“Well? That’s something you should figure out yourselves. We are proper rival families, after all.”
“Ah, this is why I dislike you.”
“Such cheek, calling your older sister ‘you,’ ‘you.’ If you were in my family, you’d have been sent to the dungeon by now.”
At my sister’s retort, Older Brother Elzen furrowed his brows and scrubbed his lips roughly. Yet, strangely enough… he didn’t seem to truly dislike her.
How did the two of them even know each other?
“Anyway, hand over my little sibling. I can’t fully trust that you won’t cause any harm.”
“Even while saying that, you do trust me, don’t you? Seeing as you still let this cute little bunny stay in my arms.”
“I’m not trusting you; I’m trusting your ambition. You have to join hands with us, after all.”
Older Brother Elzen held out his hand firmly.
Overpowered by his intensity, I let go of my sister, who smelled so good, and was passed into his arms.
“This is why I hate sharp-witted brats. There’s no fun in teasing you.”
Older Sister Diorose grumbled, but she handed me over willingly. Then, she straightened her back and looked somewhere above our heads.
“Hmm, it’s about to start. Your family elders probably knew and sent you here anyway, so try to survive.”
*Thump!*
“Don’t worry, I’ll whisk our little bunny away if things get dangerous.”
*Thump!*
“Don’t go bragging about the Bellarion family’s shadow-shifting ability. Did you forget that we’re by the water?”
*Crash!!*
At the end of that conversation, leaves cascaded down.
Nestled snugly in Older Brother Elzen’s arms, I opened my mouth in a daze at the shadows suddenly consuming the sky.
[The Earth Spirit King ‘■’ shouts.]
[Golem!]
*Grawwwrr!*
A giant ‘something’ made of dirt let out a beastly cry.
It looked like a wave of piled sand, but it had two arms and hollow, black eyes, making it utterly grotesque.
“Oh, so Lewiwood is stepping up right away.”
*Krr-crack!*
I hadn’t even registered the movement, but a flash of light erupted.
Dust rained down, forcing me to shield my eyes, but I squinted, desperate to see.
[The Fire Spirit King ‘■■■■■’ explains.]
[Lewiwood Pasayen has attacked the Golem. He intends to burrow inside and shatter the core.]
A core?
[The Earth Spirit King ‘■’ elaborates.]
[A Golem is an artificial creature that uses abilities to imbue a mana stone with life, sticking dirt, dust, and rocks to its surface. It collapses if you destroy the core.]
*Boom, ka-boom!!*
After the glittering text vanished, I saw the falling Golem snapping dozens of trees in one go.
Once the thick dust settled, I spotted Lewiwood standing on the Golem’s head.
Behind him, yet another Golem was surging up.
“How!”
I was startled, but Lewiwood’s figure vanished in the blink of an eye.
Booming sounds echoed again, and amidst the chaos, Teacher Cedric’s urgent voice cut through.
“Young Lady! Young Master Elzen!”
“We’re here.”
“Haa, I was worried. Young Master, please help with the evacuation quickly.”
Sliding down from Older Brother Elzen’s arms, I ran straight to Lina, who had arrived with the teacher.
“Lina!”
“Young Lady!”
Lina, who had been stamping her feet, turned teary-eyed the moment she saw me.
“I couldn’t find you no matter where I looked, so I had to ask Lewiwood. He said you were with the Little Young Master, so I was coming to find you but suddenly—it, it’s dangerous!”
Lina looked like she was about to cry for real, so I quickly flapped my hands.
“I am fwine. We will defeat them all together.”
I didn’t have much power right now, but it wasn’t just Lewiwood and Older Brother Elzen who were children with Bijou here.
“Everyone without Bijou and the servants, get into the river.”
While Lewiwood handled the giant Golem alone, Older Brother Elzen issued orders.
But just as Older Brother Elzen prepared to use his abilities—
“……?!”
*Whoosh!*
The ground beneath our feet trembled, and something burst from the water spray.
*Grawwwrr!*
A crude hand. A gaping, rugged mouth. Black eyes.
