Chapter 324 Drifting Road of the Divine Tree â¤
Part 2
Breathing a sigh of relief, Lapis then looks down at her companions, who are still slumped over and says in a serious voice.
âAnd it looks like you girls lost the bet just now. If what that Spirit said is true, then this incident has nothing to do with this man. In addition, this man accepted the Spiritâs request without hesitation. Needless to say, as a Spirit People, we owe him a lot. I suspect you understand?â (Lapis)
âThatâs why, I told you it isnât Yowaningenâs fault, desu!â (Kruz)
The Members of ãStarlight (Hoshi no Seirai)ã lower their heads in response to Lapisâ stern gaze and Kruzâs astounding words.
They are always strong around, so if they suddenly change their attitude like that, it makes me feel unsettled.
In the first place, rather than accepting it, it was more like I didnât understand what it was sayingâ¦â¦â¦â¦ Heck, I doubt you owe me anything, no?
It goes without saying that having my reputation lower because of misinformation is troublesome but having my reputation go up due to a misunderstanding is also troublesome. I call Lapis in a hurry.
âIt is okay, Lapis. I donât think you owe me anything due to this incident. I just did what I wanted to do, you donât need to worry about the bet. That wasnât fair.â (Cry)
I knew that I was not at fault and the bet was too favorable on my side as we had drowned out what I would have to do if I had lost. If I had actually lost, there is a possibility that they would have made a new request, but even then Sytry would have cleverly cheated our way out.
As for the Spiritâs request, I have not yet decided whether to accept it or not. I inadvertently said âAhâ¦â¦ Yes.â, but I should still be able to take it back.
The problem is when should I confirm the contents of the request with Lapisâ¦â¦â¦â¦ I hope there will be a good timing for that.
.
When I frown and think about such a thing, one of the ãStarlight (Hoshi no Seirai)ã stands up vigorously. She *girori* glares at me and stands in front of me, still slightly staggering.
Her eyes are like jewels shining silently with clean lines and sharp features. As I stiffen involuntarily under her mysterious pressure, the female Magi says to me in a low voice.
âI-I madeââWe made a mistake. ãInfinite Variety (Senpen Banka)ã. I apologize for all the rude words and suspicions I have raised. I hope you will forgive meâ¦â¦â¦â¦ Desu.â (Astor)
A total surrender from them was completely unexpected.
The female Magi lowers her head deeply and following her, the other Members lower their heads too.
How would they feel if they knew I donât even remember their names? Because, you seeâ¦â¦ They rarely come to the Clan House, so I donât have a chance to interact with them.
Kruz says to me with a sorry look on her face for some reason.
âYowaningen, please forgive them, desu. Astor also apologized using honorifics. It is just that, wellâ¦â¦ They donât really understand much about you, Yowaningen, desu.â (Kruz)
âNo, of course, there is no problem, butâ¦â¦ I also think that it canât help that I am being suspected in a situation like that.â (Cry)
In the first place, I donât need an apology or anythingâ¦â¦â¦â¦ Rather, the way to use honorifics isnât unique to Kruz, huh. That is more surprising to me.
When I donât know what to do, the female Magi that Kruz called Astor raises her head.
At the same time, the other Members of ãStarlight (Hoshi no Seirai)ã, who are standing behind her, swarm towards me.
âYou are a good guy, desu. It seems I was wrong about you, desu. Level 8, I thought it was just a silly scale made up by humans, but it seems to be correct in its own way, desu.â (Astor)
âOn top of fixing a Spirit which has power close to that of a deity, you even rescue our captive comradeâ¦â¦ It would be a shame to let him with human, desu. No wonder Lucia thinks so highly of him, desu.â (Starlight Member 1)
âWhatâs more, you responded to a request from such a Spirit without hesitation! I will make you my friend, desu!â (Starlight Member 2)
The Members of ãStarlight (Hoshi no Seirai)ã are talking to me excitedly. There isnât even a shred of contempt that had been floating in their expression until a moment ago.
Luciaâs cheeks are twitching due to their excessive transformation and Kruz is also vexed.
Eh? I donât remember Spirit People being this friendly?
No, before that, what did that Spirit ask of me? I am thinking of refusing, but it is hard to say nooo.
âI know, human. It is not exactly quid pro quo, but as an apology for my rudeness, I will give you my treasure, desu! Take care of it, desu!â (Astor)
âN-No, I donât want itââThatâsâ¦â¦â (Cry)
Astor even tries to hand over a ring with a green gem that she is wearing.
I heard that Spirit People who are salty toward humans are also lenient toward those they are close with, but her sudden change in attitude is too much.
I canât accept her treasure. It is becoming harder and harder to say no.? Moreover, I am out of free fingers.
Astor looked hurt for a moment at my firm refusal, but as soon as she thought of something, she took out a knife from her pocket and without hesitation slid it through her long hair.
A strand of hair like gold thread falls down. Astor gives me a confident smile and offers me a bundle of her hair as my eyes widen at her incomprehensible behavior.
âI know, if you donât want my treasure, I will part some of my hair, desu! It is my thanks for listening to the Spiritâs request. The hair of a Spirit People is a rare catalyst for Magic. It is not something a human would normally be able to obtain, be thankful for it, desu!â (Astor)
Everyone is stunned by her actions. In particular, Sytry puts her hand to her mouth and her expression is filled with surprise and delight.
The expression on Sytryâs face is the one that comes to her when a truly impossible fortune strikes. I really envy her for being at her own pace even in this kind of situation.
ââ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ O-Okayâ¦â¦â (Cry)
As expected, I cannot not accept it. After all, she has already cut it.
If you go this far, I canât say no to the Spiritâs requestâ¦â¦â¦â¦ I feel like puking.
The strands of hair are as shiny and beautiful as real gold, a little cold and mysterious. The story about it being a rare catalyst for Magic must be true.
But what do you want me to do with this? And really, what the hell did the Spirit say to me!?
Kruz approaches me hastily and asks me with a timid look.
âYowaningenâ¦â¦â¦â¦ Wellâ¦â¦ Do you want my hair too? Desu.â (Kruz)
ââ¦â¦â¦â¦ For the time being, can you tell Astor and the rest to stop with that weird honorific? It is confusing.â (Cry)
â!?â (Kruz)
What are you competing forâ¦â¦â¦â¦ I donât need it! I mean, handing out your hair is some pretty heavy stuff, you know!?
For the time being for the portion I have receivedâ¦â¦ Sytry seems to want it, so letâs give it to her.
But those looks of expectation, are so unsettling. It wasnât my intention to make the Spirit return to its senses or that I have accepted its request.
The hot gazes of the Members of ãStarlight (Hoshi no Seirai)ã are piercing me all over. The fact that I had done something that would cause such a change in attitude just scared me. What is the kind of thing that a Spirit, which even with almost everyone from ãStrange Grief (Nageki no Borei)ã (except Luke) could not defeat, could ask me for?
And then, from outside of the crowd of ãStarlight (Hoshi no Seirai)ã Members, a somewhat displeased voice could be heard. It was Lizâs voice.
âCry-chaaaan, Iâm properly taking care of her just like you said, so properly look at me, âk!? It looks like sheâs gonna regain consciousness soon!â (Liz)
TL notes:
Thanks for reading!
Good thing Cry told Astor and the others to stop saying desu.
If he didnât I wouldnât know when it is Kruz that is talking, lol.
Tchao à plus!