Chapter 7: Girl, Makes a Call
Act 6: Fly Awaaaaaay!!
Chapter 7: Girl, Makes a Call
ONLY after walking for close to a whole day did they finally pass through Fog Valley. A cool breeze started to blow once they drew closer to their destination, whipping up Nichika’s hair and mantle. The white fog hiding her feet from view cleared, giving way to a prairie flush with green. Nothing else caught the eye aside from the walled village looming in the center of the basin surrounded by a mountain range. Winds coming down from the mountains raced through the tall grass. No other land let her visually experience the wind like this.
“Woo! Finally got throuuughh. Haven’t tasted this wind in a while.”
Arriving behind Nichika, Lambert cupped his hands over his eyes and looked out over the carpet of green stretching into the horizon. Nostalgia softened his mischievous expression into something more human.
“Does this area count as part of Windy Village?” Nichika asked.
“Mm, I guess so? We don’t really make our borders clear, so you kinda put me on the spot askin’ for specifics…” Lambert shrugged. “Don’t quote me on this, but you can probably consider this basin as Windy Village.”
Oswald stepped out of the foggy veil next to Lambert. He took one look at the gorgeous scenery and dispassionately stated the facts. “This basin is a natural fortress protected by mountains. Windy Village doesn’t have any noteworthy natural resources, and none of the surrounding countries have a good enough reason to trudge up the mountains to attack.”
“Wow, pal, you don’t sugarcoat things, do ya? Fine, I admit my hometown doesn’t have any local specialties and is located in the sticks.” Wry smile in place, Lambert pointed to the town in the center of the prairie. “But please humor me and stop by this place without any noteworthy resources. Windy Village is entertaining as a sightseeing destination.”
***
THE winds intensified as they neared the village. But rather than an unpleasant gale, the breeze cuddled up to them like a puppy. Nichika looked up to where green elements taking the form of butterflies blended into the endless blue sky.
“Look at all the wind mana!” she exclaimed, holding down her wildly dancing hair. “I can see why people think the Great Wind Spirit lives here.”
“I see them too! So manyyy!” Wolfie frolicked after the butterflies. One landed on his nose and he became cross-eyed staring at it. Oswald didn’t share in his excitement.
Fed up with the wind blowing his black cloak into his face, he yanked it off, rolled it into a ball, and chucked it on the ground. “Annoying pests!” he bellowed at the vast sky. “Why are you only picking on me?!”
“Ahaha! Your hair has been swept completely out of control!” Pointing and laughing at her master only turned his face more sour.
Oswald ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed it around until it looked like a bad case of bedhead.
“They sure love my upperclassman,” Lambert pointed out with a suggestive grin. “Go figure.”
Nichika thought about why it’d be obvious for wind to love Oswald and then she recalled what Wolfie had told her.
“Oh yeah, isn’t wind mana obsessed with beauty?”
“AUGH!”
A gust of wind charged Oswald, knocking him hard onto his back. He writhed in agony on the ground. Laughter from the wolf and two humans summoned a dark ugliness within the witch. Head tilted down as far as it could go, he sat up, muttering curses.
“I can use that to shut the damn wind mana up… No, I’ll obliterate them with it… I’ll turn every last birdie to cinders.”
“Save the villainy for something more productive. Come on, I’ll help you up.” Nichika offered him her hand with a conciliatory smile.
“Ya just have to grin and bear it a lil’ longer, buddy,” Lambert encouraged beside them. “They won’t pick on you as much in the village.”
Oswald swung his gaze toward the far away gate, calculated the approximate miserable distance it’d take to get there, and exhaled his despair.
***
BY the time they arrived at the walls surrounding the village, Nichika’s hair had become as much of a windswept bird nest as Oswald’s. Even Wolfie looked more like a giant, walking scruffy furball than a wolf. Shaking out his fur didn’t help much either.
Sighing, Oswald wearily muttered, “We’re finally here… This is the first time I’ve wanted to murder wind.”
