Volume 3, Chapter 15 – Night Falls Over the Oasis

“Fiene Argentata-sama, Mieshiro Shizuku-sama, Christina-sama, Lumia-sama, thank you all so very much. Thanks to you, the Crescent Moon Spring has been saved.”

Hardy-san spoke on behalf of the others to thank us.

After defeating the Deadly Scorpi and purifying the pollution caused by the spring’s poison, we had been invited to a feast held by the village as a token of their gratitude, where we enjoyed a modest spread.

They didn’t seem to live particularly wealthy lives, so I felt a bit hesitant, but since it felt wrong to refuse, I decided to simply accept their offer.

“I am just glad we could be of help.”

I hadn’t expected a reward in the first place, so the fact that they were providing us with food and even lodging was already more than enough.

“Even so, Fiene-sama, what on earth was that secret art you used to purify the Crescent Moon Spring? I was simply moved by its beauty,” remarked Xin Yi-san, Hardy-san’s wife. ¹ “Xin Yi” is used here instead of a Japanese-style romanization since the name follows a Chinese/East Asian naming style, while the story contains characters with various naming backgrounds

In contrast to Hardy-san’s strong features, Xin Yi-san had a softer, more delicate face.

For the record, their son Dargil-kun took after Hardy-san, while Ulfa-chan took after Xin Yi-san.

“That was a Purification Technique using the power of a Flower Spirit.”

“Can Fiene-sama command spirits?”

“No, it’s not so much that I command her as it is… she’s my partner. More like family.”

“Um, Fiene-sama! Could I meet that little spirit-san?”

Ulfa-chan cut into our conversation.

“Now, Ulfa! It’s rude to interrupt Fiene-sama!”

“It’s alright. Please don’t be angry with her. My mana has recovered, so it’s fine to summon her now. Ulfa-chan, I’m going to call her out, but she’s very small. Can you promise not to hit her, squeeze her too hard, or do anything she wouldn’t like?”

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Ulfa-chan nodded vigorously, so I channeled a small amount of Mana through my staff and summoned Riche.

“Riche, this is Ulfa-chan; she wanted to meet you. Ulfa-chan, this is my Contract Spirit, Riche.”

Ulfa-chan’s eyes sparkled with wonder. Riche gave a beaming smile and waved at her.

Every eye in the room was now fixed on Riche.

“Um, please excuse me for asking, but… Fiene-sama, by any chance, are you a Half-Elf?”

“No, I’m not.”

Having witnessed the tragedy in Tukat, I couldn’t bring myself to call myself a Vampire.

Until now, I’d only had a vague sense that people feared me, but even so, they had always treated me with kindness.

I’d heard stories about entire towns being wiped out, but it always felt like a distant tale, and I hadn’t taken it seriously myself.

“Onee-sama is not only a Saint, but she is the Maiden of Blossoming Grace spoken of in the legends of the Elf race!”

Ah… I’d been trying not to bring it up myself because I knew things would get weird.

“S-Saint-sama?!”

As expected—or rather, not just the village adults, but even the people from the merchant caravan all prostrated themselves before me.

“Lu-chan? I specifically tried not to say anything because I didn’t want this to happen.”

“Ah… sorry…”

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Lu-chan looked crestfallen after being scolded.

“Um, because of that, please, everyone, just act normally. I’m only doing these things because of the circumstances; it’s not like I’m actually superior or anything.”

“B-but…”

“Please.”

“U-understood.”

I managed to get them back to the table.

“Um, can I become like Fiene-sama too?”

“Hmm, let’s see. If you listen to your father and mother, be a good girl, and work hard at your studies, maybe you can.”

“Really? I’ll be a good girl!”

Ulfa-chan beamed a flower-like smile, and I gently patted her head.

“In that case, let’s start by eating your meal with good manners.”

“Okay!”

At my prompting, Ulfa-chan began eating politely.

“Fiene-sama truly is wonderful with children,” Chris-san remarked.

“I spent a lot of time with them at the orphanage,” I replied. As we spoke, I glanced over at Shizuku-san. As expected—or rather, Dargil-kun was relentlessly pestering her.

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“Hey, let me see that sword-thingy!”

“N-no! You might get hurt if you touch it!”

“Nooo! I wanna see! I wanna touch it!”

“Eh, no, well…”

It seemed that even Shizuku-san was no match for a three-year-old.

“Now, Dargil! Shizuku-sama said no!”

Hardy-san forcibly pried him away.

“Nooo! Nooooooo!”

Hardy-san carried Dargil-kun outside.

Well, he’s not at an age where he can exercise much patience, so I suppose it couldn’t be helped.

Once the storm had passed, Shizuku-san looked visibly relieved. As I was thinking this, Marco-san spoke to me.

“Now, I had a hunch that Fiene-san might be a Saint, but what’s this ‘Maiden of Blossoming Grace’ business?”

Ah, the very question I dreaded most, coming from Marco-san of all people.

“Ah, well, um, how should I put it… my Riche is a Flower Spirit, which is a very rare type of spirit.”

“A Flower Spirit? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one.”

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“As you saw earlier today, she can purify miasma and poison. The role of the Maiden of Blossoming Grace is to travel the world and purify those things. The name is deathly embarrassing, so I hate it…”

“Hahaha! So it is embarrassing. Then, I guess going to Jinsha is part of your duties as the Maiden?”

“Yes, that’s right. But why do you ask?”

“Because the Great Forest of Jinsha is famous for its poisonous marshes.”

“Ah, I see. So that’s why I was told to go to Jinsha. I understand now.”

“Man, you were about to head there without even knowing that. Oh, right. By the way, about that Deadly Scorpi’s exoskeleton… would you sell it to me for 100 gold coins?”

The way he slipped in a business deal so smoothly proved he was a merchant through and through.

“I won’t sell that. As you can see, I have Storage, so carrying it around isn’t an issue. I’ll likely have a chance to go to Bluestar eventually, so I’m thinking of selling it then.”

“In Bluestar? Ah, I see. That would certainly work. Aww, and here I thought I could make a killing.”

“Marco-san, you were definitely trying to lowball me, weren’t you?”

“Well, look, I’m a merchant. Still, to be a Saint, recognized by a spirit, and even possess Storage Magic… the Gods are truly unfair.”

Yeah, well, about that… right? Yes. Sorry.

I gave a vague smile to brush it off.

Before I knew it, the veil of night had fallen, and a chill breeze drifted in.

Outside the window, the moon shone beautifully.