out.
The flames moved in a strange pattern, burning fiercely as they formed a translucent portal.
[Let's go to the spirit world.]
"...All of a sudden?"
[What's the problem? I wanted to go there once in a while anyway.]
"..."
[The materials for Excalibur came from the spirit world too. Come with me.]
"...All right."
Would the spirits hate me for a moment like this?
I'd heard my ancestors had destroyed forests with magic swords...
[Come on, let's go!]
"Wait—"
[No time!]
Urrs grabbed Aiz and me by the arms and threw us into the portal.
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