“C’mon, cheer up. You’ll scare the villagers if you walk in there looking like a serial killer on the prowl.”
Wolfie spun around in front of them when they were within a stone’s throw of the walls. He howled and asked, “Hey! Master! Master! You’re all going into this village, right? Can I go for a run through the prairie? Just lemme know later if I can come inside, too!”
He bounded in the direction of the tall, swaying grass without waiting for an answer.
“Ah, there he goes. He doesn’t have to do that,” Lambert said discreetly to the others, correctly guessing why Wolfie suddenly decided to run off. “Windy Village doesn’t discriminate against the Long-eared Tribe.”
“Wolfie always acts cheerful, but I think it bothers him more than he lets on…” Nichika replied, concern for her furry friend clouding her face.
Wolfie had been ostracized and tormented by the people living near the forest where he lived with Oswald. His innocent joy over becoming friends with Nichika was burned into her memory. Interacting with people was still a sore spot for him.
Of course, Oswald had to go and ruin the emotional moment with his nonchalant dismissal. “Nah, he just wants to frolic. That peabrain doesn’t have the intelligence necessary for overthinking things.”
Nichika was about to argue with him, but swallowed the first words that came to mind. She went with giving him a taste of his own medicine instead.
“My bad. Someone as soulless and thick-skinned as you would never understand.”
Oswald blinked at his apprentice’s improving backtalk. Improving, yes; better than him? Not in a million years.
“Ha!” he crossed his arms and flatly shot back, “Possessing a soul that’s easily hurt will only drag you down.”
“There you go spouting nonsense again! Stubborn goat!”
“Who are you calling a goat?!”
“Aaaaaaah! Stop! Stop! You’re givin’ me a headache. Let’s go inside already,” Lambert interceded, causing the glaring duo to whip their heads away from each other.
Combing through his knotted hair with his fingers, Oswald knocked on the guardroom door. “Good day to you. My friends and I are travelers. Is it possible for us to apply for entry into your village?” he asked with faked pleasantries.
“Sure thing.”
There was a click and the guardroom door swung open. The bearded guard broke out in a big smile when he noticed the green-haired young man waving behind the traveler.
“Hm? Oooh?! Hey, is that you, Lam?! Aren’t you supposed to be at magic school? Did they finally kick you out?”
“Hey there, ol’ man. Long time no see. I’m on voluntary leave from school. Y’know, so I can help save the world.”
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Good one!” he laughed it off like a joke and invited them inside the guardroom.
Lambert turned and started off in another direction since he didn’t need to fill out anything as a resident.
“I’ll go on ahead and get the ball rollin’ for ya guys inside. Please come once you’re finished here. You can ask for directions from that ol’ guy.” With that, he left with the wind.
The remaining two were shown inside the guardroom. The good-humored guard slipped two documents out of the wall cubby while he struck up a conversation.
“I take it you came to watch the race?”
“What race?” Nichika asked.
“Oh?” He didn’t hide his surprise as he placed the papers on the table in front of them. “That’s not what you’re here for? Then you’re in luck. The Grand Race held only once a year is happening tomorrow. You should watch. Oh, you only have to fill out your name and put a check that you agree to our rules. Don’t worry about the rest. Really. Nobody’s gonna check it over anyway.”
“Is this race like a marathon or something?” Nichika ventured while completing the awfully lenient entry sheets.
“Hardly! Miss—lemme see, Nichika? This is Windy Village. There’s only one thing worth racing with here.”
“What’s that?”
“Enjoy discovering the answer with your own eyes. Trust me, it won’t take you more than a few seconds to figure it out.”
Once they finished, they asked where Lambert went and departed the guardroom. Nichika turned back to the guard who saw them to the door and asked for a favor.
“One last thing. A talking wolf should be coming by later today. He’s with us, so would you be so kind as to tell him where we went?”
“A talking doggy, huh? Don’t get those every day! Your message is safe with me!”