It was relatively small, but it was a Golem nonetheless.
“Move!”
“Kyaaak!”
Older Brother Elzen and Joey lunged forward to block it, but the Golem’s fist was too heavy.
River water splashed high, and dead fish floated to the surface, bellies up from the shock.
The bigger problem was that Golems like that were rising up everywhere.
“Everyone, evacuate underneath this first!”
After creating a massive vine barrier, Naiad shouted as a dirt-fist plummeted toward her head. Fortunately, it collided with Iliad’s fist and shattered right there.
‘Me! I want to do something, too!’
*Thump, thump-thump-thump.*
In time with the shaking ground, my heart pounded. My feet twitched.
I don’t want to just be protected; I want to go out and protect others, too!
My whole body felt like a drum; my breathing grew shallow.
“Golem, big.”
Am I scared? …Well.
Not really.
Why is that?
“Aren’t you scared, baby?”
“Uung.”
“That’s fascinating. Usually, people freeze up when they see something like that.”
The crescent moon—no, Older Sister Diorose—had approached me at some point and was stroking my head.
“I didn’t come here officially, so this is all the help I can provide.”
The surface of a Golem approaching us cracked with a *creak*.
Skewered by shadows like a prickly sea urchin, the Golem scattered into sand.
Watching that, I couldn’t even breathe.
My chest swelled with excitement.
Now I understand.
It’s not just that I’m not scared; it’s that I want to fight, too.
“This is a big problem. We can’t evacuate unless Elzen comes, but there are too many Golems. There’s simply no opening.”
Teacher Cedric, who had led the people to safety under the vine barrier, muttered to himself.
‘He’s right, there are too many!’
Older Brother Elzen and Joey were coordinating to handle the giant Golem, and Lewiwood was fighting several alone. Iliad was busy crushing any Golem trying to approach the shelter.
Yet, the Golems kept reappearing.
“If only one more person could help… But the power of water and Golems are a bad match. Argh, he definitely sent me here to torment me! I should have known when he excluded Mical, who is capable of area-of-effect attacks, from the picnic list!”
Teacher Cedric shouted while pulling at his hair.
‘Hmm, it seems there is a role for everyone, even in my eyes.’
If just one more person could help, Older Brother Elzen could come here and evacuate the people.
‘Spirit Kings, please lend me your righteous power to defeat the Golems and protect the people.’
I clasped my hands together tightly and prayed, but the Spirit Kings remained silent.
I suppose it’s impossible if I’m not a contractor, isn’t it?
It was then, as my shoulders slumped in disappointment.
[The Spirit King of ‘○○’ bursts into loud laughter.]
[You are a human I find rarely to my liking.]
Huh?
[The Spirit King of ‘○○’ shows great favor.]
[Very well. If you can guess my element and my name right here and now, I shall contract with you.]
What?!
‘Will you give me a hint, too?’
I was surprised, but I asked calmly.
I think I can guess the element.
But I can’t possibly know the name without any clues.
[The Spirit King of ‘○○’ nods.]
[It is a riddle. I dwell where the most liberated dance swirls, winding around the tallest mountain. Riding above the songs of the gypsies, I am faster than any horse. Having existed since before the history you occupy, who am I, and what is my name?]
I want to guess it in a cool way, but that’s impossible.
Without a second of hesitation, I raised my hand high.
“Big Sis! Are you there?”
“Mm-hmm. Listen to this too, Sammy.”
Cedric is smart. Because he’s a teacher.
My oldest sister must be smart too, right?
I put effort into my tongue, articulating each sound as I explained them one by one. I left out the part about why I was suddenly asking such a thing.
Perhaps noticing that I was trying to find out the names of the Spirit Kings, the teacher’s expression grew somewhat serious.
“In the ancient language, ‘freedom’ is ‘Sha.’ And……”
Just then, a gentle voice took over for the teacher, letting flow a refined pronunciation.
“The highest mountain is ‘Wi.’ Since dance is performed with the feet, it is ‘Ara.’ The ancient word meaning that it exists everywhere, both high and low, is ‘Parke.’”