“Looks like some interesting people, huh?”

A being with a somewhat drawn-out voice appeared from the Forest on the right side of our direction of travel.

She looked to be in her late teens—incidentally, the appearance of Undines is generally maintained around that age. In other games, they might have blue skin to evoke water, but the Undines in this world have the same skin color as Humans.

And she wore a white robe. If her hair wasn’t blue, I’d think she was a Spirit of a different attribute, as she gave no impression of water.

“Even among Spirits, there are still aggressive ones, huh?”

Sylvie spoke, observing her opponent with her hand on the hilt of her sword.

“You came here to make a contract with us, didn’t you? Since you were with the Wind Spirit earlier, you must have been to other places… I thought it might be interesting.”

I could feel presences around us, but no others seemed to be coming out. It didn’t look like they were going to surround us and fight, but—

“…Sofia.”

I called out here.

“Lefin just flew off, but can you still use your power?”

“When under contract, Lefin’s Magic Power remains within my body, so I can still exert power even from a distance.”

“I see… It doesn’t seem like they’ll let us go, so we have no choice but to fight.”

“Understood.”

Sofia drew her sword. Sylvie also drew her sword next, and

Ruon, you can just watch from there.

I could sense their desire to test the results of their training. They had fought monsters along the way, but the monsters in the Southern Region are weaker, so they probably hadn’t found a suitable opponent to gauge their progress. However, an Undine would be a different story.

The Undine began to move. At the same time, water currents coiled around its arms like snakes, making it look somewhat like a martial artist.

I mean, a spirit in close combat… While I was thinking, Sylvie moved. She closed the distance and attacked the Undine before it could.

Since she fights with a sword, she should have a reach advantage over the Undine, but in an instant, the Undine raised its hand. The water currents suddenly left its arm and lunged at Sylvie like a bookish snake.

Sylvie, on the other hand, tried to dodge, but Sofia’s Sword Strike cut in from the side. She swung her sword at the water current, and the water immediately lost its power and fell to the ground.

“My apologies.”

“It’s nothing.”

After a brief exchange, Sofia and Sylvie stood side by side, ready to fight… a movement born from their shared training. Not only has their individual combat strength improved, but their cooperative techniques also seem to be a significant achievement.

“Not bad.”

The Undine praised them… it also seemed to be sizing up Sofia and the others, but its eyes were bookish.

Since Sylvie moved first, I thought she would go next, but unexpectedly, Sofia moved. She closed the distance with her opponent in an instant and unleashed her sword. It was undoubtedly ‘Clear Stream Flash’.

The Undine seemed to try to respond, but Sofia’s attack speed was overwhelmingly superior. Her movements were far more refined than before they started training. Additionally, perhaps because her level increased after fighting Beluna of the Five Great Demons, her physical abilities had also improved.

“Ah–!?”

The Undine took a hit from Sofia without being able to defend. I was a little nervous, wondering if this attack might make it disappear, since I didn’t know how much HP the opponent had. However, it seems the power was suppressed, as the Undine only trembled and had no external injuries.

“…Did you intend to go easy on me?”

The Undine asked. It probably meant there was no killing intent in the attack at all.

“That’s not exactly it, but… I believe a wise person like yourself would understand.”

Sofia responded, holding her sword. As a result of her technique, she had moved behind the Undine, sandwiching it between them.

“It seems you couldn’t keep up with my previous movements. Given that you’re now caught between us–“

“You’re saying I have no chance of winning.”

The Undine sighed. Then, it relaxed its shoulders.

“I see, I understand. It’s a shame, but it looks like I’ve lost.”

A regrettable remark… Sylvie says, “Is it over?” with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

The Undine who ambushed them probably possesses considerable skill, judging by the amount of magic power she wields… The fact that she can fight against Spirits and win suggests her skill has improved since before.

There was a possibility that other Undine would come rushing in from here—but before that, Lefin’s voice was heard.

“Thank you for waiting.”

“Oh dear, have you already finished another battle?”

Along with Lefin’s words, a Spirit with a somewhat gentle speaking voice was heard.

Her appearance, in her late teens, was no different from the previous Spirit. However, this Spirit was covered in a blue robe instead of a white one.

And unlike the Undine she fought, she possesses considerable grace. Regardless of her tone, her aura is unmistakably that of the Tribal Chief who governs the Forest.

Seeing her, the white-robed Undine raised her voice.

“…Lady Amaria.”

“They are my guests. Can you refrain from further conflict?”

When the Undine Lefin brought—Amaria—spoke, she retreated deeper into the Forest as if in acceptance. Subsequently, the aggressive presence around them also vanished… Even if they act individually, it seems they still show some respect to a being who oversees the Forest.

“I apologize. Even though you’ve gone to the trouble of visiting.”

Amaria said with a wry smile. Sofia and Sylvie sheathed their swords and turned to face her.

“However, I understand why my kin would want to make contact. I thought you would be quite skilled since Lefin had a contract with you, but seeing it in person, I can tell you’ve undergone considerable training.”

“Thank you.”

Sofia responded with thanks. Then Amaria waved her hand slightly,

“There’s no need for thanks… Now, let’s head to the Spring where I live, perhaps introducing ourselves along the way.”

With that, Amaria began to guide us.

“But I’m surprised. To think the Queen of Sylphs herself is on the move.”

The Spring we visited was deep in the Forest. Behind it, mountains sat as if guarding the Forest’s back. We began to talk in a circle, and Amaria continued to speak.

“What kind of Wind is blowing?”

“There are circumstances… Sofia, could you summon Rokuto for me?”

“Yes.”

Sofia complied and closed her eyes… Then, Rokuto the Gnome appeared beside her.

“Oh, I see.”

Then Amaria raised her voice. It seemed she also knew about Rokuto.

“So, both the Sylphs and the Gnomes have high expectations for that woman, their contractor?”

“Yes. To be more precise, Lady Sofia and her companions first visited me, and after various events, we decided to fight together.”

“There’s a reason for that, isn’t there?”

“Yes. I will explain about that.”

Lefin began to speak. She explained that Sofia was a Descendant of a Sage and also a Princess, and that she had defeated the Five Great Demons… Amaria then let out a sound of understanding.

“So that’s it. It makes sense that Lefin is accompanying her.”

“And this time, we visited this Forest to form a contract with an Undine. There was some trouble, but our original plan was to meet Amaria.”

“You wanted me to tell you about a compatriot who would be compatible with Sofia, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I understand. In that case–“

Amaria declared, placing her hand on her chest.

“I will cooperate. As the Tribal Chief, I must also keep a close eye on the War with Demons.”

–It seemed certain that the Spirit who would contract with Sofia, following the Sylphs and Gnomes, would again be a person of great ability.