Maybe the guard didn’t think too deeply about things. But Oswald was unusually baffled by him seeing them off with a hearty smile.
“What a stupidly peaceful village… They shouldn’t let someone like me in so easily,” he insisted, dead serious in expression and tone.
“Master, that’s not something you should say about yourself,” Nichika contended, following him through the dark stone passage leading into the village. Her eyes spread wide open at the scenery beyond the sunny exit. “So this is Windy Village!”
It looked like a village straight out of a fairy tale. Cutesy homes with colorful walls and triangular roofs made of dazzling white plaster lined the red brick road. The houses had an unusual amount of floors for this world—most had more than three stories. Towering apartment buildings higher than the eye could see were scattered throughout as well. A soft breeze blew through, and the windmills installed everywhere were spinning.
And there was one decisive difference between Windy Village and all the places Nichika had visited before: residents zoomed by on brooms.
“Wow! Everyone is so good at flying!” Nichika enthused, awed and a little envious.
A woman riding a broom smoothly flew to her house’s veranda on the second floor while holding a paper shopping bag. Shockingly, about half of the people in the area were traveling by broom. One particular question rose to the forefront of Nichika’s mind when she saw a man fly by.
“Huh. Men can fly with brooms, too?”
“Aren’t they embarrassed?” Oswald’s heavy brow slanted in strong disapproval.
“Whatever do they have to be embarrassed about?” a sonorous voice boomed in answer behind him.
Startled, Nichika turned to find someone standing on top of the bulwark they had just passed through. The sun was directly behind them, skewing their features in the shadows, but from their voice, it appeared to be a man with long, flowing hair.
“Roses?”
Nichika caught one of the dark-red flower petals falling from the sky and raised an eyebrow. The villagers stopped going about their business and turned to pay their respects to the mysterious person.
“Lord Sylmia!”
“It’s Lord Sylmia!”
“Oh my, he’s as lovely as ever today!”
Squinting, Nichika tried to make out what this Lord Sylmia or whoever he was looked like. Mint-green, thigh-length hair fluttering in the wind behind him, he kissed the rose in his hand and struck a polished pose.
“I am…beautiful.”
“Oooooooooh!”
On a completely different frequency from the cheering crowd, Nichika’s jaw dropped and Oswald scowled with utter disgust.
“Hah!”
The strange man jumped off the bulwark with a shout and landed without a scratch. Rose petals danced around him, making Nichika want to ask what kind of cheap theater show he was putting on.
Garbed in clothes seemingly made to flap in the wind, “Lord Sylmia” presented a rose to Oswald and pushed his hair up off his face in his cheesiest move yet.
“I am beautiful… And I naturally love all beautiful things. Beauty is a gift granted by God. You can be proud of your good looks.”
“Don’t come any closer, narcissist.” Oswald slapped the rose away.
Undisturbed by his rejection, Sylmia turned to Nichika next. “Welcome, cute little lady. Right now you are a pretty bud, but your beauty will someday bloom into a breathtaking flower. I can tell.”
“U-Um, hello?” Nichika hesitantly greeted with reddening cheeks.
Stars twinkled in Sylmia’s deep green eyes as he pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and swooned. “Aaaaah! Marvelous! What a splendid day today is turning out to be!”
“?!”
Sylmia threw his arm around Oswald’s shoulder, flicked back his cape, and struck a pose. Cries exploded from the street. Far from being a fan of the limelight, veins popped on Oswald’s forehead.
“What the hell is the deal with this nutjob?!” he raged.
“B-Beats me.” Nichika instinctively stepped away before she got pulled into the craziness with him.
“Oh, there you are! I was lookin’ all over because you weren’t at home. Sheesh.” A young man she was becoming all too familiar with ran around the greengrocer’s festive vegetable display.
“Lambert! Make that meeting with the Wind Spirit happen NOW. I want out of this freakish village ASAP!” Oswald shouted, engulfed in the crowd that broke out in song and started dancing in the streets.
