Spirit’s Paradise And The Idle Another World Life

Floating Spirits

———————

 

We departed from the labyrinth city and arrived in the forest.
Before returning to the Land of Death, we need to establish a spirit contract with Sara and Marco and bring back a lot of living soil.

 

“Hey, Sylphy.
Are we allowed to take the soil and wood from the forest on our own?”

 

“Well, yes.
It’s fine as long as we gather them from one place at a time.
You should consult Turu and Tamamo for their opinions and collect the soil accordingly.”

 

“Understood.
Turu and Tamamo, please give us instructions.”

 

“I’ll do my best.” “Kukuu.”

 

Turu showed his determination by clenching his fist, while Tamamo, the spirit of the forest, displayed enthusiasm in her own way.
Her adorable fluffy tail wagged with motivation.

 

I don’t recall foxes wagging their tails… Well, I guess it doesn’t matter since she is a spirit.
Rain is a dolphin, yet it flies in the sky on land.
It’s futile to ponder too deeply.

 

“Bell, Rain, I request that you accompany us as our escorts.
Sylphy, please bring floating spirits that Sara and Marco can contract with.”

 

“Roger that! Bell will protect you!” “Kyuukyuu.”

 

Bell and Rain raised their right hands and fins triumphantly.
Reliable.
Are they synchronized in their actions because they’ve been practicing?

 

“Floating spirits of wind and earth, right? Could you ask Sara and Marco which one they want to contract with, wind or earth?”

 

“Understood.
Um, Sara and Marco, have you decided which spirit, wind or earth, you want to contract with?”

 

“We discussed it thoroughly yesterday.
I want to contract with the earth spirit,” Marco replied.

 

Oh? That’s a bit unexpected.
I thought Marco was interested in flying, so I assumed he would choose the wind spirit.

 

“In that case, Sara will have the wind spirit.
Is that fine with you, Sara?”

 

“Yes, I’m okay with that.”

 

“Since that’s settled, Sylphy, please proceed.”

 

“Sure, I’ll go and bring them.”

 

We bid farewell to Sylphy as she flew off.

 

“However, I was a bit surprised.
I thought Marco wanted to contract with the wind spirit because he wanted to fly, right?”

 

“Well, yeah, but I heard that the earth spirit is better suited for protection.
I’ll protect Sara and Kika.”

 

Oh, I see.
So, Marco is the type of protagonist who exhibits these characteristics.
If Marco had contracted with the wind spirit, he would have been able to use a wind barrier, but Sylphy mentioned that floating spirits have weaker defense.
It seems that using a floating spirit wouldn’t provide enough power to counter physical attacks with wind.
Marco listened well.

 

“In that case, the earth spirit is more suitable.”

 

Without thinking, I absentmindedly ruffled Marco’s head.
His animal ears are amazing.
It’s a bit disappointing that the first person I touched with animal ears happened to be a boy.
Oh, he brushed my hand away.

 

“Master, don’t treat me like a child!”

 

Well, he is a child, isn’t he? Ah, I guess it’s that age when they want to act more mature.

 

“Oh, sorry, sorry.
By the way, what kind of beastfolk are Marco and Kika? Dogs?”

 

“We’re not dogs! We’re wolves!”

 

I see.
Wolves… Hmm.
I feel like it’s difficult to distinguish between wolves and dogs.
But it must be a significant difference for Marco.
He strongly denied it.

 

“I see, wolves.
I won’t mistake it anymore.
Well then, let’s go collect the soil soon.
Everyone, please help.”

 

Following the instructions of Turu and Tamamo, I used the magic shovel to scoop up the soil and store it.
As I did so, insects that are alive didn’t go into the magic bag and remained on the shovel.

 

Even though I only scooped up a bit, there are quite a few insects.
I only recognize earthworms, but it’s probably evidence of a thriving forest.
We have to bring these insects back too.
I took out a cloth bag I bought at the general store and turned around to ask Marco for help, but Sara and the others looked dumbfounded.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

When I asked, Marco snapped back to reality.

 

“Ma-Master, you’re a spirit mage, right? How can you lift such a huge amount of soil with that enormous shovel? Do spirit mages become physically stronger? And more importantly, why does the size of the shovel change? Is it a magical tool?”

 

Ah, I see.
I haven’t explained anything about the development tool.
While leveling up does make you stronger, it’s not really relevant in this case.

 

“Leveling up does make you stronger, but it’s not that important for this.
I’ll explain in detail when things settle down.
For now, please help me with this.”

 

I handed the cloth bag to Marco and had him put about one-third of the soil inside.
Then I poured the remaining insects from the shovel into the bag.

 

“Master, are we going to eat these insects? I don’t think they taste very good.”

 

I’d rather you not say anything that gives me chills.
I know there are cultures that eat insects, but I don’t want to experience it.
Sara and Kika seem to dislike it as well.
I feel relieved about that.
If someone in the slums were to suggest insects as a delicacy, I feel like I would cry.

 

“I won’t eat them.
Insects are important allies in creating good soil, so we keep them around,” I said.

 

Sara and the others nodded ambiguously, unsure if they understood or not.
If they saw the desolate wasteland, they would understand what I want to do.
Right now, I’m focusing on collecting soil.

 

Accompanied by Bell and Rain as my escorts, I followed Turu and Tamamo’s instructions to gather soil and wood.
If I acquire enough wood, I would like to build a log house.
I don’t know how to build one, but I suppose I’ll figure it out.
Maybe I can get a referral to a carpenter?

 

Hmm, but in this scorching sun of the desolate wasteland, I’m worried about the wood house deteriorating.
It would be great if there were some kind of paint or coating to protect the wood.

