Volume 3, Chapter 14 – Miracle of the Flower Maiden

“Big sister, you’re amazing!”

Dargil-kun was looking at Shizuku-san with sparkling eyes. Apparently, he had been watching the fight from a distance.

Before the battle, he had been looking at Chris-san’s armor with the same sparkling eyes, thinking it was cool, but young children are cruel precisely because they’re so honest.

“No, I could never have done it alone. It was thanks to the cooperation of Fiene-dono, Chris-dono, and Lumia-dono,” Shizuku-san replied.

“Is that so? Big sisters, thank you very much!”

He’s even started mimicking her way of speaking. Well, I suppose that’s just how children are.

Making strange noises like “pshuuu” and “shuuu,” Dargil-kun ran around while imitating Shizuku-san’s iaijutsu.

Hehe, how cute.

Chris-san looked a little lonely, but it couldn’t be helped. From a child’s perspective, it might have looked like Chris-san wasn’t helpful.

In reality, it was because she had firmly held the line as a tank that Shizuku-san was able to slice off the tail so cleanly.

“The problem is, what do we do about the water in the spring?”

“Would Fiene-sama’s Antidote Magic not work?”

“Hmm, Healing Magic is magic that returns the physical body to its correct state. Therefore, even if poison is dissolved in the water, I can’t remove it. I think I could detoxify it if someone drank all the water in the spring, but…”

“T-that would be impossible. Then, how about Purification Magic?”

“It’s not as if Undead are wandering around or there’s miasma just because there’s poison. This is also outside my jurisdiction.”

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“I see…”

Since we had removed the source of the problem, perhaps all we could do was wait for rain to dilute the poison.

Just as I was thinking that, Lu-chan spoke up.

“Onee-sama? Since Onee-sama is also the Maiden of Blossoming Grace, why not ask Riche-chan?”

“Ask Riche?”

“That’s right! Riche-chan is the world’s only Flower Spirit. Purifying poison should be easy for her!”

“I see. Now that you mention it, I feel like Ingolvina-san said something like that.”

I moved in front of the spring, waved the Flower Maiden’s Staff, and summoned Riche.

“Riche, a Deadly Scorpi mixed poison into this spring so that other creatures can’t drink from it. Can you help me purify it?”

Riche gave a bright smile and held both of her palms out toward me, facing upward.

This gesture… ah, I see, she must want mana.

Using the staff in my hand as a medium, I activated Mana Control and transferred holy attribute mana to Riche.

Then, the bud on the staff bloomed into a beautiful flower.

A thin, pale thread of light connected me to Riche, and she soared up into the air above the spring.

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Riche flew in circles over the spring, as if dancing.

A ribbon of light remained in the wake of her flight, and that light quickly transformed into beautiful white and pink petals reminiscent of cherry blossoms, fluttering down.

“Lovely…”

I heard a voice, likely Lu-chan’s, from behind me.

I’m sure it was a really beautiful sight, but I was in no state to appreciate it.

My mana was being sucked out at a terrifying rate.

Riche continued to dance in circles over the spring, and with every turn, petals fluttered down onto the water’s surface.

——Crap. Hurry up and finish!

I don’t know if my prayers were heard, but just as I was on the verge of running out of mana, Riche stopped her dance and returned to me.

“Haa… haa… haa…”

I gasped for air, my knees buckling as I sank down.

Riche leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Was she perhaps telling me “good job”?

“Haa… thank… you… haa… haa… Riche.”

I managed a smile, and Riche smiled back. Then, Riche made a brown seed about 1 cm in diameter appear before my eyes.

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“This… goes into the spring…?”

Riche nodded.

Using the staff for support, I summoned the last of my strength to stand up and gently tossed the seed into the spring.

Plop.

With a small splash, the seed sank to the bottom of the spring.

Poke poke.

I turned around, feeling something poking my cheek. Riche was requesting mana once again.

A-again? Do I even have any left?

I once again transferred holy attribute mana to Riche through the staff.

Then, the petals drifting on the water’s surface all emitted a dazzling light at once.

…

…

…

After a while, the light faded, the petals floating on the surface vanished, and a single, lovely lotus-like flower bloomed in the spring.

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Riche gave me a thumbs-up, as if to say, “I did it.”

It seems we managed to sort it out.

The moment I felt relieved, the strength left my knees. However, as I started to fall, Chris-san caught me and supported me.

“Fiene-sama, you did well.”

“Ah… Chris-san…”

Riche kissed my forehead, waved with a beaming smile, and vanished back into the flower at the tip of the staff.

In the next instant, the open flower returned to its bud state.

“Fiene-dono, that was splendid.”

“Onee-sama, that was wonderful!”

“…Thank you.”

“Now, Fiene-sama. Let us return to the village.”

And so, I was carried back to the village in Chris-san’s arms, princess-style.

“Chris-san, thank you, as always.”

I whispered softly in her arms.