Their guide just laughed. “Silly Oswald. He’s right next to ya.”
“Come again?”
Doubting his ears, Oswald looked to his left. His eyes made contact with the narcissist who winked and stuck out his tongue.
“That there’s the village chief and Wind Spirit, Sylmia.”
Right as Lambert finished talking Oswald put everything he wanted to say into his fist and slammed it into his collarbone.
***
“AHA! Ha! Ha!” Wind Spirit Sylmia laughed like a stormy gale after clearing the area of people. “I never would have guessed that Lam’s guests included the Spirit Priestess~!”
He didn’t look much older than Oswald, and frankly, didn’t seem one bit like a spirit. Flowers didn’t stop blowing around him as he gave a refined bow.
“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I’m the Great Wind Spirit Sylmia. May our relationship be ever beautiful.”
“Yes, I hope it will be! My name is Nichika. It’s an honor to make your acquaintance!”
The gorgeous spirit chuckled at the girl bowing to him in a panic. “You’re a different type from Yuna.”
“You knew Goddess Yuna too, Lord Sylmia?”
“Tch, tch, tch!” He wagged his finger. The air swirled with the movement. “Now there, save your questions for later. Doing something ill-mannered like chatting in the street offends my aesthetic. Why don’t we enjoy a long talk over a splendid cup of tea at my palace?”
“Haah…” Nichika and Oswald sighed.
And so the group headed to Sylmia’s palace. As they walked through the colorful streets, an emotionally drained Oswald weakly grumbled his complaints.
“I can’t take it. My body viscerally rejects his type.”
“Ahaha…”
He must’ve mentally associated the hyper and overly obnoxious wind spirit with the very similar golden celestial Ini.
“Hey, what is that?” Nichika asked, stopping when she spotted something strange in the middle of the road.
She pointed to the three green crystal balls floating next to each other at a head’s height. People were standing on each side, leaning forward with their heads thrust into the balls.
“Oh, that?” Lambert responded, hands folded behind his head. “It’s a thingamajig this dude created that allows you to talk to people far away.”
That explanation brought a modern invention to mind. “A phone!” she exclaimed.
“Fown?” Lambert sounded out the peculiar sounding word.
Sylmia walked up behind him with a confident smile and took hold of Nichika’s hand. “It’s not a fown, but my pride and joy called a Wind Whisper! You should give it a whirl since we’re here! Come! Come!”
He led her to the crystal balls and gave her head a gentle push inside one. It looked like rock-hard crystal from the outside, but once her face made contact with the cool surface, it sucked her in as if she were dunking her head in water. Yet she could still breathe. It was a strange feeling having her head submerged in a water ball and breathing just fine. Sylmia’s instructions outside the crystal sounded like they came from the other side of a stone wall.
“Think of the name of a person you want to talk to and where they are. The wind mana will assuredly carry your voice to them!”
“U-Uhmm, who should I pick?”
Nichika thought of all the different people she had met since coming to this world. One particular girl stood out among the rest.
“Yeah, I’ll go with her!”
***
SHE was valiantly attired in uniform for military training that day, much as she was every day. She turned her hawkish gaze on the uniformed men and women of the Magic Gun Corps and fired off instructions.
“Keep your eye on the target! Keep your elbows down and in to support its weight! Relax your neck and let your cheek fall naturally to the stock!”
Bangs resounded in the training ground where the white sand dazzled the eyes under the unrelenting sun. This year’s recruits were quite skilled. Mass production of the magic wind bullets purchased from the Witch of the West was proceeding as planned. They didn’t have to worry about being easily invaded now.
The mutating monsters are worrisome, but the North’s recent silence is equally unsettling. Being prepared never hurts.
She took a break from instructing the troops to retie her hair that had been drastically shortened during a certain incident.
“Princess Yura!”
The general princess of Cherry Blossom Kingdom warily scanned the area for who said her name. That familiar voice caused her perfectly shaped brows to knit.
