Earth Dungeon 61.1

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Chapter 61.1. Spirits

A spirit fluttered in front of Shizuku. It took the form of a winged girl, a palm-sized daughter inside a green sphere. It was a wind spirit, a Sylph, a rare existence. Shizuku had a hunch that the elf from earlier was controlling it and narrowed her eyes before speaking.

"Did you think you could go unnoticed by using [Invisible]? Or if you intended to be hostile, I'm more than willing to accommodate you."

Both Shizuku and Sakimori had noticed Sylph. [Invisible] was an optical camouflage spell, but it meant nothing to them, as they could visualize mana. Shizuku's current mana reserve was 35, almost depleted, yet she crossed her arms with a composed demeanor, feigning irritation. She was quite worn out and wanted to rest.

In times of crisis, Shizuku understood that maintaining composure was crucial. She couldn't afford to show weakness, so she concealed her exhaustion. Seeing her demeanor, Sylph quickly lowered its head and spoke.

"I apologize. I had no intention of being hostile. My name is Minamoto Fuuka."

"I know. The third-year senpai Minamoto is quite famous."

At those words, Sylph shivered and then lifted her head, smiling.

"I see. So you're a student at the academy too. May I ask what year you're in?"

Shizuku shrugged in response to Gen's soft tone and frowned at her bloodied appearance.

"I don't need to answer that. With this illusionary mask, Minamoto-senpai should understand that I won't reveal my identity."

Tracing the mask on her face lightly, Shizuku chuckled. Sylph nodded in understanding.

"I see. However, we might become friends. The person behind you might want to establish a connection with Minamoto. Can I come by for introductions later? Also, if you let the people at home know that we want to play in the water together, we might meet without an appointment."

Minamoto subtly hinted at keeping in touch, and Shizuku smiled gracefully.

"If I feel like it. I'll pass on the message for now. Farewell."

With a swift motion, Shizuku extended her hand toward Sylph and sliced it with concentrated energy. The wind spirit disappeared as if melting into the air.

Then, Shizuku crouched down, her body trembling.

[Are you okay, Shizuku?]

Sakimori, in his ethereal form, approached her, and she shivered while trying to suppress laughter.

"Hehe. I laughed. I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it. As expected of Sakimori-san."

Shizuku laughed while clutching her stomach.

[It was mostly the conversation I expected. I feel bad for that girl.]

After shrugging his shoulders, Sakimori's mouth curved into a grin. He let Shizuku answer as she saw fit because he knew how these conversations would go.

Today, Shizuki is a ventriloquist's puppet. She relayed Sakimori's thoughts directly without delay to eliminate the peeping magician.

[She's probably a student at the academy, given her conversation.]

"That's likely. She probably has a unique skill related to elf transformation. She must have been curious about who saved her from the sudden attack by Azure Dragon, so she sent Sylph. If she's an elf with a high affinity for spirits, it should be easy for her to control remotely by sharing senses with the summoned spirit."

Elves require double the stat points to increase their physical strength and stamina while using one point of mana or magical power increases both stats by two points. They have a strong affinity with spirits, making them a suitable choice for rear-guard roles. However, in reality, it doesn't matter much since you can freely increase your stats using start-up potions. The real advantage of elves lies in their default possession of spirit magic.

Sakimori had already anticipated that this person was likely a student about to graduate from the academy, judging by their impressive equipment and evident wealth. Aligning the conversation with this assumption was effortless.

The response from the other person matched Sakimori's expectations. She probably assumed Shizuku was a student at the academy.

"Hehe. So, all I have to do is pretend to be a slacker, act timid, wear round glasses, and mess up my hair. Then I'll defeat the student council president and all, right?"

The beautiful girl laughed at Sakimori's antic and showed signs of struggling. The current conversation amused her greatly. The more seriously Sakimori responded, the more this person would burst into laughter, knowing full well what was going on. Yasurugi felt like asking, "What did you figure out? Please tell me."

"Amano Shizuku commands it. I shall never forget this conversation... N-no, it won't work."

Again, she seemed on the verge of succumbing to her condition, but her laughter seemed to prevail. She laughed heartily, gasping for breath."She's mischievous and cute. Sakimori thought, suppressing a smile. But he quickly regained his composure and put on a serious expression.

[This farce. Is quite helpful. Don't you think so?]

"Let's change the subject. I laughed a bit too much, and my stomach hurts. I'll ask seriously after that."

Shizuku changed back to her physical form and assumed a serious expression. Observing her, Sakimori created a knife with [Magic Weapon] and summoned the item box before deciding to speak.

"Honestly, it was irregular that they saw me defeat Sahuagins. If it were just a rumor, it would be one thing. But having the military witness it is problematic. What's even more concerning is that they saw me defeat Azure Dragon."

As she dismantled Azure Dragon, removing its fangs and scales and putting them in a box, Shizuku continued talking.

"Even the military would investigate the defeat of a creature that normally drives them away. They encountered Azure Dragon. It will become more than just a rumor."

[Yes, you're right. Are they planning to recruit us next time or come to kill us?]

He nodded his head in affirmation. After Shizuku saved them, he thought about letting it go. But Sylph started hanging around like a winged insect, so he didn't stop her when he heard Shizuku wanted to take him down.

Sylph can be used like a familiar, so he made that judgment.