After surveying the mountain for a while, I confirmed that there was a proper path leading to the spirits’ dwelling and spoke to Sofia.

“Well, shall we go?”

“Y-yes… Oh, Lord Ruon.”

“Hm?”

“We’re entering the mountain, aren’t we? Is our equipment alright?”

…Now that she mentioned it, I thought, but even if we’re going into the mountains, we don’t have to go to the summit.

“No matter how far we go, it’s only to the mountainside. It’s early morning now… I think it’s a distance we can cover in a day trip.”

“I-is that so?”

Sofia asked again. It’s natural to think that a place where spirits live would be very deep in the mountains if you’ve never been there… but in the game, it was like you’d turn off the highway, walk a bit, find a village, and then arrive shortly after.

Since it’s a game, the journey is definitely abbreviated, but looking back at the dungeons so far, it wasn’t overly abbreviated. So, it should be fine. If we find out it’s far, we can just turn back.

So, the two of us headed onto the mountain path. About fifteen minutes later, we arrived at a village. According to what we heard, it’s about an hour from here to the spirits’ dwelling.

“Be careful, there are monsters on the way.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I continued on, expressing my gratitude. Eventually, forests appeared on both sides of the road, and I proceeded towards the mountains, observing them.

At that moment, Sofia suddenly spoke.

“Lord Ruon.”

“Hm?”

“Regarding the Spirit Contract… after contracting with the Wind Spirits, will you also learn about other spirits?”

—The spirits on this continent are of four types related to the Four Great Elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. While other attributes like lightning and ice also exist, they can be used by contracting with Wind and Water Spirits respectively.

Hmm, other Spirit Contracts… The four spirits are quite far apart from each other, so even if I were to contract, it would take a considerable amount of time. I also need to keep an eye on the protagonist’s movements… After thinking, I replied to Sofia.

“For now, let’s discuss it after you contract with the spirits.”

“Understood.”

Sofia agreed. From then on, we pressed forward with minimal conversation… On the way, we encountered monsters twice. The enemies here were about the same strength or slightly stronger than those in the forest where I took the quest… but with Sofia, who had single-handedly cut through the forest, we were able to handle them well and defeat them without issue.

After walking further—we eventually saw the dwelling of the Wind Spirits, Sylphs, which was called “Wind’s Homeland” in the game. The rocky cliff face, backed by the mountain, had numerous caves, forming a labyrinth.

The caves are where the Sylphs live. Incidentally, now that it’s reality, it’s called various things like Spirit Mountain or Sylph’s Dwelling.

I squinted my eyes to see. The Sylphs are small… but even from a distance, I could tell that spirits were flying around.

“Alright, let’s go.”

I started walking as I spoke. Sofia walked behind me, and soon we stepped into the Sylph’s Dwelling. Immediately, a brown-haired Sylph spotted us and approached, speaking to us.

“Are you the ones desiring a contract?”

Their tone was very polite… Perhaps because of their Wind attribute, Sylphs, as spirits, are sometimes portrayed as free-spirited and whimsical in other games, but the Sylphs in this game are very quiet and speak politely.

Moreover, the Sylphs of this world possess a certain ability. According to some strategy guide or explanation, it was stated that Sylphs have the ability to sense human emotions. By interacting with people, their emotions are conveyed to the Sylphs through the wind and other means. If they possess considerable power, they can even see through lies. I’ve also read literature about spirits since reincarnating into this world, and the same thing was written, so it must be true.

Also, their humble demeanor is probably for external appearances. It feels like humans visit quite often, so the Sylphs might have been instructed to respond in that way.

“Yes. But I don’t need to make a contract. Only she will.”

As I gestured to Sofia, she bowed her head slightly to the spirits.

As for me, I can’t even learn Spirit Magic in the first place. The reason is simple: I’ve learned Divine Magic. These two conflict within the body, so for me, I just have to give up on Spirit Contracts.

Well, I don’t feel the need for it anyway, so it’s fine… As I thought, I looked at the Sylph, and she spoke to us.

“Understood… Regarding contracts, there are issues of compatibility. If, after speaking with my kin, there is someone whose wavelengths match yours, we can proceed with a contract as you wish.”

With only that explanation, the Sylph flew away. In the game, I recall that by talking to a specific Sylph, someone could contract with spirits. However, there was a restriction: only two party members could contract with spirits. Beyond that, I believe the powers of the spirits would clash, and their power wouldn’t manifest as expected… that’s how it was.

By the way, even if you contract with Wind Spirits this time, you can still contract with other attributes… but if you contract with three or more, you need a certain level of ability, so you would have to raise your level.

Left behind, we exchanged glances once, then started walking. It seems that in reality, talking to a Sylph doesn’t immediately lead to a contract… As a result, we had to search for spirits. Since Sofia was making the contract, of course, we had to find spirits compatible with her, but—

“We have no criteria, so this is troublesome,”

Sofia muttered after walking a bit… I couldn’t help her with this. So, all I could do was let her act as she wished.

“Compatibility with me… do the Sylphs understand such things?”

“They’re probably better at perceiving magic power than humans, and some might even approach you as you walk.”

“Then, shall we take a little stroll?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

We started walking without any particular destination… Occasionally, spirits would approach us, but in the end, they would leave without a contract.

In the game, this part was simplified, but I wonder if we actually walked around like this in the wind… Thinking that, I tried entering a cave. Sylphs were there too, but still no contract.

As a result, we kept moving upwards. The number of Sylphs was also decreasing higher up, and I thought we should turn back—just then,

“Are you the one who desires a contract?”

A certain Sylph approached us—I looked back at the spirit and sensed a slightly different presence from the others.

Her hair is blue. She is wearing a white tunic, like those worn by human women, but her face looks somewhat mature and elegant.

In addition, the voice she just made felt quite pure compared to the other sylphs. Just as I was wondering if she was a somewhat important sylph, she shifted her gaze to Sofia.

“…Hmm, you are…”

“Yes?”

Sofia asks again. Meanwhile, the sylph silently tilts her head.

Perhaps the sylph in front of me had some thoughts upon seeing Sofia. If she had realized her true identity, she would have mentioned her being a princess first, so that’s probably not it. It’s likely because she’s of the Sage’s Bloodline, making her seem somehow different from ordinary people—something like that.

“Welcome.”

The sylph says this with a slightly sad expression.

“You have probably come to seek our cooperation against the Demon Lord’s threat… We, too, are exposed to the threat of the Demon Race. Let us fight together.”

“Yes.”

Sofia replied. I thought my true identity hadn’t been exposed yet, but then,

“…Hm?”

I looked up… towards the summit—and for a moment, I saw a monster there.