“Miss Nichika?” she uttered the name of her former guest.
“This is so awesome! It actually works!” the girl’s jubilant voice responded amid a gentle breeze.
“Wh-Where are you?!”
Years of serving in the military made her very uncomfortable not being able to see the other party.
Picking up on Yura’s restlessness, Nichika laughed apologetically beyond the wind.
“I’m currently in Windy Village. A contraption here is allowing me to project my voice to you. I have something to ask you.”
“Windy Village?”
Yura searched her memory using that village name as a keyword. Now that she thought about it, there was rumor of a technology in Windy Village said to exponentially extend the oscillation distance of air, effectively sending voices to distant lands. She had relegated the information to nothing more than hearsay, but it turned out to be real.
“You surprised me. That’s a magnificent piece of technology,” she responded, honestly impressed with what they had accomplished.
“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to startle you.”
“Would it be possible to import that technology to my kingdom? I’ll buy it at top coin.”
“What? Ah, okay…yes…I understand…umm…”
Yura was only half serious when she asked, but Nichika started talking to someone else about it on the other side of the wind. Several minutes passed before she returned to the conversation with Yura.
“I’m sorry. From what I understand, this contraption requires the Great Wind Spirit’s power to operate. He said it won’t work anywhere but here.”
“Aw, that’s a real shame.” Yura laughed behind her hand and moved to the garden arbor. She leaned against the red railing and fixed her hair while she chatted with Nichika. “I’m glad to hear you’ve successfully met the Great Wind Spirit in Windy Village. Are things going well?”
“Yes! Thanks to all your help!”
“Rumors of you are slowly making their way here as well. People are talking about the Spirit Priestess who’s traveling with a raven-haired witch.”
The information put out by Elminage traveled through Lolo Village to Cherry Blossom Kingdom. And the information brought by travelers quickly spread throughout the land. From here, word would be carried by travelers boarding the large-scale aviation Whales to Seaside Blue Port, and spread westward from there. As ruler of one of the countries plagued by the increasing dark mana, Yura was grateful to Nichika.
“My people have been delighted by the news. There’s been so little good news lately, what with monsters growing more aggressive by the day.”
“Things are getting that bad?” Worry permeated Nichika’s voice.
Yura moved away from the balustrade to where she could overlook the city. Women armed with guns kept careful lookout from atop the watchtowers encircling the city walls. She watched them as she explained the current situation to Nichika.
“They haven’t breached our walls yet, but our biggest struggle lies in being unable to leave without armed guards. The children are sick of being cooped up. They want to play outside again.”
“I…see.”
The increasingly more aggressive monsters were attacking people now. Even the nocturnal species had started brazenly appearing during the day. Should things continue at this rate, it would eventually lead to normal citizens being unable to travel to other cities without extensive protection.
Hoping to change the dark mood she created, Yura cheerfully asked, “Is the mighty witch doing well?”
“All too well! I think he’s a perfect example of the saying ‘bad boys have all the luck.’ His personality is as twisted as ever, he’s a big pervert, and lazy to boot—YEOW!”
A dull thud was carried to her on the wind. Yura giggled. It appeared this master-apprentice duo hadn’t changed since she last saw them. She thoroughly enjoyed their banter going on beyond the wind as she waited for the perfect moment to interrupt them.
“Now that that’s settled, didn’t you have something to ask of me?”
“I did?” Had she forgotten her original objective? There was a pause before she cried, “Oh yeah!”
Cherry Blossom Kingdom’s princess couldn’t restrain the bubble of laughter at Nichika’s typical response. As usual, this girl from another world had a way of bringing peace to others. But Yura’s laughter apparently went unnoticed because Nichika got to the point in a hard voice.
“Princess Yura, do you still have the arrow fragment that was stuck in the Great Fire Spirit?”
“You mean that abominable arrow? You stepped on it and it broke.”
