Chapter 471 – Spirit King of Water

The Water Spirit King glanced briefly at Claudia and bowed.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Goddess Shuath. I am called Marl, known as the Water Spirit King.”

Though she felt more like a Spirit Queen than a Spirit King. Well, with four of them existing, it made sense. Given that she seemed to know about Claudia, at least she likely hadn’t appeared with hostile intentions.

As if responding to the Spirit King’s request, we stepped forward into the plaza.

“Yes. It’s nice to meet you. I’m not particularly fond of being called Goddess Shuath, so would you mind calling me Claudia?”

“Yes, Claudia-sama.”

Marl nodded as she spoke.

“The spirits were making a commotion, so I came to check on the situation. During this period, it falls to me to keep watch.”

…Hmm. So that means… the Spirit Kings take turns monitoring the area around the Moonlight Temple. The fact that she manifested here suggests they’ve likely connected this place as an outpost for the Spirit Kings through something like Contract Magic.

Having a Spirit King personally handle defense certainly makes for a sturdy protection.

But… in the BFO that Kagehisa knows, the Moonlight Temple’s seal was broken despite this.

Did they have a means to deceive the spirits’ surveillance, or did they break through by sheer force… or perhaps they neutralized the spirits’ movements?

From Linette’s perspective, they probably have cards like Teleportation Magic or Summoning Magic at their disposal… but that alone doesn’t seem sufficient.

Or perhaps… it’s possible that when the seal is being reapplied, the Spirit Kings are unable to move.

Given that the Spirit Kings have significant roles to fulfill, relying on them too heavily as combat assets is questionable. To begin with, High Spirits can cause widespread effects if they move too conspicuously.

For example, that’s the very reason Tephra cannot participate in battles. It could genuinely trigger something like a volcanic eruption due to the connection.

“So, you spoke to me because you spotted me, I suppose?”

“Yes. As for the companions with Claudia-sama—”

“That’s right. Let me introduce them. First… perhaps starting with my fiancé, Theodore.”

Spoken to by Claudia, Marl’s eyes widened.

“Claudia-sama’s… I see. He seems to possess magical power almost unimaginable for a human child.”

“I am Theodore Gartner. I haven’t been particularly conscious of it myself, but it seems I have Moon Folk blood. My mother was Silvatoria… no, she was a Sealing Shrine Maiden descended from Beriondora.”

“Ah— So you are a descendant of those people. That makes sense. It appears you are well-liked by spirits and fairies too.”

Saying this, she looked at me, narrowing her eyes nostalgically and with a hint of loneliness.

“So you are acquainted with the Seven Sages after all.”

“Yes. We fought together. Though saying we fought… both in the past and now, High Spirits like us cannot move too extensively… But in this place, we can exert our power because the other Spirit Kings help minimize the external impact.”

I see… So that’s precisely why a Spirit King can directly perform guard duties.

“I am Grace. I’m… a Dhampir, and Theo’s fiancée.”

“Yes.”

Following me, the other Party members each introduced themselves to Marl in turn. At Grace’s somewhat shy words, Marl smiled and nodded.

“I am Ashley Rodias Silun. I am the head of the Silun Baron household and Theodore-sama’s fiancée.”

When Ashley greeted her, Marl made a slightly impressed expression.

“You… possess very strong water magical power.”

“Th-thank you.”

Ashley seemed a bit flustered. The fact that she remained unperturbed even after consecutive fiancée titles gave her a sense of dignity… but perhaps that’s something spirits naturally accept. Rather, she seemed more interested in Ashley’s magical aptitude.

With that sort of exchange, once everyone’s self-introductions were finished, I decided to ask about my earlier speculation.

“I have one question. Hypothetically, when reapplying the seal on the Moonlight Temple, would it be possible to simultaneously guard this location?”

“That is… might be somewhat difficult. Precisely because it is a powerful seal meant to protect over long years, we too must concentrate for that purpose. However, beyond this seal, magical creatures created by the Seven Sages should be waiting for intruders.”

I see. As expected, it seems the Spirit Kings cannot move during the sealing process, but it appears there are guards placed inside the Moonlight Temple as well.

“Speaking of such matters, and with this group… It seems there are some unfavorable developments, doesn’t it?”

“That’s right. This time, we didn’t specifically come with business for the Moonlight Temple… But there are many things we should discuss, so first, would you accompany us to the surface?”

“Yes. Understood.”

Marl nodded with a solemn expression. Well then… after handling the spoils from this venture at the Adventurer Guild, perhaps we should talk at the ritual site or somewhere similar.

We need to use the Communication Device to contact and report to various places. After finishing our business at the Guild and heading to the ritual site, the timing should work out just right.

“…Is that so. So the demons are gathering in groups and maneuvering in the shadows again.”

“Yes. It seems members range from the most ancient demons to newly born generations of demons. I also think it’s highly likely there are numerous low-class demons and monsters under their command.”

After finishing our business at the Adventurer Guild—we then headed to the ritual site. Along the way, in the carriage, I explained the current situation to Marl.

“With high-ranking demons of that level present, one cannot say the defenses are completely secure, I suppose. I had thought it would be difficult for the demons to recover their leader’s body, but…”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Inside the Moonlight Temple, a plant called the Spirit Tree is planted. It absorbs evil energy and miasma, purifying them to become its own nourishment… The leader’s vessel should be buried at the base of that giant tree.”

Spirit Tree… a Spirit Tree, huh. A plant that absorbs miasma…

“There was also talk about the Sealing Shrine Maiden undergoing a ritual… and becoming a shrine maiden who protects the four directions. I feel like that might be related too.”

“…Could it be usable for sealing the Miasma Orb?”

Rosemary showed a thoughtful expression behind her feather fan.

“Exactly. That would kill two birds with one stone.”

For instance, contracting with a shrine maiden and using some magic to protect the land, planting a Spirit Tree there, sealing the Miasma Orb within… and having the emitted miasma consumed by the Spirit Tree.

“If we assume Beriondora has facilities similar to the Labyrinth… I think creating a Spirit Tree that, like the Labyrinth’s walls and floors, regenerates infinitely even if destroyed, is not impossible.”

Claudia said.

…Since it’s a Spell Formula, there should presumably be some procedure to解除 its state… and to fill that gap, utilizing something like Contract Magic… perhaps? This would also make sense regarding the meaning behind the phrase about the Sealing Shrine Maiden protecting the four directions.

It means layering multiple types of security to make the seal robust. Neither the vessel alone nor the soul alone is sufficient. Merely capturing a base wouldn’t lift the seal. The demons probably had to start by understanding how their leader’s seal was constructed and searching for a method to解除 it.

But even if that speculation is true, given the reality that the Miasma Orb has been brought into Termwills, it’s highly likely the Spirit Tree planted at the sealed location has already been destroyed by the demons’ hands.

Even if the seal on the Orb side is fine, considering we must reapply the seal on the Miasma Orb, we might need to increase and cultivate the Spirit Trees in the Moonlight Temple. With Floria and Harvesta’s cooperation, perhaps we can manage something.

…If we could deliver the Finishing Blow to the leader, that would cleanly resolve such matters.

While pondering various things like this, the carriage carrying us arrived at the ritual site.