 

Perhaps it would be better to initially rely on a carpenter for building the house.
Although I have the desire to do many things myself, starting with a storage shed would probably be the safest bet.
Even with good tools, I don’t think I could suddenly create a comfortable house.

 

Thinning the trees will be the first time the magic axe comes in handy.
Although I think even a magic saw would easily cut through the trees, an axe seems more appropriate for felling wood.

 

To mark the trees, I lightly tapped the magic axe against them, and it effortlessly sank into the trunk and passed through.

 

…I’ve been thinking, the performance of these pioneering tools is way too good, and they all seem the same.
Where does the difference lie between an axe, a saw, and a survival knife? Is it just the appearance? Is it a matter of personal preference?

 

…Well, never mind.
It’s a good thing that things are easy.
In the magic bag, I have a hammer, chisel, and plane.
There are plenty of other tools that are convenient to use.
Eventually, I’ll understand the true value of pioneering tools… probably.

 

The occasional monsters that attack are swiftly defeated by Bell and Rain, so Sara and the others, who were initially afraid, now don’t mind and help with the work.

 

Moreover, they’ve started muttering to themselves, “How much can we get for defeating a goblin? How much for an orc? How much for some unknown monster?”

 

“Why does Marco know so much about the prices of monsters?”

 

“I was planning to become an adventurer once I had enough money saved up, so I studied,” Marco replied.

 

It seems he had been eavesdropping on adventurer conversations occasionally.
It’s impressive that he can even distinguish monsters based on that.
I heard he can even identify simple herbs.
I feel like I’m lacking basic knowledge as an adventurer.
I was feeling a little down when Sylphy returned.

 

“Welcome back, Sylphy.
Are those the floating Wind Spirit and the Earth Spirit?”

 

Flying behind Sylphy were a small owl and a small boar.
They were incredibly adorable.
Just like Rain and Tamamo, there seem to be many spirits modeled after animal children.
They’re definitely cute.

 

Speaking of which, whether in the labyrinth city or in the forest, all the floating spirits were cute.
If people could see spirits, they would become incredibly popular.

 

“Yes, that’s right.
They have clear consciousness, and I brought the ones that seemed to have a good affinity with Sara and Marco.”

 

So affinity matters too.
Should I call the little owl a bean owl? It’s about the size of two clenched fists, with round, fluffy eyes.
Very cute.
It’s a bird, so it must be a Wind Spirit.

 

The small boar is an Uribo, right? It’s about the size of a small dog, and it has distinct markings resembling a watermelon.
Its round eyes are cute.
So the boar is an Earth Spirit.
Will it grow up to be the kind of boar that appears in certain stories? (T/N: I think Uribo is the mascot of Kobe university)

 

“Thank you, Sylphy.”

 

I couldn’t help but reach out and stroke the bean owl and the Uribo.
Animal babies have such an overwhelming cuteness that it’s almost unfair.
At first, they were surprised by being touched, but as I continued to stroke them gently, the bean owl and the Uribo closed their eyes with a content expression.

 

“Yuta, you’re getting too engrossed.
You aren’t the one who’s supposed to make a contract with them?”

 

Sylphy’s voice, filled with a mix of exasperation and surprise, brought me back to my senses.
Right, that’s true.
It’s dangerous, these small animals.
They possess incredible power.

 

“Y-Yeah, you’re right.
Sara, Marco, come here.
Can you sense the presence of the spirits here?”

 

“Compared to Sylphy-san and Bell-san, it’s difficult for me to sense their presence, but I can tell,” Sara answered.
I can see them as they are, so I can’t tell if it’s difficult to sense their presence.

 

“They’re floating spirits, after all.
Their power is still weak.
They are really cute, so it would be nice if they can grow together with us.”

 

I explained their appearance in more detail to Sara and Marco and asked them to come up with names.
Once a name is given and accepted by the spirits, the contract will be complete.

 

It seems that without me or Sylphy mediating, the contracting process would be more complicated, so Sara and Marco are quite lucky.

 

Sara and Marco were pondering with troubled expressions, while Bean owl and Uribo were surrounded by Bell and the others, being cuddled.
It’s good that they’re getting along, so let’s leave them alone.
But I want to join in a little.

 

“Alright, I’ve decided! I’ll go with Uri.”

 

Oh no.
I taught the children to call young boars “Uribo,” and now I’m being dragged into it? Hmm… Maybe giving too much background information wasn’t such a good idea?

 

“I’ll choose Fuku-chan.”

 

That’s probably because I referred to it as Bean owl.
Hmm… Well, it’s fine.
As long as Sara and Marco are satisfied with the spirits, there shouldn’t be a problem.

 

“Got it.
Then let’s start by making a contract with Sara.”

 

I retrieve Fukuchan and Uri from Bell and the others and have them wait in front of Sara and Marco.

 

“Alright, Sara.
You can sense the spirit in front of you, right? Tell it the name you’ve come up with.”

 

“Understood.
Um… Your name is Fuku.
Is that okay?”

 

Fuku nods in agreement.
The contract is complete.
She’s still as straightforward as ever, a little unsatisfying.

 

“Master?”

 

There’s no reaction, so Sara looks puzzled.
I can understand how she feels very well.
While Fuku is happily flying around, it’s hard for Sara to understand what’s going on. 

 

“Don’t worry.
The contract is properly established.
Try communicating with her using the method I taught you yesterday.”

 

“Y-yes.
Understood.
Fuku-chan, come over here.”

 

Sara calls out to Fuku, who is flying around, and explains the communication method.
Now it’s Marco’s turn.