The incident involving some heathen controlling the fire dragon that protected Cherry Blossom Kingdom was still fresh in her mind. After Nichika destroyed the arrow, Yura meticulously collected and analyzed the splintered pieces, but the thick, nauseating purple aura had vanished without a trace. She had carefully stored the pieces that had become nothing more than junk just in case.
“Did you happen to see strange letters scribbled on any of it?”
“Letters? Now that you mention it…”
Yura recalled a report from a subordinate who was involved in the restoration work. She had examined the mysterious characters scrawled on the arrowhead for good measure, but could not decipher it either. Hand on her chin, she pondered Nichika’s question and gave her a truthful account.
“There were three letters.”
“That’s what I’m after! What did it say?”
“They are unreadable. My subordinates are currently looking into it.”
“I can probably read it.”
That was a surprise, but how could Yura explain what letters she couldn’t read looked like with words alone? Hot wind suddenly caressed her cheek while she was racking her brain for a good idea. A serene, rumbling voice whispered in her ears.
“Yura, I shalt explain for ye.”
***
“HELLO? What’s going on?”
Princess Yura was speaking with someone on the other end of the call. Nichika strained her ears to pick up on the conversation and practically leapt out of her skin when the wind line switched to someone else.
“’Tis been a while, child.”
“Great Fire Spirit!” Nichika cried in response to that rumbling voice.
“Oooh!” The wind spirit acting as the conduit for her voice rudely butted in on the conversation. “Why, if it isn’t my kindred spirit, Gaagaa! Long time no chat, my friend!” he delightfully exclaimed.
“…Sylmia.”
They were old friends, apparently. Not that it was strange with them both being a member of the Four Great Spirits, but Nichika struggled with the weird name Sylmia used when addressing the fire spirit.
“Why Gaagaa?” she asked Sylmia over her shoulder.
“His name is Ghazan, so he’s Gaagaa. Don’t speak yet. I’ll make it so everyone can hear you.”
The Great Fire Spirit has a name, too? I didn’t know. While Nichika regretted never asking for his name, the green crystal ball swelled like a balloon, engulfing the rest of their party.
“That handles that.”
“Nichika, behold the magic orb.”
“Okay.” At Ghazan’s request, Nichika removed the magic orb from her belt and held it in her palm. Flaming letters danced into the swirling lights contained within.
“Those are the letters inscribed upon the arrow that struck me.”
He can send me visuals through the orb! Extremely impressed by this new mode of communication, Nichika read out the string of letters only she could decipher.
“‘Ra-th’ …It’s supposed to mean wrath. I knew it. It’s the same sloppy misspelling as the flower crystal that put the petacolons to sleep. The arrow was Phantom’s doing, after all.”
“Is that another one of your deadly sins?”
Oswald frowned as he peered down at the magic orb with her. His expression grew more puzzled by the minute because he couldn’t decipher the text.
Nichika studied his side profile as she broke down the information. “Yeah, it literally means to be vengefully angry. And if you think about it, the Great Fire Spirit had gone on a raging rampage for no reason. I’m pretty sure we’re onto something here.”
“Phantom?” Ghazan’s suspicious voice inquired from the other end of the wind call.
That gave Nichika the chance to talk about the boy in white and his plot to interfere with her mission. She also shared information on the various things that they had discovered since departing Cherry Blossom Kingdom.
After hearing everything, the general princess and Emperor of Flame were ready to wage war. An angry voice sliced through the chilly air.
“Crush him on sight next time.”
“I second that. Immediately liquefy thine enemies who stand in thy way. My flames shalt always be at thy disposal.”
“O-Okay, cool it, guys. Let’s not jump the gun,” Nichika entreated, nervous they were about to tell her to slaughter the child next.
Were they naturally aggressive because of their close relationship with fire? Not that Nichika didn’t understand how they felt when they had gone through a lot because of him.
After that emotional bout, the pair from Cherry Blossom Kingdom advised her to be extra careful and ended the transmission. The rest of the group in Windy Village left the green ball’s sphere with grim faces.
