Chapter 39: The Knight of the Black Wolf
"――And so, this is Mizuha, the new member who has become a water Great Spirit. Please treat her well, everyone."
"Kakeru-kun? Normally, Great Spirits don't become companions with humans... Well, it's too late now."
While astonished, Katarina-san accepts it in the end. I'm truly grateful.
"Mizaha-sama, may I ask you something?"
"What is it, Chloe-sama?"
Chloe gazes at Mizuha with a serious expression.
"I've heard that becoming a Great Spirit requires an unimaginable amount of time."
"....."
Chloe-san?! Is that really necessary to focus on?
"Chloe, Mizuha is a Great Spirit. Even if she spoke right after being born, it wouldn't be strange, right?"
"I'm 0 years old..."
"Look, Mizuha is 0 years old."
"Master?! Please wake up! Where would you find a 0-year-old child like this?"
Chloe glares at Mizuha with narrowed eyes.
"Why does that ill-tempered wolf girl bully me, older brother...?"
"Chloe, Mizuha seems scared. There, there."
Damn, being in the younger sister position is this tough... Impressive, Mizuha-sama...
I can tell from the power of my scent appraisal skill that Master feels joy when referred to as "older brother." Yes, it's a power word on the same level as Celestina's "husband." In that case, does Master prefer a closer distance like family? Come to think of it, Eva also calls him "darling," and although Master doesn't seem to realize it, being addressed as "Your Excellency" by an elf is a term used only for fiancés and husbands. In other words, Silphy and Sarah are already in the fiancée positions... In comparison, I'm just a maid. In a way, it's just a master-servant relationship. I was the one who was by his side from the beginning, so am I perhaps the farthest from Master? No, I don't want that... Oh, but there's Claudia. Truly my eternal best friend, Claudia. Huh!? Speaking of which, Claudia was being carried by Master like a princess. Wait... Could it be that I'm the only one who hasn't been carried like a princess?! Even though I'm also a princess, in a way... How could this happen? What should I do from here... Maybe I should become a younger sister too... If I become a younger sister, it's only natural to take baths and sleep together. Hehe, it might be nice. But just being a younger sister is weak. I don't want to change the setting later and look like I lost. Let's go with younger sister maid. With this, I can be together 24 hours a day, and I can have an advantage over Mizuha-sama as an older sister. Hehe, as expected of me, who was called a prodigy. It's the perfect optimal solution.
"...I apologize, Big Brother. Mizuha-sama, please think of me as your older sister and say anything you want."
"Big Brother?! What does that mean?!"
Unaware of Chloe's anguish, Kakeru's confusion deepened.
"Hahaha, Kakeru's surroundings are always lively and fun. Well then, count me in--"
"Cecilia, you can play with a cat's tail."
"Chloe, isn't that unfair treatment towards me?!"
"W-Well, forget about it. So, what should we do? We can't just leave this place as it is, and we also need to report back. Even if we divide the tasks, we need to decide on a plan."
Indeed, they couldn't leave the place as it was. Since there was a high possibility of new enemies coming, they needed to leave behind a considerable force.
"In that case, I'll leave a few of my summoned beasts here to guard. We have the worms too, so we should manage somehow."
"That's right. We also have high-level kings and generals. And if anything happens, Kakeru-kun can contact us. He might be suitable for the task."
Catarina-san also agreed.
"Brother, in that case, please leave the defense of the underground lake to me. Originally, this place was a paradise for water spirits since ancient times. Now that the lake has been purified, the lesser spirits have already started returning. I shall order them to protect this place."
"That would be helpful. Thank you, Mizuha. By the way, Mizuha, are you okay staying materialized for so long?"
"...It's terrible, Big Brother. Do you want me to disappear that badly?"
"N-No, that's not what I meant. Of course, I'm happier with Mizuha by my side."
(So cute... My Big Brother is so cute.)
"I'm glad, Big Brother. By the way, I have a favor to ask. Could you put some of that holy water into the lake?"
"Holy water? Ah, you mean the divine water. Of course, I don't mind."
As they poured the divine water into the lake, the surface of the water began to shimmer, and a holy aura enveloped the surroundings.
"...Big Brother, this is amazing! I think the spirits will gather here in no time."
Mizuha gazed at the lake with sparkling eyes. My little sister is so adorable.
By the way, the worms underwent a job change, being cleansed and transformed from monsters to earth spirit beasts. They also seemed to have improved their appearance slightly. Their body odor changed from the stench of rotten eggs to a pleasant smell like garden soil. As a result, the worms were no longer under the command of the Rare Goblins... hehehe.
(With this, those cockroaches are no longer useful... I'll finish them off for good next time--)
"...Big Brother? I sense a smell of ill intentions coming from you..."
Tch, Chloe is sharp. That cockroach bastard has nothing but bad luck. But someday, I'll cleanse him with divine water!
＊＊＊
Fryugel the griffin and the other summon beasts except Ravi would be left behind in this place. The leader decided to entrust the command and monster reinforcement to Erich, the Goblin King.
"Then, until we return, I leave the defense of this place to you all."
"Leave it to us, master. We will turn all those who have come here on their own into experience points."
Very well, reliable. If all goes well, the automatic level-up system will be complete.
This place seems to have been an important enemy stronghold, so it's significant that we crushed it. It will also serve as a crucial relay point on our way to Astraea. The results this time are more than sufficient.
"In the end, we managed to complete everything the guildmaster requested. This mission is a great success!"
Cecilia said so and everyone smiled together. Now, let's return to the guild.
"?! My lord, something is coming. It's moving at considerable speed."
Suddenly, Chloe shouted, and everyone immediately assumed combat positions.
And the next moment, a black mass flew in front of us.
"You... Abel? My lord, he's not an enemy. He's Knight Abel from the Order of the Knights."
The black mass was a jet-black wolf, and its figure rapidly returned to a humanoid shape.
"Haa, haa... Lady Chloe, I'm glad... you're safe. Is Lord Kakeru here by any chance?"
He must have been running at full speed the whole way. It was a waste of time to wait for his breath to stabilize. Watching Abel's appearance, I had a bad feeling.
"I'm Kakeru. Abel-san, what happened?"
"...Esperanza was attacked by a horde of monsters. Commander Seres has already headed to the fortress to save it. If things continue like this, the commander... I beg you, Lord Kakeru, please help the commander and the fortress..."