Lambert rubbed under his nose as he summarized the facts. “You’ve destroyed Wrath in Cherry Blossom Kingdom, and Sloth in the petacolon valley, so there should be five more of these sin things left, right? But those things don’t give off a smell. Maybe it can’t be detected unless you’re close to where the item is activated?”
“Hmph. As long as I’m in this village I won’t allow such ugliness to be brought in!” Sylmia struck a confident pose.
Oswald’s exhaustion showed in his long sigh beside him. “I don’t care. If we’re done here, can we get a move on? People are gathering around us.”
Another crowd was forming around the Wind Whisper portal. Nichika placed a hand on the green ball, reluctant to part from it.
“Aw, there are other people I want to talk to. Like Mihm, Makina, Melissa, and…and…and—”
“Let’s move.”
“Aaaaaaaah! You big fat, meanieeee!”
Dragged away kicking by the mantle, she held her hand out longingly for the crystal ball until it was long out of sight.
***
“WHAAA?! So you aren’t willing to lend me your power then?!”
Sylmia’s Palace. A palace in name only, his home was a normal house located in the residential district. Nichika’s upset voice resounded through the comfortable living room.
Sylmia continued to smile away and sip his black tea despite the loud ringing in everyone’s ears. “Now, now. Don’t be hasty. I haven’t said I won’t cooperate with you. I simply don’t think it’s very fun to just hand you my power without you earning it.”
“What does fun have to do with anything?”
We’re trying to revive the Spirit Goddess. He definitely doesn’t seem to care much. Nichika glared daggers at him.
Offended, Sylmia pursed his lips. “Gaagaa only accepted you after you saved him, right? It’s not fair for me to be the only one who hands it over without a condition.”
“You aren’t a child. Please don’t throw a childish tantrum.”
Forgetting she was dealing with the noble king of wind, Nichika flat out lectured him as she would Oswald. She was contemplating how to persuade him, when Sylmia flashed a sly grin and handed her a broom that was hanging on the wall.
“Without further ado, here you go.”
“I don’t get it.”
Is he asking me to sweep? I guess I can do something small like that. Nichika was about to accept, but his next declaration knocked her off her chair.
“I’ll acknowledge you as priestess if you win tomorrow’s race riding this.”
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaah?!”
Sparkles in his eyes, Sylmia spread his arms to an imaginary crowd. “The Spirit Priestess elegantly soaring through the blue sky! Aah, how truly beautiful and touching that shall be!”
“Stop right there! Please don’t put the cart before the horse!”
“Elegant, beautiful, and touching, huh?”
Nichika glared at Oswald muttering under his breath and pleaded with the wind spirit. “You are asking the impossible, Lord Sylmia! I, umm…can sorta fly, but my technique is, uh, unique. Put simply, it’s like I’m on an out of control stallion?”
She paled as she pictured all the times her broom tried to buck her off like a horse. A race would have a whole crowd of people watching. What if she plummeted to the ground upside down in front of all those people? No, she could still save face if she hit the ground. The real nightmare would be charging through the audience, knocking people over!
“Oh my gosh! I knew it! I can’t! It’s a danger to all involved!”
Sylmia pretended not to hear or notice her absolute panic and horror, and simply smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll assign Lam as your assistant.”
Lambert, who had been leaning against the wall with nothing better to do, quickly stifled his yawn. “Me? I guess I can help.”
“No, no. This is a problem beyond just assigning me help!”
The problem was with the rider herself. She tried to make him understand that basic issue, but Sylmia slipped away like a passing breeze.
“Oh dear! It’s almost time for my meeting about tomorrow. I’m looking forward to your performance. Buh-bye!”
“Wai—”
With those final words, the Great Wind Spirit disappeared in a gust of wind. Nichika’s outstretched hand fell limply to her side.
“Seriously, why don’t the people of this world ever listen to what others have to say?!” she wailed.